Inheriting a Taoist temple, the story begins with Wu Zetian offering incense.

Chapter 121 Huo Qubing's Expedition Beyond the Great Wall Achieves Military Merit! [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

Li Bai and his entourage, having traversed mountains and rivers, have finally arrived in Chang'an today.

The post stations along the way sent people to Chang'an to inform them in advance. When Gongsun Da Niang, who was having a meal at the palace, heard the news, she took a carriage to Jin Guang Gate and waited for Li Bai to enter the city.

Amidst the traffic flowing into the city, Yuan Danqiu, riding a newly bought blue-maned horse, asked Li Bai, who was riding a donkey beside him:

"Is that woman at the city gate also a guest of the Immortal's Cave?"

Li Bai was short and couldn't ride a horse, nor did he want to ride a carriage, so he could only ride a donkey for the time being.

"She and I are both pilgrims to our master's cave, but I have already become his disciple. She is a fairy under our master's tutelage, with the Taoist name Pomegranate. The other... the other sister's Taoist name is Peony."

The little guy wanted to mention Wu Zetian, but was afraid of scaring his new friend, so he used his older sister instead.

Calling him "sister" instantly lowers His Majesty's seniority by two levels—it's incredibly satisfying!

Yuan Danqiu said:
"Your destiny with immortality is truly enviable. My elders sent me a message saying that things are not going well in Chang'an recently. So I'm sending you here today. I plan to go to Zhongnan Mountain and then return to Songshan. I will write to you when I have time in the future."

Yuan Danqiu admired Li Bai, but he was also well aware that Chang'an was currently in a whirlpool. Li Bai had divine protection and could remain safe, but the situation was uncertain for others.

Therefore, the best course of action is to leave, without even entering the city gate.

Li Bai felt somewhat apologetic:

"I haven't invited you to dinner yet..."

Yuan Danqiu said with a smile:

"There is still a long way to go, and we will surely meet again someday."

Just as he was about to leave, Li Bai said:
"Don't go, Danqiu Zi. I'll give you some gifts."

Li Bai rode his donkey out of the traffic and quickly arrived at Gongsun Da Niang's side at the city gate, where he bowed respectfully to her.
"I've met Sister Gongsun. Do you have any food with you? My friend Danqiu Zi is leaving, and I'd like to give him some."

Upon hearing the name Danqiu Zi, Gongsun Da Niang's eyes lit up:
"But what about Danqiu Sheng, whom you mentioned in 'Drinking Alone Under the Moon'? Alright, alright, I have two boxes of sesame brittle here. You can give them to him to eat on his journey."

The girl took it out of the carriage and handed it to Li Bai, who then passed it on to Yuan Danqiu, who had also left the caravan and was planning to walk south along the city wall.

"Danqiu Zi, this is a specialty from my master's place. The transparent outer layer is plastic; you can use it to store things. The road ahead is long, but we'll meet again!"

Yuan Danqiu thought for a moment, opened his bag, took out a Taoist classic and handed it to Li Bai:
"This was a gift from a Taoist priest from Qingcheng Mountain. It is not quite the same as the path I cultivate. I am giving it to you today, hoping that your path to immortality will be smooth sailing. When we meet again in the future, I will definitely drink three hundred cups with you."

The two exchanged gifts and waved goodbye to each other.

Those from Shu County who escorted Li Bai were not allowed to enter the inner city. They waved goodbye at the city gate and registered at the post station in the outer city, where they could buy some local specialties to take back.

Gongsun Da Niang led Li Bai and his son, along with the Li family members, through the Golden Light Gate and directly to the post station.

The postmaster prepared a private courtyard for the Li family, a residence reserved for officials of the fourth rank or above, which was considered an exceptionally high level of hospitality.

After the Li family settled in, Aunt Gongsun said:

“Brother Li Bai, can you go to Hunyuan Palace? Hurry up and report to the immortal master that we have met in Chang'an and the next thing is the consecration of Yiyuan Temple.”

Li Bai also wanted to go back to Hunyuan Palace to take a bath:
"I'll go right away. Does Sister Gongsun need anything?"

