I became an immortal in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 52 Are the immortals coming to my house for dinner?

Dead...?
Two hours ago, when the City God was summoned, that evil Taoist was still perfectly fine.

So he died?

When he returned, he quickly investigated. Without Wu Pan's cover-up, the more he investigated, the more alarmed he became. It turned out that this so-called Fourth Prince had actually killed dozens of people, and the evil consequences were hard to erase.

Some families, after endless prayers and pleas, argued over a share of their inheritance, resulting in the violent deaths of the entire family. Others, seeking to marry the daughter of a high-ranking official, ended up in a ghost marriage and were drowned. Still others, hoping to get rich, ended up working as shills in casinos, earning money through immoral and harmful means.

So "efficacious" that even with substantial donations, large numbers of people still come to burn incense and pray.

The sight terrified the City God.

This kind of unorthodox spiritual practice, which relies on incense offerings to attain enlightenment and has deep-rooted vows, cannot be punished by the City God alone. He is already prepared to seek assistance from other City Gods and local deities in Ruzhou.

The immortal said...

already dead?

The City God was still somewhat bewildered.

Jiang She saw through it and said, "Please let the City God amplify his divine sense, and you will know."

With the immortal's instructions, the City God relaxed his mind and enveloped the entire temple.

The surrounding stone steps and other places are intact, but the main hall, where the golden statue of the deity stands, seems to have suffered a calamity.

The ground was covered in gold dust and dirt; the golden body of the deity was nowhere to be seen, nor was the golden platform beneath him.

All he saw was a mess, with broken stones and bricks everywhere, as if a stone had fallen from the sky and shattered into pieces. Upon closer inspection, the City God realized that it vaguely resembled a human figure.

It seems to be the same golden statue from before...

Only a few worshippers remained in the hall.

The City God's spirit enveloped the entire temple. In the distance, people were crying and pleading, asking the Fourth Prince for protection. Then came a series of cries of pain and curses, the two sounds intertwined.

The City God listened for a while.

My heart was full of surprise and uncertainty.

This immortal Taoist art seems to be even more profound than he imagined...

Such a great villain was eliminated by a deity with a mere wave of his hand during the two hours he spent investigating.

The City God recognized the gold dust and ashes on the ground as the remains of the heretic. Now they had vanished into thin air, scattered by the wind.

Even gods and mortals, standing together, have the leisure to talk to children.

They chatted and laughed as if nothing had happened.

This……

The City God immediately said respectfully:
"This humble deity thanks the immortal!"

"You're welcome."

Jiang She cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for informing me, City God."

The City God was startled and quickly moved aside.

Having received such a remark from the deity, the City God's worries about being punished were dispelled.

His face flushed, and he wanted to exchange more pleasantries and be modest, but seeing that the immortal was not one to be overly polite, he ultimately held back.

He bowed and left reluctantly.

Among them, Li Bai and Yuan Danqiu were still turning their heads to look at the main hall, recalling the skeletons they had just seen. The Old Deer Mountain God was still thinking about the Taoist who died seeking the Dao, and felt a pang of sorrow.

Only the village children watched the City God leave.

Seeing that the City God had left, the village boy breathed a sigh of relief and came out from behind Yuan Danqiu.

Jiang She patted the boy's head, casually dispelling the spell he had just cast. Hearing the village boy's stomach rumble loudly, he couldn't help but smile.

I was just thinking of finding something to eat for him.

Then we saw the child raise his dark red face, his eyes bright but somewhat evasive.

"God, immortal...would you like to come to my house for a meal?"

Jiang She was slightly taken aback, seeing a mixture of anticipation, heartache, and trepidation on the child's face.

He couldn't help but laugh.

"it is good."

As Jiang She walked away, the Silangjun Temple receded further and further away, gradually becoming a tiny dot.

It collapsed with a deafening roar. The building crumbled, and the beams and pillars snapped. Dust and smoke billowed everywhere, and tiles and bricks tumbled down, yet as if possessed by a spirit, none of them struck anyone.

