I became an immortal in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 32 There are gods three feet above your head.

Just as the talisman for the new moon was being issued, a Taoist priest suddenly hurried over from a distance, supporting an elderly Taoist master. The old Taoist master seemed more anxious.

A middle-aged Taoist priest was calling out in a low voice from behind.

"Uncle-Master, slow down, slow down..."

The young Taoist priest muttered behind him, "Didn't they say the abbot had bad legs?"

Despite his grumbling, he hurriedly followed behind. When they encountered long steps, the young Taoist priest held onto the old abbot's arm, carefully preventing him from tripping on the steps.

The old abbot walked all the way to the temple gate, looked around a few times, then walked east and stopped at a fortune-telling stall at the gate.

The young Taoist priest and the middle-aged Taoist master were truly baffled by the old abbot's meaning. Could it be that this establishment was morally corrupt, constantly swindling money from worshippers and lay Buddhists, and was being shut down?

But this stall has been there for over ten years. Why are they leaving in such a hurry? Could it be that they're just looking for trouble with this stall...?

"Uncle-Master?" "Abbot?"

The two then saw the old abbot greet the person waiting to have their fortune told by folding his hands and performing the Zi-Wu Mudra.

He said, "The mountain lord has arrived."

The man turned around. He looked to be in his thirties, with thick black hair. He was much taller than average, and you had to look up to see his face. His arms were extremely long, making him look almost like an ape.

The man nodded and said, "Master."

The old abbot respectfully asked, "When did the mountain lord arrive?"

"Not long."

The man hurriedly stuffed the fortune slip into his pocket from the vendor's hand, threw down a gold nugget that looked like it had been forcefully broken off, and said, "Give me a pick of the sachets you're selling... Fine, give me one of each."

Then I saw the old abbot still standing in front of me.

He waved his hand and said, "No need for such formalities, Abbot. I just sensed something unusual and came to take a look."

As he spoke, he walked past several Taoist priests, ignoring the fortune-telling stall owners who didn't quite understand, and headed straight into the temple, striding quickly as if in a hurry.

The two Taoist priests overheard the conversation.

The middle-aged Taoist priest was stunned when he heard the term "mountain lord." He also noticed that the man's demeanor was extremely unruly, showing no regard for Qingxu Temple. Their temple lord was now eighty-two years old, and the villagers at the foot of the mountain still regarded him as an old immortal. Even the county magistrate and the governor of Xiangzhou treated the temple lord with great respect.

It's very strange... I don't dare to think about it too much.

A young Taoist priest nearby, filled with curiosity, whispered, "Master, who is that?"

The old abbot wasn't in such a hurry on his way back. He had rushed over and felt some pain in his legs, so he simply stood there and rested.

The abbot, having caught his breath, then spoke.

"On which mountain is my Qingxu Temple located?"

"Black Stone Mountain".

"Of course."

Before the young Taoist could react and was still in a daze, he heard his senior, the middle-aged Taoist priest, ask, "Who is the master of Black Stone Ridge Mountain?"

The old abbot stroked his beard and remained silent.

The two younger Taoist priests then learned of this.

The young Taoist priest asked, "What brings the mountain lord to our Qingxu Temple? He just said he sensed something extraordinary. Could it be that a patriarch of the Buddhist sect has bestowed his power?"

Even the old abbot couldn't say for sure.

He was old, and he had heard from the older generation about the background of the current mountain lord, who was quite accomplished, so he was even more cautious.

That's why we rushed over in such a hurry.

He said, "The mountain lord has entered the temple, and what he seeks must be in the temple itself; one look will tell."

The young Taoist muttered to himself, saying very quietly, "I've heard that many of the lords of these mountains, rivers, and lakes are originally strange beasts or spirits. I wonder what this one from Black Stone Mountain is... he looks somewhat like one..."

The old Taoist priest struck him hard with his cane.

"Be careful!"

There was a pause.

They also said, "There are gods watching over us..."

The young Taoist priest shuddered, suddenly feeling a chill of fear. The mountain lord was still in the temple, and he had been so recklessly speculating about the man's background. Luckily, he hadn't finished speaking, or it would have been too offensive and offensive.

The fortune teller, who had overheard a few words, was confused and couldn't help but ask.

"Taoist priest, what is this 'mountain owner' you're talking about? Does this mountain belong to someone else?"

The old abbot smiled and told the stall owner to judge for himself. He asked kindly, "What fortune stick did that person just draw?"

"I don't remember, but I do remember it was a very auspicious sign, and that mountain lord was overjoyed. No wonder they're a wealthy family, they're so generous!"

The stall owner happily picked up the small gold nugget, looked it over, wiped it with his sleeve, and took a bite out of it.

Ah, it's soft.

It's real gold.

The earth spirit mountain demon transformed into human form and walked through the crowd of pilgrims. It saw the person standing in an inconspicuous place, listening to the scholar's conversation and watching the Taoist boy distribute talismans.

"Master Xian...!"

Jiang She looked up. "The Mountain Lord has arrived."

The Earthly Deity Mountain Demon bowed and said, "Sensing your presence, sir, I... have come to pay my respects." "You are too kind, Mountain Lord."

