I became an immortal in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 254 Observation and Calculation (+14)

Zhang Guolao dismounted from the donkey.

Just as he was about to put the donkey paper back in his pocket, he sneezed loudly.

"Who is scolding me?"

With a puzzled look in his mind, Zhang Guolao gazed at the magnificent city with its winding walls. The group followed suit, queuing up. Jiang She submitted his application, while those who hadn't were pestered by their senior to give them a thumbs-up.

The questioning upon entering the city was very strict. The scholars queuing behind them were puzzled and pointed at Jiang She and his group.

Why didn't they ask?

The soldiers guarding the city, clad in armor and with their hands on their ceremonial swords, glanced up at the bustling crowd; who knew who they were referring to?

The soldiers remained indifferent and, as usual, began their questioning:

"How many people are on this trip? Where are their carriages and horses?"

The scholar was somewhat afraid. To be honest, he was all alone, with only a pageboy by his side. There were no carriages or horses, only a donkey to carry his books and luggage.

The soldiers guarding the city carefully inspected the baggage again, looking for any hidden weapons or armor, or any seditious books or teachings. After checking everything and finding nothing amiss, they gave the soldiers a final word of advice.

"Go quickly, and do not disturb the peace tonight!"

This is a reminder to be aware of the curfew.

The scholar breathed a sigh of relief, bowed in thanks, and followed his page and donkey into the city.

Passing through the deep doorway, a bright and spacious view suddenly appeared.

Jiang She looked up.

Then they saw an extremely wide avenue, several dozen feet long, stretching straight north to the palace.

The main street is lined with locust and elm trees, lush and verdant. It is late summer now, the sun is still hot, the greenery is vibrant, and a gentle breeze rustles through the trees, adding a touch of coolness.

Standing here, you can see the Vermilion Bird Gate of the Imperial City, as well as the magnificent palaces in the distance.

Sanshui and Chuyi were incredibly surprised.

They stood there for a while before they were willing to move.

The street was teeming with people, and two young disciples clung to Jiang She's sleeves, peering over their necks.

The official, dressed in purple robes, rode away hastily, seemingly on official business.

Along the road, there were many ornately decorated carriages. Coachmen rode by, the curtains swaying gently, releasing wisps of precious fragrance. From time to time, they could also see women dressed in narrow-sleeved Hu-style clothing, chatting and laughing with their friends.

There were also monks wearing kasayas and Taoist priests wearing Taoist robes on the street.

Right beside them, herds of camels carrying goods walked slowly, while people wearing pointed hats drove the camels forward. These were merchants from all over the world who had come to the city.

Everywhere I looked, I heard languages ​​I couldn't understand.

People from various Western Regions came to do business, discussing the bustling city. Japanese and Bohai people walked around, dressed like scholars, discussing the Five Classics with commentaries by Kong Yingda. There were also Tang people from various prefectures, speaking either their local dialects or Mandarin, which were difficult to discern.

The smells of cosmetics, pungent spices, sheep and horse dung, and the stench of the Hu people... all came together.

Its grandeur and inclusiveness are palpable.

Sanshui sneezed.

She didn't have enough eyes to see everything; she couldn't take it all in.

"So many people!"

The first-year student exclaimed, "It's so lively!"

The young Taoist priest from the mountains entered the city.

She and her junior brother looked around, finding everything new and interesting; Chang'an was very different from Luoyang.

Li Bai recovered faster than they did.

He jokingly asked what was different, but the two boys, who hadn't read many books and were not very knowledgeable, scratched their heads for a long time and couldn't explain.

Sanshui muttered, "In short, it's very, very good."

"Does the senior think so too?"

She tilted her head back to look at Jiang She, only to find him staring blankly into some distance, lost in thought. Sanshui called out again, "Senior?"

Just as Jiang She looked over, he suddenly heard a Taoist priest rushing by, practically running through the street without any regard for etiquette.

"Go, go, go!"

"Getting into the city took me a lot of effort. Let's hurry, maybe we can still make it in time—"

"I heard that Xing Hepu is using the Chongxuan Hall to calculate wondrous methods, let's go and take a look!"

Sanshui immediately looked over.

She turned her head and overheard the Taoist priest saying to his companion, "They say Xing Hepu can calculate everything in heaven and earth, life and death in the human world. Is that true?"

One sentence was enough to capture the attention of several people.

"it is true."

My companion said, “Last time I heard that the person who predicted someone’s death said it himself, and even described the clothes the person was wearing when he died, the inn he stayed in, and even the calligraphy and paintings on the wall. In less than half a year, it really came true.”

The Taoist priest was amazed and became even more fascinated.

The two were walking anxiously when suddenly someone stopped them.

The Taoist priest was about to get angry, but when he saw the man's demeanor, his anger subsided, and he patiently asked the man in blue.

"Young master, is there something important you need?"

Jiang She bowed slightly and said, "We are also somewhat interested. May I ask where Chongxuan Hall is located?"

The Taoist priest was anxious and pointed his finger.

"It's located in Daningfang, but the students of Chongxuan Academy are mostly sons of officials of the fifth rank or above, and it's not open to the public. Even if you manage to find it, you'll probably have a hard time getting in."

Seeing that this person had a good demeanor, he even gave him a reminder.

To avoid rushing over there only to stand outside and hear the sounds without being able to see anything.

"It doesn't matter."

Jiang She smiled, thanked them again, and invited them to say something.

"We'll be on a faster pace, so you two might want to..."

The Taoist priest and his companions were in a hurry to get on their way, so they didn't have time to chat with these people. They waved their hands hastily and left.

They really run fast.

Jiang She watched the two figures rushing away, feeling a little regretful.

I originally intended to give them a ride.

……

……

On the road.

Sanshui and Chuyi asked curiously, "Senior, is there really such amazing arithmetic in the world?"

Jiang She didn't know either.

He stood before a complex of buildings, erected by the emperor to honor his ancestor Lao Tzu, situated in a serene and elegant location. The dark blue glazed tiles gleamed brightly in the sunlight, the pillars were vermilion, the brackets were massive, and guards stood watch at the entrance.

While they were observing.

Many Taoist priests and students had already hurried inside. They had all heard that Xing Hepu was performing divination in front of the wall and came to observe and learn.

Jiang She and his companions entered without alerting the gatekeepers.

The bamboo grove rustled.

They followed the students all the way to the busiest place.

Many students were watching from outside, and even the professors and teaching assistants from Chongxuan Hall came to take a look. The students were all talking at once, and Jiang She overheard them.

Sanshui is strange.

"It turns out they didn't know what they were calculating either."

The group stepped inside, and the room immediately fell silent. Everyone inside remained quiet, staring intently at one spot.

Where their gazes converge.

A young man, dressed like a scion of a prominent family, was facing the wall, constantly writing with a pen. The writing on the wall was messy and increasingly difficult to decipher. He seemed to be Xing Hepu, the man those people were talking about.

At his feet and on the table were messy bamboo abacuses.

Not far away, a familiar-looking monk sat, also looking up at the scene.

Zhang Guolao seemed to be deep in thought when he saw this scene.

Xing Hepu suddenly slammed down his pen.

He was annoyed for a while, then after a long time, he turned to the monk and asked:
Do you want to know when you will die?

The sound wasn't loud, but it made Jiang She and Zhang Guo raise their eyebrows.

【Ask for monthly ticket】

(End of this chapter)