Immortal Travel of Longevity

After paying respects to their old acquaintance, they left Qiuyue Fang.

They headed north.

Mo Yuan asked, "I heard the Dragon Lord mention earlier that during the years Mister was away from the Daoist temple, he went to Yuanchuan?"

"To Qingshan City in Yuanchuan," Chen Changsheng replied.

"It's on our way north to Shangjing. Does Mister want to stop and take a look?"

"I do plan on visiting."

Mo Yuan nodded, keeping the matter in mind.

Most of Mister's old acquaintances were mere mortals. Every meeting meant one fewer for the future. Since that was the case, they absolutely could not miss this chance.

.

Heavy rain fell over Qingshan City.

Ever since summer arrived, torrential downpours were common here. A person might change clothes three times a day, switching between long and short shirts, and even needing to wear two layers at night.

"Pitter-patter..."

The heavy rain struck the roof tiles, shattering into droplets that cascaded down.

The crisp patter against the tiles made for a pleasant, musical sound.

People braved the downpour and ducked into the tea house for shelter, brushing the water from their clothes and privately cursing the storm's poor timing.

"This rain is seriously heavy."

"Tell me about it. Talk about rotten luck."

"Which story is the Mister on stage telling?"

"He's telling Strange Tales, though I've forgotten which specific piece."

"Come on, let's go in and listen."

Just as they spoke, the sharp crack of an Awakening Block rang out.

"Clack!"

As the Awakening Block struck, the storyteller in the tea house spoke in clear, flowing words, unraveling tale after tale.

It was hard to say when Tang's Teahouse had stopped telling stories of the past. Nowadays, they mostly performed fictional scripts. Though these tales lacked reality, they still easily drew listeners into the characters and places within.

The tea house was packed with patrons, their eyes and ears entirely fixed on the storyteller on the stage.

Right as everyone was deeply engrossed, two figures walked through the entrance of the tea house.

They looked like a young noble accompanied by a Mister.

Mo Yuan said, "Mister used to tell stories here back in the day?"

Chen Changsheng smiled. "That was many years ago."

The two of them found an empty table and sat down.

A tea house waiter came over to ask for their order.

"A pot of tea, two bowls, and a plate of spiced beans," Mo Yuan ordered.

"Right away, coming right up!"

The waiter soon returned carrying their tea and spiced beans.

Mo Yuan handed over the silver taels and waved him off.

The waiter sensibly took his leave.

"Are you really planning to listen to the performance?" Chen Changsheng asked.

"Of course," Mo Yuan replied.

What else would they do?

Chen Changsheng smiled helplessly. "And here I thought you actually had some business to attend to."

Mo Yuan laughed. "I just wanted to see what Mister has been doing all these years. After hearing you mention it earlier, I was a little curious about how you looked telling stories up on that stage."

"Then you won't get to see it," Chen Changsheng said. "Back then, I relied completely on the novelty of my scripts to hold the stage. That material wouldn't be fresh anymore. If I went up there now, I'd just get scolded off."

"Mister should just go up. If anyone dares not to cheer, I'll beat them until they do."

"Let's not do that."

Chen Changsheng exhaled and looked up at the storyteller on the stage. He had seen the man a few years back, though he looked much older now. He was an acquaintance, yet not a close one.

Pulling his thoughts back, he said, "This Chen needs to go see someone. If you want to listen to the stories, take your time and enjoy them."

Mo Yuan nodded. "Mister doesn't need to worry about me."

Chen Changsheng gave a slight nod, rose to his feet, and walked out of the tea house.

He paused briefly as he passed the front counter, catching sight of Shopkeeper Liu sitting inside, sliding counting rods back and forth.

Chen Changsheng hesitated for a moment, ultimately deciding it would be better to catch up later. Without calling out a greeting, he departed the tea house.

Inside the counter, Shopkeeper Liu seemed to notice the light being blocked. By the time he reacted and looked up, he only caught a glimpse of a departing back.

