Immortal Travel of Longevity

The night passed.

Chen Changsheng suddenly snapped back to his senses the moment the morning sun rose.

He suddenly realized he must be ill.

This sickness clung to him, ever-present. Ever since Hong Sancai passed away, this pain had never stopped tormenting him.

He could not die, yet living was pure agony.

"Mayfly, mayfly..."

Chen Changsheng murmured, "If life were truly like a mayfly's, how wonderful that would be."

A curse was a curse in the end, whether for better or worse.

It could only be said that he, Chen Changsheng, did not deserve this kind of longevity.

If he were a spotless Supreme Immortal, perhaps it would no longer even be called a curse.

Chen Changsheng shook his head and walked out the door.

The noodle stall outside the tea house had opened early.

There were many Baixiang Noodle Shops in Qingshan City, as well as plenty of ordinary stalls. Back in his early years as a storyteller, Chen Changsheng had often eaten noodles right here.

To his surprise, the stall was still here.

The owner had not changed either, though he was much older.

The stall owner looked at Chen Changsheng and suddenly felt a bit of confusion. "Guest, have we met somewhere before?" he asked.

Chen Changsheng paused. After a moment of thought, he replied, "Perhaps you are mistaken."

As soon as he said it, he felt a twinge of regret.

In years past, he definitely would have chatted with the old man.

But now, he decided to let it be.

Hearing this, the old man did not dwell on it, assuming he had simply remembered wrong.

A moment later, he brought over the noodles.

Chen Changsheng took a bite and said, "Saltier than before..."

The old man nodded. "They all say that. I probably just can't taste the salt anymore now that I'm old. If it's too much, I'll make you another bowl."

Chen Changsheng shook his head. "There is no need."

With that, he began to eat.

The old man sat down and hammered his legs lightly, asking, "When did you visit my stall before, guest?"

"Quite a while ago," Chen Changsheng said. "Back when I was a child. At the time, I often went to the tea house across the street to listen to stories, and I would frequently come here to eat noodles."

"Is that so?"

The old man could not remember.

There were so many people who came to eat noodles; how could he possibly remember every single one?

Chen Changsheng asked, "Old man, you are getting on in years, aren't you? It looks like your legs aren't too agile anymore. Why are you still running this stall? Why not pass it on to the younger generation?"

The old man smiled. "A person has to find something to do while they're alive. Otherwise, living is too boring."

"I see."

Chen Changsheng smiled. "That is quite nice."

The old man nodded, but when he looked at Chen Changsheng again, he froze.

"I remember some of it now."

"Aiya!"

The old man gasped in amazement, saying, "I knew you looked familiar. You look exactly like that storyteller from back in the day."

Chen Changsheng paused upon hearing this.

The old man said, "Chen Jiucha, Mister Chen! Do you know him?"

"Really, you look far too much like that mister."

Chen Changsheng took a bite of noodles and said, "Is that so?"

The old man nodded. "It has been so many years; you probably don't know this mister. Back then, this whole street became lively because of him. At the time, there were even quite a few lords from out of town and the Capital City who came to listen to his storytelling."

Chen Changsheng wiped his mouth and said, "Then this Mister must have been quite extraordinary?"

"Of course he was extraordinary."

The old man said, "But it is a pity that Mister Chen stopped telling stories later on. Sigh... He could not even be found anymore. Have you ever read Strange Tales? If you have read it, you would definitely know of this Mister."

"I have heard a little about it."

"Strange Tales is made up of the stories Mister Chen told, which were later compiled into a book."

"There is actually such an origin?"

"There certainly is."

Speaking of things from so many years ago, the old man could not help but talk a lot more.

Chen Changsheng listened quietly.

He had not expected that the old man would still remember him from such a short period of time back then.

The two of them chatted for a long time, and the noodles grew cold.

Before leaving, Chen Changsheng paid for the noodles, then turned and went to the tea house across the street.

The old man sat down on his woven bamboo chair and let out a long sigh.

A smile touched the corners of his mouth.

Talking more with people was the most comforting thing for him in his old age.

"So alike..."

The old man muttered this, slipping back into his memories.

After Chen Changsheng entered the tea house, he found a seat and sat down.

It was worth noting.

The tea house had changed shopkeepers yet again.

Chen Changsheng did not ask for the specific reason, but he figured it was a good thing for Shopkeeper Liu.

The seats were arranged in neat rows.

After sitting down, Chen Changsheng ordered a cup of tea, along with a plate of kidney beans.

Many people were waiting in the tea house, chatting amongst themselves.

The storyteller had not arrived yet.

Chen Changsheng ate the kidney beans and drank the tea. The fragrant aroma lingered on his palate, leaving him exceptionally comfortable.

While he waited.

More tea guests arrived in succession.

Chen Changsheng was seated nicely when he turned his head and saw Master Jin San walking out from the small door of the tea house, taking the seat right next to him.

"Morning, Mister," Master Jin San said.

Chen Changsheng asked, "Where is Cao Fa?"

Master Jin San said, "He is a little unwell. He is still resting."

Chen Changsheng nodded. "He should rest more."

"The current storyteller at the tea house is an apprentice Cao Fa took in before he left. He is quite seasoned, and his storytelling is not bad."

"What is his surname?"

"His surname is Yun. I heard him say that where they are from, Yun is a major surname. His family used to be wealthy merchants in the Jiangnan area, but unfortunately, the times were too chaotic. They suffered a disaster and came here, where he was later taken in by Cao Fa."

Master Jin San laughed a little and said, "I always feel that when Cao Fa kept him, it was because he felt he looked like me."

Chen Changsheng smiled warmly and said, "That is hard to say."

He suddenly remembered something and asked, "A few years ago, when This Chen was coming from the coast, I met a person who asked me to bring a letter to you along the way. I later handed the letter to Shopkeeper Liu. Did you ever see that letter?"

Master Jin San paused slightly upon hearing this and said, "I saw it, I saw it. At the time, Shopkeeper Liu even said it was delivered by Mister Chen's nephew, and I pondered over that for a long time."

Chen Changsheng smiled and said, "If some things are explained too clearly, it will frighten people."

Master Jin San gave a helpless smile, then let out a sigh and said, "Does someone like you also have moments of helplessness, Mister?"

"Everyone has moments of helplessness."

"Is that so..."

Master Jin San looked up and saw that the storyteller was arriving late, cupping his hands to apologize to the tea guests below the stage.

Chen Changsheng glanced at this Mister Yun and said, "Cao Fa indeed took in a good apprentice."

Master Jin San nodded, fully agreeing.

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