Hunter Meets Immortal

The Banquet of Ghosts and Gods lasted until nearly the fifth watch.

Seeing that the east was about to lighten, the guests began to disperse.

Such a feast was rare, and the Earth Deity, Mountain God, Snake Python, Fierce Tiger, Jackal Wolf, Red Fox, Monkey Spirit, and Dwarf Deer all drank and sang wildly. When thoroughly drunk, the Mountain Ghost raised a cup and sang a wild mountain tune, clear and melodious, like weeping and confiding, leaving one in a daze.

Before leaving, the Spirit Demon kept glancing toward the head of the table.

The Immortal seated there seemed tipsy, eyes closed, listening to the music, songs, and joyful chatter.

The Old Deer Mountain God asked, "Does Sir enjoy such liveliness?"

Jiang She opened his eyes and looked at the chaos below—the guests drunkenly clutching their wine cups, Li Bai having already emptied who knows how many jars of Three-Day Drunk, his robes disheveled, leaning against the Fierce Tiger, one hand holding a wine cup as he sang and laughed loudly.

"To live as if facing death, utterly fearless."

Jiang She praised:

"Excellent."

The Earth Deity also looked at the Fierce Tiger; it was this tiger who had just spoken those words, whose meaning the Immortal found wonderfully good.

The three finished speaking, and Jiang She was about to leave.

Suddenly, he heard hurried footsteps outside, along with the sound of people talking and muttering, "Second Uncle, let's hurry down the mountain. Something feels off about this mountain—it seemed especially dark last night."

"I knew we shouldn't have chased that wild boar; it made us sleep in the mountains all night. I kept hearing people singing and laughing, and someone eating meat—I didn't sleep well... Now the pig's gone too."

"I know, we'll go down once it's fully light."

"Huh?"

"What's that noise? Second Uncle! Second Uncle! Someone really is singing! Listen—"

"Nonsense, how could there be... Could this mountain be haunted?"

The Earth Deity was startled.

When ghosts, gods, and spirits gather for a feast, they naturally seal off the surroundings, choosing nighttime because the mountain is quieter then—not because their arts only work at night.

Tonight's banquet was not something mortals could see.

These two...

He reached out to calculate, then the Earth Deity apologized, "It seems that Monkey Spirit poked a hole through, letting the outside hear. This humble god was careless."

"No matter."

Jiang She beckoned, called Li Bai over, nodded slightly to the Mountain God and Earth Deity, and walked out under the gaze of all the guests, Mountain Ghosts, and Spirit Demons.

Chen Erniu followed his elder brother's son into the mountains to hunt. They planned to supplement the family's expenses and let the kids taste some meat, so they wouldn't have to swallow their saliva every time they smelled the neighbor's cooking.

He was familiar with the mountains around Xiangyang, having roamed them since he was twelve or thirteen, gathering wild goods to sell mushrooms and truffles in the county, or stewing them at home.

In the afternoon, he encountered a wild boar in the mountains and chased it for half a day. The pig, fat and thick-skinned from who knows what it ate, managed to run off even with an arrow in its back.

For some reason, night fell early that day.

Worried about meeting wolves if they went down in the dark, Chen Erniu found a bamboo grove and stayed there with his nephew for the night.

Strangely enough, it wasn't just his nephew who dreamed of people talking, singing, and eating—he also vaguely dreamed of commotion, like when Landlord Chen of Chen Family Village threw a feast.

When they woke up, his nephew's stomach was growling from sleeping in the wild, and he kept complaining.

Suddenly.

The noise grew much louder.

Chen Erniu would bet his life that there were really people in the mountain, or else it was haunted. He could even hear plates clinking and smell the aroma of wine.

Mother of heaven...

In an instant, his hair stood on end.

Chen Erniu held his breath, stared wide-eyed for a few seconds, trembling inside, and only after a long while could he move. He kicked his nephew's leg and, steeling himself, lowered his voice.

"In a bit, you run out of the woods, got it?"

