I became an immortal in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 258 The cause and effect are not yet settled; three coins are considered too expensive.

The monk then asked, "My old benefactor once said that I would face three life-or-death calamities."

"Has it remained unchanged?"

Zhang Guolao counted on his fingers and shook his head.

"Unchanged."

The monk quickly made his decision. He bowed and said, "My old benefactor may have to wait a while, as I still have some karmic debts to settle."

Zhang Guolao didn't mind, he said:

"Then you can continue your quiet cultivation here. I'm going out for drinks with my friends."

The voice just fell.

A knocking sound came from the door in the distance. Soon after, a servant came running over, panting and excited.

"The Crown Prince has invited the Dharma Master to discuss Buddhist teachings!"

Jiang She looked at the monk again.

The man's aura of wealth and power grew even stronger, and the deathly aura emanating from him became even more pronounced.

It seems to be fate, as if it were predetermined.

Jiang She smiled.

He led Sanshui Chuyi and the others out of the mansion.

The servants bestowed by the emperor tried to persuade him to stay, but Jiang She simply said, "We have only heard that the Master has insights into both Buddhism and Taoism, and we would like to come and learn from him."

"Now that I've asked all the questions, it's time to go back."

Jiang She walked to the entrance of the mansion.

Just then, they saw officials from the Crown Prince's residence standing at the entrance, dressed in fine silk and with fish-shaped pouches at their waists. Behind them followed several eunuchs, wearing narrow-sleeved, round-necked robes, their faces clean-shaven.

He glanced at it, then looked away.

The two sides missed each other.

The official glanced at it too. A servant nearby, seeing the official's interest, jokingly remarked...

"Who are these people? Why are they bringing a cat with them when they visit a monk?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the little black cat on the man in blue's shoulder turned its head and stared at him, as if it could understand what he was saying.

The attendant was taken aback.

"This cat is really clever."

The cat leaned close to Jiang She's ear, glancing left and right at the crowded street. After a few moments, it couldn't resist whispering:

"That person has excellent taste!"

Jiang She couldn't help but smile, and he patted the cat's fluffy head.

"is very good."

The group strolled leisurely into the restaurant. Li Bai and Yuan Danqiu had already ordered their food and were waiting for the waiters to bring it up one dish at a time. The chef hadn't arrived yet, so Li Bai and Yuan Danqiu ate fruit and drank wine, listening to the conversation from the sidelines.

The restaurants in Chang'an were filled with students.

Talkative and poetic, with a chatterbox, quite lively.

"Have you heard? The other day, Mr. Xing Hepu was telling someone's fortune, and it actually shortened his lifespan. He was vomiting blood and almost died."

"I was watching from Chongxuan Hall at the time."

"I saw him collapse instantly, bleeding from all seven orifices!"

Everyone exclaimed.

"Sure?"

"Is that so? Isn't it said that Xing Hepu's divination skills are divinely bestowed, and he has never made a mistake in predicting life and death? How come he would vomit blood?"

The student shook his head as he spoke.

He said:

"The person whose lifespan was cut short is no ordinary person; he is none other than Master Guanyan, who was granted an official position and a residence by the sage in the past two months."

The current emperor is so famous for his devotion to Taoism that few monks receive such treatment before him; the last one was the monk Yi Xing.

His cronies got together and were all quite interested.

"Could it be that the master's Buddhist teachings are so profound that he cannot even calculate one's destiny?"

Someone else said, "I heard that the monk wasn't preaching Buddhism, but everyone at Chongxuan Hall was asking him about Taoist scriptures. Zhang Shiba, is that true?"

The students nodded.

He put down his empty wine cup and took the opportunity to extort money from his cronies.

"The wine's finished, who's going to refill it?"

Li Bai casually produced a few pieces of silver and ordered the tea and wine server to bring out the best wine. The eighteen-year-old scholar turned around, saw a stranger, and laughed heartily:

"Are you interested too?" Li Bai and Yuan Danqiu both laughed.

Li Bai said, "We saw it that day too. What you said was interesting. Thank you for a pot of wine."

The student, Zhang Shibalang, was suspicious of the unfamiliar face.

"Were you two also there at the time?"

Li Bai thought for a moment and changed his wording.

"I climbed over the wall with my friends to get in."

Zhang Shibalang understood immediately. He decided that after the banquet, he would quietly ask the two men which wall they had climbed over, so that he could easily climb out from there to go drink with his friends later.

He picked up his wine cup and was urged on by his friends for a while.

He continued speaking.

"However, I reckon Master Guanyan will die within six months. It's not that Elder Zhang's temperament is unpredictable; perhaps he really will..."

downstairs.

As Jiang She and Zhang Guolao reached the door, they were greeted by the waiter and led upstairs when they heard this sentence.

Zhang Guolao tilted his head back and looked up.

"What a coincidence, to run into this young man again..."

The group went upstairs and sat down. Half of the food and drinks had already been served. Zhang Guolao looked at the student at the next table who was speaking eloquently with a smile.

Jiang She watched leisurely from the side.

Zhang Guo beckoned over, summoning the tea and wine expert, and asked:
How much is a pot of wine here?

The tea and wine expert thought a big order had arrived and smiled broadly.

He cupped his hands and said:

"We have Sanlejiang and Longgao wine, both fine wines from the Western Regions, costing four hundred coins per liter. We also have grape wine, which is more expensive, costing five or six strings of cash. For something more common, sake costs seventy coins per liter."

After listening, Zhang Guolao asked another question.

"They're all a bit pricey, do you have anything cheaper?"

The tea and wine expert paused, examining the old man's clothes. They looked somewhat disheveled, but he didn't seem like someone who couldn't even afford sake.

He managed to maintain a forced smile.

"If you don't mind, sir, we also have some cloudy wine, twenty coins a liter..."

Zhang Guolao shook his head.

"I'll just have one cup, how much?"

How much alcohol is in a glass?

They sell their food by the liter or the peck. The tea and wine expert glanced at the table and saw that it contained many large dishes, which added up to quite a bit of money.

He forced a smile.

"If you just want a cup of cloudy wine, it won't cost much. I'll just get you one."

"If you enjoy the wine, sir, please come again often."

Seeing that the man's face was covered in soot, Zhang Guolao handed him a handkerchief and said with a smile.

"sorry to bother you."

"I see you have a lot of sweat on your face, take this handkerchief and wipe your face."

The tea and wine expert was puzzled. He looked down at the handkerchief, which was just a plain handkerchief that cost two or three coins on the street, without even a flower embroidered on it. He wiped his face hastily, took the wine cup, and turned to go to the kitchen to get the old man a cup of cloudy wine.

Wait until people leave.

Jiang She smiled.

"Old Master Guo used to spend a fortune to get on the ship. How come he can't even bear to spend a few dozen coins now?"

Zhang Guolao glanced at Zhang Shibalang in the distance.

I've already told my friends about the recent rumors circulating in the capital, describing in vivid detail how luxurious the mansion the emperor bestowed upon that monk was, as if they had seen it with their own eyes.

Zhang Guolao withdrew his gaze and said.

"If it's for the sake of the master, or for the old man himself, what's a thousand pieces of gold?"

“But even three coins would be too much for this person.”

Sanshui and Chuyi, holding their bowls and chopsticks, looked up from the table full of delicious food.

The two of them seemed to understand but not quite.

They could tell that the student who had spoken had probably displeased Mr. Zhang. But why invite someone to dinner?

Isn't this just letting the other party benefit for nothing?

【Ask for monthly ticket】

(End of this chapter)