A Folktale from China By Mayank Patnaik

The Rabbit's foot

A Folktale from China A few thousand year ago,in China an emperor ruled over the Yellow River valley.His name was emperor Yu. At the start of his rule,he had been a wise and great leader. But after, the ruler of the heavens, Houtu had declared his hatred towards mankind, Yu became deeply depressed for he knew that the gods had the power to kill him,and like everyone else he was afraid of death. He exiled his own son, Yao, who he knew was a brilliant thinker,and he told him if he did not find a way to obstruct these floods in nine years he would answer to severe consequences.Yao attempted every last idea his mind could offer, but all along he knew that all along he knew that everything he attempted would be no match against the power of the god,so he gave up and returned to his father two years early. Emperor Yu was both angry and scared to see his Yao return to him, for he knew that if Yao couldn't stop the floods ,no one could. In the end his anger took over, so he beheaded his son and offered his his life as forgiveness for their sins. Instead of forgiveness, the Houtu laughed bitterly at humanity and mocked that he did not have to punish humanity for they already punish themselves. At the same time, along the banks of the Yellow River Valley there lived a man called Tian Lu Pan. He was a lazy man; so lazy that he couldn't be bothered to glaze his house, and when it fell down he would blame his neighbors and make them rebuild his house.Yet, he was as proud and arrogant as a peacock. He was a farmer, or so he thought he was. All he would do was sit around in the field all day drinking jiu,beer and shout out " Ni shi bai chi","you are idiots" to his fellow workers, as they sowed the fields for harvest. Every year, on the fourth day of the fourth month, the Houtu sent down floods on the Yellow River, to vanquish mankind.They annihilated everything that stood in their way. It was rumored that a mere mortal had tried to kill the Houtu's dragon, which was the source of the god's magical powers.The villagers tried to make dikes to prevent the flood from destroying their village, but they were no good because the water would simply run over them. Every year the villages were ripped of their banks and every year they had to be rebuilt, with half the amount of survivors there were the previous year. It was exactly two months till the fourth day of the fourth month. The villagers were busy preparing for the upcoming plague, but none knew this year would always be remembered out of all the years to come.

It had been a terrible day for Tian Lu Pan, he had to work for the first time in his life. The other farmers had become fed up with Tian Lu Pan's taunts, so they had complained to the official of their village.The official was already worried for it was only a week till the fourth day of the fourth month and the farmers had not even reaped the field for harvest, so when he heard about Tian Lu Pan's behavior, he was enraged. The official had him whipped fifty times in the village square and told him to get back to reaping the fields immediately and warned that if he heard of such behavior again, he would have his tongue cut out. After eight hours of backbreaking labor, his hands were bloody from the wounds on his back and there were blisters all over his hands and feet. All his clothes and his sandals were ripped in two. Whimpering loudly, Tian Lu Pan slowly retreated to a cave in the mountains, where he always went to practice Zazen, meditation. In the cave, Tian Lu Pan prayed to the great goddess, Cali Shen; the goddess of piece and prosperity. "O Great,Cali Shen help me find peace in this cruel world," "Help me find good in the hearts of people who whip and threaten to cut my tongue out", "Please purify their hearts, make them gold and precious silver, make the world as perfect as me," prayed Tian Lu Pan. At that very moment, the cave was filled with a blinding light. The light was so bright that he could not see anything for a moment. Then the goddess Cali Shen began to speak to Tian Lu Pan, with a voice of the sweetest honey,"Tian Lu Pan,Ninqng de yngxing,young hero, my brother, Houtu has terrorized your people for many years and will continue terrorizing them for many years to come" "I have observed mankind for many centuries, I have seen your kind grow, I have seen you rise and I have seen you fall" "I have seen the bad in all your hearts, you are self-centered creatures who pity the dead when you should pity the living for it is the living that make all the grave mistakes" " You are Wgu,dirt, compared to us gods, you have no understanding of Qi, the deeper understanding of all things in the the universe and you never will, unless you cast aside all your selfish ambition" "But, I have come to the conclusion that mankind must survive for the good of the universe for without mankind there will not be any love; it is the love for one another that keeps the sun smiling, without mankind the sun will die out, the universe will die, there must be love in the world!" "My brother has only seen the bad in your heart, not the good.He does not realize that your race must survive because he is consumed with anger and anger is the fiercest motivator" "You must prove that there is good in your hearts! You alone, must journey west of the Yanshan mountains, to the end of the world, to find an amulet called the Rabbit's foot. The path is dangerous and dark, but there is always light for those who see it." The goddess Cali Shen's body lit on fire and slowly burnt away until there was a small ball of light left. The ball of light went directly into Tian Lu Pan's heart and at that moment he knew exactly where to go.Not wasting a single moment he went back to his house and packed some water, a pot of rice, two eggs and a loaf of bread. Then, he crossed the river and followed the trail into the mountains Tian Lu Pan headed west, in the direction of the rising sun. He walked and walked until all the shrubs had torn his clothes there were bloody wounds on his body. One day he

