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原味人文風情：The talented young herbalist named Xu Xian was in trouble.
天賦異稟的青年草藥醫生許仙有大麻煩了。
It should have been a victorious moment—he had just opened his very own medicine shop.
原本應該是個歡騰的勝利時－他剛開了自己的藥草店。
But he bought his supplies from his former employer, and the resentful man sold him rotten herbs.
他向前雇主買了原料，但這個心懷怨恨的男人賣給他的卻是腐爛的藥草。
As Xu Xian wondered what to do with this useless inventory, patients flooded into his shop.
正當許仙一籌莫展，想著該處置這些無用的存貨時，病患一窩蜂來到許仙的藥草店。
A plague had stricken the city, and he had nothing to treat them.
一場瘟疫肆虐整座城市，但許仙卻沒有法子診治這些病患。
Just as he was starting to panic, his wife, Bai Su-Zhen, produced a recipe to use the rotten herbs as medicine.
許仙開始感到慌張，此時，他的妻子白素貞運用腐爛的藥草制作出能醫好眾人的藥方。
Her remedy cured all the plague-afflicted citizens immediately.
她的藥方立刻醫好了被瘧疾感染的民眾。
Xu Xian's former boss even had to buy back some of the rotten herbs to treat his own family.
甚至許仙的前雇主還得回來向他買這些腐爛藥草，回去醫治自己的家人。
Shortly after, a monk named Fa Hai approached Xu Xian, warning him that there was a demon in his house.
不久之后，一位叫做法海的和尚接近許仙，警告他家中住著妖怪。
"The demon," he said, "was Bai Su-Zhen." Xu Xian laughed. His kindhearted, resourceful wife was not a demon.
“那個妖怪，”他說，“就是白素貞。”許仙大笑。他那善良又足智多謀的妻子不可能是什么妖怪。
Fa Hai insisted. He told Xu Xian to serve his wife realgar wine on the fifth day of the fifth month, when demons' powers are weakest.
但法海堅持自己的說法。他要許仙在五月五日讓白素貞喝下雄黃酒，那是妖怪法力最虛弱的時刻。
"If she wasn't a demon," he explained, "it wouldn't hurt her."
“如果她不是妖怪，”他解釋道，“雄黃酒對她并無害。”
Xu Xian dismissed the monk politely, with no intention of serving Bai Su-Zhen the wine.
許仙禮貌地請走法海和尚，絲毫沒有想讓白素貞喝下雄黃酒的意思。
But as the day approached, he decided to try it.
但隨著日子越來越接近，他還是決定試試看。
As soon as the wine touched Bai Su-Zhen's lips, she ran to the bedroom, claiming she wasn't feeling well.
白素貞的嘴唇一碰到雄黃酒，她就沖回房間，說自己身子不適。
Xu Xian prepared some medicine and went to check on her.
許仙準備了一些藥，到房間看看她的狀況。
But instead of his wife, he found a giant white serpent with the bloody forked tongue in the bed.
但在房間的不是她的妻子，而是一只躺在床上的白色巨蟒，吐著血紅色的蛇信。
He collapsed, killed by the shock. When Bai Su-Zhen opened her eyes, she realized immediately what must have happened.
許仙倒地，太過沖擊而驚嚇致死。當白素貞醒來時，她立刻了解可能發生了什么事情。
The truth was that Bai Su-Zhen was an immortal snake with formidable magical powers.
真相是，白素貞其實是一只長生不老的白蛇精，擁有強大的法力。
She had used her powers to take a human form and improve her and her husband's fortunes.
她運用法力將自己變回人形，并為她和許仙補運。
Her magic couldn't revive Xu Xian, but she had one more idea to save him—an herb that could grant longevity
她的法力無法讓許仙復活，但她還有個方法可以救回他－一種能延年益壽，
and even bring the dead back to life, guarded by the Old Man of the South Pole in the forbidden peaks of the Kun Lun Mountains.
甚至讓人起死回生的草藥，由昆侖山禁忌山峰上的南極仙翁所看守。
She rode to the mountains on a cloud, then continued on foot passed gateways
她乘著云朵到昆侖山，接著徒步穿過道路及拱門，
and arches until she reached one marked "Beyond Mortals" hanging over a silver bridge.
直到她看到一座銀橋，橋上掛著“隔凡橋”的牌子。
On the other side, two of the Old Man's disciples guarded the herb.
橋的另一頭是南極仙翁的兩個弟子，負責看守藥草。
Bai Su-Zhen disguised herself as a monk and told them she'd come to invite the Old Man to a gathering of the gods.
白素貞假扮成和尚，告訴他們她是來邀請南極仙翁參加神仙的聚會。
While they relayed her message, she plucked some leaves on the herb and ran.
兩個弟子前去傳話時，白素貞拔了一些草藥上的葉子，拔腿便跑。
The servants realized they had been tricked and chased her. Bai Su-Zhen coughed up a magic ball and threw it at one.
兩個弟子發現自己受騙，連忙趕上去追她。白素貞吐出一個法球，丟向其中一個弟子。
As the other closed in on her, she put the herb under her tongue for safekeeping, but its magic forced both of them into their true forms.
另一個弟子追上她，白素貞便將草藥藏在舌頭下保護，但草藥的法力太強，兩人被迫化為原形。
As the crane's long beak clamped around her, the Old Man appeared.
正當這只鶴的長喙緊緊咬住她，南極仙翁出現了。
"Why," he asked, "would she risk her life to steal his herb when she was already immortal?"
“為什么，”他問道，“她已經是不死之身，卻還要冒著生命危險偷走草藥呢？”
Bai Su-Zhen explained her love for Xu Xian. Even if he didn't want to be with her now that he knew she was a demon,
白素貞解釋了她自己對許仙的愛。即便知道許仙發現自己是妖怪后就會離開她，
she was determined to bring him back to life.
她還是決心要救回他的性命。
The two had a karmic connection dating back more than a thousand years.
兩人其實在一千多年前便有一段塵緣。
When Bai Su-Zhen was a small snake, a beggar was about to kill her, but a kind passerby rescued her.
當時白素貞還是一只小蛇，一個乞丐正要殺了她，但一個善良的路人救了她。
Her rescuer was Xu Xian in a past life. Touched by her willingness to risk her life for him,
救了她性命的人便是前世的許仙。南極仙翁被她愿冒死救夫的真情感動，
the Old Man permitted her to leave the mountain with the immortal herb.
允許她帶著神草離開昆侖山。
Bai Su-Zhen returned home to revive Xu Xian.
白素貞回到家，救回許仙的性命。
When he opened his eyes, the terrified look frozen on his face became a smile.
許仙睜開眼睛時，原本僵在臉上的驚嚇表情化為笑容。
Demon or not, he was still happy to see his wife.
不管她是不是妖怪，他依然很開心能見到自己的妻子。
If you were facing a god's wrath and punishment,
如果你觸怒神仙，遭受懲罰，
would you rather be turned into a spider or have everything you touch turn to gold?
你要選擇變成一只蜘蛛，還是選擇讓你碰到的所有東西都變成黃金？
Choose your fate with one of these lessons.
選擇其中一個，看看你的命運吧。
