Immortal Travel of Longevity

Chapter 535: How Old Must Sister Yun Be Now?

Many people came to the Dragon King Temple to offer incense.Without exception, they all prayed for good weather and harvests. Occasionally, they’d add smaller wishes, mostly for peace and safety.

The people here held a unique reverence for the temple. Even children learned from what they saw and heard that the Dragon King inside this temple only cared about bringing good weather and harvests.

Ruyi knelt on a round cushion and kowtowed. She stuck her incense and candles into the huge bronze cauldron. Inside countless sticks of incense were already burning.

Curling fumes of incense drifted out from under the temple’s roof tiles, carrying the offerings and people’s faith with them.

Ruyi made three bows. Then she turned to Mr. Chen beside her and asked, “Aren’t you going to pray, Uncle Chen?”

Chen Changsheng turned back and shook his head. “For me, a sincere heart is enough. Offering incense and kowtowing isn’t necessary.”

“Uncle Chen doesn’t believe in this?”

“That’s not it.”

Chen Changsheng said, “It’s just that I cannot bow.”

Ruyi didn’t really understand, so she didn’t ask further.

She then looked at the Tabby Cat beside her and said, “Why don’t you pray, Lihua? Dragon King Grandpa will bless you.”

Lihua shook her head. “Lihua doesn’t want to pray. Lihua is a monster too. Monsters praying to monsters doesn’t work.”

Ruyi said, “Isn’t Dragon King Grandpa an Immortal?”

Lihua didn’t know how to explain and looked at Chen Changsheng.

Chen Changsheng explained, “The Deity in the temple can also be a demon. Dragon Lord is a True Dragon, one who protects the weather and harvests, essentially a Water Deity. But essentially, he is also a Monster.”

“Oh, is that how it is…”

Ruyi blinked after hearing this and asked, “So Uncle Chen, have you ever seen a True Dragon? Or, have you seen the Dragon Lord?”

Chen Changsheng laughed. “Not only have I seen him, I know him.”

“Well now.”

Ruyi said, “Uncle Chen, you’re not just talking big, are you?”

Chen Changsheng smiled warmly and looked at the statue of the Dragon Lord. “I’ve known him for some years. Last time, he even invited me over for drinks.”

“Ruyi doesn’t believe that.”

This time, Ruyi absolutely refused to believe it.

She felt that there simply weren’t any True Dragons in the world; they were just things people talked about. How could they actually exist?

Otherwise, with so many people in the world, how come no one had actually seen one?

Chen Changsheng didn’t explain further, just gazed quietly at the deity statue.

Clearly, the Dragon Lord hadn’t come.

Back then, he had only stopped by during the temple fair because he was passing through. Now, the incense offering matters seemed entirely handled by the Dragon Princess. As for himself, he seemed busy with who-knows-what.

Ruyi stood up from the cushion. “Uncle Chen.”

“Hmm?”

“Does offering incense and praying actually work?”

Chen Changsheng thought for a moment. “If there isn’t anything else getting in the way, it should work.”

“Other things?”

“Mm,” Chen Changsheng nodded. “Because whether it rains or not isn’t completely up to your Dragon King Grandpa.”

Ruyi asked, “Is it decided by the heavens, then?”

Chen Changsheng pondered and answered, “That’s not necessarily true either. Once, a Cultivator was bold enough to challenge the heavens by his own will. He caused one prefecture to suffer months without even a drop of rain.”

Ruyi murmured in a daze, “Cultivators… are really that powerful…”

She paused for a second, then suddenly realized something. “Wait… Uncle Chen, you wouldn’t be talking about Qingshan City, would you?”

Chen Changsheng chuckled. “Let’s go.”

With that, he started walking towards the temple exit.

Ruyi hurried after him for a couple of steps, remembered Lihua, turned back, and scooped the cat up.

“Was it Qingshan City, Uncle Chen?”

“Was that big drought really not just an accident?”

