All people crave honor, yet genuine nobility lies in inner morality rather than worldly status granted by nobles like Zhao Meng, who can revoke such glory. Fully fulfilled with benevolence and righteousness, one transcends material vanity and external praise.
Real faith and genuine rules of conduct can be found in the home and in everyday life.
Real flavour does not lie in refined liquors or sumptuous dishes; only plain food gives forth a pure taste.
“The Monk of Changqing” from Strange Stories from Liaozhai Studio recounts how an octogenarian Buddhist monk from Shandong’s Changqing County peacefully passes away, only for his soul to unexpectedly transmigrate into the body of a young aristocratic heir in Henan who died in an accident.