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

The fifteenth day of the first lunar month was sunny with a full moon.

The moon is like water.

That evening, a grand Lantern Festival was held in Linbin Town.

After all, Linbin Town is a large town and a waterway port. The residents of the town are richer than those of ordinary small towns, and even richer than those of ordinary county towns.

Although it feels like money is hard to earn this year, it's still not bad compared to other places.

However, according to Sister Gui, this year's lanterns are smaller and there are fewer of them than in previous years.

"Sister-in-law Gui, where's your husband?"

After drinking a bowl of wine, Zhang Zhengdao asked, "Judging from your fate, you're not a widow!"

Sister-in-law Gui smiled and brushed a strand of hair from her forehead.

"What's with all this talk about men? Do you think women can't live without men? I'm doing just fine."

Zhang Zhengdao stopped talking.

Everyone has their own way of living.

He finished his bowl of wine, stood up, and jingled the copper coins one by one onto the counter.

Where there are lantern festivals, there are lantern riddle guessing games.

Zhang Zhengdao went to the homes of those who had lanterns to guess lantern riddles.

The sun sets in the west.

The three of them went sightseeing in one day.

There was a monk beside me.

……

There are quite a few riddles.

Zhang Zhengdao guessed three, and bought a few small gifts for the two women and the ghost.

Turning a corner, I unknowingly arrived at Lu Xiaohua's house.

Lu Xiaohua's house also had a lantern hanging on it. Judging from the delicate handwriting on the lantern, it must have been written by Lu Xiaohua. After all, she was the daughter of a scholar who had completed his studies; it was quite normal for her to be able to write and compose poetry.

Frosty clothes, snowy hair, and a jade-green beak; a flock of fishes in the stream's reflection. Startled, they fly far away, their shadows fading against the green mountains; a pear blossom falls in the evening breeze.

This is an ancient poem.

Zhang Zhengdao was slightly taken aback, and then he heard the door of Tong Sheng's house creak open.

Lu Xiaohua came out and looked at Zhang Zhengdao with a smile.

Like an orchid, bathed in the dim light of a lantern, her gaze takes on a warm, golden hue.

"Have you figured it out yet?"

"I think I've figured it out!"

Her voice was crisp and clear, and her figure was still.

Zhang Zhengdao suddenly took out a calligraphy brush from his sleeve, wrote two characters under the lantern, and laughed, "I've guessed it."

After finishing speaking, he put away the brush, waved to Lu Xiaohua, flicked his sleeves, and gracefully left.

Once the figures had walked away, Lu Xiaohua went over and looked at the lantern.

Sure enough, there were two small characters written on it.

mandarin duck!

For a moment, the person stood there gracefully, with another person beside them, as if the two of them stood together, their hearts soaring together.

"Idiot!"

A soft sigh sounded in my ear.

Lu Xiaohua turned her head and saw her father.

He was dressed in a scholar's robe, his temples were gray, but he was in good spirits. He reached out and patted her head with a smile.

"Floating clouds convey profound meaning, flowing water reveals fleeting beauty; life is but a fleeting moment, let us listen to the whispers of the wind..."

Lu Xiaohua smiled.

“Father, the Dao is like floating clouds that never dissipate, and youth is like flowing water that never ceases; in this life, we listen to the wind’s whispers and watch as the snow turns our temples white in a hundred years.”

Lu Tongsheng laughed and tapped her forehead.

“After all, she is my daughter, and she has learned your father’s stubbornness. Come on, the person you are waiting for will see your lantern and understand your intention. Father will take you to see the lantern.”

The two walked side by side, slowly down the streets of the small town.

……

They admired the lanterns, solved the riddles, and these three little trinkets kept the two women and the ghost incredibly excited.

After returning to the mountain, the two women went back to sharing a room, as the master and apprentice wanted to discuss their achievements in the town at the foot of the mountain.

They pulled a big bag of trinkets from their pockets and spread them out on the bed. It was like they were having a spoils-dividing party: this is yours, that's mine…

The female ghost also bought two red dresses.

She ran to the peach grove, dug up the body, washed it clean, and then changed into a red dress. She then changed into a red dress herself.

Looking down at the corpse in the red dress, it was as if she were looking in a mirror.

The more I look at myself, the more beautiful I feel.

Besides his closed eyes, his body also had stab wounds and cuts.

But once the clothes are on, you can't see anything at all.

The full moon was as round as a plate.

Even under the moonlight, people felt desolate.

Zhang Zhengdao stood on the slope in the backyard, holding a peach wood sword in his hand.

Drawing water from Peach Blossom Mountain into the pond would be a huge and uneconomical project. However, the pond was essential because Zhang Zhengdao still had two lotus seeds to plant.