"Let me think... Mini crispy cones, mini puddings, instant glutinous rice balls, Want Want mini crispy snacks, just take some of the food and drinks. If Sister Mei... Peony is here, let her prepare them. She knows where I keep my snacks."

Li Bai wrote it down, told his father and his party to rest well, and then left the Great Tang Zhenguan World directly from the courtyard and appeared in the Wenxuan King Hall of Hunyuan Palace.

As Li Bai stepped out of the main hall, he could smell the aroma of lunch from afar:
"I ate a lot of delicious food along the way, but my master's cooking is still the most tempting. Today, I'll start with two bowls of rice again..."

He strolled to the courtyard, went straight into the dining room, bowed and greeted Zhou Yi and Wu Meiniang, then noticed a young woman in a waist-length ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) sitting below him:
"Oh, a new person has arrived?"

Wu Zetian said:
"This is Li Qingzhao, who is new here today. You know her, Zhao'er. This is Li Bai, but unfortunately he is still underage and cannot drink three hundred cups with you."

Li Qingzhao stared blankly at her idol, who was actually only a twelve-year-old boy.

Li Bai, however, having met many people from different times and places, bowed respectfully upon hearing Li Qingzhao's name.
"Li Bai of Changlong County, Mianzhou, Shu Prefecture, has met with Yi'an Jushi!"

Wu Zetian reminded her:

"Sister Zhao'er has decided to stop using the name Yi'an. The immortal master bestows upon her the Taoist name Osmanthus Fairy."

Li Bai's eyes lit up upon hearing this:
"She is undoubtedly the best among flowers, and this title is well-deserved. Welcome, Osmanthus Fairy, to the Hunyuan Palace."

Li Qingzhao put down her chopsticks, stood up, and returned the greeting:
"Why is it that everyone else knows about my poem 'Partridge Sky: Osmanthus,' but I'm the only one who doesn't?"

This is a poem she wrote after she turned thirty and lived in the countryside of Qingzhou. She used the osmanthus flower to represent her inner feelings. Now, not only Zhou Yi and Wu Zetian know it, but even her idol Li Bai can quote its classic lines with ease, which greatly surprised Li Qingzhao.

Li Bai washed his hands and, while serving himself rice, said:
"You'll get used to it. When I first came here, everyone liked to recite my poem 'Bring in the Wine,' but I didn't write it until I was forty. Now if you ask me who Master Cen is, I have no idea."

He served himself a large bowl of rice, sat down, and first picked out a piece of Dongpo pork with three layers of fat and lean meat, placing it in his bowl. He said with a smile, "Li Bai and Li Qingzhao eating Dongpo pork, how wonderful!"

Li Qingzhao summed up three of the most prominent figures in the literary world in one sentence:

"My father was a student of a Grand Secretary, but he had never heard of Dongpo Pork. Only today, after tasting it, did I discover that it is fatty but not greasy, with tender and soft meat, truly delicious."

She doesn't usually like to eat fatty meat, but after eating a big piece today, she didn't feel greasy at all.

Zhou Yi picked up a piece of stir-fried sweet potato leaves from his bowl and asked Li Bai:
"Have we arrived in Chang'an?"

"Reporting to my master, I arrived in Chang'an this morning. After settling in at the post station, Sister Gongsun asked me to come and report to you. On the way to Chang'an, I also met Yuan Danqiu. Unfortunately, he thought Chang'an was going to be in chaos, so he did not enter the city. After seeing me off to Chang'an, he turned his horse around and went to Zhongnan Mountain."

How could we run into each other like this? No wonder it's a friendship that lasts a lifetime!

As he was reminiscing, Li Bai put down his chopsticks and took out a Taoist classic from his robes:
“This was a gift from him. I don’t understand cultivation, so please keep it with Master.”

"Okay, I'll take a look if I'm not busy."

A book was given by a Taoist priest from Qingcheng Mountain to Yuan Danqiu, who then gave it to Li Bai, who in turn passed it on to Zhou Yi, thus completing a wondrous journey across time and space.

