gods of
the Heavens. She sent out the fairies in their garments of seven
colors with baskets, that they might pick the peaches. The caretaker
said to them: "The garden has now been entrusted to the guardianship
of the Great Saint Who is Heaven's Equal, so you will first have to
announce yourselves to him." With that he led the seven fairies into
the garden. There they looked everywhere for the Great Saint, but
could not find him. So the fairies said: "We have our orders and must
not be late. We will begin picking the peaches in the meantime!" So
they picked several baskets full from the foremost row. In the second
row the peaches were already scarcer. And in the last row there hung
only a single half-ripe peach. They bent down the bough and picked it,
and then allowed it to fly up again.

Now it happened that the Great Saint, who had turned himself into a
peach-worm, had just been taking his noon-day nap on this bough. When
he was so rudely awakened, he appeared in his true form, seized his
rod and was about to strike the fairies.

But the fairies said: "We have been sent here by the Queen-Mother. Do
not be angry, Great Saint!"

Said the Great Saint: "And who are all those whom the Queen-Mother has
invited?"

They answered: "All the gods and saints in the Heavens, on the earth
and under the earth."

"Has she also invited me?" said the Saint.

"Not that we know of," said the fairies.

Then the Saint grew angry, murmured a magic incantation and said:
"Stay! Stay! Stay!"

With that the seven fairies were banned to the spot. The Saint then
took a cloud and sailed away on it to the palace of the Queen-Mother.

On the way he met the Bare-Foot God and asked him: "Where are you
going?"

"To the peach banquet," was the answer.

Then the Saint lied to him, saying: "I have been commanded by the
Lord of the Heavens to tell all the gods and saints that they are
first to come to the Hall of Purity, in order to practise the rites,
and then go together to the Queen-Mother."

Then the Great Saint changed himself into the semblance of the
Bare-Foot God and sailed to the palace of the Queen-Mother. There he
let his cloud sink down and entered quite unconcerned. The meal was
ready, yet none of the gods had as yet appeared. Suddenly the Great
Saint caught the aroma of wine, and saw well-nigh a hundred barrels of
the precious nectar standing in a room to one side. His mouth watered.
He tore a few hairs out and turned them in