I became an immortal in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 5 Mountain Gods and Earth Gods

"Do you really think everyone has a destiny to become a deity?"

After the heavy rain, the mountains were lush and green. A bluebird hid among the trees, preening its tail feathers with its beak, occasionally glancing behind it. Behind it, a bright green praying mantis clung to a leaf, its back to the sunlight, like a bamboo leaf gently swaying in the wind. Hidden among the bamboo leaves, an early cicada, forced out by the rain, perched among the trees, chirping leisurely.

The old deer mountain god sat in the forest, casually pointed, and laughed with his friend:
"For example, do you notice the cicadas in the mountains?"

The Earth God shook his head.

"Humans are the most intelligent species, and are favored by Heaven, unlike cicadas."

"But what difference is there between a cicada and a human?" the old deer mountain god said with a smile.

"The cicada in the mountains is oblivious and unaware, unable to see the mantis hunting behind it, and the mantis, in turn, cannot see the birds hiding in the forest... Or rather, even if it did know, what could it do? Would you or I save it? How could it save itself?"

"Mantises eat carnivores, and birds catch insects; it is simply their nature."

"If we save someone today, there will be another tomorrow; if we save them tomorrow, there will be another year. This cycle repeats itself generation after generation, and so it is with people. How lamentable!"

"This is fate."

"They must not contradict each other, they must not contradict each other."

The local deity listened intently, and the old deity of Mount Lu, who lived for eight hundred years, had a deeper understanding of the Dao than the deity.

The Old Deer Mountain God only briefly mentioned destiny before turning to talk about Taoist practices.

"If you wish to defy fate, transcend the lifespan of 120 years, encounter the righteous law, pursue the Great Dao, and embark on the path to immortality."

"It's not that easy!"

"One must abandon the desire for worldly pleasures and relinquish the delusions of wealth and status. One must possess superior innate qualities, be free from desires, establish a foundation of virtue, perform countless good deeds, and have a renowned teacher to pass on the teachings."

"In that case, you may knock on the gates of immortality."

"This is the right path, the great way."

In the bamboo grove, a bluebird tilted its head to preen its feathers, watching a praying mantis bobbing on a bamboo strip. The mantis, having eaten its fill, was leisurely enjoying itself. They were unaware of the discussion about "the Way" taking place beneath the tree.

The local deity sighed upon hearing this.

"It is indeed difficult for mortals to seek immortality."

The mountain god laughed and said, "This path is the Great Way. Once you obtain it, it is beyond what you, me, the mountain gods and earth spirits can compare to."

"That master is merely a wanderer who has come here by chance. Even though the young man's poetic talent is astonishing, and he discusses immortals and gods as if they were old friends, he will not accept him as a disciple."

"That poet was only in his early twenties, yet he had not seen through the vanity of worldly affairs and constantly harbored the desire to enter officialdom."

How can one enter the immortal realm?

……

……

The mountain path was slippery and difficult to walk on. Li Bai's feet were covered in mud, and he was afraid his shoes would be hard to clean when he got back. He leaned against a tree trunk to rest and looked up at the people walking ahead of him.

The dew fell on the man, yet left no mark. The mountain path was muddy, but it didn't touch his shoes. It was as if the filth itself possessed a spirit, avoiding him.

When Li Bai was young, he studied at Ge Hong's "Biographies of Immortals" written in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, which included the following:

"One who walks without touching the ground, whose clothes do not get dusty, and who is impervious to water and fire, is said to avoid dust."

This is probably what immortal beings are like.

Such a skilled immortal was right in front of Li Bai, and he wanted to become his disciple to learn about immortality and the Dao, but he was refused.

He said his mind was not yet clear, and it was not the right time.

What does it mean when it's "time"?
Fortunately, Jiang She said that although he would not accept him as a disciple, they could travel together for a while and meet the people of the world.

Li Bai's heart was in turmoil; the encounter with the immortals was too bizarre, stirring up waves in his mind.

After a while, he began to explain.

"The Lu family that the Deer Mountain God mentioned, is it the Lu clan from the foot of the mountain?"

"Today is the seventieth birthday of the old lady of the Lu family. Although the Lu family has declined in the past two years, the old lady still has considerable influence, and there are quite a few guests who have come to offer their congratulations. If you would like to go and see her, I would be happy to show you the way."

Jiang She used willow twigs to string fish together and asked.

"Do you have a past connection with the Lu family?"

Li Bai readily admitted: "Yes, I came here last year to study Taoism with Brother Meng and Danqiu Sheng. It was at this time that I became acquainted with the Lu family."

