Chapter 4: What Are Earthly Nobles Worth After All?
Li Bai wishes to learn the Way from him?
Jiang She felt a subtle complexity in his heart. As he solemnly regarded the young man before him, he couldn’t help but contemplate Li Bai’s tumultuous fate decades later, which stirred both amusement and pity within him.
“By learning immortality and seeking the Way, will you no longer serve as an official?”
Li Bai still performed the disciple’s bow, observing the etiquette of a student meeting a master.
With a long sword strapped to his back, standing gracefully and distinguished, his tone humble yet carrying an indomitable spirit, he spoke with utter disregard for high-ranking nobles and dignitaries.
He declared with youthful vigor:
“If I could be accepted as a disciple under an immortal, learning the cultivation of immortality, then forget about holding office—what are earthly kings and nobles compared to that?”
...
Several hundred zhang away, the Old Deer Mountain Spirit transformed into a stumbling old man and sat down with another local deity to converse.
That deity was a mountain spirit born from lesser creatures, lowly and ignorant, having once committed evil in the chaotic times—unlike the Old Deer Mountain Spirit, who descended from a sacred deer. Thus, he had not dared approach the front earlier.
“Did you see it? A single incense stick can extend the mountain spirit’s lifespan by ten years—what level of cultivation is that?”
“Yes, I saw it.”
The Old Deer Mountain Spirit felt a lingering awe.
Recalling the earlier scene, he furrowed his brow, stroked his long beard, and said thoughtfully:
“It’s still unclear... How can we discern the true nature of such a person? That figure appeared no different from a mortal, only with an extraordinary bearing. If he hadn’t lit that incense stick himself, I wouldn’t have known that such a person wandered to the gates of my Deer Gate Mountain, unable to find a way to pay respects.”
He paused.
The Old Deer Mountain Spirit added:
“It’s like... blending light with dust.”
At these words, silence fell everywhere.
The local deity listened with reverence, his beastly face leaning forward so that the black fur near his cheek almost touched the Old Deer Mountain Spirit’s nose.
“You’ve found treasure this time, encountering a great immortal who extended your lifespan by ten years. That incense carried a violet aura... Tell me, what kind of temperament does that gentleman have? Is he easy to talk to?”
The Old Deer Mountain Spirit stroked his white beard, pleased that with ten more years of life, he could take his time contemplating how to prolong it further.
He laughed:
“He only said a few words. That man seemed to disdain gold and mundane possessions and could converse easily with ordinary folk. There was a sense of returning to simplicity and truth.”
The local deity pondered the phrases “returning to simplicity” and “blending light with dust.”
He felt the aura of immortality overflowing. Though never having met the man, he already imagined his calm and unpretentious nature.
It stirred a yearning in his heart.
“Oh, how I wish to seek guidance from such an immortal, but alas, fate does not permit it.”
“It’s a pity. Such a person embodies natural Dao in every gesture. That pure incense is not something you can simply request. Now that you have received this karmic blessing, it is already a great fortune.”
The local deity sighed deeply.
“You shouldn’t ask for more! You mustn’t ask for more!”
---
As he spoke, the black fur on the deity’s cheek drooped sadly in regret.
The mountain spirit stroked his beard, equally regretful. When he took human form, all his hair and beard were white, not a single black strand remaining, making it impossible for mortals to guess his age. His demeanor and expression were those of an ancient immortal.
Yet now, his face was filled with melancholy.
He sighed deeply: “That is the truth of it.”
The local deity, born from mountain spirits and keenly perceptive, had long been acquainted with the Old Deer Mountain Spirit. Hearing this, he knew there was more to the story.
He hurriedly asked:
“Could it be you asked for something else?”
The Old Deer Mountain Spirit hesitated for a long time before speaking.
After a while, he said:
“There’s a boy from the Lu family at the mountain’s base. I don’t know what kind of impurity has tainted him... I was presumptuous and asked that gentleman to take a look. I intended to offer the hidden Ginseng King in exchange, but he refused, saying he was just passing by.”
“So you agreed to it just like that?”
The local deity was astonished.
“Have you lost your mind?! Such a bold chance you gave to the Lu family? That incense only extended your life by ten years, but after ten years, you’re still mortal. Why not seek something for yourself?”
The Old Deer Mountain Spirit felt some regret as well.
