I became an immortal in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 191 Are the Green Pines in the Temple Still There? (+18)

Jiang She raised his eyes.

Noticing the scrutinizing gaze, Abbot Yanshou clasped his hands together and whispered, "Master has passed away."

My old friend is no longer here.

The disciple who used to bicker with me has now become the abbot of the temple.

Jiang She asked, "When did this happen?"

He passed away in the summer of the fourteenth year of the Kaiyuan era.

"The day before Master passed away, he drank a large bowl of plum juice. Perhaps it got too cold..."

The host recalled the old abbot's appearance and said, "But I suppose the old master didn't think so. He was probably glad that he got to drink the iced beverage."

Jiang She smiled.

"Given the abbot's temperament, that's probably what he's thinking."

The host, standing to the side, led the group out of the main hall.

I walked down the steps one by one.

He looked at Jiang She's face, which seemed exactly the same as when he first met him, as if time had not changed him at all.

"Sir, you are still so young."

The host paused, then continued:

"To be honest, sir, less than a quarter of an hour after you left, my master lost another tooth. He only had five teeth left in his mouth, but he still insisted on drinking sweet water like others."

"When my master passed away, he was sixty-seven years old, which can be considered a long and healthy life..."

three years ago.

The abbot of Puzhao Temple also overheard the conversation between the master and Mr. Jiang, and knew that the two hit it off immediately and chatted amiably. He carefully rambled on about various things, afraid of upsetting the master's friend.

But upon closer inspection, no sadness was visible on his face.

Jiang She listened quietly. The disciple who used to be by the old monk's side was now Master Yanshou.

The host talked for a long time until he got a little thirsty.

He heard the man in blue beside him ask a question, his tone gentle and his voice soft.

"I wonder if the green pines in the temple are still there?"

The host was taken aback.

After a long while, he remembered his master's words from years ago and hurriedly said:
"It's still there, still there! Still green and lush. Would Mr. Jiang like to come with me to take a look?"

The ancient pine tree in the temple remains unchanged; three years seem to have left no trace on it.

It remains robust and lush.

"This is a pine tree from the Six Dynasties period," the host said.

……

……

At Puzhao Temple, many pilgrims and monks witnessed strange events.

From their youth, when they were disciples of the old abbot, they were somewhat lazy. They were indifferent to worldly affairs, and even when officials from Yanzhou came, they might not be able to sit down and have a proper conversation.

Today, however, he personally greeted the guests, speaking with great respect.

Weird.

The monk arrived at the vegetarian meal and was getting his food when he was suddenly stopped by his friend.

"Huai Kong, come over here!"

"I haven't finished playing yet..."

"Hey, come here first. What's the rush for food? I can share some with you."

He walked over, and several monks hurriedly pulled him to sit down. The man then took a piece of tofu from his own bowl and placed it in the other man's bowl. The monks gathered around, asking him questions solicitously.

"You met those pilgrims today, do you know their background?"

"Exactly, the host even went over to greet them himself, what's going on?"

The monk Huai Kong recalled:

"The one in the blue robe is surnamed Jiang. When others introduce him, they only say that he is Mr. Jiang and that he used to be on good terms with the abbot."

He counted them one by one.

"The rest of the people accompanied Mr. Jiang. One is named Li Bai, another is a Taoist priest named Yuan Danqiu, and there is an old man whose name I do not know..."

A monk was puzzled.

"The abbot was adopted by the old abbot when he was a child and has always lived in the temple."

How come I didn't know he had such a good friend?

Huai Kong shook his head.

"I don't know either. I only said that he came from a wandering world. The abbot was chanting scriptures, but when he heard the name, he didn't even finish chanting the scriptures and rushed over."

Huai Kong recalled the situation at the time and added a sentence.

"It's like... they're afraid someone will run away."

The monks looked at each other in bewilderment. "Could it be some kind of master?" someone recalled and said, "Three years ago, when the Prince of Qi fell seriously ill, the Emperor issued an edict, and many masters and virtuous people came to Yanzhou."

"Maybe that's when we met."

"I think so too!"

With this prompting, someone vaguely remembered, picked at their rice a couple of times with their chopsticks, and said, "I remember now, I really did see him three years ago!"

Everyone became curious.

"Say it!"

"Why don't I remember?"

The monk said, "It's not that our abbot has any connection with him; the one who truly befriended Mr. Jiang is Abbot Zhiyuan!"

The old abbot has been gone for three years. He only caught a glimpse of him at the time and didn't remember him.

Everyone tried hard to recall.

The monk said, "Not only that, a few years ago, I noticed that the abbot spoke to this Mr. Jiang with great respect... I just don't know who he is."

Huai Kong guessed from the side.

"Could he be a member of the imperial family?"

"When the imperial family travels, how can they go without guards?"

Others nearby were making guesses.

"Could it be a highly skilled master?"

"But Mr. Jiang looks no different from an ordinary person!"

The monks guessed as they quickly shoveled rice into their bowls. Huai Kong then realized he hadn't finished getting his rice; after talking for so long, all he got was a piece of tofu.

He immediately picked it up with his chopsticks.

"Give me some of the pickles!"

Throughout the afternoon, the monks in Puzhao Temple kept drifting towards the guest hall, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

I swept the floor with a broom, and it not only removed the dust, but it almost scraped the surface of the floor tiles clean.

……

……

Jiang She listened to the rustling sound of sweeping outside.

The host naturally heard this as well. He already knew that these people were causing trouble outside, and he secretly made a mental note of it, then laughed.

"I'm sorry to have made you laugh, sir."

The cat was still pawing at the spring banners that Jiang She had set up.

One claw at a time.

The young host smiled as he looked at the little black cat. "Sir, this cat is well-cared for; it's so intelligent!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw the cat turn its head and look at him.

The host was taken aback, feeling as if the cat could understand human speech.

He didn't investigate further.

Instead, they talked about the subtle disturbances that have occurred on Mount Tai in recent years.

This was exactly what Zhang Guo was interested in. He straightened his posture, even putting his teacup on the table, and listened carefully to see if there were any changes.

“I mentioned to my husband three years ago that there are often strange noises in the mountains.”

The abbot said, “We always felt something was wrong while living in the temple, but we couldn’t understand it even after listening carefully. At that time, the master said that it was the spirit of the mountain growing.”

"But things have been different in the last two years."

Since he became the abbot, he has forbidden monks from leaving their quarters after midnight. Even if they have to go out urgently, they must go in pairs.

The host said:
“Monks often see faint shadows when they get up at night, and they don’t know whether they are mountain spirits or monsters.”

"It often appears late at night when all is quiet."

The host asked for advice.

"I don't know what this is..."

Before he could finish asking, Zhang Guolao, sitting beside him, asked a question.

When did the phenomenon begin?

The host recalled a certain night when the mountains and rivers seemed to stir. He and his master looked out the window, not knowing exactly what was happening, only feeling that they were high, distant, and profound.

After daybreak, everything returned to normal.

Now that I think about it...

Everything seemed to have changed from that night.

The day was special, and the host remembers it vividly.

"On the first night of the first month of the fourteenth year of the Kaiyuan era."

【Ask for monthly ticket】

(End of this chapter)