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

The outer Qinhuai River is sparkling with blue waves.

The boat sails on the water, creating ripples.

The Taoist priest stood at the bow of the boat, facing the wind, his Taoist robes fluttering—truly a divine being. He was a sight to behold, a true immortal with profound cultivation and understanding of the Tao.

The boatman said, "The Taoist priest has a fine appearance."

Lü Dongbin smiled slightly, feeling somewhat smug.

With his dignified appearance, his profession as a Taoist priest (a relatively high social class), and the Taoist robe he was wearing, everyone who saw him would say, "What a handsome Taoist!"

Only that white peony didn't know its value and insisted on finding a Taoist priest surnamed Zhang.

Haha, they have eyes but can't recognize gold inlaid with jade! The world is foolish, and the fairies are even more foolish. They really didn't know that after being reincarnated as mortals, fairies' judgment became so poor.

If Zhang Zhengdao hadn't protected Bai Mudan, Lü Dongbin might have killed that female demon.

A fairy who looks down on herself is not a good fairy.

The feeling of standing against the wind while the boat is sailing on the river is incredibly refreshing.

As they approached the edge of the reeds, there was a sudden splashing sound from within the reeds, followed by a woman screaming as she ran out and plunged into the water.

One rises, one falls.

"Help! Taoist priest! Help me!"

The precise location indicated a cry for help.

Lu Dongbin was taken aback, then smiled. This little demon was putting on quite a good act. So he said to the boatman, "Old man, should we rescue this demon?"

Before he could finish speaking, there was a "plop" sound, and the old boatman jumped into the water.

Then, supporting the woman by the back, he swam to the side of the boat and said to Lü Dongbin, who was watching the commotion on the boat, "Daoist, please do me a favor and lend a hand."

Lü Dongbin then reached out and lifted the woman up.

They lifted her up very easily, leaving the boatman stunned. He quickly climbed onto the boat himself. But he was at a loss, unsure how to rescue the woman, who was now spread out on the boat.

There is a folk remedy: you squat down and have someone lie face down on your lap, pressing your knees against their stomach to make them vomit water.

But she was a woman, and the boatman was reluctant to move her.

"Taoist priest, how about... you save them completely, please do me a good deed..."

Before he could finish speaking, Lü Dongbin lifted the woman's leg and shook it upside down several times. The woman endured it, pretending at first, but finally couldn't hold it in any longer and spat out two mouthfuls of water.

Because he hadn't swallowed any water, he vomited a couple of mouthfuls, but then he couldn't vomit anymore. In the end, he was so shaken that he almost vomited up jaundice fluid. His face turned deathly pale, and he almost lost his original form.

"puff"

The woman was thrown back onto the deck, and she opened her eyes with a cry of "Ouch!" Then, startled, she covered her head with both hands, sat back a good distance, and looked terrified.

"Your Majesty...Your Majesty, spare my life!"

Lü Dongbin was speechless.

This fairy's intelligence is questionable. Do I and the boatman both look like kings?

The woman then feigned surprise and said, "Oh dear, who...who are you...?"

The boatman was an honest man, and he recounted how she fell into the water and how he rescued her.

The woman immediately knelt down on the deck and kowtowed.

She sobbed as she expressed her gratitude.

The boatman asked, "Young lady, where are you from?"

The woman said, "I'm from Jiangning. I was out having fun when I was captured by demons. I escaped while they weren't looking, and then... I ran into you guys. You're such kind people!"

Did you encounter a fairy?

How brain-dead must the fairy you encountered be to let a delicate woman like you run out?

The boatman thought for a moment and said, "Miss, would you like to come with me to Jiangning Prefecture, or should I take you back now?"

He was too embarrassed to suggest that Lü Dongbin take care of the woman.

The woman's eyes were fixed on Lü Dongbin.

This man is quite good. He's young, handsome, and looks strong. He has a ruddy complexion and powerful-looking hands. Tsk tsk, if he were offered to the king…

No, I enjoyed it myself first, and then offered it to the King...hehe...

Thinking of this, the woman couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"I...can I...go with the Taoist priest? I'm afraid the demons will come after me..."

Upon hearing this, the boatman glanced at Lü Dongbin.

Lü Dongbin said, "Alright, you can come with me. Old man, just drop me off at the ferry crossing ahead. Here's some silver!"

Upon arriving at the ferry crossing and disembarking, Lü Dongbin gave the old man two taels of silver, which made the old man very happy.

