At the foot of the tranquil immortal mountain, the sound of firecrackers suddenly rang out.
Bai Yujun had flipped through the almanac to choose an auspicious day, then kidnapped a scruffy old Daoist to calculate the lucky hour. With gongs and drums sounding and firecrackers exploding, the business officially opened. The couplets were dazzling red, and the horizontal plaque read: May Wealth Pour In. Vulgar—vulgar to the extreme.
After lighting the firecrackers, the potato-sized Land God burrowed into the earth. Amid a string of crackles, blue smoke rose, and one could tell from far away where the firecrackers were being set off.
The otter worked overtime to clean the pool, while the Little Treant sat in a flowerpot, posing as a potted plant...
At the entrance to the reception hall.
A group of immortals and gods passed through the ancient bluestone mountain gate. Their robes were luxurious, and the character "Xia" was embroidered in gold thread over their left breasts.
Xia Lan curiously studied the sign by the roadside, where two wooden boards had been nailed to a stake.
An arrow, a smiling face, and the words Officially Designated Lodging had been painted on it. Xia Lan found it rather interesting. Since they had come up the mountain to stay at a Daoist temple, they might as well stay at an inn. The four words "officially designated" were especially novel and unconventional.
Riding her White Deer, she proceeded at an unhurried pace. The Daoist Mountain left her heart empty and tranquil.
There was no need to consider deceit, intrigue, or schemes. Everything was natural. The inscriptions on the mountain rocks came in countless styles, chessboards beneath thousand-year-old trees were nearly sinking into their gnarled roots, white egrets perched among ancient pines, and young Daoist acolytes, their heads drenched in sweat,