In the late Qing Dynasty, there was a small village called Zhoujiazhuang in the northwest. Zhoujiazhuang was backed by mountains and faced Pingchuan. For hundreds of years, people cut down firewood and farmed the land, but they lived a peaceful life.
The mountain behind Zhoujiazhuang was lush with trees, and there were many animals living in the mountains. As the saying goes, "reliance on the mountain to eat the mountain, rely on the water to drink the water." In addition to the farmer woodcutter, there were also individual hunters in Zhoujiazhuang. Among these hunters, one called Tuesday Bang was particularly good at hunting, and every time he entered the mountain, he always gained something.
One day, Tuesday Bang went hunting in the mountains. After wandering around the mountains for a day, he only caught a pheasant. Seeing that it was getting late, he reluctantly rushed back. On the way down the mountain, Tuesday Bang saw an old man with white hair nestled on a mountain rock, crying out in pain. He went up to take a look and saw that the old man's legs had been bitten by some animal, bleeding profusely, and his skin and flesh had turned out.
Tuesday Bang took out his own trauma medicine and applied it to the old man, and took out dry food and water for the old man to eat and drink. The old man was very grateful and thanked him again and again. After eating, the old man said to Tuesday Bang: "Young man, my home is at the mountain pass, can you carry me? If you can take me to the mountain pass, I would be very grateful."
Although Tuesday Bang was very tired, seeing that the sky was about to darken, if he left the old man alone in the mountains, he would definitely be hurt by wild beasts, so he agreed and carried the old man to the mountain pass.
When he arrived at the mountain pass, the old man slipped off the back of Tuesday's stick and said, "Young man, I was plotted by the mountain demon today. If it weren't for you, I would almost have been unable to return home. I am grateful to you and have decided to pass on a spell to ensure that you will have no worries about food and clothing in this life."
The old man immediately taught Tuo Pang four strange formulas, and took out a yellow pill and asked him to take it. He told Tuo Pang that in the future, when hunting, just walk to the mountain pass, think of the prey you want in your heart, and read these four formulas in your mouth, the prey will appear, and there is no need to go into the mountain to search hard, but you must remember that if you use this method to hunt, you can keep food and clothing without worry, and you can't be greedy and kill animals indiscriminately, otherwise there will be a big disaster.
The old man turned and left. Tuesday Bang was skeptical and was about to ask, but where could he see the old man's shadow? As far as his eyes could see, there was only a mountain temple standing alone in the distance of the mountain pass. Tuesday Bang thought to himself: Can these four formulas really attract prey? Looking at the only pheasant in his hunting bag, he decided to try immediately to see if what the old man said was true.
Tuesday Bang knew that venison outside the mountains was a rare thing at the moment, but deer were rare in the mountains and not easy to hit, so he decided to try to hit a deer first. So he silently thought of the deer in his heart, while reciting the four formulas to the mountain pass.
Strange to say, as soon as the Tuesday stick formula was finished, a gloomy wind blew from the mountain pass. As soon as the wind stopped, a fawn turned out of the mountain pass in a daze. It gnawed at the tender grass on the edge of the mountain pass, as if it could not see the existence of the Tuesday stick. Surprised and happy, the Tuesday stick went forward to hunt the fawn and captured the fawn with almost no effort. He carried the fawn out of the mountain proudly, and sold it at the market the next day for a good price.
After that, what kind of prey Tuesday Bang wanted to shoot, he went to the mountain pass and operated according to the formula taught by the old man, who was tried and tested. Tuesday Bang also became famous and became a famous hunter, living a life of worry-free food and clothing.
Tuesday Bang pondered carefully and made sure that he had met a strange person or an immortal, so he always took the old man's advice to heart. He only took a little prey each time, and it was enough to live a good life. He didn't want to make a fortune, so after a few years, there was no difference.
