I became an immortal in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 1 Looking for Immortals
The torrential rain made the trees on the mountain even greener, and the rain curtain made Lumen Mountain look even more ethereal.

This is the place where Pang Degong lived in seclusion during the Han Dynasty. He gathered medicinal herbs with his wife and children in Lumen Mountain.

He never returned.

Because of the reclusive sages, it attracted many scholars and literati. Over the centuries, it has acquired an extra touch of spiritual charm compared to other places in Xiangzhou.

Rainwater fell through the gaps in the leaves of the trees in the mountains onto people, but it did not wet their clothes.

Jiang She stood on the mountain path, gazing at the verdant mountains. The rain was heavy, forming a layer of rain clouds on the mountainside. The misty white rain curtain merged with the sky, making it impossible to distinguish between heaven and earth.

This is the tenth year since Jiang She transmigrated here.

Is it true?
Is it a dream?
Amidst the verdant mountains and rain-drenched landscape, a sense of loneliness arises spontaneously.

Hearing heavy footsteps behind him, Jiang She seemed to have sensed it beforehand and stepped aside to let the porters on their way pass.

The other person was carrying a heavy bamboo basket on their back, wearing a straw hat, and it was raining continuously.

The porter walked ahead, and Meng Yu called out:
"It's raining so hard, sir, would you like to come with us to take shelter? There's a temple up ahead. If you keep getting soaked, you'll catch a cold!"

Jiang She looked at his back, which was bent deeply by the herbs.

He said, "That's fine too."

The porter wiped the rain off his face and walked one after the other with the young man.

"Is the young master going up the mountain to find Master Pang?"

Jiang She smiled and said, "Yes, how did you know?"

“People come looking for us every now and then. I heard that Master Pang has been dead for many years. Young man, what are you all looking for?” the porter asked curiously.

"I'm not quite sure what they're looking for."

Jiang She said, "I'm just curious whether the story of Pang Gong meeting an immortal, as told in ancient books, is true. You're a local, have you ever heard of it?"

"How would we know anything about the gods?"

The porter, carrying a heavy basket on his back, was a little weak from walking too long on the mountain path in the rain. "We only know that there are a lot of herbs on this mountain that can be sold for money."

Jiang She saw it.

"Let me hold the umbrella for you."

He slightly raised his hand from his sleeve and saw that the marks on the porter's back, where the hemp rope had been pressed tightly, had loosened a bit.

Jiang She reached out and took the umbrella.

"You have an umbrella, why don't you use it yourself?" the porter asked curiously. He had noticed Jiang She walking in the rain without any rain gear, so he came to talk to him. The porter chuckled and said, "With you helping to shield me from the rain, I feel much lighter."

Jiang She asked with a smile:

"Is this Polygonatum sibiricum?"

The porter walked ahead, saying, "It's Solomon's seal. The rain was too heavy, so we only found one piece. Luckily, we also picked some honeysuckle, which we can sell. It'll get hot when the sun comes out, and the pharmacies are charging high prices for honeysuckle, saying it's for making tea to relieve the summer heat."

As he was speaking, he suddenly felt something was off.

Just how big is this young man's umbrella? The two walked one after the other, and he only slightly opened the umbrella to shield himself from the rain, yet it seemed as if no raindrops were falling on him.

Jiang She praised, "What a clever idea! Even if we don't find any Solomon's Seal, we can still sell honeysuckle and make some money for the family."

It was just a way for country folk to earn some extra money. The porter was quite pleased with what he said and went on to explain more, inevitably talking about where other herbs in the mountains were, what kind of money they could be exchanged for at the shops down the mountain, and how the shop assistants at those pharmacies were so unscrupulous... When they reached the temple, the porter suddenly realized he had said too much and felt a little regretful.

I shouldn't have talked about so many ways to make money.

He could only console himself that this young man looked noble and refined, and probably wouldn't take away his work in the mountains.

"We're here. Hey... there are still some people over there. Let's borrow some firewood from them."

Jiang She nodded, noticing the porter's slight regret, but pretending not to notice, he went along with it, found a place to sit down, put down his own bundle, and brushed the rainwater off the porter's basket.

