Immortal Travel of Longevity

"Side with the common people?"

The old man found Chen Changsheng's idea laughable.

No matter how formidable someone might be, they were ultimately still just one person. How much power could they really wield?

"Isn't this world just a game played between the common people and the throne?" Chen Changsheng asked.

"Absurd!"

"The common people belong to the monarch," the old man said. "How could they possibly stand on equal, opposing footing?"

"As things stand now, it does seem impossible."

Chen Changsheng looked at the old man. "But in the ideology This Chen has embraced, the power of the sovereign is diminished. What truly decides how a nation moves forward is the common people, the masses."

"The biggest joke under the heavens," the old man said.

"Oh?"

The old man chuckled. He didn't believe a word Chen Changsheng said, but he found the notion amusing enough to probe further.

"You claim you've seen it. Tell me, then, what exactly does it look like?"

Chen Changsheng thought about it for a moment, then shook his head. "It's hard to describe."

The old man shook his head. "Are you just spouting nonsense, then?"

Chen Changsheng let out a breath. "Because in this world, everything This Chen wants to describe is fundamentally impossible. If the world is shaped a certain way, there is definitely a reason for it; it operates according to established rules."

Unlike before, Chen Changsheng didn't denounce the so-called mandate of heaven and earth. Instead, he chose to acknowledge it.

Because all signs indicated that the shifting of dynasties and the rise of the human dao were backed by a certain preordained design.

Many things were not mere coincidence.

This was all just a game of chess.

"The fate of the world rests with the people. What does it have to do with heaven?" the old man said coldly. "I only believe that human effort shapes destiny."

Chen Changsheng paused, then nodded. "You're right."

Although he didn't deny the mandate of heaven, he hadn't ruled out other possibilities either—even if those possibilities were slim.

The old man snorted coldly. "Then tell me, why exactly are you siding with the common people?"

"Because I don't favor either side. I don't want the world to be at peace simply because there is no war. I want the ideology of the people to rise up, so that when danger truly arrives, they will have room to breathe."

"It is impossible for people's thoughts to ever be truly unified."

"This Chen knows that, of course. That is why a small minority is enough. A single spark can start a prairie fire—that is the principle."

The old man and Chen Changsheng continued their chaotic conversation, sometimes jumping from one topic to the next without much logical flow.

In truth, however, both understood exactly what the other was trying to say and wanted to achieve.

After a long while, the old man sighed. "I can't deny that your ideas are vast, but we are ultimately just mortals."

"What does it matter if we are mortals?" Chen Changsheng asked after a slight pause.

"Mortals are just mortals. We cannot change any of this."

"You make it sound as if you believe in the mandate of heaven again. Just a moment ago, you were saying human effort shapes destiny."

"I was, but..."

The old man opened his mouth but didn't know how to justify the contradiction.

"Anyway, it simply won't work."

"How about a bet?"

"Hm?"

The old man looked at Chen Changsheng. "Are you really going to try something like that?"

"Yes."

Chen Changsheng nodded. "This Chen promised someone something, so it's time to lay some groundwork. Besides, it's also for my own sake..."

"I don't want to see so much suffering that, one day, I naturally begin to accept it as the way things should be."

"But you're just indulging in wild fantasies right now," the old man said.

Chen Changsheng laughed. "I wouldn't say that."

He spread his hands. "Human effort shapes destiny, isn't that what you said?"

The old man stared blankly for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"Rong Shili."

Chen Changsheng looked at him.

"My name is Rong Shili," the old man added.

Chen Changsheng nodded. "Chen Changsheng."

"Why pick a name like that?"

"Is it bad?"

"It's terrible. Hearing it makes one think you're prone to dying young and courting disaster."

"But I'm still perfectly alive and well right now."

"Maybe you're just tough to kill."

"Perhaps."

Chen Changsheng stood up, patted the straw and dust from his clothes, and said, "Let's go."

The old man was taken aback. "Go where?"

"We made a bet. Naturally, I'm taking you to experience it for yourself, so you can see it clearly with your own eyes."

"Don't tell me you want to break out of here?"

"That's right."

The old man rolled his eyes at him. "Who do you think you are? You think you can just come and go as you please? This prison is right next to the Military Camp..."

Before the old man could finish his sentence, Chen Changsheng simply raised his hand and unlocked the cell door.

"Clack."

The Iron Chains fell to the floor.

Chen Changsheng pushed the door open.

The old man's eyes widened. "You're crazy!"

"Are you scared?"

"I don't want to go crazy with you!"

"How is this going crazy?"

"If you walk out there, you'll be hacked to pieces! I'm perfectly fine staying right here, and I have no desire to go out there just to seek death."

"You sure talk a lot."

Rong Shili was just about to speak when a sudden pain struck the back of his neck.

"Thump."

"You..."

Rong Shili's vision immediately went black, and he fainted.

Chen Changsheng hauled him up, then swaggered straight out the door.

For the next few hours, there wasn't a single sound from either the prison or the camp.

It wasn't until dusk, when mealtime arrived, that the guards stationed in the prison discovered the fallen lock and the empty cell.

"A prisoner escaped!"

That shout alarmed every guard in the prison and all the soldiers in the adjacent Military Camp.

The commanding general was furious. He dispatched a squad to search the surrounding area, but even when the sky turned pitch black and midnight arrived, they couldn't find a single trace of the escapee.

...

When Rong Shili woke up, he heard the sound of flowing water.

He was lying beside a stream, the starry sky and bright moon hanging directly overhead.

He sat up in a daze, rubbing his aching neck.

Then he saw a figure in a green robe sitting by the river, fishing. A fire burned on the ground nearby, and a fish skewered over the flames sizzled as it roasted.

Rong Shili froze, unmoving for a long time.

Chen Changsheng turned to look at him. "You're awake?"

Rong Shili opened his mouth, glancing around in every direction. After a long silence, he asked uncertainly, "We really got out?"

"Does it look fake to you?"

Chen Changsheng handed him the freshly roasted fish.

"Eat."

Rong Shili found it hard to believe.

"Just how did you get me out of there?"

Chen Changsheng chuckled. "Take a guess."

Rong Shili stared at him, a deep sense of unreality taking root in his heart.

It felt just like a dream.

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