Chapter 416: I expected the immortals in heaven to be just like this
Tubo Plateau, Namtso Lake.
This is the holy lake of Tubo and the first sacred lake of the ancient Zhangzhung Buddhism Bon religion. Translated from Tibetan, it means "Heavenly Lake".
According to legend, Namtso is the daughter of Indra and the wife of Nyainqentanglha. Therefore, Namtso Lake has an extremely sacred status in the hearts of the Tibetans, and people come here to worship and pray all year round.
Legend has it that the lake contains the blood of the Snow Mountain Dragon, a kind of snow-white, jade-like fish with fine scales, also called dragon fish by the Tibetans.
They believe that dragon fish are messengers of the gods and that if a person is eaten by a dragon fish after death, his soul will be liberated and able to see the gods.
Therefore, in Tubo, only the nobles of high rank were qualified to be buried in Namtso Lake after death and have the opportunity to be favored by the gods.
"Grandpa, are there really dragon fish in the lake?"
A little girl with long braids and wearing a red jacket looked at the holy lake with its clear and blue water, and a hint of doubt appeared in her dark and bright eyes.
Her grandfather would take her to worship the holy lake every month and tell her the legends of the holy lake. The one that attracted her the most was the dragon fish.
But no matter how hard she opened her eyes, she could not see any trace of the dragon fish except for the ordinary schools of fish.
The grandfather beside her touched her head and said with a smile: "Of course, Grandpa was lucky enough to see it. When the dragon fish appears, all the fish in the holy lake will swim around it. The scene is as magnificent as when the Zamp travels!"
The old man looked at the holy lake, which was as clear and bright as the cloudless blue sky, with a trace of piety in his eyes.
"The dragon fish is the most beautiful fish in the world. Its scales are whiter than the snow-capped mountains, its swimming form is prettier than a butterfly, and its eyes are sharper than a golden eagle. It is the king of all fish and the god of the lake!"
As he spoke, the old man bowed towards Namtso Lake with some excitement, as if he recalled the scene when he saw the dragon fish when he was young.
The little girl was fascinated by what she heard and imagined what the dragon fish looked like.
Suddenly, her eyes widened, as if she saw some incredible scene, and then she rubbed her eyes with her little hands, as if she thought she was hallucinating.
"Grandpa! Grandpa! Someone is fishing in the Holy Lake!"
She shouted loudly.
The old man frowned, raised his head and was about to scold his granddaughter, but his eyes were shocked and he froze in place.
I saw a fishing line hanging above the blue sky and white clouds. There was no bait on the hook and it fell into the holy lake. Circles of ripples spread out, causing ripples on the calm lake surface.
The scene is so shocking, as if there are gods fishing in the clouds!
“It’s God!”
"It's the gods fishing!"
The other Tibetans who came to make pilgrimage were so excited by this scene that they knelt down and kowtowed devoutly, thinking they had witnessed a miracle.
Some people may also have a flash of doubt, why would the gods want to fish for their own messengers?
But in the face of the miracle before his eyes, all doubts were thrown behind him.
When the fish hook entered the lake, the originally calm holy lake suddenly began to fluctuate, as if something was tumbling and swimming at the bottom of the lake, trying to escape the fish hook falling from the sky.
The fish in the lake swam towards the fishhook like crazy, trying to bite it, but were blocked three feet away by an unknown force.
From a distance, the lake seemed almost filled with fish, and it was dark.
A moment later, with the sound of splashing water, a huge fish more than ten feet long and covered with white scales was caught. The white jade-like scales were stained with water droplets, reflecting colorful light in the sun.
The little girl held her grandfather's hand tightly and stared at the scene blankly.
That's a dragon fish!
Today she finally saw the dragon fish she had always dreamed of. Just as her grandfather said, its scales were whiter than the snow-capped mountains. It was the king of all fish and the god of the lake!
But at this moment, this sacred dragon fish was caught by the fishhook, rising rapidly, and finally disappearing in the sea of clouds and blue sky.
