Sky Curtain: With a vermilion mirror, Jing travels through the modern world, shaking all dynasties.

Chapter 122 Jade-crafted Green Cicada Wine Shop

Jiang Chuan suddenly looked towards the door and saw a man in a blue robe with a wine gourd hanging from his waist. Who else could it be but Li Bai?

"Master Taibai!" He thought he'd never see him again, but unexpectedly they met once more. He immediately threw down the playing cards in his hand and hurried forward. "Your departure yesterday has caused me great worry!"

As soon as Jiang Chuan finished speaking, Li Bai strode forward, reached out and patted him on the shoulder, "Young friend Jiang, don't be in a hurry, let me explain."

Li Bai was taken aback at first, then walked to the table, glanced at the spread-out playing cards, was slightly surprised, but did not ask any further questions.

He sat down on his own, took the wine flask from his waist and placed it on the table.

"Yesterday I went out through this gate and indeed returned to the Tang Dynasty, to the side of the Lushan Waterfall!" Li Bai said. "I immediately wanted to turn back and tell you, young friend, that this gate does indeed connect to the Tang Dynasty, but when I turned around and pushed open the door of that wooden house—"

He picked up his gourd and took a big gulp. "It was nothing but an old, dilapidated wooden hut. If it weren't for the lingering smell of alcohol on my breath, I would have thought it was all just a dream!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chuan was taken aback.

I thought the tavern door and the wooden house door were connected, but it seems it's not that simple!

"Mr. Taibai, how did you return here?" he asked hastily.

Jiang Chuan quickly asked, "Mr. Taibai, how did you manage to return here?"

Li Bai picked up his wine gourd, shook it, and said, "Last night I stayed at an inn at the foot of Mount Lu. When I woke up this morning, the wine in the gourd was empty. I really couldn't stand it any longer, so I thought I'd go out and find a tavern to get some more wine."

He looked up at the wooden door of the tavern, a hint of surprise in his eyes: "Who knew that when I pushed open the door of that inn, and stepped out, there was neither a veranda nor a street, but I had stepped straight into your tavern!"

Jiang Chuan was taken aback: "Sir, you mean you just went to get some wine and ended up here?"

Li Bai clapped his hands and laughed: "Exactly! I also find it unbelievable. Inside that door is an inn, but outside it's your tavern! It seems that where this door leads is entirely up to fate, beyond human comprehension!"

Jiang Chuan shook his head slightly and murmured, "If it's just random, it's too much of a coincidence that it's you, sir, who came twice in a row."

.

He subconsciously glanced at the clock on the wall, and suddenly his gaze sharpened.

Yesterday, Li Bai arrived in the afternoon, and today is no different!

"Mr. Taibai," Jiang Chuan immediately asked, "what time did you push open the door of that wooden house yesterday? And what time did you push open the door of the inn today?"

Li Bai pondered for a moment and replied, "Yesterday I visited Mount Lu, which was probably late in the day. Today I slept until the sun was high in the sky before getting up, and when I went out to get some wine, it was around noon."

Jiang Chuan's heart skipped a beat, and he vaguely grasped some clue. He slowly said, "I'm afraid it's not a problem with the door, but with the person! At a certain time, as long as you push open the door, you will come here."

He paused, then looked at Li Bai: "If that's really the case, then every time you come, it's probably because you have no choice but to come."

Upon hearing this, Li Bai laughed heartily, "Unable to control my own destiny? Young friend Jiang, you are mistaken! I couldn't be happier!"

He picked up his wine gourd, waved it in front of Jiang Chuan, and laughed, "My only passions in life are poetry and wine! Your tavern has rare and exquisite wines, kindred spirits to share stories with, and the chance to encounter extraordinary encounters. I wish I could walk in every day!"

Jiang Chuan smiled, turned around and fetched a bottle of Moutai, filling Li Bai's glass to the brim.

The two sat facing each other, raising their glasses, discussing everything from the misty rain of Mount Lu to the bright moon over Chang'an, from the fine Maotai liquor to the poetry and prose of later generations.

