I became an immortal in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 77 I wonder if that immortal has a name.

"Because their lifespans and desires are different."

The Old Deer Mountain God sat on the stone bench, smiling as he looked at Yuan Danqiu, and asked:

"If one day you could ride the wind and embrace the moon, roam the human world, and live to be five hundred, what would you do?"

Yuan Danqiu immediately said, "This is extremely gratifying."

Li Bai thought so too.

Riding the wind and plucking the moon, playing in the mortal world—this has been the romantic ideal of disillusioned literati throughout history.

Sanshui and Chuyi ran over and squatted down in front of the steps. Jiang She listened quietly, and the middle-aged man was even more solemn. Everyone in the courtyard listened to the old deer mountain god speak.

The old deer mountain god smiled and said:
However, there are also shortcomings—

"You must abandon your frivolous heart, relinquish your desire for wealth and status, possess superior innate qualities, be free from desires, encounter a renowned teacher to impart knowledge, and establish a foundation of virtue before you can achieve enlightenment."

"At the same time, you meditate and practice the Tao every day."

"But we have less and less."

"As you progress in your spiritual practice, you will eventually see your parents, wife, children, and even your grandchildren... disappear and perish in your eyes."

"I saw my old friend die, and I saw my fellow believers wither away."

"Seeing one's lifespan decreasing day by day, gradually approaching the time of the five signs of decay in a celestial being."

At this point, the Old Deer Mountain God picked up his cup and took a sip of water. As he lowered his head, the cup obscured his expression. He didn't linger long before quickly putting the cup aside again.

He asked with a smile, "What does it taste like?"

Yuan Danqiu felt a sense of desolation and sorrow after just a moment's thought. How would he feel if his relatives and friends died one by one in front of him?

One can't help but ask: "Can't the Taoist teachings be passed on to family and friends?"

The Old Deer Mountain God sighed.

"Disaster."

He pointed at Yuan Danqiu and Li Bai and asked, "Why don't you bring your families with you when you travel around?"

The two of them understood somewhat.

Speechless for a moment.

I thought of that heretical Taoist, and the life he wrote down in his notebook. I also thought of the senior master that Sanshui and Chuyi mentioned, who was once a carefree and unrestrained cultivator, single-mindedly pursuing the Tao.

Even before seeing the Great Way, one can already see the difficulty of seeking it.

The old deer mountain god said, "That's why many mountain sects nowadays look for young children when they want to take on disciples. They have no relatives or friends, and no ties. Yunmeng Mountain is probably like that."

The middle-aged man nodded slightly.

Li Bai looked at Sanshui and Chuyi.

The two were only ten years old, and they must have been even younger when they came to become disciples.

The first-year student hung his head.

He thought for a moment and said, "My master took me in when the Yellow River was flooding. I am from Chenzhou, and my elders exchanged two bushels of rice for me."

Sanshui sat on the stone steps. She knew her background, but having grown up in the mountains, she didn't understand much about the world.

"My master saw a farmer's daughter who was about to drown and pulled me out of the swill bucket."

He muttered again:

"I heard that there are many families down the mountain who all want sons."

Her young face showed considerable dissatisfaction; she felt that she had learned the art of flying better than the first-year junior high school student.

Li Yuan and the other listened to the child's innocent words.

He was speechless for a moment.

Seeing their dejected expressions, the middle-aged man said, "You two need not worry. As the elder once said, seeking the Dao is difficult, and being an ordinary person is also difficult... They are already very fortunate."

"I have been practicing for fifty years."

"Although I am of average talent and have not yet achieved anything, I have not failed the path of cultivation, nor have I failed myself fifty years ago when I sought a master to pursue the Dao."

"I think I'm very lucky."

"After fifty years of cultivation, I have glimpsed a corner of the Great Dao and witnessed the vastness of heaven and earth. How fortunate I am!"

The middle-aged man laughed, his face no longer showing the sternness and solemnity he displayed when instructing his disciples, but rather a sense of composure.

He looked at Jiang She: "What do you think, senior?"

