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“Old Immortal liked the honesty and kindness of the mouse, and said to it, ‘Since you are serving in my mountain, you must change your original form to avoid being laughed at by other brothers. You have been in the water for a long time, so you must be hungry. Go to the back mountain's Orchard and pick two peaches to satisfy your hunger.’”
“The mouse accepted the order and went to the back mountain, where there were many fruit trees. In the middle stood a Peach Tree, which had already borne many fruits. The mouse slowly climbed to the top of the tree and picked two ripe peaches to eat. Just as it was about to come down, it suddenly felt an itch in its ribs, so it used its front paws to scratch around. However, the more it scratched, the itchier it became, as if something was trying to burrow out from inside its body. The mouse panicked and hurriedly tried to climb down the tree to ask Old Immortal, when suddenly two wings sprouted from the itchy spot and flapped energetically. The mouse was very clever and realized that Old Immortal intended for it to change form. It couldn't help but feel delighted and tried spreading its wings; indeed, it was lifted by the air and floated down lightly, flying into the Cave to pay respects to Old Immortal. Upon seeing that the mouse had transformed into a flying creature, Old Immortal laughed heartily and gave it a new name: Bat.”
“While Bai Tang waited for Old Confucian Scholar to pause and sip some bean juice to moisten his throat, she asked, ‘That Old Immortal wouldn’t be called Yun Zhongzi, would he?’”
“Old Confucian Scholar raised his left thumb in approval: ‘This young lady has remarkable insight; you guessed correctly. That Old Immortal is indeed Yun Zhongzi from Zhongnan Mountain Yuzhu Cave. Have you perhaps heard of this legend?’”
“Bai Tang thought inwardly ‘Oh my,’ but replied outwardly, ‘I haven’t heard of it; I was just making a wild guess.’”
“She thought about how Yun Zhongzi had a history; he had used two apricots to transform Thunderous Child, such a delicate child, into a fierce figure with green face and sharp fangs. Transforming the mouse into a Bat with just two peaches was simply absurd.”
“The young Merchant urged Old Confucian Scholar to continue with his story.”
“From then on, Bat followed Old Immortal, learning diligently for six or seven hundred years. It surprisingly gained the ability to speak human language and could transform into various flying insects and beasts, but it could not become human. One day, Old Immortal called it into the Cave and told it that its opportunity had arrived. Because of its contributions to the people of Guankou, it would receive a thousand years of incense offerings from them and could eventually transform into human form. The future looked bright. Old Immortal summoned the great land deity of Guankou, instructing him to convey to the people that they should build a temple for Bat as a sign of respect for its merits. This would also fulfill a good cause. The people of Guankou, upon receiving instructions from the deity, eagerly participated in building a temple for Bat. Although small in size, it was quite solemn, and since the people built this temple at the behest of the land deity, they held great respect for Bat, calling it Fude Zhengshen. The name played on the homophony between 'fu' (bat) and 'fu' (blessing), expressing both respect and hope for lasting blessings. Later on, within a thousand miles around Guankou, whenever there were celebrations or during festivals, families would hang up images of five bats or nine bats, symbolizing an abundance of blessings.”
“Bai Tang noticed among those listening an old man with white whiskers holding a fishing drum who listened with a smile as if he already knew all about the story.”
“Although Bat was an animal, it possessed considerable spirituality; anyone who sincerely worshipped it would receive some form of retribution in return. As a result, incense offerings in its temple grew increasingly prosperous. After enduring human offerings for so long, Bat surprisingly managed to take on human form and appeared in the world. Even so, it remained cautious and diligent, not daring to leave the temple easily for fear of attracting trouble that might lead to condemnation. Little did it know that fate had already been sealed; those destined for disaster would find it hard to escape their fate. A thousand years passed quickly when a flood-draining Jiangzhong brought along a Jiao Long. This Jiao Long, upon transforming into human form, passed by the temple of Bat. Seeing an enormous statue of a bird inside the temple, he did not recognize what it was and mistakenly thought it was a giant bird from Western mythology. He hurriedly approached to pay his respects. After asking around among the villagers outside, he learned that this was actually a transformed mouse known as Bat, which made him furious.”
“This Jiao Long, known for his narrow-mindedness and fierce temperament, believed himself superior as a mighty dragon who had achieved supreme Daoism over countless years; he had never spoken kindly even once to those lesser deities unrelated to him. To his surprise, he found himself humiliated before an animal; his anger flared up uncontrollably as he drew out a Three-Edged Double-Bladed Knife, intending to destroy this temple dedicated to Bat.”
“Bai Tang noticed that the old man frowned slightly as if he disapproved of the actions of Jiao Long.”
“The knife was forged from scales taken from his own body; once drawn from its sheath, countless cold rays shot forth towards people’s faces—unstoppable and destructive—obliterating the temple of Bat in an instant. Originally quite obedient by nature and knowing that incense offerings were plentiful enough for him to return home soon anyway, this seemed like an appropriate time for him to return and report back to his master. However, that Jiao Long, being excessively bullying after demolishing the temple still wanted to kill Bat in order to save face. Despite having practiced for over a thousand years, Bat was not skilled in combat; after just a few exchanges with Jiao Long, he was killed instantly with one blow while his true spirit escaped back towards Yun Zhongzi Cave. Yet even then, Jiao Long did not let go of him; he blocked off Bat ’s true spirit with his knife. Just at this critical moment of danger, Erlang Zhenjun appeared and saved Bat .”
