I became an immortal in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 86 How Many Years Until the Next Fengshan Ceremony (Seeking First Subscription)
A drop of azure liquid traveled from a distant palace, skimmed over treetops, passed through streets and alleys, passed by street vendors, swept past mountain beasts, and disappeared into the crowd in an instant.

They reunited at Jiang She's fingertips.

A glimmer of inspiration lingers.

Jiang She examined it closely, as if it were the little bit of spirit on the paper donkey.

Why are you back?

After examining it for a few seconds, Jiang She snapped his fingers.

The drop of green liquid then dissipated again, transforming into a wisp of nameless breeze, which, along with the joyful atmosphere in the air, landed on everyone in the courtyard.

Li Bai suddenly felt a little more comfortable.

The elderly geomancer, sitting to one side, suddenly felt that his legs and feet were not so sore anymore. Although they were still a little sore and numb, they were much better than before, and his brows relaxed.

The people at the table were eating and drinking.

"Hey, I have to say, this breeze feels much more comfortable, and I feel lighter."

The people at the table were holding pieces of mutton with their chopsticks; they rarely ate such delicacies.

"They're just having a good time at the banquet."

The cat meowed.

Jiang She smiled slightly.

He sat at the wedding table, listening to the people talking in the courtyard, and stroked the kitten's head. He picked a clean, large leaf from a tree and carefully placed some apricot jelly and sashimi on it for the cat.

put it on the floor.

The cat has been eyeing this for a long time.

Now it has grown tiny, pointed teeth, and it eats in small bites.

After doing all this, Jiang She answered Li Bai's question.

"Some people are just not meant to be."

Who?
Li Bai was full of questions and wanted to ask them, but then he saw Mr. Jiang pick up his rice bowl and start eating with his chopsticks.

The roasted lamb chops were cooked to perfection; each bite was bursting with juice. The chef's skills were superb. This large feast was meant to feed hundreds of people, requiring a large quantity of food in a short time, yet it was made to be so delicious.

Li Bai was pondering the meaning of the words when the geomancer had been quietly observing him for quite some time.

He picked up his wine cup, carefully choosing his tone, and asked:
"Is the young master a Taoist?"

"Not really."

The geomancer praised, "Young master, you have such keen eyesight that you can recognize the auspicious sign at a glance."

"The more you see it, the more familiar you become with it."

"Have you seen a lot?"

"While traveling around, I occasionally encounter some strange things," Jiang She said.

Li Bai, stroking his wine cup, nodded upon hearing this.

"Wow, that's amazing."

The geomancer's gaze lingered on the man's eyes for a moment, then he stroked his beard and asked, "Young master, how old are you? Where are you from? And where are you headed?"

"I want to go to Yanzhou to see Mount Tai."

The current sage has already proclaimed this to the world, and the geomancer immediately remembered, "The emperor will perform the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai this winter!"

"should be."

"Would you like to go and take a look, my lord?"

"I enjoy joining in the fun."

After the cat finished licking its food, it meowed and jumped onto Jiang She with its dirty little paws. Jiang She, as usual, took out a handkerchief from his sleeve, wiped its mouth first, and then wiped its four paws clean.

The geomancer looked at the little black cat, which was lively and its fur shone like silk in the sunlight.

There's an old saying that black cats can communicate with the mysterious.

The geomancer swallowed his words, filled with questions. After a while, he asked, "It takes half a month to travel to Yanzhou. Even with slow walking, it would take a month to get there. Why did you leave so early, young master?"

"It's true."

Jiang She put away his handkerchief and said calmly, "I like to wander around. Wherever there's something interesting, I'll go and take a look. I'm used to being carefree, so I walk slowly and stop as I please."

It sounds rather disorganized.

Not only did she go out without any baggage, but she also brought a cat with her.

But thinking this way, the geomancer also felt a little envious.

"Young master, are you going to Mount Tai to seek an official position...?" He had heard that emperors liked to appoint Taoist priests to official positions, and some even bestowed titles upon them, as did Buddhist priests.

Jiang She shook his head. "I just find it very interesting."

Amidst the festive cheer and congratulatory greetings, Jiang She explained in detail.

