I became an immortal in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 105 Not Afraid of Ghosts and Gods (+4)

A dark blue-green figure emerged, somewhat bloated, and at first glance, it looked like a moving stone.

Startled to suddenly appear in the temple, she floated in mid-air, looked around, and then her gaze fell on the man in blue.

The Stone Goddess floated down, somewhat nervous.

"I have met, I have seen, a master."

Li Bai looked up and his gaze froze. Beside him, Yuan Danqiu watched. Just now, Mr. Jiang had invited him to meet him, and Li Bai was already in this state of mind. It was clear that he had seen something that ordinary people could not see, and the Taoist priest was very envious.

Yuan Danqiu tugged at his sleeve and quietly asked him.

"Taibai, what did you see...?"

Li Bai stared intently.

I'll tell you in a bit.

Jiang She said, "Greetings, Goddess Stone."

The figure was startled, somewhat timid, and lacked confidence: "What brings you here, esteemed one... what urgent matter do you have to discuss?"

Worshippers and pilgrims are still offering incense at the temple, which is quite inconvenient.

Jiang She asked her to go outside to talk.

It was cold outside. Jiang She said, "I traveled to Yanzhou and heard of the legendary Stone Goddess, so I came to take a look."

The Stone Goddess's heavy figure stiffened somewhat. In their makeshift temple, if they remained undiscovered, they could continue their clandestine incense offerings for a while. But if some passing expert discovered them, their elimination would be only natural.

The Stone Goddess was furious.

Not far away, a stone trembled.

Who was the one who talked so much that they attracted such a wise person?

Hopefully, this wise person has a good temperament; if the temple is gone, it's gone, and after the wise person leaves, it can be rebuilt. It would be good if she could leave behind her life and her spiritual light.

"Goddess Stone, there's no need to be nervous."

Jiang She said, "If I don't come over to take a look, and if I haven't done anything wrong and have a clear conscience, then there's nothing wrong with me."

The Stone Goddess was terrified by what she heard. As she watched the sage sweep the red ribbons on the tree where people prayed for blessings, her heart pounded with anxiety. If the other person's gaze paused even slightly, she would start to wonder if she had done her job properly.

It seems that the servant later broke his leg and had to rest for a month.

The one who wanted to make a lot of money didn't make any either.

The first time he went to the gambling den, he was splashed with chicken blood and tripped. The man felt it was bad luck, and after recovering from his injury, he never went to the gambling den again, nor did he ever come to pray to her.

Going back further...

The more the Stone Goddess calculated, the more uneasy she felt.

If she wasn't utterly wicked, her crimes were certainly too numerous to list.

The mountain god stroked his beard and looked at the wishes on the altar. When he was the mountain god, he only ever offered shelter from the rain and wind. He never touched incense or prayers. When others offered incense, he would just smell the aroma. If they asked for something in return, he would not touch it at all.

None of them are good.

Jiang She had already skimmed through it.

The Stone Goddess lowered her head, her heart pounding, and dared not speak.

Waiting for an expert to make a decision.

But then a question was heard, coming from the master.

"Did the Stone Goddess facilitate many marriages?"

The Stone Goddess's heart tightened. Forgetting her fear, she immediately said, "Not a single marriage here is wrong!"

Mustering his courage again, he said to the wise man:

“Those who do evil and commit murder will never find a good wife. They will either be unable to find a wife, or they will marry a butcher’s daughter or a vicious woman to teach them a lesson…”

When this stone spirit talked about marriage, he became much bolder.

The old deer mountain god looked somewhat surprised.

Li Bai whispered to Yuan Danqiu, and the two of them looked at the old elm tree in the cold wind and read out the wishes written on it one by one.

He was puzzled; this Stone Goddess really did enjoy playing matchmaker.

Jiang She said, "I was just asking."

"Does the Stone Goddess like to play matchmaker?"

Upon learning that the other party was not questioning the marriage, the courage that the Stone Goddess had mustered vanished instantly, and she dared not speak loudly to him again.

She said cautiously:

"Yes……"

Why does the Stone Goddess like to act as a matchmaker?

"I find it interesting."

Fearing that the wise man would ask her again why it was interesting, the stone spirit hurriedly replied:
"Among them, marriage is always interesting. Many people don't know each other before, but they get married and then live together for decades until they die."

"So many unhappy couples were formed."

“Some two people are clearly a perfect match, but they have never been destined to be together. By introducing them to each other, they can become a perfect match.”

