The Magistrate Calls

At last, Zhang Zhenmei finished packing the trunks. They were heavy, and it took considerable effort to load them onto the donkey carts, one after another. By the time they reached the Lu Family, more than an hour had passed.

When Grand Matriarch Lu saw cart after cart of their lost-and-recovered family wealth, her hands trembled. The steward at her side hurriedly caught her.

She tottered over to Jiang She, her lips quivering. She was about to bow in greeting.

"This old woman thanks you, sir!"

Jiang She stepped aside. He couldn't accept a bow from someone so old.

Then Grand Matriarch Lu bowed to the Mountain God, tears tracing the wrinkles on her face.

The Lu Family had a small shrine. Inside stood several Taoist statues of the Three Pure Ones, along with Buddhist statues of Buddha. Amid the rows of deities was a tiny, inconspicuous deer god. She vaguely remembered it was a local spirit from nearby Lumen Mountain.

The statue wasn't large, and it had been fired crooked. The servants had never even heard of a deer god and had planned to throw it out. But Grand Matriarch Lu felt it was wrong to discard something so numinous, so she had kept it on the altar, cleaning it once every ten days.

Who could have guessed that it was this Deer Mountain God who saved the Lu Family?

The Old Deer Mountain God said nothing and did not step aside. He stood beside Mr. Jiang.

The one who had made an agreement with him all those years ago was Scholar Lu, now nothing but dry bones in a grave. The second generation, whom he had watched grow up, and the third generation, whose births he had witnessed, had long since been laid in the earth as well.

Now there were Grand Matriarch Lu, Lu the Eldest, and the eldest daughter of the Lu Family.

He had long since had nothing to do with them.

The Old Deer Mountain God looked at them with the same gaze he gave all other mortals.

Servants came and went, several of them carrying each heavy trunk down from the donkey carts. The portly steward recorded the valuables in his ledger, clicking away on his abacus as he smiled from ear to ear.

Jiang She said, "Your family's belongings have been returned, so the Grand Matriarch can finally set her mind at ease."

Seeing how difficult old age was for her, he thought for a moment, then offered a word of advice. "If your wealth could be swindled away once, it could happen a second time. Grand Matriarch, you'd best make some plans."

"This old woman understands, understands..."

"There's one more thing I must make clear to you, Grand Matriarch."

"What is it? Please, sir, say whatever you need to."

Jiang She met her gaze and sighed. After a pause, he said, "I heard that your household once worshipped a deer god. Is that true?"

The Old Deer Mountain God raised his head.

"Is something wrong?" Grand Matriarch Lu's heart tightened.

"It's not that anything is wrong," Jiang She said. "There's a connection behind this Deer God Statue. Long ago, your Lu Family ancestor formed a bond with the Mountain God and made an agreement that he would watch over the Lu descendants."

Only after listening closely did the Grand Matriarch learn of the bond her ancestor had made with the Mountain God. She also realized that it was the Deer Mountain God who had helped them through this latest crisis. She was about to bow to the deer god again.

A gentle force stopped her, and she could not bend at the waist.

"That was an old matter from eight hundred years ago." Jiang She spoke gently, his voice soft.

"You mean..."

"Please return it."

The Grand Matriarch grew anxious. Her breath caught, and though she didn't dare offend this powerful cultivator, she could only stifle a cough in her throat. She hurriedly asked, "Why... Have we been disrespectful to the deer god? Or have we not been sincere enough?"

"That's not it."

Facing the elderly Grand Matriarch, Jiang She spoke warmly.

"The Lu Family has done nothing wrong. The time has simply come."

"The Mountain God must let go."

"The Lu Family must walk its own path now."

"Do many good deeds and keep your family's conduct upright, and the local earth gods and City God will protect you. Grand Matriarch, please set your mind at ease."

Grand Matriarch Lu was crestfallen. The Lu Family servants had never imagined their household had once shared such a bond with the divine. For a time, they all stared at Jiang She and the Old Deer Mountain God.

His hair and beard were completely white, and he trembled as he stood. He was indeed very old.

If he were mortal, his family probably wouldn't even dare let him move, and they wouldn't let so much as a breeze into his room.

Remembering that he was an immortal spirit who had protected the Lu Family for many years...

They felt a bewilderment like a kite whose string had snapped.

Jiang She and the Mountain God stood where they were and waited a little longer. Half a quarter of an hour later, a maidservant came over, holding an object wrapped in red cloth with both hands.

Jiang She handed it to the Old Deer Mountain God.

The Old Deer Mountain God lowered his head and opened the red cloth. Inside was a crooked clay figurine. The workmanship was truly dreadful. Even an apprentice just starting out would probably have made a better one. It could barely stand, and even its antlers were crooked.

He gazed at it in silence.

He faintly remembered Scholar Lu showing him the figurine, excitement shining on his face. He could no longer remember what Lu had looked like, or what features he had been born with.

For a long while, he said nothing.

At last, he tucked it into his sleeve.

"Thank you, sir."

He looked at the Lu Family. "Our bond has ended. The Lu Family and I part ways in peace. From now on, each of us will follow our own path of cultivation."

As his words fell, a surge of clear, spiritual energy swept across the ground and burst outward, settling over everyone in the courtyard. The mortals couldn't see it; they only felt their bodies suddenly grow light and comfortable.

The tension eased from the Grand Matriarch's brow. Lu the Eldest felt his body grow light, his mind and body at ease, and his daughter beside him lifted her head as well.

