Immortal Travel of Longevity

Shang Lu had rarely seen Tao'er and Tong Zhihuan. He knew little about them, only aware that Tong Zhihuan was Mister's disciple.

The two of them did not return often.

They would occasionally come back for a day or two, but they would leave again before long.

The old Daoist priest said, "According to Physician Tong, they do not have many lingering attachments left here. Staying too long would only add to their sorrow, so coming back occasionally is fine."

Hearing this, Chen Changsheng thought for a moment. He gave a slight nod, then let out a sigh.

"Counting the years, he is an old man now too," Chen Changsheng said.

The old Daoist priest nodded. "When I last saw him, his hair was completely white and his voice was rather hoarse. He has indeed aged."

"That time comes for everyone," Chen Changsheng said.

The old Daoist priest agreed. "All mortals have a lifespan. Birth, aging, sickness, and death are the norm. This is nature, and the truth of life."

He had an optimistic mindset, which happened to align perfectly with this sentiment.

Chen Changsheng looked at the old Daoist priest and asked, "Listening to you speak, why does it always sound like you no longer want to live?"

Layman Mu froze, his gaze darting to the old Daoist priest.

The old Daoist priest gave a helpless smile and lowered his head. "I really can't hide anything from Mister."

He also knew that he should have died a long time ago.

Chen Changsheng looked at him. "Could it be that you disdain the good fortune bestowed upon you by the heavens?"

"I do disdain it."

The old Daoist priest spoke without holding back. "Living for a few more years is of no use. Staying on this mountain is nothing more than seeking peace in my twilight years, but what is the ultimate peace? Naturally, death is the most peaceful."

He sighed softly, appearing somewhat resigned.

This was the first time Layman Mu had ever heard such words. Startled, he asked, "Why would you say that, Priest? You are living perfectly well, so why speak of dying?"

Chen Changsheng smiled and looked at him. "You don't understand him. He has seen everything there is to see in this lifetime. Now that he is old, he finds it all meaningless. The more bored he gets, the less he wants to live. That is just how getting old is."

Layman Mu completely failed to understand. Shaking his head, he said, "If I may say so, cultivation is cultivation, but there is no need to become quite so detached. Priest, you have let go a little too much, and this is not a good thing."

"It is a good thing for him," Chen Changsheng said with a laugh.

The old Daoist priest did not argue. He stroked his beard and laughed, nodding. "Mister is right. If I didn't still have a few things weighing on my mind, I likely would have passed on long ago."

"What things are weighing on your mind?" Layman Mu asked curiously.

The old Daoist priest thought for a moment before shaking his head. "I can't put it into words. I just always feel as though something is slightly lacking, but I can't explain exactly what."

He looked at Chen Changsheng. "Mister Chen probably understands this feeling."

Chen Changsheng shook his head and replied, "This Chen is not someone who wishes to die, so how could I understand?"

The old Daoist priest smiled and nodded. "True."

A person always had things they wanted to do during their lifetime in this world.

The old Daoist priest of today was the Shang Lu of the past.

He had fallen into the mud and crawled his way back out of it, somehow blundering his way onto the throne to become the emperor of West Xiao.

For him, there was nothing a mortal could experience that he hadn't experienced himself without exception. This was a good thing, but it was also a tragedy.

Now, he lived in these mountains, dedicating himself wholly to Daoist magic and philosophy.

It wasn't because his heart yearned for the Dao, but because he didn't know what else he could possibly do.

It was as if he could no longer muster any interest in anything in the world.

Vaguely, it felt as though there were many things he could do, but once he actually took action, he found them dull. It was incredibly conflicting, yet it was a true reflection of his state.

It was like a child wanting candy from a street corner, only to grow up, taste it again, and find it entirely bland—perhaps even unpalatable enough to never eat it again.

Because of this, it was a tragedy.

Layman Mu pondered this from every angle, suddenly realizing that he couldn't quite grasp what these two were talking about.

It was most likely because he knew so little of the Priest's past.

Yes, that had to be it.

Layman Mu asked, "Priest, it seems you have never mentioned anything about your past to me."

The old Daoist priest was taken aback upon hearing this, but he quickly laughed. "This old Daoist has no past."

"Huh?"

"You are just unwilling to bring it up, right?" Layman Mu said.

The old Daoist priest laughed. "It happened so long ago, what is the point of bringing it up? When Layman Mu looks back on his youth, aren't you just as unwilling to speak of it?"

"My past was..."

Layman Mu stopped halfway through his sentence, his words turning into a sigh. "Never mind. It is better left unsaid."

Chen Changsheng glanced at the old Daoist priest, and then at this Layman Mu.

He couldn't help but find it amusing.

Were things in this world truly so coincidental?

Chen Changsheng did not believe in such coincidences.

It seemed that in the unseen workings of fate, heaven's will had arranged for these two to meet.

Chen Changsheng didn't point it out, seamlessly changing the subject to chat about other things.

As for Layman Mu, he didn't stay much longer. After donating a bit of incense money, he headed down the mountain.

He was dressed very plainly and wore a pair of straw sandals, looking no different from the common folk in the marketplace.

Yet this was incredibly hard to believe.

Chen Changsheng watched Layman Mu's departing figure and said, "He is completely different from what This Chen had imagined..."

The old Daoist priest followed his gaze and asked, "Does Mister know Layman Mu?"

"You didn't recognize him?"

The old Daoist priest shook his head, then stared fixedly at Layman Mu's back for a long time.

He still couldn't recall anything.

He just found it strange.

If Mister Chen said that, then this person was definitely connected to him somehow.

Who could it be?

Shang Lu couldn't figure it out no matter how hard he thought.

No, he couldn't be called Shang Lu anymore; he was Daoist Fuyun now, an old Daoist priest.

The old Daoist priest asked, "Is he an old acquaintance?"

Chen Changsheng glanced at him. He was just about to answer, but he caught himself and laughed. "Yes... but I'm not going to tell you."

If he just came out and said it, the situation wouldn't be any fun.

Seeing the smile on Mister Chen's face, the old Daoist priest couldn't help but offer a helpless smile of his own.

But then he stared blankly for a moment before saying, "Compared to the past, Mister seems to have broadened his heart and let go of much more."

Chen Changsheng smiled. "People and events are always full of helpless situations, but time also heals old wounds. There is good and bad, and bad and good."

The old Daoist priest nodded with a laugh. "Congratulations, Mister."

Chen Changsheng stood up. "Let's stop chatting. I'm afraid I'll miss mealtime if I don't head back now. If there's a next time, This Chen will chat with you again."

"I will see Mister Chen off."

Chen Changsheng waved his hand, refusing the offer to see him off.

He swaggered his way down the mountain.

Chen Changsheng's pace was rather brisk, and he ended up catching up to Layman Mu at the foot of the mountain.

Seeing that Chen Changsheng had caught up to him, Layman Mu laughed and said, "It seems Mister spends quite a bit of his time climbing mountains."

Chen Changsheng thought for a moment before replying, "In my earlier years, I walked often. Now I don't like to move around much. I am not like you, a man who has walked down from the mountain."

"Huh?"

Layman Mu froze slightly.

But then Chen Changsheng patted his shoulder, gave him a smile, and continued walking forward.

Layman Mu snapped back to his senses. Watching the man's retreating figure, he frowned deeply.

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