Immortal Travel of Longevity

Three years later, Chen Changsheng woke again.

He was back in Shangjing City.

The city hadn't changed much. As the capital, situated right at the foot of the emperor, its prosperity only compounded with the passage of time. It rarely fell into decline; even if a dynasty shattered, this place would recover its former glory in short order.

He took a seat by the street and ordered a pot of tea.

The tea stall's owner was a man in his thirties, which surprised Chen Changsheng.

Selling tea by the roadside was no way to make real money. At best, it scraped together enough for a meal, paying even less than manual labor. Moreover, this was Shangjing City. Few here were hard-pressed for the price of a cup of tea. Those with wealth went to a proper tea house, while those without simply didn't drink tea at all. There was no money to be saved in this trade.

After asking, Chen Changsheng learned that the stall owner ran this business out of necessity.

He had a bad leg.

Years ago, he had been a manual laborer until an accident left him with a severe limp. Though the injury had healed somewhat, he could no longer do heavy lifting, so he had opened this tea stall.

Chen Changsheng fell into a brief daze. Hearing those words, he couldn't help but think of Yan Huanglou.

"Years ago, This Chen knew someone just like you," Chen Changsheng said. "He fell while working as a bricklayer and ruined his leg. Afterward, he set up a tea stall in Qingshan City and ran it until he grew old..."

"Is that right?" Perhaps hearing of someone with a misfortune so like his own, the owner sat down. "How did he fare later on?"

Chen Changsheng thought for a moment, then said, "He did well enough. He just didn't have anyone to keep him company, so he was a bit lonely in his old age."

He paused, then added, "He also managed to save quite a few silver taels."

"Over several decades, he saved a total of seventy-eight silver taels and three hundred twenty-nine copper coins."

Chen Changsheng remembered that number. He remembered it very clearly.

It was the only time in all his long years that he had ever killed anyone over silver taels.

The stall owner froze, looking somewhat surprised. "He managed to save that much?"

Chen Changsheng parted his lips and said, "For an entire lifetime... it is not much."

The stall owner fell into deep thought at those words. If he actually did the math, it really wasn't a large sum. It was the savings of an entire lifetime; no amount could ever truly be considered a lot.

Chen Changsheng fished a single copper coin from his money pouch and handed it to the owner.

"For the tea."

The owner pushed it back. "You... you should tell me more about this, well, predecessor of mine. Let's waive the tea money."

Chen Changsheng smiled. "There isn't much to say. Keep it. Another person's life is always their own. They are only similar, not exactly the same."

Chen Changsheng left the copper coin behind and departed from the tea stall.

The stall owner stared at the copper coin, lost in deep contemplation.

He couldn't quite grasp these grand philosophies.

But he just felt that words spoken by a man like him had to make sense.

The two things didn't contradict each other.

He simply didn't understand them yet.

"Scholars really are different..."

The owner muttered to himself, operating under a misunderstanding.

Chen Changsheng was merely much older than him, and this wasn't an age measured solely in years.

...

Chen Changsheng made a trip to the Imperial Palace.

Since he had returned here, he also wanted to see if the old eunuch was still alive.

Naturally, he also hoped the old eunuch was living well.

Chen Changsheng simply walked into the Imperial Palace. The palace guards could not see him; his passing felt like nothing more than a gust of wind.

He made his way straight to the front of the Library Pavilion.

Chen Changsheng looked toward the entrance, a smile unconsciously surfacing on his face.

He was alive.

Somewhere along the line, this had become something for Chen Changsheng to be thankful for.

Had the survival of an old acquaintance already become something to hope for?

Chen Changsheng shook his head and walked over.

Just like in years past, the old eunuch sat dozing behind a desk inside the Library Pavilion. His breathing was much weaker than before. Once a person grew old, their appearance changed with each passing year.

In the blink of an eye, the old eunuch's hair had turned completely white. The wrinkles on his face were far more pronounced, and the last surviving trace of amiability he once had was washed away by the flow of time.

If a child saw such a face, they would be terrified, not daring to approach.

Chen Changsheng's movements were very light. He walked into the Library Pavilion, found a book, and immediately opened it to read.

The sun rose in the east and set in the west, and the rosy light of sunset spilled into the Library Pavilion.

The old eunuch let out a yawn just like in the past, stretched, and prepared to pack up and head back.

But when he heard the sound of turning pages, he froze.

"Who is it?"

The old eunuch stared blankly and cast his gaze over.

Looking through the gaps in the bookshelves, he seemed to see a figure.

Only when he walked over to the connecting corridor did he see the person clearly.

Chen Changsheng lifted the book in his hand and waved it, saying, "There are some new books in the Library Pavilion."

The old eunuch recalled it and suddenly laughed.

"Earlier, Your Majesty ordered people to collect books from all over the realm, so quite a few more were added."

The old eunuch was missing several teeth, but he still smiled. In the Imperial Harem, a eunuch surviving to his age was exceptionally rare. His friends could be counted on one hand; some had died, while others had turned against him long ago. Thus, when he saw Chen Changsheng again, his joy showed clearly on his face.

He walked over and sat down beside Chen Changsheng.

"When did you get here?"

"Noon."

Chen Changsheng said, "You sleep during the day, and you sleep at night. It's as if you never woke up."

The old eunuch laughed. "A turtle does not move, which is why it lives so long."

"That makes a fair bit of sense."

Chen Changsheng chuckled along and placed the book back onto the shelf.

The old eunuch said, "When we parted last time, I thought we would never see each other again."

He paused, then added, "Speaking of which, you really haven't changed a bit. Same clothes, same face, and you've even got that same Gourd hanging from your waist. You haven't changed at all."

That was likely why the old eunuch had recognized him at a single glance.

Chen Changsheng let out a laugh and said, "Is that so? I hear that quite often."

"Often?"

"Yes."

"Oh..."

The old eunuch asked, "Are cultivators like you truly unaging and undying?"

Chen Changsheng shook his head and said, "Even cultivators have a Lifespan."

"What about ghosts and spirits?"

"They have them as well, except for the heavens."

"Then do the heavens live forever?"

"Perhaps they also have a lifespan," Chen Changsheng said. "But as long as there are no accidents, they will never wither or die."

"Accidents?" the old eunuch asked curiously. "Even the heavens can suffer accidents?"

Chen Changsheng nodded and said, "The end of the path for a cultivator is likely transforming into the Dao, also known as the Heavenly Dao. Much like a dynasty, someone might suddenly rise up, and in the blink of an eye, overthrow the old regime and change the heavens and the earth."

"To think such things exist..."

Listening to this, the old eunuch considered it an eye-opener.

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