Immortal Travel of Longevity

Lord Xu was clearly a man who knew how to read a room. After speaking, he immediately added, "Oh my, I just remembered something I need to attend to. Mister, please excuse me for a moment. Excuse me."

Chen Changsheng reached out and called after him, but Lord Xu walked off without looking back, as though he hadn't heard a thing.

With that, only Chen Changsheng and Chunxiu were left.

Chunxiu covered her mouth with a laugh. "Lord Xu might have misunderstood."

Chen Changsheng offered a helpless smile. "He probably did."

"Will this cause trouble for Mister?" Chunxiu asked.

"Not at all," Chen Changsheng replied.

Chunxiu retrieved a pair of chopsticks from the food box and handed them to him.

Chen Changsheng accepted them with both hands and thanked her.

Chunxiu nodded. "I have. I brought all of these for Mister. Please, have a taste and see if they suit your appetite."

Chen Changsheng nodded and tried a bite.

He looked up at her, unable to hold back his praise. "This is delicious. Did you make it yourself, Miss Chunxiu?"

Chunxiu nodded. "When I was in Mangxue City, I often helped my sisters in the kitchen. I picked up a few things over time."

"Thank you, Miss Chunxiu," Chen Changsheng said.

Chunxiu shook her head. "I wouldn't dare accept Mister's thanks. When the Northern Territory fell into chaos back then, so many people lost their lives. If not for Mister, who knows how many more would have perished. You saved my life, and you saved everyone's lives. How could I dare let Mister thank me?"

"This Chen wasn't the only one who helped," Chen Changsheng pointed out.

"We remember them all," Chunxiu said with a smile. "Mister, the Dragon Lord, and Priest Lu. After Mister left, the common people built the Three Benefactors' Temple to honor you three. Now, there are Three Benefactors' Temples all across the Northern Territory, and the incense never stops burning."

Chen Changsheng paused in surprise. "I had no idea such a thing happened..."

"If Mister ever passes through the Northern Territory again, you must go take a look," Chunxiu told him.

Recovering his wits, Chen Changsheng nodded. "If the chance arises, This Chen will certainly visit."

"Mhm."

Chunxiu's voice was very soft. She rolled up her sleeves, took a fresh pair of chopsticks from the food box, and carefully served him some food.

"Please eat, Mister."

Chen Changsheng wasn't quite used to being served like this, but he didn't say much, merely thanking her again and again.

Meanwhile, on the second floor of a tavern not far away.

A young woman holding a Tabby Cat was keeping a close eye on the scene.

Who else could it be but Ruyi?

"Vixen!"

"Bah."

Ruyi muttered under her breath, clearly displeased.

Lihua looked up at her. "Why is Ruyi cursing at people again?"

Ruyi gave a soft harrumph. "You can tell at a glance that woman is up to no good. Just look at the way she's staring at Mister Chen. It's really..."

To be fair, one couldn't really blame Chunxiu.

Having grown up in a brothel, the things she had learned since childhood were precisely these sorts of private enticements. It was ingrained in her every glance and movement, so it was inevitable that Ruyi would feel bothered.

Lihua blinked. "Ruyi is so strange."

"Hmm?"

"You never cursed at anyone when Miss Yun was around."

"That's totally different, okay?"

"Ruyi just doesn't like her."

"Nonsense."

With that, Ruyi lightly rapped her knuckles against Lihua's head.

Lihua rubbed its head and fell silent.

Getting physical the moment someone saw right through her—Ruyi had always been unreasonable like this.

Ruyi stood by the window for a while longer, watching until the woman stood up, bid Uncle Chen farewell, and took her leave.

"Good thing she left quickly."

Ruyi let out a soft harrumph, suddenly seeming much less annoyed.

Lihua glanced up at her and muttered, "Hitting people is wrong."

"I didn't hit her."

"But Ruyi wanted to."

"Whose side are you on?"

