Li Huidou of Yidou County, while passing through the mountain forest one afternoon, noticed several people gathered on the ground, deep in their cups.

Upon catching sight of Mr. Li, the group immediately stood up, joyfully inviting him to join them and pouring him a drink.

Li took a brief look at the exquisite feast laid out on the ground; the sight whetted his appetite. He cast aside all formality, downed the contents of his cup in one go, only to find the taste intensely bitter, laced with a strange, foul flavor.

As the group was merrymaking, suddenly a figure approached from the distance: a face long and narrow, stretching nearly three feet, topped by a hat that was both tall and spindly.

The revelers cried out in alarm, "The Mountain God has arrived!"

They scattered in a sudden rush.

Li, timid by nature, dared not face the Mountain God. Seeing a mud pit hidden within the tall grass, he immediately dove in.

Not long after, the Mountain God departed. Li rose to inspect the scene, only to find that the wine and food had vanished in the blink of an eye.

All that remained was a cracked earthenware jar filled with urine, a few broken roof tiles, and a scattering of lizards crawling over them.

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