I became an immortal in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 28 First hear of death, then know of life

The Earth God pondered for a long time.

He said, “When I was first appointed as the mountain god, I was established by the human world. I had just escaped ignorance and was freed from confusion. At that time, people must have helped me a lot and respected and feared me.”

"But the minor deity did not offer any reward... but instead enjoyed the offerings of blood and food."

Jiang She nodded.

This local deity may have received guidance from the Old Deer Mountain God beforehand, and what he said was entirely from his own heart, so it can be considered honest.

The Earth Deity continued:
"After that, the little god cultivated for several decades and gradually came to know the ways of the world. He saw that when the mountain floods rose up, people were like ants, houses were destroyed, and countless people died. All he saw was desolate fields, which was truly lamentable."

"So he felt compassion and learned from the god of the main mountain of Mount Lumen how to regulate the earth's veins. As a result, the surrounding area was blessed with favorable weather. In recent years, apart from the summer heat, there have been no other difficulties."

The Earth Deity paused for a moment.

He thought about it for a moment, and then said:

"Regulating the earth's veins is the duty of the local deities, which I have neglected for the past thirty years. Although I do not accept the offerings of gold, silver, fruits, or vegetables, this is still a dereliction of duty. I am of average ability to protect the local area, but my previous inaction makes me of inferior ability..."

"I truly do not know."

"What a little god thinks."

Jiang She nodded.

He did not judge whether the actions of the Earth God Mountain Demon were right or wrong, nor did he assign a ranking to the Earth God's past deeds.

Instead, it brought up a specific matter.

"Before I came here, I was walking in the mountains and I vaguely heard the mountain god preaching, talking about the cultivation methods of demons and ghosts."

"The mountain spirit is also of spirit origin, and knows the difficulties that spirits and mountain ghosts face in their cultivation."

The old deer mountain god put down his wine cup and listened in with Li Bai.

The local deity hadn't expected that even with his barrier and the distance, someone could still hear him. Then, realizing this was a deity, he understood. He humbly nodded and listened.

This immortal... doesn't seem to look down on spirits and demons.

It was extremely rare for him to sit at the same table with them.

Jiang She picked up his wine cup and took two sips to moisten his throat.

He continued, “But in my opinion, the Mountain Lord should not belittle himself. As a spirit, once enlightened and freed from chaos, he vowed to cultivate diligently, transcend the fate of life and death, and pursue the Great Dao.”

"In one's life, an ordinary person will have more or less the opportunity to form a connection."

At some point, Jiang She removed the barrier.

The various strange beasts, demons, ghosts, and spirits below, upon hearing the sermon, involuntarily raised their heads.

The few who had been whispering and talking suddenly fell silent. The tiger lay back down on its seat, its head focused intently; the half-human, half-snake python looked up to listen carefully; the ape scratched its ears and cheeks, its eyes fixed on the one above. The fox looked up and gazed around, while the mountain spirits listened intently with their hands in their sleeves.

Everyone present held their breath and listened intently.

Listen to the immortal preach.

Jiang She seemed oblivious, leaning against the trees.

The bright moonlight shines on the bamboo grove, sparse like lingering snow.

The mountains are filled with gods and ghosts, mountain spirits and demons, all of whom seek the Dao here.

The immortal's voice was calm and composed, like a gentle stream. His words contained neither disdain for spirits nor resentment towards mortals who were ignorant of the true Dharma.

I simply met someone I was destined to meet and offered them a few words of advice.

The immortal said, “In the course of a mortal’s life, one may worship incense and pray in temples, and be granted the wish to see the statue of the deity; or before marriage, the man and woman may match their birth dates to get a glimpse of the yin and yang of heaven and earth; or read Taoist scriptures to learn the way of purity. But very few people can cultivate themselves with painstaking effort.”

"One in ten thousand."

Why should you all belittle yourselves?

The earth spirit and mountain demon listened with solemn expressions and deep respect, their hearts filled with sighs.

The people below had different expressions, but their minds were all moved by Jiang She's words, and they could not forget them for a while.

Jiang She paused for a moment.

Trees are likened to numerous mountain spirits and demons.

"When trees grow, the soil they grow in varies in fertility and barrenness, which is an inherent difference. Some trees are crooked all year round, not conforming to the carpenter's standard; some have thin branches and leaves, unable to compete with peach and plum blossoms; some are hollow inside but straight on the outside, appearing dull."

"The craftsmen and woodcutters sighed, for the forest was full of useless timber."

"Indeed, heaven and earth produce materials."

"Is he meant to be a bedposter?"

…… ……

After saying this, Jiang She didn't say anything more, just lowered his head to drink and eat the food, all of which were rare delicacies from the mountains. It seemed that the Earth God and Mountain Demon had brought out all the good things. The spiritual fruit tasted much better than ordinary fruit, with a special, refreshing spiritual energy.