"Ugh..."

Before Lihua could say another word, another knock landed on its head.

It lowered its head in grievance, grumbling under its breath, "I'm going to tell Chen the Good Man later."

Ruyi froze. She turned to stare at the cat. "When did I ever hit you?"

Lihua looked up at her, its eyes filled with utter disbelief.

"You, you, you..."

"Me, me, me."

Ruyi laughed. "I didn't know little Lihua had learned how to tattle! How impressive. Why didn't you tattle before? Oh, right, Uncle Chen wasn't around."

"Ruyi is so mean," Lihua said resentfully.

It turned its head away, refusing to pay her any attention.

Ruyi eyed the cat. A moment later, she poked it. "Are you mad?"

Lihua simply flicked its tail, refusing to speak.

Ruyi pouted. After a moment of silence, she finally muttered a single phrase.

"My mistake."

Lihua wavered at her words. It let out a soft harrumph, but still didn't turn around.

"Alright, let's go. Time to head back."

Ruyi scooped Lihua up, completely ignoring whether the cat was willing or not, and headed out.

Lihua squirmed in her arms. "Lihua hasn't forgiven you yet."

"I know, I know."

"Ruyi is playing dumb again. Next time, I'm going to run far, far away."

"Okay, okay, you run far, far away. Oh, right, I heard there's a type of fish in Shangjing City that's supposedly very delicious. I should buy some for Lihua to try."

"Do you even have any money left?"

"Enough to buy a fish."

"Lihua still isn't going to forgive you."

"I know."

"Be careful how you spend it. If you spend it all, we'll starve."

"Uh-huh."

This person and cat bickered constantly. In the blink of an eye, many years had passed in this exact manner.

Just as Uncle Chen had said all those years ago, Ruyi had long since come to see Lihua as family. Otherwise, given her temper, how could she ever have admitted she was wrong?

.

.

Once Miss Chunxiu had gone, Lord Xu returned.

Lord Xu didn't ask a single question, nor did he breathe a word about the woman from earlier.

If anyone else had asked him about it, he would likely have claimed ignorance and insisted he hadn't seen any woman at all.

Chen Changsheng said, "Today is the last day, correct?"

Lord Xu nodded. "Yes, Mister. Today is the final day. Tomorrow is the Investiture of Immortals Assembly."

Chen Changsheng nodded and asked, "Come to think of it, This Chen still hasn't asked where the assembly will be held. It won't be taking place right here in the marketplace, will it?"

Lord Xu said, "Originally, it was planned for the marketplace, but after the last two days... cough, cough..."

"So, the location was changed and new notices were posted. It will be out by Lake Mountain, just beyond the city. We had people clear the area out yesterday, and by this morning, plenty of merchants had already gone over to stake out their spots. Quite a crowd has gathered."

Chen Changsheng said, "Outside the city is for the best. It will prevent any unnecessary complications."

"Exactly."

"How many Righteous Gods does His Majesty plan to appoint during this Investiture?"

Lord Xu replied, "Nine, to reflect the ultimate zenith of nine. It is His Majesty's intent that these nine divine officials will watch over the lands of Great Xiang, ensuring its prosperity endures forever."

"Not too many, not too few."

Too many would be bad, making them difficult to manage.

The Human Dao Investiture was an unprecedented event to begin with. Nobody could say for sure what might happen down the line, so this number could be neither too large nor too small.

Furthermore, considering the situation this time...

If there were no surprises, the majority of the appointed Righteous Gods would likely be demons.

There were not many cultivators in the Mortal World, and most of them had no desire to involve themselves in this affair. Cultivation in the mortal realm was already an arduous struggle; binding oneself to the position of a Righteous God would just be adding another heavy shackle.

As for why Priest Wuwei had come...

That was likely because Qingxian Temple was an orthodox lineage, and they needed to set an example.

They spent the entire afternoon sitting idle.

