The god of Mount Taibai(太白山神) in central Qin is considered the most efficacious. At the summit of Mount Taibai, there are three ponds known as the Big Taibai, Middle Taibai, and Three Taibai. If leaves, weeds, or mud fall into these ponds, flocks of birds will come and carry away these impurities. Therefore, the local people refer to these birds as the ‘Pond-cleaning Birds(淨池鳥).’
Once, a carpenter accidentally fell into the Taibai Pond and discovered another world beneath its surface. He saw a person dressed in yellow, who led him to a grand hall. In the hall, a prince sat without a hat, wearing a wide-sleeved robe and crimson satin boots. With white hair, the prince glanced at the carpenter and smiled, saying, ‘I heard that your craftsmanship is exceptional, so I specially invited you to build a pavilion for me.’ The carpenter then settled in the water palace. Three years later, after completing the pavilion, the prince rewarded him with three thousand taels of silver and allowed him to return.
However, the carpenter found the silver too heavy to carry conveniently, so he declined the reward. Before leaving, he noticed many small dogs with golden fur in the prince’s mansion, charming and delightful. He asked the prince for one to take home. The prince refused, but when the prince wasn’t paying attention, the carpenter secretly took one and hid it in his arms, hastily bidding farewell.
On the way, the carpenter unbuttoned his shirt to take a look at the adorable dog. To his surprise, as soon as he unbuttoned his shirt, a flash of golden light occurred, and the small dog instantly transformed into a tiny golden dragon, soaring into the sky. It also scratched his hand, leaving him permanently disabled. When the carpenter returned home, one day, a thunderstorm with hail suddenly struck. After the storm, he found that the hailstones in his courtyard had turned into silver. Upon weighing them, it happened to be exactly three thousand taels.
Translated from《太白山神》in 《子不語》:
秦中太白山神最靈。山頂有三池：曰大太白、中太白、三太白。木葉草泥偶落池中，則群鳥銜去，土人號曰「淨池鳥」。
有木匠某墜池中，見黃衣人引至一殿，殿中有王者，科頭朱履，鬚髮蒼然，顧匠者笑曰：「知爾藝巧，相煩作一亭，故召汝來。」匠遂居水府。三年功成，王賞三千金，許其歸。匠者嫌金重難帶，辭之而出，見府中多小犬，毛作金絲色，向王乞取。王不許，匠者偷抱一犬於懷辭出。路上開懷視之，一小金龍騰空飛去，爪傷匠者之手，終身廢棄。歸家後，忽一日雷雨下冰雹皆化為金，稱之，得三千兩。