IMMORTAL ISLAND

 Wang Mian, epithet Strider Zhai, was a native of Lingshan, Shandong. He was a man of great talent and ranked first in the examination many times, so he was high-minded and proud, and was good at ridicule and mockery, and many people were vilified by him. One day, he met a Taoist priest, who sized him up and said, "Your looks are very rich, but they are almost completely canceled out by your sins of being a soft-spoken person. With your wisdom, if you abandon your career to cultivate immortality and Taoism, you can still be ranked among the immortals." Wang Mian sneered at the Taoist priest and said, "It is true that wealth and fortune are unpredictable, but there are no immortals in the world!" The Taoist priest said, "How can you be so short-sighted? There is no need to look elsewhere, I am an immortal." When Wang Mian heard this, he laughed more and more at the Taoist priest's absurdity. The Taoist priest said, "I'm not quite so strange, if you are willing to come with me, you can immediately see dozens of real immortals." Wang Mian asked, "Where are they?" The Taoist priest said, "Close at hand." So he held the walking stick between his legs, handed the other end to Wang Mian, told him to hold it with his legs like himself, instructed him to close his eyes, and then bellowed, "Up!" Wang Mian felt the cane became like a pocket that can hold five buckets of rice as thick, a collection of drums flying in the air, he secretly reached out and touched the cane, only to feel a piece of scale armor arranged like teeth. He was very afraid, no longer dare to move. After flying for a while, the Taoist priest drank again: "Stop!" Then he withdrew his walking stick and landed in a very large compound, where there were heavy buildings and pavilions, one after another, just like an emperor's palace. Among them was a platform more than ten feet high, on which the palace had eleven large pillars, extremely grand and magnificent.

 When the Taoist priest pulled Wang Mian into the palace, he ordered the children to set up a banquet, and said that guests were invited. A dozen tables of wine and food were soon set up on the palace, and it was furnished in a glorious manner. The Taoist priest changed into a flashy dress and sat down on the palace to wait for the guests. A little while later, many guests came from the air, some riding dragons, some riding tigers, some straddling phoenixes, none of them the same. The guests again all carried musical instruments with them. There were women, men, and those who were barefooted. Only one of the beauty riding a colorful phoenix, a palace concubine's attire; a small girl for her to hold a musical instrument, about five feet long, not the qin, not the serpent, I do not know what to call the name. After the banquet began, the table was filled with delicacies and delicacies of the sea, which tasted very sweet and savory, and was very different from what was usually eaten at banquets.

 Wang Mian sat quietly, not saying a word, just looking at that beauty without looking at her; in his heart, he liked her very much, and wanted to listen to the music she played, secretly worrying whether she would not play until the end of the banquet. When the wine was almost finished, an old man proposed, "I am grateful to Mr. Cui for having the pleasure of inviting him, today can be said to be a great event, so naturally we should enjoy ourselves to the fullest. Please bring the same instrument to play music as one." So each one of them gathered together and cooperated in an orderly manner. At one time the pipes and strings were playing together, and the sound of music resounded through the clouds. Only the beauty on the colorful phoenix had no one with the same instrument. After everyone had finished playing, the little girl opened her embroidered bag and took out her instrument and laid it on the table. The beauty then gently swung her white wrist and played as if she were playing a zither, and the clear sound was many times higher than the sound of the zither, and was strong enough to open one's heart when it was excited, and soft enough to make one's soul flutter when it was soft. Played about half a meal time, the whole hall without half a murmur, we all concentrate on listening, even the sound of coughing. After a song, only to hear the end of the resounding sound, like a chime, the sound is very crisp. The crowd praised in unison, saying, "Mrs. Yunhe's playing is truly a masterpiece!" At this time the guests all stood up to bid farewell to the Taoist priest, only to hear the cranes and dragons singing, and in a flash they all dispersed.

