Immortal Travel of Longevity

The night was serene.

Chen Changsheng carried the sleeping Yunxiang back to her room. Once the maids of the Tang estate had settled her in, he quietly withdrew.

He returned to the pavilion alone.

As he sat there quietly, the hum of cicadas in the dark did not make the night noisy, but rather deepened its tranquility.

The white-haired old man in the green robe sat in the pavilion, resting his chin in his hand as he gazed out over the lake.

The stars and moon reflected in the water were swallowed by swimming fish, though it was all merely an illusion.

The Mister gently swung his legs, looking somewhat carefree.

He seemed to be humming something under his breath, but the tune wasn't lighthearted. Instead, it carried a hint of sorrow.

Behind him, a faint rustling broke the stillness.

He saw a little girl in a red dress creeping forward, glancing around cautiously as she walked.

"Where did this little thief come from?"

Chen Changsheng asked.

His words startled the sneaky little figure.

Yu Hongjin was about to run away, but suddenly stopped.

"Why does that voice sound so familiar?"

She looked back and saw the white-haired old man in the green robe sitting in the pavilion. She immediately let out a sigh of relief. "Oh my, Mister Chen, why did you scare me?"

Pouting, she marched up to him, crossed her arms, and glared.

Chen Changsheng asked, "You were sneaking around. What are you up to?"

Yu Hongjin sat down and said, "Looking for some wine to drink."

She quickly shushed him and leaned in closer, whispering, "Mister, keep your voice down. Miss Yun ordered the servants not to let me drink. If anyone finds out, my bottom is going to get whipped again."

Hearing this, Chen Changsheng laughed. "Aren't you afraid that This Chen will go and tattle on you?"

Yu Hongjin looked at Mister Chen. After thinking it over, she offered, "I'll split it with you, half and half."

Chen Changsheng blanked for a moment before laughing. "If you put it that way, This Chen will definitely keep his lips sealed."

Yu Hongjin paused. "So you're that kind of Mister Chen."

Chen Changsheng chuckled heartily and said, "Is that not allowed?"

Yu Hongjin smiled; she didn't actually think it was a bad thing.

Then she said, "Mister, come with me. You can be my lookout."

Chen Changsheng nodded.

Under the cover of night, the two of them moved together, quietly sneaking over to the wine cellar of the Tang estate.

Yu Hongjin went inside to grab the wine while Chen Changsheng stayed outside to keep watch.

Working together, they managed to smuggle a large jar of wine out of the cellar.

It was aged wine. Yu Hongjin's eye for picking out a good vintage was absolutely flawless.

However, she didn't dare take the very best stuff, nor would she settle for the worst. She had to find a high-quality wine that fell right in the middle, something unassuming that wouldn't be missed.

"Are you done yet?"

"Almost, almost. Still looking."

"Then hurry up."

"Shh, Mister, you need to keep your voice down. Don't attract the servants."

Yu Hongjin came out hugging a large wine jar.

"Let's go, let's go."

The two of them scurried away like a pair of thieves.

Chen Changsheng couldn't help but laugh. He found the whole situation incredibly amusing.

"From the looks of it, you've done this quite a lot."

Yu Hongjin hummed proudly. "I've been a pro at this for a long time," she boasted.

"And you're actually proud of it."

"Of course I am. Hehe."

The two of them drank in the pavilion. Hidden by the night, Yu Hongjin skillfully pulled a set of wine cups from her robes and set them on the table.

She had a complete set on hand, and her movements were those of a practiced veteran.

Yu Hongjin scooped out a small amount and took a sip first. Smacking her lips, she said, "Hehe, good wine."

Then, she switched to a larger cup, tilted her head back, and chugged the wine down.

Seeing her fierce drinking style, Chen Changsheng couldn't help but chuckle as well.

He took a sip and nodded in agreement. "It really is good. Soft on the palate, yet not lacking in body, and the aftertaste is exceptionally mellow."

But Yu Hongjin just waved her hand and said, "Stop talking and just drink."

Matching Yu Hongjin's pace, the two of them downed cup after cup.

Before long, Yu Hongjin was flushed red. Giggling foolishly, she reached for another scoop of wine.

Chen Changsheng asked, "Do you normally sneak out to drink all by yourself?"

Yu Hongjin thought about it and replied, "Not always. Tang Shijing used to come with me, but he went to the border regions a while ago."

"Him..." Chen Changsheng paused for a moment before asking, "What did he go to the border regions for?"

Yu Hongjin said, "I heard Miss Yun say he went to do business there, but who knows? That kid always acts on a whim."

Hearing those words from her mouth felt inexplicably incongruous.

She sighed and added, "But speaking of which, drinking alone really is no fun."

"With how much you love wine, you can still feel like it's no fun?" Chen Changsheng asked.

Yu Hongjin turned to look at him and said, "Of course. Talking to yourself is obviously boring."

Chen Changsheng thought about it and found her logic sound.

He could only conclude that Yu Hongjin had grown up.

"In years past, you probably could have drunk alone from midnight until the sun was high in the sky. Then you would take a long nap, wake up, get beaten, and run right back out to buy more wine that same night."

Yu Hongjin looked at Mister Chen. She pondered for a moment and said, "That's actually true..."

Chen Changsheng started laughing.

Yu Hongjin, however, felt puzzled. She murmured, "Yeah, things really are different now."

She fell into deep thought.

Unable to figure it out no matter how hard she tried, she looked up at Mister Chen and asked, "Why is that, Mister? Logically, it shouldn't be like this."

Chen Changsheng thought about it and said, "Perhaps as a person grows older, they simply are no longer satisfied by the same things."

Yu Hongjin was stunned for a moment before looking up. "What does that mean?"

Chen Changsheng took a sip of wine and explained with a smile, "It's just like the children out on the street. When they are little, a single piece of candied fruit might be enough to keep them happy for an entire day. But after they grow up, even if they buy a ton of it, they won't feel that same happiness. They might not even spare the candied fruit a second glance, nor would they think of it as anything special anymore."

Hearing this, Yu Hongjin sank back into her thoughts.

After a long while, she let out a slow, drawn-out sigh.

She looked exactly like an old man.

"Sigh."

Yu Hongjin stared at the lake water and said, "So it turns out I've just gotten old."

Chen Changsheng laughed at this. He reached out and knocked her lightly on the head. "And here you are, pretending to be an old geezer."

Yu Hongjin chuckled, not minding the bump at all.

"Let's just drink. Drink!"

Right as they were drinking, a figure approached the area. Moving completely silently, the person bypassed all the hidden guards of the Tang estate and arrived directly outside the pavilion.

Yu Hongjin sobered up a bit and said, "Someone's coming."

Chen Changsheng lifted his eyes to look.

He saw the person drop to their knees just outside the pavilion, pressing their face flat against the ground without uttering a single word.

Yu Hongjin stepped out of the pavilion.

She let out a wine-scented hiccup, looked down at the person, and after a few glances, turned back to look at Mister Chen as he walked up behind her.

"Mister, who is this?" Yu Hongjin whispered.

Chen Changsheng gently patted her on the shoulder and said, "Go back for now. I'll come find you for a drink tomorrow."

Yu Hongjin was stunned for a moment, then nodded.

She went back into the pavilion, hugged the wine jar to her chest, and left, though she didn't forget to steal one last glance at the kneeling figure as she walked away.

Only after Yu Hongjin had left did Chen Changsheng speak. "Rise."

The kneeling figure slowly stood up. Beneath the cover of night, his face was revealed. It was somewhat aged and covered entirely in wrinkles, but what drew the most attention were those empty, lifeless eyes.

This was The Blind Man.

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