Scholar Lu only realized then that the fortune-teller was a fraud. Fortunately, the three Daoist masters had exposed him.
When he returned to the post station, he saw that the main hall was piled high with gifts: lambs and geese for the betrothal, currency and silk—all were present. Everything for the princess was fully prepared, from the ceremonial regalia and procession to the musicians, instruments, carriages, horses, and gifts.
Before the wedding, another group came to pay their respects, claiming they were the prince consort's attendants.
Lu Pei took one look and recognized them as the men he had seen outside the palace gates. They were also his fellow townsmen from Xiang Prefecture, and had dealings with the Lu Family, so he went out personally to welcome them.
As for why they had come—
He had a vague idea of the reason.
A faint trace of smug satisfaction surfaced in his heart, and he calmly exchanged pleasantries with them.
Jiang She stood in the courtyard. Beside him stood only Li Bai and an old Mountain God. Everyone else lay sprawled across the ground, as if drugged with sleeping powder, meeting Duke Zhou in waves. Even Yuan Danqiu was snoring softly.
The moon hung at its zenith.
Li Bai's eyesight had inexplicably improved considerably. He could see in the dark. Though he now caught sight of some hideous ghosts and monsters, it was still much better than before.
He knew these changes were all thanks to Jiang She.
Truly an immortal's art...
Li Bai looked around the courtyard.
Yuan Danqiu was sleeping soundly, even snoring. His throat ailment probably hadn't healed. Master Meng was asleep nearby, lying beneath a tree, with insects already crawling toward his head. The Hanged Ghost was right above them. Fortunately, the two men couldn't see it; otherwise, waking to find a ghostly tongue dangling over their heads would probably scare them to death.
Lu the Eldest was asleep too. Even the swindling Daoists who had been prostrating themselves on the ground to beg forgiveness had their eyes shut, sleeping deeply. The six or seven guests nearby, three or five servants, the physician and his apprentice, and even the ailing Grand Matriarch Lu seated inside—all had their eyes closed.
They had entered the dream woven by an immortal.
What would it be like?
For a moment, Li Bai grew curious. He very much wanted to know what was happening in the dream.
He also wanted to know—
What would these people gain when they awoke?
"To comprehend the truth of a whole lifetime in this place is a tremendous opportunity..." Old Deer Mountain God wore a wistful expression, tinged with envy and melancholy.
Jiang She looked over the people as well.
"Those who gain anything from it will probably be few and far between," he said.
More than ten people lay scattered across the ground. Lowly servants and congratulating guests had all entered the same dream. Here, there was no distinction between young and old, noble and humble, good and evil. They would live out a lifetime here, yet few would take anything away from it.
Rivers were formed as waters flowed through the ages; their waters surged on, passing day by day. The world was formed as generations of people passed through it; people drifted onward, ever closer to dusk. What age had not changed? What person could remain as they were?
How many could comprehend the truth after living through another lifetime?
Even a single one would earn Jiang She's high regard.
He noticed that the man and the god beside him both looked somewhat entranced.
Jiang She thought for a moment, then invited them, "Taibai, Mountain God, would you two care to come along and take a look?"
A spark suddenly appeared in Li Bai's listless eyes as he surveyed the surroundings.
His bright eyes gleamed.
The wind wrinkled the spring waters of a river, while rippling lights streamed across its surface, passing countless homes. Mountains stretched along both banks, and some trees that looked like willows had been planted at the roadside. The three disembarked from the boat and followed the flow of people toward the city gate.
Li Bai looked up.
It was pitch-black here, and there was no moon.
He gazed at the towering city walls. The landscape, scenery, plants, and roads were all different from the outside world.
"Where is this?"
"The Ancient Locust Kingdom."
Li Bai had never heard of a place called the Ancient Locust Kingdom. He figured it was only natural for a place in a dream to differ from the Tang Land.
Old Deer Mountain God carefully studied the surrounding scenery, as if trying to discern something. He stroked his beard, running his fingers through it a few times, then looked at Li Bai's curiosity with a smile. He said nothing.
Once they entered the dream,
Jiang She silently gauged the situation and smiled.
"Come on. Let's go see them."
He looked at Old Deer Mountain God. "Scholar Lu is in the eastern part of the city. Let's go take a look."
