I became an immortal in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 14 Awakening from a Dream
"Haochong" means rat. After Jiang She said that, Li Bai realized that these people in the dream really couldn't see him, and he suddenly became a little mischievous.

He picked up a jade chopstick from the table, dipped it in sauce, and used it to write words on Yuan Danqiu's face.

"The lady's spirit is pure, but her mind is disturbed..."

The ink had faded, so I added some more to the sauce dish.

Yuan Danqiu's face was inexplicably itchy. He scratched it, but the itch persisted, and his brows furrowed tightly. For some reason, he subconsciously looked at the Right Prime Minister not far away. His gaze fell upon the luxurious embroidery on the Prime Minister's robe, and he suddenly realized what was happening, snapping back to reality.

Strange, why is he looking at that Right Chancellor?

The Right Chancellor also looked over.

Yuan Danqiu poured wine, raised the wine cup, paused briefly in mid-air, and apologized for his earlier disrespect.

Li Bai was also taken aback, looking at the crooked characters on Yuan Danqiu's face.

The group of friends had become close companions long ago while they were on their pilgrimage. Li Bai was particularly close to Yuan Danqiu and also befriended Meng Haoran. The three of them lived together in Xiangyang, lodging at the foot of Mount Lumen. They would often go up the mountain to gather herbs, compose poems, and return home, living a carefree and leisurely life.

"Were they even slightly aware of what was happening in their dream?"

The Old Deer Mountain God also raised his wine cup.

He sized up the official who had just realized what was happening.

He is the mountain god, so he naturally knows where they are now, and he is protecting those dreamers outside.

Because I have some understanding of it.

That made me even more alarmed.

The mountain god said, "This is what makes you so remarkable, sir."

The old deer god dipped his hand in wine and drew a water mark on the table. Watching the wine gradually disappear, he found himself unable to utter the next words.

Jiang She said, "Just some minor tricks, nothing to mention."

As the wine dried up, it seemed as if several more days had passed in their dream. Time flew by, and the auspicious day for Lu Sheng's wedding had arrived.

Lu Dashang married the princess.

His glory and splendor increased daily; his carriages and robes swayed as he went out, and his banquets and entourages were second only to those of a king.

Several years passed in the blink of an eye. The man from the dream had risen to the position of governor and prefect of a region. He recommended the people who had been with him on the terrace that night to become officials. Yuan Danqiu thus became the Minister of Agriculture, spending his days encouraging farmers and sericulture, his head spinning from endless abacus calculations.

"If I had known this would happen, why would I have become such a worthless official?"

"I wish I could abandon my official post and wander the world..."

As Lu Sheng's status grew increasingly noble, he was frequently promoted and granted fiefdoms. He and his wife had five sons and two daughters. Their sons all received official positions through hereditary privilege, and their daughters married into royal families. Over time, they became as noble as kings and marquises in the ancient Huai Kingdom.

Twenty years later, a neighboring country invaded, and its army besieged the city.

Even the Minister of Agriculture had to allocate grain and supplies to defend the isolated city. Yuan Danqiu, on the city wall, was killed by a hail of arrows.

The fellow villagers who were serving as officials at the time were terrified. One night, they secretly left through the gate with their belongings, but were discovered by the enemy. One of them was stabbed through and died in front of the enemy.

Lu Sheng personally oversaw the suppression of the rebellion and achieved great merit, which alarmed all the officials in the court. As a result, impeachment memorials poured in like snowflakes in winter, and he was repeatedly demoted, with his fiefdoms and titles all being revoked by the court.

For Lu Sheng, it was five years of hardship.

But in the eyes of Jiang She and his two companions, it was just a morning.

The former glory and favor have vanished like smoke.

The king, filled with fear and disgust, summoned him to the palace, but in reality, there was another ambush.

Jiang She and his companions remained in this dream for seven days.

This was Li Bai's first time meeting the king of the Ancient Locust Kingdom. Seeing the king's gentle and approachable demeanor, he put aside the complex emotions of witnessing Yuan Danqiu's death before his eyes and asked in surprise, "Isn't that the little medicine boy beside Doctor Luo?"

