"Lord Jiang."
Only when Jiang She put down his brush did Li Bai speak.
Jiang She set the brush on a cat-shaped ornament and looked over.
"In three days, a local Earth Deity will enter the Dao. He's invited many Spirit Demons and gods. Would you care to attend, Lord Jiang?" Li Bai asked. "I hear there'll be a hundred kinds of delicacies, none of them ordinary."
"Those coming and going will be either ghosts or gods."
On the desk, brushes and ink lay scattered beside an awl and hemp cord. The book was already bound, though it contained only a few lines. Jiang She had made it for himself as a personal notebook.
Jiang She tucked the notebook into his sleeve.
"Did Deer Mountain God tell you?"
"Yes."
"I'd like to see it for myself. When is it?"
Li Bai thought back to what Old Deer Mountain God had said. Unsure, he paused, then replied, "When the moon is at its zenith."
Near Lumen Mountain, along a certain earthly leyline.
Mountain Gods and Earth Deities, ghosts of the mountains, Spirit Demons, and妖 spirits had all come to the banquet.
There was no gloomy wind, only a clear, numinous air. Earth Deities were appointed by the human realm and granted temples. They were divine beings who had received the true teachings of the orthodox Dao, so the guests they invited naturally all practiced the righteous path.
The guests took either human or animal forms, each occupying a place of its own.
In the mountains, a bamboo grove stood shrouded in foliage.
Where mortal eyes could not see, green-feathered birds carried crimson fruits still attached to their branches, monkeys hauled wine jars, Fierce Tigers led the way, snakes and eels wound along behind them, and Jackal Wolves guarded the rear.
This was the Earth Deity's banquet.
Old Deer Mountain God held a lofty station and possessed profound Daoist arts, so he arrived very late.
He glanced around at the guests. That person was nowhere to be seen.
He took his seat in the place specially reserved for him, then shared a cup with the Earth Deity to congratulate him on entering the Dao. Only after Deer Mountain God had taken his seat did the banquet truly begin. The ferocious beasts ate their fill, Snake Woman devoured spiritual flesh, and monkeys clutched crimson fruits.
Earth Deity Mountain Demon was especially attentive to Old Deer Mountain God.
"What were you looking at just now, Mountain God?"
Old Deer Mountain God held his wine cup and glanced around the banquet once more. Lowering his eyes, he said, "I only regret that the immortal has yet to arrive..."
The Earth Deity's expression changed. "You invited that immortal for me?"
"I did."
The black fur on the Earth Deity's cheeks bristled with fear, and his beastly face was full of dread. Seeing this, Old Deer Mountain God reassured him, "Don't panic. Do you think that because you didn't show yourself that day, the immortal doesn't know you exist?"
He continued, "These past few days, I've formed a bit of a connection with him. He isn't unreasonable. Since becoming an Earth Deity and breaking free of chaos and ignorance, you've never again fed on humans."
"What's more, the immortal hasn't arrived. What do you have to fear?"
The Earth Deity's voice was low. "You're right."
Old Deer Mountain God took a drink and smiled.
"Today is the day you attain the Dao, and the path you cultivate is the righteous one. The ghosts of the mountains fear you, the Spirit Demons in the hills respect you, and the birds and beasts look to you as their teacher. We Mountain Gods have also befriended you."
"Some days ago, I used mantises and flying birds to expound the Dao to you. Today, it should be your turn to discuss the Dao."
The Earth Deity relaxed a little.
Then he hurriedly asked, "Did the immortal point out a path for you?"
Old Deer Mountain God stroked the Deer God Statue in his sleeve. "He severed my ties with the Lu Family. From now on, we each cultivate our own Dao."
The Earth Deity nodded. "It was high time those ties were severed!"
He felt a yearning stir in him.
He sighed. "What a pity the immortal hasn't come today. How could a master of such high attainment be so beyond our fate to meet..."
"Never mind."
The Earth Deity raised his wine bowl and drained it in one go.
He stepped into the moonlight and expounded the Dao to all living beings.
Mountain Gods and Earth Deities were the deities of their domains, revered in station, profound in Daoist arts, and blessed with extraordinary longevity. They were in no way comparable to the guests seated around them. Thus, aside from the two deities, none of the Mountain Ghosts or Spirit Demons present heard their exchange.
From beginning to end, there was no sign of the immortal.
