Chapter 38: The Time of Departure

Magistrate Cheng held the letter, reading it aloud as he murmured to himself.

"Since ancient times, all sages have passed, only the drinkers leave their names behind... only the drinkers leave their names behind... What a magnificent poem."

Seeing him mutter for quite a while, Madam Zhao snatched it from him. "What kind of poem is this? Did a friend write it for you?"

"Sss—careful now!" Magistrate Cheng hurriedly steadied the paper; he had been waiting for this piece of writing for days. "I am speaking of a line from Li Taibai’s new work. It is written so beautifully, describing a dream-journey to a banquet of ghosts and gods, so vivid it feels as if one had experienced it personally."

"In it, immortals expound on the dharma, fierce tigers discuss the Tao, apes weep in sorrow, and mountain gods and earth deities gather, with spirits and specters taking their place in the ranks. The poet drinks with them, falling into a deep stupor, only to wake days later. How carefree and unrestrained..." As he read, Magistrate Cheng began to drift into a state of reverie.

Madam Zhao listened to him recite the poem, fanning herself as she pondered. "This poem doesn't explicitly say it was a dream-journey. How can you be so sure it was a dream?"

Magistrate Cheng laughed. "How could I not be? Surely there couldn't actually be..." He suddenly stopped himself.

Seeing him realize what he was saying, Madam Zhao remarked from the side, "Exactly. Think about where Li Taibai lives. He is currently staying in the same courtyard as *that person*. Perhaps... perhaps it was *that person* who took him there?"

Magistrate Cheng secretly agreed, but unwilling to admit his wife was right, he insisted, "It’s likely just based on the lively rumors in the city; he wrote the poem based on what the hunter said."

Madam Zhao put down her fan and gave him a playful pinch. "Still arguing! The servants told you they encountered a fierce tiger—the very one from the rumors, the one that could speak like a human. And think of the green-robed immortal the hunter met. Are you still going to argue with me?"

Feeling a slight pinch at his waist, Cheng Zhi decided not to press the issue. "Alright, alright, you are right, my dear."

Magistrate Cheng was in a fine mood. He picked up the letter and read it again, feeling more delighted with every word. His heart was light and his spirit refreshed. He laughed, "He has finally finished this piece. I shall find a craftsman immediately to have it carved into a stone tablet. With this, I too shall leave my name in history. Who knows, I might even receive a promotion... Hahaha..."

Madam Zhao asked, "What exactly did he write?"

Magistrate Cheng stroked his beard and said with self-satisfaction, "Under my administration, the people live in harmony and the harvests are bountiful. Xiangyang has attracted a passing immortal, who exposed those few fraudulent swindlers and ordered them to return the money to the Lu family..."

"There is also the hunter who stayed overnight in the mountains and encountered an immortal. The banquet was filled with the clinking of goblets and the sounds of song and dance, night and day—truly a scene of celestial delight."

Cheng Zhi’s imagination grew more vivid with each word, his mood lifting further as he recounted the miraculous events at the Qingxu Temple on Black Stone Mountain. "How about that? These events happened quite recently; I even had to send another letter to chase after him for the details. There are fifteen hundred magistrates in our Great Tang, yet only I, Cheng, have encountered an immortal. Hahaha! To be aided by heaven—this is truly a stroke of fortune."

Li Bai’s poem spread across Xiangzhou within days. It was not only the talk of the town in Xiangyang, with scholars in the academy bobbing their heads as they recited it, but the verses had also reached the nearby counties of Gucheng, Yiqing, and Lexiang. For a time, paper became expensive in Xiangzhou.

The Governor of Xiangzhou heard of it as well. The banquet of gods and ghosts described in the poem was so magnificent and marvelous that his own children had recited it several times, frequently bringing up tales of spirits and ghosts at the dinner table.

The next day, the Governor summoned Magistrate Cheng and questioned him at length. Upon learning that Cheng was planning to erect a tablet for the immortal, the Governor suggested, "Why not build a shrine? You can place the tablet in front of it."

Having read the poem and heard a bellyful of anecdotes, the Governor was filled with enthusiasm. He dipped his brush, spread out a piece of paper, and sketched a rough map of Xiangyang. "Where is the Lu family located?"

