Chapter 29: The Hunter Encounters an Immortal
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The Feast of Ghosts and Gods continued until nearly the fifth watch of the night.
When dawn began to break in the east, the guests finally dispersed.
It was a rare occasion, and the Earth Deity and Mountain God, serpents and pythons, fierce tigers, jackals and red foxes, macaques and muntjacs—all drank themselves senseless and sang wildly. When the revelry reached its height, the mountain ghosts raised their cups and sang rustic songs of the wilderness. Their voices were clear and soaring, plaintive as a weeping lament, leaving all who heard them in a daze.
Before departing, the spirits repeatedly glanced toward the seat of honor.
The immortal seated there seemed slightly drunk. His eyes were closed as he listened with pleasure to the music, the singing, and the cheerful laughter and conversation.
The old stag, Mountain God, asked, “Sir, do you enjoy such lively gatherings?”
Jiang She opened his eyes and looked down at the demons dancing in disarray. The guests clutched their wine cups, drunk beyond measure. Li Bai had already emptied who knew how many jars of Three-Day Drunk. His robes hung loose, and leaning against a fierce tiger, he held a wine cup in one hand while laughing uproariously and singing at the top of his voice.
“To live as though already facing death, utterly without fear.”
Jiang She smiled.
“Excellent.”
The Earth Deity also looked at the tiger. It was this very tiger who had spoken those words earlier, whose meaning had struck the immortal as wonderfully profound.
After the three had finished speaking, Jiang She was about to leave when he suddenly heard the hurried sound of footsteps outside, along with someone muttering in conversation.
“Second Uncle, let’s hurry down the mountain. I keep feeling there’s something wrong with these woods. Last night seemed especially dark.”
“If only we hadn’t chased that wild boar. It made us spend the night in the mountains. I kept hearing someone singing and laughing, and someone eating meat. I barely slept… And now look at us—the pig got away, too.”
“I know. We’ll go down once it’s fully light.”
“Eh?”
“What was that noise? Second Uncle! Second Uncle! Someone really is singing! Listen—”
“Don’t be ridiculous. What could there be in these mountains… Could this place be haunted?”
The Earth Deity froze.
The ghosts, gods, and spirits had naturally sealed off the surrounding area before gathering here. They had chosen to meet at night because the mountains were quieter then, not because their arts could only be practiced after dark.
Tonight’s feast was not something mortals should have been able to see.
Those two men…
He raised a hand and began calculating. The Earth Deity bowed apologetically. “It seems that macaque tore a hole in the barrier, allowing the sounds to carry outside. This lesser god failed to take sufficient precautions.”
“It is of no consequence.”
Jiang She beckoned Li Bai over, then nodded slightly to the Mountain God and the Earth Deity. Amid the gazes of all the guests, mountain ghosts, and spirits, he walked out.
…
…
Chen Erniu had come into the mountains to hunt with his elder brother’s son. He hoped to earn a little money for the household and let the children at home taste meat, so they would not drool whenever they smelled the aroma of a neighbor’s cooking.
He was familiar with several mountains near Xiangyang. He had been wandering through them since he was twelve or thirteen, gathering mountain produce to sell in the county—fragrant mushrooms and other fungi—which his family could also stew for themselves.
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That afternoon, he had encountered a wild boar in the mountains and chased it for half the day. The creature must have grown up eating something extraordinary; it was plump and sturdy, and even with an arrow buried in its back, it had still managed to run.
For some reason, night had fallen unusually early.
Worried that descending the mountain in the dark might bring them face-to-face with wolves, Chen Erniu found a patch of bamboo and spent the night there with his nephew.
Strangely enough, it was not only his nephew who claimed to have dreamed of people talking, singing, and eating. Chen Erniu, too, had vaguely dreamed of strange sounds, as though he were attending a feast at the home of Chen Yuanwai from their village.
When the two awoke, his nephew, having slept outdoors for the entire night, was famished. His stomach rumbled constantly, and he kept muttering about it.
Then, all at once, the sounds grew much louder.
Chen Erniu would have wagered his life that someone was truly in the mountains—or else the place was haunted. He could hear plates clinking together, and he could even smell the fragrance of wine.
Good heavens…
In an instant, every hair on his body stood on end.
Holding his breath, Chen Erniu stared for several seconds. His heart trembled violently, and it was a long while before he felt able to move again. He kicked his nephew in the leg, steeled himself, and lowered his voice.