One day, a few merchants who bought wild fox skins came to Zhoujiazhuang and took away all the wild fox skins accumulated by hunters in the village at a high price. After the purchase, the merchant was still not satisfied and told the hunters in the village how much wild fox skins they had, and the price could be negotiated. Although the hunters were interested in the high price offered by the merchant, they couldn't get a lot of wild fox skins for a while, so they could only regret that they did not accumulate a little more.
Among these hunters, there was Tuesday Bang. Tuesdays Bang was very excited when he saw the high price offered by the merchants. He usually hunted hard, and the prey was sent to the market in exchange for some firewood and rice money. These merchants who came from afar gave such a high price, if they had enough wild fox skins, they could become rich in an instant!
The merchant wanted to rest in the village for one night, and then go to other places to buy wild fox skins the next day. That night, Tuesday Bang lost sleep. He turned over and over, his heart was in a mess, and he really couldn't let go of this good opportunity to make a fortune.
At three o'clock, Tuesday Bang finally couldn't bear it anymore. Without alerting his family, he quietly got up and came to the mountain pass alone. He marked the four directions on the ground, southeast and northwest, meditated on hundreds of wild foxes in his heart, and then recited the formula in all four directions.
After a while, the wind was strong in the mountains, and the sand and rocks were flying. Groups of wild foxes crawled out of the bushes, jumped off the stone cliff, and walked toward Tuesday Rod from all directions. Blood splattered everywhere the rod was hunted. These wild foxes seemed to know nothing about life and death, and they did not flinch or hide, and died silently. Tuesday Rod killed until the eastern fish belly white appeared, and they killed all these wild foxes.
On Tuesday, Bang went back to the village and hired a few people to take the wild foxes back to the village in a carriage, where they were peeled and sold to merchants at the edge of the village. Although the villagers knew that Tuesday Bang was very capable, they were still very surprised to see that he had beaten so many wild foxes in one night. Some people envied Tuesday Bang, and this time Tuesday Bang was going to make a fortune.
Tuesday Bang did make a windfall. Then he repaired the old house and bought land to buy horses, just like a petty rich man.
However, the good times did not last long, and in less than a year, Tuesday Bang fell ill. He had three abscesses on his back, and the pain was unbearable. He sought out famous doctors and spent a lot of money, but there was still no sign of improvement.
Tuesday Bang was in pain all day, and finally, in his confusion, he remembered the mysterious old man who had taught him the hunting formula. He vaguely felt that the old man was the mountain god, so he sent his wife to beg Zhou Xiucai, a respected good man in the village, to go to the mountain temple to help him ask the god how to cure his illness. Zhou Xiucai couldn't bear to refuse, so he agreed.
Zhou Xiucai agreed that after Tuesday, he chose an afternoon. He did not want anyone to accompany him, and went to the Mountain Temple in the mountain pass alone.
When it was almost dusk, Zhou Xiucai walked to the mountain pass. When he was about to walk towards the mountain temple, an old man with a white beard hanging down his chest suddenly walked out from the path of the mountain pass. This old man had a childish face and a kind smile on his face. He said to Zhou Xiucai, "Isn't this Zhou Xiucai, a good man from Zhoujiazhuang? It's almost dark, everyone is going home, why are you going into the mountains?"
Zhou Xiucai was taken aback, because he didn't know the old man in front of him at all. He said to the old man, "You recognize me? Forgive my stupidity, I can't even remember who you are." The old man laughed and said, "Who doesn't know the name of Zhou Shanren? We have met once. Fifteen years ago, you presided over the inauguration ceremony of the mountain temple, and I saw your heroic appearance in the crowd. At that time, you were still young, but you didn't see the old man, so you don't know me, which is reasonable."
Zhou Xiucai suddenly realized that fifteen years ago, he was the one who presided over the inauguration ceremony of the mountain temple in front of him. He thought the old man was a villager who came to watch the fun in the nearby village at that time, so he quickly replied, "You really have a good memory and good eyesight. You still remember me after fifteen years."