The Old Deer Mountain God lowered his hand and stood silently in the courtyard for a while.

After retrieving the old keepsake, Jiang She, Li Bai, and the Old Deer Mountain God left while everyone was still staring in astonishment.

The moment they were gone, the Lu Family courtyard erupted into a clamor. The servants and younger members of the family broke into excited discussion.

Lu Pei was even more utterly dumbfounded.

He had given up his family's wealth, hoping to seek the Dao and become an immortal.

Yet his family's ancestors had known a local Mountain God, who had even promised to watch over their descendants from generation to generation.

Amid the discussion filling the courtyard, he felt dizzy and bewildered.

The next day, the magistrate of Xiangyang County came to pay a visit.

Cheng Zhi carried a set of the four treasures of the study, two jin of cured meat, and a simple map tucked against his chest. He had come alone, without any attendants, making a show of modesty and frugality. He asked a servant, "Is the gentleman at home?"

After receiving confirmation, he happily carried his gifts inside.

The courtyard was very quiet. He couldn't tell which room belonged to the expert, so he raised his voice. "Is Mr. Jiang in? Cheng has come to call."

While waiting, he handed the gifts to a young servant.

He looked around, taking in the place where an immortal lived.

It was a fairly large, single-courtyard residence, with many trees planted throughout. A level writing table stood beneath one of them, a convenient place to enjoy the shade. Books lay open, a few dry leaves had fallen onto the pages, and a writing brush rested nearby.

The courtyard was plain and ordinary, no different from anyone else's. But Magistrate Cheng felt an unusual comfort there. It was quiet and cool, with only birdsong and insect calls among the trees, and the rustle of leaves in the breeze.

For a moment, he forgot the mortal world.

His mind and spirit relaxed.

Surely the place where Tao Yuanming had lived in seclusion couldn't have been any better.

Jiang She pushed open the door and came out, catching sight of him gazing around in a daze. He couldn't help smiling. Turning to instruct a servant, he asked them to brew a pot of tea, without adding salt or spices.

"Magistrate, please sit."

They sat facing each other, dappled light from the tree falling across them.

Jiang She casually gathered up what he had been writing and the book he had left open, then asked someone to put them in his bedroom.

Cheng Zhi caught sight of the book's title page. Hoping to draw closer to him, he asked, "Were you reading Traditions of Immortals just now?"

"Yes. I was reading it for a bit of amusement."

An extraordinary expert—or perhaps an immortal—was reading an ancient book called Traditions of Immortals. The two things coming together stirred a strange feeling in the magistrate's heart. He secretly decided to go to a bookstore in Xiang Prefecture and buy a copy himself when he got back. Perhaps he could soak up a little immortal aura.

He hadn't forgotten why he had come, and smiled as he said, "I heard you went to the Lu Family yesterday and returned the money their swindlers had cheated them out of. Your righteousness is admirable."

He had also brought news from the county office. "I sent someone with the case files to Deng Prefecture, where the other four families live. We wouldn't have known if we hadn't investigated, but those three swindlers had cheated four households in a row in the same place. The Lu Family was the first they swindled after coming to Xiangyang."

"Fortunately, you were here to expose their fraud. Otherwise, the people of Xiangyang would have suffered."

"Cheng thanks you, sir."

As he spoke, Cheng Zhi took the simple map from inside his robes.

A few days earlier, he had struck up a friendship with Meng Haoran and subtly asked about the man before him, learning more about him.

He said, "I know you've come here on your travels. I had someone make a copy of the Map of the Ten Circuits of our Great Tang as a small token of my gratitude."

"It's not a military map. It's just one the government office gives to newly appointed officials. It's better than the ones sold in the markets and bookstores. You can rest assured, sir."

In the reign of Taizong, the country had been divided into ten circuits, each containing several prefectures and counties. Later, several emperors had gradually added more, so there were no longer only ten circuits, but people still called this sort of map a Map of the Ten Circuits. They were in the Shannan East Circuit now, a land of great abundance.

Jiang She accepted it.

"It's already quite good. Thank you, Magistrate."

"This is exactly what I needed."

Magistrate Cheng was a thoughtful man. The gifts he had brought for his visit were merely ordinary brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone, along with two jin of cured meat. But he had shown originality by giving him a map.

It was just what Jiang She wanted.

It was something he needed for his travels.

Though Magistrate Cheng had come because of the immortal spirits, he was thoughtful and considerate in all that he did. His attention to small details made him likable.

A servant came over with the tea. Jiang She had brought it from the mountain near the place he had lived before, then asked a skilled tea roaster to pan-fire and dry it.

The flavor wasn't especially good, but it had a particular lightness to it.

Cheng Zhi lifted his teacup and caught the aroma. Instinctively, he thought the tea tasted rather weak.

He looked down at the clear tea. So this was another way to drink it. There was no borneol or musk, and from the smell, it seemed there was no salt either.

Did experts like tea like this?

"Your taste is truly refined, sir."

Cheng Zhi praised him, adapting himself to the household's customs.

He took a sip.

The moment the tea touched his lips, it was like drinking ice water beneath the blazing sun—cooling and refreshing. His whole being seemed to wake up, his senses sharpening. The insect calls suddenly sounded especially sweet, and he could even hear a peddler shouting in the distance.

But it lasted only an instant before fading away.

"This tea..."

Jiang She smiled. "It's rough and humble, but it does help beat the summer heat."