Immortal Travel of Longevity

Just as the shop hand had warned, the road out of Donglin Ward was not as safe as one might imagine.

Mo Yuan glanced at the woods outside the ward. He sensed two presences flanking them, one on each side. Neither harbored any malice, however; they seemed to be merely observing.

Chen Changsheng naturally noticed them as well, but he kept quiet.

Two figures emerged from the woods. They wore masks, looking identical to the Night Wandering Spirits of the City God Netherworld Bureau. The only difference was the unmistakable demonic aura rolling off their bodies—they were clearly demons.

The two demons seemed to have used some ability to hide their figures from mortal eyes, just like genuine Wandering Deities. Aside from the demonic aura, they were perfect imitations.

"Two mortals, leaving the ward at this hour?"

"And a little mouse."

Fu Hongmei glanced toward the two underworld deputies. He froze and quickly averted his eyes, not daring to look again.

"What a pain. We have to make another trip."

"One jug of wine from the East End of the Fang."

"Deal. My treat."

"Alright then."

Chen Changsheng and Mo Yuan remained silent and continued walking.

A smile tugged at the corner of Mo Yuan's lips. "Mister, this place is quite interesting."

Chen Changsheng smiled warmly. "Indeed."

Hearing this, Fu Hongmei asked, "What's interesting?"

"Nothing," Mo Yuan replied.

The "Wandering Deity" followed behind them, sensing nothing amiss in their conversation, and simply continued to trail them.

Mo Yuan looked at Fu Hongmei. "By the way, considering how much you value your life, why did you come out here? We've never saved your life, nor have we really helped you with anything. Why go to such lengths?"

Fu Hongmei was taken aback. "Well..."

"Does it really require saving my life or doing me a favor for me to have a reason to see you off?"

Mo Yuan was slightly stunned by these words. "What do you think, then?"

Fu Hongmei said, "We've walked a long way together. I lied to you earlier about being an instructor, and later confessed to just being a street punk, but you didn't look down on me for it."

"My mother told me it's hard to find people who don't care about your status, and even rarer to make friends like that. Since we're friends, I should help out if I can. It doesn't matter who helped who first. It doesn't mean you only have a future together if a life was saved or a favor was owed."

"So you came?"

Fu Hongmei said, "To be honest, I'm still a bit scared. But I figured if you two really met with some misfortune, I'd probably... sigh..."

He didn't know how to finish that thought, so he shifted tracks. "This is also my first time traveling far from home. Back in Qingping Prefecture, people saw me as just a hoodlum; they wanted nothing to do with me and were quick to hurl insults. Only the two of you treated me with any respect. I felt that if I didn't come, I might regret it. I'd regret it for a very long time."

Chen Changsheng looked at him and said, "Instructor Fu is a man of honor and loyalty."

Fu Hongmei opened his mouth, seemingly unaccustomed to such praise. "I'm... I'm really not..."

Mo Yuan patted his shoulder and laughed. "Just accept the compliment. There's nothing to be embarrassed about."

Fu Hongmei blinked in surprise, then broke into a smile.

Mo Yuan chuckled as well, but then asked, "Being loyal is good, but have you considered what would happen if those bandits actually take your life on this trip?"

Fu Hongmei pondered this for a moment before sighing. "I don't know..."

"Actually, I was standing at the inn's entrance, hesitating about whether to come. But I'm slow-witted. I thought it over every which way and still couldn't figure it out. I was afraid you'd get too far away, and by the time I finally made up my mind, I wouldn't be able to catch up."

Fu Hongmei lowered his head. "I just... had a rush of blood to the head and came."

"A rush of blood to the head?"

Chen Changsheng couldn't help but laugh.

Mo Yuan slapped Fu Hongmei's shoulder again, grinning. "You really are stupid. How is someone like you supposed to live a long life?"

Mo Yuan continued, "Let me tell you, the next time something like this happens, don't follow along. My Mister once taught me a principle: a gentleman does not stand beneath a crumbling wall. Don't put yourself in danger."

Fu Hongmei blinked, confused. "What does that mean?"

Mo Yuan was amused. "Your foolishness really reminds me of a little lackey I used to have."

"You had a lackey, Brother Mo?"

"I did. But he's fully fledged now and wanders all over the place. He's not the little tagalong he used to be."

"Is that so..."

Fu Hongmei refocused and asked, "So, what exactly did that phrase you mentioned earlier mean, Brother Mo?"

Mo Yuan explained, "It means a gentleman doesn't put himself in perilous situations. He certainly wouldn't be stupid enough to risk his life for two friends he just made, like you did."

Fu Hongmei finally understood. He turned his head and muttered, "Gentleman..."

"I don't think I count as one."

Both Chen Changsheng and Mo Yuan paused at those words.

Chen Changsheng smiled and said, "This Chen previously traveled with a Tabby Cat. It was just as pure-hearted as Instructor Fu."

Mo Yuan shook his head. "Still not as smart as Chenghuang, though."

The further the group walked, the denser the surrounding woods became.

Fu Hongmei also grew alert. He constantly checked the woods on either side and glanced back at the demon bailiff trailing them.

Seeing that the demon bailiff was still following, he felt a bit more at ease.

The demon bailiff—playing the Wandering Deity—frowned as he noticed Fu Hongmei constantly looking back. "Just keep walking! Stop turning around to look!"

Fu Hongmei stiffened at the reprimand and finally stopped glancing back so often.

"Grrr..."

Faint rustling noises sounded through the woods on either side.

Mo Yuan listened, completely unfazed. "There are quite a few wild beasts in these woods. They can be a bit intimidating at night."

"Is that so?" Chen Changsheng cast a glance toward the trees. He actually spotted quite a few demons, though none were formidable. In fact, all the creatures on this entire mountain combined likely wouldn't survive a single slap from Mo Yuan.

Seeing this, the "Wandering Deity" following them let out a cold snort.

The Wandering Deity stomped his foot, sending a surge of Demonic Power pouring out.

"Behave yourselves!"

Following the Wandering Deity's shout, a sudden silence fell over the woods. The low growls ceased completely.

Fu Hongmei's heart settled. With a Wandering Deity at their backs, he figured no demon would dare cause trouble.

The Wandering Deity looked at the road ahead and called out, "Hey, little mouse."

Startled, Fu Hongmei turned his head.

The Wandering Deity said, "I'm only escorting you as far as the intersection ahead."

Fu Hongmei's heart tightened.

Ahead...

But there was still such a long way to go!

Fu Hongmei opened his mouth to plead. "Could you..."

The Wandering Deity shook his head. "The area past that point is governed by another City God proper deity. I cannot cross over."

This was a rule established long ago.

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