His tone was leisurely, his voice aged and imposing without anger, carrying an indescribable air of the immortal.
He might really be an immortal master.
The guests exchanged glances.
Scholar Lu's eyes lit up. He hurried to his feet and went outside the courtyard gate, bowing as he asked, "What brings you here?"
The gate had never been shut. A broad-sleeved old man in blue slowly walked in. His hair was jet-black, and only the fine wrinkles on his face, the wrinkled skin at his neck, and the folds like pine bark gave away his age.
His clothes were splendid, a pure shade of blue, and a vermilion string of beads hung from his neck to his waist. White jade was interspersed among them, chiming as he walked and making him seem all the more extraordinary.
Two young acolytes followed behind him.
Both were dressed as Daoist attendants, with snow-white stand-up collars and wide lapels, and blue outer robes.
Lu Sheng ushered the three of them inside. Their presence pressed down on everyone.
The courtyard fell silent for a moment.
It was no wonder the guests and servants had clammed up. Even the steward, who had been cursing the loudest, fell silent, secretly sizing up the three newcomers.
No wonder Scholar Lu thought he had encountered an immortal master.
Even they would have thought themselves blessed with immortal fate if they encountered such a person.
Seen from afar, he truly seemed like one of the immortals.
Scholar Lu remained bent at the waist as he escorted the blue-robed immortal master to the table. He brushed away nonexistent dust with his sleeve, his expression reverent.
Turning around, Lu Pei frowned at the household servants standing dumbfounded. In a low voice, he ordered them to sweep and sprinkle water, then bring tea, refreshments, fruits, and fine dishes.
When the tea was served, the old man breathed in its fragrance and savory aroma.
He took a sip.
Only after moistening his throat did the old man slowly speak his first words since entering, answering Scholar Lu's earlier question.
"Could I not come? You were about to curse me as a pig, a dog, a rat, or a snake."
Everyone fell silent. Only the two blue-robed acolytes looked around at the guests, displeased by the things they had heard people say outside the courtyard wall.
"You used such filthy words to curse my master."
The acolyte was thirteen or fourteen, with a sharp tongue. "No wonder they say the true path is hard to find. So this is the sort of crowd you get down below the mountain."
The other acolyte spoke up as well:
"My master rarely teaches the Dao, and is even less willing to guide people onto the path of cultivation. Even those who want to sweep and clean for him are turned away. Now you have such a great opportunity, yet you still curse him like this. You truly are a bunch of crude, ignorant fools."
The crowd stammered, at a loss for words.
They had been cursing that unknown "immortal master" because they despised swindlers who deceived people for their wealth, driving the Lu Family from prosperous county gentry to selling off their property until only a few meager fields remained.
They had never imagined, while cursing him, that the immortal master would come to their door.
Not only had he come, he looked so imposing.
He was no ordinary mortal.
Their earlier curses now seemed frivolous, improper, and utterly lacking in courtesy.
"Immortal master, please don't take offense, please..."
"We are ordinary people who knew no reverence. It was my fault."
"That's right, that's exactly it. My narrow outlook led me to wrong you, immortal master."
Some of the guests spoke up, clasping their hands in apology and repeatedly begging forgiveness, hoping the old man would pardon their offense and not pursue the matter. After all, they were mere mortals, unable to bear the wrath of an immortal master of such standing.
Others in the gathering admired his refined bearing and envied his leisurely composure.
As well as apologizing, they hinted that they would be willing to offer wealth in service of the Dao.
The old man held his teacup and smiled faintly, but made no promise.
That was just as the acolyte had said: even if people wanted to offer up their fortunes and sweep and clean for this immortal master, serving as his attendants, he would not agree.
Scholar Lu had been fortunate to catch this man's eye and offer him gold and silver.
Yuan Danqiu's eyebrows nearly shot up when he heard them testing the waters with offers of tribute. He glared at the local gentry, almost cursing aloud, then turned his gaze on the old man sitting leisurely in his chair.
Meng Haoran tugged at him from behind, and only then did Yuan Danqiu rein in his stare.
A few breaths later.
After listening to a string of flattery, Yuan Danqiu asked, "The Lu Family's estate was accumulated over a hundred years, through more than a dozen generations. It was no easy thing. Why did you make him sell off his property, even his family's last remaining ancestral fields, just to supply you with gold and silver?"