The old mountain god had just said so much, and Sanshui and Chuyi also wanted to know how the senior viewed cultivation and Taoist practices, while Li Bai and Yuan Danqiu were even more eager to know.

Jiang She clapped his hands and laughed loudly.

"Great!"

He said, "Only those who are fearless in the face of life and death, and who have a clear mind and see their true nature, are true cultivators."

"The path to enlightenment is arduous, and I walk it alone—"

"Today, you have all obtained it." Rain gradually fell from the sky, and the cat hid under the eaves, tilting its head and looking at the few people in the yard.

I don't know why they didn't come in to hide, but instead seemed so happy.

……

……

The rain pattered down, and outside, rainwater cascaded down the eaves like a waterfall.

The rain washed away the dust, making the trees at Hongdao Temple appear even greener. The ginkgo trees outside the window were lush and verdant, their vitality almost dripping with the raindrops.

The Prince of Qi sat in the quiet room.

The sound of wind and rain was incessant and could not be heard.

He sat opposite a person in a kneeling posture, his figure composed and elegant.

"How did Wang Wei view this rain?"

Wang Wei said, "Rainwater can nourish all things in heaven and earth."

He also knew why the Prince of Qi had invited him to the Taoist temple, especially since the Hongdao Temple had just refined a divine elixir, which was causing quite a stir in Luoyang. He simply wanted to obtain another one.

However, the abbot was seriously ill and said on his sickbed that he only had one divine pill, which had exhausted his abilities and he could not refine a second one.

The Prince of Qi couldn't help but recall the words of Li Bai.

There seem to be many things in the world that do not go as planned.

A cold wind, mixed with a light drizzle, blew into the room, making everyone feel chilly.

Prince Qi said, “I met that poet a few days ago. He did not see any immortals, but wrote the poem after getting drunk and hearing local rumors. The poem is quite good.”

Wang Wei frowned and asked.

"Is it Li Bai?"

"It's him."

The people sent by the Prince of Qi to investigate Xiangyang had already gathered some information before they even arrived. It was because the immortal's reputation in Xiangzhou was so great that it had spread to many neighboring prefectures.

Furthermore, the governor of Xiangzhou and the magistrate of Xiangyang County erected a stele and built a temple for the immortal, recounting many miraculous events that occurred when the immortal passed through Xiangyang.

His subordinates copied the inscription and rushed it to Luoyang.

In the hands of the Prince of Qi lay the contents of the inscription on the stele.

"In the thirteenth year of the Kaiyuan era, the year of Yichou, Prefect Han of Xiangzhou... had a celestial being pass by..."

The Prince of Qi sent Wang Wei to see it, and sighed:

"This is different from what I found out. Those who have been in contact with the immortals all say that he usually wears a blue robe, so where did this white robe come from?"

Wang Wei's mind suddenly stirred.

"Qingyi..."

He asked, "Does that deity have a name? That would make it easier to find him."

King Qi shook his head.

"His honorific title is unknown, only his secular name is known: Jiang She. Some say that the immortal lived in Sichuan for a period of time."

"..."

"...Mojie?"

When the Prince of Qi noticed that Wang Wei had suddenly fallen silent for a long time, he was puzzled and wanted to ask him in detail.

Then a subordinate braved the rain and hurried over, wiping away the raindrops, and bowed, saying:
"Your Majesty, the Prince is fighting with someone—"

Li Jin, the Prince of Hedong, was the only son of the Prince of Qi.

"With whom?"

Prince Qi immediately stood up, panting and coughing as he faced the cold wind and rain.

Those nearby quickly handed over a handkerchief, carefully helping the king to catch his breath.

"He is a son of the Cui family."

Which Cui family?

“A close friend of the emperor, the son of Cui Jiu, the Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat.”

The Prince of Qi felt as if a heavy stone was pressing on his chest, making it difficult for him to breathe. Looking at the lush green trees in the rain, he suddenly felt how difficult life was and how things in the world often did not go as he wished.

He didn't know how much longer he had to live.

The only son is not yet capable and needs his parents' care.

The rain was pattering outside the door.

Human life is fleeting.

(End of this chapter)