A Tale of Encounters with Immortals: A Peach Blossom Temple in the Martial World

Hu Lie's wedding was very hasty.

Butcher Hu was reluctant to spend money, so he hired a suona player, two people to carry the sedan chair, and a donkey cart to transport the dowry. The matchmaker followed the sedan chair over. A feast of about ten tables was set up.

So they were utterly astonished by this practice of inviting everyone in Linbin Town to a banquet without accepting any gifts.

I was also very envious.

Everyone in the Taoist temple got involved, busying themselves with various tasks.

After the bridal sedan chair was lowered and the newlyweds were ushered in, the sound of drums and music outside suddenly grew louder. Then, a series of cannon salutes followed, and a group of people entered, led by none other than Magistrate Fan of Dao County.

Magistrate Fan, wearing an official hat and black leather boots, arrived as a seventh-rank official.

Upon entering, he bowed respectfully to Zhang Zhengdao from afar, addressing him as "brothers of the same family," and with a wave of his hand, presented two loads of gifts, handing them to the official in charge of accounting for their count.

The accountant was hired by the ceremonial official from Qi Hongyu's kitchen at Zuixianlou Restaurant in Lingzhou City, along with her accountant and staff.

Even the cooks were brought in by Qi Hongyu, the cook from Zuixianlou Restaurant. She invited famous chefs from the entire Lingzhou City to come to Linbin Town to help with the cooking.

Zuixianlou is responsible for preparing all the dishes for various banquets.

The cook, Qi Hongyu, personally directed operations in the kitchen.

Yang Shengtian also wanted to go to the kitchen to help his mother with some chores, but was kicked out. He was told, "Focus on the affairs of the temple, Master. Is the kitchen a place for a man of ambition?"

Yang Shengtian had no choice but to go to the lobby to help greet the guests.

Zhang Zhengdao didn't invite anyone; he only invited people from Linbin Town to a banquet and didn't accept any gifts.

But I didn't expect so many people to come.

The bride, Lu Xiaohua, was led to a room to wait for the auspicious time.

The wedding was overseen by the eldest apprentice, Qingyangzi, a small man who was extremely busy. His father, He Zhongzheng, also came to help, but as his assistant.

Watching his son bustling about in an orderly manner, He Zhongzheng was greatly pleased. This was the demeanor of a great general, commanding with composure.

The county magistrate arrived, followed by another commotion outside, and then the prefect also arrived.

Zhang Zhengdao personally accompanied him into the hall to talk.

Then suddenly a line of Huang Gai's honor guard came by, with Qingfeng Guards leading the way. However, when they reached the town's crossroads, Qingfeng Guards stopped.

Then a group of imperial guards escorted a grand eunuch out, holding a yellow silk imperial edict in both hands. The guards and royal procession followed closely behind.

The sound of drums and music filled the air.

On both sides of the street, the townspeople saw the royal guard of honor. The people of Linbin Town, who had never seen anything like it before, were so frightened that they quickly knelt down.

The guards on both sides shouted loudly: "Your Majesty congratulates Master Zhang on his great joy. There is no need to kneel. Everyone will be rewarded."

The guards on both sides began scattering copper coins onto both sides of the street.

"Wow--"

The copper coins shimmered in the air like raindrops, then clattered and fell to the floor. The group of people, forgetting their bows and kneeling, scrambled to their feet and rushed forward.

Amidst laughter and surprise, some screamed, and some rejoiced.

The crowd followed along the way, and the procession grew larger and larger.

The frequency of scattering money also increased, and the amount of copper coins scattered also increased.

Quan Laoshi, standing next to him, made a "tsk tsk tsk" sound like a duck poking at its food, slapping his thigh and praising, "It really is the grandeur of royalty! I never thought I, Quan Laoshi, would live to see such grandeur."

Butcher Hu scoffed: "A small, insignificant family!"

