Immortal Travel of Longevity

Countless people in the taverns of Shangjing City were discussing the matter.

Chen Changsheng caught snippets of the conversation over his meal.

It had been a long time. Hearing news of Ping'an and Ruyi again left him in a momentary daze.

He struck up a conversation with the patrons at the neighboring table and soon pieced together the crux of their discussion.

"The North-South Martial Alliance..."

Chen Changsheng murmured the name. He knew this was merely the beginning. While the Fiend Blood Path held a dominant position in the jianghu, another faction—one that had existed for ages, lurking in the shadows—would not surface until the pivotal moment.

They were just like the martial artists from the jianghu who had helped Yan Ruchu infiltrate the Imperial Palace back then.

These people had endured from the era of the Grand Ancestor of Xiang to the present day. They had weathered changing dynasties and shifting tides, surviving through it all. From the very beginning, they had quietly participated in the unpredictable upheavals of this realm.

They were the true wildcards, the most unstable variable of all.

Ruyi and Ping'an had already accomplished something extraordinary. Looking back across hundreds of years of history, no other organization had ever commanded the sheer rallying power of the North-South Martial Alliance.

With a single command, the entire jianghu would surge into motion, countless experts rushing forward wave after wave.

Yunxiang murmured softly, "Those two little ones have actually become the alliance leaders of the martial world now."

Chen Changsheng pulled himself from his thoughts and smiled. "They've witnessed the true splendor of the world. Their journey hasn't been in vain, and they won't have any regrets moving forward."

Yunxiang sighed. "Mister Chen, you still need to think about their futures. You ought to lecture them the next time you see them. They aren't young anymore, yet neither of them has given a single thought to settling down and starting a family."

Chen Changsheng paused, then nodded with a chuckle. "Indeed, they are due for a talking-to."

But as soon as the words left his mouth, he felt a strange incongruity.

Somehow, without realizing it, he had slipped into the role of an old father.

Chen Changsheng shook his head and laughed softly at the sudden thought.

Come to think of it, it wasn't a bad feeling at all.

He only hoped the two kids would actually listen to his advice. Ping'an would probably take it to heart. As for Ruyi? If it was something she didn't want to do, she would nod along in the moment and completely forget it the next.

"The sky is growing dark. It looks like it's going to rain, Mister. Let's return to the estate."

"Mm, alright."

The two of them strolled down the street.

Chen Changsheng suddenly remembered something and asked, "Speaking of which, where did Gu Jiangshi go? This Chen has been caught up in his own thoughts these past few days and forgot to ask."

Yunxiang explained, "Ah, him. After you left, Mister, Big Brother Gu escorted us to Shangjing and stayed for a few days. But the servants in the estate were quite frightened of him. They thought he was eerie, almost inhuman. My older brother ordered the servants to hold their tongues, but Big Brother Gu was never one to inconvenience others. He left a letter behind and quietly departed."

"In his letter, he said he was curious to see what the world had become, to see how it compared to the past. He also left a token, asking me to give it to you when you returned. If you hadn't mentioned it, Mister, I would have completely forgotten."

"The token is back at the estate. I'll fetch it for you later."

"I see..."

"Mm."

Yunxiang felt deeply happy these days.

It was just like the time when she had first met the Mister.

Now, they talked about everything under the sun, and he rarely brought up any troublesome burdens.

Yet, most of the time, their conversations were remarkably mundane.

What they were eating, what they were doing, what the books said, what the patterns on her embroidery meant.

But Yunxiang loved it. Answering every little question brought her a profound sense of peace. It was exactly this kind of everyday domestic chatter that made her heart feel truly settled.

She adored this side of the Mister.

Even though she knew these days wouldn't last forever. Even though this time felt like a fragile illusion, a reflection in a mirror.

For every day he was here, Miss Yun stayed up very late.

Normally, she would have retired to her room much earlier in the evening.

But because the Mister was here, she refused to sleep.

She would always follow him to the pavilion by The Lake. Relying on the glow of a single lantern, they would gaze up at the moon and the stars, or playfully tease the restless fish swimming in the water below.

Yunxiang was utterly content.

Looking up at the sky full of stars, she inexplicably mumbled, "If I had known it would be like this, I would have died much earlier."

Chen Changsheng sounded a little helpless. "What sort of silly nonsense are you spouting?"

Yunxiang turned her head to look at him. She smiled brightly. "I'm just joking."

At that moment, the two of them were just like the idle elderly folks in that market town, whiling away their days in absolute leisure.

Even with nothing to do, they could simply sit there in companionable silence for hours on end.

They were, after all, an old man and an old woman now...

Chen Changsheng gently patted her back, and Yunxiang leaned her head against his shoulder.

Bathed in the moonlight, she stared at their reflections cast upon the glassy surface of The Lake.

She knew she could only witness this scene thanks to the water's reflection.

Her mind drifted for a moment. She reached up to touch the wrinkles on her face and softly asked, "Mister, is Yunxiang very ugly now?"

Chen Changsheng paused. He reached up to touch his own cheek. "This Chen isn't exactly good-looking either."

Yunxiang let out a soft giggle, but the laughter soon faded into a quiet melancholy.

"Those elixir pills from before... do you still have them, Mister? When my time comes, I want to leave beautifully. Preferably looking just like I did when I first met you."

Chen Changsheng didn't answer immediately. His gaze drifted to the dark waters of The Lake, his expression somewhat vacant.

"Mister?"

"I do, I do..."

He answered twice in quick succession, though a faint, heavy sigh slipped past his lips.

Yunxiang reproached him softly, "Don't sigh, Mister. The elders always said that sighing too much gives you wrinkles and ages you faster. It isn't good."

Chen Changsheng blinked in surprise before pulling himself together. He nodded. "Mm. I'll listen to you."

"Mister, the stars in the sky are so beautiful."

"Well, I have no way to pluck them down for you."

"I don't need you to pluck the stars."

"Mm."

"Mister, the cicadas are singing. The days are going to get hot soon."

Yunxiang lowered her head. She vividly remembered that every time she heard the first trills of the summer cicadas, those were the happiest moments of her life. Because it always meant that the Mister was coming back.

Every Huaixu, she would wait with bated breath. Though her hopes were sometimes dashed, her patience was always rewarded in the end.

Yunxiang considered herself remarkably lucky.

"Do you ever think I'm too stubborn, Mister?"

Chen Changsheng pondered the question for a moment before replying, "There isn't a girl in the world more stubborn than you."

"Even compared to Ruyi?"

"She still falls a bit short of you."

He patted her shoulder affectionately. "And you're a silly girl, too."

Yunxiang smiled. She knew he was just teasing her to make her laugh.

Yet, as her smile faded, another sigh escaped her lips.

"I've made things so hard for you all these years..."

Chen Changsheng paused. He closed his eyes and whispered, "There you go, spouting silly nonsense again."

Yunxiang didn't say anything more.

She knew he was soft-hearted. In the past, she never would have said such things, fully aware that it would only deepen his guilt.

It was precisely because of his soft heart that he had ended up burdened with a girl like her—someone who stubbornly refused to back down.

Yunxiang closed her eyes and murmured softly, "If you meet me in your next life, Mister, you must run far, far away. Otherwise, I'll end up entangling you all over again."

Chen Changsheng's heart skipped a beat. He let out a long breath and gently stroked her hair.

"Silly girl."

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