He looked at Scholar Lu and beckoned. "What do you think?"
Scholar Lu's eyes were bloodshot. He glared at the "old man" kneeling on the ground, gritted his teeth, and after a long pause asked, "Could you make him give the money back to me?"
"You gave it to him of your own free will."
Jiang She said with amusement, "Didn't you say you wanted to become an immortal master's disciple, establish a household, gain an official post, and marry a princess?"
"How could you ask for it back now?"
Scholar Lu was at a loss for words.
After a long while, he said,
"If I could become an immortal master's disciple and seek the Great Dao, giving up this worldly wealth would be nothing. But these men are nothing but frauds, swindlers roaming the land. I... don't want to give my money to people like them."
Lu Pei hurriedly added,
"I'm willing to take you as my master, sir!"
"You remain calm in every situation, and the people you associate with include figures like the Mountain God of this place. You're also kindhearted, willing to set things right when they've gone astray. Even those deceitful frauds, you're willing to point them toward the right path."
"Having seen the Dao you follow today, I know it is the Great Dao."
"I wish to become a disciple under your tutelage, immortal master!"
With that, he bowed deeply and was about to prostrate himself.
For some reason, as he bent his knees, Lu Pei found himself unable to kneel, as though some profound and mysterious force were holding him back.
At these words,
the guests and servants all watched closely.
The Mountain God stood by with his hands tucked into his sleeves, observing in secret as well.
Li Bai even raised his head outright, staring at Lu Pei with wide eyes. He had met the man before. He was merely a bookish dullard, somewhat lost in his studies, with ordinary scholarship and not the slightest knack for poetry. How had he found the gall to ask to become the gentleman's disciple?
Jiang She smiled.
His voice was gentle.
"Those who are not suited to it should not be taught; those who do not seek the truth sincerely should not be instructed. Our fated connection does not lie here."
"You are not fit to enter my house."
The meaning was clear.
He would not teach immortality's path to someone unsuited for it. He would not impart true immortal arts to someone who did not sincerely and wholeheartedly seek instruction.
You cannot be my disciple.
Old Deer Mountain God stood to one side, like a guardian spirit attending an immortal, or a clerk with brush and knife at a magistrate's side.
He spoke a pointed word.
"Do you think just anyone can become the gentleman's disciple?"
His words struck Lu Pei like ice water poured over his bones. Every secret hope and longing, every faint sense of pride within him, every wishful fantasy he had harbored—all were doused by that single sentence.
The night was dark and heavy. No lamps had been lit, so no one could see Scholar Lu's face turn deathly pale.
Li Bai lifted his head and watched from the side.
Those words were addressed not only to Scholar Lu, but also to the guests, physicians, and servants in the courtyard, who watched breathlessly, unwilling to leave, and yearned for the immortal path.
The Mountain God of Lumen Mountain had sat as its guardian for eight hundred years. He had seen countless mortals toil in bitter cultivation, yearning to become immortals.
Some had excellent natural gifts, yet only heard the Dao in their old age. They regretted never finding the right path sooner; even on their deathbeds, their pent-up anguish would not fade, and they cried out in grief. Some resigned from office to seek the Dao, traveled for forty years, and gained a little insight, only to die far from home in a temple on some rainy spring night.
Pang Degong had not been the first.
Scholar Lu would not be the last.
Those who lived in the mortal world—husband and wife, two or three children, keeping pace with the seasons and living on the five grains—could not escape the cycle of reincarnation. Their seven emotions and eight sufferings, their ten close kin and nine relations, were not easy to set aside.
Why lose yourself in the Dao Path?
The Great Dao was arduous. Was it really so easy to walk?
Today, by this fated encounter, they had glimpsed an immortal's face and met an immortal's fortune. That alone was more than countless living beings could ever hope for.
They wanted to become disciples?
Even the Mountain God of Lumen Mountain shook his head at their foolish devotion.
He warned the mortals in the courtyard:
Stop imagining such things.
A bright full moon hung in the sky, its silver light spilling across the ground.
Jiang She looked leisurely over the crowd. The night could not obscure his sight.
He saw Scholar Lu bent halfway to the ground, and he saw the people in the courtyard, their eyes bright as stars, their faces full of longing.
Not far from Scholar Lu, the account book in the steward's hands had long since slipped to the ground with a slap. Nearby, the three swindlers sat sprawled on the ground, listening to the brief exchange that had struck them like a thunderclap. They had no idea the account book they had been coveting was lying right behind them.