For ordinary people, consuming it can ward off disasters and cure diseases.

Jiang She was just tasting the flavor.

Occasionally, I would chat with the old mountain god about interesting anecdotes, asking if there were any strange or unusual stories in the vicinity over the past few hundred years.

The Old Deer Mountain God thought for a moment and then picked out a few things to talk about.

"During the Eastern Jin and Sixteen Kingdoms period, the world was in constant war and conflict. When Huan Wen launched his northern expedition, he saw at night the ruins of Fancheng with 'armored soldiers' and banners, and the sound of spears and halberds.' These were the spirits of the soldiers who died defending the city, and they lingered for a long time."

"And sometimes it is said that an old woman, carrying a white lantern, patrols the city walls on rainy nights. It is the spirit of Lady Han guarding the besieged city, protecting the region even in death."

Recalling the past, the old deer mountain god shook his head.

He sighed and said, "Actually, it's not a strange story. It's just that ordinary people thought it was miraculous and recorded it in books. After the war, the city was empty, and there were more ghosts than people. Yin prevailed over Yang, so it was possible to see ghosts."

Tonight, in the mountains and forests, spirits and demons gather, and gods and ghosts congregate.

The mountains and valleys are separated by more than ten miles.

It's just that ordinary people don't know this.

After recounting the military affairs of the Sixteen Kingdoms, the Old Deer Mountain God told a story of a wealthy man who bought a painted screen depicting a young woman. Afterward, strange occurrences began to happen in his home. The wealthy man, feeling uneasy, sought out a high-ranking monk to subdue the evil spirits.

At that time, the old deer mountain god felt that there was a lot of excitement, so he secretly went to investigate and asked around before he found out what was going on.

"This is the wronged soul of a concubine of a certain governor during the Southern Dynasties."

"Because her son was born with snow-white skin and an appearance that was different from others, she drowned him in the pond. Her resentment was not quelled, and he became the person behind the screen."

While they were chatting, the Earth Deity had been cultivating for less than a hundred years and was considered a newcomer. He simply listened to them and occasionally chimed in with a few words.

The immortals and gods at the head of the table chatted and laughed, while the demons and ghosts at the foot of the table relaxed. It was a rare occasion to have such a feast with such delicacies and such divine wine, and everyone got drunk.

Li Bai was also drunk.

He went down and sat down with the demons. The monkey, drunk, saw the man in white and asked in surprise.

"Didn't you come with the immortals?"

Li Bai laughed heartily, "It's me. May I have a cup of fine wine?"

The spirits, seeing such a bold person for the first time, were all curious and eager to learn more about the immortal. They all offered him their fine wine. The snake woman, half-human and half-snake, coiled together, her scales reflecting the moonlight, offered him a cup of wine.

The tiger let out a low growl, handed over the entire jar of wine, and laughed, "If you drink this wine, you'll probably be drunk for three days."

Li Bai, fond of the unusual, asked: "Can drinking this keep one unconscious for three days?"

"How wonderful! All the sages and worthies of the past are dead, only the drinkers have left their mark."

Drink three cups of wine.

At some point, Jiang She and the mountain and earth gods stopped talking and instead listened to the spirits below drinking and talking.

The moon shines through the woods.

Drunk with alcohol, Li Bai casually sat down, shoulder to shoulder with demons, ghosts, and gods, and asked, "I have never seen demons or ghosts cultivate the Tao. May I ask how you gentlemen embarked on the path of Tao?"

The monkey spoke, slightly drunk.

“When I began my cultivation, I received the kindness of the mountain god of Mount Lumen and the Lord of Mount Heishigang, and I learned the Dao and obtained the Dharma. However…” His voice turned low, “My aptitude is low, and I have not made any progress for thirty-six years.”

Li Bai asked, "Is thirty-six years a long time even for ghosts and gods?"

The monkey wept bitterly.

"How long can a monkey like me live?"

"I'm afraid I'll die in a few years!"

The monkey cried out, its expression mirroring that of a human, like a baby crying.

The tiger also drank the strong liquor, gulping it down, the liquid flowing down its mottled fur. It laughed loudly, "Since we began cultivating the Tao, we have first heard of death, and only then have we known of life!"

"Where there is life, there is death; so what if there is death?"

"Fellow Daoists."

Why weep so bitterly?

At the Earth Gods' Night Banquet, spirits and demons roamed freely, and immortals preached, sometimes sighing and sometimes laughing.

The ancient moon shines on people today. The vast sky of eternity is but a fleeting moment of wind and moon.

　Thank you to "且将清风佐酒" and "特用回复号" for the 100 coins.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)