Were There Immortals in This World?

Zhang Zhenmei lived in a small courtyard. In truth, it belonged to the Lu Family and stood in the county seat. Lu the Eldest had given him the deed, and it was where the three of them had settled in Xiangyang County.

It was the Hour of the Goat, in the afternoon. He sat in a chair, basking in the sunlight that spilled into the courtyard.

A ledger lay in his arms, recording how much each of the five families had offered him. Some had already been spent; some had gone toward buying property. Adding up all the odds and ends, he still had three or four thousand strings of cash on hand.

That was an astonishing sum.

Some wealthy households in the county had amassed fortunes over generations, earning money through decades of business. Even certain county magistrates, after years in office, might not have that much.

"Have you gathered enough money?"

Zhang Zhenmei jolted awake. He instinctively raised his head, looked around, and turned toward the voice.

Outside the courtyard gate, in the shade beneath a tree, stood three people. One wore an old green robe and had refined, handsome features. Another was dressed in white and looked wealthy. The old man wore a long, wide-sleeved robe, and his hair and beard were completely white.

They were the same three who had suddenly appeared at the Lu Family's home that day.

Jiang She pushed open the gate, and the group walked into the courtyard, looking around the secluded residence.

Though the place had grown somewhat shabby, moss had crept over the stone steps. It was still clear that the courtyard had once been carefully maintained and thoughtfully furnished.

Greenery flourished throughout the yard, which connected to the main house. In one corner stood a trellis, with grapevines climbing up it. They could also see that a dog had once been kept there: a kennel had been built especially for it, now covered in a thick layer of dust. Crooked, childlike writing was faintly visible on it.

Perhaps members of the Lu Family had lived here as children.

It was right in the county seat, with vendors calling out in the surrounding streets, peddlers hawking wine and drinks. It was livelier than the Lu Family's own residence. If there was a drawback, it was simply that the place was rather small.

He looked at Zhang Zhenmei.

He asked casually, "When do you plan to send it back?"

Zhang Zhenmei's heart thundered.

A few breaths passed.

He tamped down his alarm and only then realized he was still sitting in his chair in front of the immortal master. He hurried to his feet and clasped his hands in greeting.

"Greetings, Immortal Master—"

He then bowed to the Mountain God and the other man in white. Though Scholar Lu had told him the latter was mortal, standing among immortals and gods, this man joked and laughed with them as if they were equals. He was clearly not someone to trifle with.

After all, it was easy to meet the King of Hell, but hard to deal with his underlings.

Still holding his formal bow, he bent slightly and said, "I have done all I can to gather the money. I would not dare break the agreed deadline."

"How much money did Lu the Eldest ask the immortals to send you?" Jiang She asked casually.

Zhang Zhenmei pored over his ledger every day. He knew the amount without having to look.

"Replying to the Immortal Master, there was... six hundred and eighty strings, each short of a full string, with eight hundred coins to a string."

"Count out the money."

"There should be six hundred and eighty strings, right? Taibai, go help him hire a few donkey carts."

With eight hundred coins strung together as one, six hundred and eighty strings weighed far more than any ordinary person could carry. They would have to haul the money by horse or donkey cart, and make several trips.

Xiangyang was a small city. People were reluctant to spend, so donkey carts were more common. There were even businesses that specialized in carts and horses.

Li Bai agreed, got up, and went out to find a cart-hire shop.

Only the Immortal Master and the lord of the surrounding mountains and rivers remained in the courtyard. They were all immortals and gods.

Zhang Zhenmei's heart pounded wildly. He swallowed and did his best to steady himself. He pushed open the room door. The two young attendants hadn't heard anything outside; they were crouched on the floor, slowly counting and stringing coins. The chest in front of them was nearly full, and several more chests sat nearby.

He said, "Count out six hundred and eighty strings."

Then he remembered to ask, "When you string the coins, are there eight hundred to a string?"

The two attendants nodded, and only then did Zhang Zhenmei's expression ease a little.

The two crouched down and started counting again. Zhang Zhenmei didn't want to go back out and face the immortal and the god in the courtyard, either. He found a chair, sat down, and closed his eyes, listening to the clink and clatter of the coins.