"The method I'll explain today is one that opens the mind and awakens the spirit, freeing you from chaos—"
"Those born in human bodies may cultivate either the inner or outer elixir. Those who cultivate the inner elixir refine the three treasures of essence, qi, and spirit, joining them into a golden elixir. Their yang spirit leaves the body and unites with the Dao."
"Those who cultivate the outer elixir use liquid gold to refine the body. Gold and stone do not decay; they grant eternal life. Consume them, and you may ascend to heaven."
"But these are all methods by which humans study immortality."
"We are demons, spirits, ghosts, and Mountain Ghosts. We're born with short lives, ignorant and muddled, and we die just as muddled. Most of us cannot escape the fate of life and death, no matter how long we live."
"Let alone defy the ordinary and cultivate the Dao, setting foot on the Dao Path."
The beasts' expressions grew somber.
A Red Fox was so moved that tears streamed down his face.
Half of them had come from ordinary beasts or yin-spirits. Before their minds had awakened, while they were still muddled and ignorant, they had already watched their parents and siblings die.
Some were killed by hunters in the mountains; some were torn apart by ferocious beasts; some had glossy fur, gathered piece by piece to make a fur coat.
The Earth Deity sighed and continued:
"Yet those born with supernatural gifts are naturally protected by mountains, rivers, and marshes."
"Some dwell in a blessed place and refine the sun and moon into essence. As long as a spark of true spirit remains in their hearts, they live while that spirit thrives and die when it withers. They, too, may seek the Dao..."
"Others follow the Incense Path of the gods. They may listen to scriptures and teachings, receive offerings from the human world, or be enlightened by a master..."
"All these paths can lead to the Dao."
After finishing, the Earth Deity poured himself some wine and moistened his throat, preparing to lay the groundwork for what he would say next.
Bamboo leaves rustled softly. The wind swept over the treetops, and now and then only the chirp of cicadas could be heard. Even the birds had flown away. Tonight, this place was where ghosts and gods gathered to feast and revel, imparting wondrous teachings and expounding the Dao.
Naturally, no mortal could know of it.
The occasional mortal lingering in the mountains could pass the bamboo grove three times without entering, utterly unaware that only a few dozen feet away, a deity was teaching the Dao.
Just as Old Deer Mountain God had guarded the place and kept people from discovering or disturbing the courtyard those past few days.
Above them, the sky held only half a waning moon.
Moonlight pierced the bamboo grove and fell on the Spirit Demons gathered around it. Their broken shadows swayed in the wind: tiger heads, fox bodies, snake forms, bird feathers—each strange and beautiful in its own way.
A faint sound came from outside. The Earth Deity paid it no mind, assuming it was another mortal passing by. He moistened his throat and was about to continue.
Then he saw Old Deer Mountain God suddenly rise and hurry forward, wine cup in hand.
The Earth Deity froze. A few breaths later, he suddenly understood what had happened—what could make White Deer Mountain God show such deference.
The immortal had arrived.
A figure walked slowly toward them beneath the moonlight.
He wore a plain, unassuming blue robe. Only his bearing and features were so extraordinary that anyone who saw him would forget the mundane world. Bamboo leaves bent low and brushed past him. Wherever he went, filth fled on its own, and no worldly tribulation could touch him.
The Earth Deity suddenly recalled a line he had once heard in a Daoist scripture:
"Wherever a True Person travels, foul qi disperses and plants bow low."
Was this what the immortals and gods of legend were like?
After a few stunned moments, the Earth Deity came to his senses and hurried forward. "Greetings, immortal."
The Earth Deity went to meet him, head bowed, not daring to look too closely at the immortal. Instead, he glanced at the figure following behind: a man in white with a long sword on his back, whose bearing was also extraordinary.
Jiang She looked around. Everywhere he looked, he saw Spirit Demons.
There were beasts born with the spiritual nature of the mountains; blue birds, roosting in the trees, each as large as a man's outstretched arms; Snake Woman, half woman and half serpent; Red Foxes lounging on the ground, their tails trailing behind them; Monkey Spirits clutching wine jars; and Fierce Tigers with black-and-yellow fur, hooked claws, and sawlike teeth...
On the other side sat several blue-faced ghosts dressed in finery fit for princes and nobles. Only the shifting black shadows behind them revealed them to be ghosts of the mountains, the most exalted among ghosts.
Mountain God gave Jiang She his seat.
"I'm late."
"Were you discussing the Dao just now?"
Don't take the outer elixir. You really might ascend to heaven.
Thanks to "Milk Fox" for the 3,000 coins. I'm touched =v=
Before you continue