Entering the Dream

Scholar Lu only then realized that the fortune-teller was a fraud. Fortunately, the three Daoists had seen through it.

When he returned to the post station, he saw the main hall piled high with goods—lambs, geese, bolts of silk, and coins, all the betrothal gifts complete. The princess's ceremonial regalia, musical instruments, chariots, and bridal gifts were all fully prepared.

Before the wedding, someone came to pay respects, claiming to be the groomsman.

Lu Pei took one look and recognized them as the men he had seen at the palace gate. They were also his fellow townsmen from Xiang Prefecture, with ties to the Lu Family, so he personally went to welcome them.

As for why they had come—

He had a vague inkling of the reason.

A faint trace of self-satisfaction rose in his heart, and he unhurriedly began exchanging pleasantries with them.

Jiang She stood in the courtyard, with only Li Bai at his side and the old mountain god nearby. The others lay sprawled on the ground, fast asleep as if drugged with a sleeping potion, snoring in turns—Yuan Danqiu even let out a light snore.

The moon hung high in the sky.

Li Bai's eyes had grown strangely sharp, able to see in the dark. Aside from occasionally spotting some grotesque ghosts, his vision was far better than before.

He knew this was all a change brought by Jiang She.

Truly the art of immortals...

Li Bai surveyed the courtyard.

Yuan Danqiu slept soundly, even snoring—his throat ailment probably hadn't healed. Master Meng also slept nearby, lying under a tree, with insects and ants about to crawl onto his head. Above the two of them hung the Hanged Ghost. Fortunately, they couldn't see it; if they woke up and spotted a ghost tongue dangling over their heads, they'd likely be scared to death.

Lu the Eldest was asleep too. Even the group of swindling Daoists who had knelt on the ground confessing their sins slept deeply. All around, six or seven guests, three or five servants, the physician's apprentice, and even the bedridden Grand Matriarch Lu had their eyes closed.

They had entered the dream woven by the immortal.

What was it like?

For a moment, Li Bai grew curious, eager to know what was happening in the dream.

He also wanted to know—

When they woke, what would each of them gain?

"To be able to gain sudden enlightenment on one's life here... what a tremendous opportunity..." The Old Deer Mountain God's face showed a look of emotion, part envy, part wistfulness.

Jiang She also studied the crowd.

"Those who can grasp it... I fear there will be few," he said.

A dozen or so people lay scattered on the ground, humble servants and celebrating guests alike entering the same dream. Here, there was no distinction of age, rank, good or evil—they would live out a life. But those who could take something from it would be few.

Rivers gather water to become rivers, water flows on day after day. Generations gather people to become generations, people slowly age toward dusk. What generation is not renewed? What generation keeps its people old?

How many, passing through the ages, can truly awaken?

If even one could, Jiang She would think highly of them.

He saw that the man and the god beside him both wore looks of longing.

Jiang She thought for a moment, then invited them: "Taibai, Mountain God, would you two like to come with me and take a look?"

In Li Bai's eyes, which had been idly scanning the surroundings, a gleam suddenly sparked.

His bright eyes blazed.

The wind ruffled a river of spring water, lamplight rippling across the surface as it flowed past countless homes. On both banks, mountain ranges stretched on, and trees resembling willows lined the sides. A few people disembarked from the boat and followed the crowd to the city gate.

Li Bai looked up.

Here, the night was dark, with no moon in sight.

He gazed at the towering city, the mountains and rivers, the plants and roads—all different from the outside world.

"Where is this?"

"The Ancient Locust Kingdom."

He had never heard of a place called the Ancient Locust Kingdom, Li Bai thought to himself, assuming it was only natural for a dream to differ from the Tang Land.

The Old Deer Mountain God stared intently at the surroundings, as if discerning something. He stroked his beard, tugging at it a few times, looking both amazed and amused as he watched Li Bai's curiosity, but said nothing.

Once inside the dream—

Jiang She calculated the situation in his mind and smiled.

"Let's go. We'll go see them."

He looked at the Old Deer Mountain God. "Scholar Lu is in the east of the city. Let's go take a look."

The three walked together. Li Bai noticed that their clothes began to shift as they walked, gradually taking on the style of the passersby on the road.

Li Bai looked around at the street.

