I became an immortal in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 118 The Seeker of the Dao Attends a Feast in the Tang Dynasty (+1)

The little spirits had just emerged from the ethereal mist when they heard these words. They had never seen a mountain god or water deity before, but they knew they were powerful demons.

Jiang She recalled the Water Lord of the Wei River, a smile appearing on his face.

"It's a gluttonous dragon."

Zhang Guolao stroked his beard and sighed, "Sir, you have a wide circle of friends."

This meal lasted until evening.

The group chatted and ate wine and soup. Li Bai even went outside and bought half a basket of flatbread for him and Yuan Danqiu, and some roasted mutton skewers for Mao'er.

The most enjoyable part of drinking is when you're halfway through.

Once this cup is finished, there's always another one to keep you warm.

Zhang Guolao recounted his previous travels, mentioning how he had tricked officials who came looking for him, and how he had taught himself a method that could instantly kill someone.

"That official was terrified and had no choice but to bury me... hahaha..."

As he got excited, Zhang Guolao burst into laughter.

He stroked the wine cup, took a sip of the wine that was about to spill, and continued:

Two more years passed.

"I never expected to run into him in Zhongtiao Mountain. The man thought he was a ghost, but then he remembered that he had been guarding the door every day."

"But it caused me, an old man, a lot of trouble..."

When the moon is high in the sky.

They were all drunk.

The fish soup in the pot was finished, and Jiang She also tried the mutton and flatbread that Li Bai had bought.

The spirits in the house also felt much more at ease.

After eating fish soup and drinking fine wine, we boldly chatted and were no longer so afraid of being dealt with by a master.

Only the mouse hadn't let go of its resentment and continued to avoid the cat.

Jiang She could still hear the Du family's sleep-talking from across the wall. The little boy mumbled, "Smells so good..."

At last.

Zhang Guolao led a white donkey.

He smiled and said goodbye to Jiang She.

"It's getting late today, so I'll head back now and meet with you another day!"

Jiang She also cupped his hands in greeting.

Farewell, Elder Guo.

Zhang Guolao was always carefree. Today, he spent the day strolling around Yanzhou, enjoying the scenery, and might even spend the night in the Zhongtiao Mountains, a thousand miles away. He fell asleep gazing at the endless mountain range, though the old man was still quite drunk.

He rode the white donkey backwards.

With fluttering robes, the aged figure vanished in an instant into the moonlit snow.

It doesn't take a while.

Zhang Guo then went outside the county. He saw from afar that there were still several people sitting in front of the Stone Goddess Temple. The monks had returned after exorcising other evil spirits and deities during the day.

The Taoist teachings on the paper were no longer visible at night.

They would sit cross-legged or kneel, close their eyes, recall the wonderful teachings they had observed during the day, and calmly contemplate them.

The old man, riding on the back of a donkey, witnessed this scene.

I recall his friend mentioning the above text.

"Edict."

Zhang Guolao shook his head, looked at these people, and for a moment did not know whether to call them fools or lucky seekers of the Dao.

If one could learn even one tenth of it.

No, not even half a bit.

This can be considered as entering the path of enlightenment, with a bright future ahead, which will greatly benefit one's spiritual practice.

……

……

In the courtyard, everyone dispersed.

Jiang She went back to his bedroom to sleep, with the cat following him closely.

The old deer mountain god meditated in contemplation.

Li Bai and Yuan Danqiu were quite drunk. They had drunk fish soup and fine wine that day, listened to many strange and wonderful stories told by Zhang Guolao, and were surrounded by spirits. They fell into a deep sleep.

After a hearty meal, the mouse went to its hole by the wall to rest.

The illusory images of the screen and the soapberry tree drifted back.

All was silent, only the sound of wind and snow pounding against the door.

Jiang She lay on his pillow, a sleepy black cat lounging beside him, and drifted off to sleep.

I woke up the next day.

It was already broad daylight.

Jiang She put on his clothes, pushed open the door, and came out, somewhat surprised.

The snow that fell all day yesterday has stopped, but it has piled up thickly in the yard, about half a foot high, already covering the ankles. There is a crisp, fresh scent in the air after the snowfall; taking a breath, one's lungs feel refreshed.

And in the yard.

There was a snow-sweeped path, revealing the dark stone bricks underneath.

Upon closer inspection, there were several crooked footprints nearby, some resembling mouse tracks.

Jiang She gazed at the snow-sweeping path for a while.

A little speechless.

After thinking for a moment, he took the leftover sesame cakes and mutton from yesterday and carefully placed them in front of the mouse hole. He whispered:

"Thank you."

The mice huddled together, already asleep.

There was a knock at the courtyard gate. Jiang She put down the flatbread and mutton, went over, and saw a boy whose cheeks were red from the cold standing outside.

He invited someone in.

"What brings you here, Adu?"

