Chapter 6: The World Through the Eyes of an Immortal

"It is a good thing Taibai did not come this time, having gone off to seek immortality with that Young Master Jiang."

Yuan Danqiu and Meng Haoran stood in an inconspicuous corner, listening to the guests whisper while observing them quickly compose their expressions. The two men exchanged a look of mild amusement.

Yuan Danqiu lifted his gaze, surveying the manor. The Lu family’s ancestral home had fallen into decline; many of the decorative screens and vessels had long been sold off. The flower hall stood empty, looking as if it had been ransacked by bandits, yet one could still discern that it had once been a place of good feng shui and upright family character. In the courtyard stood a locust tree; despite the passage of many years, its crown remained lush and leafy, though its trunk was partially withered, still providing shade for those below.

"The tree is already dead, yet it remains so lush," Meng Haoran remarked.

Yuan Danqiu’s eyes were sharp. "There is an ant colony at the base, too."

Meng Haoran glanced down. "Ant holes are common enough. Let us go pay our respects to the Matriarch. Since Taibai did not come, we must add a gift on his behalf."

"What have you prepared?" Yuan Danqiu asked.

Meng Haoran was three parts more worldly than the Daoist Yuan or the wild spirit Li Bai. He replied, "Some gold, silver, and modest trinkets, just to offer a small consolation."

Yuan Danqiu nodded. "That will do."

They registered their gift at the entrance, and seeing the young servants busy attending to the guests, they walked through the flower hall to the area where the Matriarch was receiving visitors to offer their greetings.

"The last time we came, there were four servants here. Have the other three been sold?" Meng Haoran observed, unable to stop himself from shaking his head. "The family fortune is withered, and the descendants are unworthy. It is deplorable and sighs-worthy."

Today was the Matriarch’s birthday banquet. Although it was not yet time for the evening feast, she was already dressed in her finest, draped in a dark cyan silk shawl embroidered with gold. On her head, she wore hairpins not of gold or silver, but of a slightly aged white jade—likely old heirlooms she had kept at the bottom of her chest. Despite the Lu family’s waning influence, the old Matriarch refused to show any sign of weakness before her guests.

Seeing the two men, the old lady was delighted, her tone intimate. "Ah, Haoran has come."

Meng Haoran, whose given name was Hao and courtesy name Haoran, smiled and bowed to her. "May the Matriarch be well. I wish you longevity and peace, constant as the moon and unshakable as the mountains."

The old lady smiled as she returned the greeting, saying it was too formal, though she was clearly pleased. She looked behind them, but her gaze met nothing. "Has that boy Taibai come? Where is he?"

Meeting the old lady’s expectant gaze, Yuan Danqiu silently blamed Taibai for sneaking off and leaving them to deal with the Matriarch. He smiled on the surface and said, "Taibai originally intended to visit you with us, but the road was slippery from the rain and he took a tumble, sustaining some injuries. I told him to go see a physician. I will have him come personally to offer his congratulations another day."

The Matriarch asked with concern, "Did he fall heavily? I still have some medicinal oil, made from a prescription by the Divine Physician Sun; it is most effective for bruises and sprains. Xiuxiang, go fetch a bottle for these two guests."

The "Divine Physician Sun" referred to Sun Simiao, who had passed away forty years ago, yet his disciples and their successors still practiced medicine across the Tang lands. Many medicinal formulas were passed down or attributed to him in this way.

***

The Lu Matriarch’s urgency to find a marriage match for Li Bai to save her family was real. Her current concern for him was also real.

"Sincere feelings are the most complex of things," Jiang She remarked, turning his head to glance at Li Bai.

They stood in the middle of the hall, amidst the guests, watching Meng Haoran pause for two breaths when faced with the Matriarch’s question, deliberately leaving Yuan Danqiu to field it. They also saw Yuan Danqiu secretly glare at Meng Haoran before answering.

There were six or seven guests in the room, two or three servants, and Meng Haoran and Yuan Danqiu standing before the Matriarch, who sat in her chair receiving greetings. Twelve people, yet no one sensed the presence of Jiang She and Li Bai. Unseen. Unperceived.