"Tell me, does this accord with the Dao?"
The question was as sharp as a blade, and the acolytes had no answer.
The old man set down his teacup and gave a derisive smile.
"As the Baopuzi says, without resources, the elixir cannot be made. How can one refine an elixir and craft an artifact without wealth?"
"Offerings of gold and silver, support in strings of copper cash."
"What use are they to me?"
He looked at Lu Sheng.
"They're only useful to him."
"And we who cultivate the Dao, once we attain it, what are ordinary gold and silver to us? No matter how much we spend today, tomorrow it will be nothing but vulgar copper and iron."
"Fit to be picked up from the ground."
"Let alone a few hundred strings of cash—even a thousand, ten thousand. Becoming an official or a minister. Taking a wife and concubines."
"Wouldn't that be easy too?"
"Why begrudge the expense?"
Lu Sheng listened, his eyes shining. He thought the same way himself. It was just that he could not make the elderly women and servants in his household understand. Every time he sold off property, the steward would wail and weep as if his life were over.
The people around them looked at Lu Pei with envy in their eyes.
They wondered what set this Lu the Eldest apart from them, that an immortal master of such stature had taken a liking to him. All he had to do was gather enough silver, and he could be chosen as a disciple and follow the man in cultivating the Dao.
The guests in the courtyard asked themselves: if it were them...
What a pity!
What a pity they had too many mundane affairs at home and too many people to worry about.
Otherwise, they would surely follow the path of the immortals, roam the world with a master, learn the way of immortality, and live free and easy in the mountains.
Lu the Eldest was truly lucky!
Yuan Danqiu listened to the answer, unable for the moment to find a flaw in it. As he pondered, Meng Haoran leaned close and whispered a few words.
His eyes suddenly brightened, and he nodded.
Yuan Danqiu asked again.
"I wonder what profound immortal arts you possess. Could you show us a thing or two?"
"Lu the Eldest is, after all, the only son in his family. His father died early, and his grandmother is elderly and ill. He should not be scattering all the family's wealth and leaving to study immortality."
"If he has entrusted himself to the wrong person, wouldn't he regret it for the rest of his life?"
At Meng Haoran's suggestion, he had asked to see the man's true abilities, and his argument made perfect sense.
The guests and servants were curious too. That immortal master looked like one of the immortals. Though they would not take Yuan Danqiu's words as the deciding factor, they also wanted to witness the master's profound arts and see what remarkable abilities he possessed.
There was no need for the old man to answer.
The acolyte straightened his back and said with some pride:
"My master is two hundred years old. He is now one hundred and forty, and after living through two full sixty-year cycles, his hair is still as black as ever."
Yuan Danqiu asked:
"How can we see how long he has lived? Does he have any other profound arts?"
"My master can breathe flames, blazing fiercely and burning away every unclean thing." The acolyte disliked the Daoist who kept asking questions. He glared at him, then continued:
"Ordinary people eat grains and have impure thoughts. If they're touched by this fire, they'll be burned to ashes in an instant."
It was an immortal's breathing technique, turning an exhalation into flames.
A young servant gasped. The guests on either side noticed, and he quickly covered his mouth.
Someone exclaimed:
"That's incredible!"
"Could you show us?"
The acolyte looked at Yuan Danqiu, then leaned close to the old man and whispered a few words.
A moment later.
He turned around and declared proudly, "Of course."
"When my master performs this art, ordinary people must retreat thirty paces, lest they bring disaster upon themselves."
Jiang She watched with great interest.
Hearing the man describe his powers so grandly, Li Bai worried for Yuan Danqiu and frowned.
"If he's really that powerful, why does he insist on taking money from a poor scholar? How much could the Lu Family have? Why not go to the provincial capital and accept offerings from the officials there?"
Jiang She studied the old man seated among them.
The man looked relaxed, his head bowed as he drank his tea and savored its savory fragrance.
He looked closely.
Then he gave a soft "Oh."
By the time Li Bai turned to look at him,
Jiang She had already seen through some of the trick.
He smiled. "It's clever of them not to go to the provincial capital and curry favor with those court officials for offerings."
Li Bai was already suspicious and about to ask him what he meant.
Then several heavy, hurried footsteps sounded.
"The physician's here, the physician's here—"
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