I became an immortal in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 212 Dragon Drink, Gift to the Fish in the River +4
Zhang Guolao asked him, "Have you ever seen an immortal?"

Chen Hong then recounted his two previous encounters with immortals, one during the Fengshan ceremony and the other after he drew a picture of the immortal.

Zhang Guolao looked at Jiang She.

"This should be the third time now."

Chen Hong didn't understand.

Jiang She put down his wine cup and asked him:

"After the eye-dotting ceremony, how have you fared these past three years as a court attendant?"

Chen Hong was drunk.

Without arousing suspicion, nor did he wonder how this person knew he was a palace attendant.

he said.

"Things are going well. I painted a few pictures on the temple walls, discussed Taoism with some wise men, and was promoted one rank along with other ministers after the Fengshan ceremony. It seems pretty good."

Jiang She asked again in a gentle voice.

"Who in your family passed away during this trip back to your hometown?"

Chen Hong yawned.

He muttered, "It was my grandfather. I'm over forty years old this year, and my grandfather just passed away at the age of eighty-two. It's a happy death..."

Jiang She nodded.

"That's good."

Chen Hong yawned heavily. He smelled the aroma of wine and fish soup and felt a little hungry, but he was observing mourning by eating only coarse food and drinking water and could not eat meat.

He laughed and said, "You guys will be eating this fish soup for several days."

Jiang She glanced at Shui Jun.

"I don't think so."

Chen Hong was puzzled when he suddenly heard the person next to him ask a question.

"Have you all finished using it?"

The others nodded.

Suddenly, it was as if a gust of wind blew across the table, and the cups and plates rattled.

The huge fish seemed to be dumped into the man's mouth; he barely chewed it, and he ate the 50-60 pound fish, soup and all.

Chen Hong stared blankly.

I can hardly tell if this is real or if I'm dreaming.

Each person had only drunk one or two bowls of soup from the giant fish. With chopsticks picking at the food, the group ate less than 10% of the soup, leaving most of it intact.

Enough fish for ten or twenty people.

It was actually swallowed by the person in front of him?

Ao Baiwen wiped his mouth elegantly with a handkerchief and smiled casually, "I barely filled my stomach, I'm not even full, I'll have to eat something more when I get back."

Chen Hong was stunned.

"you……"

Ao Bai smiled at him, "Weren't you just talking about me?"

What did he say?

Chen Hong covered his head and began to recall.

Seeing his stunned expression, Zhang Guolao laughed heartily, glanced at Jiang She, and spoke to Chen Hong.

"Remember this, you will see the immortal three times from now on."

Chen Hong didn't understand, and he found it strange.

I clearly haven't been drinking, but I always seem very drunk.

A tiny bit of wine remained in the wine cup. Jiang She raised his hand and flicked his finger, and the wine disappeared into the flowing river, where it was devoured by the shrimp, crabs, and fish.

The bright moon hangs high.

On the deck not far away, the people were still talking about the sudden appearance of the school of fish, and were delighted with their bountiful catch.

Jiang She withdrew his gaze.

The food is all gone, and the wine is all drunk.

"Let's go back."

……

……

"Hey, where's the fish!"

"Why did they all suddenly disperse?"

A scholar exclaimed in frustration, "I almost caught it!"

The servant Yu Qing sighed as well, "That fish was huge, how did it get away?"

The scholar felt even more remorseful.

The passengers and boatmen who had been waiting by the boat tried to fish for a while longer, but when they were sure they couldn't catch anything, they reluctantly put down their fishing rods and looked at their full catch of fish with great satisfaction.

The scholar thought for a moment.

He kept only one for himself and poured the rest back into the river.

"Why are you all collapsed?" Chen Hong's servant, Yu Qing, asked from the side.

"We can't eat all of this." "If you can't eat it, you can sell it!"

The scholar laughed, "Everyone is fishing tonight and has caught a lot of fish. Each person can eat several fish. Who am I going to sell them to?"

The servant thought about it and agreed.

It was already midnight, and soon it would be dawn. He thought of his lover who was talking to someone.

The servant hurriedly went to find someone to persuade his master to go to sleep early.

Wait until he gets there.

But they found that the cups, plates, and tables were gone, and the big pot seemed to have been moved away as well. A cold wind blew in gusts, and his young master was sleeping soundly on the ground.

The servant patted the young master's arm.

"Ah Lang, Ah Lang..."

Chen Hong was fast asleep, not waking up at all, breathing evenly and snoring.

The servants and several others helped the young master up, smoothed out the wrinkled fabric on his clothes, and sniffed him. Fortunately, he didn't smell of alcohol or meat.

Together they carried Chen Hong back.

When Chen Hong woke up, the boat had already left the ferry dock.

The sun was shining brightly outside the window, and sunlight streamed in through the oiled paper. Chen Hong squinted, feeling a bit disoriented. After a while, he called his servant.

"What time is it now?"

The servant said, "It's almost noon."

He slept for so long...

The memories of last night suddenly came flooding back to him. Chen Hong rubbed his head and muttered to himself.

"I think I fell asleep outside last night and had a dream."

The servant Yu Qing hadn't expected his master to sleep for so long, a full five hours. He came around and massaged his master's head, stroking his meridians and acupoints.

He asked, "What dream did you have, my lord?"

Chen Hong opened his mouth.

"I think I dreamt that the Dragon King from the water came up and ate all the fish soup in the pot in one gulp, truly a whale swallowing a dragon's blood..."

Over the past two years, my servants have become accustomed to Chen Hong's various superstitions.

He said with a smile.

"The young master dreamed of dining with the Dragon King; this is a predestined connection with the heavens."

Chen Hong thought back carefully.

The more he thought about it, the more real it seemed. He even remembered how he swallowed the fish whole in his dream, leaving not even a fishbone.

"This time it's for real."

The servant nodded. "What you say is true, sir."

Chen Hong recalled, "There was also an old man who said that this was the third time I had encountered a deity, the same immortal I saw during the Fengshan ceremony..."

The servant lowered his head and glanced at Ah Lang's face.

Her complexion was rosy; her husband had slept well, and even the dark circles under his eyes from the long carriage ride a few days ago had disappeared.

He doesn't look sick.

The servants comforted him.

"When we get to Kuaiji, we should go to the temple to burn incense and pray. Maybe it's because the old man misses his beloved and sent him a dream."

"I heard that Master Sima Chengzhen is currently practicing Taoism on Mount Tiantai. Mount Tiantai is not far from our Kuaiji. Young master, you can visit the master and ask for his guidance, and pray for your father's well-being."

Chen Hong didn't understand and nodded.

He recalled the people he had met the previous night.

That young man in blue... his voice sounds somewhat familiar...

Chen Hong tried hard to recall, but couldn't remember anything. After racking his brains for a while, he simply gave up thinking about it.

……

……

The cat yawned.

It's always the one that sleeps the most. Last night, it ate fish soup until its belly was round and furry, and then it fell asleep right after eating.

He finally woke up now.

Jiang She was reading and was about to travel to Jiangnan. He planned to follow the trail of gods and ghosts to add some fun to his life.

The cat woke up.

He suddenly remembered something.

Before he entered meditation, he taught the kitten to read and write. At that time, it spoke haltingly, uttering words here and there. Now it speaks very fluently and has made great progress.

Jiang She patted the cat's head.

Soften your tone.

How many characters do you recognize now?

The cat paused in its grooming and licking motion.

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

(End of this chapter)