After the meal, Li Bai took his change of clothes to take a bath, while Li Qingzhao went back to her room to change into a light blue Taoist robe... She had recently bought quite a few Taoist robes in various colors, but Li Qingzhao preferred cool tones, and after much deliberation, she chose a light blue one.

After changing her clothes and putting on a lotus crown of the same color, and holding a whisk, she transformed from a playful, wine-loving young girl into a fairy banished to the mortal world.

She tucked the stainless steel token Zhou Yi had given her into her bosom and looked at herself in the mirror.

Wu Meiniang asked:
"How does it feel?"

Li Qingzhao flicked her whisk and performed a Taoist salute:
"Like being reborn!"

For a sentimental person like her, she didn't even dare to look at the crabapple blossoms in the yard after a rainy night. But after reading about her own life today, it felt as if she had lived a complete life.

Now, changing into a Taoist robe symbolizes that I am about to embark on a different path.

In the next room, Zhou Yi flipped through a black notebook and found the page about Li Qingzhao.

[Visitor's Name: Li Qingzhao]

[Time of occurrence: Midsummer of the year Yi Si]

[Timeline: Year 2 of Yuanfu (1099 AD)]

[Account redemption progress: 0/365]

Merit: None

After reading it, Zhou Yi turned to the first page, looked at his own page, and found that he had gained another six coins of merit.

[Assist in eliminating harmful and evil practitioners, merit +2]

[Passed the test by the Taoist elders, merit +1]

Huo Qubing led his troops beyond the Great Wall, slaying over a hundred enemies, earning him +3 merit points.

The first two Zhouyi are still quite calm. Although I didn't put in much effort last night when I was practicing the divination, I did manage to blow a cold wind, so it's reasonable for me to share some of the merit.

The last one is that Huo Qubing actually led his troops to kill more than a hundred enemies as soon as he left the border. That's really amazing!
When Huo Qubing arrived, we bought the meat in advance and made dumplings for the children... He had rendered meritorious service and would be rewarded!
While he was contemplating how to reward his apprentice, in the world of Emperor Wu of Han, Huo Qubing, riding his horse, looked at the densely packed corpses on the ground, but felt no joy:

"Yunzhong is a strategically important defensive location. Where did these Xiongnu people come from?"

He had just led his cavalry special forces through Dingxiang and arrived in Yunzhong. Before he could even adjust, Zhao Ponu spotted the Xiongnu plundering the people through the drone.

Without a word, the special forces soldiers immediately split into two teams, flanking the Huns from both sides and slaughtering them like sheep. The whole process was clean and efficient, even smoother than their usual training.

For the first time, everyone discovered how useful the Tang Dynasty armor and sword were. As for the high-bridged saddle and double stirrups, they were even more so, as they could completely free their hands and no longer needed to hold the reins.

Zhao Ponu had captured several prisoners and was currently interrogating them in the Xiongnu language with Zhang Qian, trying to find out the whereabouts of the main Xiongnu force, the movements of Yizhixie Chanyu, and so on.

Huo Qubing wiped the blood from his sword and said:
"Li Guang's troops arrived in Dingxiang before the New Year and have been stationed there for more than two months, yet they didn't even send scouts to investigate. What kind of famous general is he? He's not even as good as a clay chicken or a clay dog!"

He acted willfully when he should have obeyed orders, and stubbornly clung to Dingxiang when he could have been flexible, refusing to send troops even when the people of Yunzhong had suffered terribly... It can only be said that he deserved not to be ennobled.

The battle yielded a considerable number of warhorses, weapons, and other valuables, as well as dozens of prisoners.

Zhang Qian strode over, pointed due north, and said:
"North of Yunzhong, there are large groups of Xiongnu men, each a hundred strong, harassing the people in shifts. What should we do? Should we wait here for the general, or continue our attack?"

The word "wait" didn't exist in Huo Qubing's dictionary. He faced north and brandished his sword:

"Attack! We will not rest until the Xiongnu are annihilated!"

(End of this chapter)