During the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty, there was a Pinghai town in Shudi, there were about hundreds of households in the town, and there were only three woodcutters in the whole town, who would go up the mountain to chop firewood every day, and then take it to the town to sell, because there were fewer woodcutters, so firewood was extremely popular.
Zhang Laosan lives on the east side of Pinghai Town, and because he guards the East Mountain, he will go up early every day to cut firewood.
On this day, Zhang Laosan picked up the flat pole and went into the mountain to chop firewood as usual, and before going out, Zhang Laosan's daughter-in-law Li said: Xianggong, my son is arguing for wild meat here, you can't put down a few sets and catch some pheasants to eat.
Zhang Laosan turned around and agreed, and then strode away, and by the time it was almost noon, Zhang Laosan had already laid a few sets on the mountain to catch game, and then carried firewood to the town to sell.
At about noon, Zhang Laosan's firewood was bought by a Qi widow, and the Qi widow said to Zhang Laosan: Third brother, you have to be more diligent, not as lazy as Li Laoshi and Qian Laoji, I haven't seen them come out to sell firewood for several days.
Zhang Laosan smiled innocently: Sister Qi, don't interrupt me, they are still lazy, I have seen them sell firewood three times a day, and I will sell firewood twice at most.
Widow Qi said with a smile: I don't believe you inquire, they haven't been here for several days.
Zhang Laosan felt strange, and when it was afternoon, Zhang Laosan went up the mountain to chop firewood, and then when he sold firewood, he went to Li Laoshi and Qian Laoer's house by the way, and the two families said that these two people met to go into the mountain to chop firewood, and they didn't go home for three or four days, and they had reported to the official, but the government didn't find anything.
Then Zhang Laosan bought some food and took it home, and then told his daughter-in-law Li about it, but Li said: Isn't it that you will be the only one in the town to chop wood in the future.
Zhang Laosan said angrily: You are a person, they have disappeared for several days, and people's lives are at stake, but you are thinking about this.
Li said: It doesn't matter what I do if they are missing or not, I just think it's true that you can earn more money.
Zhang Laosan ignored her, but prepared to go to rest under the big tree in the yard by himself.
When Li saw that Zhang Laosan was about to rest, he shouted angrily: Zhang Laosan, your son wants to eat game, you should go and take a look, and go to rest under the tree.
Zhang Laosan heard Li shouting at him, so he immediately got up and picked up the guy and went into the mountain to see today's cover, the first few sets did not catch game, and when the fourth set was heard, he heard the sound of fluttering and fluttering in the distance, so Zhang Laosan hurriedly walked two steps.
When I got closer, I found a colorful pheasant, with a long tail, and one foot trapped by a sleeve and unable to move, so I had to flap my wings and spin in place.
Seeing such a situation, Zhang Laosan was very happy, and hurriedly stepped forward, pounced, pounced on the pheasant, fixed it with both hands, and took out the rope from behind to tie the pheasant to a strong knot.
And Zhang Laosan continued to look for the back of a few sets, but the luck was not very good, did not catch the game, Zhang Laosan raised the pheasant in his hand, carefully observed, never saw such a beautiful pheasant, at this moment, the pheasant's eyes turned out of water, and began to shed tears.
At this time, Zhang Laosan saw such a situation, and made a difficulty in his heart, originally this Zhang Laosan was kind-hearted, and when he saw such a situation again, after some choice, he released the pheasant.
When he returned home, Zhang Laosan told Li that he didn't catch wild meat, Li scolded Zhang Laosan for being wasted, and when it was late at night, Li suddenly woke up Zhang Laosan and said to Zhang Laosan: You said that Li Laoshi and Qian Laosan disappeared, is that no one went after Xishan, you go to a few sets tomorrow, maybe there is more game there, and by the way, you can also chop firewood.
After hearing this, Zhang Laosan muttered: Dongshan is so big, I can't finish cutting it after I am alone, why go to Xishan.
Li scolded: You are a wreck, then you have the ability to bring back game, how long has your son been waiting, every day he talks to me about eating meat, the melons and dates you earn from selling firewood are not enough to chew, it would be good to be able to eat a full stomach.
Zhang Laosan was helpless, so he had to say: Okay, okay, okay, I'll go to Xishan tomorrow, let's go to sleep quickly.
In the early morning of the next day, Zhang Laosan picked up the flat pole and went to Xishan, and when he arrived at Xishan, he still set up a set in several different places, and then went to chop firewood, and then waited until the afternoon to sell firewood and then went to see the set.
