Jade Maiden Fairy and Lingzhi Mushroom

It is said that long ago, there was a green dragon practicing cultivation in a mountain stream on Dahong Mountain in Yingcheng. This green dragon was the youngest son of the Dragon King of the East Sea. Hearing that the celestial maiden Yu Nu often came to bathe in the Tangchi Hot Springs, the dragon secretly dreamed of absorbing a bit of her divine aura and gaining some extra power. So, after Yu Nu had finished bathing, the dragon slipped into the hot springs to take a bath himself. Because its cultivation was still shallow, it ended up polluting the hot spring water and causing an epidemic to spread. Upon learning of this, the celestial maiden Yu Nu immediately descended to the mortal realm to relieve the suffering of the people.

She arrived at the territory of Tangchi and first pricked her finger with a jade hairpin, letting a drop of her blood fall into the hot spring to neutralize its toxins. Then, she set off for Dahong Mountain to gather lingzhi mushrooms, bringing them back to heal the people. As she stepped onto the clouds and floated toward the mid-slope, she spotted a gigantic lingzhi mushroom gleaming brilliantly on a cliffside. Just as she was about to approach it, a massive leopard-patterned python suddenly emerged from the bushes, its forked tongue flicking out as it lunged toward her. Quickly, she snatched a jade pendant from her waist and hurled it toward the python—it instantly ensnared the serpent. The jade pendant was a magical ring that could expand or contract at will. The python, tightly bound, struggled briefly before finally lying still. When she took another look, she realized that what she’d thought was a giant python was actually nothing more than a medicinal herb-harvesting hoe! The Fairy Jade Maiden couldn’t help but feel secretly delighted. She picked up the hoe and walked toward the lingzhi mushroom—but then she noticed a huge hornet’s nest hanging beneath the lingzhi grass, with bees buzzing busily back and forth. The Fairy Jade Maiden waved her precious fan, and the hornet’s nest tumbled down, immediately transforming into a basket for gathering herbs. Overjoyed, the Fairy Jade Maiden lifted the basket, harvested the lingzhi mushroom, and returned to prepare a miraculous medicine. Indeed, as soon as the medicine was administered, the illness was cured, and the plague was swiftly brought under control.

Now, the magistrate of Yingcheng County, surnamed Diao, was a corrupt official—greedy for wealth and lustful. Upon learning that consuming the Lingzhi mushroom could ward off all diseases and prolong life, he resolved to seize it for himself. He had already apprehended the Fairy Yu Nü and even confiscated her medicinal herb hoe and basket. Seeing how breathtakingly beautiful the Fairy Yu Nü was, Magistrate Diao was instantly smitten, yet he put on a pretentious air and declared, “The entire realm belongs to the king’s domain. I had originally intended to punish you severely—but considering your tender youth and delicate beauty, if you simply hand over the Lingzhi mushroom, I’ll spare you and share with you the glory and riches of this world, shall we?”

After hearing this, the Fairy Yu Nu thought for a moment and said, “Thank you, sir, for your kindness. All I ask in return is that you fulfill three conditions.” The cruel magistrate hurriedly asked, “What are these three conditions?” The Fairy Yu Nu replied, “First, release on the spot the peasant girls who were abducted.” The magistrate realized that even when all those peasant girls’ beauty was combined, it still didn’t equal one-thousandth of the Fairy Yu Nu’s own beauty. He immediately ordered his officers to carry out her request.

The Fairy Yu Nu said again, “The second matter is to open the granaries and distribute grain to relieve the people.” Magistrate Diao had initially been reluctant to agree, but the more he looked at the Fairy Yu Nu, the more beautiful she seemed to him—and a fiery passion began to rise within him. Instantly, he issued an order to open the granaries and distribute grain to the people.

The Fairy Yu Nu said again, “As for the third matter, you’ve been doing all sorts of evil deeds and cruelly harming the people—so you must have your head cut off and displayed publicly as a warning to others.” Upon hearing this, Magistrate Diao flew into a rage: “Bring someone here! Arrest him!” Just as the guards were about to step forward, the Fairy Yu Nu calmly waved her magical fan. Instantly, the herb-collecting basket on the hall’s table transformed into a wasp nest, from which a swarm of hornets burst forth, swarming around the guards and stinging them mercilessly. Magistrate Diao was so terrified that his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Just as he was about to flee, the Fairy Yu Nu once again waved her magical fan. The herb-picking hoe then turned into a massive leopard-patterned python, which tightly coiled around Magistrate Diao. In no time at all, Magistrate Diao breathed his last.

The Fairy Jade Maiden waved her magical fan once more, and the swarm of hornets immediately burrowed into their hive, transforming into a medicinal herb basket. The leopard-patterned python also turned into a medicinal herb hoe.

Afterward, the Fairy Yu Nu stepped out of the county government office, bid farewell to the people, and used her magical powers to imprison the azure dragon beneath the base of the Wenfeng Pagoda.