"When the emperor was to perform the Fengshan ceremony, he would depart from Luoyang. Accompanying him were not only civil and military officials and imperial relatives, but also envoys from various regions, ceremonial guards, supplies from the rear, and Taoist priests and monks."

“Stretching across the plains, for thousands of miles in all directions.”

"It can be described as a mobile city."

The geomancer asked, "How do you know all this so clearly, young master?"

Jiang She didn't answer, but smiled and said:
“There were Turks, Khitans, Persians, Khotanites, and Indians. Envoys and leaders from Silla, Arabia, and other countries accompanied us. We could hear various languages, see their different clothes, and learn about their respective customs and beliefs.”

"It can be considered as if all nations have come to pay tribute."

"It's a rare opportunity; if I miss it, I don't know how many years I'll have to wait, so I wanted to see it."

How many years will we have to wait...?

The geomancer sighed, "If another emperor were to perform the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai, it would be the next generation or later. I reckon we won't live to see that day."

The last emperor to perform the Fengshan ceremony was Emperor Gaozong, which was nearly sixty years ago.

Jiang She smiled and lowered his head to drink the turbid wine.

The sweet and sour flavor outweighs the alcoholic aroma, which is quite rare for ordinary people.

The fortune teller at the same table was drinking, his rough hands shielding his glass, occasionally smacking his lips as he slowly savored the taste, drinking with great relish.

He asked:

"What should we do if we encounter this ominous sign again in the future?"

"First, be careful not to give money to the other party, and try not to get too close, so as not to be affected by their evil energy."

Jiang She explained in great detail that at this time, geomancers were multi-talented, capable of choosing auspicious dates, reading faces, divination, and assessing feng shui. They were needed for both weddings and funerals, and we may encounter such geomancers again in the future.

"Secondly, if you get tainted by it, you can use peach wood to ward off evil spirits, or use willow twigs and mugwort leaves to dispel bad luck."

"If the illness is even more severe, with a high fever and a drastic change in temperament, and the above methods are ineffective, you can go to the nearby City God Temple or Earth God Temple to pray."

Jiang She asked, "Is there a local temple nearby?"

The geomancer readily agreed.

"Yes, yes."

"All."

The people here love to worship gods, and almost every county, township, and village has a "sha" (a local community).

Not all of them are the solemn and formal land shrines depicted in Journey to the West, with temple priests and statues. Many "she" are simply small altars and shrines where simple sacrifices can be performed. The land gods can be local deceased elders or officials, or mountain spirits such as elm trees, locust trees, foxes, and weasels.

Jiang She said, "That's good, you can go and take a look more often."

The two talked for a while.

The groom came out of the house, his face beaming with joy. Holding a wine cup, he toasted the guests one by one, grinning foolishly.

When he reached Jiang She's table, he bowed several times to express his gratitude, saying thank you repeatedly.

"Thank you so much, my lord. Without you, my wedding today would not have been possible..."

They were a poor family; if any of their relatives or friends were to suffer an unfortunate event at their wedding, putting aside past friendships, just imagine the medical expenses that would ensue to cure them…

Fortunately, this young man happened to be passing by.

"You're welcome."

Jiang She also took a few sips of the wedding wine.

The wine seemed to taste even better, echoing the festive atmosphere throughout the courtyard.

The helpers hired for the wedding banquet must have been relatives of the family. They all had round faces, smiling eyes, and carried bamboo baskets heavily filled with steamed buns and flatbreads. Whenever they saw an empty table, they would quickly add more to it.

I specially picked out a big and fragrant one for Jiang She.

Jiang She simply couldn't refuse such a kind invitation.

They shared some of the cat food, and then Li Bai and he each ate half of it.

In the end, the remaining mutton fat on the plates was all eaten by dipping flatbread in it. Oil and fat were precious things back then.

Li Bai was so full he could barely stand it, so the two of them sat leaning against each other, listening to the gossip of their tablemates.

Suddenly, he noticed faint red smoke rising in the sky. He rubbed his eyes and examined it closely.

"Sir, did you see that?"

(End of this chapter)