Seeing the banquet hall filled with gods and ghosts.
Fierce tigers lay crouched all around, snakes and pythons stretched several yards long, and an enormous blue bird was among them. The tiger had round, glaring eyes and a white forehead, its mouth like a bloody basin. Li Bai started at the sight. Only after a few moments did he regain his composure.
He slowly let out a breath.
A few days ago, when he'd discussed ghosts and gods with Old Deer Mountain God, he'd found the topic fascinating. Now that he was truly standing here, surrounded by guests and attendants who were all demons and ghosts, he couldn't help feeling a chill.
He edged closer to Mr. Jiang.
The Earth Deity hurriedly said, "I only mentioned a few ways to escape chaos."
He paused. The black fur on his cheeks bristled as he hesitated, anticipation in his eyes.
He asked, "Immortal, how do you think my cultivation is going?"
As soon as he spoke—
Only then did the guests around them realize that the green-robed man whom the mountain god treated with such reverence was an immortal.
The tiger pressed down on its paws, looking astonished and flustered. Surprise appeared on its enormous head, almost like a human expression. The bird tilted its head, studying him cautiously. All the spirits and demons present reacted the same way. The mountain ghosts abruptly rose and bowed.
"We did not recognize the immortal's face—"
"Greetings, Immortal!"
Jiang She looked over the Earth Deity. His host grew tense without realizing it.
The Earth Deity had originated as a mountain spirit. He looked human in shape, but stood as tall as a giant—twice the height of a man—with black fur on his face, an ape-like body, and heels that faced backward.
He was the Mountain Imp of village lore.
The villagers passed down stories by word of mouth, and scholars recorded them in books. They said Mountain Imps roamed the hills, feared firecrackers, and loved to steal things. They could speak human languages, and if someone called their name in the wilderness, whoever answered would often fall gravely ill. Sometimes they crept down from the mountains at night, slipped into people's homes, and snatched little children to eat.
But this one had been enshrined as a deity by a county magistrate an unknown number of years ago. He'd been granted the title of Earth Deity, and now bore an air of ethereal clarity.
He was a Mountain Imp with some cultivation under his belt.
Under the other man's anxious gaze, Jiang She smiled.
"Not bad. You've already crossed the threshold."
At this word of approval, the Earth Deity let out a great sigh of relief. The black fur on his cheeks smoothed down again. He hurried to usher the immortal to the seat of honor, then quietly told the spirit bird to bring more wine.
He also ordered someone to bring out fresh dishes.
"Take these peaches away and bring out the Century-Old Vermilion Fruit."
In the bamboo grove, the guests fell silent. They no longer chatted as they had before, and waited until Jiang She and Li Bai took their seats. Only after Jiang She sipped the spirit wine offered by the spirit bird did they relax a little.
"What fine wine!"
Li Bai's eyes lit up. Holding his cup, he studied the clear, translucent liquid, which shimmered faintly gold.
Its fragrance filled the air; one drink was enough to make a man drunk.
"What wine is this?"
The Earth Deity replied, "It's Pine Sap Wine, unlike anything in the mortal world. It's made from the pine oil and blossoms of pine spirits, brewed with spring water from the mountains for a hundred years. I have only a few jars, and would be glad to share them with you."
Li Bai said, "Thank you, Mountain Lord."
The Earth Deity said, "If a mountain spirit drinks it, it's worth a month of seated cultivation."
Li Bai asked, "And what about a human?"
"It can dispel chronic ailments and add a few years to a mortal's life, too." Old Deer Mountain God stroked his beard beside them and smiled. "You're in luck, young friend."
"Is it really that miraculous?"
Li Bai was amazed.
Jiang She also sampled the spirit wine, drinking half a cup. No wonder Li Bai was so taken with it. It really was delicious—cool and mellow, with a fragrance that filled the air.
As the wine passed down his throat, its spiritual essence, a faint green qi, was like a drop of water flowing into the Eastern Sea, vanishing in an instant.
Still, it was fine wine.
Perhaps he could ask the Earth Deity for the recipe and try brewing it himself someday.
The wind stirred the bamboo grove, and strings and flutes played. Afraid of neglecting his guests, the Earth Deity summoned mountain ghosts to play music among the trees. Their melodies were clear and graceful, drifting through the air in harmony with the moonlight.
The banquet table held no ordinary vegetables or fare, only rare mountain delicacies, wine, meat, and spirit fruits—all exquisite treats.
A mortal who ate them could prolong his life.
