I became an immortal in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 110 Zhang Guolao's Magic Contest in the Snow (+5)

Li Bai opened the door; there were no servants or attendants in their courtyard, and everyone had to work.

They saw an unfamiliar old man standing outside the door.

He asked, "Sir, have you come to the wrong place?"

The old man stroked his beard, sized up the young man before him, and asked with a smile, "Is this a haunted house?"

Li Bai agreed, and Yuan Danqiu, hearing the voice, also came over. The two looked at the old man's flowing robes, and a white donkey in the distance outside the courtyard, looking rather carefree, suggesting he was a Taoist.

He cupped his hands in greeting and said:
"Thank you for your kindness, sir. There is no need to exorcise the ghost here."

The old man laughed and scolded:
"Did I travel thousands of miles just to exorcise ghosts?"

Judging from his demeanor, Li Bai and Yuan Danqiu realized he was no ordinary person. Seeing that the old man was indeed very old and it was cold outside, they invited him in to talk.

Li Bai looked at the donkey.

He said, "Old man, bring the donkey into the yard too; we have a stable here."

The old man chuckled as he led the donkey inside.

The donkey was pure white, without a single stray hair. It didn't seem to be afraid of the cold. After entering the yard, it went to the stable to drink water and then brayed, wanting to eat.

Yuan Danqiu chatted with the old man.

Li Bai then went to the main room and knocked on the door to find his teacher.

Jiang She was sitting in the study, teaching the cat to talk, one sentence at a time. The black cat was stuttering and babbling, "When the cold comes, the rats go... In autumn, they search and hide in the east..."

As soon as he pushed open the door, the cat stopped making a sound and stared intently at the person who came in.

Jiang She also raised his head.

"Have we had guests?"

Li Bai seemed to have heard some noise just now. He looked around inquisitively, and after a moment of surprise, he said:
An old man came.

He noticed a thin booklet in front of Jiang She, containing the Thousand Character Classic. He glanced at it and followed the teacher to meet the guest.

That cat can jump faster than a person.

Their steps were light, and they looked relieved.

Li Bai watched for a while before turning his gaze away. An old man has come; why is the cat so happy?

In the hall.

The old man with white hair and beard sat cross-legged on the mat, discussing the scenery of the mountains with Yuan Danqiu. His gaze kept looking back. After chatting for a while, Yuan Danqiu gradually began to understand.

Jiang She, the Mountain God, and Li Bai walked in.

That's what I saw.

Outside, it was snowing heavily. Paper was pasted on the window frames of the main room, and the sky was bright. An old Taoist priest with white hair and beard sat opposite a young Taoist priest.

Outside the main room, a copper kettle was boiling.

The old man glanced at the cat that had darted into the house first.

He smiled at the newcomer and said, "You have quite the interest, keeping a little cat demon by your side."

Li Bai recalled the strange voices he had just heard in his teacher's study.

His gaze fell on the cat.

I was astonished.

Isn't this the cat that my neighbor Xu Dalang gave me in Xiangyang? Has it become a demon?

Jiang She also looked at the cat, and the two stared at each other. The cat meowed, rubbed against Jiang She, and snuggled into his arms. Then, hearing the stove boiling and the steam hissing against the lid, Jiang She looked around to see what was happening.

Jiang She smiled.

The old man withdrew his gaze from the little cat demon, somewhat smugly, and said, "Why don't you take a look at my white donkey?"

The old man clapped his hands.

Then a donkey came walking over; it was all white.

Yuan Danqiu asked.

What's unusual about this donkey?

The mountain god was also watching. This donkey seemed like a demon but wasn't. It was said to have entered the Tao, but in reality, it didn't look like one at all.

The old man pointed at the donkey and laughed:

"My donkey can travel ten thousand miles a day."

"At noon today, I was still in the Qi King's palace. In less than a quarter of an hour, I arrived at your door. How is it?"

Li Bai calculated it in his mind.

