I became an immortal in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 40 Erecting a Monument, Immortals and Mortals

After a few moments of silence, no reply was heard.

No servants came out to greet us.

The governor of Xiangzhou repeated the announcement, waited a while longer, but still heard no sound. The noisy and festive welcoming sounds suddenly fell silent. He was glared at by the bailiffs, but then the music and drumming resumed.

He exchanged a glance with the magistrate of Xiangyang County.

Cheng Zhi raised his voice: "I, Cheng, have come to pay my respects. Is the Immortal...Master at home?"

Silence again.

The group stood in front of the courtyard gate for a moment. The neighbors, with their gates slightly ajar, dared not speak upon seeing the imposing presence of these high-ranking officials.

The governor of Xiangzhou glanced at Cheng Zhi again.

Magistrate Cheng braced himself, silently praying to the immortals not to be offended, and pushed open the courtyard gate, intending to take a closer look.

Upon closer inspection, he discovered that the courtyard gate had been locked with a hidden lock, indicating that the owner had already left.

The immortal has vanished without a trace.

It seems we were destined to meet but not to be together.

Magistrate Cheng felt a slight sense of disappointment and whispered to his superior that the Prefect of Xiangzhou looked at the courtyard gate and could see the quiet courtyard inside, with several trees and a table under the trees.

The immortals must usually study here, right?

The governor sighed:

"Immortals and gods are beyond the reach of mortals, and their true forms are rarely seen by ordinary people."

We were not meant to be...

Composing himself, the governor turned around and looked at the group of people following behind him. "Let's go. We'll go to the Immortal Temple first and erect a monument there."

"We must do this well today."

As the group departed in a grand procession, the sounds of gongs and drums faded into the distance.

The neighbors breathed a sigh of relief and then burst into discussion.

"These people are here to see Mr. Jiang!"

"Is Mr. Jiang really a deity?"

"I should have said so earlier. My wife even told me to be more respectful."

"Even high-ranking officials are like this."

"I think officials are not as good as us. We can always see gods."

As the neighbors talked, a smug look appeared on their burly faces. Listening to their conversation, Xu Da felt a surge of satisfaction and pleasure. Just as everyone was about to disperse, Xu Da hesitated, then called out to one of the men in a long robe.

“Master Zhang, someone wrote something for me. Could you take a look at it later and see what it says? I’ll treat you to some wine.”

The neighbor invited Master Zhang to his home and, unusually, offered him a cup of turbid wine.

Take out the red paper that suddenly appeared on the table today.

The scholar in the long robe, who was over fifty, squinted his eyes and said, "Beautiful calligraphy."

I read it again carefully.

"In the thirteenth year of the Kaiyuan era...the year of Yichou, Jiang respectfully presented two catties of salt and vinegar and four catties of dried fish to...the Xu Bojin family to acquire a black cat figurine..."

"After the engagement, dried fish will be plentiful, rats will flee, and there will be warm blankets in winter and shady bamboo mats in summer..."

"Now that you've entered our family, you'll always be a treasured member of our household."

"Both families rejoice, and Heaven and Earth bear witness."

"To prevent future disputes, this contract is hereby established as proof..."

After reading it, Master Zhang saw that the entire piece was written in a graceful and flowing style, completed in one go. Such fine calligraphy made one wish to keep it.

Then I saw the signature below was Jiang She, and Jiang was mentioned again in the previous text, which made me amazed.

Finally, Master Zhang simply watched, suppressing his own longing, and said with a smile, "Did Xu Dalang give away a cat? The master has come to write a betrothal letter."

Xu Bojin had no idea that giving away a cat would warrant a book.

So refined and meticulous.

He looked at the words, and although he couldn't understand them, a smile couldn't help but appear on his face; he was happy to see them. Just as Xu Dalang was about to put the contract away, Master Zhang stopped him.

"Hey! You'll need to leave your handprint for this."

Master Zhang said, "You don't have any red clay at home, I'll go back and get some, and wait here."

After thinking for a moment, he added with great care, "This is a rare and precious opportunity, and the calligraphy is so beautiful. This is a family heirloom."

"Take good care of them."

When Master Zhang returned, Xu Dalang followed his instructions and left a handprint.

Suddenly, a question popped into his head. "Don't contracts usually have one copy for each person? I've signed mine, but Mr. Jiang still doesn't have one?"

Master Zhang had no idea about this.

