I became an immortal in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 151 Sighs from Ghosts and Gods (+8)

The City God took a closer look at the elderly man, who was over eighty years old. His hair and beard were completely white, and he looked extremely old.

He laughed.

"So we're kindred spirits. It seems you've made progress in your cultivation."

The City God sighed and answered the question.

"We are ghosts. After we depart, we will be nothing more than ghosts with some spiritual power! How can we relinquish our duties and leave?"

The Old Deer Mountain God said no more.

The City God then mentioned that he had also gone to that tavern to listen to the storyteller's tales these past two days. The stories were fresh and, upon careful reading, had the charm of spiritual practice.

"Did you make these, sir?"

Jiang She admitted it.

"Most of it was heard from others."

The City God sighed again.

"Is it true that offering incense in front of the temple will extend the old deer's life by ten years? I wonder who did this?"

Jiang She picked up his wine cup but remained silent.

The Old Deer Mountain God looked at the longing on the face of the City God of Yanzhou, said nothing, and sat back down with a smile.

Judge Wu, standing nearby, said, "I'm afraid most of it is just hearsay."

Jiang She glanced at the City God.

"I believe the City God's lifespan is still long."

The City God said frankly, "It is long, but who wouldn't want to meet a deity?"

He drank two more cups of wine. In between, they talked for a while about the mountains and rivers and the scenery of Jiangnan. Jiang She thought of the woman praying for incense in the temple.

He asked:
"When the City God grants someone's wish, what kind of person does he usually choose?"

The City God thought to himself:
"Be a kind person, come sincerely to ask, and don't be greedy."

Judge Wen glanced at Pei Ze.

That's greedy.

Jiang She nodded and then asked, "I wonder if the women in the Jiang family courtyard at the end of the south street in the county have ever done anything wrong?"

Judge Wen flipped through the booklet and found one of the pages.

took a glance.

"Is he a woman of the night?"

“Yes,” Jiang She said.

"She did not do anything wrong."

There might be a chance.

Jiang She said gently, "I heard that her foster mother wanted to sell her daughter into prostitution to learn a trade. I have come here today to ask for help because I hope that my daughter will not become a prostitute in the future."

Judge Wen then went to find her daughter.

He looked towards the City God.

This was no big deal. The City God of Yanzhou recalled hearing the incense seller's curses and understood the situation. He smiled and said:
"Of course!"

Jiang She breathed a sigh of relief and thanked him sincerely.

The City God quickly stopped him.

"Sir, you're too kind!"

They ate for a full hour, mostly chatting, and finally stood downstairs at the restaurant to say goodbye.

The Old Deer Mountain God stood beside Jiang She, watching with a smile as the City God and his two companions departed.

I took a few steps.

The City God had a sudden thought.

He turned around and asked, "May I ask how many years you have been cultivating? Where did you cultivate before?"

This fellow Daoist had completely white hair and beard; he was very old and looked like he was about to die.

"Eight hundred years."

The old Deer Mountain God said with a hint of sarcasm, "I was once the Deer Gate Mountain God."

The mountain god of Lumen Mountain...

Eight hundred years of cultivation...

The City God's eyes widened immediately.

"Fellow Daoist, are you the white deer that the storyteller spoke of?"

The old deer mountain god nodded slightly, lingering no longer, and drifted away with the gentleman. His wide sleeves and flowing robes gave him an ethereal, otherworldly appearance, like a wise old immortal.

The civil judge and the military judge exchanged a glance.

He pressed on, asking:
"Would the senior find that incense stick acceptable?"

They could not hear a reply, but the three ghosts already knew the answer in their hearts.

They looked at each other.

Judge Wu said in shock.

"It's Mount Lumen!"

Judge Wen recalled the storytelling tale and slowly said:

"That immortal who extends people's lives by ten years..."

The City God stood below the restaurant for a long time, gazing at the snow path that had disappeared from sight, wishing he could follow it.

After a long pause, the City God turned around and said:

"It's all that incense seller's fault!"

……

……

Jiang She walked on the street.

The Pei couple had a meal, which was indeed delicious. After thanking them, they took their leave. As they left, Pei Ze could still be heard asking his wife, "Have I seen that person before? What is it that I need to remember..."

They then strolled with the Du family uncle and nephew through the calligraphy and painting stalls near the temple fair.

Du Jialang bought two paintings and a calligraphy book.

Du Fu, who had been in high spirits, suddenly slumped down.

Li Bai glanced at it; the calligraphy copybook was a poem by Yang Jiong. He looked away, thinking it was nothing special.

Young Master Du noticed that he wasn't very interested.

When asked, "Does the gentleman not like this poem?"

Li Bai nodded.

"I write better than him."

Du Langjun looked at him curiously, somewhat disbelieving, and just smiled.

Li Bai noticed that Yang was very drunk and was walking unsteadily, supporting each other with Yuan Danqiu. "I think Yang's poem lacks spirit and charm."

Du Fu glanced at the drunkard.

Du Langjun was about to argue.

The lively sound of gongs and drums in front interrupted their conversation.

More people joined in the exorcism ritual, and all the young men in the group responded loudly.

"Nuo!"

"Nuo!"

"Drive them away!"

The crowd beat drums and gongs, lit torches, and marched along the main streets of the city, performing actions of searching for and expelling ghosts. One of the men was the tallest and played the role of the exorcist god, wearing a golden mask with four eyes painted on it.

He was dressed in a bearskin, holding a spear in one hand and a shield in the other.

They traveled in a grand procession along the road.

When passersby encountered this, they would specifically ask them to pat the child to drive away the plague demon and eliminate the evil spirit.

Du's son gave him a push forward.

Du Fu closed his eyes and was patted twice.

Firecrackers rang out in bursts.

The hoarse shouts still echoed in their ears, passing over the group of people.

"My son, Wei—"

"All ghosts and monsters must be made to hide. If they do not hide, they must be captured—"

Flames burned fiercely, dancing and leaping above the torches, occasionally scattering sparks that drifted past the clothes of Jiang She and his companions.

The cat was startled and watched the sparks warily.

The crowd burst into laughter.

The leading exorcist god also laughed.

Someone patted the cat twice, seemingly to ward off bad luck.

The group marched past in a grand procession.

Jiang She and his companions happened to be going the same way, so they traveled with them for a while.

Along the way, more and more people joined the exorcism procession, and so the procession grew longer and longer.

The exorcist god led the way. Behind him was a group of monks wearing masks, exorcism costumes, and red trousers. Further back, the clothing became more chaotic, and there were men, women, young and old among them. Jiang She, Xiao Mao, Li Bai, Yuan Danqiu, the Mountain God, Du Fu, and Du Langjun were mixed in with the crowd. They walked along the main road of the city, with laughter and chatter filling the air.

Fireworks were held aloft beside him.

The sounds of drums, flutes, and music continued, accompanied by chants of exorcism.

I saw the mother and daughter again on the road. The flames illuminated their faces, which were either tired or innocent.

"Nuo!"

"The plague demons have been completely eradicated—"

This group of people set off from the City God Temple, full of hope, and marched out of the city in a grand procession.

So even in the dead of winter, I didn't feel cold.

……

……

Inside the City God Temple.

The old man selling incense tended his stall. When someone asked, he would recommend the incense sticks that cost 100 coins to those who were well-dressed, and point to the five-coin sticks to those who were poor.

Suddenly, a cold wind blew by, and the old man clutched his clothes tightly.

Do not know why.

The table suddenly became unstable and tipped over. Right in front of the statue, the incense sticks were smashed to the ground.

It was smashed to pieces.

(End of this chapter)