Immortal Travel of Longevity

The congee was delicious.

It tasted exactly as it had all those years ago.

Reuniting with an old acquaintance, even if they no longer recognized him, was still a tremendous surprise.

Fate was truly a wondrous thing, beyond the power of words to describe.

"Where do you usually live?"

Jiang Gungun said, "Outside the district. When the army came through a while back, a lot of houses emptied out, so there's no shortage of places to stay."

"That's not too bad." Chen Changsheng nodded.

Jiang Gungun sighed. "There used to be a lot of people in the village, but most of them moved into the district later on. They said it wasn't peaceful, and living outside made it easy to run into trouble."

"That was only in previous years, wasn't it? Things should be much better now."

Jiang Gungun nodded. "But how many of the people who left actually came back?"

Chen Changsheng paused for a moment, then gave a nod of agreement.

Thanks to Chen Changsheng, Jiang Gungun enjoyed a hearty treat.

It had been a long time since he had eaten such thick rice congee.

The world was in turmoil and times were tough; being able to eat something this good was incredibly rare.

"Thank you for today," Jiang Gungun said.

"It was nothing," Chen Changsheng replied.

The campfire burned, radiating a gentle warmth.

Chen Changsheng asked, "Aside from going up the mountain to gather herbs, do you spend most of your time at the academy listening to the Mister lecture?"

Jiang Gungun nodded. "Yeah, there's nowhere else to go. Someone told me before that studying can help you get ahead in life, so I started studying. But I don't have money, and I don't have a household registration, so I can't sit inside the classroom to learn. It's all the same, though. What I hear from outside is no different."

Chen Changsheng gave a slight nod after hearing this, and didn't press for details.

By now, Jiang Gungun hadn't brought up Immortals or demons again, his entire focus fixed on the rice congee.

After finishing the congee, Jiang Gungun let out a burp. He hadn't eaten his fill like this in a very long time.

That kind of satisfaction was something only someone who had known hunger could understand.

Jiang Gungun stood up and said, "I have to go."

Chen Changsheng pointed out, "There's still more than half of this congee left."

Jiang Gungun opened his mouth to speak, then said, "That's yours."

"This Chen can't finish all of this," Chen Changsheng said. "Why don't you take it back with you?"

Jiang Gungun looked at it longingly, but still said, "That wouldn't be right."

"Take it."

At Chen Changsheng's urging, Jiang Gungun took the remaining half of the white congee back with him.

Before he left, Chen Changsheng offered him a final word of advice: "Study hard with the Mister."

"Mhm."

Jiang Gungun nodded, then asked, "Immortal Grandpa, how do I find you later?"

Chen Changsheng looked at him and said, "There's no need to look for me. This Chen will come find you."

Jiang Gungun didn't quite understand. He just felt that this person seemed a bit more like a charlatan and less like a true Immortal now.

Chen Changsheng watched the boy walk further and further away. Jiang Gungun hurried off to the academy; he was in a rush, afraid he would miss the lesson.

He sighed softly. In the palm of his hand rested a lotus leaf holding a small amount of unfinished white congee.

He tipped his head back and drank the congee from the lotus leaf.

Wiping his mouth, his figure vanished from the spot.

.

.

Chen Changsheng returned to the inn.

Miss Yun was already awake. Seeing that the Mister seemed quite happy, she asked him about it.

The Mister only said that he had met an old acquaintance, but didn't specify who it was.

Yunxiang didn't pry for details. So long as the Mister was happy, that was all that mattered.

As they spoke, they suddenly overheard the people at the neighboring table discussing something.

"I heard the Fiend Blood Path has fallen into chaos again recently."

"Hasn't it always been in chaos?"

"This time is a bit different. I heard there's a new girl who is fiercely ambitious. Striking swift as thunder and fierce as wind, she gathered a lot of jianghu people in just a few days. Looking at her momentum, it seems she intends to pacify the Fiend Blood Path."

"That's just a pipe dream."

"I think so, too."

Chen Changsheng and Yunxiang exchanged a glance.

Chen Changsheng then stood up and walked over to their table.

"Heroes," he greeted them.

Seeing this, the men at the table cupped their hands in greeting.

Chen Changsheng said, "Pardon the intrusion. This Chen just heard you discussing the Fiend Blood Path and felt a bit curious. May I sit and join the chat?"

"Crossing paths makes us friends. Please, take a seat."

Jianghu people weren't all heinous villains; much of the time, they were reasonably amiable and not so hard to interact with.

After sitting down, Chen Changsheng brought the conversation back to the Fiend Blood Path.

One of the men said, "I just heard a brother who's been there mention it in passing, so I don't know the exact details. According to him, it's not just the jianghu factions that are involved. Several princes, and even the Imperial Court, are tied up in this."

Another man asked, "Ah? What kind of treasured land is this Fiend Blood Path? Why are all these princes and the like trying to stick their foot in?"

"Of course it's not about that!"

The first man explained, "Who cares about the Fiend Blood Path? The Fiend Blood Path isn't the important part—the reputation is! How could this be as simple as fighting over the Fiend Blood Path? Those princes and the Imperial Court are looking to win over us jianghu people."

Chen Changsheng looked at the speaker. This man saw things clearly.

The man continued, "Don't forget, the Blood Saber Sect has always held a leading position in the jianghu, and the Fiend Blood Path is currently their territory. If someone could stomp on the Blood Saber Sect's head and crown themselves number one in the jianghu, who knows how many people would flock to their banner."

Chen Changsheng asked, "You seem to know a great deal about the situation in the Fiend Blood Path, sir."

The man smiled. "Hearsay, it's all just hearsay."

Chen Changsheng smiled and said no more.

"By the way, you just mentioned that girl. What's her background, for her to be so formidable? To pull off such feats right after entering the Fiend Blood Path?"

"I heard the girl is one of the King of Wei's people, but that's secondary. The important thing is how strong she is. Word is, with just a single Long Spear, she single-handedly defeated over a dozen disciples of the Blood Saber Sect without taking a single scratch."

"Is that so..."

"Heh, I heard something else, too. Something extremely interesting."

"Oh?" Chen Changsheng looked at him.

The man said, "Naturally, the Imperial Court also made a move. The one they dispatched is an official named Wang Ping'an. That Wang Ping'an is also quite extraordinary—especially his Sword arts, which are practically divine. It didn't take him long to establish a firm foothold in the Fiend Blood Path. And that girl... rumor has it that she and Wang Ping'an are siblings. It's truly a fascinating twist. Who knows if that girl will end up selling out the King of Wei."

"How did something like that become public knowledge?" Chen Changsheng asked.

"No wall in this world is completely airtight," the man replied.

Chen Changsheng couldn't help but take a closer look at him.

Their gazes met, a shared clarity gleaming in both their eyes. They wore half-smiles, as though they each had a measure of understanding about the other.

Chen Changsheng said, "This Chen is free tonight. If you have no other business, brother, you are welcome to come share a few more cups later."

"Excellent. I have nothing else to do tonight, either."

Chen Changsheng nodded, cupped his hands, and bid him farewell.

He returned to his own table.

Yunxiang asked him a couple of questions.

Chen Changsheng said, "Even this Chen can't figure it out. When did all these people start recognizing me?"

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