The three walked together. Li Bai noticed that their clothes were changing as they walked, gradually coming to resemble the garments worn by the passersby.
Li Bai looked around at the street.
It was a dirt road, heavy with dust. The houses seemed to have been built in a style unlike anywhere else. They looked strange, yet the more closely he examined them, the more interesting they became.
A woman bowed her head and tugged her child by the hand, steering clear of a passing carriage. The child was pulled along firmly by his mother, but his eyes were glued to a stall selling candied fruit. No amount of tugging could drag him away.
The carriage nearly scraped a butcher nearby. He raised his brows, about to curse, but a friend carrying a wine jug grabbed him and patted his shoulder, seemingly trying to talk him down.
The carriage rattled onward, its lanterns swaying. It left a trail of dust behind, with two faint wheel tracks visible on the ground.
It seemed there was no curfew here.
Li Bai realized something.
His face filled with astonishment.
"Everyone in this world is different, each with their own expression. Could it be..."
"That it's really happening?"
Old Deer Mountain God smiled proudly but said nothing.
Li Bai began to piece things together. He glanced at Jiang She beside him, at a loss for words.
To create such a vast dream, with a straight road stretching ahead and hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people visible at a glance—all of them different, with unique appearances and expressions, each pursuing something of their own—
What kind of Daoist art could accomplish such a thing?
Li Bai had never heard of anything like it.
After a while, he came back to himself. He mulled it over repeatedly but still didn't know what to ask.
To be so astonished by this seemed to show how little he knew.
It hardly suited Young Master Jiang's leisurely, composed manner.
After a long while, he finally asked, "Where is Master Meng?"
"And what are Yuan Danqiu and the others doing in the dream?"
"You'll see them both shortly, at Scholar Lu's place," Jiang She said.
He seemed to know the dream country, the Ancient Locust Kingdom, like the back of his hand.
The journey wasn't long, and the three walked at a strange pace. In just a few steps, they had covered several yards. Before Li Bai and Old Deer Mountain God could figure it out, they had reached a building with painted rafters and carved beams.
Jiang She pushed open the door.
The place blazed with light. Jade towers rang with bells and flutes, and the whole hall shone with splendor.
It was just like a dream.
Li Bai saw that the courtyard connected to the outside, with winding paths leading to secluded spots and corridors overlooking the water. Inside, the lamps blazed and their light flowed everywhere, while laughter and banter never ceased.
Thousands of attendants adorned with phoenix crowns and emerald ornaments, dressed in golden capes and jeweled finery, were dazzling to behold. They played and frolicked, passing through the halls, vying to tease Scholar Lu. They were enchanting and alluring, their words clever and graceful, leaving him unable to respond.
If the world's wealth and elegance could be found anywhere, surely it would look like this.
Even Li Bai couldn't help but stare for a moment.
"Is that Lu the Eldest?"
Scholar Lu sat in the tower, leaning against the railing as he gazed into the night. A richly dressed attendant poured him wine. Seated opposite him were five or six attendants in red robes.
Yuan Danqiu was among them.
"Danqiu Sheng..."
Li Bai was still marveling when he spotted a familiar figure seated on the right. Dressed in fine clothes, he drummed his fingers on the table and sang along with the music of the zither in the tower.
"Master Meng..."
"Is this what they want in their hearts?"
Jiang She thought for a moment.
"No."
"This is what they lack in their waking lives."
Yuan Danqiu was a Daoist who sought neither wealth nor official rank in this life. In the dream, he had become a man seeking office. Meng Haoran came from a poor family and had never entered officialdom; in the dream, he was the Right Chancellor, getting a good taste of fame and fortune.
Hearing this,
Li Bai looked at Lu Pei in the tower, waited on by beautiful women as he savored music and song. In his ears, his fellow townsmen sang his praises.
His expression grew rather strange.
Old Deer Mountain God said from nearby, "It seems they can't see the three of us."
"Excellent."
Jiang She smiled faintly and pointed to the Mountain God, then to Li Bai. "Mountain God, Taibai, and I—
"we haven't entered the dream.
"We belong to the waking world.
"We're out of place in this great dream, like outsiders. Naturally, no one can perceive our whereabouts or footsteps."
He grew a little mischievous and made fun of himself.
"You could say we're like silverfish in someone's home—there, but nowhere to be seen."
Before you continue