"He's actually the emperor?"

Where is Doctor Luo?

"Seven days ago, the one selling fortunes in front of the Taoist temple was him."

Li Bai pondered this in his heart: "Those three swindlers became Taoist priests, while Luo Langzhong, a descendant of the Immortal Sun, became a江湖人 (jianghu person, a person who wanders the martial arts world)."

"The fate of life and death."

"The change from honor to disgrace".

"Is it really just a matter of a single thought?"

Jiang She did not answer.

The old deer mountain god, however, remained silent, pondering the mystery within, and thus did not answer Li Bai's question.

And then Li Bai went to see it again.

All that could be seen was Lu Sheng's corpse. A horse dragged a coffin, swaying and staggering as it drove back to its hometown. The wheels rolled over the yellow earth, leaving the prefecture where Lu Sheng had served as governor. It drove through the city gate where Yuan Danqiu had been pierced and killed by arrows.

We drove out of the ancient country of locust trees.

Suddenly it opened.

Sunlight pierced through the clouds, shining brightly on the group. First, they heard birdsong and insect chirps, and then, as they looked up, the surrounding objects suddenly appeared larger. It was the familiar courtyard wall again.

Green tiles and white walls, moss creeping up the steps.

It gives one a feeling of being in another world.

Bathed in the warm sunlight, everyone felt a sudden urge to shed tears, for reasons unknown.

Li Bai remained stunned for a long time, then subconsciously sneezed.

Just realized.

As time has passed, my clothes have become covered in dust.

He shook off the dust and saw in the light that the dust was floating in the air, and under the locust tree, there was still the basket that he and Jiang Langjun had left behind. The gifts from the Old Deer Mountain God were extraordinary; the bamboo shoots and wild berries were still edible.

The fish was already dead.

Its gills were exposed and its scales were withered; its mouth was dry and gaping open—it was completely dead.

Jiang She looked slightly taken aback.

He sighed and apologized to the old mountain god, saying, "I forgot about the fish and have failed to appreciate the mountain god's good intentions."

The old deer mountain god, who had just witnessed the dream, was filled with astonishment.

"What's the big deal? It's nothing."

"If you like, sir, then let them catch a few more. Whether boiled or roasted, it is all the best."

Jiang She did not refuse.

"Then thank you, Mountain God."

Seven days in the world.

Meanwhile, Meng Haoran, Yuan Danqiu, six guests in the courtyard, three servants, a steward, Lu Sheng, Madam Lu, two medicine boys, and three swindlers, including the fake immortal master and the boy.

A total of nineteen people.

I have lived a lifetime.

At this moment, the nineteen people woke up and, seeing the familiar courtyard before them and hearing the birdsong and insect chirps, they suddenly came to their senses.

First, Luo Langzhong couldn't help but speak up.

"This is……"

"Where is Yunniang? Has she settled in yet?"

“That worshipper hasn’t paid yet, Qingyu, close the door tightly, don’t let him leave…wait, what’s this…”

Lu Sheng was still in shock, his mind reeling from the sudden stabbing. He had just had a dream, a dream so vivid that he remembered the appearance and temperament of every child, and how the king had ordered his execution.

"This is...a dream?"

This feels so real, it's actually a dream?
Forty years have passed in the blink of an eye in my dreams.

He got up from the ground, swayed, and felt a little dizzy.

Yuan Danqiu touched his chest, still feeling the lingering palpitations of a sharp weapon piercing his heart. After a dozen or so breaths, he and Meng Haoran pulled each other to their feet.

My emotions are overwhelming and I cannot express them.

"You are……"

"you also……?"

They then looked at the young man sitting at the table in the courtyard, dressed in a blue robe, with a leisurely expression.

Under the shade of the trees, he washed his teacup and poured himself a cup of tea.

Take a sip.

Jiang She frowned, his tone helpless: "After soaking for a long time, it really does become a bit bitter."

He then looked at the people in the courtyard and saw that some of them had strange looks in their eyes, some were still thinking about it, some were absent-minded, and some were staring at him.

He put down his teacup.

"Gentlemen, it's time to wake up."

(End of this chapter)