The Earth Deity pondered for a long time.
He said, "When I first became a Mountain Lord and was appointed by the human world, I had only just escaped ignorance, freed from my muddled stupor. Back then, people must have helped me greatly, honoring and fearing me."
"But I did nothing in return... I merely enjoyed their offerings and blood sacrifices."
Jiang She nodded.
The Earth Deity had perhaps taken Old Deer Mountain God's advice earlier. What he said now came entirely from his own heart, and was honest enough.
The Earth Deity continued:
"After that, I cultivated for decades and gradually came to understand the ways of the world. I saw floods surge down the mountain, leaving people as helpless as ants and their homes in ruins. Who knew how many had died? Seeing the fields and gardens laid waste was truly lamentable."
"So I took pity on them and learned how to regulate the earth's ley lines from the deity who presides over Lumen Mountain. The surrounding area was then blessed with favorable weather. Over the years, aside from the summer heat, there have been no other serious hardships."
The Earth Deity paused.
He thought it over himself, then said:
"Regulating the earth's ley lines is a duty of an Earth Deity. For thirty years, I ignored that duty. Though I did not take the offerings of gold, silver, melons, or fruit, I was still guilty of dereliction. Protecting the local people should count as middling, but my earlier neglect was inferior..."
"I truly do not know."
"What rank should I be placed in?"
Jiang She nodded.
He did not judge whether Earth Deity Mountain Demon had acted rightly, nor did he assign a rank to the things the Earth Deity had done in the past.
Instead, he brought up something else.
"Before I came here, I was traveling through the mountains and faintly heard the Mountain Lord preaching, speaking of the cultivation methods of demons, ghosts, and spirits."
"The Mountain Lord is a Spirit Demon too, and understands the difficulties that spirits and mountain ghosts face in cultivation."
Old Deer Mountain God set down his cup and listened alongside Li Bai.
The Earth Deity had not expected anyone to hear him despite the barrier he had set up and the great distance between them. Then he remembered this was an immortal deity, and understood. He listened humbly, nodding.
This immortal... did not seem to look down on spirits and demons.
He even sat at the same table with them, which was exceedingly rare.
Jiang She lifted his wine cup and took a couple of sips to soothe his throat.
Then he continued, "But in my view, the Mountain Lord need not belittle himself. Once a spirit awakens and gains understanding, breaking free from chaos, it vows to strive in cultivation, transcend the lot of life and death, and pursue the Great Dao."
"Ordinary people, on the other hand, may or may not encounter an opportunity to form a karmic bond in their lifetimes."
At some point, Jiang She had lifted the barrier.
Below, beasts and strange creatures, demons and spirits, heard the sermon and instinctively raised their heads.
A few who had been whispering among themselves abruptly fell silent. The tiger settled back onto his seat, his head intent; the half-human, half-snake python lifted its head to listen; the monkey scratched at his ears, eyes fixed on the head of the table. The foxes gazed upward, while the ghosts of the mountains stood with their hands tucked into their sleeves, listening intently.
Every creature present held its breath.
They listened to the immortal preach.
Jiang She seemed not to notice. He leaned against a tree in the woods.
The Heavenly Moon shone clear, casting its light over the bamboo grove, sparse as remnants of snow.
Mountain gods and ghosts, mountain spirits and demons, listened to the Dao throughout the mountain.
The immortal's voice was calm and unhurried, like a murmuring stream. There was no contempt for spirits and monsters in his words, nor any reproach for ordinary people who had never heard the true teachings.
He had simply come across people with a destined connection and offered a few casual words of guidance.
The immortal said, "In their lives, ordinary people may offer incense in a temple, pray for their wishes to come true, and see the image of a deity; or, before marriage, a man and woman may have their birth dates matched and glimpse a corner of Heaven and Earth's yin and yang; or they may read Daoist scriptures and learn the way of purity and stillness. Yet there are very few who can devote themselves to cultivation."
"One in ten thousand, at best."
"Why should any of you belittle yourselves?"
Earth Deity Mountain Demon listened in solemn silence, his heart full of sighs.
The creatures seated below each wore different expressions, but Jiang She's words had stirred all their hearts, and they would not soon forget them.
Jiang She paused.
He compared the many mountain ghosts and spirits to trees.
"When trees grow, the soil they stand in differs in richness and barrenness. This is an inborn difference. Some grow crooked all their lives, unsuited to a carpenter's straightedge; some have sparse, frail branches and leaves, unable to rival the peach and plum blossoms; some are hollow inside yet straight on the outside, seeming dull-witted."
"Carpenters and woodcutters sigh that the forest is full of useless trees."
"Yet Heaven and Earth bring forth all kinds of timber."
"Is it only to make pillars and beds for people?"