 The Taoist priest prepared a bed, spread the brocade bedding, let Wang Mian sleep. Wang Mian just saw the beauty, already moved the heart of adoration; wait until after listening to her play, that the feeling of adoration is even more intense. He thought, with his own talent, to do high officials enjoy the wealth, as easy as picking up grass from the ground, after the rich and powerful, what kind of beauty can not be sought it. In a moment, the thoughts are all over the place, like a mess. Taoist priest seems to have known Wang Mian's mind, said to Wang Mian: "You and I were classmates in a previous life, and then because of the intention is not firm, and finally fell into the red dust. I have never regarded you as an outsider, and really wanted to save you from the tainted environment; I didn't expect that you had already strayed too far into the wrong path, and being confused, it was hard to make you wake up at once. Now I must send you back. There may not be no day when we meet again, but to be a Heavenly Immortal, you must suffer another calamity." After saying this, he pointed to a long stone at the bottom of the steps and told Wang Mian to sit on it with his eyes closed, repeatedly telling him not to open his eyes to see. After Wang Mian sat down, the Taoist priest used a whip to drive away the stone.

 The stone suddenly flew up in the air, only to hear the wind whistling in the ears, I do not know how far I flew. Wang Mian suddenly thought: the scene below, I do not know what it looks like; so secretly open his eyes a slit, only to see the sea below, boundless. Wang Mian was terrified, and hastily closed his eyes again, but his body was already falling down with the stone, fluttering, like a seagull diving into the water, and all of a sudden he was drowned by the sea water. Luckily, he used to live by the sea and knew a little bit of swimming skills. Only to hear someone clapping his hands and saying, "This cross fall is wonderful!" In the midst of the crisis, a woman reached out and saved him to the boat, and said under her breath, "Jili, Jili, Xiu Cai 'in the wet'!" Wang Mian look, is a year about sixteen or seventeen years old girl, looks very colorful. Wang Mian climbed into the boat from the water, cold and shivering, requesting a fire to roast. The girl said: "You follow me to my home, will give you a way. If you are satisfied, don't forget me." Wang Mian said, "What are you talking about? I am a talented man of the Central Plains, by chance I got into such a mess, now I can get through this difficult time, I want to repay with my body. More than that, I will not forget it!" The girl rowed up the oars, the boat was as fast as the wind urging the rain, and in a few moments it was already close to the shore. The girl took out from the cabin a bunch of lotus flowers that she had just picked, and led Wang Mian a piece.

 After walking about half a mile and entering a village, he saw a vermilion-painted gate opening towards the south, and after entering it and passing through several doors, the girl ran in first. Not long after, a man came out from inside, about forty years old, he bowed to Wang Mian, invited him to ascend the steps, and ordered the servants to bring clothes, hats, shoes and socks for him to change into. Then, he asked Wang Mian about his family history. Wang Mian said, "I am not deceiving you, people still know my reputation as a talented person. Cui Zhenzhen missed me so much that he invited me into the heavenly palace. However, I thought it would be easy for me to gain fame on earth, so I did not want to live in seclusion." The man stood up and said respectfully, "This is called Immortal Island, a place far away from the human world. My surname is Huan, and my name is Wen Ruo. My ancestors have lived in this quiet and remote place for many generations, and it is a great honor to meet a famous scholar of the Central Plains today." So he warmly hosted a banquet for Wang Mian. After talking for a while, he said to Wang Mian, "I have two daughters, the elder one is named Fang Yun, who is already sixteen years old, and has yet to find a good son-in-law. I want her to serve this elegant scholar of yours, what do you think?" Wang Mian thought to himself that it must be the girl who picked the lotus, so he stood up and thanked him. Huan Wenruo sent someone to invite several respected old men from the neighboring townspeople. Looking around again, he told them to tell his daughter to come out at once. Not long after, smelling a strong fragrance, a dozen beautiful women came out surrounded by Fang Yun, only to see that Fang Yun was charming and radiant, as if she were a lotus flower reflecting the sun. After saluting, Fang Yun entered the table and took her seat. A group of beauties stood on either side, and the lotus picker was also among them.

