THE WOODCUTTER'S DAUGHTER

One day Ti Kuai Li was approached in his cave by a woodcutter.  Ti Kuai Li offered him food and drink, and the woodcutter began to prophesy about Ti Kuai Li’s future.  He said that Ti would become a famous scholar, live a long and happy life, and become one of the immortals.  After all of this the woodcutter said that he did not understand much about Taoism and that his daughter wanted to learn.  He asked Ti to take her on as his student.

Ti Kuai Li answered that he could not.  The woodcutter seemed satisfied with this answer, but he later returned with his daughter and pleaded with Ti Kuai Li to accept her.  Although Ti Kuai Li ignored her, the woodcutter left her there.  Ti Kuai Li ignored her still, no matter how she pleaded.  Finally she admitted that she did not really want to study with him.  Her father was making her marry an ugly man, and she would rather study Taoism than marry this ogre.  But, she offered, if she could become Ti’s wife he would lack for nothing.

Ti Kuai Li ignored her offer.

“Why do you live in such a cold, dark cave?” she asked.  “Wouldn’t you rather come to town with me and sing and dance?”

Ti Kuai Li remained motionless and didn’t make a sound.  The girl seemed to give up and walked to the entrance of the cave but then came back and continued to plead.  She cried for hours, yet Ti Kuai Li was unmoved.  Finally the girl left.

Early the next morning the woodcutter appeared at the mouth of the cave and accused Ti of leading his daughter astray.  “I would never do such a thing,” answered Ti Kuai Li.  Then a smile came over the woodcutter’s face. “You understand the Tao well, my son,” he said.  He took a piece of wood from his robes and said, “I fashioned the girl from this piece of wood.”

At once, Ti Kuai Li recognized the woodcutter as none other than Lao Tzu himself.