I became an immortal in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 159 A Spark

The emperor quickly summoned the three men.

"So, it was Chen Qing who encountered an immortal?"

The emperor's voice was kind and his tone gentle. He sat in a royal tent rather than a nine-tiered palace, which made him appear approachable and friendly.

This matter has already come to the attention of the sage.

Chen Hong clasped his hands in a respectful bow, his tone deferential:

"Your Majesty, it was I who encountered a deity."

The attendants inside the tent all looked over. This was the emperor's tent; they were merely surprised, but no one dared to utter a sound and disturb them.

Gao Lishi sized up the three masters of painting.

He spoke in a friendly tone:
"What does that painting look like? Wu Sheng, bring it here for the Emperor to see."

Wu Daozi had already prepared, and took out the hastily drawn sketch from the box.

The three discussed the painting for a long time, but none of them dared to add a single stroke. Chen Hong, in particular, wished he could enshrine the painting. It was still in the same style as Wu Daozi's previous paintings: emperor, officials, auspicious beasts, foreign envoys, mountains, rivers, and plants.

Only one celestial being from the clouds is missing.

Upon seeing the draft, Gao Lishi could already discern the flowing, dynamic cloud patterns, the emperor's robes fluttering, and the officials accompanying him, chatting and laughing—a magnificent and awe-inspiring scene of a prosperous era.

He presented it to the emperor.

He exclaimed, "It is truly a wonderful painting!"

He then asked Wu Daozi, "Where were the immortals depicted before?"

Wu Daozi stepped forward and pointed it out respectfully.

"And there they drifted away on the clouds."

The immortal in the clouds is exactly the same as the one I met during the Fengshan ceremony.

The emperor's gaze returned to Chen Hong, and he asked, "What did the immortals say to you?"

Chen Hong then repeated everything he had said. In the past two days, everyone who saw him had asked him about it. He had said it over and over again, recalling many details and even carefully studying the tone of the other person's voice.

Chen Hong regretted that he was so afraid at the time. If he had been bolder, he might have encountered a divine opportunity.

"The finishing touch is done and it takes flight."

"It drifted away."

"It is the same as the dragon painted in the temple by Zhang Sengyao during the Southern Dynasties."

The emperor listened with great interest. He slightly raised his hand, signaling for someone to bring pen, ink, and fine paper to a table. He then said to Wu Daozi:

"Wu Qing, paint another portrait of that deity."

"Draw it the same way you did before."

Wu Daozi was reluctant to paint immortals anymore. It was one thing that he didn't know reverence before, but now that he had seen the strange phenomenon, asking him to paint again... I'm afraid even the gods wouldn't be so lenient.

Seeing his hesitation, Gao Lishi smiled and said.

“If it is Wu Sheng’s painting, then let the sage see it.”

The paper has been laid out, and the brush and ink have been prepared by the attendants; they are all tributes.

Wu Daozi steeled himself, stepped forward, picked up the brush from the table in front of the sage, and continued to write unsteady lines.

Redraw that deity.

Not far away, Chen Hong and Wei Wutian stood respectfully, their gazes seemingly able to pierce through Wu Daozi's back. If it weren't for the fact that this was the emperor's tent, they would have already leaned over to take a look.

The emperor's gaze was intense.

Wu Daozi broke out in a sweat. His brushstrokes were initially fluent, but became increasingly sluggish as he continued.

That night, in front of Chen Hong and Wei Wutian, he sketched it casually in just half a quarter of an hour, but now he has been drawing for a full quarter of an hour.

Wu Daozi gently placed the pen aside.

Exhale gently.

He crossed his arms and said, "It's finished."

The sage glanced at him, then looked at Chen Hong and beckoned.

"You add the finishing touch."

Chen Hong was watching the spectacle with great interest, wondering if Wu Daozi could paint immortals, and also regretting that he had missed his chance to become an immortal.

Upon hearing this, my heart suddenly trembled.

