I became an immortal in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 247 Are these people from the secluded world?
Ruan Zhaosong released his grip, looking utterly dejected.

Liu Chen stood beside him, his throat dry and tight, his mind reeling. He swallowed hard before asking in a hoarse voice:
"The Liu family in the village... have you ever heard of Liu Chen, sir?"

If you asked someone else, they certainly wouldn't know.

But the Ruan family is different. The story of their ancestor going out to collect herbs with his friends and never returning is recorded in the family's bamboo slips.

The old man, panting, straightened his rumpled clothes.

He didn't give the two men a friendly look.

"If you are asking about Liu Chen from hundreds of years ago, I do know him. Back then, that young master Liu was a friend of my ancestor, and they went into the mountains together to gather herbs."

"Later... he never came back. He probably ended up in the belly of a wild beast."

Why are you asking about things from so long ago?

The old man frowned, carefully examining the two men. He hadn't noticed them before, but now, looking at them closely, they did indeed seem somewhat familiar. One of them had a long, thin face and a fair complexion.

Some of the charm of the Ruan family.

Could it be that his long-lost descendants from the Ruan family have come looking for him?

The old man was puzzled.

Does the Ruan family have such unworthy children and grandchildren?
Liu Chen and Ruan Zhao opened their mouths, and after a long while, they asked with trembling lips, "What year and what month is it now?"

They went into the mountains to collect medicinal herbs in the fifth year of Yongping.

The old man looked at the two pale-faced, dazed, and almost unsteady-footed young men with puzzlement. Though he found it strange, he still answered:

"It is now the second year of the Taikang era."

"Why do you two even ask this? Have you gotten confused from all your reading?"

Liu Chen and Ruan Zhao had never heard of such a reign title before.

Upon further inquiry, they learned that the Jin dynasty had already destroyed Eastern Wu two years prior. As for the Han dynasty, that was a thing of the past, dating back many years.

They then asked about the Yongping era, but the old man had never even heard of it. He went home and searched through old bamboo slips, fumbling around for a long time before finally finding the record.

"That was during the reign of Emperor Ming of Han, 230 years ago."

"My ancestor passed away around that time."

The old man suddenly noticed the bamboo baskets the two men were carrying, which were exactly the images of his ancestors gathering herbs in the mountains, as described in the bamboo slips. He was startled and instantly understood.

The old man flew into a rage, raised his cane, and shouted angrily.

"You two are pretending to be herb gatherers, and yet you ask such a question—"

"Could it be that you're deliberately making fun of this old man?!"

Liu Chen and Ruan Zhao quickly dodged, stumbling out of the old man's house and finding a high place to overlook the village.

Relatives and friends have scattered, the town and houses have changed, and we no longer recognize each other.

I just found out that the old man was their seventh-generation descendant.

I've been in the mountains for no more than half a year, yet hundreds of years have passed in the human world. My old friends and relatives are long gone, their remains likely devoured by insects and ants.

Ruan Zhao recalled his experiences over the past six months and then thought of the people who had led them down the mountain earlier. Their conversation was indeed full of strangeness.

All of my life experiences remain from a hundred years ago.

It felt like a long dream.

Liu Chen and Ruan Zhao were stunned into thought.

Liu Chen suddenly remembered the people who had come down the mountain with them. He was eager to find them and tell them about his surprise and doubt, so he searched around.

But those people were nowhere to be found.

……

……

Jiang She sat between the buildings.

This is the highest point of the fairy mountain in the painting. From here, Jiang She can see the distant villages and beyond them.

Vast expanses of white fog, stretching endlessly.

I wonder if Liu Chen and Ruan Zhao have ever been here and seen this scene.

Jiang She withdrew his gaze.

Opposite him stood the two goddesses from Mount Tiantai. A young maidservant brought them fruit and secretly glanced at them from the side.

It's rare to see someone come down from the mountains!

I don't know why the goddess treated them this way.
This is the highest point on the mountain, a place even cranes rarely fly this high. Before those two mortals descended the mountain, even they had never been here; it's the most precious and mysterious place on the mountain. The goddess smiled and offered them fruits.

One of them laughed and said.

"This spiritual fruit grows on the mountain, and it is very difficult for people living at the foot of the mountain to eat it."

Sima Chengzhen stroked the spiritual fruit. Now with graying hair at his temples, he was in his prime. He asked, "What are the uses of these fruits?"

The goddess smiled and pointed to the platter of delicacies and fruits, saying:
"This is a type of pear, which can replenish kidney essence."

"This is a fire date, which can replenish the heart fire and vital energy."

"I heard from a Taoist priest at the foot of the mountain that the Jiaoli and Huozao are naturally formed when one cultivates to a certain level. My jujubes and pears are born naturally, but their effects are somewhat similar."

"If ordinary people eat it, they will not feel thirsty or hungry for ten years."

"Replenish one's own primordial spirit and vital energy."

"Perhaps when I go down the mountain, I'll be regarded as a deity."

At this point, the goddess joked:
"It might even be mistaken for a corpse that has never died for a hundred years. How it is determined depends on one's own mind, which is quite interesting."

The goddess looked at Sima Chengzhen again, and then glanced at the young Taoist priest not far away.

It was as if he already knew the answer.

She laughed and said:
"As for the fruit in front of you, it is a hundred-year-old Vermilion Fruit. It was planted by my sister and me, and grew by absorbing the spirit of the sun and moon. It can prolong life, extend lifespan, and cure all poisons in the world."

"If an old person eats this, perhaps they can return to their youthful appearance."

Jiang She also looked at the fruit, and only then did he realize that it was a century-old Vermilion Fruit.

Jiang She had tasted the real Vermilion Fruit at the banquet hosted by the local deity in Xiangyang before; it wasn't as miraculous as people described, just quite delicious.

For ordinary people, consuming it can only strengthen their bodies and bones and alleviate some ailments.

It doesn't have such a bizarre effect.

Chu Yi knelt down to the side.

He suddenly spoke.

“We ate this fruit when we went up the mountain before, and we picked nine of them…”

As he spoke, he pulled out the bundle he always carried close to his body, carefully took it out, held it in his hands, looked at it with affection, and lowered his voice considerably.

"I thought it was a fruit that grew on the mountain, I didn't know you planted it on purpose..."

"The others have already been eaten. This is the only one I'm going to give to my master to try. This is the only one left."

Sanshui also bowed his head.

He pushed the fruit forward a little, and mist and haze flowed around it.

"Sorry……"

The goddess was somewhat surprised.

They looked at the two young men again, feeling a sense of appreciation for their character and quite pleased.

After a long while, the goddess spoke, her tone tinged with laughter.

"We planted these spiritual fruits in the mountains precisely so that we could eat them."

"So there's no need to feel guilty."

"These two young fellow Daoists are quite young, yet they can say such things. Perhaps one day they will truly be able to cultivate to a very high level."

Sanshui and Chuyi blushed slightly.

"……real?"

The goddess smiled and nodded.

Sima Chengzhen listened carefully to the two goddesses' conversation, observing their expressions. Their eyes were relaxed, their tone casual; they truly didn't mind. Yet, he still received their blessing, returning him from old age to his prime, and he felt he had to express his deepest gratitude.

Just as he was thinking.

After the two goddesses finished speaking, they looked at each other.

The goddess gazed into the distant, misty distance for a moment, then looked away. They turned to the group they were hosting, and then to the man in blue robes who hadn't uttered a word throughout.

He asked with a smile.

"Are you all recluses?"

【Ask for monthly ticket】

(End of this chapter)