Original Text
There was a young gentleman named Han, the son of a distinguished and wealthy family in the county. A Taoist priest named Shan, skilled in the art of conjuring tricks, was particularly favored by Han for his talents, and he invited him as an honored guest into his home. Often, while sitting or standing among the guests, Shan would vanish without a trace in the blink of an eye. Han earnestly wished to learn this skill from the Taoist, but Shan refused. Han persisted in his pleas, and Shan said, "It is not that I begrudge you my art, but I fear it would bring disgrace upon our craft. This magic is unlike any other; it may be taught to a gentleman, but if passed to a base man, he would use invisibility to steal from others. With you, I have no such concern, but should you step out and see a beautiful woman, unable to restrain your passion, and use the art to slip into her private chambers, would that not encourage wickedness and indulge lechery? I truly dare not comply." Knowing he could not force the Taoist, Han grew resentful and secretly conspired with his servants to find an opportunity to beat the Taoist severely and humiliate him. Fearing that the Taoist might escape using his invisibility, he had fine ash spread over the threshing ground where the Taoist was sure to pass, reasoning that though the Taoist could become invisible, his footprints would remain in the ash. By following the tracks, they could suddenly strike him and surely succeed. With this plan set, Han tricked the Taoist into coming, and ordered his servants to whip him fiercely with an ox-goad. Suddenly, the Taoist vanished, and indeed, his footprints appeared in the fine ash. Han's servants followed the prints, lashing wildly, but in an instant, the footprints became chaotic, and the men lost their target.
As soon as Young Master Han returned home, the Taoist Shan also arrived. Shan said to the Han family servants, "I can no longer stay here! These days I have troubled you with your service, and now that we are parting, I ought to offer something in return." With these words, he reached into his sleeve and drew out a flagon of wine; then he reached in again and produced a large platter of dishes, setting both wine and food upon the table. Having done so, he reached into his sleeve once more, and after a dozen such motions, the table was laden to overflowing. He then invited the company to sit and drink heartily, and when all were drunk, Shan put the wine and dishes back into his sleeve one by one. When Young Master Han heard of this marvel, he begged Shan to perform another illusion. Shan painted a city on the wall, then knocked upon it with his hand, and the city gate immediately swung open. Thereupon he cast his bundled clothes and the contents of his chests into the gate, bowed farewell, and said, "I am off." He leaped into the city, the gate closed behind him, and the Taoist vanished in an instant.
Later it was heard that the Daoist Shan was in the marketplace of Qingzhou, teaching children to draw black circles with ink on their palms, and whenever they encountered someone, they would playfully toss the circles, and no matter where they aimed—whether at a face or a garment—the black circle would detach from the palm and imprint itself upon the spot where it was thrown. It was also said that he was skilled in the arts of the bedchamber, able to make his lower organ suck up distilled wine, draining an entire cup. The young Master Han once tested this in his presence.
Commentary
The young master Han is likely the same "Han Sheng" from the volume's tale "The Taoist," but whether the solitary Taoist is the same as the Taoist in that story remains unknown. In any case, among the retainers at Master Han's household was a Taoist, and many tales circulated regarding the grievances between him and the young master, particularly the rumors of the Taoist's magical arts.
Although this chapter and the chapter "The Taoist Priest" both discuss magical arts, they reflect stories of growing discord between masters and the Taoists they kept, ultimately leading to a rupture. The difference is that the story in "The Taoist Priest" is singular and complete, with a clear satirical tone, whereas "The Single Taoist" fragmentarily recounts three anecdotes of the Single Taoist's magical feats. Among these, the most detailed is the Single Taoist's refusal of Han the Scholar's request to learn the art of invisibility, a plot that bears considerable resemblance to the tale in the first volume, "The Taoist of Mount Lao," where a scholar seeks to learn from an immortal the art of passing through walls without obstruction.