A gentle touch from my hand wiped away not only the rainwater from the basket but also from the herbs inside. The damp honeysuckle stood upright, looking as fresh as if it had just been picked. This way, the pharmacy would charge a much higher price when weighing it.

Inside the temple, there was another group of people who had already lit a fire and were accompanied by servants. They were dressed in rich clothes, and three of them were laughing and drinking.

One was dressed in a Taoist robe and appeared to be quite old; another was dressed in white and looked to be in his twenties; and the third was dressed in indigo and appeared more composed, looking to be in his thirties.

The three spoke softly, but Jiang She could hear them clearly.

"Taibai, this man wants to borrow a fire. Let's share some firewood with him."

The man in the Taoist robe nudged the man in white next to him, who had no choice but to put down his wine cup and pick up a small basket of firewood from the side.

Is this enough?

"That's enough, that's enough." The porter felt a little intimidated as he spoke to these wealthy people.

"It's raining so hard, what brings your family here?" the man called "Taibai" asked casually.

“That’s not my master’s house. We were traveling together. That young man was just holding an umbrella for me. He was on his way to find out if the story of Master Pang’s encounter with the immortal was true.”

Upon hearing this, "Taibai" perked up and exchanged glances with the other two.

"Are you also going to seek immortality?"

Judging from this... the porter asked, "Are you gentlemen here too?"

"What a coincidence."

The man in white looked at Jiang She, who was sitting there. He couldn't see anything from a distance, so he reached out and nudged the Taoist priest, asking him to hand over the wine pot. He then walked over with the cups, plates, and snacks to go with the wine.

"My name is Li Bai, courtesy name Taibai, from Longxi. Are you also going to seek immortality?"

Jiang She looked up. The rain was pouring down, and behind him, the mountains were a deep, lush green. Sunlight streamed through the eaves, illuminating the mountain temple. There, he saw two people standing before him. One was a servant carrying wine and dishes, and the other was a spirited young man dressed in white, with a long face, long eyebrows that reached his temples, and bright, intelligent eyes.

So this is Li Bai.

Ten years after arriving in the Tang Dynasty, Jiang She met this poet, who would become famous thousands of years later, for the first time.

At this time, Li Bai was about twenty years old, young and impetuous, and had not yet been summoned by Emperor Xuanzong, nor had he participated in the rebellion.

While traveling with friends in search of immortals and the Dao, one rainy day, they sought shelter in a mountain temple.

He was encountered by Jiang She, who was also visiting a famous mountain and wanted to confirm the traces of immortals from the Jin Dynasty.

It turns out that he was already in history, having become an ancient person.

While feeling regretful, Jiang She stood up and smiled slightly.

"I'm going to seek immortals. I heard that Master Pang encountered immortals on Mount Lumen, so I wanted to see if it was true. The rain is too heavy, so I apologize for disturbing you."

"My name is Jiang She. Since you've brought wine, may I have a drink with you?"

"It's impossible."

Li Bai laughed and said, "We have also come in search of immortality. The Taoist priest drinking is Yuan Danqiu, who has received the Shangqing Dharma Certificate, and the other is Meng Haoran. They are both my friends."

"Since we share the same interests, why don't we drink together?"

Li Bai invited Jiang She and the porters to come and warm themselves by the fire and drink wine together.

He sized up the young man before him, who sat leisurely in the dilapidated temple, his expression calm and his demeanor extraordinary, unlike any ordinary person. The five sat together, and Li Bai frowned, finally noticing something amiss.

"It's raining so hard outside, how come your clothes aren't wet at all?"

　This story begins in April of 725 AD. It takes place during the Tang Dynasty, without altering the overall historical trajectory. It depicts folklore, demons and ghosts, everyday life, and tales of cultivation, and features some of my favorite Tang Dynasty figures: poets, painters, noble families, imperial concubines, powerful ministers…

　　The overall style leans towards everyday life, allowing you to experience life in the Tang Dynasty. Some of the inspiration comes from "Youyang Zazu" and "Xuanguai Lu".

　　Writing a book is hard work, please add it to your favorites, leave a comment, and keep reading! _(:_」∠)_
　　
　
(End of this chapter)