I became an immortal in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 30 Taoist Priest and Elixir
Jiang She read these suddenly appearing words.

He examined the notebook; the handwriting was lively and beautiful. He had made the booklet himself, using good paper from a bookstore and carefully binding it together, using mulberry bark he had saved up for the cover.

When he returned from the Night Banquet of the Earth Gods at dawn, he did indeed encounter two hunters, and from their conversation, they turned out to be relatives.

It should be Chencun, as described in this book.

There was also a tiger's roar; the fierce tiger spirit, after getting drunk, let out several low howls.

Has it become a spirit?
Jiang She seemed to be deep in thought. He picked up the booklet, flipped through it, and found only this one sentence. He put it back into his pocket.

Fine, I'll continue to take him to see every day.

Opposite him.

Yuan Danqiu carefully opened the newly purchased medicine packet and examined its quality closely.

The cinnabar has a pure color. While top-grade cinnabar is unavailable in local pharmacies in Xiangyang County, medium to high-grade cinnabar is still readily available.

Azurite is a type of mineral with layers of azurite that can turn copper into iron and silver into silver in seven days. The book "Baopuzi" also says, "Taking azurite alone will cause one's gall to burst and die."

That sounds very dangerous.

Yuan Danqiu has already investigated and found that if realgar, orpiment, azurite, alum, magnetite, cinnabar, gold paste, and silver liquid are mixed together, it becomes a divine elixir. This is a formula recorded in a Han Dynasty book. After taking it, one can ascend to heaven in broad daylight and command ghosts and spirits.

Jiang She examined it for a while.

"Are you going to refine pills?"

Yuan Danqiu said, "That's right. A few days ago, Daoist Lian Yue from Qingxu Temple returned from visiting Taihe Mountain in Junzhou and obtained some ancient elixir formulas, which he found quite interesting."

"Try practicing it."

Jiang She glanced at the cinnabar on the table and at Zeng Qing.

These are actually two of the five-colored stones, commonly used in many alchemical formulas. They are highly poisonous when ingested.

He said, "Tell me the prescription and I'll hear it."

There was no point in being so proud of such a divine being. Yuan Danqiu told Jiang She about realgar, orpiment, alum, magnetite, salt, cinnabar, gold paste, silver liquid, and so on.

And said:

"The specific timing for adding each ingredient varies, and the prescription does not specify it, so it will probably take a long time to test."

Jiang She asked, "Golden ointment and silver liquid are probably hard to come by. Have you already found them?"

Yuan Danqiu stroked his beard and said, "I entered the Dao at the age of fifteen and have some family wealth."

Yuan Danqiu was a wealthy man.

It's like Li Bai, Yuan Danqiu, and Meng Haoran, who all cultivated Taoism together on Mount Lumen, but Meng Haoran's family was the poorest. The other two were, respectively, merchants and estate owners.

“Both cinnabar and azurite are poisonous substances. If the dosage and heat are not properly controlled, they may harm the body.”

"Don't worry, Mr. Jiang, I understand."

Yuan Danqiu said, "I'm just refining it to see how it goes; I won't actually consume it myself."

"Taibai did take it, but he told me that his body had too much yang fire and he couldn't sleep well for several nights, so he stopped taking it."

Jiang She nodded, knowing he wouldn't eat by himself, so he didn't ask any more questions.

Recalling the many extraordinary qualities of the man before him, Yuan Danqiu couldn't help but ask, "Young Master Jiang, do you know how to refine medicine?"

"I haven't tried it."

Yuan Danqiu suddenly perked up and invited, "Qingxu Temple is not far from Xiangyang, located on the mountainside nearby. The day after tomorrow is the first day of the month, a time of harmony between heaven and earth. We will be holding a Dharma assembly and opening an altar for worship. It will be quite lively."

"Would you like to come with me to take a look?"

Qingxu Temple was considered a large temple in Xiangyang, with nearly a hundred Taoist priests and young disciples.

Jiang She had heard about it after arriving in Xiangyang, but had not yet paid a visit.

"Alright."

"Then I will arrange to meet with Mr. Jiang the day after tomorrow."

Upon receiving the reply, Yuan Danqiu felt a strange sense of satisfaction. That fellow Taibai always talked about mysterious and profound things in front of him and Master Meng, which made people's hearts flutter with longing.

Now it's his turn to speak to others.

Alas.

Thinking of Li Bai, Yuan Danqiu still asked with concern, "Where did Jiang Langjun go yesterday? Why hasn't Li Bai woken up yet? Even if he was drinking, that would still be..."

I was invited to a banquet at night.

Jiang She recalled Li Bai's wild singing and drinking last night and estimated the extent of his three-day intoxication.

"He'll probably sleep for three to five days."

Yuan Danqiu recalled the peculiar aroma of the wine he had just smelled—sweet and refreshing, with a hint of floral and woody fragrance. His mouth watered, and he swallowed hard.

