It took Li Bai a while to come back to himself. He learned that five days had passed.
He touched his stomach. Perhaps he had eaten too much at the banquet before; he didn't feel hungry.
"Is Mr. Jiang at home?"
A voice came from beyond the courtyard gate. Daoist Lian Yue stood at the entrance, supporting the Old Temple Master.
Jiang She invited them inside.
Seeing the old man in Daoist robes, the servant didn't dare let him catch a chill. He specially laid out a soft cushion for him.
The Old Temple Master said, "Mr. Jiang, I had someone look into that sorcerer and found out a few things."
"Please, Temple Master."
Jiang She's interest was piqued.
"I heard the man's surname was Du, though I don't know his given name. He called himself Daoist Mirror Dust. I hear he's quite capable and has many disciples with him."
"I've never dealt with him myself. The people at the temple have only heard his Daoist name, so we don't know what sort of person he is."
"That's already plenty. Thank you for going to the trouble, Temple Master."
"Not at all, not at all."
The Old Temple Master seemed in much better spirits this time. He had originally wanted to come down the mountain alone to visit Jiang She, but at his advanced age, the temple disciples were all worried. Out of concern for him—and longing for a chance at immortality—they had argued endlessly.
In the end, they had sent Daoist Lian Yue, who had long been in contact with Yuan Danqiu.
Seeing Young Master Jiang again, Daoist Lian Yue felt a little nervous.
Jiang She naturally noticed. He smiled. "There's no need to be nervous, Daoist. I'm no man-eating demon."
Daoist Lian Yue stiffened even more.
The Old Temple Master chuckled beside them. "Aside from the Daoist's name, there's one other matter. Magistrate Cheng came by yesterday. When he heard I was going to visit you, he asked me to pass along a question."
Li Bai asked bluntly, "Why didn't Magistrate Cheng come himself?"
The Old Temple Master smiled. "The magistrate had no reason to send word through someone else, and didn't dare presume to disturb you."
Jiang She asked, "May I ask what it's about?"
The Old Temple Master explained in detail.
The previous year, the court had issued an edict that the emperor would perform the Fengshan sacrifice at Mount Tai this year, in autumn or winter—in other words, in the Thirteenth Year of Kaiyuan. According to the edict, all officials of the fifth rank or higher serving in the capital, foreign envoys, members of the Li imperial clan, meritorious officials, and their descendants were to attend.
In addition, the emperor had ordered Daoist priests to set up an altar at the foot of Mount Tai and perform fasting and ritual ceremonies, praying for favorable weather and peace and prosperity for the realm.
He had also ordered officials throughout the land to seek out auspicious signs.
For example, purple qi had appeared over Mount Tai some time ago.
And Sima Chengzhen, the "Master of the Daoist Sect," had once declared that the Mount Tai God had bestowed an auspicious sign.
Li Bai asked from the side, "Surely Magistrate Cheng isn't planning to ask Mr. Jiang to be the auspicious sign?"
The Old Temple Master burst out laughing. "Young Master, don't let the magistrate hear you say that, or he'll be frightened out of his wits. Where would he find the nerve..."
He wiped away tears of laughter.
"Because of the Fengshan sacrifice, His Majesty has invited many accomplished Daoists to travel to Mount Tai with him."
"The magistrate wanted to ask whether, if you're willing to go, he might introduce you."
The Old Temple Master added, "I was also thinking that Daoist Mirror Dust may be among them. In a sea of people, finding one man is no easy task. You could try looking there."
"Certainly!"
"If you have some profound Daoist art that can locate him directly, then there's no need to pay any heed to what this old man has said."
The sun sank in the west, and the light of day gradually dimmed. Thick gray clouds pressed down over half the sky. The air was stifling and humid, and a heavy rain was on its way.
Jiang She made a quick calculation with his fingers.
Li Bai, the Old Temple Master, and Daoist Lian Yue all held their breath, making no sound lest they disturb the immortal as he divined.
