The Magic Milk Spring of Guanziling
故事全文
There was once a boy called Ma-Da who lived on Alishan. Ever since his mother fell ill, Ma-Da did the hunting, weaving, and cooking all by himself, and took good care of his mother.
One day, Ma-Da’s mother dreamt of a white-haired man who told her, “There is a magic milk spring in Guanziling of Tainan County. It can cure your illness.”The next day, Ma-Da set off early in the morning to find the magic milk spring. Along the way, he rescued a phoenix who had been injured by a clouded leopard. The phoenix turned into a beautiful girl who told Ma-Da, “I am the immortal phoenix girl. The magic milk spring that you seek is guarded by a water tiger that spits hot water, and a fiery dragon that breathes fire. You need the golden padlock of Mr. Sun to get the spring water. To thank you for saving me, I will take you to see Mr. Sun.”She turned into a large phoenix, and carried Ma-Da into the sky.
When Ma-Da woke up, he found himself lying at the bottom of a flight of golden ladders. And so, he climbed the golden ladders. When he got to the top, an old man dressed in golden clothing told Ma-Da, “As you are a very devoted son, I will give you the golden padlock. But you must remember to remove it after getting the magic milk spring, or you will be punished.”
After reaching Guanziling, Ma-Da threw the golden padlock at the water tiger and the fiery dragon, and they immediately stopped moving. After drinking the magic milk spring, Ma-Da’s mother was cured. When the villagers heard about this, they also wanted to get the magic milk spring. Suddenly, a rooster appeared and told Ma-Da, “Remember to remove the golden padlock!”Seeing how many people were ill, Ma-Da decided not to remove the padlock, and accept punishment. The immortal phoenix girl also supported Ma-Da’s decision to help the villagers. The rooster sighed and blew a warm wind over Ma-Da, transforming him into fertile land. The immortal phoenix girl was turned into a sweet and juicy pineapple, and the water tiger and the fiery dragon became the famous“Fire and Water Spring”marvel of Guanziling.