The old man stopped talking, and then asked Zhou Xiucai, "You came here so late, but what's the matter?" Zhou Xiucai saw that the old man was an elder, so it didn't matter if he said it, and he could ask for some advice, so he explained the purpose of his trip exactly.
The old man said, "Forget it, I don't think you need to go to the mountain temple. Even if you go, the muddy body in the mountain temple will not speak.
Zhou Xiucai was overjoyed and hurriedly said, "Does your old man know how to cure the illness of Tuesday Stick?The old man stroked his beard and said with a smile, "Tuesday Stick is kind to the old man. When the old man was bitten by a beast, he sent the old man back home, but this child did not listen to the old man's kind words and did not know restraint. It is also right to suffer from this."
After the old man had finished speaking, he raised his hand and pointed to a light in the mountains and said, "Do you see that place where the light is on? You should go to that house now, but you must remember that if you say that you are a passer-by, that family may let you in. The rest depends on you and the good fortune of Tuesday."
After the old man had finished speaking, he disappeared into the twilight. Zhou Xiucai was eager to save people, and without thinking too much, she walked towards the light.
Strange to say, the family did not look very far, but Zhou Xiu only walked for two hours before arriving. It was already late at night. The mountains were very quiet, only the sound of insects ringing one after another.
After a while, someone opened the door and asked, "Who knocked on my door in the middle of the night? Is there anything wrong?"
Zhou Xiucai looked up and saw a girl who was about fifteen or sixteen years old standing at the door. This girl looked very delicate and stared at him generously. Zhou Xiucai hurriedly went forward and said, "Miss, I am a passing traveler. I don't know why I got lost and came here. Now I am tired and hungry, and have asked for a night's sleep. I 'm leaving before tomorrow, and I will not dare disturb you."
The girl blinked her big bright eyes and said in embarrassment, "I can't call the shots on this matter. You'd better look for an inn nearby." After saying that, she was about to close the door. Zhou Xiucai hurriedly grabbed the door frame and begged, "Miss, you can see that there are no shops in the village and no shops in the village. There are many wild animals in the mountains at night. Just do it, and I'll leave before dawn."
The girl couldn't bear to refuse any longer, so she said to Zhou Xiucai, "Then wait at the door for a while, and I'll report to my father." After a while, the little girl opened the door again, and she said to Zhou Xiucai, "Please come in quickly, my father agreed."
Zhou Xiucai followed the little girl into the room and saw that the furnishings in the room were very delicate, which did not match the appearance of the thatch outside. A spirited gray-robed old man was sitting in front of the tea table when he saw Zhou Xiucai come in. He got up and greeted her, saying, "The little child is not sensible, so he kept the guests waiting outside for a long time." Zhou Xiucai just thanked him.
After Zhou Xiucai finished eating, the old man asked his family to prepare food for Zhou Xiucai, and then asked someone to arrange a bed. After Zhou Xiucai finished eating, the old man said to him, "It's getting late, and the guests should rest early. There is something going on at home tomorrow morning, so you can't keep the guests for a long time." After the old man finished speaking, he accompanied Zhou Xiucai to the guest room. Before Zhou Xiucai entered the house, he solemnly told him, "Guests must remember that if necessary, you can ask your family to arrange it, and you can never enter the backyard." Looking at Zhou Xiucai nodded, the old man turned around and went to sleep.
Zhou Xiucai tossed and turned in bed, constantly thinking about what the white-bearded old man Yamaguchi had said, and couldn't sleep for a long time. Suddenly, he vaguely heard someone screaming behind the house, and the voice was very familiar. Zhou Xiucai broke out in a cold sweat, could it be that this is a black shop?
In fear, Zhou Xiu couldn't help but want to see what happened, and the gray-robed old man's warning had long been forgotten. He walked out of the house lightly and walked all the way to the backyard. The backyard was brightly lit, but no one could be seen, only screams coming from a small house one after another.
