Immortal Travel of Longevity

Lihua woke with sleep-blurred eyes. Following the silhouette, it padded over to the window.

It tugged at Chen Changsheng's hem and yawned. "Is Chen the Good Man not sleeping yet?"

Chen Changsheng leaned down and scooped it up. "I can't sleep..."

"Huh?"

Lihua rubbed its sleepy eyes with a paw and asked, "Why can't you sleep?"

"I'm thinking about something."

"About what?"

"Hmm..."

Chen Changsheng smiled, a smile that seemed to mock himself. "Sometimes, This Chen feels that having such abilities means I should carry the world in my heart. In my early years, possessing this power, I could never bear the sight of suffering. Even if I ultimately accomplished little, I still felt that pity. But now, This Chen finds that this capacity seems to have vanished. The definition has changed."

Chen Changsheng offered no explanation.

He was happy to share these thoughts with Lihua precisely because he knew it wouldn't understand. And the cat remained perfectly willing to listen to him, even if it considered his words complete nonsense.

"Soon, many people are going to die," Chen Changsheng said.

"Many people?"

Lihua asked, "Like, a whole lot?"

"A whole lot."

"Why will people die?"

"Because a war is coming."

Lihua blinked. "Don't they fight all the time?"

Back when it followed Ruyi, there had been a period when the entire world was at war. Lihua had witnessed much of it firsthand.

"This time is different," Chen Changsheng said. "Before, it was many people. Now, it will be many, many people."

"Many, many!"

Lihua repeated the phrase. It understood.

Chen Changsheng had phrased it this way on purpose, knowing it was the only way the cat could grasp the scale of it.

"Lihua has seen it," it said. "It's so scary."

The cat recalled those gruesome scenes.

During those days, Ruyi would often cover its eyes to keep it from seeing, but the cat would always steal a peek through the gaps of her fingers.

It saw fields littered with corpses and people stained so thoroughly with blood that their faces became unrecognizable. Later, it saw countless wooden stakes driven into the hillside. Ruyi had called them wordless steles, explaining that each stake represented a person. But there had been too many stakes on that hill to ever count.

Chen Changsheng stroked its head. "You shouldn't look at things like that."

"Why?"

Lihua asked, "Ruyi didn't let Lihua look either. She covered my eyes."

"Because Lihua is different," Chen Changsheng said.

Lihua's innocence was innate. More so than with anyone else, people wanted to take care of this cat and guard that purity.

Lihua lowered its head, unable to figure out what made it so different.

Ultimately, Chen Changsheng offered no explanation for this either.

Chen Changsheng let out a breath and murmured, "A storm is coming..."

The cat blinked and mimicked his tone. "A~ storm~ is~ com~ing~"

Chen Changsheng chuckled, amused by its antics.

Once he collected himself, however, he questioned his own heart again.

What exactly was wrong with him...

He wasn't acting like himself anymore.

.

.

After a full day of rest, the horses were brimming with energy once more.

They departed from the small courtyard early in the morning.

They left without notifying Prince Jin.

Sitting in his military tent, Prince Jin felt no surprise upon learning the news.

"They really left."

Prince Jin stroked his chin, falling into deep thought.

He figured Chen Changsheng had likely already guessed his intentions.

For a moment, Prince Jin hesitated, holding a chess piece, unable to decide.

Should he force the man to stay, or simply let the matter drop?

Prince Jin couldn't shake the feeling that missing out on a cultivator with boundless Magical Power would be a massive shame.

"Sigh..."

Prince Jin sighed softly, torn on what to do.

He had no desire to use underhanded methods against that Mister. If he did, the blowback might easily outweigh any potential gains.

He wavered back and forth, remaining silent for a long while.

Prince Jin seemed to weigh many things until, at a certain moment, he suddenly made his decision.

...

The two things Jindi lacked the least were people and money!

Spanning north to south, the Tongtian River carved Jindi right down the middle.

The abundant water sources attracted countless merchants, cementing a rock-solid logistical foundation for the Jin Army. This was one of the primary reasons for Prince Jin's rapid rise to power.

Yet Jindi was far from entirely peaceful.

Officials exploiting the commoners remained a common sight, though the situation was vastly better than in the territories held by the other two princes.

Such abuses were always strictly confined within a tolerable limit.

This was the brilliance of Prince Jin's rule: he ensured the state of the world was never too good, but never too bad either.

Yunxiang said, "Jindi probably has the highest concentration of merchants in the world right now, and the trading firm conducts the vast majority of its business here. Prince Jin grants merchants a great deal of operational freedom, which in turn brings him staggering wealth. Furthermore, he had already built up significant reserves before the chaos even began. With no shortage of funds, his military recruitment efforts have gone smoother than those of any of the other princes."

Chen Changsheng said, "Prince Jin spent his early years in the military, so he naturally understands the importance of wealth. In this regard, he's done far, far better than Prince Kang."

"Prince Kang..."

Yunxiang muttered.

"What is it?" Chen Changsheng looked at her.

Yunxiang said, "The lack of trade in Prince Kang's territory isn't something that can be explained in just a few words. In short, it isn't entirely his fault; there is a lot going on behind the scenes."

"Is someone deliberately standing in his way?"

"Yes."

Yunxiang said, "Years ago, I heard several managers discuss this very issue. Prince Kang actually cares deeply about establishing trade. He approached our trading firm on numerous occasions, but every time negotiations reached a favorable point, he would suddenly change his mind."

"I am not entirely sure of the exact reasons myself, but there are definitely external factors at play."

Yunxiang said, "The most obvious conclusion is that someone has leverage over him. It might be the Imperial Court, or perhaps one of the other princes is interfering."

Chen Changsheng murmured, "Is that so... The situation is a bit more complicated than I thought."

Yunxiang nodded. "It is exceptionally complicated. I actually wrote to Young Master Tang to ask about it, but even he doesn't know much. He has been investigating the matter, but to no avail. It seems someone is actively blocking him, keeping him in the dark."

Chen Changsheng stroked his chin, falling into deep thought.

He doubted it was the work of another prince or the Imperial Court. Instead, he suspected this matter might be related to Yan Ruchu.

Yan Ruchu had passed away quietly, and very few people knew about his contingencies. Who knew how many arrangements he had left behind?

Chen Changsheng silently committed the matter to memory.

The situation surrounding Prince Kang was no small matter.

On the grand chessboard of the world, one might say there were five factions, but it was more accurate to say there were six. And that hidden faction was the most terrifying of them all.

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