顛道人，不知姓名，寓蒙山寺。歌哭不常，人莫之測，或見其煮石為飯者。會重陽，有邑貴載酒登臨，輿蓋而往，宴畢過寺，甫及門，則道人赤足著破衲，自張黃蓋，作警蹕聲而出，意近玩弄。邑貴乃慚怒，揮僕輩逐罵之。道人笑而卻走。逐急棄蓋；共毀裂之，片片化為鷹隼，四散群飛。眾始駭，蓋柄轉成巨蟒，赤鱗耀目。眾譁欲奔，有同游者止之曰：「此不過翳眼之幻術耳，烏能噬人！」遂操刃直前。蟒張吻怒逆，吞客嚥之。眾駭，擁貴人急奔，息於三里之外。使數人逡巡往探，漸入寺，則人蟒俱無。方將返報，聞老槐內喘急如驢，駭甚。初不敢前；潛蹤移近之，見樹朽中空，有竅如盤。試一攀窺，則鬥蟒者倒植其中，而孔大僅容兩手，無術可以出之。急以刀劈樹，比樹開而人已死。踰時少蘇，舁歸。道人不知所之矣。
颠道人，不知姓名，寓蒙山寺。歌哭不常，人莫之测，或见其煮石为饭者。会重阳，有邑贵载酒登临，舆盖而往，宴毕过寺，甫及门，则道人赤足着破衲，自张黄盖，作警跸声而出，意近玩弄。邑贵乃惭怒，挥仆辈逐骂之。道人笑而却走。逐急弃盖；共毁裂之，片片化为鹰隼，四散群飞。众始骇，盖柄转成巨蟒，赤鳞耀目。众哗欲奔，有同游者止之曰：「此不过翳眼之幻术耳，乌能噬人！」遂操刃直前。蟒张吻怒逆，吞客咽之。众骇，拥贵人急奔，息于三里之外。使数人逡巡往探，渐入寺，则人蟒俱无。方将返报，闻老槐内喘急如驴，骇甚。初不敢前；潜踪移近之，见树朽中空，有窍如盘。试一攀窥，则斗蟒者倒植其中，而孔大仅容两手，无术可以出之。急以刀劈树，比树开而人已死。逾时少苏，舁归。道人不知所之矣。
The Mad Daoist: no one knew his name. He lodged at the temple on Mount Meng. He would sing or weep for no reason anyone could see, and no one could make him out. Some had seen him boil stones and eat them as rice. At the Double Ninth festival a grandee of the county took wine up the mountain to enjoy the heights, riding in a sedan chair under a canopy. When the feast was over he passed by the temple. He had just reached the gate when out came the Daoist, barefoot, in a ragged patched robe, holding a yellow canopy over himself and crying out to clear the road. It looked very much like mockery. The grandee, shamed and angry, waved his servants on to chase the man off with curses. The Daoist laughed and backed away. Pressed hard, he dropped the canopy. They tore it to pieces together, and every piece turned into a hawk or a falcon, and they flew off in flocks in all directions. Only now were the men alarmed. The canopy’s handle turned into a huge python, its red scales dazzling. They cried out and were about to run, but one of the party stopped them. “It’s nothing but a conjuring trick to cloud your eyes,” he said. “How could it bite anyone?” He took up a blade and went straight at it. The python opened its jaws, reared angrily to meet him, swallowed him and gulped him down. Terrified, the others hustled the grandee away at a run and did not stop to rest until they were three li off. He sent a few men to creep back and look. They edged into the temple: man and python were both gone. They were about to go back and report when they heard, inside an old locust tree, a hard panting like a donkey’s. They were badly frightened. At first they dared not go near; then they crept up quietly and saw that the tree was rotten and hollow, with a hole in it the size of a dish. One of them climbed up to peep in. There was the man who had fought the python, stuck head-down inside, and the hole was only big enough for two hands. There was no way to get him out. They hacked at the tree with their knives, and by the time it split open the man was dead. After a while he came round a little, and they carried him home. Where the Daoist had gone, no one knew.