“Sometimes I see young women who have become mothers in this temple, bringing their daughters to worship.”

The Stone Goddess's voice grew softer and softer as she spoke.

“I can also watch them spend their entire lives here.”

"Otherwise, cultivation would be too lonely..."

Jiang She stood under the withered elm tree, gazing at the temple from afar. It was an ordinary earthen temple. He could see steamed buns on the offering plate, already dry and covered in dust, having been there for who knows how long, untouched even by the travelers in the temple.

After the Stone Goddess finished speaking, she waited anxiously for the expert to intercede on her behalf, stammering for a while. Before she could finish...

Then the wise man said, "What you say makes sense."

The Stone Goddess was taken aback.

The dark blue body froze, as still as a stone.

Jiang She thought for a moment.

“Fellow Daoist has not done anything wrong. However, if I let you go today, in a few days, I’m afraid many cultivators will come to Yanzhou, and among them, there may be some virtuous people.”

"They may not let you go, fellow Daoist."

The Stone Goddess became very nervous, fearing that this powerful man would demolish her temple or beat her to death.

Li Bai and Yuan Danqiu raised their heads.

The two men keenly noticed that the gentleman had changed his form of address. Previously, he had called her "Stone Goddess" following the man's example, but now he was calling her "Fellow Daoist."

Jiang She pondered.

"It's better than this."

Jiang She pulled a piece of paper from his sleeve. Since he had no pen or ink at hand, he casually wrote on the paper, his strokes resembling the movements of dragons and snakes.

The old deer mountain god, who had been smiling all the way, carefully examined the object from the side.

His expression finally changed.

Jiang She finished writing.

Stick it on the wall.

Yuan Danqiu saw it. The paper clearly hadn't been glued on, but when it hit the earthen wall of the temple, it stuck to it perfectly. The cold wind kept blowing, but it didn't even flutter.

Jiang She said, "In that case, we need not fear ordinary Taoist priests."

"Not afraid of ghosts or spirits."

He looked at the Stone Goddess, "But—"

"If one day you, fellow Daoist, walk the evil path, do evil deeds, or misuse your Daoist magic to harm people, this paper will disappear."

"Not only that."

"It will also attract the attention of the City God, or the nearby mountain gods and local deities, who will deal with you together."

"Do you remember?"

The Stone Goddess looked at the paper but couldn't make out what was written on it; she only knew it was powerful.

She readily agreed.

Jiang She smiled gently again and cupped his hands in greeting:
"The path to enlightenment is long and arduous; do not stray onto the wrong path."

"I apologize for bothering you today."

He made the group reappear. After the man finished worshipping the Stone Goddess, he searched the vicinity for a quarter of an hour but did not see the young men. Suddenly, he saw people walking from outside the temple, and the man breathed a sigh of relief.

"I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I didn't see my husband go out."

He then asked Jiang She, "Have you finished your prayers?"

Jiang She smiled.

"I've seen it before."

After thanking him for waiting, the group slowly walked back into the city, the man recounting the interesting things he had seen in Yanzhou along the way. The Stone Goddess, hiding in the temple, breathed a sigh of relief when she saw them leave.

"So it was this man who brought the expert here."

She remembered that the man had prayed several times before, hoping to cure his wife. The Stone Goddess had observed from afar that the woman was suffering from postpartum complications.

She walked around to the front of the temple and looked at the paper that had been pasted up. There were some things that looked like characters on it. Upon closer inspection, they were mysterious and indescribable.

The Stone Goddess stared for a long time, and her head began to ache.

"What is this writing...?"

evening.

Jiang She, Li Bai, Yuan Danqiu, and the mountain god returned home as the evening glow set in.

When the cat saw Jiang She return, it was excited. It jumped down from the locust tree in a few steps, rolled twice on the ground, and found a "new friend" in the mouse hole.

It raised its paw, gesturing to Jiang She.

The mouse trembled on the ground.

Jiang She looked down at the poor mouse and sighed with a smile.

"You can't eat this either."

The cat tilted its head.

My pronunciation is much more accurate than it was this morning.

"friend……"

He pressed his paw on the mouse, then looked at Jiang She.

Jiang She was having a bit of a headache, wondering how to explain it to the black cat.

The nest of mice in the corner, though intelligent and somewhat like little monsters, might one day become friends with the cat and play together.

but.

Jiang She didn't really want to be friends with the cat's friends.

(End of this chapter)