The road was dirt, heavy with dust. The houses seemed built differently from anywhere else, looking strange at first glance, but interesting upon closer inspection.

A woman lowered her head, tugging her child by the hand as she dodged a passing carriage. The child was yanked hard by his mother, but his eyes were glued to a stall selling candied fruit nearby, and he refused to be dragged away.

The carriage nearly grazed a butcher standing nearby, who raised his brows, ready to curse, only to be grabbed by a friend carrying a jug of wine, who patted his shoulder as if to calm him down.

The carriage swayed with its lanterns, rolling forward, leaving a trail of dust in its wake, with two faint wheel ruts visible on the ground.

There seemed to be no night curfew here.

Li Bai realized something.

His face showed surprise.

"Every person in this world is different, each with their own expression—could it be..."

"That this is actually happening?"

The Old Deer Mountain God felt a sense of pride, smiling without speaking.

Li Bai pondered for a moment, then glanced at Jiang She beside him, momentarily at a loss for words.

To create such a vast dream—this straight avenue, as far as the eye could see, with hundreds of pedestrians passing by, each distinct, with different forms and expressions, each pursuing their own desires.

Was there such a Daoist art in the world?

Li Bai had never heard of anything like it.

After a long while, he came back to his senses, mulling it over in his mind repeatedly, unsure of what to ask.

To make a fuss over this seemed to betray a lack of experience.

It wouldn't suit Young Master Jiang's leisurely demeanor.

Finally, after a good while, he managed to ask a question.

"Where is Master Meng?"

"And Yuan Danqiu—what are they doing in the dream?"

"The two of them—you'll see them soon enough when you reach Scholar Lu's place," Jiang She said.

He seemed to know this dream kingdom, this Ancient Locust Kingdom, like the back of his hand.

The journey wasn't long, and their steps were strange—within a few paces, they had already crossed several zhang. Before Li Bai and the Old Deer Mountain God could figure it out, they arrived before a building with painted beams and carved rafters.

Jiang She pushed open the door.

Lamplight blazed bright, jade towers resounded with drums and sheng music, and the hall was filled with splendor.

It felt like a dream.

Li Bai saw that the courtyard was open to the outside, with winding paths leading to secluded spots, pavilions and railings overlooking the water, and inside, the lights were brilliant, flowing with radiance, filled with laughter and banter.

Thousands of attendants, crowned with emerald phoenix headdresses, clad in golden cloud-like capes, adorned with colorful jade and gold ornaments, dazzled the eyes. They roamed and played, coming and going through the gates, vying to entertain Scholar Lu. Their demeanor was enchanting, their words clever and refined, and the scholar could not match them.

The wealth and romance of the mortal world—surely this was it.

Even Li Bai was momentarily stunned.

"Is this Lu the Eldest?"

Lu Pei sat on the tower platform, leaning on the railing to gaze at the night, with a richly dressed attendant pouring wine beside him. Facing him sat five or six red-robed groomsmen.

Yuan Danqiu was among them.

"Danqiu Sheng..."

As Li Bai marveled, he noticed a familiar figure seated at the right table, dressed in brocade and wealth, tapping the table with his hand, singing in time with the qin music from the tower.

"Master Meng..."

"Is this what they wish for in their hearts?"

Jiang She thought for a moment.

"No."

"This is what they lack in the waking world."

Yuan Danqiu was a Daoist priest, never hoping for wealth or official rank, so in the dream, he became a man seeking office. Meng Haoran came from a humble family and never entered officialdom, so in the dream, he became the Right Chancellor, savoring the taste of fame and fortune.

Upon hearing this.

Li Bai looked at Lu Pei on the tower, attended by beauties, enjoying the qin and sheng music, listening to the flattery of his fellow townsmen.

His expression turned somewhat strange.

The Old Deer Mountain God said from the side, "It seems they can't see the three of us."

"Excellent."

Jiang She smiled slightly, pointing at the mountain god, then at Li Bai: "Mountain God, Taibai, and I."

"We have not entered the dream."

"We are people of the waking world."

"Out of place in this grand dream, like outsiders. Naturally, our movements and traces go unnoticed."

Then, with a hint of mischief, he belittled himself.

"You might as well call us moths sneaking into a house—leaving no trace behind."

Only then did I notice the monthly votes and recommendation tickets—thank you all.