I became an immortal in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 291 Wu Daozi, Zhang Xu, and the Demons of Chang'an

Jiang She walked through the snow, with the cat following beside him.

I walked all the way back to Shengpingfang, and the streets were packed with people.

This is the first snow in Chang'an. At this time of year, the harvest is plentiful, and the people of Chang'an are particularly free, so they all come out to admire the snow.

The young child, held by his parents' hands, peered at the ancient building beside them. He watched as the vendor stuffed a whole pound of minced meat into a huge flatbread, then put it into the oven to bake, where it sizzled and dripped oil.

The child swallowed hard, then looked up at his parents.

Jiang She walked ahead.

The cat slowly came to a stop and remained still.

He looked down and saw the cat staring at the stove.

The cat looked around, afraid of being discovered, and spoke very softly.

"What's this……"

Jiang She explained, "There's a kind of mutton flatbread called 'Gulouzi.' Shall we buy one and try it?"

Just as the cat was about to agree, it saw the child not far away, and the two men and women he was leading showed a look of heartache on their faces, and finally handed him a lot of copper coins.

She hesitated for a moment, then ran away in a few steps.

"I just ate."

"That's right..."

"Correct!"

Jiang She didn't ask any more questions. He glanced at the vendor, and then the man and the cat headed home.

Snow covered the roads of Chang'an.

The snow started falling at noon and hasn't stopped even now at Shenshi (3-5 PM). With snow falling heavily, the people of Chang'an are in high spirits, going out in twos and threes to admire the snow.

Jiang She saw it.

The children in the alley huddled together, trying to pile up the snow. When they couldn't manage it, they started hitting each other, completely forgetting about the solar eclipse that had occurred earlier.

The cat hopped and walked along the wall, looking down at the children.

Wu Daozi was walking on a snowy road with his friend.

"Bo Gao, it's getting cold, let's go back and have a hot pot."

He also said enthusiastically:
"I recently acquired a new servant who is skilled in cooking. He can prepare seasonings according to each person's different tastes. You can try them out later."

Zhang Xu breathed out the cold air.

"Then I'm in for a treat."

Their shoes crunched on the snow.

Wu Daozi subconsciously observed the scenery on the snow track, watching several children throwing snow at each other, their behavior and expressions quite interesting.

"These children are playing in the snow."

The two quickened their pace, avoiding the mischievous children.

To avoid being hit by the flying snow that they throw around and scatter everywhere.

After circling the street, Wu Daozi, with his sharp eyes, spotted a small, black cat walking on the wall with its tail held upright. It was quite lively, and when it noticed people watching it, it turned its head to look at them.

"Daozi?"

Zhang Xu tugged at Wu Daozi, "If we go any further, we'll crash into a tree."

Wu Daozi came to his senses.

"That cat is very intelligent, and it looks a bit like one I drew before... I've seen it before."

He asked Zhang Xu to wait there for a while.

He chased after him and finally saw a familiar figure. Wu Daozi's eyes lit up. He ran up to him, opened his mouth, but hesitated to call out to the other person.

I don't even know what to call it.

The other party is no ordinary person; calling him an immortal would be too obsequious, while calling him "my lord" as before would be disrespectful.

Just when I was struggling with this decision.

Jiang She noticed the noise and turned around.

"It's Mr. Wu..."

Wu Daozi clasped his hands in a salute, hesitated for a moment, and then still used the same address as before.

Years have passed, and fine lines have appeared at the corners of his eyes. He smiled and said:
"I never expected to run into Mr. Jiang here."

"It has been four years since we parted ways in Yanzhou."

Wu Daozi sized up Jiang She, observing his features. As a master painter, he was adept at remembering people's appearances, and he was deeply moved.

Wu Daozi sighed.

“I am no longer young, but you are still the same.”

When did you arrive in Chang'an, my lord?

Jiang She returned the greeting, his tone still gentle, as if nothing had changed in the four years that had passed.

"I just came this year to see what's going on."

Wu Daozi asked:

"Does the young master also reside in this Shengping Ward? Now that the young master has arrived, I must host a banquet in his honor. Would the young master be willing to attend?"

It was a rare opportunity to run into an old friend and have a chance to eat and drink for free, so Jiang She smiled and agreed.

"That would be disrespectful."