The pilgrim stood amidst the rubble and ruins, covered in dust and looking around in bewilderment.

It became a part of the county annals.

……

……

The village children ran through the mountains and forests, waded across a stream, and excitedly led the immortals back home.

This family lived in a single rammed earth house. The walls were made of adobe bricks, and the roof was supported by wooden beams and covered with thatch, straw, and bark to protect it from the wind and rain.

Below the child is a younger brother, five or six years old, and a younger sister, still in swaddling clothes.

The family lived together in one room, which was a bit old, but clean and tidy.

When the Zhang couple saw their child leading a group of well-dressed scholars in, they were startled and somewhat frightened. They tried to maintain appearances and began to stammer.

The village child wanted to tell his parents that this was a deity.

Jiang interrupted him when he was about to speak.

"When I was traveling in Jiangshe, I happened to meet a young man in Ruzhou, who showed me the way."

"These are my friends."

The cat meowed at Jiang She's feet.

It seemed to be a greeting.

The Zhang couple were a little reserved, but after chatting for a few minutes, they relaxed considerably, realizing they didn't have much to gain. The young man spoke in a comfortable way, and they could understand him. He even had the leisure to play with the children; he wasn't a bad person.

Jiang She also knew that the Zhang family owned several acres of land and had to pay grain tax every year.

Zhang's wife married into the family from a neighboring village. Her brothers were skilled in carpentry, but their work was rough and didn't sell for much money, so they didn't have to spend money at a carpenter's shop.

He sounded somewhat smug.

After talking for a while, the child suddenly burst into tears.

Sister-in-law Zhang hurriedly comforted the baby and explained to the guest, "This is a premature baby. He's weak, and his internal organs weren't fully developed before he was born. He's so small, so he can only cry when he feels uncomfortable. He's the most troublesome..."

Jiang She thought for a moment, then took out a Kaiyuan Tongbao coin from his sleeve and asked Zhang's sister-in-law to find a piece of rope.

"My lord, what is this...?"

"It's for warding off evil spirits; wearing it will make you feel better."

"Did the young master obtain this from the temple?"

"You could say that," Jiang She said. "We shouldn't spend this one."

Mr. Zhang gave his guarantee.

"Don't worry, my lord, no matter how poor my family is, we will never touch the child's money for protection."

Copper and iron are believed to have calming and soothing properties, and they are also used to ward off evil spirits for children. Regardless of whether they are effective or not, Sister Zhang carefully selected a clean piece of red rope, braided it slightly, and strung it into the rope.

Jiang She loosely tied the copper coin to the wrist of the baby girl in swaddling clothes.

Although it is now the Kaiyuan era, this Kaiyuan Tongbao coin is not a reign title coin, but was minted during the reign of Li Yuan. To this day, most of the coins used in Tang China are Kaiyuan Tongbao coins.

The Zhang couple simply took it as a token of their goodwill.

The village boy, however, knew what it meant and, with a sense of awe, stared at the copper coin for several moments.

The old mountain god offered two river fish, saying he had just caught them in the stream. Zhang's wife no longer needed to kill the chicken, saving herself the trouble, and busied herself cooking, while Zhang's father went to fetch water for the guests.

Seeing that everyone was busy, Yuan Danqiu couldn't help but ask.

"Sir, what's written in that booklet?"

Jiang She had noticed their curiosity long ago, and it was quite remarkable that they had managed to endure it all the way.

He took it out of his sleeve and handed it to the three of them.

The old deer mountain god stared at the sleeve, wondering how so many things could be stored inside. After staring at it for a while, he reached out and took it, and together with Li Bai and Yuan Danqiu, they began to read it.

"Master Jin Yuan's Notes on Cultivation..."

The aroma of meat wafted up from the kitchen.

Several people sat in the courtyard, holding and reading the life story of that heretical man.

(End of this chapter)