The story tells of two immortals; Wang Yuan and Magu. One day, they made an appointment with each other to meet at Cai Jing’s home.
When the day agreed arrived, Wang Yuan, surrounded by a group of trumpeters and attendants, went to Cai Jing’s home on a carriage drawn by five dragons. He was majestic looking, wearing a hat for the long journey, and hanging a colourful ribbon on his shoulder. He was also carrying a scabbard in the shape of a tiger’s head.
After Wang Yuan’s group arrived in Cai Jing’s courtyard, those who surrounded him disappeared completely. Wang Yuan and Cai’s family members greeted each other, and then Wang Yuan sat alone awaiting Magu’s arrival.
Wang Yuan waited for a long time but Magu did not show up. Then, Wang Yuan waved his hand towards the sky and asked a messenger to invite her to come. As no one of Cai Jing’s family members knew who Magu was, they were full of expectations.
After a while, the messenger reported back to Wang Yuan: “Magu has asked me to greet you first, she said that she had not seen you for more than 500 years. At the moment, she is overseeing the immortal island of Penglai. She will come soon.”
Wang Yuan nodded and waited patiently. Before long, Magu came down from the sky. Her attendants were half as many as Wang Yuan’s. This was the first time that Cai Jing’s family had seen Magu. She looked like a beautiful girl about eighteen or nineteen years old. Her beautiful hair reached her waist. Her garment was made of unknown materials, embroidered with splendid decorative patterns, both glossing and dazzling.
After Magu and Wang Yuan greeted each other, Wang Yuan requested for dinner to begin. The utensils used for the dinner were made of gold and jade. Most of the dishes were rare flowers and surprising fruits, which were sweet smelling. Cai Jing’s family had never seen things like these before.
During the dinner, Magu and Wang Yuan talked. During the conversation, Magu said: “Since obtaining the Dao and taking in the order of heaven, I have seen with my own eyes that the east sea became farmland three times. Just in Penglai, I saw the seawater was only half as much as it was in the previous period. Will the sea become land again?”
Wang Yuan sighed: “Yes, all the sages are talking about that the water of the sea is decreasing. Shortly, there will be dust flying there.”
After the dinner, both Wang Yuan and Magu left.
The idiom of the “farmland and the sea” has remained ever since.
Translated on November 16
Originally in Chinese at
http://www.yuanming.net/articles/200211/14204.html
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