After Jiang She finished speaking, he said no more. He simply lowered his head to drink and enjoy the food. These were rare delicacies from the mountains; Earth Deity Mountain Demon had probably brought out everything good he had. The spiritual fruit tasted far better than ordinary fruit, carrying a special, fragrant aura.
An ordinary person who ate it could ward off misfortune and illness.
Jiang She was only savoring the taste.
Now and then, he chatted with Old Deer Mountain God about interesting tales, asking whether anything unusual or strange had happened nearby over the past few centuries.
Old Deer Mountain God thought for a while, then picked out a few stories.
"During the Sixteen Kingdoms of the Eastern Jin, the land was torn by ceaseless wars. When Huan Wen campaigned north, he saw 'shadows of armored soldiers swaying among the ruins of Fan City, while spears and halberds rang out of their own accord' at night. They were the lingering spirits of the soldiers who had died defending the city."
"Another time, people heard of an old woman who, on rainy nights, patrolled the city ramparts carrying a white lantern. It was the spirit of Lady Han, guarding the besieged city. Even in death, she still protected the region."
Thinking back on the past, Old Deer Mountain God shook his head.
He sighed. "There's nothing especially strange about those stories. Ordinary people thought them supernatural and wrote them down. After the wars, the city stood empty, with more ghosts than people. Yin flourished while yang declined, so ghosts could be seen."
Tonight, the spirits of the mountains had gathered in the forest, and gods and ghosts had come together.
They were separated by a dozen miles, from the mountain's heights to its foot.
Ordinary people simply knew nothing of it.
After telling the tales of war from the Sixteen Kingdoms, Old Deer Mountain God spoke of a wealthy man who had once bought a painted screen. A young woman was depicted on it, and strange things began happening in the man's household. Troubled, the wealthy man sought out a high monk to subdue the spirit.
Back then, Old Deer Mountain God had been curious about the commotion and secretly investigated. When he asked around, he learned the truth.
"She was the wronged spirit of a concubine belonging to some Southern Dynasty governor."
"Her child was born snow-white, with an appearance unlike any human's. So the child was drowned in a pond, and her resentment never faded. That was why she appeared in the screen."
As they chatted, the Earth Deity had been cultivating for less than a hundred years and was still a newcomer. He merely listened to them, chiming in now and then.
The immortal and the gods chatted and laughed at the head of the table. Below, the demonic guests relaxed too. It was rare to attend such a banquet, with delicacies like these and such fine spiritual wine, and one by one they drank themselves into a stupor.
Li Bai was drunk too.
He went below and sat among the demons and ghosts. The Monkey Spirit, tipsy, saw the man in white and asked curiously:
"Didn't you come here with the immortal?"
Li Bai laughed aloud. "That's right. Could you spare me a cup of good wine?"
The spirits and monsters had never seen anyone so bold. They found him curious and wanted to learn more about the immortal, so they eagerly offered him their fine wine. Snake Woman, half woman and half snake, coiled up, her scales reflecting the moonlight as she handed him a cup.
The Fierce Tiger gave a low growl and pushed over the whole jar of wine, laughing. "If you drink this, you'll probably be dead drunk for three days."
Li Bai was intrigued. "Will it leave a man unconscious for three days?"
"Splendid! All the sages of old have perished; only the drinkers leave their names behind."
He downed three cups.
At some point, Jiang She and the mountain gods and Earth Deity had stopped talking and turned to listen to the spirits and monsters below, drinking and chatting.
The moon shone through the forest.
Drunk as a lord, Li Bai sat down wherever he pleased, shoulder to shoulder with demons, ghosts, and gods. "I've never seen demons and ghosts cultivate before. May I ask, how did you all set foot on the Dao Path?"
The Monkey Spirit spoke, his words slurred with drink.
"When I began cultivating, I received kindness from the Lumen Mountain Deity and the Black Stone Ridge Mountain Lord, who let me hear the Dao and learn the techniques. But..." His voice sank. "My talent is base, and I haven't advanced a single step in thirty-six years."
Li Bai asked, "Is thirty-six years a long time, even for ghosts and gods?"
The Monkey Spirit wept bitterly.
"How many years can a monkey like me live?"
"I'm afraid I'll be dead in just a few more years!"
The monkey burst into tears, its expression and emotions so human that it seemed like a baby wailing.
The Fierce Tiger drank the strong liquor too, swallowing it in great gulps. Wine ran through his striped fur as he laughed aloud. "Since taking up the Dao, we first learned of death, and only afterward came to know life!"
"If there is life, there is death. So what if we die?"
"Fellow cultivators."
"Why grieve so bitterly?"
At the Earth Deity's night banquet, spirits and demons ran wild, and an immortal preached the Dao. Some sighed; others laughed.
The ancient moon shone on people of today. The endless sky held only the moonlight of this one night.
Before you continue