In the 20th year of Kangxi, under the Qiyuan Bridge in Cangnan County, Hebei Province, there was a very famous Changji, where traders from ten miles and eight townships practiced their stalls every now and then, such as firewood, rice, oil and salt, cloth, tables, chairs, benches, cattle, horses, sheep and mules. The people around also knew that this market was the most lively place within a hundred miles, so they were happy to go around and have some fun.
On that day, an entertainer came to the market. It was an old man with a black and yellow face and a hunched back. At first glance, the old man could not tell the specific age, nor could he tell whether he was 60 years old.
The old man came to the market and turned around a few times, found a place with many people to sit down, and shouted loudly: "Neighborhood folks, look around and take a look, rely on your parents at home, rely on your friends when you go out, and look at strangers when you step on expensive land. The city wall is so high that it depends on the help of friends. I am a newcomer here, and I borrow your treasure land to thank you for your support. My family's craft is ugly here." There were already many people hanging out in the market, and the old man surrounded him with a shout, wanting to see what the old man had.
Seeing that there were more people, the old man slowly said, "I don't give up on my performance, and I don't play monkey tricks. For decades, I have relied on this family-passed treasure to open your eyes. If you think this treasure can be called a" strange "word, please give me a lot of rewards!"
After saying that, the old man took off a box the size of a chessboard from his back. The box was black and reddish, as if it was painted with wax, but he could not see any material. The old man held the box in his hand and said, "This box is my family's ancestral inheritance, and it contains the treasures of the world.
Without waiting for the old man to finish his introduction, the crowd of onlookers impatiently urged, "What are you talking about? If you have the ability, take it out quickly. No matter how stinky and poor you are, you can leave!"
The old man grinned as he stood up and continued, "This number one is to fly in the air with people and cargo." After saying that, he stood on the box and muttered a few words, only to see the box carrying the old man slowly rise, and it rose higher and higher. When he reached the height of the head, he looked around the crowd, causing everyone to applaud and applaud.
Seeing that everyone was in high spirits, the old man immediately struck while the iron was hot and said, "The second best thing for my treasure box is to retrieve things from the air." Everyone's eyes widened, looking forward to his second best. The old man stood in the middle of the crowd and continued to chant incantations. After a while, he shouted loudly, reached into the box with one hand and took out an emerald jade wrench, and asked loudly, "Which young master does this belong to?A young master in a luxurious dress in the crowd hurriedly shouted, "It's mine, it's mine!The old man smiled slightly and returned the wrench to the man, everyone was surprised, and hurriedly looked at whether the previous things on his body were still there, and the old man laughed: "Don't worry, you will eat with your conscience, and you will never do anything to steal chickens and dogs!" After saying that, he reached into the box, took out a sachet, a fan, and shouted loudly to find the owner." A girl and a reckless man squeezed out of the crowd and took the two objects back. This second must have aroused everyone's interest and shouted for fun.
The old man didn't go to pick up the reward money, but patted his mouth and said, "My third best thing is the universe inside the box. If you swallow gold and devour silver, you don't need me to pick it up. As soon as the lid of the box is opened, all the belongings will enter the box." Everyone didn't believe it and threw some silver coins and copper plates on the ground, and some good people also threw some live chickens and geese, depending on how the old man operated. The old man cast another spell, and then slowly opened the box, a white light flashed out, and the money chicken on the ground disappeared when met with the white light, and then the white light returned to the box, and the lid of the box slowly fell. Everyone was amazed, and there was a lot of discussion. Some people said that this old man was a god descended to earth, and some people said that there must be demons in this box.
The old man must have experienced this situation several times, and without saying a word, he picked up the box and left.
Among the crowd were two brothers, Li Er and Zhao Si, who were idlers from Cangnan County and were famous scoundrels. Seeing that the old man's treasure box was so shocked that his chin fell to the ground, he naturally had a crooked idea and discussed with each other: "This old man's box is really a treasure. If it belongs to you and me, then the days to come will not be prosperous and rich, and food and clothing will be worry-free?"
The two of them clapped and secretly followed the old man for about forty or fifty miles, and came to a broken temple. The old man entered the temple and put the treasure box aside, fell asleep, and snored surprisingly loudly. Although Li and Zhao were also exhausted, they tried their best. Thinking in their hearts, they quickly stole the treasure box and went home to enjoy themselves, so they crept to the side of the treasure box. Seeing the old man snoring like thunder, they couldn't help but secretly rejoice, thinking: This bad old man, such a baby doesn't know how to take care of it, so don't blame me and the two of them.
After thinking about it, Li Er mentioned that the treasure box had not moved, and quickly called Zhao Si to move it together. The power of the nine bulls and two tigers could not move the treasure box at all. The two looked at each other, but they refused to give up. Zhao Si directly opened the box to find out, and suddenly a white light flew out, and then the two disappeared with the white light, and the white light returned to the box, and the lid of the box was slowly closed.
At this time, the old man stopped snoring, closed his eyes, patted the box and said, "I made you eat again today, and I will invite you to come with me tomorrow to earn some money!"