What Are Earthly Kings and Nobles?

Li Bai wanted to learn the Dao from him?

Jiang She found it subtly amusing. He studied the young man before him seriously, unable to help thinking of Li Bai's turbulent fortunes decades later—a thought that stirred both interest and pity in his heart.

"Studying immortality and seeking the Dao—will you give up being an official after this?"

Li Bai still maintained the posture of a disciple, using the rites of a student meeting his master.

With a longsword strapped to his back, he stood tall and free, handsome and extraordinary, his tone humble yet carrying an innate arrogance. His words showed not the slightest regard for high officials or nobles.

Full of vigor and ambition, he said:

"If I can become a disciple of an immortal and learn the arts of transcendence, what are human kings and marquises compared to that? Not even worth mentioning."

Several hundred zhang away, the Old Deer Mountain God had transformed into a tottering elder and sat down to converse with another local deity.

That deity was a mountain spirit born from an essence, of lowly origin, who had committed evil in its chaotic, ignorant days. Unlike the Old Deer Mountain God, who came from a spiritual deer lineage, it had not dared to approach earlier.

"Did you see? A single stick of incense can extend a mountain god's life by ten years—what level of cultivation is that?"

"I saw it."

The Old Deer Mountain God still felt a lingering fear.

Recalling the scene, he frowned, stroked his long beard, and said as he remembered.

"Still unclear... How could we see through the depths of such a figure? That one looked no different from an ordinary mortal, only with an elevated bearing. If he hadn't lit that incense himself, I wouldn't have known such a person was wandering past my Lumen Mountain, and I'd have had no way to seek an audience."

He paused.

The Old Deer Mountain God added.

"It was like... he mingled his radiance with the dust of the world."

As soon as these words were spoken, all fell silent.

The local deity listened, lost in longing, leaning forward on its beastly body until the black fur on its cheek nearly poked the Old Deer Mountain God's nose.

"You've struck gold this time—meeting an enlightened master who extended your heavenly lifespan by ten years. There was even purple energy in that incense... By the way, what is that gentleman's temperament like? Is he easy to talk to?"

The Old Deer Mountain God stroked his white beard. Having gained ten more years of life, he could now slowly ponder how to extend it further, and his mood was excellent.

He smiled.

"We only exchanged a few words. That one seems to dislike gold and worldly goods, yet he can speak with common folk as well. There's a sense of returning to simplicity about him."

The local deity savored the two phrases "returning to simplicity" and "mingling radiance with dust" in its heart.

It felt nothing but an aura of immortality. Though it had never met the man, it could already imagine his calm and unruffled demeanor.

How enviable.

"I wish I could beg for guidance from an immortal, but alas, I lack the karmic connection."

"A pity. A figure like that—every move and gesture embodies the Dao's naturalness. That stick of pure incense wasn't something you could obtain just by asking. That you've gained this karmic opportunity at all is already a stroke of fortune."

The local deity sighed deeply.

"I shouldn't ask for more! I can't ask for more!"

As it spoke, the black fur on its cheek drooped, lamenting its own misfortune.

The mountain god stroked his beard, also regretful. When he took human form, his hair and beard were entirely white, with not a single black strand, making it impossible for mortals to guess his age. Combined with his demeanor and gestures, he looked every bit an old immortal.

Yet now, his face showed remorse.

He sighed long. "That is indeed the principle."

The local deity, being an essence-born spirit, was most perceptive of human hearts. Having associated with the Old Deer Mountain God for so long, they knew each other well. It immediately sensed there was more to the matter.

It pressed on hastily.

"Don't tell me you asked for something else?"

The Old Deer Mountain God was silent for a long time.

Finally, he spoke.

"That boy from the Lu family down the mountain—I don't know what unclean thing he's caught... I presumed too much and begged that gentleman to go take a look. I originally planned to offer the ginseng king I'd been hiding, but he didn't take it. He only said he'd make a stop on the way."

"And he agreed just like that."

The local deity was astonished.

"Have you lost your mind?!"

"With such a chance to shamelessly make a request, you used it for the Lu family? That incense only extended your life by ten years—after ten years, won't you still die? Why didn't you ask for yourself?"

The Old Deer Mountain God felt some regret in his heart as well.

He thought back to a kindness from several hundred years ago. Back then, he had just gained spiritual awareness but was shot in the leg by a hunter, who wanted to take him to the market to sell. Scholar Lu bought him, and when he saw the deer kneel and beg for mercy, speaking human words, he was astonished to realize it was a spiritual deer.

So he applied medicine, released it back into the wild, and visited it often.

At that time, the Old Deer Mountain God had become a spirit by accident, knowing no path forward and understanding no Daoist arts. It was Scholar Lu who lent him books and recited several hundred Daoist scriptures to him, giving him his first chance to glimpse the Daoist gate.

Ten years of chanting the Dao had forged a deep bond of friendship.

The Old Deer Mountain God had received grace and kindness, and agreed to look after his descendants in return.

Yet eight hundred years had already passed.

Times changed, and the world shifted from Han Land to Tang Land.

