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

The joys and sorrows, partings and reunions of people in this world are all different, but the ending is always the same.

Kan Xiucai's slightly hoarse voice, along with his low, muttering tone, seemed out of place in the entire distillery.

The group of men in short coats grumbled and downed the wine in their bowls in one gulp, wiped their mouths, and left.

To them, Kan Xiucai's lament was nothing more than an annoying buzzing sound.

They and Kan Xiucai are two different types of people.

They are inherently incompatible.

Sister-in-law Gui sighed, but did not chase Kan away. She just smiled apologetically at the men in short coats.

A young nobleman from the capital, skilled in poetry, happened to meet the daughter of a scholar named Kan at a wine shop, and deliberately flirted with her.

The scholar's daughter fell for it and even broke her vows.

The young master spent a few days in Linbin Town and had several trysts with the scholar's daughter! She eventually became pregnant. When the scholar found out, he beat his daughter severely.

The dignity of a scholar has been utterly shattered by his daughter.

The daughter was beaten half to death, but she didn't miscarry. So, the scholar Kan shamelessly asked Sister-in-law Gui to find a suitable match for his daughter, saying that even if his family had to provide a larger dowry, he wanted to marry her off as soon as possible.

Sister-in-law Gui tried her best, introducing several men, but they all shook their heads. Even Zhang Zhengdao almost became the one left holding the bag.

Seeing that no one around him was willing to take over the business, and his daughter's belly was getting bigger, Kan Xiucai was so ashamed and angry that he beat and scolded his daughter every day!

The daughter was a bit of a fool; she insisted on keeping the baby in her belly, saying that the young master would come back and marry her in a grand and glorious way.

Her unwavering belief has sustained her until now.

After making inquiries, Kan Xiucai learned that the young master's name was You Shizha, the eldest son of You Danzhi, the prefectural magistrate of Lingzhou. He had come to Linbin Town last time to oversee grain production and assign this year's tasks.

I also cheated on a naive girl.

Scholar Kan planned to take the handwritten letter from his daughter to Lingzhou City, find the You family, and demand an explanation and reclaim his daughter's identity.

Before leaving, I borrowed some travel expenses from Sister Gui.

However, these things cannot be discussed with others. All I can do is drink some wine here and sing some songs to vent my frustrations. Before long, I become a little tipsy.

"Please excuse my poor appearance, guests!"

Sister-in-law Gui bowed and apologized.

"It doesn't matter!"

The dead eunuch Hai Tianfu waved his hand, still looking at the old man in white robes.

"We've known each other for years. If I were to give you this message that could grant you a direct path to immortality, would you be able to enjoy it with a clear conscience?"

The old man in white robes laughed heartily: "Just kidding. If I have a destiny to immortality, then you definitely have one too. We're brothers..."

The two of them burst into laughter.

Early the next morning.

Some people left Linbin Town.

A poor scholar in a long gown carried a bundle from the town entrance to Lingzhou Prefecture.

An old man in a white robe, carrying a long sword, walked from the town entrance toward Peach Blossom Mountain.

Different paths in life lead to different joys and sorrows.

Peach Blossom Mountain, Peach Blossom Temple, Peach Grove.

Zhang Zhengdao held the abacus and started clicking away.

"its not right!"

Zhang Zhengdao glanced at Hu Yunying.

Hu Yunying craned her neck to take a look at the account book.

"Don't worry, our expenses have been a bit high lately. Starting tomorrow, you can only cook porridge every morning. Don't cook noodles, and don't use beef sauce. Just use pork, and add less spices!"

“No… this is only a few coins!” Hu Yunying exclaimed anxiously. “Last time we made 220 taels of silver, and Guo Lanying’s and my share were included. You can’t save money by being too stingy.”

"You have to know how to spend money to make money!"

Guo Lanying also objected.

This girl usually agrees with everything Zhang Zhengdao says, almost blindly following him. Has she taken the wrong medicine today?

"And these past few days, so many more people have been coming to the Taoist temple to offer incense; we're making seven or eight taels of silver every day..."

Hu Yunying continued.

Did this woman peek at my silver jar?

Zhang Zhengdao suddenly felt that keeping his jar under the bed was no longer safe. He needed to find a way to hide the silver as quickly as possible, similar to the Buddhist technique of shrinking Mount Sumeru into a mustard seed.

"Sigh, you people don't know the cost of firewood and rice until you're in charge of the household..."

"I can manage the household too. I'm really good at accounting!"

Guo Lanying volunteered.

"Did I give you permission to manage the accounts? You come in here wanting to manage the accounts right away. Are you my wife or my concubine? My money can only be managed by myself. No one else can touch it."

These words were like a death sentence for Zhang Zhengdao.

"Stingy!"

After spending several days together, Guo Lanying had clearly become familiar with Zhang Zhengdao's temperament.

He may appear fierce, but he is actually quite lenient.

Just as they were arguing, Zhang Zhengdao suddenly stopped and said to the two women, "Someone has come up the mountain, and they're quite formidable. You two go to the entrance to meet them."