Everything around was still as beautiful as ever, and there was no fishing line in the sky. It seemed as if nothing had happened. However, the dense schools of fish in the holy lake were still gathering and swimming abnormally, as if calling for their king.
…
Chang'an, Taiji Palace.
Li Daoxuan picked up the fishing rod and fished out a large white-scaled fish more than ten feet long from the empty rockery pond. Then he casually threw it into the fish basket prepared next to him.
With a "slap", water splashed.
The big fish, which was more than ten feet long, fell into the fish basket and turned into a small fish the size of a palm. It swam around in the basket and spit out bubbles cautiously.
Its eyes were not dull like those of ordinary fish. Instead, they revealed a hint of human-like panic.
"Dragon fish, it's really a dragon fish!"
"But...isn't the dragon fish in our holy lake? How did he catch it?"
"Master Zhizang, this must be an illusion, right?"
The Tibetan envoys were in disbelief. How could Li Daoxuan catch their Tibetan dragon fish in the Taiji Palace?
They looked at Zhizang with eyes as if asking for help, hoping that Zhizang could reveal the trick and tell them that it was all fake.
But to their disappointment, Zhizang himself was obviously shocked and lost in thought for a long time.
Li Shimin's eyes were sharp. He took a step forward, reached out and touched the small fish in the fish basket, and said in amazement: "Is this the dragon fish from the holy lake of Tubo? It is really extraordinary. There is no fishy smell at all, and it feels like white jade to the touch."
Li Daoxuan landed gracefully, put away the pole and stood up, saying with a smile: "This is the dragon fish. Don't look at its small size now, but it is actually quite powerful, with the strength of three bears and one elephant. It's just that I cast a spell on it, and it became a small fish."
Hearing this, Li Shimin took his hand away calmly.
He looked at Li Daoxuan with a hint of amazement in his eyes.
Thousands of miles away, he was able to catch dragon fish from the holy lake of Tubo through just a small pond. Such magical power was incredible and opened the eyes of even the emperor!
Even the immortals in heaven are no more than this.
From the time Li Daoxuan came to Beijing to now, it has only been a short period of more than ten days, but he has brought him shocks time and time again and helped him solve crises time and time again. How could Li Shimin not love such a great talent?
He wanted to create a prosperous era. In addition to civil and military affairs, the most important thing was to obtain the help of top cultivators like Li Daoxuan. Only in this way could he suppress the villains in the world, destroy the demons in the universe, and bring stability to the people.
Li Daoxuan looked at Gongbu again and said with a smile: "Now this gift is in front of you. If you still don't want it, I won't force you. Please ask your majesty to ask the imperial chef to show his skills and cook a pot of fish soup for you."
After a pause, he sighed and said, "The dragon fish in the Holy Lake must be a delicacy. I am sure I will have a good time today."
Gongbu looked very bad. He hurried forward, holding the fish basket, and said in a serious tone: "I will definitely pass on the gift from the Immortal to the Zamp."
This is the legendary dragon fish, the lake god in the hearts of countless Tubo people. If it is really cooked, it would be a great sin.
…
A moment later, the Tubo delegation had left Taiji Palace.
Gongbu held the fish basket tightly and asked Zhizang, "Master, is there really a dragon fish in here?"
Zhizang nodded silently.
"This is really too much. This is our Tibetan lake god. How could he be fished away by a Tang person?"
Gongbu was indignant and said, "When I return, I will report to the Zamp. At worst, we can unite with the Turks and destroy the Tang Dynasty together!"
Zhizang suddenly sighed and said, "Not only will the Zanpu not send troops, but he will also take the initiative to return the favor and befriend Li Zhenren."
Gongbu was puzzled and asked: "Why?"
Zhizang stopped, looked back at Taiji Palace, and said something that made Gongbu's scalp tingle.
“If you can fish, you can fish people.”
"If he can catch the dragon fish in the holy lake today, he may be able to catch the king of Tubo someday."
Gongbu was stunned for a long time. The shock in his heart subsided a little after a while. With trembling lips, he uttered a word.
"With this man helping the Tang Dynasty, the Turks... are in danger."
