Immortal Travel of Longevity

Chen Changsheng tucked the cicada into his sleeve and turned to head back up the mountain.

At that moment, Fang Miao finally snapped out of her daze.

"Mister, Mister, that thing just now..."

"I tucked it into my sleeve," Chen Changsheng said.

Fang Miao stared blankly. "Mister, are you an Immortal?"

"Just a cultivator," Chen Changsheng replied. "I can't quite be called an Immortal."

"Is that... is that the Cosmos Within the Sleeve the Daoists talk about?"

Chen Changsheng paused before answering. "There's a difference, actually. The Cosmos Within the Sleeve mostly stores inanimate objects. Storing living creatures requires a different Divine Ability."

Fang Miao nodded numbly.

Chen Changsheng walked on.

Fang Miao hurried after him.

As they walked, she said, "No wonder you're so amazing, Mister. You aren't human at all."

Chen Changsheng faltered.

Panic flashed across Fang Miao's face as she realized how that sounded. "No, I didn't mean it like that, I just..."

Chen Changsheng chuckled. "It's fine."

Fang Miao's face flushed red, and she ducked her head.

As they headed up the mountain, Chen Changsheng asked, "Didn't that trafficker take you back home years ago? Why are you wandering the jianghu now?"

Fang Miao opened her mouth, then let out a sigh. "It's a long story..."

"Oh?"

"I went back," Fang Miao said, "but the fallout was severe. All the neighbors knew I'd been abducted before I returned, and word spread that I was ruined. No one would marry a tainted woman, and if a woman can't marry, her life is over. Even when I tried to find work as an embroiderer or doing odd jobs, nobody wanted me. They all thought I was unclean. I couldn't just sit at home forever."

"With all the gossip going around, walking down the street meant dealing with either pity or disgust. So, I just left. After leaving home, I slowly met some people, and by pure chance, I ended up joining White Night. It gave me a little money to spend and solved the issue of food and warmth."

Fang Miao smiled. "Fortunately, my superiors eventually noticed that I was meticulous in my work and promoted me. The monthly pay was better. I have to travel around a lot, but at least I have a purpose now. And so, I became just another wanderer in the jianghu."

Chen Changsheng sighed. "Truly, fate plays tricks on people..."

Fang Miao nodded. "It's not so bad, all things considered. When I was first abducted, I thought my life was over. I didn't even expect to survive. Luckily, I met you, Mister. If not for you, I'd probably be dead in Water's End City by now. At least I'm still alive, aren't I?"

If none of that had happened, she would have lived like any ordinary young woman and married when she came of age. With her family's standing, she would have easily found a good husband. But all of that was destroyed—not just by the trafficker, but by the vicious gossip of her neighbors.

Public opinion is fearsome. Truly, public opinion is fearsome.

But Fang Miao remained optimistic. She smiled and continued, "Anyway, I'm doing just fine now. Traveling around lets me see the world, and there are plenty of interesting people in the jianghu. It's much better than being someone's wife."

Perhaps her time in the jianghu had made her speak more boldly, drawing a laugh from Chen Changsheng.

"As long as you're happy, that's what matters," Chen Changsheng said.

Fang Miao nodded, then added, "Speaking of which, I never expected to run into you here, Mister. A couple of years ago, I used to ask around for news about you all the time, but nothing ever came of it. Being able to meet again is truly fate."

"The word fate is wonderfully profound in itself," Chen Changsheng noted.

Fang Miao paused. "Mister, you're a... a cultivator. I wonder, is this word 'fate' actually real? Are people truly bound together by it?"

Chen Changsheng thought about it. "Well..."

He hesitated before answering, "To be honest, even This Chen cannot give you a definitive answer."

"Sometimes you want to meet someone, but no matter what you do, you never cross paths. Other times, you have no desire to see someone, yet they appear at the exact right moment. We call it fate, but it's an impossible thing to truly describe."

Fang Miao blinked, then nodded. "Then you and I must be fated, Mister."

"How so?" Chen Changsheng asked.

Fang Miao pondered for a moment. "When you bought me back in Water's End City, logically speaking, I became your maidservant. But you left in such a hurry that I couldn't catch up to you. Now that we've met again, I want to properly repay your kindness. So I was thinking..."

"I want to follow you from now on, Mister. I don't mean I expect you to marry me or anything like that. I'd be perfectly happy just serving as your maidservant."

Chen Changsheng was momentarily stunned. "You..."

Fang Miao paused, then blurted out, "I can warm your bed, too."

Chen Changsheng let out a helpless laugh. "This Chen has always used the sky as a blanket and the earth as a bed. There is no need for such things. You should just focus on your own matters."

Fang Miao bit her lip, her face suddenly flushing red. She lowered her voice and mumbled, "You misunderstood, Mister... I meant that kind of bed-warming."

Chen Changsheng blinked in surprise. He turned to look at her, only to see her small face slightly flushed.

He quickly averted his eyes.

"No need, no need..."

Overcome with embarrassment, Fang Miao didn't know what else to say.

Honestly, she regretted the words the moment she said them.

Fang Miao, oh, Fang Miao, look at yourself. How are those the words of a proper woman?

"Um, Mister..."

Fang Miao said in a low voice, "Saying this, will you think I'm some kind of loose woman, Mister? It's really not like that. I just want to repay you. I'm not offering this just because I saw how capable you are. Back in Water's End City, when you spent silver to buy me, I already had this thought."

Chen Changsheng cleared his throat. "I don't mean that. This Chen simply harbors no such thoughts."

"Is that so..."

Fang Miao paused before asking, "Is it because cultivation requires one to purge their worldly desires? Just like a monk?"

"Not quite. This Chen belongs to neither the Buddhist Schools nor the Daoist Gate, so there are no such rules."

"Is that so..."

Fang Miao bit her lip again and finally said, "Anyway, just think about it, Mister. I truly want to stay by your side and serve as your maidservant. As for warming your bed... if you don't want it, that's fine, but if you do, you can have it."

As soon as the words were out, she regretted them again.

She couldn't help but silently blame herself.

Why did I say something so loose again?

She figured it was probably because she had spent so much time disguised as a man, always listening to the crude jokes of those wandering the jianghu. It must have rubbed off on her.

It must be that. Yes, exactly.

Fang Miao's face flushed an even deeper shade of red, and she didn't even dare to lift her head.

Chen Changsheng offered a helpless smile. Coughing, he said, "This Chen has no need for a maidservant at the moment. You have your own matters. How you live and what you do are entirely for you to decide. We can talk about this later, talk about this later..."

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