I became an immortal in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 76 Li Bai, Yuan Danqiu, Cultivator, Mountain God Discusses the Dao
"saint?"

“That’s right. I heard the Prince of Hedong mention at the banquet the other day that his father had already sent the elixir to Chang’an and dared not keep it for himself.”

The scholar was astonished: "King Naqi's illness..."

The man in brocade shook his head and said:

"Luoyang also has many famous doctors."

The official boat sailed past the small passenger boat. The man in brocade glanced down and saw several people on the small boat drinking and admiring the Luo River under the glow of the sunset.

His gaze was fleeting, like a dragonfly skimming the water.

The man in brocade mumbled a few words, drunk, then put his arm around his friend's shoulder, holding a wine cup in one hand: "Brother Cui, let's go to the South Market to see the Kunlun slave again tomorrow—"

Once the luxurious official ship had sailed away...

On the boat.

Li Bai asked in surprise, "Did the Prince of Qi present this elixir to the Emperor?"

Unexpectedly, after waiting for more than ten days, the Prince of Qi finally received this life-saving elixir, which was then described as miraculous and even a divine pill. He was even willing to send it out to others.

Jiang She overheard the people on the official boat talking about the King of Hedong.

Think about it for a moment.

He sighed, "He's an only son."

Yuan Danqiu said from the side, "The Prince of Qi has a son who is enfeoffed as the Prince of Hedong. It is said that the Prince of Hedong is dissolute and frivolous, disregards etiquette and law, and is addicted to wine and women, and his reputation is widespread. Many officials have submitted memorials on this matter."

The fisherman listened to the conversation.

The news of the miraculous elixir produced by Hongdao Temple spread like wildfire in Luoyang, and even fishermen loved to hear about it.

He held onto the bamboo pole and continued, "That's right, I just heard it. My father is so sick, and his son is still going out drinking with others. What kind of behavior is that?"

Everyone laughed.

Yuan Danqiu said, "Though this is a rough way of putting it, it makes sense."

A smile spread across the fisherman's dark red face, a smile that was both proud and a little shy.

The water began to ripple slightly, and the current became a little stronger. He poled his boat, watching boats crisscross ahead, while the fishermen slowly called out a clear and long call.

"Keep pushing with one pole to the very end—"

"Walking in the waves—"

The Luo River was not at peace either; it seemed as if something enormous was moving beneath it.

The fishermen grew uneasy, their grip on the bamboo pole tightening.

Li Bai and Yuan Danqiu were somewhat surprised, looking at the swaying river surface, various guesses flying through their minds.

There were several boats nearby, and the passengers and boatman looked down at the surging river, puzzled: "This stretch of water used to be the calmest, what's going on?"

Those with more experience have already discerned some of the nuances.

"Even without wind, three feet of waves..."

The boatman sprinkles coarse salt mixed with rice onto the water, a practice also called "sprinkling snow." This is something boatmen on the water always prepare for, in order to guard against such underwater tricks.

Jiang She tapped his finger on the boat.

A wave crashed down, and half of the giant fish tail slapped out of the water, swirling and disappearing back into the water.

Someone saw the appearance of the large fish and exclaimed in surprise:
"It's a carp!"

"There are fish this big in the Luo River? If the tail alone is that big, how long must the whole fish be?"

"This is the king of the river..."

The common people and fishermen held carp in high esteem. Because they shared the same surname as the Li Tang royal family, the imperial court issued an order prohibiting the catching and consumption of carp. Although the common people didn't care much about this and often secretly ate them, those carp were so large that they must have grown for decades or even centuries.

They all felt it was a miracle.

The water surface gradually calmed down.

The people on the boat were still discussing, "Why don't we go to Hongdao Temple to ask tomorrow..."

"We should offer incense. My mother has even met the abbot of Hongdao Temple; he can refine divine pills, his Taoist skills are truly profound—"

The ships gradually separated and sailed away.

Go forward again.

Jiang She called out, "There's a small ferry crossing ahead. Boatmen, please stop on the shore."

Fisherman: "What should we do..."

