I became an immortal in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 155 Mount Tai stands majestically, yet no immortals are to be seen.

The Taoist priest had been pondering this question for a long time.

Jiang She answered his question.

"The one in front of the temple is called an imperial edict."

"The letter from the Pei family is the correct one."

"They are all taken from heaven and earth. The former can command ghosts and gods. The latter can drive away demons and protect the home."

Looking at the ecstatic Taoist priest before him, he knew of his impoverished and humble past, and his various experiences in seeking the Tao. Now, summoned by the sage to become a virtuous man, he had finally seen glory and wealth.

I don't know what happened afterward.

Perhaps one achieves enlightenment through cultivation and roams freely in the world. Or perhaps one abandons the path midway, returning to the mortal realm to seek wealth and status.

It is also possible that one might die while seeking the Tao.

Just like the Venerable Jin Yuan of yesteryear.

Jiang She rose and faced the Taoist priest who was still bowing, noticing his black hair at the temples. He was radiant with divine light and worshipped with utmost respect.

Jiang She sighed softly.

He cupped his hands in greeting.

"The path to enlightenment is arduous."

"Fellow Daoist, take care."

The Taoist priest looked up and saw only the other person's blue back.

After the other person left, the woman in Jin clothing, who was not far away, also came over. Seeing the joy on the Taoist's face, as well as the sense of loss in his heart, she asked in a low voice.

"what happened to you?"

Master Qiu Qi paused for a moment, then replied, "I already know what that word means."

The woman quickly asked for advice.

"Edict."

The Taoist priest said, "It can bestow titles upon ghosts and gods, no wonder... even when the imperial court sent people to investigate, they could not obtain them."

The two remained silent for a while, each with their own thoughts.

After a long while, the woman asked.

"What do you think?"

The Taoist priest opened his mouth, then looked at the temple again. He could hear people exclaiming that the emperor's entourage was nearby. Neither of them paid any attention to the emperor's affairs.

The Taoist priest said:
"I only felt that the Great Way was vast and boundless."

The woman sighed, her eyes still slightly red, her mind reeling: "I wonder if I'll ever find it in my lifetime."

He then asked, "Which senior told you this? Does that person know who wrote it?"

The Taoist priest hesitated for a moment.

He shook his head slightly as he recalled that elegant and composed immortal master.

"I can't say."

The woman knew that the other party was keeping his promise, so she did not ask any further questions. She only said with regret, "It's a pity that the monk died without ever knowing it."

Taoist priests also felt this way.

He looked out of the temple.

All I could see was that figure walking away step by step into the distance.

Jiang She descended the stone steps in front of the temple and stood outside, listening to various trivial discussions about emperors encountering immortals. His gaze fell upon a magnificent expanse of banners, stretching endlessly into a line against the azure sky, as beautiful as rosy clouds.

The emperor's carriages are approaching.

In the thirteenth year of the Kaiyuan era, the emperor performed the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai.

Returning home today.

……

……

Wu Daozi rode on horseback, having been commissioned to paint for the Fengshan ceremony. Along the way, he surveyed the landscapes stretching for thousands of miles. He especially visited Yanzhou and Mount Tai, wandering around and observing the local customs.

Now, as I leave, I'm taking one last, careful look around.

He rode on his horse and saw the Stone Goddess Temple in the distance. As they traveled along the official road, they could see a crowd of worshippers in front of the temple, some selling cakes, others holding colorful banners, gathered in twos and threes, creating a lively scene.

They are all subtle and distant.

As Wu Daozi's gaze swept around, he suddenly caught sight of a green robe.

He suddenly paused.

next to.

A colleague recounted his encounter with immortals on Mount Tai with great relish.

"I never imagined there really were immortals on Mount Tai. I wonder who they are. Judging from their graceful departure, they don't seem to be the Lord of Mount Tai."

Someone nearby corrected him.

"Now he should be called the Heavenly King."

After the Fengshan ceremony, the emperor bestowed upon the god of Mount Tai the title of King of Heavenly Qi. He granted the god of a mountain the honorary title of a king or marquis.

“I still think ‘Lord of Mount Tai’ sounds better,” the official muttered.

Some officials expressed their longing for it.

As Ruan Ji once said, "Drifting between clouds and sun, far removed from the ways of the world," detached from the center of heaven and earth, wandering in the four fields, this must be what a true immortal is like.

