ENG
Pine, bamboo, plum grant him a blue hue,
Yet hearts of jackals, tigers, and leopards he possesses true.
Collecting herbs from mountains and streams,
No desire to aid the world, lost in selfish dreams.
In the old days, there was a Daoist temple at the foot of Purple Cloud Mountain. An ascetic Daoist nun, worn from her long travels, sought shelter there one night. The temple nuns, moved by her devotion, offered her hot water and fresh clothes.
As she bathed, the nun heard a sound from the rafters. Without showing any sign of alarm, she put on her robe and nonchalantly picked up her fly-whisk. With a gentle flick, the whisk stretched and coiled with her motion, snaking up to the rafters and seizing a yaoguai.
Alerted by the commotion, the temple nuns rushed into the room to investigate. On the ground crouched a snake guai with green scales, unfazed by its capture. It seemed the nuns had been its prior victims, now taking turns to scold it. The snake guai looked at them with contempt and puffed out its cheeks to spew green venom in every direction. Anyone struck by even a drop collapsed at once, writhing in pain.
As the guai had no remorse, the nun took out a wispy golden needle, prepared to destroy it. Only then did the snake show fear. It pleaded at once: "I'm just a lesser herbalist guai from the mountain. In my basket outside is the antidote for them. Please, will you spare my life, immortal lady?"
Hearing its sincere plea, the nun granted it mercy. The guai rummaged in its basket and handed her some small white pellets. "These are the leaves of the pearl tree. They're rare in the mortal world and can cure all venoms." It fed one to each Daoist nun, and they recovered at once.
After that, the temple always had tree pearls on hand, and many afflicted by venom came here to seek aid. But the high cost of a tree pearl meant many, unable to afford it, had to face the toxin's fatal outcome.
The opening lines describe a creature whose outward color comes from living among pine, bamboo, and plum, but whose nature is cruel like jackals, tigers, and leopards. He gathers herbs from mountains and streams, so he knows healing plants, but he has no wish to help people—he is selfish and dangerous.
The main setting is a Daoist temple at the foot of Purple Cloud Mountain. An ascetic Daoist nun, tired from long travels, arrives at the temple and is given shelter by the resident temple nuns. They offer her hot water and clean clothes so she can bathe.
While she is bathing she hears a noise in the rafters. Calmly she dresses, takes her fly-whisk, and with a flick the whisk stretches up to the rafters and catches a yaoguai (a supernatural creature). The other temple nuns come in and see a green-scaled snake guai on the floor. It looks contemptuous and seems to have attacked the nuns before; they scold it. In response the snake spits green venom; any drop that hits a person makes them collapse in pain.
The nun is ready to kill the guai with a thin golden needle, but the snake suddenly begs for mercy. It claims to be a lesser herbalist guai and says it has the antidote in a basket outside. The nun spares it. The guai produces small white pellets called leaves of the pearl tree, gives one to each poisoned nun, and they recover immediately because these pearls are a rare cure-all for venoms.
After this event the temple keeps tree pearls on hand and becomes a place where venom victims come for help. The story ends by noting a practical but grim consequence: tree pearls are very expensive, so many people who need them cannot afford them and die. The tale shows a dangerous creature who both harms and can heal, and a compassionate nun whose mercy brought a real, though limited, benefit.