法苑珠林 46.44

46.44

Under the Han, Wu Xiang, a petty clerk of Zhuji County, was exhausted and dreading his corvée duties, so he set out to flee into the deep mountains. Walking to a stream as evening approached, he saw a young woman wearing brightly colored clothes, very graceful and upright. The woman said, 'I live alone by myself, with no neighbors, having only an old solitary woman more than ten paces away.' Hearing this, Xiang was delighted and went along with her. After walking for more than a li, they reached the woman's home. The house was very poor and humble. She prepared food for Xiang. When the first night watch ended, he heard an old woman calling, 'Miss Zhang!' The woman answered, 'Yes.' Xiang asked who it was, and she replied, 'The solitary old woman I spoke of earlier.' The two slept together. At dawn, when the cock crowed, Xiang left. Filled with mutual affection, the woman gave Xiang a purple kerchief, and Xiang returned the favor with a cloth hand-towel. Walking to the stream at the place where they had met the previous day, the water that night had flooded violently, too deep to wade across. He then turned back toward the woman's home, but could not see the place from yesterday; there was only a single grave mound.