After several attempts, he finally got the door opened. Du Fu breathed a sigh of relief and sat in the warm main room, where Mr. Jiang had thoughtfully placed a charcoal brazier at his feet.

Du Fu knelt upright.

He looked at Jiang She, his eyes bright.

“My uncle is a good friend of the governor of Yanzhou, so he can invite people to the banquet. These past few days, the emperor has been visiting Yanzhou, and there has been a lot of excitement. I heard that Lady Gongsun is also performing a sword dance.”

"I thought you enjoyed lively gatherings, so I took the liberty of visiting you."

"Would you be willing to go, sir?"

Jiang She asked, "When was it?"

Du Fu breathed a sigh of relief and smiled when he saw Jiang She agree.

"It will be tonight, at the hour of You (5-7 PM)."

Du Fu suddenly remembered that Mr. Jiang had companions, and added, "If your companions also wish to come, they may come along!"

Jiang She expressed his gratitude.

Du Fu also said:

"There are many people at the banquet. Lady Gongsun is the most famous in Chang'an. Have you seen Lady Gongsun perform her sword dance before, sir?"

Jiang She shook his head.

He said, "I have never been to Chang'an."

"Then we can see it today!"

Du Fu had clearly inquired a great deal about this from his family, and he spoke of it with great relish:

"I've heard there are also envoys from many small countries, including people from Kucha and Gaochang in the former Western Regions, as well as slaves from Kunlun. It's been quite lively these past few days."

It’s really lively.

Jiang She remembered the sleep-talking he had heard the night before and wanted to invite him to have lunch.

Du Fu shook his head, somewhat regretful.

"My uncle is going to take me to visit a friend later."

He said with relief, "Fortunately, sir opened the door just now, otherwise I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to invite you."

They chatted for a couple more minutes.

Du Fu reminded Du Fu of the location and time of the banquet, then took his leave.

Two quarters of an hour later, Jiang She heard a sound coming from outside the Du family's gate. Carriages and horses were passing over the snowy road, and the Du family uncle and nephew had already gone out.

……

Youshi.

The banquet has begun.

Many foreigners sat at the banquet, some with deep, bright eyes and blue-green pupils, others with dark skin... all of them were traveling with the emperor.

We came to Mount Tai together to observe Zen.

Jiang She, Li Bai, and Yuan Danqiu sat on the side of the local gentry of Yanzhou.

This was a private feast, where everyone was very relaxed. Many people didn't know each other, yet they could still raise their glasses and chat together.

The banquet featured a sumptuous feast.

Not only does it offer sashimi and crab soup, but it also features the famous dish from Chang'an Zhengdian, Hunyang Mohu.

The process involves cleaning and hollowing out the goose, stuffing it with glutinous rice, meat, and spices, then placing the goose inside a sheep's belly to roast it. Finally, the entire sheep is discarded and served to the servants, while the guests only eat the goose meat.

There was also a candlestick beside Jiang She.

It is an exquisite bronze figure, finely carved, luxurious and beautiful, and also a uniquely shaped incense burner, filled with incense powder, with wisps of smoke rising, like a dream.

The group was drinking and listening to the pipa, konghou, and jiegu instruments played at the banquet.

The intricate and luxurious style is quite captivating.

Then I heard someone beside me holding a wine cup, their voice slightly slurred:
"Have you heard? When the people of the Prince Qi's mansion were praying for the Prince Qi's health and eliminating evil spirits, an old deity suddenly appeared in front of the temple."

The other person had already heard about it.

He chuckled and said, "Who in Yanzhou doesn't know this now?"

“That old immortal was riding a donkey, and the donkey was being ridden backwards. I think it was Zhang Guolao, who was once summoned by the sage but refused to come to court.”

"As Zhang Guolao said, the King of Qi is destined to die young, and there's no point in trying to prolong his life!"

"Shh!"

The other person immediately sobered up, raised his chin, and gestured for the other to look into the distance.

He whispered:

"Speak softly, his only son, the Prince of Hedong, is at the banquet!"

Jiang She also looked in that direction.

All that could be seen was a cluster of floating candles in the distance.

In the lamplight, a man in purple robes, his brocade goblet shimmering, held a wine cup in one hand. He was leaning against two beautiful women, looking tipsy.

He raised his eyebrows, a smile playing on his lips, and spoke to people.

His hands were still tapping lightly on the table, and upon closer inspection, it appeared he was responding to the music of the pipa player nearby.

……

……

The August monthly votes are out, a total of 6173. At 500 votes per chapter, that's 12 extra chapters needed. You guys are really good at voting... I still owe 6 extra chapters this month.

In addition, in September, I'll muster the courage to continue testing the [Monthly Ticket Bonus Chapter] and [Alliance Leader Bonus Chapter] programs.

500 monthly votes will get you one extra chapter, and a top-ranking patron will get you two extra chapters. The final settlement will be made at the end of the month…

(The extra words in this paragraph are not charged.)

(End of this chapter)