……

……

May is considered an unlucky month, a time when poisonous insects breed and many taboos are observed. Therefore, from the first day of May to the Dragon Boat Festival on the fifth day, exorcising evil spirits and warding off disasters is of utmost importance. The emperor issued an edict that Taoist temples throughout the land hold religious ceremonies, and many monks and Taoist priests began a month-long fast, abstaining from meat and fish, praying for a peaceful summer.

The countryside has become lively as people gather to pick mugwort and calamus, and also go hiking and sightseeing.

Herb gatherers have also started selling mugwort on the streets, going from street to street and calling out their wares.

"Fresh mugwort—mugwort for warding off evil spirits—"

"The nine-jointed calamus by the Han River has roots as delicate as dragon whiskers and as fragrant as an inch of incense—madam, would you like to buy some calamus? You can soak it in wine to ward off plague at home, and it will also prevent sores from developing in your child."

"I bought it today, and it will be just in time to have a drink during the Dragon Boat Festival."

As he spoke, his hands never stopped; he used straw rope to tie the hemp into a bundle and put it in the carrying pole.

He called out, "Three coins for a bunch, five coins for two bunches. Oh, May is a wicked month, full of poisonous air—"

"Boil mugwort soup, bathe in orchid fragrance, buy it while you can!"

The herb gatherers had loud voices. They might be illiterate, or even unable to write their own names. When faced with an urgent matter, they would simply press their handprint.

But having spent years hawking herbal medicines on the streets, her calls were extremely clear and articulate.

Jiang She walked through the market.

It was the hour of Chen (7-9 AM), and the streets were crowded with people, as if the entire city of Xiangyang had come out. A child was held on his parents' shoulders, clutching a candy tightly in one hand, tilting his head curiously to look around.

The Taoist temple that Yuan Danqiu mentioned is only a dozen miles away from here, which was indeed a very close distance in ancient times.

The mountains were difficult to cross, and the Han River was difficult to ford. What seemed like a few miles to people at that time would take only an hour or two to walk.

To witness such a spectacle, to bring your family along to see this rare sight, to make a sachet out of scraps of cloth, and to witness the dragon boat races firsthand—it's all worth the journey of ten miles or so.

Jiang She gradually got used to it.

He can appear in front of the temple gate in the next moment, whenever he wants.

But only the path you walk step by step is the scenery you see.

He has plenty of time to take his time and see things properly. Why rush through the journey using magic and miss the beauty of the scenery?

Otherwise, you probably wouldn't hear this shout.

He, Yuan Danqiu, and Meng Haoran were walking on the road.

Yuan Danqiu was dressed in a Taoist robe, which looked quite unusual to people. As he passed by, many people secretly watched the spectacle.

Yuan Danqiu was already used to it. He looked around and said, "Let's go this way first. There's a market today, it's very lively."

Meng Haoran stood to the side.

"What kind of wine did Li Bai drink? It was so potent. Long ago, during the Jin Dynasty, Du Kang brewed wine, and Liu Ling drank it and was drunk for three years. Could it be this wine?"

Jiang She laughed.

"This wine is called Three Days Drunk. If one were to be drunk for three years, it should be called Thousand Days Drunk."

“I think it’s not a bad idea,” Yuan Danqiu said casually.

After traveling for a while, an hour and a half later, the group appeared in front of Qingxu Temple.

A Taoist priest wearing a short-sleeved robe stood at the entrance, counting the tolls of the bell under the tree.

Hearing footsteps and laughter, they assumed it was tourists arriving. The Taoist remained standing under the tree, slowly gazing at the floating clouds in the sky, silently counting the tolling of the ethereal and solemn bell, neither hurried nor slow.

Suddenly, a voice called out.

"Master Lian Yue?"

"How long have you been waiting?"

Lian Yue turned his head and saw Yuan Danqiu and the other two. Yuan Danqiu was standing on the right, Meng Haoran on the left was familiar to him, but there was a stranger in the middle.

After walking for so long along the mountain path, Yuan Danqiu and Meng Haoran's shoes were covered in dust and mud.

The man's clothes were very clean, without a speck of dust on them.

Master Lian Yue withdrew his gaze, moved his legs slightly, and slowly walked over, smiling: "Not long."

He said, "Please follow me, sir. May I ask who this gentleman is...?"

Yuan Danqiu was exhausted from walking for so long, but he was in high spirits and felt refreshed, showing no signs of fatigue. He was led by Daoist Lian Yue, and the group entered the temple together.

“Young Master Jiang, this is Daoist Lian Yue.”

Yuan Danqiu then turned to the side to introduce Jiang She.

The tone should be respectful.

"This is Mr. Jiang, the expert I told you about last time."

Master Lian Yue's eyes widened slightly.

He was speechless for a moment.

　I received a lot of monthly tickets and recommendation tickets, thank you everyone!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)