ENG
Amidst the lush leaves' embrace,
Free from the dust of life's race.
Branches side by side they stand,
Their pursuit as firm as land.
Once, a wealthy scion, seeking the path of the immortals, abandoned his family fortune and retreated to the mountains for solitary practice. Accustomed to being served, he struggled alone and often faltered in basic chores. One day, while washing clothes, his basin drifted away. He sat by the river and wailed aloud. Suddenly, from the rustling trees, a young and beautiful woman glided down to him.
She landed before him, inquired about his plight, and consoled him, saying, "Your devotion has moved a spirit of these cypresses such as me. You have my aid." She would prepare his meals, launder his clothes, and always leave as silently as she came. Yet, the boy's heart harbored other thoughts. He said to her, "Since you care for me so, why not join me in practice as Daoist partners and harmonize yin with yang?"
Enraged by his audacity, the woman sharply rebuked him. "Our practices take on different paths, and mine has been kept for a millennium. Why would I risk this practice because of you?" She left swiftly, but after many tearful pleas by the river, the boy was forgiven. However, within half a year, he broached her with the proposal again, persisting in his deluded fantasy.
The woman, after pondering, said, "How can you speak of the practice of yin and yang with me before you see my true form? Follow me, and you shall see."
She led him deep into the woods and revealed a massive, gnarled cypress tree. She glided onto its canopy and disappeared. The cypress let out a mighty roar and rose from the ground. With a flick of power, it summoned the surrounding shrubs. Together, they encircled the boy, intending to teach him a lesson. Overcome with fear, he fled back to his home and abandoned his pursuit of Dao.
A wealthy young man left his family's fortune to live alone in the mountains and practice the Dao in search of immortality. He was used to being served and had trouble managing basic chores by himself.
One day while washing clothes his basin drifted away and he sat by the river crying. A young, beautiful woman who was actually a spirit of the cypress trees appeared, asked why he was upset, and offered help. She prepared his meals, washed his clothes, and always left as quietly as she arrived.
The young man became attached and, thinking in human terms, proposed that she join him as a Daoist partner so they could harmonize yin and yang. She was angry at this proposal because her practice was different and had been preserved for a thousand years; she refused at first and warned him she would not risk her method for him.
After he pleaded at the river and was forgiven, he persisted and made the same proposal again within six months. Then she decided he needed to see her true form and led him deep into the woods to a giant, gnarled cypress.
On the tree’s canopy she vanished, and the cypress itself rose and summoned the surrounding shrubs. The plants encircled the young man as if to teach him a lesson. Terrified, he ran back home and gave up his pursuit of Dao. The episode shows that the woman was a long-practicing tree spirit who would not be turned into a partner, and his presumption ended his solitary attempt at immortal practice.