Immortal Travel of Longevity

With Yu Hongjin's matters settled, they were ready to set off once more.

At noon, Yunxiang made a trip to the ancestral hall.

Since returning, Yunxiang had only offered a single stick of incense, and it had not been for the ancestors of the Tang family. By the rules, she was an outsider with no blood ties to the Tang Manor. According to family law, she was not even allowed inside the ancestral hall. It was only after the Old Master specifically gave the word that she was permitted to enter and bow, though she still was not allowed to offer incense.

It was not until the Old Master passed away that Yunxiang personally offered a stick of incense in the ancestral hall. It was for Old Master Tang alone—Tang Shijing's grandfather.

Yunxiang offered the incense, bowed, and closed her eyes for a moment. Only then did she rise and look at Tang Shijing, who was kneeling to the side.

"I have to leave," Yunxiang said. "Are you coming back to the Capital with me, or are you going to keep staying here?"

"You're leaving, Auntie?"

"Yes, I leave this afternoon."

Tang Shijing thought for a moment before shaking his head. "I'll just stay here. My dad's anger hasn't subsided yet. If I go back, I'll just be chased right back out."

Tang Shijing nodded, then asked, "Can I leave the ancestral hall now?"

Instead of answering, Yunxiang asked, "Why did you beat up the prince?"

Tang Shijing paused. "An incompetent prince who practically lives in a brothel—I hit him, so what?"

"You've been to a brothel?"

"..."

Tang Shijing opened his mouth, stammering. "I... well, I've been to one, but don't get mad, Auntie! I'm no lecherous scoundrel. I just went in with some friends to look for someone."

Yunxiang gave him a look and let out a cold snort. "I should think you wouldn't dare."

Tang Shijing laughed awkwardly. "I wouldn't, I wouldn't."

Yunxiang sighed. "If you don't want to tell me, then don't. But you need to keep your father in the loop. You have your plans, but your father has his."

"My dad..."

Tang Shijing paused, wanting to say something, but ultimately just nodded. "I know."

He just felt there was no need to tell his father anything.

Whatever he wanted to do, or whatever he was thinking, Tang Mingjing was probably already well aware of it.

"I'm going now."

Tang Shijing walked her to the doors of the ancestral hall. "Have a safe trip, Auntie."

Yunxiang nodded.

In the afternoon, the horse carriage set off from the Tang Manor.

The servants of the Tang Manor came out to see her off, but Yunxiang sent them back inside. It was not some grand occasion; there was no need for so many people to send her off.

Yet, looking at those familiar faces, Yunxiang could not help but feel a pang of reluctance to part.

She still recognized many of them. Some were old servants of the Tang Manor, and the maids as well...

Several years had passed in the blink of an eye. The fact that they were still here brought a good deal of comfort to her heart.

"Let's go."

The horse carriage started moving, carrying two people, one fish, and one cat. Before long, it disappeared down the street.

They passed by the candied fruit shop.

Yunxiang bought another bag of candied fruit.

The previous batch had been entirely devoured by Yu Hongjin and Lihua. This fish and cat refused to eat proper meals, yet they loved candied fruit dearly, completely unafraid of their teeth rotting out.

"Boss," Liang Lianyu hurriedly wiped her hands and called out respectfully.

Yunxiang nodded. "Weigh out some candied fruit for us to eat on the road."

Liang Lianyu looked at the horse carriage in surprise. "You're leaving already, Boss?"

"I just came back to take a look since it was on the way," Yunxiang replied.

Liang Lianyu parted her lips, then nodded in understanding.

She weighed out the candied fruit. Just as Yunxiang was about to leave, she said, "You must have been very beautiful when you were young, Boss."

Hearing this, Yunxiang could not help but smile. "You flatter me, Miss Liang. I was not considered beautiful in my youth; I was just an ordinary woman."

Liang Lianyu paused, not quite understanding her boss's words.

How could the young lady of the Tang Manor be just an ordinary woman?

Perhaps the boss was the only person who would say such a thing.

Looking at Yunxiang, Liang Lianyu spaced out again. She still could not picture what her boss had looked like in her youth.

It was not some deep obsession. Mostly, it was just the kind of random thought people had when they were bored. A momentary curiosity had stuck around, though in truth, she probably would not even remember it in a couple of days.

Seeing her distracted, Yunxiang asked, "Why are you spacing out, Miss Liang?"

Liang Lianyu snapped back to reality and hurriedly said, "My apologies, Boss, my mind wandered. It's just..."

"What were you thinking about?"

Being an honest woman, Liang Lianyu spoke frankly. "I was imagining what you looked like when you were young."

"Ah?"

Yunxiang chuckled. "What is there to think about?"

Liang Lianyu smiled. "Just curious."

Seeing that Yunxiang had not returned to the horse carriage for a while, Mister Chen stepped down to check.

"What is it?" Chen Changsheng asked.

"Miss Liang was just curious about what I looked like when I was younger," Yunxiang explained.

Hearing this, Chen Changsheng blinked slightly, and the image of Yunxiang in her youth naturally surfaced in his mind.

Her appearance back then could not be described merely by the shape of her brows or eyes. If he had to put it into words, they would mostly be "reserved" and "gentle."

Miss Liang looked at Chen Changsheng, and the sight of him made her pause in surprise.

This gentleman's aura was incredibly unique...

Trapped in a brothel in her early years, she had seen all sorts of people, but she had never met anyone quite so pure and untainted.

Chen Changsheng glanced at Miss Liang and said, "Miss Liang might have a dream tonight. Perhaps you will see what Miss Yun looked like in her youth."

Liang Lianyu blinked, taken aback. "Huh?"

His words sounded strange to her, almost like mystical nonsense.

She chuckled and said, "You must be joking, sir. How can someone just have a dream on command?"

But Yunxiang chimed in, "If Mister Chen says there will be one, then there definitely will be."

Liang Lianyu froze for a second. She looked at Yunxiang, and then at the gentleman.

At that moment, she began to wonder about the relationship between the two.

Because the way the boss looked at the gentleman beside her...

It was anything but innocent!

But...

The boss was already so advanced in years, whereas the gentleman beside her...

A wave of revulsion suddenly welled up in Liang Lianyu's heart. She had often heard that wealthy households liked to indulge in bizarre, twisted games. Could it be possible that...

But on second thought, that did not seem right.

Her boss did not seem like that kind of person, and this gentleman looked even less the part.

Then why?

Snapping back to the present, Liang Lianyu tossed the thoughts around in her head before asking directly, "Boss, what is your relationship with this gentleman...?"

"What about it?" Yunxiang asked.

"I'm just curious about the relationship between you two," Liang Lianyu admitted.

Yunxiang paused, then glanced at Chen Changsheng. "Our relationship..."

She pursed her lips, suddenly finding it hard to answer.

Chen Changsheng was also slightly taken aback. He turned to look at Yunxiang, seeing that she seemed to be pondering something deeply.

So he spoke up, "What does Miss Liang think my relationship with Miss Yun is?"

Hearing this, Liang Lianyu hastily replied, "I—I don't know."

She did not dare say another word. Curiosity was one thing, but she knew better than to voice inappropriate thoughts.

Chen Changsheng offered a warm smile. "This Chen and Miss Yun have known each other for many years. You could say we are old friends, or perhaps soulmates. And calling us a couple is fine too."

Liang Lianyu's eyes went wide, completely failing to process this for a moment.

That last sentence...

What did that mean?

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