Seeing that no one had come, Lord Xu couldn't help but remark, "Not many people have shown up these past few days..."

He felt rather worried.

Lord Xu muttered, "What if hardly anyone shows up when the time comes? How am I supposed to explain that?"

Chen Changsheng said, "You do not need to worry about that, Lord Xu. Come tomorrow, there will naturally be plenty of people."

"Eh?" Lord Xu paused in surprise.

Chen Changsheng offered no explanation and simply told Lord Xu not to worry too much.

They had barely handed out any Waist Tokens.

But these Waist Tokens were unlikely to be of much use anyway.

The Investiture of Immortals Assembly technically required a Waist Token for entry, but who actually cared about them? Anyone with the means to enter would find their way in naturally.

They wrapped up their work for the afternoon.

Lord Xu personally escorted Mister Chen back to the Jingzhaoyin Office.

Ping'an wanted to invite Lord Xu to stay for a meal, but the official had to return to deliver his report. They could only drop the matter and agree to dine together next time, though there likely would never be a next time.

"Uncle Chen, did everything go smoothly today?" Ping'an asked.

Chen Changsheng replied, "Barely anyone came."

Ping'an looked surprised. "That doesn't make sense. I heard news of the Investiture of Immortals Assembly has spread all over the land, and a lot of people have come to the capital. Why wouldn't anyone show up?"

Chen Changsheng smiled. "The people arriving are either martial artists wandering the jianghu, or demons and cultivators. They generally do not care about the imperial court."

Ping'an opened his mouth to reply, then said, "That is true..."

Setting aside the imperial court's previous suppression of martial artists, demons and cultivators simply did not care about the officials of the Mortal World. The court could set whatever rules it pleased, but whether anyone actually followed them was another matter entirely.

When he returned to the backyard, he found Lihua playing chess with Mo Yuan.

Ruyi stood to the side, watching them.

"I lost! I lost again!"

Ruyi couldn't help but sigh. She looked at the cat and asked, "Lihua, you aren't usually very smart, so how are you so amazing at chess?"

Lihua blinked at her. "Are you praising me or insulting me?"

"Praising you, definitely praising you."

"Oh..."

Hearing the cat's response, Mo Yuan laughed. "You really aren't too smart."

Lihua paused. "I'm not?"

Mo Yuan chuckled. "You are such an amusing cat."

Ruyi looked up and saw Mister Chen returning.

"Uncle Chen!"

Mo Yuan turned his head and called out, "Mister."

Chen Changsheng smiled. "Could neither of you beat Lihua?"

Lihua leaped onto the chess table, looking incredibly proud. "Lihua is hiding its depths without a trace!"

"Hiding your depths without a trace, I see."

"Chen the Good Man doesn't seem to believe me."

"Not at all."

Chen Changsheng reached out and patted its head.

Feeling that familiar palm, Lihua happily swished its tail.

Chen Changsheng looked at Mo Yuan. "Did you not go out today?"

Mo Yuan said, "I went out for a stroll this morning and ran into something unusual."

"Something unusual?"

"An evil spirit."

Mo Yuan continued, "An evil spirit has entered Shangjing City."

Chen Changsheng paused. "There are still evil spirits around?"

Mo Yuan nodded. "I thought the same at first. After all these years, I figured they would have been entirely wiped out by now."

"Was it a human, a demon, or a fiend?"

Mo Yuan said, "It was a demon. A rather strange one, too—I couldn't even discern its true form."

"Not even you could tell?"

Mo Yuan nodded. "However, the demon didn't seem to harbor any malicious intentions toward mortals. It acted very stealthily. From the looks of it, it came here for the Investiture of Immortals Assembly."

Chen Changsheng came to a realization. "That makes sense, then."

It was likely searching for a way out for itself.

After all, evil spirits were despised by heaven and earth, making it inevitable that they would face a Tribulation in the future. However, if they could secure a Human Dao Investiture, they might just stand a chance.