If you travel from Chang'an, it would take you ten thousand li to reach the seas of Japan.

If it had been a year ago, before they met the master, both Li Bai and Yuan Danqiu would have paid their respects as disciples, hoping to become his students and learn the Daoist arts. But they had personally roamed among the clouds.

Having seen the Five Sacred Mountains right beneath my feet, I've also witnessed the scenery from the heavens.

Upon hearing these words, the two were merely surprised, calculating how far "ten thousand li" was; they had no intention of bowing and becoming his disciples. They were also not particularly surprised to hear that they had met the Prince of Qi before.

Jiang She said, "Old man, you have great skills."

The old man squinted as he looked.

"My lord, you don't believe me?"

Yuan Danqiu laughed from the side and said, "Sir, you also had a donkey before. Although it never traveled more than 10,000 miles, it still had some unusual features."

What donkey could be more extraordinary than his?
The old man glanced at the four people seated, his gaze sweeping over the man who was even older than him.

Yuan Danqiu deliberately paused for a moment before continuing:

“That donkey is essentially an ordinary piece of paper. Once it comes into contact with human breath, it can become a living donkey. Once its origin is revealed, it can turn back into paper and be put into one’s pocket.”

"Are there really such donkeys in the world?"

Li Bai, standing nearby, said:

"Not only donkeys, but also a paper cat that you gave away before. It can transform into a cat and look just like a real one."

The old man became even more curious.

He asked Jiang She, "Could you show me something?"

Jiang She looked at the white donkey and laughed, "Old man, you already have one donkey, why add another?"

The old man thought for a moment.

"Since you can turn paper into a donkey, sir, could you also turn a donkey into paper?"

"Never tried it."

Jiang She glanced at the donkey sniffing the cat and said, "But it's worth a try."

The old man was waiting for this person to perform the spell, thinking it would take some time, but he saw the other person get up, pat the white donkey's head, and then blow a breath.

……

A thin piece of paper floated down from the ground; it was a white sheet of paper with a lifelike donkey shape.

The old man's hand, which was holding the teacup, stopped moving.

He instinctively picked up the paper.

As soon as the hand touched the paper, it slipped from the fingers and floated to the ground. A white donkey, exactly the same as before, stepped onto the floor tiles of the main room.

Upon seeing the old man, the white donkey, as usual, rubbed against his hand.

The old man was greatly surprised.

"What kind of Taoist magic is this?"

Jiang She said, "The paper turned into a donkey by borrowing a bit of spiritual light from heaven and earth. Once its origin is exposed, it will turn back into its original form."

"Now it's just the opposite: the spiritual energy is extracted, and it becomes paper."

"Being made of flesh and blood, it is not afraid of water or fire."

The old man listened attentively.

the end.

He cupped his hands in greeting and smiled:

"Old man Zhang Guo, I've seen it all today, I've seen it all."

He spoke earnestly, and Jiang She returned the greeting.

He also laughed and said:
"It's just a few tricks. The old man can travel ten thousand miles a day on a donkey, which is quite an amazing feat."

As he spoke, he returned to his seat. The cat was sniffing the donkey and staring at the crackling firewood inside. The kettle on the stove was boiling, and Jiang She beckoned it over.

When guests arrive, it's natural to serve them the best tea.

He took out a packet of tea leaves from his sleeve, put it into boiling water, and soon a green color and fragrance appeared.

He poured tea into several people's cups.

Outside, the cold wind howled and snow covered the ground; inside, the Dharma was discussed and tea was brewed, leaving a lingering fragrance.

The old man, Zhang Guo, stared intently at the other man's wide sleeves, which seemed light and airy. Although he hadn't looked closely, he was certain there was nothing inside the sleeves, let alone a packet of tea.

Zhang Guo couldn't help but ask.

"Is this also a supernatural power?"

The old deer mountain god also looked over and gazed at the gentleman; he had wanted to ask this question for a long time.

(End of this chapter)