Jiang She said, "It's not far, and the boatman can go home early tonight."

After docking, they watched the passenger boat sail away. The fare for the three of them was only a little over twenty coins, which was why the fisherman had been ferrying them until late at night. Today was a lucky day; the passengers didn't need to travel too far, and he could go home earlier to talk with his wife and children.

Even from behind, you could tell he was happy.

The evening breeze was intoxicating, and Jiang She and his companions strolled back leisurely.

the next day.

When people from Yunmeng Mountain came to visit, he knew that those who wanted to ask the abbot to exorcise evil spirits had failed.

Chu Yi said, "The abbot has been making that elixir, and these past few days, pilgrims have been coming in droves. People outside are saying that he has been seriously ill because of the great strain on his mental and spiritual energy."

Jiang She asked, "Should we say it outside?"

Sanshui couldn't help but laugh: "The abbot has been meditating with Master these past two days."

A middle-aged man strokes his beard.

While the two boys were talking, they kept sneaking around the courtyard, looking left and right, trying to find out if the mountain god was awake, what he looked like, and how powerful he was.

He wanted to play with the cat again, and when he saw the little black cat wake up, he completely forgot about the mountain god.

Seeing the cat stretch and start sharpening its claws against the tree trunk, Sanshui even wished the cat would scratch her instead. Squatting on the ground, occasionally brushed by the cat's raised tail, the two children were content, secretly amused.

Li Bai asked, "I heard yesterday that the Prince of Qi sent elixirs to the Emperor?"

The middle-aged man nodded.

"That is true. Prince Qi wanted to ask the abbot to start refining elixirs again. Hearing that the abbot was seriously ill, he sent his subordinates to visit him."

Yuan Danqiu asked, "How did you manage to hide this from us?"

The middle-aged man smiled.

"It's just an illusion."

Mentioning illusion magic, Jiang She recalled the group of people who had swindled the Lu family and asked:

Have you ever heard of Mirror Dust Mountain?

Then he mentioned the fourth disciple, Jin Yuan Shangren Zhou Ling, who set up a temple to attract worshippers and practice evil ways, and Zhang Zhenmei, who had studied Taoist magic with him for several years and was now swindling people outside the sect.

"I have a vague impression; I must have heard of it somewhere before."

Upon hearing the name "temple," the middle-aged man's expression changed, and he became much more cautious.

He thought back carefully.

"It must be a mountain gate that has been in seclusion for a long time, rarely appearing in front of mortals... It seems that more than thirty years ago, I heard of a person who could make all flowers bloom in winter. He was summoned by the sage at that time, and it is said that he was a disciple of Jingchen Mountain."

More than 30 years ago, the middle-aged man had only been practicing for a short time and did not go down the mountain often. He only learned about it from the elders at the mountain gate.

Yuan Danqiu asked:

"How many secluded mountain retreats like this are there in the world?"

He sought wisdom and knowledge from Li Bai and Mencius for many years, and he visited many wise men and hermits, but he never witnessed these miraculous events.

While waiting on Mount Lumen in the rain, I met Mr. Jiang and we traveled together.

Only then did I realize how magnificent and wondrous the world is.

Mysterious and mysterious.

Middle-aged man: "There are some, but they don't show it to others."

"Why?"

As the middle-aged man was pondering how to answer, he heard a sound coming from a nearby side room. With a creak, an old man with white hair and beard pushed open the door and walked into the courtyard.

Her complexion was rosy, and her white clothes were embroidered with pine trees and wild deer, with no visible stitches.

He had a vague feeling about it.

He hurriedly stood up to greet her.

The old deer mountain god walked over shakily.

"I can answer that question."

Yuan Danqiu asked in surprise, "The mountain god has awakened?"

Old Deer Mountain God smiled and glanced at the two noisy children in the courtyard.

He stroked his beard and said:
"We've called him so many times, if he still doesn't wake up, wouldn't we disappoint them both?"

"Why don't you practitioners reveal yourselves to the public? You don't need to ask the teacher or the guests."

"I will answer you—"

(End of this chapter)