Immortal Travel of Longevity

For some reason, words that should have been steeped in sorrow lost their heavy weight beneath Miss Yun's sudden smile.

In the days that followed, Chen Changsheng went nowhere.

To him, this rare passage of time seemed to lose its importance. He no longer busied himself with constant travel, choosing instead to stay right here—within the ever-shifting Tang Manor, inside the pavilion beside the backyard's ancestral hall.

The candied fruit was delicious and fragrant.

He had suddenly taken a liking to it.

Yunxiang sat in the pavilion of the Tang Manor's backyard. Pointing at the pond, she said, "I had someone plant lotuses. Perhaps by next year, we'll see the leaves sprout and the flowers bloom. When you return next time, Mister can admire them."

Chen Changsheng said, "This Chen has never done anything for you. Why go to such lengths?"

Yunxiang replied, "That isn't important."

She didn't explain further, merely turning her head to look at the pond. She imagined the sight of lotuses in full bloom covering the water; it would surely be a beautiful scene.

Seeing that the Mister was always present, he stopped bringing up outside affairs and even ceased paying attention to certain matters.

Tang Mingjing was a smart man. With just a little thought, he understood what was going on.

That night, he went to see Yunxiang.

"Yunxiang."

"Big Brother, what brings you here so late?"

Yunxiang hadn't gone to sleep. She couldn't. People always developed ailments as they aged, and the older one got, the harder it was to fall asleep at night. Part of it was due to the heavy burdens accumulated over the years, and the other part was simply her failing body.

Tang Mingjing said, "Mister Chen is acting a bit out of the ordinary. I'm somewhat worried about you."

Yunxiang froze for a moment, then pursed her lips.

Tang Mingjing also paused. Seeing her reaction, his myriad thoughts condensed into a single sigh. "So I guessed right."

Yunxiang lowered her head. "It's fine, Big Brother."

Tang Mingjing took Yunxiang's hand and gently patted the back of it. He wanted to speak yet held back, feeling a terrible ache in his chest.

"Silly girl."

Tang Mingjing let out a long sigh.

Yunxiang offered a small smile. "The world is impermanent. This day was always going to come."

Tang Mingjing murmured, "I thought I would die before you all. I'm a few years older than you, so I figured I would go first. That way, I wouldn't have to suffer this grief."

"You shouldn't say such inauspicious things. You need to live well, Big Brother; your days are still long."

Tang Mingjing rubbed his eyes. "I'm tired. I want to go too. I really just want to go."

The brother and sister were both in their twilight years now.

The years and the ways of the world had long since tortured Tang Mingjing until he had no strength left.

Pain, reluctance, and the sheer inability to turn his situation around—these emotions had piled up in his heart, refusing to fade. He was tormented by both the ailments of his body and the sickness in his soul.

He truly didn't want to live anymore.

Yunxiang looked at Tang Mingjing and sighed softly. Only after coming to Shangjing did she truly understand her older brother's suffering. The Tang Manor's far-reaching fame hadn't been voluntary, nor was their stirring of the political winds. Success was failure, and failure was success. Once a person stepped into such a quagmire, they lost all control over their own fate.

Now, the elderly Tang Mingjing only wanted to carve out a path of survival for his descendants, yet even that was incredibly difficult. He had to be careful with everything; a single mistake would mean eternal damnation.

Seeing how Tang Mingjing had tortured himself into this state made Yunxiang's heart ache endlessly, but she had no way to comfort him.

Yunxiang had always been a girl who understood the rules.

Whatever shouldn't be said, whatever shouldn't be asked—she kept her mouth firmly shut.

The future of the Tang Manor wasn't something she had the right to speak on.

Yunxiang only said, "Don't be afraid, Big Brother. Didn't the Mister once say that three parts belong to heaven, and seven parts rely on human effort? With your abilities, you'll definitely be able to weather this crisis."

Tang Mingjing hunched his back, resting both hands on his legs. He wiped his forehead and gasped for breath.

The sheer weight of everything was nearly suffocating him.

Realizing he had lost his composure, Tang Mingjing felt it was inappropriate. He had come here to visit his little sister, yet he had gotten lost in his own bleak thoughts. How was this acting like a proper older brother?

"Mister Chen knows about your situation?" Tang Mingjing asked.

Yunxiang nodded. "Even if I didn't say anything, he would know. Nothing can be hidden from him."

"Sigh..."

Tang Mingjing looked at Yunxiang and asked, "Little Sister, why don't you..."

He naturally wanted to ask why she didn't let Mister Chen help. If Mister Chen were willing, granting longevity would be as easy as flipping a hand.

Yunxiang looked at her older brother in silence.

Tang Mingjing suddenly understood. A bitter smile surfaced on his face.

All of a sudden, his eyes turned red.

"Such a bitter fate..."

He had never imagined that both he and his sister would come to view death as a release.

Their Tang family stood tall in the world, enjoying infinite glory.

Yet in reality, even he, the family head, was deeply pitiful.

And it was exactly the same for his sister.

"Such a bitter fate..."

Tang Mingjing repeated the words as several bitter chuckles echoed through the courtyard.

Looking back on his life, he suddenly felt lost again. He didn't know what he had even been living for all this time; it felt as though he had busied himself for the better part of a lifetime, only to accomplish a pile of useless deeds.

Tang Mingjing left, his laughter bordering on manic, stray tears falling every so often.

He laughed until his strength gave out, collapsing right there on the path.

Fortunately, Yunxiang had followed him all the way and caught him in time so he wouldn't get hurt. That night, no one in the Tang Manor could sleep. The First Madam and Second Madam stayed by his side, and a doctor was called to examine him.

Luckily, it was nothing serious. After he was fed some medicine, his complexion improved.

Only then did everyone's hearts settle.

When the roosters crowed the next morning, Tang Mingjing woke up to see a crowd of people slumped by the window, leaving him momentarily stunned.

He ignored them all and walked straight out of the room.

"Master."

It was the Second Madam who woke up and stopped him. "Where are you going, Master? The doctor said you need to rest. You can't overexert yourself."

Tang Mingjing merely waved his hand. "I'm fine. You all get some good rest."

With that said, he left the Tang Manor and returned to the trading firm's shop. No matter who tried to persuade him, it was completely useless.

Lately, Yu Hongjin felt that the manor was quite strange.

Sister Yun was acting strangely, and Mister Chen was acting strangely too.

The two of them spent the entire day together, either going out somewhere or sitting in the manor chatting idly.

Sister Yun and the Mister talked about everything under the sun, often breaking into loud laughter as if they were sharing endlessly fun and joyful things.

Even though Yu Hongjin found it strange, she also felt happy about it, because Sister Yun hadn't smiled in a very long time.

But for some inexplicable reason, Yu Hongjin started feeling bored again.

Propping up her chin, she seemed to remember something and muttered, "I wonder how that stupid cat is doing."

Thinking about it, it had already been over a year.

It should have found Ruyi by now, right?

And then there was that brat Tang Zheng. Yu Hongjin still held a massive grudge against him; she firmly believed that Tang Zheng had tricked the cat into running away with him.

...

"Achoo!"

Inside the woven basket, Mao'er let out a sneeze.

Sniffling and twitching its whiskers, Mao'er muttered, "Who's thinking about Lihua?"

Carrying the basket on his back, Tang Zheng glanced over his shoulder and asked, "Don't tell me you caught a cold?"

Mao'er replied, "Lihua doesn't catch colds."

Tang Zheng figured that made sense. Looking forward, he said, "We're almost at the Fiend Blood Path."

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