Chapter 46 Chapter Forty-Six — The Gourd Immortal

Early Yuzhang was not yet busy, but already many commoners were afoot, and the cold streets slowly gained the warmth of life.

Li Daoxuan caught the scent of sesame cakes and his appetite stirred.

But he was still in the Bigu period, so he could only take a colorless, tasteless Bigu Pill and swallow it.

Reaching the Yin-Spirit realm soon was his greatest present drive — for then he could taste fine food again.

Yuzhang City was large, its roads wide and level; all around stood rows of shops, mostly luxury wares — antique stores, jewelers…

This should have been a flourishing city, yet Li Daoxuan saw a thread of worry on the people's faces.

Passersby mostly had dry lips and knit brows, anxious of mien.

Li Daoxuan came before a wineshop; after running a night he was very thirsty and wished to buy a pot of fruit-wine to slack his thirst.

The wine-keeper slumped on the counter, listless, sighing without cease.

"Keeper, a pot of fruit-wine!"

Li Daoxuan was somewhat impatient, wanting to taste Yuzhang's fine wine.

But the keeper did not lift his head, and said flatly, "Fruit-wine is ten taels a pot — no credit!"

Li Daoxuan froze, all but certain he had misheard — ten taels a pot of fruit-wine?

Though prices were high in the early Zhenguan, ten taels would buy five thousand jin of rice, enough to feed a family of three for years!

And now you tell me ten taels buys but a pot of wine?

"Keeper, is your fruit-wine brewed of spirit-fruit, to be so dear?"

The keeper gave a cold hum. "Mere common pomegranate wine; buy it or not."

Hearing this, Li Daoxuan was a little angry; his eyes turned, and a plan came to him.

Slap!

Li Daoxuan slapped ten taels onto the counter. "Very well — ten taels it is; fill me a pot of pomegranate wine."

The keeper had not expected anyone to truly spend ten taels on a pot of fruit-wine; his eyes lit at once, and he smiled. "Righto, guest, wait — I'll fill it now."

He reached for the ten taels, but Li Daoxuan pressed his hand down.

"Not so fast, keeper — I have a request."

Li Daoxuan set the Three-Realms Gourd on the counter and smiled. "I am used to drinking from this gourd; fill it with your wine, to the brim."

The keeper saw the gourd was tiny, smaller even than his shop's wine-gourds, and beamed. "Righto!"

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His earlier worry cleared entirely; he felt meeting such a fool-with-money Daoist today was great fortune!

The keeper took the silver and opened the great jar behind him; at once a rich wine-fragrance poured out, the dark-red liquor like cut glass, very pretty.

This was the pomegranate wine then much in vogue in the Tang, brewed of pomegranate, glass-clear of color, fresh and sweet, elegant and lingering — later Wu Zetian and Yang Yuhuan were both devoted fans.

Li Daoxuan had long yearned for it; Xinyang had none to sell, so he would taste it here in Yuzhang.

The keeper began pouring into the Three-Realms Gourd; at first he smiled broadly, but slowly he noticed something wrong.

That little gourd was like a bottomless pit — score upon score of ladles, and no sign of full!

The keeper would not believe it; he kept pouring, until half the great jar of pomegranate wine was gone and the little black gourd was still not full!

His wine-pouring hand began to tremble.

"Guest, this… this…"

Li Daoxuan said calmly, "This what? You promised to fill it for me — would you go back on your word?"

So saying Li Daoxuan drew the Fish-Intestine and, clang, stuck it in the counter.

The keeper shuddered all over.

"This sword of mine has killed evil ghosts and hewn demons — quite fierce, I assure you."

The keeper swallowed and forced a smile. "Daoist, no rush — I'll fill it at once!"

So he could only keep pouring; a quarter-hour later the great jar of pomegranate wine was nearly empty, yet the little black gourd was still not full.

"This… this…"

The keeper could scarce speak; in all his life he had never seen such a weird thing — how could a tiny gourd hold so much wine?

Now he regretted it to the marrow; that great jar of pomegranate wine would have filled hundreds of gourds, its worth far beyond ten taels!

Li Daoxuan laughed aloud, lifted the Three-Realms Gourd, and drank a great mouthful.

The flavor lingered on lips and teeth, sweet but not cloying, with a faint wine-aroma — truly fine!

"Keeper, even pouring all the waters of the three rivers could not fill my gourd; take this as a lesson — cheat no one again."

So saying Li Daoxuan strode off.

The keeper chased to the door, only to find the long street already empty of the Daoist — all a moment ago might have been illusion.

Yet that great jar of pomegranate wine had truly vanished…

From this the keeper changed his shop's sign to the Gourd Wine Shop, and the tale of the immortal descending to fill his gourd with wine spread wide; some dubbed it the Gourd Immortal.

…

Li Daoxuan left the wineshop; after asking the way a few times he at last came before the Green-Robe Temple.

The temple was small, far from gilded and grand, but rather plain and elegant.

One gate, one courtyard, one hall; green bamboo rustled around, shade enclosed it — quiet indeed. This was the Lady in Green's dwelling.

Hard to imagine that what was enshrined here was one of the world's foremost great ones — the ghost-immortal who founded the Blue Netherworld, the Lady in Green!

Li Daoxuan worked his Dharma eye and felt clear-qi all around, rosy light bright; with each breath his spirit lifted and his mind cleared.

A ghost-immortal's seat had made this a sacred ground; a commoner dwelling near it would lengthen life and dispel calamity!

Crossing the threshold, Li Daoxuan was surprised to find no few people; though it was early, many already queued to offer incense.

Their manner was devout; they queued in the outer court, only one entering at a time, and the door was shut at once after.

This too was the Green-Robe Temple's rule: the dharma is not transmitted to six ears.

Though there was no temple-keeper, all spontaneously obeyed; high official or humble peddler, in this little temple all seemed equal beings.

For in the Lady in Green's eyes, emperor and commoner are perhaps no different.

Seeing Yuzhang's folk revere the Lady, Li Daoxuan at last understood a saying deeply:

A mountain need not be high to be famed if an immortal dwells; water need not be deep to be numinous if a dragon lies.

The Lady shields this city and answers the kind folk's prayers almost without fail; in Yuzhang hearts she is the city's guardian deity!

Li Daoxuan queued honestly too; ahead of him was a dirty uncle, seemingly a farmer, plainly dressed, straw shoes all but worn through.

After some half-hour it was the uncle's turn.

He did not enter at once, but first took off his straw shoes, tucked them in his bosom, then carefully took out a pair of brand-new cloth shoes and put them on.

Plainly he feared to soil the temple floor.

But Li Daoxuan saw in his eyes no inferiority or grievance, only a sincerity and reverence from the heart.