Zhou Xiucai quietly opened the door of the small house and saw a person hanging from the roof beam. After a closer look, Zhou Xiucai's heart almost popped out.
What made Zhou Xiucai even more creepy was that there were three thick and short candles stuck on the back of the stick on Tuesday. The candles were burning incessantly and roasting the skin of the stick on Tuesday, and the air was full of burning stench. Zhou Xiucai wanted to ask the reason, but saw that the stick on Tuesday was confused, his eyes were dazed, and he just kept screaming.
Zhou Xiucai was at a loss for a moment and quietly returned to his house. He thought about it again and again, and felt that the gray-robed old man did not look like a vicious person. He recalled what the white-bearded old man who met Yamaguchi said, and guessed that there must be a reason for this. Entrusted by others and loyal to others, Zhou Xiucai decided to ask the old man the reason and intercede for Tuesday.
Zhou Xiucai dressed neatly and knocked on the gray-robed old man's door, explaining his purpose. When the old man heard that Zhou Xiucai went to the backyard privately, he was furious and pointed at Zhou Xiucai's nose and cursed: "I kindly took you in, but you broke into my forbidden land without permission. I can't spare you today!Zhou Xiucai saw that good words could not work, and the stubbornness of the scholar also came up. He pointed to the old man and said loudly: "You took the villagers to this place and tortured them by lynching, and there is no law! I will be smashed to pieces today, and I will tell you this truth!"
The old man was so angry that his face was red. Just as he was about to make a move, the little girl who opened the door earlier came forward to dissuade him and said, "Father, this person is Zhou Xiucai, a famous good man in Zhoujiazhuang.
The old man suppressed his anger and said to Zhou Xiucai, "Don't you want to be reasonable? I'll talk about this with you today.
Zhou Xiucai's brain turned around and finally understood: It seems that this old man's family is all fox immortals in the mountains. In order to make a fortune, Tuesday Bang almost killed all the foxes in the mountains by using the spell taught to him by the mountain god. In order to take revenge, the old fox took Tuesday Bang's soul and tortured it here. I didn't want Zhou Xiucai to be instructed by the mountain god and went to the fox immortal cave.
Zhou Xiucai thought about the tragic situation of Tuesday Bang peeling the fox's skin, and couldn't help but sympathize with the fox family. He knelt down on his knees and said to the old man, "I know that Tuesday Bang is a terrible crime, and he shouldn't have killed Mr.'s family for money, but he has suffered from illness for so long and has already accepted punishment. If Mr. Bang took Tuesday's life, it would not only damage Mr. Cultivation, but also exacerbate the conflict between humans and Mr. I dare to beg Mr. Bang to let Tuesday go. I promise that Tuesday Bang will not hunt again in this life."
Seeing that Zhou Xiucai was sincere and humble, the old man's face gradually became more amiable. He held Zhou Xiucai with both hands and said, "The good man should hurry up and catch this guy because he has a big hatred in his heart and is difficult to let go. You are very right. Killing this guy will not help. As long as Mr. promises that he will no longer use spells to harm living beings, I can spare him."
Zhou Xiucai was grateful and hurried to the backyard with the old man to pull out the candle on the back of the stick. The old man chanted a spell to reduce the soul of the stick to the size of a pea, and then wrapped it in a leaf. He told Zhou Xiucai to take the stick with the leaves when he went back.
Zhou Xiucai went out of the mountain overnight and did as the old man ordered. Sure enough, the sore on Tuesday's back began to scab and improve, and he gradually became refreshed. After he was able to get out of bed, the first thing Tuesday Bang did was to throw all the hunting things into the river ditch, and he vowed not to hunt again for the rest of his life. Many hunters quietly stopped after hearing about him.
Zhou Xiucai later planned to go to the Fox Immortal Cave Mansion to express his gratitude, but he searched the entire mountain and could not find the original family.