The firewood in the medicine stove had nearly burned out. Now and then, a few sparks stirred among the ashes. The young apothecary's eyes shone as he craned his neck to watch the courtyard. Beside him, Physician Luo stood utterly still, captivated. A maid in the courtyard held a box of needles, while a servant carried a medicine chest. None of them knew that Grand Matriarch Lu had already woken, and was listening to these words with her eyes closed.
Beneath the locust tree in the courtyard, Yuan Danqiu's eyes gleamed. He looked toward Li Bai, then stared at him again.
Although they could barely see in the darkness, the guests kept looking this way, huddling together. Meng Haoran's legs had gone stiff and numb, yet he could not bear to move.
Even after staying in this foreign land for ten years, Jiang She could not help but feel momentarily dazed at the sight of these people from ancient times.
He suppressed his sense of drifting in a foreign land.
The dress and bearing of the Tang people were all before his eyes. Their faces were full of yearning as they craned their necks to look. Whether they were astonished or delighted, this was a rare encounter in each of their lives.
Life was but a brief stay. Why think so much?
Though he would not take on disciples, he might as well add one more thing.
"Though we are not fated to be master and disciples,"
Jiang She said,
"Today I came here because a good person asked me to, and because the heavy rain brought us together. So... I'll give you all a thread of fate."
"Whether you can seize it, and what you can gain from it, is up to you."
At his words, the heartstrings of everyone present stirred.
They were all filled with longing.
With that, Jiang She turned to Old Deer Mountain God and said gently,
"Sorry for the trouble, Mountain God. Please watch over their path for a while."
Scholar Lu woke from a nap with his head still spinning.
His encounter with immortals had been so bizarre. The money he had been swindled out of was divided among his younger sister, who now managed the household affairs. Feeling stifled, Lu Pei called some friends over for a drink. The group leaned beneath the locust tree in the courtyard, sharing the last of a jar of Yellow Mash Wine.
He had only just fallen asleep when someone woke him.
They claimed to be envoys from Huaian Kingdom and invited him to come for a visit.
He saw a small carriage lacquered in dark green, drawn by four horses, with envoys riding alongside. There were seven or eight people in all. When Lu Pei saw the carriage, it was clear that it was not the sort of conveyance an ordinary person should have. He began to believe them and followed them to the Ancient Locust Kingdom.
The sights and customs of the Ancient Locust Kingdom were very different from those of Xiang Prefecture.
After traveling dozens of miles, the carriage and horses entered the city. There, he saw the ruler's envoy waiting by the city gate to invite him inside.
The coachmen nearby reined in their horses and moved aside, while pedestrians gave way. Lu Pei lifted one corner of the carriage curtain and saw everyone clearing the road. A strange, peculiar pride rose within him.
Outside the palace gate stood a long procession for a wedding. Lu Pei had sharp eyes and even spotted someone he knew from his hometown among them.
The Right Chancellor, Meng Haoran, was dressed in fine clothes and ornaments. He personally led him inside.
The hall was carved and painted, with guards standing in strict formation. It was a wondrous sight.
The ruler said,
"I have a daughter who has yet to marry. I would like to give her to you as your wife."
Lu Pei grew suspicious.
"Why would a noble princess, born to such wealth and privilege, marry me?"
The ruler said, "I've heard you're a learned man. Even while studying hard, you never neglected to care for your grandmother. Your filial reputation has spread throughout Xiang Prefecture and reached the Ancient Locust Kingdom."
This was indeed what Scholar Lu had done, so he believed them. They agreed to hold the wedding ceremony a few days later.
After returning to the inn, Lu Pei still felt something was strange. He found an opportunity to go out for a walk and came to a temple where incense burned without cease. At its entrance, he saw a man who looked like a Daoist sitting at a fortune-telling stall. Thinking of how he was about to marry a princess, he felt a curious sense of pride and self-assurance, and walked over.
The Daoist's surname was Luo. He had Scholar Lu shake a fortune stick.
"Beneath the Northern Dipper's light, a commander's mansion opens; among southern boughs, a marriage vow is sealed. Ask what you have wished for all your life: a golden sash, purple robes, and a phoenix bride."
Scholar Lu held the stick, not even waiting for the Daoist to explain its meaning.
Just then, three men strode out of the temple, furious. Armed with brooms, they drove the fortune-teller and his stall away.
Passersby laughed and said,
"Daoist Zhang, Daoist Wang, Daoist Song, you're late today. That stall's already swindled quite a bit of money!"
Before you continue