I became an immortal in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 47 Immortals Facing Each Other Without Recognition

Several people looked at one person simultaneously.

Jiang She put down his food, looked up, and saw a young man dressed in a moon-white robe with jade ornaments around his waist. He had a clear and open gaze and got off an exquisitely decorated carriage. He was about the same age as Li Bai.

His words and manners are polite, suggesting he comes from a distinguished family.

Jiang She said, "I have never heard of anything about immortals here."

The visitor sighed, "Another missed opportunity?"

"Are you seeking immortality?"

"Indeed," the visitor said. "I heard that there were immortals in Xiangyang, so I came in haste, but unfortunately I missed them, as the immortals have already departed."

Li Bai found it quite interesting upon hearing this.

This person came to see the master, but little did he know that a deity was right in front of him.

He nudged Yuan Danqiu with his arm.

Yuan Danqiu glared at him and asked, "You seem to come from an extraordinary background. May I ask who you are and whether you are interested in matters of immortality?"

Wang Wei had no intention of lingering in the countryside. He only saw that people were resting there and might have heard some rumors. If a deity were to pass by, he would also know something about it.

But they forgot how far Xiangyang is from Ruzhou.

It's a distance of six or seven hundred li, separated by a vast plain and the southern foothills of the Funiu Mountains.

Many people never manage to cross such a distance in their lifetime. These people appear to be just ordinary wealthy individuals, simply enjoying a spring outing. Even if they possess extraordinary bearing, how could they possibly know about the legendary tales of immortals hundreds of miles away?

He asked for too much.

Wang Wei said, "I am from Hedong, but my ancestral home is Taiyuan. I apologize for disturbing you all with your meal. Since there is nothing else, I will take my leave. Thank you in advance."

As he spoke, his tone inevitably became somewhat subdued.

Li Bai heard this and chuckled to himself.

He asked, "You are from Hedong, with ancestral roots in Taiyuan. Are you perhaps surnamed Wang?"

"Yes."

Wang Wei had no intention of interacting much with these people. Even the person in the Taoist robe was, in his eyes, just an ordinary mortal, incomparable to a true immortal.

As the Yuefu poems say.

"An immortal rides a white deer, with short hair and long ears. He guides me to Mount Taihua, where I gather the lingzhi mushroom and obtain the red banner."

This kind of carefree and leisurely life is what he truly yearns for.

Wang Wei turned around and left, about to get back into his carriage and hurry towards Luoyang to see if the immortals were just ahead.

Li Bai lowered his voice and spoke to someone.

"I'm here to see you, sir."

"This person looks somewhat familiar."

Yuan Danqiu said, "It should be a branch of the Wang family of Taiyuan, a great family in the world."

Jiang She smiled when he saw that Li Bai seemed eager to try.

"He already has matters of the immortals in his heart. Why reveal them to him?"

The old deer mountain god stroked his beard, looked in the direction the carriages and horses had departed, and smiled.

Looking at ordinary people, he sighed and said:

"The immortal is right in front of me, yet I do not recognize him."

Li Bai disliked the man somewhat; he had never liked the arrogance of these aristocratic families. He remained silent and poured himself another cup of wine.

Drink it all in one gulp.

The group chatted idly for a few moments, talking about the sect of the conman they were looking for, and the Daoist Jingchen who compared himself to Luan Da.

Since he possesses some skills, he should be in a large city like Luoyang.

He frequented the homes of nobles and mingled with powerful and influential families.

After talking for a while, Jiang She saw that the child was still hiding behind the tree. The child had a large head and a thin body, and looked as if he had been rolling in the mud. The child opened his eyes and looked over timidly.

He picked up a steamed bun and waved:
"come over."

The child hesitated for a moment, stared at the white steamed bun in the other person's hand, and walked over.

Smelling the fragrant steamed buns, he couldn't move his feet for a moment.

Swallowing hard, his stomach growling with hunger, the child heard the man's relaxed tone and said, "I'll ask you something, and as payment, you can have this steamed bun."

The child nodded repeatedly.

"I'll tell you everything I know."

Jiang She asked, "What gods or Taoist clay statues do the people in your village worship?"

The child swallowed hard.

Afraid of not getting any food if they answered too slowly, they rushed to answer: "Our village goes to the Taoist temple in the mountains to worship the gods. Sometimes when we go to the market, my mother has also gone to the county. There is a City God there who can protect us and keep us safe."

"Have you ever heard of a very famous Taoist priest?"

