Chapter 23: Are There Immortals in This World?

Zhang Zhenmei resided in a small courtyard. In truth, this was a property belonging to the Lu family within the county. Since Lu Da had handed over the deed, it had become the place where the three of them settled in Xiangyang County.

It was mid-afternoon, and he sat in a chair, soaking in the sunlight that filled the yard.

In his lap lay an account book recording the sums contributed to him by five different families. Some had already been spent, others had been converted into assets, and all told, he still had three or four thousand strings of cash on hand.

This was an astonishing amount.

Some wealthy families in the county, through generations of accumulation and decades of business, or even a county magistrate who had served for many years, might not necessarily possess such a fortune.

"Have you gathered the money?"

Zhang Zhenmei was jolted awake. He instinctively raised his head and looked around toward the source of the voice.

Standing in the shade of a tree by the gate were three figures: one in a worn green robe with a refined and handsome face; one in white, looking wealthy and distinguished; and an elderly man in long, wide-sleeved robes, his hair and beard completely white.

They were the same three who had suddenly manifested at the Lu residence that day.

Jiang She pushed open the gate, and the group walked into the yard, surveying the guest house.

Although it carried a sense of age, with moss creeping over the stone steps, one could tell that the courtyard had once been well-tended and carefully maintained.

The yard was lush with greenery, connecting to the main house. In one corner, a trellis stood with grapevines climbing along it. One could still see that a dog had been kept here; there was a specially built kennel covered in a thick layer of dust, with crooked, child-like writing faintly visible on it—a touch of innocent charm.

This was likely where the Lu family members had lived in their youth.

Situated right in the county town, the area was filled with the sounds of the marketplace—peddlers hawking their wares—making it much livelier than the Lu family's own estate. If there was any drawback, it was simply that the place was a bit small.

He looked at Zhang Zhenmei.

"When do you intend to send it back?" he asked leisurely.

Zhang Zhenmei’s heart hammered like a drum.

After a few moments, he suppressed his shock, only then realizing he was still sitting in his chair in the presence of an Immortal Master. He hurriedly rose and offered a respectful bow with his hands clasped.

"Greetings, Immortal Master—"

He also bowed to the Mountain God and the other man in white. Although Lu Sheng had told him that the latter was a mortal, standing among immortals and deities, this man’s playful, joking demeanor suggested he was not to be trifled with.

After all, it is easier to meet the King of Hell than to deal with his petty underlings.

Maintaining his bow, he said, "I have been doing my utmost to gather it; I would not dare to break our agreement."

"How much money did that Lu Da ask the gods for and send to you?" Jiang She asked nonchalantly.

Zhang Zhenmei, who looked at the account book daily, knew the figure without even checking.

"Answering the Immortal Master, there is... six hundred and eighty strings of cash. They are all 'short strings,' with eight hundred coins to a string."

"Clear the money out."

"Six hundred and eighty strings should be available, right? Taibai, go help him summon a few donkey carts."

With eight hundred coins to a string, six hundred and eighty strings stacked together was a weight no ordinary person could carry. It would require carts to transport the money, and several trips at that.

Xiangyang was a small city, and people were frugal; donkey carts were used more often, and there were specialized carting firms.

Li Bai agreed and headed out to find one.

Only the Immortal Master and the Master of the local mountains remained in the yard—both of them celestial beings.

Zhang Zhenmei’s heart continued to thump wildly. Swallowing hard, he tried his best to stay calm. He pushed open the door to the room, where two young attendants, unaware of the commotion outside, were squatting on the floor, laboriously counting and stringing coins. The trunks in front of them were nearly full, with several others piled nearby.

"Count out six hundred and eighty strings," he commanded.

He then remembered to ask, "When you were stringing the money, did you use eight hundred coins per string?"

Seeing the two attendants nod, Zhang Zhenmei’s expression finally eased slightly.

As the two squatted on the ground to recount, Zhang Zhenmei, not wanting to go back outside to face the immortal and the deity, found a chair and sat down, closing his eyes and listening to the rhythmic clinking of the copper coins.