“When I tell you, run straight out of the woods. Understand?”
“Second Uncle…”
Chen Erniu began backing away with his nephew, moving with the utmost care. He suppressed his fear and took such pains that even the sound of his feet crushing dead leaves was reduced to the faintest whisper.
Just then, he saw someone emerge from the woods.
The morning light was still dim, and dawn had not yet fully broken. Beneath the bamboo leaves stood a handsome man dressed in blue. Beside him was another man dressed entirely in white, his body reeking of wine.
At that instant, Chen Erniu’s heart nearly leapt out of his throat.
Mother of Heaven! There had plainly been no one in those woods, yet suddenly two men had walked out of them.
Fortunately, the two showed no intention of approaching. They headed north, in the direction of Xiangyang County. Chen Village lay to the west.
Chen Erniu knew he had narrowly escaped with his life.
The two of them ran as fast as they could, as though a fierce tiger were chasing them from behind.
The boy ran after him, gasping for breath, wind rushing into his mouth, yet he still managed to say, “Second Uncle, did you hear it? There was a tiger’s roar, too. Someone who can subdue fierce tigers—could that man be an immortal?”
Chen Erniu’s heart pounded. “How should I know?”
…
…
They encountered two hunters on the road.
Jiang She paid them no attention.
He soon returned to the residence. Yuan Danqiu was snoring away, occasionally letting out a faint rasp, wholly unaware of what had happened. Li Bai had collapsed the moment he entered, and as soon as his head touched the bamboo pillow, he had sunk into a deep sleep.
Jiang She sat quietly at the table for a while, savoring everything he had gained that night. When he pushed open the window, he saw that the eastern sky had already grown pale, like the belly of a fish.
What he had seen and heard among the mountain ghosts that night had indeed been interesting.
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He had helped the Earth Deity and the spirits fulfill themselves. But were those spirits not, in turn, helping him fulfill himself?
With that thought, he went to sleep without removing his clothes.
By the time Yuan Danqiu awoke, daylight had already filled the sky. The servant had swept the fallen leaves from the courtyard and piled them in the garden behind the house. As the leaves decayed, they would help the plants grow more vigorously.
Yuan Danqiu yawned, then practiced a set of boxing exercises in the courtyard. He had learned them from a Daoist priest at Clear Emptiness Temple. Practicing them once after rising helped circulate the qi and blood, dispel the heaviness of sleep, and leave him more energetic throughout the day.
Afterward, he went to the apothecary himself to ask whether the azurite and cinnabar he had ordered had arrived.
Half an hour later, Yuan Danqiu returned carrying two small paper packets. He found Jiang She seated beneath a tree, writing.
“Master Jiang has returned.”
Jiang She acknowledged him.
Yuan Danqiu looked around. “Is Taibai still asleep?”
“He drank some wine.”
It was nearly noon. Even a pig ought to have woken by then. Taibai might enjoy his drink, but no matter how much he had consumed, the sun was already high in the sky—he should have been up.
Yuan Danqiu frowned. He placed the packets of medicine on the table, then turned and pushed open the door to the main room.
A particularly fragrant scent of wine filled the air.
It stirred the wine-loving creature in Yuan Danqiu’s heart.
He looked toward the bed and saw that the boy Li Bai was still asleep, deeply and heavily. Yuan Danqiu pushed him twice, but he did not wake.
What a deep sleeper.
After hesitating, Yuan Danqiu placed a finger beneath Li Bai’s nose.
Thankfully, he was breathing.
He was not dead.
Yuan Danqiu simply gave up and left the room. He sat down opposite Jiang She and muttered, “How can anyone sleep this much…”
Jiang She smiled.
From his sleeve, he took out the notebook he always carried. He intended to record the previous night’s feast of ghosts and gods.
He opened it.
To his surprise, there were already words inside.
…
“To the west of Xiangyang County lies Chen Village. One day, two hunters pursued a wild boar and spent the night in the woods. In their dreams, they heard the sounds of a feast—the clashing of cups and chopsticks, and ghosts and gods discoursing upon the Dao. After waking, they found the scent of wine and meat still lingering, while the roar of a tiger continued in their ears. Their hearts were filled with terror.
“Before long, they encountered a divine man. The feast had ended, and he had subdued the fierce tiger.
“Upon returning home, they told others of this strange affair. The villagers heard it and exclaimed with envy: ‘You must have encountered an immortal.’”
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