"Second Uncle..."

Chen Erniu began carefully backing away with his nephew, moving softly, suppressing his fear, making sure his steps on the dead leaves were barely audible.

Just then, he saw someone suddenly walk out of the woods. The morning light was faint, not yet fully bright, and through the bamboo leaves, one person in blue clothes looked very handsome. Another, dressed all in white, reeked of alcohol.

In that moment, Chen Erniu's heart nearly leaped out of his throat.

Heavens, there was no one in those woods before, and now two people had just walked out.

Luckily, the two didn't seem to intend to come their way; they headed north, toward Xiangyang County town. Chen Family Village was to the west.

Chen Erniu knew he had narrowly escaped with his life.

The two ran as fast as they could, as if a fierce tiger were chasing them.

The boy, panting and gasping as he ran, said between breaths, "Second Uncle, did you hear that? There was a tiger's roar too. If he can tame a fierce tiger, could that man be an immortal?"

Chen Erniu's heart pounded wildly. "How would I know where to go?"

On the road, they encountered two hunters.

Jiang She paid them no mind.

He soon returned to his residence. Yuan Danqiu was snoring loudly, letting out faint, rhythmic sounds, completely oblivious. Li Bai had collapsed onto his bed, his head touching the bamboo pillow before he sank into deep slumber.

Jiang She sat quietly at the table for a while, savoring the gains of the night. He pushed open the window and saw the eastern sky growing pale, like the belly of a fish.

This night's encounter with the Mountain Ghost had been quite interesting.

He had fulfilled the wishes of the Earth Deity and the Spirit Demons—were they not also fulfilling his?

With that thought, he lay down fully clothed and drifted into dreams.

By the time Yuan Danqiu woke, the daylight was already bright. The servant boy had swept the courtyard clean of fallen leaves and piled them in the garden behind the house, where they would rot and nourish the grass.

Yuan Danqiu yawned and first practiced a set of boxing in the courtyard—a routine he had learned from a Daoist master at Pure Void Temple. Doing it first thing in the morning helped circulate his qi and blood, shaking off the fatigue of waking.

It also kept him more alert during the day.

After that, he went personally to the herbal medicine shop to ask if the Zengqing and Cinnabar he had ordered had arrived.

Half an hour later, Yuan Danqiu returned carrying two small paper packets. He saw Jiang She sitting under a tree, writing.

"Young Master Jiang has returned."

Jiang She acknowledged him with a sound.

Yuan Danqiu mused again, "Taibai still hasn't woken up?"

"He drank some wine."

It was nearly noon by now. Even a pig should have woken up. No matter how much Taibai had drunk before, he was usually up by the time the sun climbed three poles high. Yuan Danqiu frowned. He set the medicine packets on the table, turned, and pushed open the main door—

A particularly fragrant aroma of wine filled the room.

It stirred the craving for drink deep in Yuan Danqiu's heart.

He looked toward the bed and saw that Li Bai was still sleeping, deeply. He pushed him twice, but the man didn't stir. Sleeping this soundly?

Yuan Danqiu hesitated, then reached a finger under his nose.

Thankfully, there was breath.

He wasn't dead.

Yuan Danqiu decided to leave him be. He walked out of the main room, sat down across from Jiang She, and muttered, "Can sleep like that..."

Jiang She smiled.

He took out the notebook he always carried in his sleeve, intending to record the Banquet of Ghosts and Gods from the night before.

He opened it.

But found words already inside.

"West of Xiangyang County lies Chen Village. One day, two hunters chased a wild boar and spent the night in the forest. In their dreams, they heard the sounds of a feast—cups clinking, goblets passing—ghosts and gods discoursing on the Way. When they awoke, the scent of wine and meat still lingered, and the roar of a tiger echoed in their ears. Their hearts were filled with terror.

Soon after, they encountered a divine being, who, after the banquet had ended, subdued the Fierce Tiger.

Returning home, they told of the strange event. The villagers heard it and said with envy: 'You have met an immortal.'"