Quan Laoshi retorted angrily, "You've seen it before? Don't spout nonsense. You won't see royal etiquette even if you go to the capital."

Butcher Hu laughed loudly: "Have you ever seen the magistrate's procession? Probably not, have you? Tsk tsk, poor thing, you've probably never even left Linbin Town in your entire life. Let alone the magistrate, you've barely even seen the town supervisor a few times. Bah, and you're talking to me about royal grandeur? You're not worthy of it."

"You son of a bitch, did I eat or drink at your house?"

Hu Lie stood to the side, his burly body blocking Quan Laoshi from view.

Quan Laoshi, true to his word, snorted and kept his distance from the father and son. Couldn't he at least avoid them if he couldn't afford to offend them?

One day, the butcher's family will be in dire straits: the man will contract syphilis, and the woman will be sold into a brothel.

The Third Prince and the Seventh Princess, who had been watching the commotion from the sidelines, were now completely numb.

Unexpectedly, his father, the emperor, sent a generous gift and issued an imperial edict. This was a favor and honor usually reserved for the weddings of princes and high-ranking officials.

Moreover, the person who came to deliver the imperial decree was Eunuch Huang, the emperor's most trusted advisor.

So all that writing a letter was for nothing, and I even got made the villain.

Judging from this, his father not only showed no intention of investigating, but was also trying to win over the Taoist priest even more. Thinking of this, his expression suddenly changed drastically. Could it be that his father had been controlled by this Taoist priest?

Leaving aside the inner thoughts of the two princes and princesses, Zhang Zhengdao and Lu Xiaohua received the imperial decree together.

After setting up the incense table, Eunuch Huang said to Zhang Zhengdao and Lu Xiaohua, "The couple can stand; there's no need for them to kneel. This is His Majesty's special instruction, and it must not be disobeyed."

So Zhang Zhengdao stood, while everyone else, whether they were the Imperial Preceptor, princes and princesses, or officials and commoners of all ranks, knelt on the ground.

Imperial Edict: By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: The legitimate daughter of the Lu family, respectful and obedient, of virtuous character and conduct, gentle and prudent, possesses a refined and gentle nature, virtuous character, and a serene and upright beauty. Quiet and dignified in demeanor, harmonious in movement, she is well-versed in etiquette and reverent in her daily life. Therefore, she is to be married to Zhang Tianshi, the Peach Blossom Immortal. The relevant officials are hereby ordered to bestow blessings and congratulations on an auspicious day. This decree is hereby obeyed with utmost respect and will never be forgotten.

The crowd shouted "Long live the Emperor!" and rose after offering their congratulations.

Eunuch Huang smiled again and said, "No rush, no rush. There's another imperial decree."

After saying that, he took out another imperial edict and said to Lu Xiaohua, "His Majesty said that there is no need to kneel. Just listen to the decree."

Then another imperial edict was read out, bestowing upon Lu Xiaohua the honorary title of First-Class Lady Peach Blossom.

After the imperial edict was read aloud, everyone offered their congratulations, but some knowledgeable people, in particular, felt a sense of unease. This was because the edict itself was somewhat incongruous and absurd.

The title "Madam" was only bestowed upon the family members of high-ranking officials of the first rank who had achieved great merit. Generally, officials of the first rank were given the title of "Madam," while those of the third rank were given titles such as "Shuren."

Lu Xiaohua was merely the wife of a real person, without any official rank, yet she was honored as a lady.

Moreover, there is no imperial edict preceding it; it is simply referred to as Lady Peach Blossom.

This is clearly a case of granting fiefdoms based on land ownership.

To everyone's astonishment, Eunuch Huang produced a third imperial edict, this time addressed to Zhang Zhengdao. It stated that Peach Blossom Mountain was granted to Zhang Zhengdao, with the hereditary title to be passed down through generations.

The moment the imperial edict was proclaimed, everyone was stunned.

This is tantamount to granting the entire Peach Blossom Mountain to Zhang Zhengdao.