"Originally, the Jiao Long was resentful of the people's reverence for Bat, but neglected its own shortcomings. In a fit of anger, it actually commanded the waters of Jiangzhong to flood those 'short-sighted' citizens. This action thoroughly angered Erlang Zhenjun. After all, Guankou was under the jurisdiction of Erlang Zhenjun, and Jiao Long flooding the homes of the people made it justifiable for Erlang Zhenjun to slay it. Although Jiao Long fought bravely against Bat, it was no match for Erlang Zhenjun. Not only was it killed by the True Monarch, but its Three-Edged Double-Bladed Knife, which had taken much effort to refine, was also confiscated and became the weapon of the True Monarch."
"After the true spirit of Bat returned to the mountain, Old Immortal had long been waiting at the foot of the mountain. It turned out that Old Immortal had already predicted that Bat would face this calamity and was waiting to send its true spirit back for reincarnation. Thus, one of the Eight Immortals finally came into being. Everyone, take a guess—who do you think this reincarnated deity of Bat is?" Old Confucian Scholar posed a riddle to the crowd.
The crowd began to speculate; some guessed it was Iron Crutch Li, others thought it might be Cao Guojiu, while some guessed Lu Dongbin, and others still thought it could be Han Zhongli, or even Han Xiangzi and Lan Caihe. The guesses were numerous. However, an old man holding a fishing drum spoke up: "Don't make wild guesses. Lu Dongbin was once the Eastern Hua Celestial Immortal, and Iron Crutch Li was once the Xuandu Grand Master. How could they possibly be lowly creatures? The true identity of that Bat is actually the reincarnation of Zhang Guo Lao."
Old Confucian Scholar nodded repeatedly: "This elder is correct; that family where Bat is reborn is indeed the Zhang Family. The Zhang Family has always been a household known for its good deeds, so it is fitting that a celestial being would reincarnate to bless their descendants."
The old man holding the fishing drum stood up and took out a peach from his bosom, placing it in front of Old Confucian Scholar: "The story you told is truly moving; I have nothing to repay you with, so please accept this peach as a token of my gratitude."
Then the old man led his donkey tied nearby and leisurely walked onto the suspension bridge.
The peach looked very appetizing with its rosy hue. Unable to resist, Old Confucian Scholar took a bite. The juice flowed down his throat into his belly, and he immediately felt a warm flame rise within him, spreading throughout his body. His long-standing ailments seemed to have healed completely, and he felt much lighter.
"Hair!" someone pointed at the top of Old Confucian Scholar's head. When everyone looked over, they saw that all of his white hair had turned black, and many wrinkles on his face had smoothed out. The crowd exclaimed in amazement at this miraculous occurrence.
"That old man who gave him the peach can't be a celestial being, can he?" a young Merchant exclaimed.
"Definitely! Absolutely!" Old Confucian Scholar replied repeatedly, feeling more deeply moved than anyone else.
Everyone hurriedly looked towards the bridge. They realized that although the old man had walked slowly before, he had now vanished without a trace. Some curious individuals ran to the opposite bank and came back, reporting that there was no sign of the old man on that side either; no one there had seen him disembark. This confirmed everyone's belief in the old man's celestial identity.
Old Confucian Scholar said: "Leading a donkey while holding a fishing drum is precisely how legends depict Zhang Guo Lao, isn't it?"
"That's right!" Everyone echoed, all having encountered a celestial being, providing them with a topic to boast about in the future.
"The old gentleman spoke well of Zhang Guo Lao's past life, attracting Zhang Guo Lao to bestow celestial fruits. The old gentleman is truly blessed!" the young Merchant said enviously. Upon hearing this, everyone felt it made sense and wondered if they could also attract a celestial being with their own stories in the future. Thus, Bat transformed into Zhang Guo Lao, and the tale of Yang Erlang slaying the flood dragon spread around Guankou.
Bai Tang took out a few coins and placed them on the table, just about to get up when suddenly the young Merchant shouted again, "Look up! Celestial signs have appeared again!"
Everyone looked up together and saw colorful lights blooming in the azure sky, looking extraordinarily beautiful. However, Bai Tang knew that while those lights appeared beautiful, they were extremely dangerous; they were the result of a celestial battle. If a mortal came into contact with even a bit of that light, they would instantly turn to ashes.
It turned out that Yang Jian, Howling Dog, and Agarwood were fighting over the Baolian Lantern. Both Yang Jian and Agarwood had sensed the presence of the Baolian Lantern. Previously, when Bai Tang placed the lantern in his system backpack, they could not sense it and could only exert their strength to feel for it. As soon as Bai Tang took out the lantern, they sensed it and rushed to Guankou. In Guankou, which was Yang Jian's territory, he initially obtained the Baolian Lantern, but then Agarwood came to snatch it away. The group was engaged in a fierce battle. Fortunately, Yang Jian considered the safety of his people and fought in mid-air, ensuring that no ordinary citizens were harmed.
Bai Tang clearly saw how leniently Yang Jian was treating them, but the group from Agarwood seemed oblivious to both their own issues and the restraint shown by Master Yang. They attacked fiercely; if it weren't for Master Yang's profound skills, they would have faced death multiple times. It was clear that it was your mother who committed an offense, yet you boldly confronted your uncle, who is an enforcer of the law. Disrespecting elders is a major flaw, and not adhering to laws is a grave sin. If everyone behaved like you and your mother without following rules, wouldn't chaos ensue in both heaven and earth? (To be continued...)
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