It's rare to encounter such a generous boss.

"Too...too much!" The old man was so excited he couldn't speak. This was two taels of silver, enough for his family to eat for more than a month.

Lü Dongbin said, "You are kind-hearted; this is your reward for saving people."

Although he saved a demon, his kindness was commendable and he deserved a reward.

The boatman thanked him profusely before turning the boat back.

They sang loudly as they sailed.

The melodious fishermen's songs echoed across the river and soared through the clouds.

Lu Dongbin looked at her with some envy, then turned to the woman and said, "Where do you live? Take me there. If I go with you, you won't be afraid of demons."

The woman quickly bowed and said, "Thank you, Taoist priest. You are such a kind person. Please come with me!"

The woman led the way, and Lü Dongbin followed.

After passing through the reeds, we saw a thatched hut ahead, with smoke rising from the chimney.

The woman ran over happily, shouting as she ran.

"Father, I'm back."

Then the door of the thatched hut opened, and an old man came out. He saw the woman, opened his arms, and laughed, "Oh, Xiao Bi is back!"

The woman hugged the old man, unable to hold back her tears: "Father, I encountered a demon on the road... It was this Taoist priest who saved me, and I have no way to repay him..."

The old man said, "Then I'll repay you with my body!"

Lü Dongbin said, "No problem, no problem. As long as you agree, we'll consummate our marriage tonight."

The woman was overjoyed and quickly looked at the old man.

The old man said, "Then let's get things done tonight."

Lü Dongbin laughed loudly: "Good, good, good, let's get things done tonight."

Night fell as the three eagerly awaited it.

There was only one house in the neighborhood, and no guests, but red lanterns were hung up, and tables were set up in the threshing ground with food and wine.

Lu Dongbin couldn't help but watch the old man and woman bustling about.

"You guys are really professional!"

Upon hearing this, both the old man and the woman in the bright red wedding dress were stunned and looked at Lü Dongbin.

The woman said, "Why do you say that, sir?"

Lü Dongbin: "You two demons, I thought you were going to pull off something big. Are you really in such a hurry to get me married?"

The woman cried out urgently, "No, we are not demons. We truly wish to... repay your life-saving grace by offering ourselves to you!"

Lu Dongbin waved his hand, and a beam of light fell upon the house, instantly enveloping it. Then, within that light, the house vanished.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be nothing more than the entrance to a cave.

The woman panicked: "My lord...you...you're a demon!"

He reacted quickly and wasn't too stupid.

Lü Dongbin laughed loudly: "It must be tiring acting with you all. Even at this point, you're still in the play and can't get out of it, are you? Well then, shall I help you get out of the play?"

As he spoke, he flicked his finger, and the sword at his waist was drawn with a "clang," hovering in the air with its tip pointing at the two of them, exuding a chilling aura.

However, it was precisely because of this woman that he found the fairy's lair.

I have to thank this idiot.

The old man hurriedly ran into the cave.

The woman cried out, "Father—"

An old man's voice came from inside the cave: "Are you being called? I'm not your father, I'm your accomplice. Goodbye, I'm leaving..." The voice faded into the distance and could no longer be heard.

Lu Dongbin kept his sword tip in front of the woman, his eyes fixed on her.

The woman forced an awkward smile at Lü Dongbin: "Um... I hid it so well, how did you find out? You... you're a person with cultivation, aren't you?"

Lü Dongbin sighed: "In such a desolate place as the Qinhuai River, how could you, a woman, escape from the demon's lair? And your thatched hut is built in such a deserted place, and more importantly..."

Woman: "What's more important is..."

Lu Dongbin said, "Even before I got close to you, I could feel the overwhelming demonic aura. You say you're human... even a demon wouldn't believe it!"

The woman's eyes widened in disbelief.

"So I had so many flaws... Wait a minute... Tiger Head, that idiot, it's not like you can become proficient just by practicing a few times, he's... Tiger Head, where have you been... Come out here, it's all your fault..."

The woman shouted loudly into the cave.

Lu Dongbin said, "Judging from your cultivation level, you can't even conceal your demonic aura. Your cultivation is much weaker than Bai Mudan's. Tell me... is your king in his cave?"

The woman immediately said, "You Taoist priest aren't much smarter than I am. You're already here, and you're still asking this? Don't you know that the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a sword aura descended from the sky.