Qingyu asked, "Master, which family should we give to first?"

"Lu Da."

After a while, Li Bai returned with several donkey carts. There was no space to park them outside the yard, so he had to borrow some room from the neighbors.

As a gesture of request, he had brought the neighbors two *gulouzi*—mutton-stuffed flatbreads roasted until the lamb fat dripped out, emitting a fragrant aroma.

"He who takes a gift from another has a soft mouth," and the neighbors agreed readily.

They knew nothing of the Lu family’s affairs, only that the house had recently changed hands to an old Taoist with two young attendants. The inhabitants were mysterious and elusive, appearing and disappearing, with carts occasionally coming and going to move goods. There had been no real friendship between them.

Seeing Jiang She and his group, a neighbor noticed the donkey carts and asked, "Are you relatives of this household? Are you going on a long journey?"

Smelling the charred, fragrant *gulouzi*, he swallowed his saliva. He turned to tell his son to take them to the kitchen for the family to eat at dinner.

Feeling embarrassed to take something for nothing, yet unable to part with one of the treats, the man washed some wild fruits his juniors had picked in the mountains and handed them to the three.

Jiang She smiled and accepted the fruit.

He took a bite; it was tart yet sweet.

It was quite palatable.

Humans are strange creatures. Sometimes, if you are willing to be kind and provide convenience, they are willing to be kind to you in return and offer a small gift.

At other times, they will argue endlessly over a few feet of a wall, insisting on taking every possible advantage, even writing letters to official relatives to suppress others.

It was truly a case of simple folk customs.

While Zhang Zhenmei and his attendants were counting and stringing the money, the three of them stood under the tree by the gate, chatting with the neighbor.

The neighbor spoke of how business was good this year, how his son had dug up tuckahoe in the mountains that the wealthy families in the county loved to buy. He also mentioned that his third brother worked in the county office as an official runner and had been summoned for questioning by the Magistrate, carrying quite a bit of influence. If they ever encountered thieves or burglars, they could seek him out.

Jiang She smiled and accepted the offer.

He spoke a few words from time to time, though Li Bai did most of the talking.

After chatting for a while, the neighbor realized these men were visiting the old Taoist and his two attendants, and they seemed quite familiar with each other.

Curious, he asked, "Master Jiang, they say Taoists catch ghosts. Since you know that old Taoist, have you ever encountered any?"

Jiang She looked at Li Bai.

Li Bai laughed. "I have."

The neighbor was startled. "Oh! That must have been dangerous. The ghost didn't hurt anyone, did it?"

"It didn't."

The ghosts Li Bai had seen were all muddled and ignorant, lacking intent. If a person had a vigorous spirit and vital energy, they would often disperse the ghost’s form just by being near.

He reckoned that if a ghost could actually harm someone, it must be one with significant cultivation.

The neighbor asked again, "Is it true that there are immortals in this world? My third brother came back and told everyone he met that his colleagues had encountered an immortal."

"He told it as if it were the truth, and even my old woman believed it. She went back today to tell her family, and I couldn't stop her. To my mind, it’s all nonsense. How could immortals be so easy to meet?"

Jiang She finished the fruit and kept the pit. He listened to the man speak without interrupting.

Beside him, Li Bai could not help but chuckle, bowing his head to gnaw on his fruit.

The neighbor didn't notice him and continued to talk about the rumors he had heard over the past few days. It was such a rare tale for Xiangyang—that an immortal had been encountered—as if everyone around him had heard of it or experienced it themselves.

Since it was a story rarely heard, he had to talk about it at length.

"They even say there’s an old immortal on Lumeng Mountain outside the city, with a long white beard and hair, just like... just like this old gentleman here."

"I almost forgot to ask," the neighbor added. "How old is this old gentleman?"

"He must be eighty or ninety, with that white beard, and he looks so healthy. What a great blessing."

The God of Lumeng Mountain laughed. After thinking for a moment, he said:

"The years are too many to count..."