"However, the matriarch of the Lu family always wanted to give me the women in her family as my wives, which bothered me so much that I had no choice but to retreat into the mountains."

Given Li Bai's family background.

Even though Tang law stipulated that the sons of merchants could not enter officialdom, he wouldn't even consider a wealthy household in a county, let alone arrange a marriage between them. He'd already declined twice, but he still wanted to ask again.

Then don't blame him for running away.

Jiang She chuckled, "That would be difficult for you."

"What's this?" Li Bai said. "The Lu family's land and houses have been almost sold off, so the old lady shouldn't have time to care about me."

“I heard from Brother Meng that the matriarch of the Lu family is old and did a lot of good deeds, such as opening the granaries to distribute grain and providing relief to the villagers during the drought years ago. She is also of a high generation. However, the Lu family has been declining in the last two years, and she has become a bit eccentric and likes to act as a matchmaker. So she is not a bad person.”

Even if the Lu family has little left, they will still go to offer their congratulations and provide some financial assistance.

"The guests who have come to offer their birthday wishes should think the same way."

Meng Haoran was a native of Xiangyang, and his family had known the Lu family for generations. The Lu family of Xiangyang County was different from the Lu family of Fanyang. The Lu family of Fanyang was a famous family throughout the country, while the Lu family of Xiangyang was just a local gentry family in a county. Now they are gradually declining, which is regrettable.

Jiang She nodded.

He then asked, "Have you heard about the reasons behind the Lu family selling their land and fields?"

Li Bai replied, "When this first happened, I thought he was going to take the imperial examination and wanted to go to the capital to submit his exam papers, but he was short of money and had to sell his belongings. Later, I didn't see him packing his bags and heading to the capital, which was a bit strange."

"I just realized that I was possessed by an evil spirit."

At this point, curiosity appeared on his face.

"What kind of evil spirit is so powerful that even the local mountain gods cannot exorcise it?"

“We’ll know as soon as we see it.” Jiang She bowed slightly and smiled gently. “We’re afraid we’ll have to bother you any longer.”

"Sir, you may simply call me Taibai."

Li Bai was refreshed and his tone conveyed respect and excitement.

“Then there’s no need to call me ‘sir’,” Jiang She smiled. “I haven’t taken a courtesy name yet, just call me by my name.”

……

……

Down the mountain.

The Lu family has declined, leaving only an empty old house. Many of the vases and utensils have been sold off, and even if the owners try to cover it up, the desolation and emptiness are still evident.

The sight of a once-wealthy and influential family that had been passed down through generations declining left local guests sighing with regret.

"There was a celadon chicken-head ewer here before, from the Jin Dynasty. I wanted to ask someone to come and buy it, but Master Lu refused several times," the customer said in a low voice.

"But it's gone today."

"I heard it was sold to shops outside and then received by the trade bureau."

"The Lu family is pitiful."

"I heard that his family has been wealthy for hundreds of years, and they have been rich for generations. It is said that they have difficulty having offspring, but with the protection of the local earth god, their lineage has never been broken. They have been wealthy for more than ten generations. What a pity."

"His eldest son's hysteria hasn't gotten better yet? The family fortune has been squandered. If he could pass the imperial examination, that would be fine, but if he keeps failing, then..."

"I hate that such a spendthrift son was born."

Some people gritted their teeth, as if they felt the same way.

After some private discussion, it was still the same Mr. Wang, who had initially expressed his regret over the chicken-head ewer, who stepped forward to speak.

"Alright, alright, today is his matriarch's birthday, a joyous occasion. Let's not talk about this anymore, let's go and offer our birthday wishes!"

They suppressed the sympathy and pity on their faces, lowered their heads to straighten their sleeves, and tried their best to make the guests and hosts happy, thus pleasing the elderly matriarch of the Lu family.

Meng Haoran and Yuan Danqiu stood among the guests.

Meng Haoran said in a low voice.

"The Lu family is doomed."

Yuan Danqiu wasn't as tactful as him and said in a low voice, "No wonder the old lady of the Lu family has been trying to arrange a marriage for her granddaughter with Taibai these past two years. He's the kind of person who spends money like water and is very generous."

　Li Bai was truly wealthy.

　　“When I traveled east to Yangzhou in the past, I spent more than 300,000 taels of silver in less than a year. I helped all the down-and-out young men. This shows that Bai was generous and charitable.”

　　Letter to Prefect Pei of Anzhou

　　In addition, the Tang Dynasty's greetings were mostly done with crossed hands, but cupped hands were also sometimes used.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)