You should know that Peach Blossom Mountain stretches for hundreds of miles, and now everything on the mountain belongs to Zhang Zhengdao. Even if someone from Linbin Town goes to Peach Blossom Mountain to hunt a bird, they have to report to Zhang Zhengdao. If Zhang Zhengdao doesn't agree, then it's not allowed; he can report it to the authorities and have the person arrested.

This favor is truly immense.

The county magistrate and the prefect were speechless with joy for a long time.

Zhang Zhengdao already knew about this matter; in fact, it had been agreed upon before, but it hadn't been widely publicized. Now, the emperor had used an imperial edict to firmly establish this fact and proclaim it to the world, which could be considered the ultimate favor.

Zhang Zhengdao immediately clasped his hands in thanks.

The eunuch Huang, who was delivering the imperial decree, asked, "Does Your Majesty have any requests?"

Eunuch Huang laughed and said, "His Majesty has no other requests, so please rest assured, Master!"

Zhang Zhengdao nodded, acknowledging the favor, and then instructed, "When Eunuch Huang returns, you can tell His Majesty that I promise His Majesty that if there is any crisis in the future, I will be able to call upon Heaven and Earth to respond."

After saying that, he handed a small wooden sword to Eunuch Huang.

This is a peach wood sword, no bigger than a finger, that Zhang Zhengdao usually carves.

"Keep this safe and give it to His Majesty when you return. If anything happens, just silently recite my Taoist name in your heart."

Eunuch Huang hurriedly asked, "What is your Taoist name, Master?"

"Peach Blossom Immortal!"

Eunuch Huang nodded hurriedly: "I will remember that, and I will never forget it."

The auspicious time has arrived!

The emcee announced, "First bow to Heaven and Earth!"

Zhang Zhengdao and Lu Xiaohua bowed to heaven and earth.

Suddenly, half of the world split apart, the earth shook violently beneath their feet, and everyone swayed from side to side, almost losing their footing.

Zhang Zhengdao stamped his foot and roared to the sky, "Since you dare not accept the gift, you should behave yourself and lead a hundred flowers to celebrate my wedding. Hurry up and do it."

After a brief pause, the ground immediately returned to normal.

Then I saw peach blossoms, pear blossoms, and apricot blossoms in the courtyard, all blooming in a rush, each vying for attention.

Even the grass on the ground was blooming; it was truly a time when all kinds of flowers were in full bloom.

Everyone was surprised and looked outside, but they didn't know what was happening outside.

At that moment, all sorts of flowers bloomed instantly outside the entire town of Linbin. Their fragrance filled the air, permeating the entire town.

The people of Linbin Town were astonished, feeling both uneasy and excited.

"Look, on Peach Blossom Mountain!"

Everyone couldn't help but look up at Peach Blossom Mountain. The mountain was covered in blooming flowers, as if the entire landscape was decorated with blossoms, and it felt like spring had arrived, and all things were coming back to life.

Not only were the people overjoyed, but even Eunuch Huang was speechless with surprise.

A single sentence from a master can truly spark a hundred different opinions; such incredible power...

Thinking of this, a cold sweat broke out on his back. Luckily, he had always treated the Master with utmost respect; so this was how the Emperor treated him—just as he thought…

Just as the flowers were blooming, the sky suddenly brightened.

Everyone was surprised and looked up at the sky, only to see the clouds disperse and rays of light spread out.

It was already late afternoon, and the sun was almost setting. The sun was just fading into the distance when suddenly, the sky burst into ablaze with color, and the seven colors of the rainbow appeared in the sky.

"There's a crane!"

Then someone else shouted.

"It's a crane!"

Sure enough, a flock of cranes appeared in the sky, swirling around the clouds. Then, one of the cranes raised its head and cried out, and the flock flew towards Zhang Zhengdao's residence. They circled the residence once, calling out for a long time, before slowly rising and disappearing into the clouds.