Immortal Travel of Longevity

A heavy rain left the mountain air crisp and refreshed.

Sword in hand, Chen Changsheng stood in the courtyard, recalling the stances and forms of his early years.

Yet he found the weapon growing increasingly awkward in his grasp.

It was no fault of the sword, but of the man wielding it.

He was far from the effortless grace he had once possessed.

Every strike was bogged down in rigid form. Or perhaps, when he drew the blade, he simply no longer knew what he meant to cut down.

Over these long years, he had tried to understand certain truths.

It was much like practicing the sword. When many swordsmen gripped their hilts, they never truly understood why they wielded a blade in the first place.

Some might even go to their graves without ever grasping a sword's meaning.

They sought answers from the past, then looked to the future for results. But the future of the future was simply no future at all.

"You are in high spirits, Mister Chen."

Chen Changsheng looked back to see the inner demon paying a visit.

Decades had passed, and the inner demon had made good on his promise.

He had indeed led Yuanshan back to its peak. At least within the Northern Demon Domain, the Yuanshan Fox Clan had reclaimed its former glory.

Now, he had come to collect the qi destiny.

Chen Changsheng said nothing. With a raise of his hand, a rune on his body transformed into a sphere of golden light, which he tossed over.

The inner demon reached out and caught it. Only then did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"Many thanks."

All these years of hard work had not been in vain.

On the way here, he had feared Chen Changsheng would go back on his word or deliberately make things difficult for him. Now, it seemed he was not the sort to break a promise after all.

Chen Changsheng sheathed his sword and sat down.

The inner demon looked at him and said, "I have always had a question that I do not quite understand."

"What question?" Chen Changsheng asked.

The inner demon asked, "In this great tribulation, you could have been the one moving the pieces. Why have you remained entirely indifferent?"

Chen Changsheng looked at him and replied, "What is the purpose of playing chess?"

"To win," the inner demon said.

Chen Changsheng said, "Indeed. But for This Chen, no matter how I choose, the result will only be a loss. If a victory brings no joy, then it is no victory at all."

The inner demon listened but still could not understand.

He shook his head and cupped his hands. "I will take my leave. I hope Mister Chen figures things out soon."

He came in a hurry and left just as fast.

Without pausing again, the inner demon turned and headed for the Tongtian River to seek another share of qi destiny from the Water Tribe.

Only this final piece remained.

After he left, the Daoist temple fell quiet once more.

Chen Changsheng was long used to this. Ultimately, no one in this world would ever stay here for long. He was a meaningless person, but others were not.

As he sat on the long bench, the crisp evening breeze brushed against his face, bringing on a heavy wave of drowsiness.

He found himself wanting to sleep more and more, as if everything he sought could be found within a dream.

...

In the blink of an eye, another sixty years had passed.

In Qingshan City, Xuanji's grand dream was finally shattered.

On that day, the tavern that had been open for countless years in Qingshan City finally closed its doors.

Hong Jin said that she wanted to go home.

So, Xuanji carried her in her arms and traveled all the way south.

They kept walking until they reached a place where mountain flowers bloomed brilliantly and lotus blossoms filled the gardens.

This place was called Oulianfang. It was where Yu Hongjin was born.

Xuanji carried her here. Just as she stepped into the lotus pond, the figure in her arms dissolved into specks of starlight and fell into the water.

It was the dead of winter, the weather bitter cold, and the pond was filled with withered lotuses.

Yet under the blessing of that starlight, new lotus leaves sprouted. In a mere instant, the entire pond burst into full bloom.

Lotuses in winter made for a magnificent sight.

This elderly aunt had used her last thread of vitality to transform the ruined lotus pond into a scene of breathtaking beauty.

Beautiful.

Breathtakingly beautiful.

Xuanji stood by the lotus pond, countless thoughts swirling in her heart.

The dream was shattered.

Everything had become a shadow of its former self.

She suddenly wished she could just drift away with the wind. It was the first time she felt she had lived long enough.

"So I wasn't afraid of death after all..."

A bitter smile appeared on Xuanji's face.

She was only afraid of everything around her leaving her behind.

When the past was forgotten, she—a person living in the past—would also be forgotten by time.

From then on, she began to wander the world.

Wandering without purpose.

Perhaps to her, where she went was no longer important, because the people she wanted to see were not on the road ahead.

It was not until many years later that she arrived at a place called Qiuyue Fang.

Within the Daoist temple there, she met someone.

That they could meet again was something she had never anticipated.

"Granduncle, is that you?"

Staring at the lifeless figure sitting in the chair, Xuanji could not quite believe it for a moment.

Chen Changsheng was asleep, so deeply that he could not even be woken up.

Xuanji stepped forward. Today, Chen Changsheng was covered in the stench of decay and the heavy scent of passing years.

But in truth, was there really much difference between the two of them?

If Xuanji was a sick person, then for Chen Changsheng, the illness had entered the vitals. Both were sick; it was just a matter of time.

Chen Changsheng was asleep, and there was no telling when he would wake.

Spotting a chair nearby, Xuanji sat down.

This was also the first time in a long while that she actually wanted to talk to someone.

She just did not know when her granduncle would finally wake up.

Xuanji waited there, sitting for three whole days.

And Chen Changsheng, who had sat withered for so long, finally showed some movement. His fingers twitched, and he slowly opened his eyes.

As if sensing something, he turned his head to look.

It was an unexpected person.

"Granduncle, it has been a long time."

Xuanji's voice was low.

But when Chen Changsheng got a clear look at that face, he was taken aback.

Under the passage of time and the dissipation of Spiritual Energy, Xuanji was also growing old. White hair had sprouted on her head, and wrinkles showed at the corners of her eyes. She could hardly be called a young girl anymore.

"What's wrong?" Chen Changsheng asked.

Exhaustion filled Xuanji's eyes. She turned to look outside and said, "Granduncle, I am tired. Hong Jin is gone..."

Hearing this news, Chen Changsheng froze for a moment.

"Hong Jin?"

"Yu Hongjin."

"She's gone?"

Chen Changsheng drifted into a daze once more, recalling the little girl who loved to drink.

When he snapped back to his senses, he looked at the person beside him.

Xuanji murmured, "Granduncle, why does the world have to change?"

Chen Changsheng did not know what she had been through, but he answered, "The world won't wait for anyone. It's just that we are living in the past."

Xuanji paused for a moment, then turned her head. "I want to go back to the past, Granduncle. I miss Big Sister and Second Sister. I miss them..."

Chen Changsheng let out a soft sigh and stroked her hair.

Tears flowed from Xuanji's eyes, and she could not stop them no matter what.

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