When he went again in the afternoon, Zhang Laosan was very surprised, he caught all the game in the five sets under the West Mountain, three pheasants and two hares, Zhang Laosan happily took the game and prepared to go home.
When I walked to a valley in the West Mountain, I found that there were wild mushrooms in the valley, the mushroom neck was as thick as a baby's arm, and the mushroom umbrella hat was the size of a plate.
When Zhang Laosan saw such a strong mushroom, he thought to himself: There are so many mushrooms, I picked them back and stewed them with these game, I guess my mother-in-law has to praise me.
So Zhang Laosan thought of this, so he quickly stepped forward to pick it, but when he was about to get to the front of the mushroom group, he heard a sharp voice like a rooster's crow: Benefactor, don't go, the front is dangerous.
Zhang Laosan's feet just lifted fell again, Zhang Laosan knew that he was the only one in the entire West Mountain, so he asked tremblingly: Who? Who's talking?
At this moment, a colorful pheasant slowly walked out from Zhang Laosan's left side, Zhang Laosan looked fixedly, wasn't this the pheasant he let go yesterday?
At this time, the colorful pheasant spat out and said: Benefactor, the mushrooms in front of you can't be picked.
Zhang Laosan asked: What are you? Why?
The colorful pheasant said: I am the game you put yesterday, these mushrooms are called man-eating mushrooms, every morning will release a kind of poisonous gas, the living creature will pass out in the mushroom bush when touched, and then the poisonous gas will wrap the whole body of the living creature, and finally turn into pus to become nutrients by those mushrooms.
Hearing this, Zhang Laosan looked towards the mushroom bushes, and did not pay attention to it without careful observation, and found that these mushrooms were clearly growing on many white bones, and he felt afraid when he saw such a situation, so he hurriedly took a few steps back.
And the colorful pheasant continued: Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, it's afternoon, and the poisonous gas has basically dissipated, as long as you don't move them, they won't spew poisonous gas.
After hearing this, Zhang Laosan felt a lot more steady, and then suddenly remembered, and then asked: Since you can speak people's words, then you have Taoism, why were you caught by me, why do you call me a benefactor?
The colorful pheasant continued: The benefactor doesn't know, I already have a thousand-year path, but the thousand-year-old Taoist tribulation is too difficult, and I failed to cross the tribulation, but because I have a trace of the blood of the colorful phoenix, the heavenly palace will put me in Dongshan, saying that someone will catch me, if I am released, then give me the opportunity to rebuild, if I am slaughtered, then I will be reincarnated, so I will say thank you.
After hearing this, Zhang Laosan sighed: Your cultivation is really troublesome, it's not as good as us, just eat and not be hungry.
Colorful pheasant said: My ancestors also turned into human form into the world, they said that talent is the most complex animal, unlike us who only know how to eat instinctively, absorb the aura of heaven and earth and then live.
Zhang Laosan felt justified after hearing this, so he didn't say much, but said: Then do you know how to get rid of these man-eating mushrooms, set them on fire.
The colorful pheasant hurriedly said: It is not okay to set fire, their poisonous gas will fly away along the smoke, and it will be more dangerous to spread when the time comes.
After hearing this, Zhang Laosan hurriedly said: Then I will go to find the boy's urine and realgar wine first, and come to get rid of this man-eating mushroom tomorrow afternoon.
So Zhang Laosan went home and told the Li family what happened, and then went out to search for the boy's urine, and then the matter was known by the government, and the magistrate of the government felt that it was very magical, so he ordered the whole town to collect the boy's urine, and then brought the jar of realgar wine.
In the afternoon of the next day, Zhang Laosan took the government and other people to the man-eating mushroom bush, and then sprinkled the boy's urine mixed with realgar wine on the man-eating mushroom, and suddenly the man-eating mushroom deflated like a deflated ball, and finally turned into a pile of water.
After all the mushrooms turned into water, a corpse of white bones appeared on the ground, and the sharp-eyed catcher suddenly shouted: My lord, look at the clothes of Li Laoshi and Qian Laoji.
The magistrate immediately called someone to call the two families, and after identification, it was found that it was indeed the two of them, and then the two families cried and cried to take away the bones of the two.
Later, when Zhang Laosan returned home, he found that all the game at home had turned into gold, and later Zhang Laosan would bring his wife and children to Dongshan to worship every important festival.
Three hundred years after Zhang Lao, his son Zhang Hanlin once went through a period of time to memorize words, and it is said that a Taoist priest who spoke sharply like a chicken tip came to crack it.