Immortal Travel of Longevity

Since it wasn't a designated market day, the Demon Market was understandably quiet. Still, quite a few demons sat around chatting and drinking wine, with some spirit fruits laid out on the ground.

Perhaps Chen Changsheng's sudden intrusion made them uncomfortable; in the blink of an eye, the demons relocated, keeping well away from him.

Demons generally disliked interacting with humans.

Chen Changsheng paid them no mind and headed straight for Lan Ting's shop.

Enjoying a leisurely day, Lan Ting had moved a chair outside her shop and was reading.

She had bought the book from the local market. It was a collection of folk stories—some poorly written, but others particularly fascinating.

"Mister Lan," Chen Changsheng called out.

Lan Ting looked up. Seeing her visitor, she set the book aside and stood. "Mister Chen!"

Catching herself, she added, "I'll go fetch a chair."

Once they were seated, Lan Ting asked, "Have you had lunch yet, Mister?"

"I have."

Chen Changsheng said, "The Demon Market is quite peaceful during the day."

Lan Ting nodded. "When I have free time, I just do my own thing. Reading and such helps pass the time."

Chen Changsheng nodded. "That's good."

"And the folk novels from the market are quite entertaining," Lan Ting said. "I've been finding them so interesting lately that I've thought about writing one myself for fun."

"Oh?" Chen Changsheng said. "What genre do you plan to write, Mister Lan?"

"I haven't decided yet. I'm still reading up on them, and there are just so many kinds," Lan Ting said. "Take this one in my hand, for example. It's about the life and experiences of a brothel courtesan. The writing is exquisite and quite unique. They call it a folk novel, but it reads more like an autobiography."

She handed the book to Chen Changsheng.

Chen Changsheng took it. The cover bore the title: "Woman of the Dust."

"That's certainly an eye-catching title."

Chen Changsheng flipped through the pages. The content wasn't quite as unconventional as the title implied; it simply recounted a woman's experiences after being sold into a brothel.

"It is," Mister Lan agreed with a nod. "Even a good book needs a hook. Otherwise, people will look at the title and have no desire to open it, and it won't matter how well it's written."

Chen Changsheng thought about it and had to admit that Mister Lan made a good point.

The two continued to chat about books for a while.

Chen Changsheng wanted to bring something up, but Mister Lan kept steering the conversation elsewhere, seemingly reluctant to let him speak.

She appeared to be deliberately avoiding it.

After a moment, Chen Changsheng caught on. "Mister Lan, didn't you mention before that you were heading to Shangjing?" he asked.

Lan Ting fell silent in thought for a moment before saying, "I'm a bit hesitant about it now."

Chen Changsheng nodded. "If you don't go, where do you plan to head next?"

"I'll just stay here." Lan Ting let out a long breath. "I'm not going anywhere."

Chen Changsheng completely understood. "This Chen won't pry any further, then," he said. "Talking too much about it would only bring needless sorrow."

Lan Ting lowered her head and gave a faint murmur of agreement.

She didn't want to hear another word about anything related to The Prince.

Chen Changsheng had originally intended to ask Lan Ting whose request she had accepted and what exactly she had planned to do, but in the end, he kept the questions to himself.

How things turned out no longer seemed to matter.

"Mister Zhu has remained in Qingshan City all this time. If you ever grow weary of things here, Mister Lan, you can always go find him. He has plenty of free time on his hands, too."

"I will."

"Mm."

They didn't chat for much longer before Chen Changsheng took his leave.

Just as he was leaving, Mister Lan called out, "I'll have to trouble you to take a good look at this world for me, Mister."

Chen Changsheng nodded. "I will take a good look whenever I have the time."

"Mm."

Chen Changsheng left the Demon Market.

He walked down the mountain and stepped out of the thick fog.

When he reached the riverside, he saw the young boy sitting on the bank, washing the mud from his shoes with his bamboo basket resting nearby.

He should have left long ago, yet he had lingered by the river for quite some time.

Every now and then, he would steal a glance up at the mountain.

The moment he saw the fog part once again and the earlier figure step into view, the boy jolted upright. He scrambled out of the river, shoved his feet into his shoes, and hurried toward the man.

The boy blocked Chen Changsheng's path. "You're still here," Chen Changsheng noted.

The boy didn't reply. He opened his mouth, hesitated for a second, and then asked, "What's in the mountain?"

Chen Changsheng thought for a moment. "There are trees in the mountain," he said.

The boy's mouth parted slightly. This time, he truly had no idea how to reply.

Chen Changsheng chuckled. "Hurry on home," he said.

With that, he brushed past the boy.

The boy hastily hoisted his basket onto his back and chased after him.

"Immortal, Immortal, wait for me!"

The boy was a bold one. Trailing half a step behind Chen Changsheng, he followed him all the way out.

Chen Changsheng glanced back at him. "This Chen truly isn't an Immortal. There's no need to follow me."

The boy caught his breath and declared, "Even if you're not an Immortal, you must still be someone incredibly powerful."

"Not particularly powerful, no," Chen Changsheng replied after a thought.

"So you are a little powerful, then?"

"Just a little bit."

The boy jogged a couple of steps to catch up to Chen Changsheng's side. "Are you a demon or a human?" he asked.

Chen Changsheng paused. "Why do you ask?"

The boy opened his mouth, hesitating for a moment before admitting, "I've been in there."

"Been in where?"

"Inside that mountain."

The boy's lips trembled slightly as he said, "It's full of demons in there. You were able to go in, but I feel like you're a human, not a demon."

"I see."

Chen Changsheng finally understood why the boy was hounding him so relentlessly. He had caught a glimpse of that world before, but hadn't seen the full picture, leaving him burning with endless curiosity.

"There are indeed demons in the mountain," he confirmed for the boy.

The boy nodded vigorously. "I knew it! I told them, but none of them believed a word I said. They even said I'd lost my mind and wanted to brew medicine to exorcise the ghosts from me."

Chen Changsheng laughed. "You've had a rough time of it, then."

"I have."

The boy pursed his lips. "Nobody believes me."

"So you didn't wander in by accident this time. You went in on purpose?"

"Right."

"I figured that if I could stumble into it once, I could definitely stumble into it a second time," the boy said.

"You've got quite the nerve. Don't you know that curiosity kills the cat?"

"Um..."

The boy pondered this. "How do you know the cat didn't know there was danger ahead?"

Chen Changsheng blinked, mildly surprised. "You truly are audacious."

"It's called being brave and fearless."

"Who taught you that?"

"The teacher at the academy."

"And did your teacher never tell you the principle: do not stand beneath a crumbling wall?"

"He might have mentioned it, but I forgot."

"Learning only half the lesson won't do," Chen Changsheng said.

The boy pursed his lips. "I only ever get to eavesdrop on the classes. I never catch the full lesson."

"Well, This Chen has taught it to you this time," Chen Changsheng said. "You'd better remember it from now on."

"Mm."

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