Immortal Travel of Longevity

Physician Lin suddenly felt a sense of familiarity toward the stranger sitting before him.

Bonds in the Mortal World were often like this. It didn't matter if two people were strangers; as long as they shared a mutual acquaintance, they naturally grew closer, even if there seemed to be no logic behind it.

"May I ask your honorable surname, little brother?"

"My surname is Chen, and my courtesy name is Changsheng."

Physician Lin paused for a moment. "That is quite an extraordinary name."

Chen Changsheng smiled. "I was frail and sickly as a child, so my elders changed my name to pray for my well-being."

"I see..."

Physician Lin asked, "And how are you doing now?"

Chen Changsheng replied, "I learned some martial arts in my early years and have completely recovered."

Physician Lin nodded. "If you don't mind, why don't I take your pulse, Brother Chen?"

Chen Changsheng was briefly taken aback. "I will have to trouble you, then."

He extended his hand and rested it on his leg.

Physician Lin reached out with two fingers and pressed them against Chen Changsheng's pulse.

At first, he didn't think much of it, but soon enough, his brow furrowed.

He couldn't help but shoot Chen Changsheng a second glance. Drawing in a sharp breath, he found it completely bizarre.

Seeing this, Chen Changsheng asked, "Is something wrong, Physician Lin?"

Physician Lin hesitated. "Let me check again."

With that, he resumed taking the pulse.

Only after a moment was he certain he hadn't made a mistake. "This is truly strange. You are so young, Brother Chen, yet your pulse is weak and floating, like that of an eighty-year-old man..."

Physician Lin held back the rest of his sentence. He couldn't bring himself to say the words "not long for this world."

But that was exactly what the pulse told him.

Bizarre. Truly bizarre.

Furthermore, the pulse didn't indicate any illness. It merely showed the natural decline of old age. Yet looking at him, how could he appear so young?

Chen Changsheng didn't seem surprised. Offering an excuse, he said, "When I practiced martial arts in my younger years, my meridians fell into disarray. After I corrected them, my body became different from an ordinary person's. That is probably the reason."

Physician Lin paused before replying. "I know little when it comes to the martial path. But since you know the cause, I suppose there is nothing to worry about."

The two continued their idle chat.

Through their conversation, Chen Changsheng learned that Physician Lin was the youngest among his siblings.

Back in his home village, they had always called him Eleventh Brother.

Physician Wenzhu was his fifth brother, and the one among them with the greatest talent for medicine.

Physician Lin's own aptitude was merely average. However, he had been willing to put in the hard work, and over time, he had developed his own unique understanding of the medical Dao. In this era, practitioners rarely shared a standardized view on diseases, leading to wildly different approaches. Thus, anyone capable of becoming a recognized physician was no ordinary figure.

They conversed joyfully.

Before long, Father Song walked out in a fresh change of clothes.

Mother Song brought out a clean pair of shoes for Physician Lin to change into.

Gathered around the charcoal fire, their conversation flowed even more freely.

"Your timing is perfect," Physician Lin said with a smile. "Brother Chen and I share quite a bit of fate, and we've been having a wonderful chat. It seems this trip of mine was right on time."

The Song couple looked mildly surprised. They exchanged a glance before listening to the physician explain.

Only then did they understand the whole story.

"That is a wonderful thing!" Father Song remarked.

The rest of the night was no longer dull.

The Tabby Cat, however, slept deeply. No matter how loud the surroundings grew, it refused to wake up.

It really had been sleeping more and more lately.

The group sat in the inn chatting until midnight before finally heading upstairs to rest under Father Song's arrangements.

Father Song sighed softly. "After talking with him tonight, my mind is finally at ease. This Brother Chen speaks with grace, possesses great knowledge, and has a very easygoing demeanor. I doubt he is a bad person."

Mother Song agreed. "You're overthinking it. That Yun Meizi even helped us watch over our Bao, staying by her side for heaven knows how long."

"Yes, yes." Father Song chuckled. "I was being petty... just being petty."

"Alright, alright, hurry up and get to sleep," Mother Song chided. "We have to get up early tomorrow to properly host Physician Lin. We need to include Brother Chen's family as well. They stayed up with us for so long last night."

"Mm-hmm, going to sleep..."

Father Song slept alone.

As for Mother Song, she went to sleep in Song Bao's room. She was worried her daughter might wake up in the middle of the night and find no one there.

That was exactly how she was—a mother with a sharp tongue, but the softest of hearts.

Early the next morning, cooking smoke rose from the inn's backyard.

They slaughtered another chicken.

And brewed a pot of Chicken Soup.

There weren't many chickens left in the house, but what needed to be done had to be done.

Song Bao woke up early in the morning. After pinching her nose and downing her medicine, she was mostly recovered, though she was still a bit dazed and foggy-headed.

"Elder Sister Song, are you better!?"

Lacking energy, Song Bao sprawled over the table and replied, "Mostly better."

Yu Hongjin looked left and right before whispering, "Did Auntie Song give you a hard time?"

Song Bao blinked. "My mother? Actually, no..."

A sour, guilty feeling washed over Song Bao.

When she had woken up severely parched last night, her mother had gotten up the moment she made a sound. She boiled water, mixed it until it was lukewarm, and brought it right to her lips.

Thinking back on her behavior from the previous night, she felt even worse.

Seeing her spaced out, Yu Hongjin couldn't help but ask, "Sister Yun said that Auntie Song committed a mistake that can be forgiven without an apology. Is that true?"

Song Bao froze, subconsciously repeating Yu Hongjin's words.

Still a little dazed, she returned to her senses and told Yu Hongjin, "Your Sister Yun is absolutely right."

"She is?" Yu Hongjin still couldn't quite grasp it.

Song Bao sighed. "Ultimately, it was my fault. I never should have been drinking. Otherwise, this misunderstanding never would have happened, and my parents wouldn't have braved the heavy rain to fetch a physician... sigh..."

Yu Hongjin lowered her head. Tugging on Song Bao's sleeve, she muttered, "It's Hongjin's fault. I shouldn't have told you to drink."

Song Bao smiled. "What does it have to do with you? You're just a child—how could you understand all this? It was my own failure to control myself. But speaking of which, children really shouldn't drink. Didn't you also have to stand facing the wall with a bowl on your head yesterday?"

Yu Hongjin blinked and declared, "I am a dead pig that doesn't fear boiling water."

Song Bao stared blankly before bursting into a giggle. "Who on earth taught you that?"

"Sister Zhishu used to describe me like that."

"And who is Sister Zhishu?"

"Sister Zhishu is... well, she's Sister Zhishu."

"Oh, is she like your Sister Yun?"

"No, they're different," Yu Hongjin said. "Sister Zhishu is no longer here."

"Huh?"

Song Bao blinked, confused. "No longer here?"

"It means she died." Yu Hongjin blinked, then quickly corrected herself. "Well, she's actually still alive, just different from before. Yeah, that's it."

Song Bao was stunned once more, not quite understanding.

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