Li Bai's spirits rose higher and higher. He drank several cups in succession, clapped his hands and recited poems, exclaiming how delightful it was.

Li Bai unfastened the jade pendant from his waist and handed it to Jiang Chuan. "Young friend Jiang," he said, "this is something I always wear. Though it's not a rare or precious item, it's just a small token of my appreciation. I have no wealth to spare, so please use this jade as payment for the wine. What do you say?"

Jiang Chuan took the jade pendant. It felt warm and smooth to the touch. Upon closer inspection, he found the jade to be delicate, the carving to be simple and elegant, and it to have a subtle, shimmering luster.

Although he didn't understand antique appraisal, he knew that this jade was no ordinary object, especially since it was from the Tang Dynasty and had been worn by the poet Li Bai, making its value immeasurable.

He quickly returned the jade pendant, shaking his head and saying, "Sir, this jade is far too precious; I absolutely cannot accept it. A few cups of wine are nothing to boast about; please consider it my humble offering to you!"

Li Bai refused, raising an eyebrow and smiling, "If you don't accept this, young friend, I won't dare come again! I hate owing favors more than anything. If you refuse this payment for the wine, won't I have to take a detour next time I see your door?"

Jiang Chuan was taken aback. Seeing that Li Bai's expression was serious and not joking, he could only sigh and carefully put the jade pendant away.

"In that case, I will respectfully accept your offer! However, from now on, whenever you come here, I will offer you wine and drinks without taking a penny. If you do not agree, I will not dare to accept this jade."

Upon hearing this, Li Bai clapped his hands and laughed, "Excellent! I agree. Come, let's drink another cup, as a token of our agreement!"

The Great Ming Dynasty, Fengtian Hall.

"This is an ancient jade from the Tang Dynasty, and it was once worn by Li Bai. In our Great Ming Dynasty, it's worth at least a thousand taels of silver!" Zhu Yuanzhang stared at the jade pendant in the sky, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. "To acquire such a precious jade with just a few cups of wine, Jiang Chuan has certainly made a fortune!"

Empress Ma smiled upon hearing this and said softly, "Chongba, if it were you, would you choose the ancient jade or the fine wine of later generations?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was taken aback, pondered for a long time, and then slowly said, "Ancient jade is indeed precious, but the treasures in my palace are no less valuable. However, it is the wine from later generations—"

He stopped speaking before he finished, but the meaning behind his words was already crystal clear!

The Great Tang Dynasty, Taiji Palace.

Li Shimin held the baby rhinoceros in his arms and looked up at the sky.

But then the hermit in the blue robe raised his cup and drank heartily, his laughter ringing out, and a thoughtful expression appeared between his brows.

"A waterfall plunges three thousand feet, as if the Milky Way were falling from the ninth heaven—" He murmured the lines Zhu Jingjing had recited yesterday, a hint of astonishment in his eyes. "Such spirit, such ingenious ideas, even the most learned scholars in my academy might not be able to achieve this."

Little Sizi looked up and asked, "Father, Sister Zhu said those two lines of poetry were written by Mr. Li Bai. Was he also a person of our Great Tang?"

Li Shimin nodded slightly, his gaze fixed on the figure in the celestial canopy: "Jiang Chuan calls him Master Taibai, and says he is a man of the Tang Dynasty. However, I have searched my memory thoroughly, and there is no such person as Li Bai during the Zhenguan era. This man is not under my rule; he must be a courtier of a later generation!"

Little Sizi blinked: "The future? How far in the future is that?"

Li Shimin shook his head slightly. According to Jiang Chuan, the Tang Dynasty lasted for 289 years. How could he possibly deduce the year Li Bai was born?

He gazed at Li Bai, who was drinking merrily against the backdrop of the sky, his eyes filled with regret, wishing he could meet him. He sighed, "I have never seen his face, nor have I ever recited his poems. Yet his verses have transcended a thousand years, and were casually recited by a young princess of the Ming Dynasty. This shows that his talent is enough to shine for generations!"