"What is an evil spirit?" Ruyi asked in confusion.

"Lihua used to be an evil spirit," Lihua chimed in from the side.

"Ah?" Ruyi was taken aback.

"Mo Yu told me so," Lihua said.

"Mo Yu... is that the one you mentioned before?"

"Mhm, Mo Yu is an evil spirit too."

Ruyi muttered, "Well, I couldn't tell."

Mo Yuan smiled. "Little Lihua has the favor of the Four Seasons Spiritual Energy. The evil aura on its body was washed away long ago, so it can no longer be called an evil spirit."

Ruyi didn't quite understand, but it sounded very impressive.

Chen Changsheng asked, "Was there only the one evil spirit?"

Mo Yuan replied, "I only spotted one for now, but there are bound to be more. Besides that, I saw a few cultivators. Most of them were practitioners from the mountains and wilderness of the Mortal World, largely following the Dao of Nature."

"Like the ones in the storybooks?" Ruyi asked.

Mo Yuan thought for a moment before saying, "More or less."

He then looked at Mister Chen. "Other than that, there was nothing out of the ordinary."

Chen Changsheng nodded. "It shouldn't cause any problems."

Lihua pondered this for a moment. Pacing two steps forward, the cat asked, "Chen the Good Man, is Mo Yu still at Yunshang Mansion?"

Chen Changsheng said, "Actually, no. Mo Yu came out along with Jian Shenghua."

"And who is Jian Shenghua?" Mo Yuan asked curiously.

Chen Changsheng explained, "A ghost cultivator whose sword arts are quite extraordinary."

Lihua nodded earnestly. "Huahua is very strong."

Mo Yuan smiled. "I'll have to see for myself if the opportunity arises."

Ruyi stood off to the side. She opened her mouth to speak, only to realize that she couldn't find a way to join the conversation.

Although Uncle Chen never tried to keep secrets from her, everything she heard still felt utterly surreal to her. Or rather, it felt like a barrier stood between them.

The barrier between immortals and mortals.

Ruyi asked, "Is this all from the Immortal Realm?"

"The Immortal Realm?" Mo Yuan paused. "It would be more accurate to call it the Cultivation World."

"I suppose... I've never seen it myself," Ruyi said.

Mo Yuan thought for a moment before replying. "Actually, the so-called Cultivation World isn't as unimaginably out of reach as you might think. It's simply far away. Besides, there are mortals living there just the same."

Ruyi froze slightly. Opening her mouth, she asked, "Could I go see it?"

Mo Yuan said, "If you want to go, naturally you can. But it's not my place to decide. You would have to ask Mister."

Ruyi looked over at Chen Changsheng.

Chen Changsheng said, "Aren't you still planning to travel out west?"

Ruyi replied, "Once I finish my circuit, I won't have anywhere else to go."

Chen Changsheng smiled. "We can talk about it once you finish your journey."

"Then I'll just have to walk faster."

"It is not about walking faster, either," Chen Changsheng said with a warm smile. "Sometimes, a long journey doesn't refer to the path beneath your feet, but the path within your heart."

Ruyi blinked. "I don't really understand."

Mo Yuan explained, "What Mister means is that traveling the entire Mortal World isn't actually that difficult. The key is what you take away from it in the end. Perhaps once you arrive in the Cultivation World and see it for yourself, you'll feel that the mortal realm was better after all."

"You seem to understand this very well, Brother Mo," Ruyi said.

Mo Yuan offered a helpless smile. "Because I've wanted to come back here all these years."

"Then you should have just come back."

"Coming back doesn't just mean returning to a specific place. The place might be the same, but the people and the circumstances will all be different."

Ruyi found this rather strange.

Brother Mo usually talked quite a bit. He always wore a smile on his face, looking like a cynic who treated everything like a game.

But as he spoke those words, he seemed somewhat lonely.

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