Qingyu asked, "Master, which family should we pay first?"

"Lu the Eldest."

A little while later.

Li Bai had already returned with several donkey carts. There wasn't room to park them all outside the courtyard, so he had borrowed some space from the neighbors as well.

Since he was asking a favor, he had also brought the neighbors two Gulouzi to eat. They were flatbreads stuffed with mutton and roasted together until crisp and dry, the lamb fat dripping down as their aroma filled the air.

With food in their mouths, the neighbors agreed readily.

They knew nothing about the Lu Family's affairs. They only knew that the courtyard had recently changed hands, and that an old Daoist had moved in with two young attendants. He spent his days coming and going mysteriously, rarely seen, and every so often a cart would arrive to carry things inside. They weren't particularly close.

When the neighbors saw Jiang She and the others, they looked at the donkey carts coming and going and asked, "Are you relatives of the people who live here? Are you going on a long trip?"

The man smelled the rich, slightly charred aroma of the Gulouzi and swallowed. He turned and told the boy of the house to take them to the kitchen, so the whole family could eat them with supper.

He felt a little embarrassed to accept something for nothing, but didn't want to give one back. So he washed some fruit that the younger members of the family had picked in the mountains and offered it to the three men.

Jiang She smiled.

He accepted the fruit the neighbor offered.

He took a bite. It was sour, with a hint of sweetness.

Quite tasty, all things considered.

People were strange. Sometimes you were willing to treat them kindly and make things easier for them, and they would be willing to return the kindness and give you something in turn.

At other times, they would argue endlessly over a few feet of wall, determined to claim even that petty advantage, or even write to an official relative to bring pressure down on someone.

Such simple, honest folk.

While Zhang Zhenmei and the others counted and strung the coins, the three men stood beneath the tree by the gate, chatting with the neighbor.

He said business had been good this year. His son had dug up poria in the mountains, and the wealthy households in the county all liked buying it. He also said his third younger brother worked as a constable at the county yamen and had even been summoned by the magistrate for questioning, so he had quite a bit of pull. If they ever ran into thieves or bandits, they could go to him.

Jiang She smiled and agreed.

He chimed in from time to time, though Li Bai did most of the talking.

After chatting with them for a while, the neighbor learned that the three had come to visit the old Daoist and his two young attendants. They seemed familiar with them.

Curious, he asked.

"Young Master Jiang, they say Daoists catch ghosts. Since you know that old Daoist, have you ever met a ghost?"

Jiang She looked at Li Bai.

Li Bai smiled. "I have."

The neighbor jumped. "Good heavens! That must have been terrifying. Did the ghost hurt anyone?"

"No one was hurt."

The ghosts Li Bai had seen were all muddleheaded and dazed, with few thoughts of their own. If a person had a strong, vigorous qi and was young and sturdy, they could actually scatter a ghost's form just by being near it.

He supposed that a ghost capable of hurting people must have cultivated some kind of power.

The neighbor asked again:

"Then are there really immortals in this world? My third younger brother came back and told everyone he met that some of his colleagues had encountered an immortal."

"He told it like it was true, and even my wife believed him. Today she went straight off to tell her family, and I couldn't stop her. If you ask me, it's all nonsense. Immortals aren't so easy to meet, are they?"

Jiang She finished the fruit and kept the pit. He listened as the other man spoke.

He said nothing.

Beside him, Li Bai couldn't help laughing. He lowered his head and took another bite of fruit.

The neighbor didn't notice him and went on talking about the rumors he'd heard over the past few days. It was rare for a story like this to happen in Xiangyang: an immortal had appeared, and it seemed as though everyone around them had heard of someone who had met him or lived through it.

If someone hadn't heard the story yet, then he had to hear it in full.

"They even say there's an old immortal on Lumen Mountain outside the city, with a great big head of white hair and beard, just like... just like this old gentleman here."

"I nearly forgot to ask."

"Old gentleman, how old are you this year?"

"You must be eighty or ninety, with that white beard. And yet you look so hale and hearty. What a blessing."

The Lumen Mountain God laughed and thought for a moment.

Then he said,

"I've lost count..."