 After a few toasts, a young girl with cloaked hair came out from inside, only in her late teens, with a beautiful face and a lithe body, she leaned on Fang Yun's side with a smile, a pair of big watery eyes looking around. Huan Wenruo said, "Girls don't stay in their boudoirs, what are they doing out here?" Then he turned back to Wang Mian and said, "Her name is Green Cloud, she is my youngest daughter. The person is quite smart and is able to memorize quite a few ancient books." So he asked her to recite poems in front of the guests. Green Cloud then recited three Bamboo Branch Lyrics, her voice was clear and melodious. When she had finished reciting, she was made to sit in the corner beside her sister. Huan Wenruo then said to Wang Mian, "Wang Lang is a genius, he must have composed many poems, can you let me learn them?" Wang Mian immediately and generously recited a poem, looking left and right, thinking that no one could compare to him. In the poem, there were these two lines: "There are still some eyebrows left in the body, and a small drink can make the barriers go away." The neighboring old man recited it again and again, and Fang Yun whispered to him, "The first line says that Sun Walker escaped from the Fire Cloud Cave, and the next line says that Piggy passed by the Zimu River." Everyone clapped their hands and laughed when they heard this. Huan Wenruo asked Wang Mian to recite a few more songs. Wang Mian then recited a poem about a water bird: "Retaining the head of the song Ge jerks,...," suddenly forgetting the next line. Just as he was musing, Fang Yun put her mouth close to her sister's ear and whispered a few words, then covered her mouth and laughed. Green cloud told his father: "Sister to brother-in-law continued out the next sentence. It says, 'A dog's butt rattles the弸巴.'" Those in the audience heard it and burst into another fit of laughter.

 A look of shame appeared on Wang Mian's face. Huan Wenruo recalled Fang Yun and glared at her fiercely. Wang Mian's face slowly eased, Huan Wenruo again asked him to ask for advice on article learning. Wang Mian thought to himself that these people outside the world must not know the eight-legged essay, so he showed off his own winning work, entitled "Filial Piety Min Ziqian". The title is: "The sage praised the filial piety of the great sage ..." only read a sentence, green cloud looked at his father and said: "The sage is not to address the disciple's epithet, 'filial piety' sentence, is what others say ' sentence is what others say." When Wang Mian heard this, he felt very bummed out. Huan Wenruo smiled and said, "What does a child know! The key is not here, we just need to comment on the article." Wang Mian then read again. Every few sentences, the sisters must bite each other's ears and whisper, as if they were commenting on the article, but the muttering could not be heard. Wang Mian recited to the point of satisfaction, also interspersed with narrative examiner's comments, there is a comment: "the words are painful." Green Cloud also told his father, "Sister said that the word 'cut' should be deleted." Everyone did not understand what this meant. Huan Wenruo was afraid that the words were lighthearted, so he did not dare to pursue the matter. After Wang Mian finished reciting, he recounted the examiner's general comments, one of which was, "When the capricorn drum is launched, then all flowers fall." Fang Yun covered her mouth and whispered a few more words into her sister's ear, and both of them laughed so hard they couldn't straighten up. Green Cloud told her father, "Sister said, 'The kapok drum should be four laos.'" Again, everyone couldn't understand the meaning of the words. Green Cloud was about to open her mouth to explain, when Fang Yun held back her laughter and rebuked her, "Ghost girl, if you dare to say it, I'll beat you to death!" Everyone was very puzzled, speculating and talking to each other. Green clouds really can not help it, said: "Delete the word 'cut', it becomes 'word pain', 'pain' then ' It doesn't make sense. The capricorn drum was struck four times, and the sound was 'not passable and not passable'." Everyone laughed and laughed. Huan Wenruo scolded Green Cloud angrily. Then he stood up and toasted and apologized to Wang Mian.

 Wang Mian previously boasted of his talent and fame, and never put the people of the past and present in his eyes; at this time, however, he was dejected and embarrassed, sweating all over. If Huan Wen wanted to comfort and please him, he said, "I happen to have a saying, please make a pair: 'Beside the prince, there is no point that is not like jade.'" Before anyone had a chance to think, Green Cloud responded with a pair, "On the head of the Strider Weng, another half an eve will become a turtle." Fang Yun couldn't help but laugh out loud, and she pawed at Green Cloud's armpits several times. Green Cloud broke free and ran away, then glared back at her sister, "What's it to you! You scolded him over and over again and didn't think there was anything wrong with it; how come you won't allow it when someone else just scolded him?" Huan Wenruo scolded her again, and only then did she laugh and go away. Then several old men in the neighboring seats also took their leave.