Cheng Zhi pointed to a spot outside the city walls, not far from Mount Lumen, where the scenery was beautiful. "This is where the immortal first appeared at the Lu residence, and where those nineteen people experienced that great dream."

The Governor pondered, "Where do you think is the best place to build the shrine?" He sighed with a touch of regret, stroking his beard. "Minister He’s literary talent is superb. It is a pity that the Emperor is performing the Fengshan sacrifices this year, and he is too busy with official duties. Otherwise, I would have truly liked to invite Minister He to compose an inscription to be carved onto the stone, so it might be passed down through the ages."

The Minister he referred to was He Zhizhang, currently serving as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites and a scholar of the Jixian Academy, known for his exceptional talent. With the Emperor heading to Mount Tai for the sacrifices, everyone was occupied, and the Governor knew better than to disturb him.

After they discussed it for a while, Cheng Zhi decided to return and add the Governor to the text of the article, urging the craftsmen to finish carving the stone tablet as quickly as possible.

After the guests departed, the Governor of Xiangzhou recited the poem about the immortal once more, savoring the words in his mind. He marveled at the image of ghosts and gods laughing and chatting, the witty banter, the immortal preaching the Tao, and guiding the way for mortals. Everything had been revealed in a single night.

He beckoned his subordinate and said with interest, "Go and quietly find out what kind of temperament that person has, what he likes, and where he often goes. Do not approach the master's door; people of that stature value peace. Do not cause the immortal any displeasure. Prepare a gift as well. In a few days, when the holidays arrive and Cheng Zhi’s tablet is finished, I shall go and pay a visit."

"Do you understand?"

The subordinate bowed with folded hands, "I shall see to it at once, sir."

...

Jiang She sat in the courtyard. It was quiet here, which made the sounds from outside all the more distinct.

Unlike the first few days, Jiang She could now distinguish the peddlers' cries; it was the sesame cakes from the Wang family. Now that the summer heat was intensifying, a drink stall had opened nearby, and their hawthorn and plum water was the most delicious.

He could also hear the neighbor’s children playing war with tree branches, arguing over who should be the general. They would often end up in a chaotic mess, none willing to concede, eventually all sobbing as they were led home by their respective parents.

The litter of kittens, frightened by the commotion, scrambled up the tree. One black kitten trotted over along the wall. Seeing Jiang She, it had grown much more familiar; it rubbed its head against the wall, watching him organize his belongings.

Jiang She counted his items: the copper coins and broken gold amounted to five mace of gold, twelve strings of coins, and two hundred and fifty-six loose coins. It was difficult to carry strings of copper on the road, so most people chose to carry them on their backs, but fortunately, Jiang She had other methods.

It was a significant sum of money, enough for an ordinary family to live on for two or three years. Since he did not need to pay taxes, it would last even longer.

There were also three bottles of pills, nine in total, and six bottles of spiritual liquid. Jiang She placed them on the table. Unable to think of a use for them at the moment, he decided to set them aside for later.

He had two sets of clothes, a waterskin, and a ceramic bowl. There were a few books, some paper and brushes, that notebook, and a map.

The table was already full. The kitten on the wall seemed quite interested in the medicine bottles and the broken gold, staring with round eyes and occasionally licking its small paws.

Jiang She quickly put them away, both to prevent the cat from knocking over the medicine bottles and to avoid any financial loss.

After checking his old possessions, Jiang She went to the kitchen and brought out a piece of meat for the kitten. Having been fed often, the cat was no longer shy. It ate with gusto, purring and chirping as it chewed.

Li Bai returned from a banquet just at noon. The courtyard was quiet and shaded by green trees. He saw Master Jiang feeding the neighbor’s cat. The meat was cut in large chunks, and the cat, with its tiny teeth, had to tear at it carefully.

Li Bai couldn't help but laugh. "This cat is here begging for food again."

The cat’s ears perked up. Seeing the newcomer, it arched its back and ate even more ferociously, as if afraid someone would steal its meal.

"Taibai," Jiang She said, stroking the kitten's fluffy head. "After tomorrow, I shall be leaving."