white butterfly which, having partaken of the
quintessence of flowers and of the _yin_ and the _yang_, should have
been immortalized; but one day you stole some peaches and flowers in
Wang Mu Niang-niang's garden. The guardian of the garden slew you,
and that is how you came to be reincarnated." At this time he was
fifty years of age.

Fanning the Grave

One of the tales associated with him describes how he saw a young
woman in mourning vigorously fanning a newly made grave. On his asking
her the reason of this strange conduct, she replied: "I am doing this
because my husband begged me to wait until the earth on his tomb was
dry before I remarried!" Chuang Tzu offered to help her, and as soon
as he waved the fan once the earth was dry. The young widow thanked
him and departed.

On his return home, Chuang Sheng related this incident to his
wife. She expressed astonishment at such conduct on the part of a
wife. "There's nothing to be surprised at," rejoined the husband;
"that's how things go in this world." Seeing that he was poking fun
at her, she protested angrily. Some little time after this Chuang
Sheng died. His wife, much grieved, buried him.

Husband and Wife

A few days later a young man named Ch'u Wang-sun arrived with the
intention, as he said, of placing himself under the instruction of
Chuang Sheng. When he heard that he was dead he went and performed
prostrations before his tomb, and afterward took up his abode in an
empty room, saying that he wished to study. After half a month had
elapsed, the widow asked an old servant who had accompanied Wang-sun
if the young man was married. On his replying in the negative, she
requested the old servant to propose a match between them. Wang-sun
made some objections, saying that people would criticize their
conduct. "Since my husband is dead, what can they say?" replied
the widow. She then put off her mourning-garments and prepared for
the wedding.

Wang-sun took her to the grave of her husband, and said to her:
"The gentleman has returned to life!" She looked at Wang-sun and
recognized the features of her husband. She was so overwhelmed with
shame that she hanged herself. Chuang Sheng buried her in an empty
tomb, and then began to sing.

He burnt his house, went away to P'u-shui, in Hupei, and occupied
himself in fishing. From there he went on to Chung-t'iao Shan, where
he met Feng Hou and her teacher Hsuean Nue, the Mother of Heaven. In
their company he