Scholar Lu of that year had long since turned to bones in his grave. The Lu family rose and fell; most of the fortune they had amassed was sold off.

His later descendants did not even know that Lumen Mountain once had a mountain god who warded off evil and calamities for their Lu family, generation after generation.

He watched them born, wailing loudly, saw them take wives and have children, witnessed white paper money scattered and dirges sung, new people burying old earth.

Eight hundred years, thirty-two generations of descendants.

Such care was, in truth, enough.

After all, he had already learned the difficulty of seeking the Dao back then.

The fear of fading Daoist power, the helplessness of the Five Decays of Heaven and Man—he had seen it all. He had watched companions exhaust their lifespans and pass away in meditation.

By chance, he obtained a karmic opportunity.

It should have been used to seek the Dao.

The Old Deer Mountain God let out a long sigh.

"This is the last time I will look after his descendants."

The Earth Deity Mountain Demon sat silently at his side. He was born of mountain essence, once did evil in ignorance and chaos, and later, when people feared and worshipped him, the local magistrate built him a small shrine. He received a minor earth vein and was enfeoffed as an Earth Deity—far inferior to the Lumen Mountain God.

His lifespan was also short, no more than two or three hundred years at most.

Facing such a lofty figure, making a single request already required utmost caution; one should be content. There was no chance to ask again later.

Only one opportunity to seek the Dao, and this old deer had used it to plead for the Lu family.

The Earth Deity Mountain Demon was speechless, a hint of admiration stirring in his heart.

Leaves rustled in the wind. The two mountain and earth deities sat across from each other at a green stone table, both silent. Nothing could be heard but the wind stirring the leaves and the murmur of a clear stream.

The Old Deer Mountain God changed the subject, bringing up another matter.

He deliberately set aside the gloom, smiled slyly, and picked a lighthearted tale to tell.

"Back then, when I appeared to thank that gentleman, I didn't know there was another person nearby. I was afraid I might startle that mortal."

"Oh?"

"That person, you and I should know well. In recent years, many have sought immortals and asked about the Dao. We've seen them a few times too."

"Those who came to ask about the Dao?"

"Exactly." The Old Deer Mountain God laughed. "How difficult it is for mortals to seek immortality. They come to my Lumen Mountain to search for immortals, yet they don't know a true immortal is right beside them. Quite amusing."

"This time, they should know," the Earth Deity Mountain Demon said.

"That mortal still has no small fame in the world," the Old Deer Mountain God said. Dwelling in the mountains, protecting the neighbors and villagers, he had heard of this man's name. "I hear his poetry is ethereal and otherworldly, like a banished immortal."

"Is that so? What poems did he write?"

The old mountain god nodded and recited one to his friend.

"The land of Shu has many immortal mountains, but Mount Emei stands peerless and far beyond compare. I wander and climb to survey it all—how can its strange wonders be fully known? The azure peaks open to the sky... If I meet the Goat-Riding Immortal, hand in hand we'll soar above the blazing sun."

The Earth Deity caught the meaning in the poem.

Every stroke wrote of carefree ease, every word yearned for immortality.

The Earth Deity chuckled.

"What a fine seeker of immortality."

The Old Deer Mountain God, struck by a playful impulse, guessed, "I wonder if that mortal, now knowing the gentleman's true identity, will bow and beg to become an immortal?"

The Earth Deity Mountain Demon said, "Without a doubt."

"With such a great karmic opportunity, how could he easily let it pass?"

The Earth Deity felt a trace of envy as well. He stroked his beard in thought and murmured, "That gentleman is broad-minded. Who knows if he'll take this poet as a disciple."

The old mountain god gazed at the rain-washed mountains and uttered a single word.

"Difficult."

The next chapter will be posted in the evening.

Climbing Mount Emei, written by Li Bai around age twenty. Full poem below:

The land of Shu has many immortal mountains, but Mount Emei stands peerless and far beyond compare. I wander and climb to survey it all—how can its strange wonders be fully known? The azure peaks open to the sky, colors interwoven as if painted. Coolly I enjoy the purple clouds, and indeed obtain the art of the brocade pouch. Amid the clouds I play a jade flute, on the rocks I strum a treasured zither. In life I have always had a slight aspiration, and from now on I end worldly joys. A misty countenance seems upon my face, and earthly burdens suddenly vanish. If I meet the Goat-Riding Immortal, hand in hand we'll soar above the blazing sun.

Baidu Baike vernacular translation:

The land of Shu has many immortal mountains, but none can rival the vastness of Mount Emei. Try climbing this mountain for a tour—how can you fully grasp its uniquely strange and wondrous scenery? The azure peaks stretch across the skyline, colors splashed as if from a painting. Drifting to the summit to savor the purple clouds, it feels as if I have truly attained the art of cultivating immortality. I play a jade flute among the clouds, pluck a treasured zither on the rocks. I have long harbored a desire to cultivate the Dao, and from now on I will end worldly pleasures. My face seems already filled with misty aura, and worldly entanglements suddenly vanish. If I meet the immortal Goat-Riding Immortal, I will join hands with him to stride across the blazing sun.