I became an immortal in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 259 It will take ten years to get rid of this anger (+15)

The tea and wine expert casually wiped the sweat from his face, then stuffed the handkerchief into his clothes, squeezed his way to the back kitchen, opened the wine jar, and poured himself a cup.

One of the cooks turned around.

"Are you craving alcohol?"

The tea and sake expert shook his head. Even when he craved sake, he usually just sneaked a sip of the shop's wine. He said:
"No, there was an old man who was very stingy. He was only willing to pay for a cup of turbid wine. I saw that the dishes on his table were also quite expensive, so I just poured him a cup."

The cook was surprised.

"A cup?"

Who buys only one cup of wine? It's not like it's imperial wine presented to the palace. Getting even one cup is considered good luck.

The tea and wine expert nodded in agreement.

"Yes, they're very stingy."

As he spoke, he poured a pot of cloudy wine, with a light green lees floating on top. The tea and wine expert suggested filling it to the brim so the old man could drink more.

After serving the wine, the tea and wine expert strode upstairs, carrying his wine cup back to the table.

"Old man, your wine is ready."

A full cup.

Zhang Guolao took it and chuckled to himself, "Then this young man is in for a rough time."

The tea and wine expert didn't hear clearly and asked:

"What did you say, sir?"

Zhang Guolao smiled and gave him a sidelong glance, "He didn't say anything, but gambling dens are not good places. Don't go there again in the future."

The tea and wine expert was somewhat surprised.

How did you know, sir?

He's been into cockfighting these past few days, winning and losing, but he hasn't actually made much money; in fact, he's lost a little. He's going to try and make it back tonight.

Zhang Guolao did not answer.

The tea and wine expert was also very busy. He glanced at the guests while turning his head to look around, and then went out to greet them.

After everyone left.

Zhang Guolao dug some mud out from the sole of his shoe, crushed it, and poured it in.

He then tapped his finger on the wine cup.

Some of the greenish, cloudy wine became much clearer, and even had a fragrant aroma, clearly indicating that it was good wine.

Li Bai, Yuan Danqiu, Sanshui, and Chuyi were all astonished.

Sanshui tilted his head back and secretly asked Jiang She.

"Senior, what are you doing? How did the cloudy wine suddenly become so good?"

Li Bai was also curious; if he learned this method, he could save a lot of money on drinking in the future.

Jiang She laughed.

"You'll see when you keep watching."

After the group had finished eating, they asked the waiter to pack up the leftovers. Then, Zhang Guolao carried the glass of wine over.

……

……

Zhang Shibalang was quite drunk. He was a student at Chongxuan Academy. The incident of him severing a life and death and then vomiting blood and fainting was too bizarre. His friends kept asking him for a lot of details.

He said it over and over again.

What everyone was most interested in was actually Zhang Guolao.

Zhang Shibalang had never met Zhang Guolao, but he had seen monks several times at Chongxuan Hall. The monk Guanyan had heard that he had cultivated Taoism with Zhang Guolao, and since the monk was about to die, he made many inferences based on that.

The friends were amazed when they heard it.

"Can Zhang Guolao really come to Chang'an?"

"I heard that the sage values ​​Master Guanyan because he is seeking immortality!"

"What immortal?"

"The immortal I saw during the Fengshan ceremony was said to be a friend of Zhang Guolao."

"Are there really immortals in this world? How come I haven't met any yet?"

"Pah! Someone like you has the nerve to say that? I should be the one with a destiny to immortality. At least I'm a student of Chongxuan Academy." Zhang Shibalang laughed and cursed, and was about to pour wine when the wine pot was empty.

He was about to use the same trick again, asking his friend to buy him some wine.

Suddenly, a glass of clear, refreshing wine was placed in front of him.

An old man looked at him with a smile:
"I could hear you talking from afar, young master, and you even mentioned Zhang Guo. It's quite interesting. I'll offer you this cup of wine."

Zhang Shibalang swallowed hard.

He pressed down on his wine glass: "Old man, are you also interested in Zhang Guolao?"

"Yes."

