Zhou Sheng was from Dongjun. He was nearly forty years old, yet he had made no progress in the imperial examinations and remained an old scholar. Fortunately, he had some ancestral property, so he didn't have to worry about going hungry. He was quite open - minded and didn't take things to heart. Later, he simply handed over the family affairs to his nephews and lived alone in the ancestral house, only having an old servant come to clean regularly. As it got cold in winter, Zhou Sheng would drink a couple of sips of wine before going to bed every day to keep warm, and a pot of wine could last him several days. Suddenly, one day, he found that a pot of wine was quickly finished, and it hadn't even been two days! Zhou Sheng thought to himself, "I only drink one or two sips of wine every day, and I never overindulge. The old servant doesn't drink my wine either. How could the wine be gone so quickly?" Suspecting something fishy, he pretended to fall asleep at night and secretly observed. At the third watch, when he was almost too sleepy to hold on, sure enough, an old man with a white beard appeared. His appearance was extremely ancient. He was holding the wine pot and drinking. Zhou Sheng thought, could this be a celestial being? So he got up and said with a smile, "You're really enjoying yourself, drinking alone!" As soon as he finished speaking, the old man disappeared instantly. Zhou Sheng tidied his clothes, poured a cup of wine, raised the cup and said, "Old immortal! Although there is a gap between the celestial and the mortal, we share the same temperament. If you don't mind, and are willing to be my drinking friend, it would be a great honor for me, Zhou." After that, he waited until dawn, but the old man didn't appear again. The next night, Zhou Sheng asked the old servant to prepare good wine and delicious food, but the old man still didn't show up. On the third night, the old man finally appeared again, and Zhou Sheng invited him to drink together. The two talked about ancient and modern times and got along very happily. Zhou Sheng asked the old man if he was a celestial being, but the old man just smiled and didn't answer.

One day, the old man said to Zhou Sheng, "Judging from your facial features, although you don't have a face of great wealth and honor, you won't end your life as an ordinary scholar. Why not participate in this year's imperial examinations? Just go, and I'll help you make some arrangements. Then I won't have drunk your wine for nothing." Hearing this, although Zhou Sheng had doubts, he readily agreed. When the exam day arrived, the two made an appointment to go to the provincial capital. The day before the exam, the old man suddenly said to Zhou Sheng, "When you enter the examination hall tomorrow morning, if you feel that one side of your lapel is heavier, it means I'm attaching myself to you to enter the examination hall. Don't be alarmed." When it was time to call the roll, Zhou Sheng indeed felt that his left lapel suddenly became heavy. He took his seat according to his exam number. After seeing the question, he began to concentrate on formulating his thoughts. At this time, he found a note about an inch long 夹 in the examination paper. He picked it up and saw that it was the essay for this question. The handwriting was in small, neat regular script, and every stroke was very clear and orderly. Zhou Sheng copied it down and handed in the paper. At noon the next day, when Zhou Sheng was washing his hands outside the cubicle, he suddenly heard a thunderclap, and most of the roof of the cubicle collapsed. After reporting to the examiner, Zhou Sheng was arranged to change the cubicle. After this shock, Zhou Sheng was flustered and couldn't concentrate on finishing the exam, so he went home and didn't have time to care about the old man's whereabouts.

That winter, the county was renovating the Wenchang Palace, and several scholars were jointly elected as the leaders. Zhou Sheng was specifically in charge of the financial revenue and expenditure. One day, an official came with ten taels of donated silver. Zhou Sheng weighed it and put the silver in the cabinet. That night, Zhou Sheng went home for something. When he returned the next day, he found that the ten taels of silver were missing. One person said, "No one came here last night. How could the silver disappear out of thin air?" Everyone listened and began to guess, saying that it would be better to search everywhere. Suddenly, the silver was found in the quilt of a young colleague, and the young man looked ashamed. Zhou Sheng picked up the scale, weighed it, and returned the silver to the young man, saying, "This is not the lost silver. The weight difference is huge, and the fraction is also different. I was drunk last night. Maybe I didn't put the silver in the cabinet, but put it in my arms and accidentally left it at home. I'll go home and look for it." Zhou Sheng went home, and soon came back and said to everyone, "The silver has been found. It was on the bed at home. I remembered wrongly after drinking." After that, he didn't mention this matter again.

One day, when Zhou Sheng was walking alone in the suburbs, he saw the old man by the roadside. The old man smiled and congratulated him, "You will surely pass the provincial examination and become a juren next year! The reason why your cubicle collapsed before was that I was on the roof. The gods found out and sent celestial generals to drive me away. I fled in a hurry, so the roof collapsed." Zhou Sheng asked, "Then why could I pass this year's imperial examination?" The old man replied, "Your name is already on the celestial list. Isn't it worth it to exchange ten taels of silver for a juren?" Zhou Sheng said, "Even if this is the case, I have neglected my studies for a long time. What should I do?" The old man said, "This is not difficult. Whose articles did you often study and recite before?" Zhou Sheng replied, "I specifically studied the articles of Master Linchuan (Wang Anshi)." The immortal said, "Take the articles you liked the most among those you read before, and recite and study them morning and evening. No matter what the question is, imitate the structure and writing style of those articles. Once you are proficient, you will naturally become skillful. Why worry about neglecting your studies? Moreover, since your name is on the celestial list, you don't need to take risks and seek luck like last time." Zhou Sheng followed the old man's method, and in this provincial examination, he indeed ranked first. Later, Zhou Sheng held an official position. When he was on his deathbed, he saw the old man come to guide him, and then he passed away.

Zhou Sheng was open - minded and treated the old man with good wine, sowing the seeds of kindness, which led to the fate of getting help. In the incident of the missing money in the Wenchang Palace, Zhou Sheng didn't blame the young colleague, showing tolerance and kindness. The appearance of the old man seemed to bring Zhou Sheng a shortcut to change his fate. In the first imperial examination, the old man helped him cheat. This kind of "luck" that violated the rules didn't last long. The collapse of the cubicle caused him to fail to complete the exam, which was the bad result of going against the way of heaven. This warns us that taking shortcuts may bring temporary benefits, but it is ultimately difficult to last. True success is based on one's own efforts and accumulation. Later, the old man told Zhou Sheng that his name was on the celestial list and taught him to improve his ability by diligently reciting and studying classic articles. This is the path to success that conforms to the way of heaven. On the journey of life, guided by good thoughts, based on efforts, and following the law of cause and effect, one can achieve perfection in the mortal world.