Explore the intriguing story of a Taoist priest who astounds with his mystical powers, involving lotus flowers, hidden wine, and unexpected twists.
In Jinan Prefecture, there was a Taoist priest whose place of origin and name were unknown. Regardless of the seasons, he wore only a padded jacket and tied a yellow silk cord around his waist, without wearing any other trousers or short coats. He often used half a comb to comb his hair and then inserted the comb teeth into his hair bun, resembling a hat. He walked barefoot in the streets during the day and slept on the streets at night, with no ice or snow melting within a few feet around him.
When the Taoist priest first arrived in Jinan, he often performed magic tricks, and the townspeople competed to give him money. There was a rascal young man from a nearby alley who brought some wine and begged to be taught the magic. The Taoist priest did not agree. Once, the rascal met the Taoist priest bathing by the river and suddenly took away his clothes to threaten him. The Taoist priest bowed and said, “Please return my clothes, and I will teach you.” The rascal was afraid that the Taoist priest was deceiving him and refused to return the clothes. The Taoist priest said, “Are you really not going to return them?” The rascal replied, “No.” The Taoist priest remained silent, and soon the yellow silk cord turned into a snake, as thick as several fists, coiling around the rascal for six or seven rounds. It raised its head, stared angrily, and spat venom toward his face. The rascal was extremely shocked, kneeling down with a pale face, breathing rapidly, and pleading for mercy. The Taoist priest finally got back the yellow silk cord. It turned out that the yellow silk cord was not a snake; another snake had sneaked into the city, winding and crawling.
Due to this incident, the Taoist priest became even more famous.
Hearing that the Taoist possessed extraordinary abilities, the homes of bureaucrats and gentry invited him to socialize, and from then on, he frequented the houses of the local gentry. Even government officials and Taoist leaders had heard of his name and invited him to attend their banquets and gatherings. One day, the Taoist was to host a banquet at a waterside pavilion to reciprocate the various officials. On the agreed-upon date, each official found an invitation from the Taoist on their desks, though they did not know how it had been delivered.
When the officials arrived at the banquet location, the Taoist greeted them respectfully. However, upon entering, they were met with an eerily empty pavilion. There were no tables or chairs, which made them suspect that the Taoist was playing tricks. The Taoist then said, “I have no servants; may I borrow your attendants to help me arrange things?” The officials all agreed.
The Taoist drew two doors on the wall and knocked on them with his hand. Inside the doors, someone responded and unlocked them. Everyone gathered around to see shadows of people moving inside. Screens, curtains, beds, and tables were all there. Some people brought these items out and the Taoist instructed the officials’ attendants to arrange them in the pavilion. He also cautioned everyone not to communicate with the people inside the doors, so when items were passed between them, they only exchanged smiles.
Before long, the pavilion was filled with luxurious furnishings. Then, the aroma of fine wine and the steaming hot dishes began to emanate from the walls. All the guests were astonished.
The Waterside Pavilion originally faced the lake, and in June every year, dozens of acres of lotus flowers stretched endlessly. However, it was the heart of winter at this moment, and outside the windows, there was only a vast expanse, with the green waves shrouded in mist. A high-ranking official happened to sigh, “It’s a pity that today’s grand gathering lacks the embellishment of lotus flowers!” Everyone chimed in in agreement.
Before long, a messenger in green clothes hurriedly came to report, “The pond is filled with lotus leaves!” All the guests were surprised. They pushed open the windows, and sure enough, all they could see were lush lotus leaves, interspersed with some lotus buds. In the blink of an eye, thousands of branches and thousands of flowers bloomed simultaneously. The north wind blew, and the fragrance of lotus flowers permeated the air. Everyone felt amazed.
They sent the messenger in a boat to pick lotus flowers. From a distance, they saw the messenger sailing into the midst of the lotus flowers. But before long, the boat returned empty-handed to see the high-ranking official. The official asked why it turned out this way, and the messenger replied, “I took the boat and went there, but I saw lotus flowers blooming in the distance. As we gradually rowed to the north bank, we suddenly saw lotus flowers blooming far away on the surface of the water to the south.” The Taoist smiled and said, “These are illusory lotus flowers.”
Before long, the feast came to an end, and the lotus flowers began to wither. The north wind suddenly blew, and the lotus leaves were broken and nothing remained.
The Daoist from Jidong Road was very happy and brought the Taoist priest back to the yamen (government office), accompanying him for daily excursions. One day, the Daoist and his guests were drinking. The Daoist had a family recipe for good wine, and he only served one dou (a traditional Chinese measure for liquids) of wine to each guest, refusing to let people drink more freely. On this day, the guest found the wine exceptionally delicious and repeatedly asked for more, but the Daoist claimed that the wine had run out.
