打兩個噴涕 Two Sneezes Will Do
龍王道:「既如此,待我打兩個噴涕,吐些涎津溢,與他吃藥罷。」行者大喜道:「最好,最好。不必遲疑,趁早行事。」龙王道:「既如此,待我打两个喷涕,吐些涎津溢,与他吃药罢。」行者大喜道:「最好,最好。不必迟疑,趁早行事。」
逐句解 Line by line
The Dragon King said, "If that is all, let me sneeze twice and spit out a little saliva, and he can take his medicine with that."
The sweet rain that a whole court will shortly kneel to catch is here being arranged as two sneezes. 罷 is the light ba that softens a proposal, not the bà of 也罷.
Pilgrim was delighted. "Excellent, excellent.
He raises no objection at all to the method, which is entirely consistent with everything else he has put in this prescription.
"No need to hesitate — get on with it at once."
趁早行事 — get on with it — is a near-twin of the 趕早幹事 Eight Rules used at midnight when he wanted to go to bed. Near, and not the same: two of the four characters differ.
Relieved of the requirement to produce actual weather, the Dragon King proposes the minimum: two sneezes and a little spittle, and the man can take his medicine. He offers it as the obvious economy, which it is.
Pilgrim is delighted and raises no objection whatever. He has spent the night compounding soot and horse urine into pills; there is nothing in dragon spit to give him pause.