The water in Peach Blossom Mountain is good water, but it's not suitable for these two lotus seeds.

"Sir! What are you doing standing here all by yourself? You scared me to death!"

Shu Baimei stood quietly behind Zhang Zhengdao.

Zhang Zhengdao turned to look at her and said disdainfully, "Do you think I'd scare a ghost to death? Stop talking nonsense. You've been cursing me in your heart for digging this pit, haven't you?"

Shu Baimei smiled and said, "This servant wouldn't dare!"

Zhang Zhengdao said, "I asked you to dig the pond because it's for your own good. Sometimes, doing things yourself yields much better results than passively accepting gifts from others."

Shu Baimei had no idea what Zhang Zhengdao was trying to say.

However, Zhang Zhengdao didn't need to explain this to her in too much detail.

Today he's going to fill the pond he just dug and plant the two lotus seeds there. He also wants to go to Kunlun to see what other good things Qixian Lake has to offer.

There are still many unknown things in this world that have not been explored, just like life on Earth, only a very small portion of which can be discovered.

"The pond is dug, but there's no water. What should we do?"

Shu Baimei said she also came up with an idea.

"How about we bring water from the riverside?"

After saying that, he proudly presented his idea to Zhang Zhengdao, thinking he had come up with a great idea.

Zhang Zhengdao: "How can we bring the river water up the mountain?"

Shu Baimei innocently replied, "Let someone choose!"

"Ha ha!"

A burst of laughter came from behind, and it was no surprise that Hu Yunying and Guo Lanying had arrived.

The main reason was that they hadn't seen Zhang Zhengdao and Shu Baimei, and were afraid that something unspeakable had happened between humans and ghosts in the Taoist temple, so they quickly came looking for them.

Shu Baimei chuckled, not revealing Hu Yunying's intentions.

"You pig-brain! If you ask me, drawing water from the mountain would be the best. Besides, mountain spring water is cool and sweet, making it perfect for use as pool water."

Zhang Zhengdao shook his head and looked at the full moon in the sky.

The moonlight is as clear as water!

"You all step back!"

Zhang Zhengdao glanced around.

The two women and the ghost immediately took a step back. Once Zhang Zhengdao said that, they knew their master was about to unleash his supreme magical powers.

Am looking forward to!

The three of them looked at Zhang Zhengdao with great admiration.

Every miracle fuels their longing; who wouldn't want to ascend to immortality!

Zhang Zhengdao closed his eyes.

The wooden sword slowly rose to its feet, and as it was swung, a gust of wind suddenly arose. The wisps of clouds that had been hanging in the sky were also dispersed by this gentle breeze.

The entire moon was then revealed.

The peach wood sword in Zhang Zhengdao's hand slowly danced, as if drawing a circle.

This circle, like a giant engine, with a suction force, slowly swept from Peach Blossom Mountain across the entire sky, heading straight for the full moon.

The town of Linbin was originally decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, although the number of people gradually decreased. However, some people still strolled along the streets, looking at each lantern and trying to guess the riddles.

Suddenly a gust of wind blew across Linbin Town.

The gust of wind caused all the lanterns in Linbin Town to flutter up.

Some families quickly put their lanterns away.

When the wind picks up, hanging lanterns outside can easily cause a fire.

Lu Xiaohua stopped, looked at the moon that had suddenly become unusually bright in the sky, then looked at her father, and couldn't help but say, "The wind is picking up!"

Lu Tongsheng nodded: "The wind is picking up, and the moonlight is as clear as water!"

Suddenly, the bright moonlight, like a celestial river flowing backward, crashed down on Peach Blossom Mountain like a waterfall.

It also carried the faint sound of waves.

Then you can hear the sound of flowing water, like a waterfall cascading down, splashing water everywhere.

The Milky Way is falling from the ninth heaven!

Zhang Zhengdao held a wooden sword, facing the wind.

His Taoist robe billowed in the wind, making him appear as graceful as an immortal.

The moonlight was drawn down, and the moonlight turned into water, filling the pond.

The dug pond was already full of water.

The water shimmered and seemed to make a light, rippling sound.

Lu Xiaohua saw the moonlight fall into Peach Blossom Mountain and heard the sound of rushing water. When she looked up, she seemed to see the Taoist priest standing on the mountain facing the wind.

Lu Tongsheng suddenly recited a sentence.

"Looking up, the blue sky seemed exceptionally blue, with not a single star in sight. Suddenly, I was astonished to find the ground transformed into water, for it was moonlight falling upon the courtyard."

Is he a true immortal? A true celestial being!