Praying for Rain at Huanglong Cave
Praying for Rain at Huanglong Cave: In fact, Huanglong Cave has long been famous. Especially the story of Master He praying for rain at Huanglong Cave is known to everyone within a hundred li. In an early year, Suoxiyu suffered a hundred-day drought; the river dried up, and the crops in the fields were so parched they could catch fire. The common people had no choice but to ask the Tujia ritual master He Junru to enter Huanglong Cave to pray for rain. Master He selected ten strong men...
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Praying for Rain at Huanglong Cave
Actually, Huanglong Cave has long been famous. Especially the story of Master He praying for rain at Huanglong Cave is known to everyone within a hundred li.
In an early year, Suoxiyu suffered a hundred-day drought. The river dried up, the seedlings in the fields could catch fire, and the common people had to ask He Junru, a local master, to enter Huanglong Cave to pray for rain. Master He selected ten strong young men as his helpers. When entering the cave, Master He said to those outside: "I have two pairs of straw sandals. I wear one pair, and place one pair at the cave entrance. If you see the outside sandals fighting, beat the instruments (gongs and drums) with all your might. Remember this well."
Master He and the ten young men, not knowing how many steamers' eyes they passed through, nor how many deep pools they crossed, walked for nine days before reaching the Dragon Palace. They saw on a stalactite a pretty girl sitting and spinning cotton. Beside her was a lamp. Master He knew she was the Dragon Maiden in charge of water, and said very politely: "Dragon Maiden above, He Junru, a local master, below. Because outside there has been no rain for over half a year, the seedlings can catch fire. I specially beg the Dragon Maiden to show kindness and give some water!" The Dragon Maiden acted as if she hadn't heard, only tending to her spinning. Master He kept kowtowing and bowing, his mouth frothing, but the Dragon Maiden still ignored him. Master He thought: Damn, I've begged three times and she ignores me. Let me try playing a joke on her. So Master He took off the straw sandals from his feet, threw them on the ground, and muttered a few words. The two sandals began to fight. Strangely, the pair outside also began to fight. The people, seeing the sandals fighting, beat the gongs and drums with all their might as Master He had instructed. The Dragon Maiden saw the two sandals fighting, one round left, one round right, inseparable, and the more she watched, the more amused she became. She couldn't help but chuckle, and said to Master He: "Oh, it's drought outside. Alright, I'll give you water!" With that, she dipped a fingernail of water from a bowl and flicked it at the rock wall. A stream as thick as an arm poured down from above, flowed along the dry stream out of the cave, and outside it began to drizzle. The young men, seeing only such a small stream, pleaded bitterly: "This little water can't quench the thirst of ten thousand people or irrigate a thousand mu of fields! Please ask the Dragon Maiden for more water!" The Dragon Maiden had to flick another fingernail, and the water grew larger. Outside, thunder and lightning flashed, and rain poured down. The young men still thought the water was too little and pleaded bitterly again. The Dragon Maiden refused absolutely and carried the lamp into the inner cave. The young men, not knowing their place, smashed the bowl with a stick, and floodwaters rolled out of the cave like thunder. Master He knew disaster had struck and hurriedly took off his
magic robe from his body, held it in his hand, and fanned the surging water. One fan, the water retreated one zhang; two fans, the water retreated two zhang...
When the water rose in the cave, the straw sandals outside fought desperately. The people beating gongs and drums were fascinated
and forgot to beat them. Once the gongs and drums stopped, Master He's magic robe lost its power. Now the water rose more fiercely, and the lives of the ten young men were in danger. Master He bit his ten fingers until they bled, and dotted a drop of blood on each of the ten young men's heads. The ten young men turned into ten ducks, quacking as they swam out of the cave. Master He himself turned into a log, shielding the ducks as they drifted outward.
Because the water in the cave was too great and the cave entrance was blocked, the ten ducks could not find a way out and all suffocated. Master He, crashing about, barely managed to rush out of the cave entrance.
Three days and nights later, the flood receded. People did not see the rain-praying group come out and knew they had all perished. Then someone noticed a log at the cave entrance and pulled it ashore for firewood. As soon as the log left the water, it gradually turned into a person. Everyone looked—oh, it was Master He!
Master He, shedding tears and sighing, said: "I would rather die of drought at Lanmen Field than beat the Huanglong Spring!"