ENG
"Immaculate skills, the wolf's lone aim,
No price too high, his heart aflame.
Yet wayward efforts brought no gain,
A futile vision-all in vain."
Among the wolf guais, there was a young one, ambitious and always seeking rapid progress on the path of Dao. However, his time spent practicing was short, and his skills remained shallow. He couldn't yet grasp the deeper techniques of his clan, leaving him impatient.
One day, during his routine patrol, he carried a cask of fine wine. As he passed the mountain gate, he encountered the gatekeeper, Bullguard, who had a weakness for liquor. Eager to learn, the young wolf shared the wine with Bullguard and seized the opportunity to inquire about secret techniques. Partaken in the wine, feeling compelled, Bullguard taught him a few tricks. Rejoicing, the young wolf hurried home to practice.
Two months passed, and having found little benefit in those teachings, he contemplated giving up. Recalling his previous success in bartering wine for knowledge, he retrieved a small golden statue and approached the Snake Patroller. Persuaded by gold, the greedy creature shared some techniques with him. Back at home, the young wolf practiced as instructed. Another month passed, yet his gains remained minimal. Undeterred, he repeated his tactics with other guais, exchanging valuables for teachings.
Over time, he visited everyone in the mountain, amassing a repertoire of techniques. Yet, despite practicing one today and another the next, he made no progress. Eventually, a compassionate elder wolf offered guidance. Yet, the young wolf conversely started lecturing the kind old wolf with his strange mastery, leaving him speechless. From that point on, no one in the clan was willing to teach him.
This story is about a young member of the wolf guais who is desperate to advance quickly on the path of Dao. He practices only briefly and never digs deeply into the clan’s real techniques. The short poem at the start captures his attitude: he is single-minded, willing to pay any price, and burning with ambition, but his efforts are ultimately futile.
On a routine patrol he carries a cask of fine wine and meets the mountain gatekeeper, Bullguard, who has a soft spot for liquor. The young wolf uses the wine as a bribe to get Bullguard to teach him some secret tricks. Excited by the help, he goes home and practices what he was taught.
After two months of working with those tricks he sees almost no real improvement. Remembering how well the wine worked, he tries another shortcut: he brings a small golden statue to the Snake Patroller and buys more techniques. He spends another month practicing and again finds only tiny gains. He keeps repeating this pattern, trading valuables for teachings from different guais.
Over time he visits everyone in the mountain and accumulates a patchwork of techniques. But he practices one method one day and a different one the next, never staying with any single system long enough to master it. Eventually a kind, elderly wolf offers to genuinely guide him.
Instead of accepting that help, the young wolf lectures the elder with the odd, surface-level mastery he has picked up. The elder is left speechless, and word spreads. Because of his impatience, bribery, and arrogance, no one else in the clan is willing to teach him anymore. The clear outcome is that his shortcuts and lack of humility keep him from real progress and cut him off from further instruction.