The old man looked at him, "Young master, what kind of person do you think Zhang Guolao is?" Surrounded by friends, Zhang Shibalang had already told him a lot about Zhang Guolao. He thought for a moment and said:

"Zhang Guolao must have a bad temper."

"Oh? How to say it."

"It is said that Emperor Taizong summoned Zhang Guolao and invited him to the palace, but he refused to go. During Emperor Gaozong's reign, he sent officials to summon him again, but Zhang Guolao avoided meeting them. During the Wu Zhou dynasty, he was summoned again, and when the court officials saw that he would not come, they forcibly took him away. However, they did not expect that Zhang Guolao would fake his death halfway there."

The old man's smile remained unchanged.

"Oh? How do you know he faked his death and wasn't really dead?"

Zhang Shibalang sneered.

"Now the sage has sent people to summon Zhang Guolao many times, but has never been able to see him. Of course, he is just faking his death. The governor of Hengzhou has already reported Zhang Guolao's whereabouts to the court."

“The court has summoned him many times, but he has refused to come. Even a virtuous person would not dare to offend the imperial family like this.”

"No wonder she has such a bad temper."

"Not only that, he even dared to curse the death of Prince Qi. Prince Qi has never offended him. This man also hates the nobles and powerful. I think he is a hypocrite."

The old man laughed heartily.

"Haha, that makes sense, um... that's definitely right, you're right."

"Please have this drink."

Zhang Shibalang had been curious about the taste of the wine for a long time, and the aroma kept wafting into his nose. He picked it up and drank it all in one gulp. The taste was extremely sweet, and in the end, he even felt a little regretful that there was only one cup of such good wine.

"Where did you buy this wine? I've never seen it in the restaurant before..."

He was mid-sentence.

Several friends nearby quickly moved aside, covering their noses and keeping a safe distance.

Zhang Shibalang was puzzled.

"What are you..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhang Shibalang himself froze, sniffing the air. It was a stench of rotten fish and shrimp mixed with the putrid smell of something decaying.

It seemed to be... coming from his mouth.

What's that deathly smell?
His close friend covered his nose tightly with his sleeve and couldn't help but speak the truth:
"Zhang Shiba, shut your mouth! It stinks!"

Zhang Shibalang covered his mouth, incredulous.

Just then, he heard a voice that sounded old: "What you said, young master, is filthy. Today, I'll offer you a cup of wine, which will make your words match your tone."

"If you chew cloves or tooth powder, you can get rid of this smell in ten years."

"If it's night soil."

"It can be removed in three months."

Zhang Shibalang was shocked: "Who's speaking?"

He looked around, but only saw the old man's back. Zhang Shibalang quickly ordered his servants, "Go and bring him to me!"

The moment it opened its mouth, a foul stench filled the air.

The servant was so choked by the fumes that he fell over.

On the second floor of the restaurant, several diners nearby frowned, put down their bowls and chopsticks, covered their mouths and noses, and called over a waiter, "What's that smell here?"

"Where is that stench coming from?"

"It stinks!"

Hearing these sounds, Zhang Shibalang was both annoyed and afraid, and his heart began to tremble with unease.

Several of his friends had already left, and only two of his close friends stood far away, covering their noses and trying to stop themselves from breathing.

"Zhang Shiba, shut up! Don't say another word!"

He added, "What did you eat? Could it be tooth decay? Why does it smell so bad?"

Zhang Shibalang stood in the same spot.

They fled to either side.

Hearing the curses, he became bewildered. Remembering what he had just heard, he covered his mouth and whispered, "Did you hear that?"

The servant looked pale and sickly.

“What did you say, sir? What you said, sir, may be a little unpleasant to hear, but it’s not without reason.”

Their young master should shut up, he's being suffocated by the stench.

Zhang Shibalang was stunned.

"Didn't you hear what the old man said?"

Zhang Shibalang lost a lot of money to the restaurant. After leaving the restaurant, wherever he went, his breath reeked. His friends and servants kept their distance from him and covered their mouths and noses.

Zhang Shibalang swayed.

I was shocked and frightened.

Could that old man be Zhang Guolao? What he just said... might he have offended someone?
【Ask for monthly ticket】

(End of this chapter)