He recalled a kindness from centuries ago: when he first gained sentience, he was shot in the leg by a hunter and was to be sold in the market for money. Lu Sheng bought him, amazed when he saw the deer kneeling and speaking human language—realizing he was a spirit deer.
Lu Sheng treated his wounds and released him into the wild, visiting him often.
At that time, the Old Deer Mountain Spirit was unwittingly becoming a spirit, ignorant of the path and cultivation. Lu Sheng borrowed books and recited hundreds of Daoist scriptures, eventually gaining a glimpse into the Way.
They cultivated the Dao together for ten years, forming a deep bond.
The Old Deer Mountain Spirit, grateful for this kindness, pledged to watch over Lu Sheng’s descendants.
But eight hundred years had passed.
Times changed; the Han lands had become the Tang lands.
Lu Sheng had long since turned to dust. The Lu family rose and fell, their once vast fortune mostly sold off.
Later generations didn’t even know that Deer Gate Mountain had a mountain spirit watching over the Lu family, warding off evil and protecting them through generations.
He watched their births accompanied by cries, their marriages and children, their funerals with white coins tossed and songs sung, the young burying the old.
Eight hundred years, twenty-three generations.
Such care was enough.
After all, the difficulty of seeking the Way was something he had already experienced.
He had witnessed the decline of Daoist arts, the helplessness of the five declines of heaven and man, and had seen companions exhaust their lifespan and pass away in seated meditation.
By a twist of fate, he had received this karmic blessing.
It should have been used to pursue the Way.
The Old Deer Mountain Spirit sighed deeply.
---
“This will be the last time I watch over his descendants.”
The local mountain deity sat silently nearby. Born from mountain spirits, having once committed evil in ignorance, he later became fearful of life and worshipped. The local magistrate built a small shrine, and he was granted a minor territory as a local deity—not equal to the Mountain Spirit of Deer Gate Mountain.
His lifespan was short, only two or three hundred years at most.
Faced with such a great immortal, one must be extremely cautious when requesting a favor and should be content with a single chance—one could not ask repeatedly.
Yet the Old Deer Mountain Spirit had entrusted this opportunity to the Lu family.
The mountain spirit was dumbfounded but secretly admired him.
Leaves rustled in the wind as the two deities sat opposite each other at a green stone table, silent. Only the sound of wind through leaves and the babbling mountain stream could be heard.
The Old Deer Mountain Spirit changed the subject, deliberately lightening the mood. He smiled mischievously and shared an amusing anecdote.
“When I appeared to thank that gentleman, I didn’t know there were others nearby. I was afraid I might startle that mortal.”
“Oh?”
“That person, I believe you and I should know him. In recent years, many have come seeking immortality and the Way; we have seen them a few times.”
“People coming to ask about the Way?”
“Exactly.” The Old Deer Mountain Spirit chuckled. “Mortals seeking immortality face such hardships. They come to my Deer Gate Mountain in search of immortality, not knowing there is a true immortal nearby—it’s rather amusing.”
“Now you understand,” the mountain spirit said.
“That mortal still has considerable fame in the world,” said the Old Deer Mountain Spirit, who protected the neighboring villagers and had heard the man’s name. “I’ve heard his poetry is ethereal and otherworldly, like a banished immortal.”
“Is that so? What poems does he write?”
The Old Deer Mountain Spirit nodded and recited one with his friend:
“Shu land boasts many immortal mountains,
Emei’s peak unrivaled and remote.
Traveling far to explore,
Marvels too wondrous to capture.
Azure skies open to heaven’s height…
If one meets the Shepherd boy,
Hand in hand, they ascend beyond the sun.”
The local deity grasped the poem’s meaning.
Every line spoke of carefree freedom; every word expressed the yearning to seek immortality.
The deity laughed.
“A true seeker of immortality.”
The Old Deer Mountain Spirit felt a childlike delight and guessed:
“I wonder if that mortal knows the gentleman’s true identity and would dare to bow and ask to become his disciple.”
The mountain spirit replied:
“Certainly.”
“With such a great opportunity, how could he let it slip away?”
The deity, somewhat envious, stroked his beard thoughtfully and murmured:
“That gentleman’s temperament is open and free—who knows if he would accept this poet as a disciple?”
The Old Deer Mountain Spirit gazed at the newly refreshed mountains after the rain and uttered one word:
“Unlikely.”