“Uncle Chen?”

No matter how much Ruyi asked, Chen Changsheng refused to say another word about it.

The sky was getting darker. The temple fair was about to wind down.

People were already starting to close up their stalls, one after another.

Perched on Ruyi’s shoulder, the Tabby Cat looked around. She felt it wasn’t as lively as before.

But turning her head, something else caught her attention.

She sniffed the air, looking in a certain direction.

Seeing Lihua acting strangely, Ruyi asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Dried Fish,” Lihua answered.

Hearing this, Chen Changsheng paused slightly. Looking around, he indeed spotted a little girl in red clothes at a stall that was being packed up.

The only thing that could attract Lihua like this was probably Yu Hongjin.

Ruyi saw her too and remembered. “Isn’t that Hong Jin? Uncle Chen, you remember her, right? She’s Sister Yun’s little sister at home.”

She paused. Come to think of it, she had rarely seen Yu Hongjin since taking over the Embroidery Workshop.

Though they bumped into each other occasionally.

A question had always lingered in her mind.

Why hadn’t Yu Hongjin grown at all over so many years? She still looked like a little kid.

Previously, Ruyi thought Yu Hongjin might have dwarfism. But after seeing some things with Uncle Chen these past couple of days, she began to feel something wasn’t quite right.

Maybe it wasn’t dwarfism at all.

Seeing it was Yu Hongjin, Lihua immediately lost interest. She sighed, “Can’t eat…”

Ruyi blinked, confused. “What?”

“It’s Good Human Chen’s friend. Lihua can’t eat it.”

“Eat?”

Ruyi was stunned. “Eat what?”

She followed Lihua’s gaze and saw it fixed directly on Yu Hongjin.

“Eat… eat Hong Jin?!” Ruyi gasped in shock.

Lihua nodded. “She looks probably tasty.”

Ruyi’s lips parted slightly. She came to her senses and looked at Uncle Chen. “Uncle Chen, Hong Jin, she…”

Chen Changsheng confirmed. “She’s a Red Fish’s Transformation into human form. Also a Monster.”

Ruyi was surprisingly calm this time.

It only took her a moment to absorb it.

“So that’s why…”

She had always wondered how someone could remain exactly the same, not growing an inch for ten plus years.

No wonder Lihua wanted to eat Hong Jin.

“What about Sister Yun?” Ruyi asked.

“Miss Yun is human.”

“When I was little, I heard that Uncle Chen knew Sister Yun a very long time ago.”

Chen Changsheng paused; he wasn’t quite sure why Ruyi suddenly brought this up. He answered, “We did meet quite early. Back when I was traveling years ago, I stayed at Tang Manor for a few days. That’s how we met.”

This was something Ruyi had wanted to ask about for a while. She took the opportunity to probe further.

“I heard Sister Yun say she came from Yan County. It’s very far from Qingshan City. Isn’t it strange? Uncle Chen came one year, Sister Yun arrived some years later, and she happened to move right across the street…”

Ruyi watched Uncle Chen, looking like she wanted to glean something from his expression.

Chen Changsheng reached out and rapped her on the head.

“Ouch…”

Ruyi rubbed her head. “Why’d you hit me, Uncle Chen?”

Chen Changsheng said calmly, “Do you think I don’t know what’s on your mind? Grown-up affairs are none of a child’s business.”

“Uncle Chen isn’t being fair!”

“Not true.”

“It is!”

Ruyi pouted and gave a light, dissatisfied hum.

Then she pressed on, “When exactly did you meet Sister Yun, Uncle Chen? Surely I can ask that?”

Chen Changsheng thought about it. “A long time ago. We met even before Great Jing still existed.”

“How old was Sister Yun then?”

“Hmm…”

Chen Changsheng went silent for a few moments. “Sixteen or seventeen. Just a young girl.”

Ruyi froze upon hearing this.

She looked away and murmured softly.

“Is that so…”

How old must Sister Yun be now…