He froze, feeling that the figure looked familiar.

But he didn't dwell on it, mostly attributing it to knowing too many people over the years.

Lowering his head, he went back to calculating his accounts.

Chen Changsheng walked down the street until he spotted a familiar alleyway entrance, and turned to step inside.

The moss in the alley seemed to have been cleared away. He remembered the path being a bit slippery when he last left, but it was much better now.

Heading deeper into the alley, his eyes fell upon a white-haired old man sitting in front of a neighboring courtyard gate. The man held bamboo strips in his hands, seemingly weaving something.

The old man froze the moment he saw Chen Changsheng.

He set down the items in his hands and stood up.

Chen Changsheng walked over and asked, "How did you end up taking on this sort of work?"

It took Ouyang Feng a long time to recover his wits. He glanced down at the discarded bamboo strips and replied, "Adapting to local customs. Weaving a couple of dustpans earns me a couple extra meals."

"How does it compare to wandering the jianghu?" Chen Changsheng asked.

Ouyang Feng gave it some thought before answering. "At first, I didn't think much of it. Now, I feel the jianghu isn't even worth as much as these woven dustpans."

"That's good."

Chen Changsheng gave a warm, gentle smile.

"It is."

"Then This Chen won't disturb you any further," Chen Changsheng said.

"Ah, hmm."

Ouyang Feng was taken aback.

He had assumed Chen Changsheng was here on some sort of business.

He watched Chen Changsheng continue further down and stop in front of the courtyard gate right next door.

Ouyang Feng muttered to himself.

"Just as I thought..."

Even an Immortal isn't immune to romantic entanglements.

But he definitely wouldn't dare pry. It was best to just pretend he knew nothing.

Chen Changsheng stood before the gate and knocked.

"Coming!"

A voice rang out from within the courtyard.

It was a young, childish voice.

Yu Hongjin stood on her tiptoes to slide the latch back, pulling the door open.

"Creak..."

"Are you looking for—"

Yu Hongjin's words cut off halfway.

She stared blankly for a second before her face drastically changed.

"Slam!"

The newly opened door was instantly shut.

The words had reached Chen Changsheng's throat only to catch there. Staring at the door that had just opened and closed, he found himself momentarily speechless.

Yu Hongjin leaned against the inside of the door, taking a moment to process what she'd just seen.

Snapping back to reality, she whirled around and peeked through the crack in the door to inspect the person outside.

It really was him!

She hadn't seen wrong!

Chen Changsheng smiled. "Spying on people through a crack in the door is rather rude."

Yu Hongjin raised an eyebrow and shot back, "Nobody's in the courtyard. You can go away now."

"This Chen brought wine."

Yu Hongjin froze. She opened her mouth to speak, but quickly shook her head.

Gritting her teeth, she declared, "I've quit drinking!"

Outside, Chen Changsheng was the one taken aback.

She quit?

But a second later, a faint whisper drifted through the door.

"Um, what kind of wine?"

Chen Changsheng gave a helpless smile. "It's Autumn Moon Brew."

"I don't believe you. Let me take a sniff first, then we'll talk."

"Mo Yuan came with me to Qingshan City this time," Chen Changsheng noted.

The moment Yu Hongjin heard that name, she shivered from head to toe.

Absolute terror washed over her tiny face.

"Then you're still not allowed in!"

"Just leave," Yu Hongjin stated with unyielding firmness. "Sister Yun won't see you, you heartless scoundrel."

"..."

Chen Changsheng was taken aback upon hearing this, but then he nodded. "Well scolded."

"Don't think I'll let you in just because you agree with me. Give up on that idea. Today, I, Yu Hongjin, would rather die than yield! I suggest you leave as fast as you can."

"If your Sister Yun finds out about this, she's going to smack your palms."

"My skin is thick."

"Not up for discussion?"

"Not up for discussion. Mm."

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!