came to a mountain village called Zhouzhuang. The villagers immediately took him to the village doctor, who nourished him back to health in one day. They asked him why he was journeying so far East, and he recounted what had happened in the cave. The villagers wished him good luck for his journey. And, the village blacksmith crafted Tian Lu Pan a flute from the iron metallurgy; the metal of the gods. The blacksmith warned Tian Lu Pan that his journey would eventually lead him to a lake where a Kun lived, and he would need the flute to get to the other side. Then Tian Lu Pan thanked all the villagers for their hospitality, and continued his journey. One day, Tian Lu Pan came to a fork in the road,one path was leading right the other was leading left. And, in the middle stood a Rui Shi.The Rui Shi had the body of a lion and the head of a dragon,with one antler sticking out.It had an enormous stomach and its fur was as white as a ghost. "N ho O,hello, good Rui Shi," greeted Tian Lu Pan. "What do you want, wanderer!" shouted the Rui Shi, in a rumbling voice. "I want to pass O good Rui Shi," replied Tian LuPan. " Wanderer,which path will you take,for one path leads to what your heart desires the other leads to your doom?" asked the Rui Shi. "O, great Rui Shi I desire to take the right path," answered Tian Lu Pan. " As you wish, but every choice has a price and what will you pay for the right choice?"asked the Rui Shi. "What do you desire? O, great Rui Shi," asked Tian Lu Pan. "I desire to eat your flesh and drink your blood!" answered the Rui Shi. Tian Lu Pan was shivering on the inside.Then, Cali Shen's voice filled his mind,her sweet voice gave him confidence and strength, which he had never felt before in his life. "O,wonderful Rui Shi you shall certainly receive my flesh and blood, but every desire has a price, so what are you willing to do for me to receive what you desire? asked Tian Lu Pan, in a clever way. The Rui Shi was surprised by his answer, and began to wonder if Tian Lu Pan was really going to let him eat him, so he replied, "Young wanderer! I will be willing to do anything to do for you, in return for your head! Tian Lu Pan, now extremely confident asked, "O,great Rui Shi would you be willing to let me pass?" "Why certainly! good, gracious wanderer!" replied the Rui Shi. "Zijin,bye, O, gracious Rui Shi!" shouted Tian Lu Pan as he sprinted down the right path and the Rui shi just stood there, looking dumbstruck. After running a fair distance away from the Rui Shi, Tian Lu Pan continued his journey. He journeyed west for two more days until he came to the lake where the Kun lived. The Kun is a giant monster fish that is so huge that nobody knows how many thousand li it measures. Tian Lu Pan felt unconfident and cold on the inside, and once again Cali Shen's sweet voice fills his mind which gives him strength and confidence.Tian Lu Pan took out the blacksmith's flute and began to play a tune so beautiful that the all the seeds and saplings along the river bank, grew into flowers and full grown trees. In fact

