Immortal Travel of Longevity

"Sister! Sister!"

Groggily, Ruyi thought she heard Ping'an calling her. Her snoring trailed off.

She cracked an eye open, turning her head to see sunlight spilling into the room.

"Sister!"

The voice came from outside.

Ruyi rubbed her eyes and sat up in bed.

Still half-asleep, she climbed out of bed and pulled the door open.

Hair a tangled mess, she ambled out the doorway with a yawn.

But as she slowly came to her senses and focused on the people in front of her, she froze.

Who was that?

Why was Uncle Chen here?

Ping'an?

Ruyi felt like she must be sleep-addled.

'I must not be fully awake.'

She shook her head to clear it. Under everyone's stares, she turned right back around and retreated into her room.

Ping'an and the others exchanged bewildered glances.

Why had she gone back inside?

Ruyi flopped back onto her bed and shut her eyes again.

She took a deep breath, telling herself to wake up faster.

This dream was just too real.

A moment later.

She shot bolt upright in bed.

"!!!"

Ruyi scrambled out of bed and sprinted outside.

She swept her gaze across the courtyard, taking in the crowd and the Uncle Chen she had missed so dearly.

"It's not a dream..."

Lihua trotted over to Ruyi's feet and pawed at her clothes. "Ruyi slept until her head went fuzzy."

"It's really not a dream!"

Ruyi cried out.

"Ah! Uncle Chen!"

Ruyi dashed forward and launched herself into the air, throwing herself onto Chen Changsheng.

Startled for a second, Chen Changsheng recovered with a chuckle. "Hurry and get down."

Ping'an offered a helpless smile at the sight but didn't say a word. His sister's ways had always been wild—at the very least, he thought it was terribly impressive.

Off to the side, Mo Yuan stroked his chin in thought.

Mortals?

They didn't seem very old, either.

Since when did Mister like associating with children?

Mao'er was one thing, and this pair of siblings too.

Mo Yuan couldn't quite wrap his head around it.

The group sat chatting in the small courtyard.

Ruyi rattled on about the places she had been and the things she had encountered over the years.

"The jianghu is really so much fun! You have people traveling north and south from all corners of the world. Even if you don't know each other, you might walk a stretch of the road together, chat about novel things, and talk about your hometowns. There are unique local customs everywhere you look; it's genuinely fascinating."

"Back in Chunhui Prefecture, I met an old grandpa who made his living doing face-changing tricks. He was incredible—he could swap through so many faces in just a few moments! He even wanted to take me as his disciple. It's a pity I was in a rush to head elsewhere at the time, so I didn't get to learn a thing."

"Oh, and there's more! Lihua and I even ran into a demon. Good thing Lihua is so tough—she beat that demon to death in the blink of an eye."

She poured it all out in a long, breathless rush. Everything she had seen and heard, the places she had explored over the past few years, tumbled out in her stories.

Those days had been a brilliant, colorful adventure.

For Ruyi, they were also unforgettable.

Her time on the road had rubbed off on her, imbuing her with the aura of a true daughter of the jianghu: casual, generous, and straightforward. Even the way she was currently sitting cross-legged on her stool had long since become a habit.

But was that a bad thing?

Did anyone in this world decree that women had to sit rigidly upright?

Ruyi had gained many new perspectives on the world, and her understanding of everything under heaven had blossomed into something whole and complete.

As Chen Changsheng saw it, the young always needed to go out and witness breathtaking things. Only by seeing the world could one truly say they hadn't lived their life in vain.

Listening to Ruyi's tales, Ping'an couldn't help but sigh in awe. "You're so amazing, Sister..."

Truth be told, he was a little envious.

For him, at least, the chance to step outside Shangjing City was a rare luxury.

Ruyi offered a cheeky grin. "Next time, your big sister will take you out to roam the jianghu."

Ping'an nodded with a smile. "Alright, it's a promise!"

But deep down, he knew he would likely never get that chance.

His Majesty valued him highly, and matters big and small were always piled high on his desk. He simply didn't have the time.

Lihua yawned, growing sleepy from all the talking. It didn't quite understand why humans liked recounting their past stories to others. It had never understood.

Chen Changsheng asked, "You've traveled most of the way around?"

Ruyi nodded. "About half a circuit. I'm planning to stay in Shangjing for a bit, and then I'll head west."

Hearing this, Ping'an abruptly cut in, "The west isn't very peaceful right now."

"Not peaceful?" Ruyi asked.

Ping'an nodded. "Heading west leads into the former Western Xiao Territory. Even though West Xiao was wiped out many years ago, there are still plenty of remnants hiding out there. They either turn into horse bandits or lay low in the towns. Those people haven't given up their ambitions; they still want to restore West Xiao. On the surface, the world seems at peace, but in reality, there are frequent skirmishes in the west. Not long after a rebellion is put down, another one springs up. It gives His Majesty endless headaches."

Chen Changsheng said, "The instability in the west is inevitable. After all, it's far from Shangjing and difficult to govern. Those with ulterior motives will naturally take advantage of that."

Ping'an nodded in agreement. "Those people are brazen beyond belief. They even dare to disguise themselves as horse bandits to assassinate officials of our Imperial Court. If they were just after money, it would be one thing, but all they want is blood. In the past two years, two groups were dispatched there, and neither made it back alive. The situation in the west is incredibly tense."

"That's why I say it's best you avoid traveling west right now, Sister."

Ruyi frowned. "What should I do then..."

Ping'an said, "It won't make a difference if you go later. Hold off until His Majesty pacifies the chaos in the west and the region settles down. It probably won't be much longer, anyway."

Hearing this, Chen Changsheng asked, "His Majesty already has a plan?"

"He should," Ping'an replied. "Judging by His Majesty's reactions in the Imperial Court, he's brought up the chaos in the west quite a few times, and even more frequently as of late. He's likely preparing to make his move."

He let out a sigh and continued, "Actually, you could call it a problem left over from history. Back then, the Grand Ancestor of Xiang fought his way into the Western Xiao Royal Court and wiped out West Xiao. But because the Grand Ancestor of Xiang fell gravely ill and slipped into a coma at the time, he was forced to return to Shangjing. Later, the Crown Prince who took over state affairs had never been to the borderlands and didn't understand the situation there very well. Because of that, the hidden dangers were left to fester, and they've lingered all the way to the present day."

Chen Changsheng remarked, "It sounds like a rather thorny issue."

Ping'an nodded. "It's extremely thorny. If it were just those remnants, they wouldn't be much of a threat. But there are other factions woven into this mess—specifically, a number of jianghu sects."

"In the past, the emperor of West Xiao placed heavy emphasis on both commerce and martial arts, causing the power of West Xiao's martial artists to surge. They even formed Imperial Court factions consisting entirely of martial artists. Now that these martial artists have banded together, they're incredibly difficult for our Great Xiang army to fight."

Ping'an sighed again. "In truth, Great Xiang's martial strength is no weaker than West Xiao's, but the Imperial Court can't tap into that power. His Majesty believes that martial artists use their strength to break the law, so he has been actively suppressing the jianghu martial artists in recent years. Under his maneuvers, many jianghu sects have vanished without a trace. If he wants to borrow their momentum now, the chance is likely already gone."

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