 The maids led Wang Mian and Fang Yun into the bedroom, where the lamps and candles, screens, bed tents, and all the furnishings were very delicate and complete. And saw the cave room bookshelf full of ivory labels, what books have. Wang Mian casually to Fang Yun made a few problems, Fang Yun all answer. At this point, Wang Mian only look at the ocean sigh of shame. Fang Yun called out "Ming Dannan", only to see the girl who picks the lotus run in response to the sound, Wang Mian only then know her name. Because of the many times by Fang Yun's ridicule, Wang Mian worried that she would look down on their own, but fortunately, although Fang Yun spoke harshly, but in the room, the couple is still very loving and harmonious. Wang Mian life idle, have nothing to do, then recited poetry. Fang Yun said: "I have a piece of advice, I do not know if you are willing to accept?" Wang Mian asked, "What is it?" Fang Yun said, "You should not compose any more poems from now on, this is also a good way to cover up your shortcomings." Hearing this, Wang Mian was mortified, and so he never wrote any more poems.

 As time went by, Wang Mian grew close to Ming Dwan. One day, he said to Fang Yun, "Ming Dann has saved my life, I hope I can treat her differently." Fang Yun immediately agreed. Whenever the two of them were playing games in their room, Wang Mian asked Ming Dwan to come and play with them, and so the relationship between Wang Mian and Ming Dwan grew even stronger. From time to time, they looked at each other with their eyebrows and gestured with their hands. Fang Yun was aware of this and scolded Wang Mian many times; Wang Mian just tried to defend himself. One night, the couple sat down to drink wine, Wang Mian thought it was lonely and persuaded Fang Yun to call Ming Dann. Fang Yun did not agree. Wang Mian said, "You have no books to read, how come you don't remember the words 'Solitary Joy'?" Fang Yun said, "I said you were impassable, and now it's even more confirmed. Do you even know how to break a sentence? Those lines should be read like this: 'To be alone in wanting is to be happy in wanting; to ask for joy, who wants it? It is said: no.'" Wang Mian heard this and had to laugh it off.

 One day, it happened that the Fangyun sisters were invited to the home of their neighbor's female companion. Wang Mian took this opportunity and hurriedly called Ming Dwan, and the two of them were very much entwined in their love. That night, Wang Mian felt a little pain in his abdomen; after the pain, his genitals shrunk. Wang Mian was so scared that he told Fang Yun. Fang Yun smiled and said, "It must be that Ming Dann's favor has been repaid!" Wang Mian did not dare to hide it and had to tell the truth. Fang Yun said, "This is your own doing, and there is really no solution. Since it doesn't hurt, you can just ignore it." After several days, Wang Mian's illness did not get better. He was sullen in his heart. Fang Yun understood his mood, but purposely didn't greet him, but just gazed at him, her eyes as clear and bright as the morning star. Wang Mian said, "You can really be said to be 'if your chest is right, then your eyes are clear.'" Fang Yun laughed and said: "You can say 'the chest is not correct, then understand son eyes yan'." Originally, "no" of "no" word, shandong dialect pronunciation similar to "eyes" word, so fang yun to use this to joke with him. Wang Mian lost his voice and laughed, and took the opportunity to beg Fang Yun to cure him. Fang Yun said: "You do not listen to my advice, before may not not suspect that I am jealous. You do not know that this girl can not be close. In the past, I really cared for you out of love and care, and you were like the east wind blowing through a horse's ear, so I deliberately gambled and ignored you. There's no way around it, so I'll treat you. But the doctor must examine the affected area." So he put his hand into Wang Mian's pants and recited under his breath, "Yellow Bird Yellow Bird, no stopping at Chu!" Wang Mian couldn't help but laugh, and after he did, he was cured.

