ENG
No divine arts, no meditation's trance,
With a palm fan, he nurtures his pill's dance.
A sincere heart, the medicine he seeks,
Bored by human woes and worldly techniques.
At the eastern end of Qingxu Alley stood a modest Daoist temple, home to a solitary Daoist. This Daoist professed to have discovered the ancient formula for an immortality pill from the sea, earning him a reputation as a miraculous healer.
The Daoist's pills, when taken by the sick, showed no significant improvement, and when taken by the healthy, had no noticeable effect. If anyone inquired about their efficacy, he would calmly explain, "There is no such thing as a wondrous cure-all pill that can bring the dead back to life. True health arises from the harmony and smooth flow of one's essence, vigor, and spirit." Consequently, people began to doubt the Daoist's skills, leading to his temple being sparsely visited and few seeking his medical assistance.
In the city, there was an old man named Mr. Chen, whose wealth rivaled that of nobility. Now in his sixties, he had fallen gravely ill, showing signs of being near the end of his life. His son sought out the Daoist and invited him to treat his ailing father.
The Daoist had a yellow dog that he kept by his side at all times. This time, he brought it along to the Chen residence. The Daoist prepared many special pills for Mr. Chen. Although the household servants thought he was merely going through the motions, they dared not say much and watched from the sidelines.
Unexpectedly, after taking the pills, Mr. Chen gradually began to eat and drink a little, and his breathing became smoother, showing signs of recovery. Yet, just when everything was getting better, in one of the Daoist's pill-making sessions, his furnace exploded, killing him in the process.
The household servants came to clean up the Daoist temporary quarters, lamenting the whims of fate. To their astonishment, they saw the Daoist's yellow dog, dressed in his clothes, walking out of the room. The dog was fanning itself with a tattered palm-leaf fan and said, "I had planned to learn some mortal skills in the human world. Who would have thought that in this world, great talent brings such peril!"
With that, the dog snapped the fan, and disappeared.
The story opens at a small Daoist temple at the east end of Qingxu Alley. The lone Daoist who lived there claimed to have rediscovered an ancient formula for an immortality pill "from the sea," and because of that he gained a reputation as a miraculous healer.
In practice, his pills did not produce dramatic results. Sick people who took them did not show clear improvement, and healthy people did not gain any special benefits. When asked, the Daoist explained that there is no magic cure that revives the dead; true health comes from the proper balance and flow of a person’s essence, vigor, and spirit. Because of this explanation and the unimpressive results, the temple fell out of favor and few people visited.
A rich man in the city named Mr. Chen, in his sixties, grew gravely ill and seemed near death. His son summoned the Daoist to treat him. The Daoist came to the Chen household with his constant companion, a yellow dog that always stayed by his side.
The Daoist prepared a large number of special pills and gave them to Mr. Chen while the household servants watched, mostly skeptical. Over time after taking those pills, Mr. Chen began to eat and drink a little and his breathing smoothed; he showed signs of recovery, so the treatment appeared to be working.
Then, during one of the Daoist’s pill-making sessions, the furnace exploded and the Daoist was killed. While the servants were cleaning the Daoist’s temporary quarters, they were shocked to see the yellow dog come out wearing the Daoist’s clothes, fanning itself with a worn palm-leaf fan. The dog spoke, saying it had planned to learn some mortal skills in the human world and that it hadn’t expected great talent to bring such peril. After snapping the fan, the dog disappeared.
The immediate facts are that the Daoist died in a furnace explosion, Mr. Chen improved after taking the pills, and the Daoist’s yellow dog proved not to be an ordinary animal by speaking, wearing clothes, and vanishing. The story leaves some things unresolved: the exact cause of the explosion, the deeper nature of the pills, and the true identity or purpose of the dog are not explained, but the dog’s actions show there was something supernatural connected to the Daoist.