Immortal Travel of Longevity

"Sir?"

Receiving no response, the waiter called out again.

Fu Hongmei snapped back to reality. "B-bring it in."

"Right away."

The waiter set the washbasin down and turned to leave.

"Wait," Fu Hongmei called out, stopping him.

"Is there anything else you need, sir?"

Fu Hongmei hesitated, but finally voiced his question.

"Why are there so many demons here?"

The waiter looked surprised. "Sir, you..."

He thought to himself, What demon doesn't know about our Donglin Ward?

But this one seemed...

The waiter paused. "Are you from far away, sir?"

"Yes!"

Fu Hongmei said, "This is my first time here."

"No wonder..."

The waiter immediately continued, "Feel free to ask whatever you want to know. Since we're both demons, I can at least help out with something this small."

Seeing the waiter so forthcoming, Fu Hongmei lowered his guard a little and asked what had been bothering him.

The waiter told him all about Donglin Ward.

Fu Hongmei's eyes filled with astonishment. He had never imagined that such a demon ward could exist here in the Mortal World.

As the waiter spoke, the yearning in Fu Hongmei's eyes grew stronger. He wished he could settle down here immediately.

"Then... how can one settle down here?"

"Settle down..."

The waiter shook his head. "There are enough demons in Donglin Ward now, and the City God Lord no longer permits more to settle here. You could go take a look in the mountains, though. Many demons live over there, and it's quite close. It's just not very peaceful. Fights over territory happen in the mountains all the time, unlike in the ward, where we have the City God Lord's protection."

"Unless you live further away—but even then, those things are unavoidable."

"Does it happen often?" Fu Hongmei asked.

The waiter nodded. "Yes. Four or five died just last month. There's never been anyone in charge in the mountains, so there are no rules. It's a complete mess."

"It's so close by. Why doesn't the City God Lord... manage things in the mountains?"

"The City God Lord manages a myriad of affairs every day. He can barely handle everything inside the ward, let alone outside. Besides, outside matters don't fall under the City God Lord's jurisdiction; they belong to the Mountain God. And the Mountain Gods of those peaks have long since disappeared, so there's no hope of that."

Fu Hongmei opened his mouth, then asked, "Doesn't that mean there's no way at all?"

"There is one other way."

The waiter explained, "Lately, the inns and workshops in the ward have been hiring. Take me, for example; I work here as a waiter. Although I haven't officially settled down here, I am registered with the City God Lord. That way, I can stay in the ward long-term without worrying about other demons bullying me."

"But it isn't easy, either."

"Even for a waiter, you have to be seen by the City God Lord personally to be registered. If you are a wicked demon with evil intentions, you aren't allowed to stay in the ward."

The waiter continued, "If you can't compete with the demons in the mountains, sir, this is your only option. However, there are quite a few demons who want to enter Donglin Ward, so it won't be easy."

"Is that so..."

Fu Hongmei pondered for a moment before suddenly snapping back to attention. He quickly thanked the man. "Thank you. Also, I have some Broken Silver here; please take it."

The waiter hurriedly took it with both hands, tucked it into his sleeve, and smiled. "You're too kind. If there's anything else you don't know, sir, you can always ask me again."

"Then I won't disturb you any longer."

After stepping out, the waiter carefully closed the door behind him.

Fu Hongmei sat down and let out a long sigh of relief.

His gaze drifted toward the window, and he clenched his fists.

.

.

"You want to stay here?!"

At a table in the Main Hall of the inn, Chen Changsheng, Mo Yuan, and Fu Hongmei sat together chatting. Food and wine were laid out; Fu Hongmei was treating them to this meal.

Mo Yuan was astonished by Fu Hongmei's words.

He raised an eyebrow. "You aren't going to take up a post in Shangjing anymore?"

Fu Hongmei smiled. "I won't go. I've heard the waters run deep in the Capital City; I might just lose my life. Donglin Ward is great in every way; living here would be pretty nice."

Chen Changsheng asked, "Can even Qingping Prefecture not compare to Donglin Ward?"

Fu Hongmei nodded. "I don't think it compares."

Mo Yuan shook his head. "As a martial artist, how can you be so cowardly?"

Fu Hongmei opened his mouth, hesitated for a moment, and said, "To tell you the truth..."

"I lied to you."

Fu Hongmei gave a helpless smile. "Actually, I'm not some drill instructor. Back in Qingping Prefecture, I was just a local ruffian. I usually scraped by on petty theft, hiding here and there. I only left because I truly couldn't hide there anymore."

"Please forgive me."

Mo Yuan scoffed softly. "I saw through that a long time ago."

Chen Changsheng asked, "Then how do you plan to make a living now that you're here?"

Fu Hongmei replied, "I don't know for the time being. But this place can accept me. At the very least, I won't have to keep running and hiding."

Mo Yuan took a gulp of his drink and muttered, "I think with your skills, if you gave it your all, you might actually make a name for yourself."

Fu Hongmei shook his head. "I've always been timid. I cling to life and fear death; I could never accomplish anything great."

"Didn't you make it all the way here anyway?"

Mo Yuan said, "You're just one step away from the threshold."

Fu Hongmei replied, "What's behind that door is exactly what gets you killed."

Mo Yuan smacked his lips and shook his head. "You actually have a chance. My Mister isn't an ordinary person. Although he might not bring you great wealth and rank once we reach Shangjing, he can guarantee you smooth sailing."

Fu Hongmei paused and shook his head. "I..."

He didn't know how to explain.

He wasn't talking about human matters, either; it was just that he had told too many lies.

And Mo Yuan wasn't speaking of human matters, either. The two of them were actually referring to the same thing; they simply hadn't spoken openly.

Chen Changsheng said, "Not everyone wants to carve out a grand legacy. Youths gazing upon the jianghu dream of upholding justice, only to lament their own powerlessness. Yet renowned saber and sword masters entrenched within the jianghu often long for the lives of ordinary people. Everyone makes different choices; there is no right or wrong, high or low. If you want to stay here, it is perfectly understandable. At least This Chen thinks it is a fine choice."

Feeling a bit guilty, Fu Hongmei said, "Thank you for speaking up for me, Mister. But I know in my heart that I lack ambition and fear death, which is why I want to stay here."

Chen Changsheng smiled. "As long as you've made up your mind."

"Mhm." Fu Hongmei nodded.

Mo Yuan sighed. His gaze drifted outside as he picked up his wine and took a sip.

"Boring..."

Mo Yuan muttered. He had originally thought this little mouse was quite interesting; helping him out upon reaching Shangjing wouldn't have been a bad stroke of fate. But now, the guy was throwing in the towel.

This left Mo Yuan feeling quite depressed.

His entertainment was gone.

Fu Hongmei smiled apologetically. "I've made a fool of myself, Brother Mo. Let me offer you a toast."

"I'm not looking down on you; I just set myself up for disappointment."

Mo Yuan clinked glasses with him. Since Mister had already spoken, he naturally wouldn't object.

Fu Hongmei nodded. "I understand."

The two of them drank and continued their casual chat.

It was all just uninteresting small talk, and even to the end, the underlying matters remained unspoken.

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