Hu Yunying was taken aback. She was a master of innate cultivation, yet she hadn't sensed it.

As for Guo Lanying, it's even more inexplicable!

But if Zhang Zhengdao said it existed, then it must exist, so the two of them went to the door.

Just as they reached the entrance, a figure appeared, drifting from the road and stopping at the temple gate. A man in white robes, wielding a long sword, stroked his long beard and smiled slightly at the two women at the temple entrance.

Guo Lanying didn't know her, but Hu Yunying did!

"Sword God, Senior Qin!"

Hu Yunying bowed to him very respectfully.

Guo Lanying was also taken aback; it was actually Qin Shouzhong, one of the Four Great Swordsmen. She then bowed to him, a gesture of respect from martial arts practitioners towards the Four Great Swordsmen.

"No need for formalities. I've come to pay my respects to the Daoist Master. Please introduce me!"

Qin Shouzhong dared not presume and returned the greeting with clasped hands.

Having witnessed the Taoist priest's power to summon wind and rain that day, he dared not be arrogant and remained extremely humble. Normally, would he speak to a junior like that? And return the courtesy? Absolutely not; he needed to be taught a lesson.

"My master has formally ordered us to come and welcome our distinguished guests. Please!"

As expected of the Fairy of the Martial World, she remained poised and dignified even when facing Qin Shouzhong, one of the Four Great Swordsmen.

Qin Shouzhong was slightly startled.

Did the Taoist priest foresee my arrival at Peach Blossom Mountain?

"please!"

Qin Shouzhong nodded and followed him into the Taoist temple.

Zhang Zhengdao had been waiting at the Taoist temple for a long time. When he saw Qin Shouzhong, he immediately went up to him, bowed, and said with a smile, "Layman, how have you been? Please give me 20 coins for incense and 30 coins for fortune telling."

This person was dressed sloppily, but he was carrying a sword on his back.

This indicates he's a江湖人士 (jianghu person, someone from the martial arts world), who are generally generous and straightforward, and decisive in their actions. Normally, when the people of Linbin Town offer incense and have their fortunes told, they negotiate the price; a total of fifty coins might be reduced to ten.

In the end, he had no choice but to compromise.

Ten coins are still money, but how much profit can ordinary people make?

Those gentry and elders were wealthy, but they were unwilling to be taken advantage of. Although they didn't know how to bargain, they didn't go up the mountain many times a year or month.

Now that the rainmaking ritual has been successful, there are more talented people available.

The most generous were the chivalrous heroes of the martial arts world. Although we rarely encountered them, the town of Linbin had well-developed waterways, docks, and bustling streets, so many martial arts figures would stop here to rest, eat, and enjoy the scenery.

Of course, very few of them believed in God.

There were only one or two people who came to offer incense, and they were the most generous, one giving ten taels and the other giving six taels.

Seeing Qin Shouzhong staring at him in astonishment, Zhang Zhengdao emphasized again.

"Layman, incense costs 20 coins, and fortune telling costs 30 coins."

Qin Shouzhong realized that the Taoist priest had never seen him before and naturally did not know that he was Qin Shouzhong, the Sword God, one of the Four Great Masters. So he smiled with relief and nodded in greeting.

"May the immortal live a long life."

Zhang Zhengdao then handed him incense and candles.

Then two women played flutes and tapped wooden fish on the side, while Zhang Zhengdao chanted sutras.

In any case, Zhang Zhengdao never took the incense-offering process lightly.

After offering incense, Qin Shouzhong drew lots.

Two slips of paper appeared, and Qin Shouzhong glanced at them after they landed.

One of the signs reads: "Ordinary birds come from the edge of the sky, all seeking this place."

Another fortune slip reads: "Talent is naturally clear and spirit is naturally lofty, but when the west wind blows, fortune will vanish."

Seemingly hinting at something, he nervously handed the two fortune sticks to Zhang Zhengdao and asked, "Master, what is the meaning of these fortune sticks?"

Zhang Zhengdao glanced at him sideways.

"Layman, have you come from afar to seek out someone very important?"

Qin Shouzhong nodded.

"However, that person refused to acknowledge the layman and went west with others. When they searched again, the place was deserted."

Qin Shouzhong: ? ? ?

Could you explain it more clearly?

Zhang Zhengdao coughed lightly: "It means your wife... might have run off with someone, and you missed her!"

Qin Shouzhong: Immortal Master, is it really okay for us to be so blunt?

No, I've come here today to seek a connection with immortals.

He immediately knelt down and kowtowed to Zhang Zhengdao.

“Immortal Master, romantic love is nothing but fleeting smoke. If one could receive immortal teachings from you, one would surely transcend the troubles of the mortal world, sever romantic ties, seek the Great Dao, and attain immortality.”

Zhang Zhengdao: Is this person out of their mind?

Seeking the Great Dao means not thinking about anything and not doing anything? Isn't that just plain crazy?