 After a few months, Wang Mian, who often missed his parents at home because they were old and his son was young, told Fang Yun what was on his mind. Fang Yun said, "It's not difficult for you to go back, but we will never meet again." Wang Mian couldn't help but burst into tears and begged Fang Yun to go back with him. Fang Yun thought twice before agreeing. Huan Wenruo set up a banquet to bid them farewell. Green Cloud came in with a basket and said, "Sister, you're going to be far away, and I have nothing to give you. I was worried that you would have no place to live when you reached the south side of the sea, so I got up early in the morning and worked hard to build you a house, so please don't mind its roughness." Fang Yun thanked his sister and then took it. Taking it to his eyes and taking a closer look, it turned out to be a pavilion compiled with fine grass, the big ones as big as oranges, the small ones only as big as tangerines, about twenty of them, each with carved beams and even rafters under the eaves and tiles that were clearly countable; the beds, curtains and other paraphernalia in the house were almost the size of a hemp seed. Wang Mian thought that this is just a child's contraption, but the heart also secretly admire its exquisite workmanship. Fang Yun said to Wang Mian: "To tell you the truth: we are all immortals living on earth. Because we were destined to be with you in our past lives, we are able to accompany you. I originally didn't want to set foot on earth, but only because you have an aging father, so I couldn't bear to go against your wishes. When my father is a hundred years old, we must still come back." Wang Mian respectfully agreed. Huan Wenruo then asked Wang Mian, "Is it by land? Or by boat?" Wang Mian thought that the wind and waves in the sea were treacherous and preferred to take the land route. They walked out of the gate, only to see the carriages and horses already waiting in front of the gate. Wang Mian said goodbye to his father-in-law, get on the car and set sail. The car and horse go fast, a moment to the sea. Wang Mian saw the sea is vast, is worried that there is no way out. Fang Yun took out a white silk, thrown to the south, the white silk immediately turned into a long embankment, more than a zhang wide. The car and horse had already passed the long embankment in an instant, and the embankment was gradually retracted behind them.

 They crossed the sea and came to a place where the tide passed by, and as far as the eye could see, it was very wide and flat on all sides. Fang Yun then asked to stop the car, get off the basket of grass tied model out, and Ming Danni and several other maids together, according to a certain method of arrangement, in the twinkling of an eye into a huge residence. They went into the courtyard together, unloaded the traveling clothes, into the house, and saw no difference with the Immortal Island, the cave room furnishings are exactly the same. It was dusk by then, and everyone stayed. The next morning, Fang Yun told Wang Dai to go and fetch his parents to provide for them. Wang Mian went straight to his hometown on horseback, and when he arrived home, the house had changed owners. When he arrived at the house, he saw that it had changed owners. When he inquired with the neighbors, he learned that his mother and wife had both died, and only his aged father was still alive. The son was addicted to gambling and had lost all of his property, so the two of them had no place to stay and had to rent a house in the West Village for the time being. Wang Mian just back, there is the idea of seeking fame, hard to forget; and then heard these circumstances, very painful, thinking that even if the rich and powerful can be obtained, but with the illusory flower what is the same. He urged his horse to the west village, saw his father's clothes dirty and shabby, aging pitifully. When father and son met, they both wept bitterly. Wang Mian asked where the unfilial son was, and the father said he had gone to gamble and had not returned. Wang Mian took his father back in a carriage. Fang Yun paid her respects to the eunuch and invited him to take a bath with hot water. She also sent her eunuch clothes made of silk and satin so that he could live in a house full of aroma. She also invited some of her father-in-law's old friends to come and drink and chat with him, and the service and enjoyment exceeded that of an official family. One day, Wang Mian's son came here. Wang Mian refused to see him or let him in, but gave him twenty taels of silver and sent a message to him, saying: "You can use this money to marry a daughter-in-law and live a good life. If he comes back, he will be whipped to death immediately!" The son went away crying.

 Wang Mian since his return, not much and people; but occasionally there are old friends to come, must be warm hospitality, but also to stay a few days, compared to the previous attitude is much more modest. In particular, there is a name of Huang Zijie, once and Wang Mian is a classmate, is also a celebrity in the life of the people, Wang Mian stayed with him for a long time, and often talk to him closely, but also gave him a very generous gift. After three or four years, Wang Mian's father died, Wang Mian spent a lot of silver for his father to choose a cemetery, and buried him with all the sorrow and courtesy. By this time, his son had already married a daughter-in-law, who kept a tight rein on her husband, and her son rarely went gambling; it was on the day of the funeral that the daughter-in-law met her in-laws for the first time. As soon as he saw her, Fang Yun praised her for her ability to run the family business and gave her three hundred taels of silver to purchase a field. The next day, Huang Zisuke and Wang Mian's son went to visit them together, but the house was nowhere to be found and the people were nowhere to be found.