I became an immortal in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 217 The Immortal Mountain is Hard to Find
The temple keeper shook his head, not elaborating on the reasons to these people. He continued to speak to them about the other disciples and virtuous individuals, his tone very respectful.

Jiang She waited until he drank some water to moisten his throat before asking the question.

"Since everyone here prays and says it's very effective, why are there still poor people and rich people? Why did the rain only stop after the sacrifice last year?"

"Could it be that the deity is unaware of this?"

The temple keeper's throat was dry from talking. He glanced at the people in front of him and felt that they were completely disrespectful.

He had just explained in detail, but the man in white and the man in the Taoist robe just smiled, their expressions casual and dismissive. The old man wasn't listening either. Only the man in blue was listening attentively, but his questions were strange.

If it weren't for the pilgrims brought by the county magistrate, the temple keeper would have kicked them out long ago.

The temple keeper spoke solemnly.

"It's simply because you're not sincere enough!"

“There are so many people who pray and ask questions every day. If everyone were to grant their requests, then the deity would no longer be a deity. Only those who pray with sincere hearts can hear the deity’s words.”

Jiang She nodded slightly, as if he had taken it to heart.

"I see."

It was noon, and the magistrate was getting hungry, so he decided to have lunch with a few people at the temple.

There were many plates and dishes on the table; the vegetarian food in the temple was quite delicious.

The place where they are eating has been specially cleaned by servants, and everyone else is kept far away so as not to disturb the magistrate's peace and quiet.

County Magistrate Wang Gan felt a strange sense of familiarity with the young man surnamed Jiang in front of him.

Upon learning that the white-robed man beside him was a poet of extraordinary literary talent and that the Taoist priest was a hermit of the mountains, they took extra care of them.

After thinking for a moment, the magistrate said:
"Since you gentlemen are interested in matters of gods and ghosts, I have seen quite a bit of that in the past two years."

"Yuqian County is surrounded by mountains. It is a small mountainous county with little farmland. Fortunately, it has waterways to make a living. Therefore, most people rely on tea trees, silk, and bamboo paper to survive. There is a lot of business and trading."

"I think it makes sense that every household worships gods and seeks immortality."

As the magistrate spoke, he picked up a mouthful of fermented soybeans with his chopsticks.

"You may not know, but there are immortals living in Tianmu Mountain."

Li Bai raised his head and tugged at Yuan Danqiu, both of them recalling what had happened before.

"immortal?"

The magistrate nodded.

“I haven’t seen it myself, but many people in the county have. It leaves gracefully, moves like a cloud, and has supernatural powers. I heard that a few years ago, a child from a village down below was taken by a deity from the mountain, who said he would take him as a disciple.”

Li Bai asked, "You haven't even seen the Prefect?"

The magistrate shook his head.

He sighed and said, "Although I am a county magistrate, I am just an ordinary person."

Jiang She took a sip of tea.

He said, "I've heard that there's a Mirror Dust Mountain nearby, a celestial mountain and cave dwelling. Is that true? Why can't I find it anywhere?"

The temple keeper raised his head.

He looked at the young man in front of him with a strange gaze, and after looking at him carefully again, he realized that he was indeed just an ordinary person, and there was nothing special about him.

The temple keeper put down his chopsticks.

"How did you know, sir?"

"I saw it in a book, someone else's notes, which are quite old."

Jiang She frankly said, "To be honest, I came to Yuqian to seek out immortals and to find out where Mirror Dust Mountain is and whether there are any inheritors of immortal techniques."

The temple keeper thought for a moment.

"But I didn't see that you, my lord, are actually destined for immortality."

"However," the temple keeper sighed, changing the subject, "although you know the name of the sacred mountain, it is still difficult for you to see it. As far as I know, the sacred mountain appears only once every few decades. We mortals, even if we live at its foot..."

"It was a case of being destined to meet but not to be together."

The county magistrate was even more curious than the temple keeper.

"Are there really fairy mountains?"

The temple keeper nodded.

"Of course there is. The incense here is very strong. Although Yuqian County is located in the mountains, it has remained prosperous for many years. This is naturally because it is protected by the gods and the immortal mountains."

He advised them to take a look around and then go back, as such opportunities to encounter immortals are not so easy to come by.

Continuing to wait here in vain might mean wasting one's entire life. "How many people in this world can truly seek immortality?"

"If Mirror Dust Mountain were so easy to see, the area around it would probably be full of mortals learning immortal techniques."

The county magistrate nodded.

He said, “When I was young, I studied in Sichuan. There were many strange things that happened there. Later, when I went to Chang’an to study, my family sent me letters, many of which mentioned strange things that happened nearby. I heard that there were also extraordinary people in the nearby mountains.”

Li Bai silently recited the words "Shuzhong" in his mind, then glanced at Mr. Jiang, who had finished his meal and was now drinking tea.

He asked, "And then what happened?"

The magistrate said regretfully, "I haven't heard of it. I can ask about it next time I write a letter."

The magistrate looked at them and thought of his own youth, when he also enjoyed inquiring about these unfounded stories.

I couldn't help but offer a word of advice.

"Legends of immortals are ultimately ethereal, and the legendary immortal mountains are hard to find. You gentlemen are of exceptional character and literary talent; let's not waste our time here."

Jiang She did not speak.

The group had lunch.

Outside, a new group of worshippers had arrived at the temple. The midday sun shone on the stone surface, reflecting off the golden bodies of the deities inside, making them appear magnificent and solemn.

Jiang She asked, "Does this county have a City God?"

The county magistrate was puzzled. He said, "We don't have any in the county, but we do in the prefecture."

Jiang She asked again.

Where is the Earth God Temple?

Even the county magistrate couldn't explain it clearly. Many local temples in the county or countryside were just small, haphazardly built temples. How could he know where the local temples built by the county people were?

"Does the young master wish to pay a visit? Perhaps he could ask the worshippers at the temple; they might know the answer."

He looked at Jiang She, about to say a few words of comfort.

But the other person shook their head.

"It doesn't matter."

Jiang She looked towards the temple, where the red tiled eaves outlined the shape of the mountains. All he could hear were the constant prayers, wishing for smooth travels, prosperous businesses, a bountiful harvest this year, and to pass the county school exam and become an official.

He spoke.

"Where is the land?"

The magistrate stood to the side, noticing the change in his tone, and wondered, "What did Young Master Jiang ask..."

He hasn't finished yet.

suddenly.

The bricks and stones on the ground trembled and the soil particles swayed.

From beneath the stone bricks, an old man wearing a black cloth and leaning on a bamboo cane gradually emerged. He was trembling, his temples were gray, and his clothes were very old.

He was holding a fruit in one hand, and judging from the teeth marks on it, it looked like he had just eaten half of it.

He looked around the land from left to right.

He was eating the offerings when he was summoned by a force that was neither too strong nor too weak. The local earth god quickly put away the half-eaten offerings, looked around, and realized that it was a temple.

There were several people in front of him, some dressed in Taoist robes and others in official robes. The local earth god was unsure which one wanted to see him and hesitated.

……

Jiang She also looked at the land. He was old, and his clothes were dull and not bright, as if he had not received incense offerings for a long time.

He raised his hand in greeting, his words remaining gentle and polite.

"You've disturbed the peace of the land."

The local deity then recognized the person and was startled by the immortal's courteous treatment. His beard trembled, and he quickly raised his hand in greeting.

His tone was very respectful.

"No, no... May I ask what business the Immortal Master has summoned this humble deity?"

……

The county magistrate standing to the side practically glared out of his skin.

This, this, this, this...

(End of this chapter)