the sound was so beautiful, that the Kun began to stir in her deep, dark abyss.One moment later, the water in the lake split in two and in the middle emerged the Kun.The Kun had emerged.The Kun was taller than ten full grown men and wider than twenty cows.It had razor sharp teeth that could cut through anything.At that moment, Tian Lu Pan simply wanted to hide under a rock. "O, great man, maker of this beautiful sound, why do you wake me from my eternal sleep?" asked the Kun "I want to cross your lake, O, great Kun, but how will I cross your lake for I do not see any boats? answered Tian Lu Pan, " O, great man, many years ago the ancient goddess, Nwa, cursed me to bear this hideous form and eat all those who attempt to cross my lake" "When I was a mortal, my life was dark, cold and sad. I did not understand the meanings of love and happiness. The darkness consumed me and I murdered my own family. The goddess told me, that one day a young man would teach me how to see the light in in the cruel world, and that would be the day when I would realize that life is wonderful" " O, great man, you have taught me that my life is worth living, so in return you shall receive what you desire, sit on my back and I will transport you to the other side of the river." After he had safely arrived on the other side of the river, Tian Lu Pan thanked the Kun for his kindness and continued his journey west. After for many li west, Tian Lu Pan finally came to the end of the world, before him stood the stood the Shaanxi. Many centuries ago, the Shaanxi was a temple sacred to the gods, the gods would personally come down and greet mortals. A little beyond him stood Pangu; the god who created the universe and Houtu grandfather.His beard was as white as snow and his face was as old as creation.Then Pangu began to speak to Tian Lu Pan in a voice, that sounded like the first sound the universe ever witnessed "Tian Lu Pan,Ninqng de yngxing,young hero, when I first created the stars earth and heaven I made everything perfect; everything had a purpose and that purpose was to be fulfilled in their life time", "But as the centuries went by, I realized that I, a god am a not a perfect creature,I envy other gods, in ways you can not imagine and I have murdered those I have thought unworthy. I began to wonder if the creator of the universe is not perfect, then why should the universe be perfect" "So I decided to make universe imperfect. Once again I was wrong, yang filled the hearts of all living creatures, and the universe was chaos.

"It took me many, many centuries to come up with a compromise. But, in the end the thought struck me; all living things must have the power to select between the right possibility and the wrong possibility, the power of choice. In this way the universe will we balanced like ying and yang''"This universe functioned for many centuries and will function for many centuries, until the end of time. But, judging by my grandson rage, none of your kind will be alive at the end of time. So, Ninqng de yngxing you must make a choice on behalf of mankind" "The rabbit's foot is inside the the Shaanxi, it is an amulet of extreme luck for any who use its magical powers.In, fact your kind will be so lucky that floods will never destroy their villages ever again" "Or you can sacrifice yourself to prove to Houtu, that not all of mankind are consumed with yang, be a martyr" "The choice is yours, Ninqng de yngxing,but choose wisely for the wrong choice has its consequences," said Pangu Tian Lu Pan was extremely confused with Pangu's words. He wondered why Pangu gave him two choices, when both choices would stop the floods from destroying his village.Once again, Cali Shen's sweet voice filled his mind, and at that instant, his choice was clear.Tian Lu Pan began to walk towards the waterfall that led to the end of the world.Once he was at the cliff, he looked back and shouted, "Zijin, great but cruel world!" Then, with a great leap he plunged..The fall was slow but it was steady.He fell humbly but with pride, into the gray heavens. The next day, no floods came to destroy the village, and all the villagers were happy. Houtu personally came down to Emperor Yu. He cured Emperor Yu of the grief he had been mourning over when he had beheaded his son and granted him immortality. Mortals began to visit the Shaanxi, and the gods greeted them.In the end, all things were grateful to their unknown saviour.

Glossary
Houtu: The god who ruled the heavens. jiu: An ancient Chinese alcoholic beverage. "Ni shi bai chi": "You are idiots!" Zazen: Ancient Chinese meditation "Ninqng de yngxing":"young hero" "Wgu": "dirt" Zhouzhuang:An ancient Chinese village Yanshan: The mountains west of the Yellow River. Kun: A monster fish. Rui Shi: A half dragon and half lion. "Zijin":"good bye" "n ho": " hello

About the Author

Mayank Patnaik is an Australian author who currently lives in New Delhi.He is the author of best selling poetry pieces, the way to peace,The backwards world and You're a shining star.Mayank Patnaik has always had a deep passion for ancient civilizations,which inspired him to write his latest novel the rabbit's foot.

Political map of China and the Yellow River Valley

Citations
Map:https://www.google.co.in/search?q=Yellow+river+valley+map&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF8&hl=en&client=safari&redir_esc=&ei=qUNMUde0MseLrQfDpIGwBA#biv=i%7C0%3Bd %7CmlWAif2dlJhy2M%3A

Note: The pictures I used for my illustrations are not from the Internet.They are from a non-fiction book I own, called Secrets of Ancient China