The Taoist priest smiled and said to the guest, “If you want to drink to your heart’s content, you can come to me for it.” The guest asked the Taoist to fulfill his promise. The Taoist put the wine jug into his sleeve, and in no time, he took it out again, pouring wine for everyone present. The wine was no different from the fine wine in the Daoist’s family collection. So everyone had a delightful time before dispersing.
The Daoist was puzzled and went inside to check the wine jar. However, he found that the seal on the outside was intact, but there was no wine inside. Feeling ashamed and angry, he thought the Taoist was a charlatan and had him captured and tortured. Unexpectedly, as soon as the stick struck down, the Daoist felt a sharp pain in his buttocks. With each strike, the flesh on his buttocks felt as if it was tearing apart. Although the Taoist cried out in pain, the Daoist’s buttocks were already bloodied on the seat. They had to stop the torture and drove the Taoist away.
The Taoist then left Jinan, and his whereabouts were unknown. Later, someone encountered the Taoist in Jinling (now Nanjing), dressed the same as before. When they asked him, he just smiled and didn’t answer.
《寒月芙蕖》
济南道人者，不知何许人，亦不详其姓氏。冬夏惟着一单帢衣，系黄绦，别无裤襦。每用半梳梳发，即以齿衔髻际，如冠状。日赤脚行市上，夜卧街头，离身数尺外，冰雪尽镕。初来，辄对人作幻剧，市人争贻之。有井曲无赖子，遗以酒，求传其术，弗许。遇道人浴于河津，骤抱其衣以胁之。道人揖曰：“请以赐还，当不吝术。”无赖者恐其绐，固不肯释。道人曰：“果不相授耶？”曰：“然。”道人默不与语，俄见黄绦化为蛇，围可数握，绕其身六七匝，怒目昂首，吐舌相向。某大愕，长跪，色青气促，惟言乞命。道人乃竟取绦，绦竟非蛇。另有一蛇，蜿蜒入城去。由是道人之名益著。
缙绅家闻其异，招与游，从此往来乡先生门。司、道俱耳其名，每宴集，辄以道人从。一日，道人请于水面亭报诸宪之饮。至期，各于案头得道人速客函，亦不知所由至。诸客赴宴所，道人伛偻出迎。既入，则空亭寂然，榻几未设，咸疑其妄。道人顾官宰曰：“贫道无僮仆，烦借诸扈从，少代奔走。”官宰共诺之。道人于壁上绘双扉，以手挝之，内有应门者，振管而起。共趋觇望，则见憧憧者往来于中，屏幔床几，亦复都有。即有人传送门外，道人命吏胥辈接列亭中，且嘱勿与内人交语。两相受授，惟顾而笑。顷刻，陈设满亭，穷极奢丽。既而旨酒散馥，热炙腾熏，皆自壁中传递而出。座客无不骇异。
亭故背湖水，每六月时，荷花数十顷，一望无际。宴时方凌冬，窗外茫茫，惟有烟绿。一官偶叹曰：“此日佳集，可惜无莲花点缀！”众俱唯唯。少顷，一青衣吏奔白：“荷叶满塘矣！”一座尽惊，推窗眺瞩，果见弥望青葱，间以菡萏。转瞬间，万枝千朵，一齐都开，朔风吹来，荷香沁脑。群以为异。遣吏人荡舟采莲。遥见吏人入花深处，少间返棹，白手来见。官诘之，吏曰：“小人乘舟去，见花在远际。渐至北岸，又转遥遥在南荡中。”道人笑曰：“此幻梦之空花耳。”无何，酒阑，荷亦凋谢，北风骤起，摧折荷盖，无复存矣。
济东观察公甚悦之，携归署，日与狎玩。一日，公与客饮。公故有家传良酝，每以一斗为率，不肯供浪饮。是日，客饮而甘之，固索倾酿，公坚以既尽为辞。道人笑谓客曰：“君必欲满老饕，索之贫道而可。”客请之。道人以壶入袖中，少刻出，遍斟坐上，与公所藏更无殊别。尽欢始罢。公疑焉，入视酒瓻，则封固宛然，而空无物矣。心窃愧怒，执以为妖，笞之。杖才加，公觉股暴痛，再加，臀肉欲裂。道人虽声嘶阶下，观察已血殷坐上。乃止不笞，逐令去。道人遂离济，不知所往。后有人遇于金陵，衣装如故。问之，笑不语。