I became an immortal in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 282 Xuanzong Asks About Immortality
In just three or four steps, Zhang Guolao's figure disappeared into the mountains.

The shepherd boy hurriedly took two steps forward, then remembered his ox. Looking at the old man riding the donkey who had already disappeared, he looked around and finally stopped.

He gently stroked a donkey hoof print in the soil.

He's truly an old sage...

After herding the cattle and returning home, the setting sun hung obliquely in the mountain valley, bathing their village in a golden hue.

The little shepherd boy practically rushed into the courtyard and couldn't wait to tell the people inside.

"I met an old hermit in the mountains today!"

No one paid him any attention, except his mother, who asked a few more questions. Once she realized her child hadn't been scammed, she went back to cooking.

As he walked to the door, his grandfather was squinting as he scraped bamboo strips.

The little shepherd boy quietly walked up to his grandfather, squatted down, and rested his chin on his hands.

He stared at his grandfather for a long time and thought he was really, really old. His hair was gray and his wrinkles were so deep they looked like they had been carved with a chisel.

Their backs were all hunched over, their fingers were thick and large, and each knuckle was swollen and deformed. This was the case for all the people in their village who had been doing farm work for decades.

He actually looks a bit like his grandfather?

My grandfather also encountered an old immortal riding a donkey back then.
That would probably be enough to hide a horse in one's sleeve.

I don't know who those "certain people" are.

The little shepherd boy blinked as he watched his grandfather whittle bamboo strips, a variety of thoughts swirling in his mind.

Finally, he couldn't help but ask.

“Grandpa, back when you were in the mountains, did you also encounter an old man with a white beard riding a white donkey?”

……

Meanwhile, Zhang Guolao, whom he had been thinking about, came to Chang'an again.

He and Jiang She walked side by side, and the two of them walked into the imperial city.

Gazing at the resplendent palace, Zhang Guolao felt a pang of emotion. He said:
"The last time I came here was when their Li family's Emperor Taizong was in power."

He suddenly remembered something. When Jiang She called him over this time, there seemed to be no movement from the two people in the courtyard. Zhang Guolao recalled that the two had parted ways at the banquet.

"By the way, those two people who were with you earlier, are they still not awake?"

Jiang She nodded.

"They are still living in the Water Palace."

Zhang Guolao stroked his beard, feeling somewhat sorry for the two of them.

"Then they'll miss out."

"However, not just anyone can go to the Water Palace. The two of them, by the master's side, have seen quite a lot."

The palace was heavily guarded.

Clad in full armor and armed with weapons, the Imperial Guards stood solemnly on either side of the palace gates, their eyes piercing. The two men passed right past the guards, unnoticed.

Sunlight streamed through the tall palace gates, casting long shadows on the bluestone slabs.

The two walked into the palace and saw the monk sitting at the lower level, having already been invited by the emperor.

The monk's robe was illuminated by the candlelight and gold and jade in the palace, and the gold threads on it shone brightly.

Zhang Guolao led his donkey into the palace and sighed.

"The monk's robes are truly impressive."

Officials who served as subordinates in the Prince Qi's residence back then stood to one side.

The official, about forty years old and with a lean face, was bowing with his hands clasped and said:
"The person that the guard beside His Highness the Prince of Hedong killed in a moment of impulse back then is none other than this monk before us!"

"It can't be wrong."

"His appearance is exactly the same as that of the eminent monk from back then."

Zhang Guolao stroked the white donkey's head, his tone indifferent yet playful:
"None of these people dared to say that the young prince was the murderer. Even when they pointed the finger, they said it was the guards' fault."

He shook his head, and the white donkey rubbed against his palm.

"This is the imperial family."

"No matter how much he lies, the monk was hacked to death. Didn't he know that? These high-sounding words are just fooling the officials and the common people."

Jiang She smiled and glanced at everyone in the hall.

"Even high-ranking officials may not be unaware of this."

"What you say makes sense, sir." Zhang Guolao casually grumbled, then turned to look at the emperor seated on the dragon throne. He carefully examined the emperor's face, and even had the leisure to speak to Jiang She:

"They all look somewhat alike."

"Compared to the previous Emperor Taizong, this emperor looks more refined."

Zhang Guolao thought for a moment, then realized he had forgotten the current emperor's name. He asked Jiang She, "What's his name again?"

"Li Longji".

Jiang She spoke in a calm tone, his gaze fixed on the monk.

……

Beside the officials of the Prince's Palace, there were also many officials and eunuchs from the Prince's Palace at that time, and even a "virtuous person" who had been summoned by the emperor to treat the Prince's illness was present.

These people all said the same thing.

"It is indeed that eminent monk from Yanzhou."

"Is Guan Yan a Buddhist name he adopted later?"

"I felt he looked familiar when I first saw him, but I didn't dare to recognize him. How did he come back to life?"

Everyone stared intently at the monk.

Someone murmured in surprise.

"Is there really such a thing as the art of bringing the dead back to life?"

The voice wasn't loud, but it made everyone in the hall pause for a moment.

Some people recalled that when the monks wanted to destroy the illicit temples, it was Zhang Guolao who stepped in to stop them.

A warm charcoal stove had been lit inside the hall, and a faint fragrance filled the air, with the charcoal fire crackling softly.

After everyone came to their senses, they pointed out the emperor, who had remained silent.

The emperor raised his eyes and looked at the monk.

The emperor had discussed Buddhist teachings and Taoist scriptures with this Master Guanyan, and knew that he was a learned monk.

he asks:

"Did the monk die once in Yanzhou?"

The monk put his hands together and nodded.

"He did indeed die."

The emperor's gaze shifted. He looked at the collar of the monk Guan Yan's robe. He remembered that Li Jin, the Prince of Hedong, was the one who chopped people off their heads.

He asked, "Did Zhang Guolao extend your life?"

The monk thought of his old benefactor and the immortal. He hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded.

"Yes."

The people in the hall gasped, especially the former servants of the Prince Qi's mansion, who had witnessed the monk's head being chopped off.

Can this survive?

That's truly divine skill.

A murmur of discussion arose inside the hall.

The emperor stared intently at the monk and asked:
"The monk practiced alongside Zhang Guolao, even willingly living in a simple thatched hut for several years. I wonder what he gained?"

The monk's palms tightened slightly; he knew what he was facing.

"Nothing has been gained. Three years of fruitless efforts."

The emperor was surprised, but then he smiled and asked.

"I bestow upon him a residence and official rank, and order the disciples of Chongxuan Hall to follow the Master in his cultivation."

"It seems the Master has been in Chang'an for several months now... I wonder, has the Master met Zhang Guolao? Or that immortal who rides on the clouds?"

The hall fell silent. The emperor spoke, and even the former officials of the royal court dared not utter a word. All eyes turned to the emperor and the monk.

They were all recalling the strange and unusual things they had encountered during the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai.

They heard the sage ask.

Is there a way to achieve immortality?

【Ask for monthly ticket】

(End of this chapter)