The local deity was pleased to see that the immortal had no intention of driving him away; the auspicious divination slip had been right. Hadn't his destiny with the immortal come true?
The two walked a little further away. The Earthly Demon Mountain Spirit said respectfully, "I am familiar with this mountain. I have watched these Taoists of Qingxu Temple grow up and grow old."

"After I finish distributing the talismans, shall I take a walk with you, sir?"

Jiang She agreed, and the local deity said, "This Qingxu Temple has some merit. The current abbot also has some connection with the Deer God. If it weren't for the mountain god, he probably would have died young at the age of four or five!"

"Oh?"

The Earth God Mountain Demon recalled.

"That abbot has some talent for learning Taoism. He opened his third eye at birth. You can imagine, when the child was young, he was ignorant and thought that there were all kinds of gods, ghosts and monsters in the world. He even talked to the ghost in the house, which frightened the wet nurse quite a bit."

"After he learned to speak, his family felt that there was something special about him. When they saw that the rituals to exorcise the evil spirits were useless, they were even more afraid. Just then, another baby was born into the family, so they didn't care much about the older one."

"When I was four or five years old, I realized that it was abnormal to be able to see ghosts. As I began to understand the world, I developed a sense of fear."

"Since we started reading and learning to read, the world has been turned upside down."

"It was the Deer Mountain God who heard about this and felt sorry for the child. He sealed the child's eyes and sent him to a temple to grow up. It has been almost eighty years since then."

The earth spirits sighed.

"He's about to die too."

Qingxu Temple is a thriving place of worship, with nearly a hundred Taoist priests and young disciples, a truly prosperous community. It's clear the abbot is a capable leader. Inside the temple stands a robust old ginkgo tree, at least a hundred years old, its lush green leaves providing ample shade.

Jiang She seemed to see a very young child, witnessing his birth, his rejection by his parents, and his growth in the Taoist temple.

Now I hear that he is old and nearing death.

"When a person is first born, he is fearless."

Jiang She lamented, “As I get older, the more I understand the ways of the world, the more terrifying I become. Things that I used to take for granted as idle talk have gradually become things that I worry about and fear.”

"In fact, this also applies to those who cultivate themselves, as well as spirits and deities."

"A rare transcendence."

"Therefore, the skillful labor, the wise worry, and the incompetent have no desires. They eat their fill and roam freely, drifting like an unmoored boat. What people seek in life is not the profundity of the Tao or the methods, but the freedom and the naturalness."

The Earth Spirit Mountain Demon savored these words.

"Humans have worries and fears, and so do ghosts and spirits."

"The mountain lord has obtained it."

The earth spirit gazed at the immortals bathed in sunlight, almost blending into the world, standing carefree under the eaves.

I couldn't help but think.

In this way, one can calmly chat and laugh, playing the game of life. That is true freedom and ease.

While they were talking, the young Taoist had already walked over here, and the talismans in the small bamboo basket were gradually decreasing; they were about to be distributed over here.

Jiang She accepted a talisman.

This is a New Moon Talisman, used to ward off evil spirits, pray for blessings and longevity, and protect the home and calm the spirits. The New Moon is the first day of each month, a time of harmony between heaven and earth, when spirits record people's good and evil deeds. Taoist priests should fast and meditate on this day.

Jiang She examined the talisman.

The paintings made by the Taoist priests in the temple with cinnabar are sufficient to keep away any troublesome evil spirits or demons with low cultivation and unawakened intelligence. They are effective enough for exorcising evil.

Not far away, the scholars were still discussing with great interest the spirits and demons on the mountain.

A look of longing appeared on his face. He wished he could be the one who had witnessed the feast of immortals, and he wished he could be the one who had slain demons and chatted with ease that night.

As the story was passed around, many deviations were made, and many people added their own half-true and half-false interpretations, making the story even more widely known.

Dai Xiu thought to himself:
"I wonder what that fox spirit on the mountain looks like, whether her waist is thin or not. She eats people's hearts and livers, what a wicked woman."

The scholar surnamed Wang laughed heartily and said, "I've heard that there's more than one tiger in the mountains. It's strange, though. If the tiger is really dead, how could it still roar?"

"There were definitely more than just these two demons at that gathering that night."

"This harmful thing should be eliminated as soon as possible!"

As they were talking animatedly, Wang Zishen casually stuffed the talisman given to him by the Taoist boy into his sleeve. It fell to the ground, but he didn't care and didn't bend down to pick it up.

……

……

Jiang She heard this and looked at the Earth Deity beside him, who was originally a mountain demon.

The Earth Deity naturally heard these words as well.

Looking at the scholars, he squinted and scrutinized their appearance. They were scholars dressed in long robes, and they also had a certain scholarly air about them. As they spoke more and more, he noticed that faint black aura began to appear on their foreheads.

To these mortals, the Earth Deity said indifferently:
"Words can be dangerous; they'll understand this sooner or later."

As the two were talking, they saw a commotion ahead. The old abbot was being helped over and walked to the two of them. He was very old and, upon seeing the local deity, he raised his hands in greeting.

He then looked at Jiang She, unsure of who was standing next to the mountain lord.

"Who is this……"

　One more update in three minutes.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)