"They're all Taoist priests from the temple, but the most famous one is the abbot. He's so greedy! Every time my mother goes there, he charges her five coins. If she doesn't have money, he charges her eggs too. He's the worst!"

They couldn't help but laugh.

Jiang She asked, "Why does your mother always go to the temple to pray? Is she having some kind of difficulty?"

The child lowered his head.

He muttered, "My sister was born with a weak constitution. The doctor said she should be fed goat milk or honey water, not rice gruel all day long... My family doesn't have the money to buy goat milk and honey every day." "My mother was afraid she wouldn't survive, so she liked to go to the temple to pray to the Heavenly Venerable, hoping my sister would get better soon. All the money went to the Taoist priests."

“There were two ewes in the temple… The Taoist priest wasn’t too bad; he said he could collect some goat milk for us to take home. My mother collected it a few times and even told me not to speak ill of those Taoist priests…”

The child mumbled and spoke incoherently.

Jiang She listened to his complaints about the Taoist priests and couldn't help but smile.

It seems they deeply resented those Taoist priests.

"besides!"

The child thought to himself, "I've heard there's a temple dedicated to Silang Jun, but my mother has never been there. They charge too much money, and my family can't afford it. But many people who have visited it have become rich..."

Envy appeared on his face.

"My dad told my mom to save up some money so we could go and offer prayers at that temple. I wonder how high the threshold is for that temple..."

Jiang She nodded and handed him the steamed bun.

"I see."

The next moment, he was in the joyful gaze of the children.

Jiang She got up, stood up, and brushed off the wrinkles in his clothes.

He bowed slightly.

"Where is the City God of this place? I, Jiang, would like to request an audience."

……

……

A middle-aged man in a red robe and jade belt, with a slightly unsteady gait, suddenly appeared. He looked around, a pen still clutched in his hand.

The City God was momentarily confused about the situation.

I just heard someone summoning me, and the voice was clear enough to hear. I figured it must be a highly accomplished person, so I decided to show myself to meet them.

Unexpectedly, it was in such a remote place, in the middle of nowhere, and it was unknown how far away it was from the City God Temple.

How high must this technique be?
We cannot underestimate them.

The City God looked around and then turned to the speaker.

His tone became even more respectful.

"Greetings, Immortal Master!"

"You're too polite, City God."

The City God felt himself being lifted up by a force, filled with surprise and uncertainty. He was a righteous god appointed by the government and had served as an official for decades, yet he had never encountered anything like this before. The City God carefully sensed it and realized that the force used was not the magic he was familiar with, but rather the vital energy of the green qi in the world.

Who exactly is this person in front of me?
Such extravagance?

Jiang She recounted in detail the story of the group of swindlers in Xiangzhou, including their lineage, and then asked, "Has the City God ever heard of Daoist Jingchen?"

"I seem to have been to Ruzhou before. That swindler once said that Daoist Jingchen had a disciple named Xing Si, who was from Ruzhou."

The City God almost thought that the immortal master had come to punish him.

My hairs stand on end.

After listening carefully for a while, he realized that the person had come to ask someone a question. He was so frightened that his heart started pounding.

The City God patted his chest, carefully searching his memory to make sure there was nothing there.

They didn't dare to deny it outright, for fear that if something really happened, they would have to take the blame.

"I have not heard of this before; I will investigate further upon my return."

Jiang She raised his hand to stop him from making a vow.

"Is there a temple dedicated to Silangjun nearby? I've heard that many people worship there and donate quite a lot of money. I wonder what the situation is?"

I just mentioned that there was a fourth disciple, and now there's a temple dedicated to the Fourth Prince.

It was still under his own rule.

Sweat beaded on the City God's back. He quickly said:

"I will investigate immediately. If anyone is found to be playing tricks or causing trouble under my jurisdiction to make money or even harm people... as the City God, I will certainly not let them get away with it!"

The City God was solemn and respectful.

He must be brought to justice!

Jiang She cupped his hands in thanks: "In that case, I thank you."

After the City God took his leave, he turned back to investigate the person, and the smoke he had transformed into dissipated.

The child held the steamed bun, staring blankly for a long time, unable to utter a single word.

I stood there stunned for a moment.

He exclaimed in surprise:

"God, God!"

Li Bai listened with a refreshed and invigorated feeling.

He looked up. The carriage of the nobleman was nowhere to be seen on the official road.

In the end, it was all for naught.

(End of this chapter)