He shook his head: "I have no idea about matters concerning immortals."

……

……

Outside Xiangyang City.

Jiang She suddenly felt something and took out the document from his sleeve.

Then you can see a fingerprint on it.

He smiled.

The old deer god of Lumen Mountain also saw the kitten curled up in the vine basket, fast asleep, and congratulated him with a smile, saying, "Sir, you have found a fine companion. It will be much more interesting to have a cat by your side on the road."

Yuan Danqiu sat on the carriage shaft, watching the cat, and found it amusing.

With his driving skills and the thick skin he had developed from years of visiting scholars in Yanxia, ​​he managed to plead for the opportunity to go out with Mr. Jiang, so that he wouldn't have to stay at home alone to cultivate Taoism.

The two servants of the household were in the carriage where the luggage was placed.

Hearing the gods' conversation, the two dared not utter a sound, only staring greedily.

Li Bai rode on horseback and traveled along with them.

"This cat has been fed by Mr. Cat for almost a month, and no one else is allowed to touch it."

As the group was talking, they suddenly heard a burst of gongs and drums, a very festive and lively sound, coming from afar.

Jiang She looked over and saw that several people were also looking around.

He could see a large procession carrying a huge stone tablet, followed by several middle-aged men in official robes. Behind them were wealthy gentry, dressed in fine clothes and very well-off. Further back were dozens of servants and attendants, some following behind the officials and gentry, some playing music, and others keeping the onlookers at bay and telling bystanders to leave.

Some of them looked familiar, and their names were recognizable.

The Taoist priests of Qingxu Temple, carrying wooden swords and pure water, circled the ground chanting scriptures to drive away evil spirits.

Flames soared into the sky as a form of worship.

After the ceremony, they began to erect a monument and build a temple.

The mountain god stroked his beard and smiled, saying, "These people have even built a temple for you, sir."

"Would you like to show yourself to them, sir?"

"No need."

Jiang She withdrew his gaze, remaining seated on his horse, looking towards the lush, verdant mountains. The Tang Dynasty was characterized by abundant vegetation, a humid climate, plentiful water and grass, and towering trees.

"let's go."

"May this humble deity see you off, sir—"

As they traveled by carriage, Li Bai and Jiang She rode on horseback. The cat came over playfully, snuggled into Jiang She's arms, and fussed over his clothes for a while before falling asleep. Kittens are like that, sleeping a lot.

Yuan Danqiu, who had come along against his will, drove the carriage with great flair, while his two attendants sat in another carriage.

Old Deer Mountain God walked with a limp, yet he covered several meters in just a few steps. He was no slower than someone riding a horse or in a carriage.

Yuan Danqiu saw the old man walking on the road and raised his voice.

"Mountain God, come aboard the carriage."

The old deer mountain god chuckled and said, "Then I would be impolite to refuse."

The carriage slowly drove away from Xiangyang. Jiang She, riding on his horse, looked down at the cat sleeping in his arms. The cat was almost crawling into his sleeve, so he steadied it to prevent it from falling in.

You can still hear the voices of Yuan Danqiu, Li Bai, and the Old Deer Mountain God.

Yuan Danqiu suddenly remembered something: "Taibai, didn't you also forget? We haven't informed Master Meng yet. He doesn't know that we've already left."

Li Bai did indeed forget.

He said, "It's nothing. When we get to the post station, I'll write a letter and ask someone to send it over."

"Just write a letter to Master Meng and tell him."

Jiang She glanced at the Black Stone Mountain spirit who remained in place and nodded slightly.

The local deity respectfully bowed.

They watched the carriages and horses depart.

Further away, the sounds of gongs, drums, and firecrackers continued, Taoist priests performed exorcisms, and the prefect and magistrate personally came to offer incense. Ordinary people erected temples and erected monuments to celebrate.

The above says:
"In the thirteenth year of the Kaiyuan era, the year of Yichou, the people of Xiangzhou, under the jurisdiction of Prefect Han and Magistrate Cheng, enjoyed a bountiful harvest and were happy. A celestial being passed by, dressed in a white robe, carrying a jade duster, with a handsome and elegant demeanor, his movements as graceful as clouds. The people of the prefecture, upon seeing him, were suddenly struck by a sense of transcendence..."

　What should I name the kitten...?

　　I'm constantly asking for monthly votes and recommendation votes =v=
　　
　
(End of this chapter)