The cat also peeked over and looked at Wu Daozi, feeling a sense of familiarity.

Looking at the lively kitten, Wu Daozi thought to himself that he hadn't misjudged it. In a good mood, he even greeted the cat, which was unusual for him. "You've come to Chang'an, my little cat. Happy Winter Solstice!"

After saying this, Wu Daozi chuckled to himself.

He's so old, yet he's still greeting cats.

Remembering Zhang Xu who was still waiting behind him, Wu Daozi bowed to Jiang She and gave him his address:

"I have good friends waiting for me. If you have any free time that day, please let me know..."

The words were not finished.

On the wall, the cat tilted its little head and looked him over for a long time, as if it had finally recognized him.

"I hope you're doing well too~"

……

"Brother Daozi, Daozi?"

Seeing that the man hadn't moved for a long time, Zhang Xu walked over and looked at Wu Daozi with a strange expression.

"Why aren't you moving? Aren't you cold?"

He looked Wu Daozi up and down. The man had a silly grin on his face. He had been accidentally hit by the children throwing snow at him and had snow on him, but he didn't seem to care about shaking it off.

Why are you just standing here?

Wu Daozi turned his head to look at him.

Have you ever seen a talking cat?

Zhang Xu laughed heartily and said:
"Then it must be a cat demon. You're making murals for Jinggong Temple, I heard they're going to cover the walls with ghosts, gods, and sins, is there any rough outline yet?"

Wu Daozi shook his head.

He sighed, "Let's wait and see. Gods and ghosts are not easy to draw!"

Zhang Xu laughed loudly, and the two of them walked back through the snow on the road.

Zhang Xu also bought a jar of fine wine. Tonight, there will be a solar eclipse in front of Chang'an, followed by snowfall. How wondrous! Let us raise a large cup of wine!

Meanwhile, Wu and Zhang carried the wine jar home.

On the other side, Jiang She pushed open the courtyard gate.

A path had been swept through the yard, with a thin layer of snow piled up on both sides.

The small bamboo grove in the courtyard was also covered in snow. The thin layer of snow weighed down the bamboo leaves, and the sound of falling snow and breaking bamboo could be heard from time to time.

In the bright winter snow.

Li Bai and Yuan Danqiu returned at some point.

The two sat in the pavilion where they listened to the rain. They had already moved the broken stone benches out, so they simply sat on the ground.

Li Bai was also holding the yaksha, urging him to drink.

"Drink full!"

Li Bai pours wine for the Yaksha.

"Cease fire!"

Yuan Danqiu was already a little drunk. He hiccuped, looked outside with bleary eyes, paused for a moment, and then smiled.

"Sir is back!"

Li Bai and Yuan Danqiu came forward to greet them.

The fish-headed yaksha felt as if he had been granted a pardon and bowed to Jiang She.

He said in a disheveled manner, "This is Shui Jun's order. These four people have already woken up, and he brought them up..."

He sounded a little drunk, and his face was flushed.

Yaksha hurriedly took his leave.

After everyone left, Jiang She looked at Li Bai with a puzzled expression and asked, "How much wine did he drink? How did Yaksha get so drunk?"

Li Bai counted in his mind.

"It's almost a bushel."

A dou (斗) of wine contains six sheng (升), roughly eight to ten jin (斤).

This Yaksha is already considered to have a massive amount of energy, Jiang She admired.

he asks:

"Why did you drink so much?"

Li Bai, still holding a wine cup in his hand, said:
“This yaksha said he had never drunk human wine before, so I bought a lot more. I didn’t know how much wine this yaksha could drink, so I bought a little more than usual.”

He looked at the wine jugs and cups piled up haphazardly in the pavilion.

Yuan Danqiu said from the side.

"I think Taibai did it on purpose."

"What did you go out for, sir?" Yuan Danqiu asked. "Taibai and I just returned. We heard there was a solar eclipse at noon. Did you go to watch the solar eclipse, sir?"

Jiang She thought for a moment.

"almost."

"I originally intended to rent a fishing boat for fishing, but halfway there I remembered the demons and ghosts of Chang'an, so I went to consult Zhang Guolao."

Li Bai put down his cup and asked curiously.

"Demon?"

Happy Start of Winter! Requesting a monthly vote!

(End of this chapter)