"I think so too." "Riding the clouds, commanding flying dragons, and roaming beyond the four seas..."

"I never expected to see a true immortal during this Fengshan ceremony; what a stroke of luck!"

The officials sighed for a while.

Some people looked toward Wu Daozi.

"Master Wu has painted so many immortals and gods; his painting skills are divine. I wonder what his insights are?"

Wu Daozi was gazing at a certain spot, lost in thought for a long time.

The man received no response, so he called out twice before Wu Daozi finally came to his senses and asked in surprise:
Why is Wu Sheng staring at that temple?

When Wu Daozi looked again, the figure had already disappeared.

He paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "That's the Stone Goddess Temple. I've heard it's very efficacious. I've visited it before, and I'll just take a second look today."

Some people have heard of the Stone Goddess Temple.

"Did Wu Sheng make a wish?"

Wu Daozi was taken aback.

He laughed and said, "I forgot to make a wish."

The man burst into laughter and started talking about the commotion again.

"I heard that the wild temple is very powerful, and there's even a Taoist manual left by an immortal. It's quite a hot topic."

"What kind of Taoist magic?"

"I didn't inquire about such details, I only knew that it was related to Zhang Guolao."

Zheng Yi listened from the side.

He has risen several ranks and now wears a red robe befitting a fourth or fifth-rank official. In his early twenties, he is youthful-looking and full of vigor. Walking among a group of elderly men in purple and red official robes, he stands out quite a bit.

He also glanced at the temple.

It's too far away to see the paper in front of the temple.

I can't understand why such a light piece of paper is so hard to peel off.

Are they really gods?

The emperor's carriage was not far from these officials.

The cold wind howled.

Gao Lishi walked beside the emperor's carriage, his gaze sweeping over the civil and military officials, and further afield, the imperial guards protecting him—a dense, dark mass of people marching along the official road.

They had already walked several miles ahead, but many people in the rear of the group were still not out of the city.

A palace attendant came over and whispered to him the discussion that the high-ranking officials had just made.

Gao Lishi raised an eyebrow slightly.

He glanced at the temple in the distance, thought for a moment, dismounted, walked to the imperial carriage, and from outside the carriage, asked in a clear and gentle voice with a smile:

"The Stone Goddess Temple is just ahead. Would you like to stop, Your Majesty?"

The emperor sat in the carriage.

I lifted the curtain and peeked at the low temple from afar.

"That piece of paper really can't be removed?"

Gao Lishi sighed in frustration, "I had already used all my strength, but I still couldn't remove it. I don't know why."

The emperor asked.

"In your opinion, is it truly written by an immortal?"

Gao Lishi laughed and said, "How would I know? I have never seen a deity."

The emperor glanced again at the low, dilapidated temple. His subordinates reported that it was a mud-walled, earthen temple. What could such a temple possibly do?
Why stop the carriages and horses of tens of thousands of people for a rest?

"No need."

"Let's keep going."

The curtain swayed slightly and then closed again.

Gao Lishi bowed slightly and clasped his hands in a salute. Knowing that the emperor had no interest in a deserted temple, he turned and remounted his horse. Gao Lishi's gaze no longer fell on the temple.

He turned around and glanced back while still on horseback.

Mount Tai is majestic.

The immortals have vanished without a trace.

As far as the eye could see, all that could be seen was an emperor performing the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai, with immense majesty. Thousands of horses and a retinue stretching for miles. Along the way, envoys from ten countries, including Persia and Japan, accompanied him.

Thousands of chariots and tens of thousands of riders, their cloud-like canopies stretching far and wide.

The mountains and rivers are like brocade, and the military might shines like the sun and moon.

The procession of tens of thousands of people marched in a mighty procession towards the distance. It would take them a month, until the first month of the following year, to reach Chang'an.

The furthest point.

The governor of Yanzhou, accompanied by all the officials of Yanzhou, watched the carriages and horses gradually disappear into the distance and finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had barely closed his eyes for the past month, his mind constantly on edge.

Now that the Emperor has departed, the Governor of Yanzhou still feels a sense of loss.

I wonder if Wu Daozi, that great master, included his image on the scroll when he was painting.

That would truly make him famous for all time.

【Ask for monthly ticket】

(End of this chapter)