Why is it him again this time?
I wonder if the gods will punish me.

Chen Hong regretted it in his heart. If he had known this would happen, why did he insist on dotting his eyes?
Does it really have to be multi-faceted?
Chen Hong lowered his head and slowly picked up the brush. Dotting the eyes was very simple; as long as it matched the overall spirit and expression of the figure, two dots would suffice.

Gao Lishi stood right next to him.

Chen Hong's eyes flickered, and he asked:
"The finishing touch is just two ink dots; would the High Supervisor like to try it himself?"

Gao Lishi said with a smile.

"I'm clumsy and don't know anything about painting, so I'd be afraid of ruining such a beautiful painting. Let Chen Daizhao do it."

Chen Hong had no choice but to slowly lift his pen. In his heart, he kept thinking, "May the Three Pure Ones be above, and may Buddha protect me."

I hope the immortals won't hold it against me!

Chen Hong added two dots of ink.

As he moved, everyone inside the tent held their breath, their hearts pounding with tension.

In an instant, the immortal in the painting had a gaze.

Wu Daozi's painting today is not as good as the one he did casually that night, but he is still a master painter after all. His clothes are still fluttering, and you can almost feel the wind moving in the sky.

The emperor couldn't help but get up and walk closer to ask.

"how?"

Gao Lishi, Wu Daozi, Chen Hong, and several other officials, along with a group of servants, maids, and guards in the tent, all looked over, staring intently at the drawing.

Just saw——

The paper suddenly burst into flames!
Everyone was shocked.

"How did it catch fire!"

"Quick, set it on fire!"

Gao Lishi remembered and stepped in front of the emperor, shouting, "Protect the emperor!"

In an instant, chaos erupted inside the tent. Chen Hong was startled, and Gao Lishi hurriedly extinguished the fire while also protecting the emperor. Attendants and maids rushed out of the tent to report the situation. The emperor had not given any orders, and no one dared to step on the burning paper to put out the fire.

The emperor did not move, remaining standing in front of the fire, motionless.

Gao Lishi lowered his voice.

“Your Majesty?” he asked.

With a single, decisive stroke, the fire spread rapidly, quickly burning the entire scroll to ashes.

Not a trace of divine light remained.

I didn't see any immortals either.

Chen Hong was startled. Fireworks lit up the tent, and he was the one most frightened. Chen Hong hurriedly bowed and apologized, not daring to straighten his back.

The emperor was lost in thought for a moment before waving his hand to tell him to get up.

Outside, servants hurriedly waited with basins of water, ready to give instructions.

It took Gao Lishi a long time to find his voice.

"no need……"

"The fire is out."

This fire was strange; it didn't burn the table, nor did it reach the curtains in the tent, or touch anyone. Once the paper was burned, it naturally went out without a single spark.

Only ashes remained on the table.

Everyone looked at each other.

With the emperor present, they dared not utter a word. But from this day forward, the news of their inability to find the immortal in the painting and the subsequent burning of fireworks would spread.

……

In the kitchen.

Jiang She sat in front of the stove.

Now that he has plenty of money, he inevitably spends it extravagantly. He went to the shop and bought some spices, and following the recipe from his previous life, he tried to roast some cured mutton. The aroma filled the air.

The fire was blazing in the stove, and sitting by the fire made me feel warm all over, so I didn't feel cold even on a freezing day.

The aroma also travels far.

The cat accidentally passed by the kitchen, its fluffy tail wagging and standing tall.

I called out softly.

"almost done."

Jiang She patiently flipped the mutton over, then sprinkled some seasoning on it, and a fragrant breeze attracted three more people.

Li Bai and Yuan Danqiu arrived uninvited and helped cut the cured mutton.

The old deer mountain god, carrying a fish that appeared out of nowhere, added a dish with a smile.

The mountain god glanced at the stove fire.

His tone was hesitant.

"This stove fire..."

Jiang She glanced at it, still slowly roasting the mutton, his tone leisurely.