Many guests watched from afar. The Monkey Spirit's hands slackened around the wine jar. Faced with such delicacies and spirit fruits, for the first time he had no appetite to wolf them down.
From a distance, he watched the green-robed man drinking with his head bowed, seated alongside the Earth Deity and White Deer Mountain God. Many demons and spirits had sharp eyes and ears. Even from afar, they could see the Deer Mountain God speaking to the immortal with deep respect. They couldn't hear the words, but they could read his expression.
A white-robed attendant sat beside the immortal, also raising his cup and chatting with him.
The Monkey Spirit couldn't help murmuring.
"An immortal right before our eyes, an immortal right before our eyes..."
"So he really is an immortal..."
The mottled tiger beside him glanced over, then covered its huge mouth with a paw, trying to look inconspicuous and less terrifying.
The tiger lowered its voice.
"Mountain God of Deer Gate Mountain, Lord of Blackstone Ridge... These past few days, they've been preaching the Dao in the mountains to the likes of us. When did they befriend someone like that?"
The Monkey Spirit and the fox beside him were filled with awe.
At the table, a mountain deer who had taken human form and looked like a young man—somehow related to Old Deer Mountain God—stole a cautious glance. Then he blurted out, "I've seen that man before."
The other spirits hurried to ask.
"When?"
"Quickly, tell us!"
"Who is he?"
The young man thought for a moment, then slowly said, "I remember this great master taking shelter from the rain in a temple. That's right—I've seen the one in white too. He's often come up the mountain!"
"Really?"
"Why would an immortal need to shelter from the rain?"
The young man didn't know. He was one of Old Deer Mountain God's descendants, many generations removed. His bloodline had long since grown thin, though he was lucky and talented enough to take human form early.
He thought it over carefully, but couldn't come up with a reason.
Then he remembered something else of importance. After glancing around, he set down his chopsticks and lowered his voice.
"Our ancestor's natural lifespan is nearly up. He's been seeking a way to extend it, and barely gone out these past two years, much less preached the Dao." He spoke cautiously. "I heard our ancestor has gained another ten years of life. With his spirits lifted, he's been teaching us many methods these past few days."
"To extend one's natural lifespan... What profound Daoist art could do that? It must have something to do with that immortal."
After achieving a certain level of cultivation, one could see one's own lifespan and sense that death was drawing near. Some cultivators, seeing that their years were almost up, chose to follow the path of the yin spirit.
They might become a City God or another sort of yin spirit.
This was the way of ghosts and gods.
But the Deer Mountain God was different. He was already a mountain god, an Earth Deity, and could not extend his life through divine worship. The only alternative was to become a ghost, enjoy the qi of the underworld, and serve as an official in the netherworld.
That was something Old Deer Mountain God was unwilling to do.
The path of cultivation followed by mountain spirits relied on the earth's ley lines. Once they abandoned those ley lines to cultivate the way of ghosts, their past cultivation would vanish, and they would have to start over.
The Blue Bird couldn't help exclaiming, "He can extend his natural lifespan?"
Several spirits reacted just like the Blue Bird. Their hands loosened around their cups and chopsticks, their eyes flickering as they fell into thought.
"Quiet!"
The young man warned them, "Immortals and gods hold exalted status. Don't let your thoughts run wild. Even my ancestor, a Mountain Lord appointed by the emperor himself, treats him with the utmost respect."
"If you act recklessly and offend an immortal or god, the immortal won't spare you for my Earth Deity's sake. Be careful, and put those thoughts out of your heads. Don't say I didn't warn you!"
The Snake Python flicked out its forked tongue with a hiss. "There are truly such divine beings in the world... We understand."
The tiger nodded along, its great head bobbing up and down.
Elsewhere, the Earth Deity poured wine for Jiang She.
His gaze held a hint of hope.
"Born as a nonhuman, cultivation is difficult. I've been fortunate enough to have an official shrine built for me and step onto the Dao Path, but I still lack proper guidance and have been muddling through on my own... Immortal, could you, could you offer me some advice..."
His voice grew quieter and quieter.
"Let me have a look."
The Earth Deity was overjoyed.
Li Bai and Old Deer Mountain God ate and drank beside them, watching.
Jiang She put down his chopsticks.
Before the Earth Deity could relax, he looked at him and asked in a leisurely tone:
"An upper-rank Earth Deity can move the earth's ley lines without harming the people or their property. A middle-rank one protects the land and waters of a region. A lower-rank one merely enjoys blood offerings."
"Which are you?"
Before you continue