ENG
"Neither sky cares, nor earth will hold,
By liquor's laugh, bold spirits unfold.
In drunken dreams, a cosmos wide,
Wake with worries cast aside."
Rare was the revelry for the minor guais who patrolled the mountain paths, their delights not granted but taken in human guise, thieving sustenance from unsuspecting townsfolk. The charade proved fleeting, for the villagers grew wise to their deceit, and the guais, oft caught mid-bite, were met with the town's rugged justice, deterring their mischief.
Among them was a wolf guai with a penchant for drink, who, on a day of indolence, lay beneath an ancient tree. Suddenly, an elder wolf, cloaked in feathers of a crane, appeared to him asking, "Why forsake your patrol for idleness?" The wolf guai sighed, "I long for drink, but the townsfolk see through me; I'm left to quench my thirst only in my dreams." The elder chuckled as he whispered a secret, "Seek the shrine. Conceal yourself behind the curtains, and the sacred spirits' liquor shall be yours to drink." Then, with a shift of form, he vanished.
Wavering in doubt, the wolf guai transformed and hurried to the town's shrine. There, veiled behind curtains, a sacred effigy stood, its origins unknown, the altar laden with delectable offerings and fine spirits. As advised,he nestled himself between the curtains, indulging in the liquor until his belches betrayed him to the gathering crowd in the shrine.
Trapped between the curtains, the wolf guai listened as a voice rang out, "The wine jar I offered is empty. Our tributes were received." A chorus of prayers erupted, beseeching favor from the Immortals.
From that day forth, folks from miles around flocked to the shrine, affording the demon endless drink. But as days passed, the once delightful treat turned bitter; and those prayers, be them piteous or greedy, weighed heavily upon him with helplessness.
One day, unable to endure the bitterness any longer, the wolf guai burst from behind the curtains, hoisting the jar and smashing it on the altar amidst the screams of onlookers. With a deafening crash, he suddenly awoke beneath the tree: no shrine, no incense, no crowd around. With a tired sigh, he took up his axe and set off to patrol the mountains once more.
The story is about minor guais, small demon-like creatures who patrol mountain paths. They rarely get to enjoy themselves, so when they do they take it by disguising themselves as humans and stealing food and drink from villagers. The villagers eventually notice and catch them while they're stealing; the guais are punished by the townspeople, which keeps most of them from causing trouble too often.
One of these guais is a wolf guai who really likes to drink. One day he is lying under an old tree feeling lazy and longing for alcohol. An elder wolf appears to him, wearing crane feathers, and questions why he has skipped his patrol. The elder whispers a secret: go to the town shrine, hide behind the curtains around the sacred effigy, and you will be able to drink the shrine liquor. After speaking, the elder shifts form and vanishes.
The wolf guai follows the advice and goes to the shrine. The effigy there has unknown origins and the altar is full of offerings and fine spirits. He hides between the curtains and drinks the liquor until he belches and is noticed. While he is trapped behind the curtains he hears a voice say, “The wine jar I offered is empty. Our tributes were received,” and then a chorus of prayers rises as people beg the Immortals for favor.
Word spreads and people come from miles around to make offerings at that shrine, which gives the wolf guai a seemingly endless supply of drink. At first this is wonderful for him, but over time the drinking loses its charm and the prayers—whether desperate or greedy—start to weigh on him and make him feel helpless and bitter instead of happy.
One day he can’t take it any longer and bursts out from behind the curtains, grabs the jar and smashes it on the altar while the crowd screams. Immediately after that crash he awakens under the tree where he had been before: there is no shrine, no incense, and no crowd. He sighs, takes up his axe, and goes back to patrolling the mountain paths, leaving the strange episode behind him.