A few breaths passed.
Jiang She smiled. "It seems I really will have to make a trip."
He considered it, then said, "As for Magistrate Cheng... Temple Master, please decline on my behalf. I've always been used to living freely. I fear the imperial court and I are not fated to cross paths."
At the ordinary, unremarkable words, Li Bai raised his head sharply, sensing the true immortal's attitude.
It wasn't that he was not fated to cross paths with the imperial court.
It was that the imperial court was not fated to cross paths with him.
Mr. Jiang always treated people with courtesy. Even the workers at the tea stalls received his kind words and gentle manner. He never spoke carelessly. His words to the Old Temple Master, too, were calm and mild.
Yet his immortal bearing swept over them like a gust of wind.
It was the emperor of the mortal world who was not fated to meet the immortal—not the immortal who was not fated to meet the emperor.
Whether you were the ruler of men, a county magistrate, a poor man, or a refugee, he regarded you all alike. Whatever your record in office, whatever your rank, no matter how exalted your power or how noble your birth—
you were still only mortal.
Li Bai fell into thought.
The Old Temple Master seemed to grasp something as well. He let out a long sigh. "I regret being born decades too early. If I'd met Mr. Jiang sixty years ago—or no, even ten years ago..."
"I'd surely have sworn to follow you."
"And bowed at your door every day."
Jiang She gave no reply.
The Old Temple Master understood, sighed inwardly, finished his cup of tea, and took his leave.
After watching the dragon boat races on the fifth day of the fifth month, another half-month passed. Aside from the heat growing more intense, nothing else in Xiangyang had changed.
One day, as he drank tea and read travelogues on the mountain with the Old Deer Mountain God, the god smiled and said, "You seem restless after staying still for so long, sir."
Jiang She agreed.
"Back when I lived in seclusion, I didn't think much of it. But once I started traveling, I wanted to see more—to witness the sights of the world."
"The immortals roam freely, traveling to the Northern Sea at dawn and Mount Cangwu by dusk. So it is," said the Old Deer Mountain God.
"But I don't want to travel so quickly."
Jiang She turned a page in the book in his hand and chatted idly. "If you saw all the world's affairs and traversed every mountain and river in a single day, how would you spend the days that followed?"
"I'd rather take my time."
"Walk a little at a time. Learn a little at a time."
The Lumen Mountain God understood his feelings all too well.
For spirits like them, with their long lifespans—long enough to seem immortal to mortals—he had personally protected the Lu Family for hundreds of years. He had watched Scholar Lu die and the Lu Family dwindle generation after generation. He knew how hard it was to bear.
He had seen life and death too many times.
And he understood the truth in Jiang She's words.
The Old Deer Mountain God asked, "Those of us who cultivate the Dao can see the years we have left from the moment we set foot on the Dao Path. The world looks entirely different to us than it does to mortals."
"I wonder, what does the world look like to an immortal?"
After spending these days together, the Old Deer Mountain God had grown curious about how an immortal like Mr. Jiang viewed such things.
Jiang She thought for a moment.
"When I look out..."
"I see no end."
His tone softened, his words calm.
"There is also great terror."
As he spoke, Jiang She took out the Map of the Ten Circuits that Magistrate Cheng had given him. It depicted the mountains and rivers of the Great Tang, but nothing farther away had been recorded. Many strange places, and even the immortal islands described in ancient books, were absent.
This was a lonely world.
Jiang She lowered his head and studied the map, his gaze settling on Mount Tai as he traced the prefectures he would have to pass through on the way.
Across from him, seated at the table,
the Lumen and White Deer Mountain Gods remained dazed for a long time.
They felt as though they had glimpsed the immortals of ancient legend, and that Jiang She's words were as old as a thousand years.
Time changed all things. People died, books rotted, plants withered and bloomed, mountains and rivers collapsed and ran dry, and dynasties rose and fell.
All beings died.
I alone remained.
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