Immortal Travel of Longevity

The eldest young master of the Tang Manor had gone missing.

At least he hadn't vanished without a trace. He had left a letter on his desk.

When the First Madam saw the letter, she hurried to find the master of the house.

Tang Mingjing was somewhat surprised when he read it. He pondered over it for a long time.

"Husband, what should we do?" the First Madam cried, her voice thick with tears. "The world is in turmoil right now. He ran off all by himself—what if he runs into bandits? You have to bring Zheng'er back!"

Tang Mingjing calmly replied, "Let him go."

The First Madam froze.

"Zheng'er will be fine," Tang Mingjing added.

Her mouth fell open. "Are you not worried about him at all?!"

The First Madam was stunned, her face going blank.

"How could..."

"He is your good son," Tang Mingjing said. "In all these years, he never breathed a word of this."

She opened her mouth again, but found herself completely lost for words.

Tang Mingjing waved a hand, dismissing her. "If there is nothing else, you may leave. A few days ago it was Shijing, and today it's Zheng'er. This family never gets a moment's peace."

Silenced, she couldn't form a single retort.

She finally let out a soft sigh and retreated from the study.

Tang Mingjing exhaled deeply. Once she was gone, he lowered his head to read through his recent confidential letters. Every single matter required his personal attention and oversight.

He just didn't have the time to deal with domestic squabbles.

His head throbbed. He only felt a fraction of relief when Yunxiang delivered a bowl of clear tea.

"Big Brother, you really don't rest for a single moment," Yunxiang said.

He took a sip of the tea and let out a breath. "How can I rest?"

"The Tang Manor is no longer what it used to be. If our scope were limited to just a single county and prefecture, I might have some free time. But now, our reach spans several states and cities, with countless people working under us. A single mistake anywhere could spell disaster for the entire Tang Manor. How can I possibly put my mind at ease?"

Yunxiang sat down and said, "Then why did you have to expand so much?"

Tang Mingjing paused, not answering immediately.

Realizing her mistake, Yunxiang said, "I spoke out of turn."

He glanced at her and gave a slight nod. "If only everyone in the family could see things as clearly as you do, sister."

Yunxiang smiled, but inwardly she felt a deep sense of helplessness.

Was there really no underlying reason for all this?

But she couldn't say such things aloud.

"I won't disturb you any longer, Big Brother. I'll take my leave. The butler will bring your food later. Please remember to eat. If it gets cold, just call for someone to warm it up."

"Mm. Alright."

With that, Tang Mingjing lowered his head once more.

Yunxiang stepped out. Just before leaving, she couldn't help but add, "Big Brother, you really should find some time to rest."

Tang Mingjing paused and simply replied, "Okay."

Nodding, Yunxiang closed the door.

She knew her brother hadn't taken a single word to heart.

She was terrified that one day, this room would suddenly fall completely silent.

...

Lihua had secretly run away.

Yu Hongjin was thoroughly depressed and spent two straight days drinking.

Drunk, she sprawled comfortably in Yunxiang's arms.

"Waaah..."

"That stupid cat! Leaving without even saying goodbye!"

As she complained, she poured more wine down her throat.

Glug, glug, glug...

"Waaah..."

Yu Hongjin bawled fiercely.

Yunxiang couldn't console her, no matter what she tried. If anything, the crying was giving her a headache.

Fortunately, she didn't cry for long.

Once she had her fill of wine, Yu Hongjin collapsed onto the floor with a thud, falling fast asleep and snoring softly.

Seeing her like this made Yunxiang's heart ache. The girl had very few friends. For years, she had done nothing but follow Yunxiang around. She had barely seen the outside world or the people in it.

Thinking about it left a bitter taste in her mouth.

That night, she pondered for a long time.

Early the next morning, Yunxiang asked, "Hongjin, do you want to go out and play?"

Hearing this, Yu Hongjin instantly grew alert. She shrank back and said, "Sister Yun, you can just hit me. You don't have to test me..."

Yunxiang didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "You silly girl, I'm genuinely asking you."

Yu Hongjin looked away and shook her head.

"Do you want to?"

After a moment's pause, Yu Hongjin nodded.

"So you do want to go out?"

Yu Hongjin looked at her. "Sister Yun, what are you planning?"

Yunxiang finally explained everything she had been thinking about the night before.

Yu Hongjin thought about it and said, "Not really. I have lots of friends! There's that stupid cat, Mo Yuan, Chen the Good Man, and Uncle Li from before. Isn't Tang Shijing a friend too? And then there's..."

"But aren't they all far away from you right now?"

"Uh..."

"I'll make new friends," Yu Hongjin mumbled.

"But when you make new friends, won't you miss the old ones?"

"I probably will."

Yu Hongjin couldn't quite put it into words.

In truth, bringing all this up made her chest feel tight.

For example, Uncle Li.

But he was already gone...

It was then that worry had first taken root in Yu Hongjin's heart. She worried about Sister Zhishu, which was why she had caused such a ruckus at the City God Temple. She worried even more about Sister Yun, which was why she didn't want to go anywhere. She just wanted to stay right here.

She understood her own life and death perfectly well, but she couldn't make peace with the mortality of those around her.

Yunxiang asked her again if she wanted to go out and play.

Yu Hongjin flatly refused.

Yunxiang sighed softly, as if she finally understood. Pulling the girl into an embrace, she said, "I owe you in this life."

This left Yu Hongjin a little embarrassed. After hesitating for a long time, she finally asked, "Then... can Hongjin go out and buy wine?"

"No!"

"..."

Seeing her pitiful, wronged expression, Yunxiang softened.

"Wait here."

Yunxiang went to the storehouse of the Tang Manor and retrieved a jug of fine wine.

In all these years, this was the first time Yu Hongjin had ever received wine directly from Sister Yun.

"Is... is this for me?"

Yu Hongjin could hardly believe it.

Seeing her shocked expression, Yunxiang asked, "Don't you want it?"

"I want it! I want it!!"

Yu Hongjin was overjoyed.

She jumped high into the air.

Without even knowing if the wine was any good, Yu Hongjin carefully tucked it away in her Brocade Pouch.

She was going to treasure this wine for the rest of her life.

Seeing the young miss so incredibly happy that day, the servants of the Tang Manor occasionally asked what the occasion was.

Yu Hongjin would pull out the jug of wine and boast, "Sister Yun gave this to me!"

The servants didn't understand. They couldn't fathom why a single jug of wine was worth showing off.

Giggling happily, Yu Hongjin would take it out every now and then just to look at it.

Only she truly understood just how meaningful this single jug of wine was.

This was her treasure. Her true treasure.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!