Li Bai looked around in astonishment, finding that even when they spoke, the people in the room could not hear them. He did not know what profound immortal art was being used. He even reached out to touch a fruit platter on a nearby table, finding that he could make contact with it. His heart was filled with wonder.

Li Bai regained his composure. "The Lu Matriarch is a kind soul, only her temperament is stubborn."

Jiang She asked with interest, "If it were you, Taibai, what would you do?"

Li Bai replied, "The Lu scholar has an eldest son who could be raised to manage the family affairs. The old lady should maintain control of the household finances, then pass them directly to the granddaughter, ensuring that the scholar never touches the family wealth. As for the scholar himself... whether he is delusional, possessed, or dead, what does it have to do with me?"

His tone was indifferent; he clearly disliked the behavior of the Lu family and held the conduct of the eldest son in utter contempt, expressing this openly before Jiang She. After speaking, Li Bai focused his gaze on Jiang She, waiting for his reaction. Though he was unrestrained and aloof, viewing ordinary mortals as fools, he cared deeply about Jiang She’s opinion. After all, he had seen it with his own eyes: this was an immortal.

Just then, a sound came from the doorway. A servant in the guise of a page-boy approached and whispered into the Matriarch’s ear. Jiang She lifted a finger slightly. The servant’s whisper, guided by the gesture, became loud and clear in the small space, allowing both men to hear it distinctly.

"Matriarch, the Eldest Master asks for you to come over..." The servant stammered, hesitant, but reminded her nonetheless, "The Eldest Master wants to sell the last eighty acres of farmland."

The Matriarch’s face turned deathly pale, then flushed with rage. Mindful of the guests, she did not explode, but clutched at her maid’s sleeve and was helped to her feet. The moment she stood, the fury rising within her caused a rush of blood to her heart, and she fainted, collapsing to the floor.

A wave of alarm erupted among the crowd. Not knowing what the servant had said to cause the Matriarch to collapse, they scrambled to help her up. "Matriarch! Be careful!"

"What has happened here?"

Jiang She and Li Bai stood at a distance. Compared to the other guests, they knew the cause better than anyone, having heard exactly what the servant had said.

"Let’s go. Let’s go see that Lu scholar," Jiang She said.

Li Bai helped carry the bamboo basket gifted by the Old Deer Mountain God and followed him out. As he walked, his mind stirred. The affairs of the Lu family were not rare in this world; it was nothing more than unworthy descendants squandering their family’s legacy. He had heard of such things many times. But to connect it to the Mountain Gods and Earth Deities...

The scholar who had made a pact with the Deer Mountain God had died eight hundred years ago. At that time, the world was still the land of Han. Mortals could not see the causes and conditions of the past, seeing only the withered family fortune of today. This was what blinded them.

This wonder made Li Bai keep glancing at Jiang She along the way. What did the human world look like in the eyes of an immortal?

...

In the small courtyard.

"I want to seek immortality!"

"I have already met an immortal master!"

"You must bring Grandmother here! The immortal master has already promised that if I have another hundred and fifty strings of cash, he will accept me as his disciple! Do not ruin my opportunity and delay my path to immortality!"

A scholar of about thirty, wearing a gauze cap and a white robe, was being held back tightly by a servant. Surrounding them were sounds of weeping and constant pleading.

"Young Master, stop this madness!" The servant knelt and begged, "We have never seen any immortal path. We don't even know where this 'immortal master' is, and we have already thrown away so much money... Young Master! Those eighty acres of land are the last of the Lu family’s property. We need those eighty acres for farming and study!"

"It must not be sold! It absolutely must not be sold..."

The Lu scholar shouted, "Once I become the immortal master’s disciple, what family fortune can I not secure? Do not be stingy with these worldly possessions! When that time comes, let alone a civil service degree, even becoming a high official or marrying a princess would be only right!"

Hearing these words, the servant wiped his tears away with the back of his hand. The Lu scholar finally broke free, shoved the servant to the ground, and steadied himself against a table.

"Do not block my path to immortality!"

"Go and invite Grandmother here—I have urgent matters to discuss with her!"

Watching the servant weeping on the ground, the Lu scholar tilted his head slightly and muttered, "Once I have enough money... once I have enough money..."