Immortal Travel of Longevity

Standing at the door, Yu Youyu felt a little disheveled and deeply uncomfortable.

The steward had run off in a frantic hurry, abandoning her there in inevitable awkwardness.

Fortunately, someone arrived shortly after.

It was an older woman, dressed plainly and exuding a gentle aura.

Yu Youyu drew a blank for a moment before the memory suddenly struck her. "Auntie Dong?" she murmured in a daze.

Dong Chiyu smiled. "That's me."

Still in a daze, Yu Youyu opened her mouth, but she didn't know what to say.

To her, it felt as though hardly any time had passed at all...

Yet seeing her again, this aunt's hair had turned white and her face was lined with wrinkles, rendering her almost unrecognizable.

"It's fine, it's fine..."

Yu Youyu stepped into the Commandery Princess Manor. It looked much as she had imagined, perhaps even a bit smaller. She had visited the Nanyang Commandery Princess Manor in the past, and it had been at least several times this size.

Not only that, but the estate itself was exceedingly plain—a fact obvious just from the servants' attire.

She didn't look down on it, however. If anything, she found it extraordinary. The more extravagantly dressed the household, the more problematic it usually was; the more low-profile the household, the more unfathomable.

"Who's here?"

Before they even reached the main hall, a white-haired woman came bouncing toward them, skipping along as if she were still a child.

Ruyi's eyes lit up. She stepped forward and pinched Yu Youyu's cheek. "My, if it isn't Little Fish! You've grown so big and tall. Not bad at all, Demon-Slaying Sword Immortal."

Yu Youyu recognized that wicked woman the moment she heard her voice, but at the mention of the title 'Demon-Slaying Sword Immortal,' her face instantly flushed bright red.

"I—I'm no Sword Immortal."

Ruyi smiled. "When I handed you over to Ping'an back then, I told him to train you into a Sword Immortal. I didn't expect he'd actually pull it off."

"No, that's not..."

Yu Youyu hastily denied it. "It's all because of Listening to Rain."

"That takes skill too. Listening to Rain doesn't just listen to anyone."

Ruyi chuckled, throwing an arm around Yu Youyu's shoulders. "You must be hungry. Come on, Auntie will treat you to something good."

Yu Youyu felt a bit dazed. Staring at the woman beside her, she honestly couldn't tell if Ruyi had actually aged at all.

How could someone get old and still be this wildly eccentric?

That wicked woman truly lived up to her reputation.

Ruyi, entirely carefree, simply ordered the steward to fetch a feast of good food and fine wine from the local tavern.

Yu Youyu gorged herself. She had been absolutely starving and couldn't help but down several extra bowls of rice.

Ruyi watched her, growing fonder of the girl by the minute.

The little lass was so well-behaved and gentle, speaking in such soft tones. She was truly endearing.

Every time Yu Youyu glanced up, she met Ruyi's unwavering gaze.

It unnerved her so much that she eventually stopped looking up from her food entirely.

That was, until Ruyi suddenly declared, "Now that you've eaten my family's food, you aren't allowed to leave."

The remark nearly scared Yu Youyu into spitting out a mouthful of rice.

Dong Chiyu nudged Ruyi. "Why are you scaring the poor girl? You're as eccentric as ever."

She then turned to Yu Youyu. "She's just teasing you. Eat up. You've clearly lost weight on your journey here, child. Eat some more. Your Aunt Ruyi has plenty of silver taels; if there isn't enough, we'll just buy more."

Ruyi chuckled. "What a wonderful girl."

Dong Chiyu sighed. "Brother Ping'an's students always turn out exceptionally."

"You're hiding a second meaning in there, Blockhead."

"I most certainly am not."

"I'm the one who taught you, remember?"

"Exactly. That's why I picked up all your bad habits."

"Ah, Blockhead, your words cut so deep! Boohoo..."

"Don't cry just yet. I have even more hurtful things to say."

Yu Youyu stared at them in utter bewilderment. The two women were bickering loudly, yet somehow, it all felt incredibly sweet and intimate.

This world was truly bizarre.

Moreover, she had noticed something else: the steward addressed Auntie Dong as "Madam," and Ruyi as "Master."

At that thought, Yu Youyu's face flushed red once again.

She kept her head firmly bowed and focused entirely on her meal.

When the two women finally settled down, Ruyi shifted to official business. "Speaking of which, did your master send you here for a specific reason?"

Yu Youyu paused and lifted her head. "Aunt Ruyi, Master just said to tell you to make a trip to Nanbeilou."

"Make a trip?"

Ruyi blinked, a sudden lurch catching in her chest.

Beside her, Dong Chiyu froze with her chopsticks in mid-air.

"Was there nothing else?" Dong Chiyu pressed.

Seeing their expressions turn grave as they stared at her, Yu Youyu felt a wave of unease.

She opened her mouth and answered, "No, Master didn't mention anything else."

Ruyi and Dong Chiyu's faces instantly paled.

Ruyi set down her chopsticks, suddenly losing her appetite.

She turned and shouted toward the courtyard.

"Steward Chen!"

"Fetch my horse!"

The twenty-fourth year of Tianshun, Qiuyue.

The woods outside Nanbeilou were turning a crisp yellow, and a thick layer of dead leaves had buried the road that had once run red with blood.

Hooves trod over them, rustling softly.

Wang Ping'an sat in a chair, gazing at the autumn scenery before him. A deep, heavy melancholy swelled in his chest.

He was waiting for his sister.

But he wasn't anxious. He knew his sister would absolutely come.

And she would arrive very soon.

Beyond the woods, the sound of approaching hooves echoed.

They trampled the fallen leaves, sending up a crisp rustle.

"Rustle..."

A horse skidded into the courtyard, spinning in a circle.

Having galloped relentlessly for days, the beast was entirely spent.

The moment it reached its destination, the horse let out a final, strained neigh and collapsed heavily to the ground.

Ruyi sprinted forward. She had ridden straight through without sleeping for several nights to get here.

She dashed up to the man in the chair and cried out, "Ping'an!"

A smile blossomed on Ping'an's weathered face. Now old and white-haired, he looked up at the woman before him and called out softly.

"Sister."

Ruyi demanded, "What is the meaning of this? You send your disciple to find me—what does this mean?!"

Ping'an smiled gently. "I've been waiting for you, Sister."

"I asked you what this means!"

Ruyi was burning with panic, her eyes rimmed red with tears. "We both paid our respects to the Dragon King back then! How many years has it been? How has it only been this long..."

Ping'an sat quietly in his chair. "My fate is different," he said calmly. "Years ago, when Your Majesty defied the will of heaven, I played a part in it. It's only natural that I suffer heaven's punishment in return. I was never meant to live a long life. Please don't cry, Sister."

"Bullshit!"

Ruyi sobbed. "You have a long life ahead of you! Did I give you permission to die?!"

She hurriedly hauled him up. "I'm taking you to Brother Tong! He's Uncle Chen's disciple. He'll definitely have a way to save you. Come on, I'm taking you!"

Ping'an raised a trembling, feeble hand. "It's no use, Sister..."

"Shut up!"

Without waiting for his consent, Ruyi stepped forward and hauled him forcefully onto her back.

Ping'an slumped helplessly against her shoulders.

"Sister," he murmured. "There's no need to go..."

Ruyi didn't answer him. She simply bolted outside.

But they were who knew how many miles away from Chunhui Prefecture. How could she possibly run all the way there?

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