According to Tang Que Shi, during the reign of Emperor De Zong of the Tang Dynasty, there was an official named Li Ao whose radical and straightforward character led to his offending Prime Minister Li Fengji. Consequently, Li Ao was demoted from the central Department of State Affairs and sent to a remote region, Luzhou, as a local governor.
At that time, there was an out-of-towner, Li Chushi, who lived in Luzhou and was highly skilled in Taoism. The man was able to communicate with the gods, and the prophecies he spoke came true, so the people in the county respected and honored him as if he were a god.
An encounter marked by disdain
A month after Li Ao’s arrival in Luzhou, Li Chushi sent him his calling card and waited to meet with the new governor.
However, Li Ao, who never believed in ghosts or gods, met Li Chushi with a cold reception and arrogantly stated: “Confucius was a great sage. Even he questioned: ‘How can you know about death before you figure out the purpose of living?’ Mr. Li, do you think you can be more intelligent than Confucius, and that you actually know both life and death?”
Li Chushi did not get angry when he heard that. He just said lightly: “You can’t say that. Don’t you know the book On the Non-existence of Ghosts by Ruan Zhan of the Jin Dynasty? Others could not refute what he wrote, but in the end, didn’t he see a ghost with his own eyes and admit his mistake?”
A prophecy ignored
Li Chushi added: “What I want to tell you now is that within half a day, a member of your family will fall gravely ill. If the person lives for comfort and immediate gratification, their suffering can be deemed self-inflicted, and I have no obligation to intervene. However, if this individual understands empathy, justice, and reason, who could stand by and watch them suffer?”
On hearing this, Li Ao became furious and promptly imprisoned Li Chushi.
A prophecy fulfilled
That very day, a poisonous sore appeared on the back of Li Ao’s wife. By the next day, it started to fester. She slipped into unconsciousness, refusing food and drink. Despite seeking the help of all local physicians, her condition didn’t improve.
Li Ao had 10 unmarried daughters, all of whom blamed their mother’s illness on their father’s unjust incarceration of Li Chushi. Torn between his critically ill wife and his distraught daughters, Li Ao grudgingly released Li Chushi from prison and pleaded for his aid.
Redemption and healing
Li Chushi instructed: “You must personally write a prayer of repentance! Wait for nightfall, then burn incense and pray to the gods. I can leave you a talisman. Burn it along with the prayer you have written, and your family member will be cured.”
Before he left, Li Chushi cautioned: “Be careful when writing so as not to make any mistakes. You may not make any changes or revisions once the paper has been written. There is nothing else to be done other than that.”
This time, Li Ao believed in the words of Li Chushi and began to draft a prayer without delay. He first washed his hands and then wrote reverently. Yet, his inherently stubborn and doubtful nature led to several mistakes. Remembering his promise, he painstakingly wrote the prayer out again and again. Despite his extreme fatigue, he finally completed a satisfactory piece, only to realize he had omitted a character in his official title, which he quickly filled in.
As time was running out, he promptly burned the prayer with the talisman. Instantly, his wife’s pain subsided, bringing relief and joy to the entire family.
The divine sees all
At dawn, Li Chushi came to pay a visit. Li Ao was very grateful to him. However, Li Chushi said: “The disaster has been averted, but the illness still lingers. I warned you yesterday that you were not allowed to make any changes to the written prayer. Why did you add a word at the end?”
Li Ao said: “No, I wrote everything correctly!”
Li Chushi then produced the essay Li Ao had written and burned the previous night, to Li Ao’s astonishment. Overwhelmed with shame, Li Ao immediately stood up, bowed to Li Chushi, and took out a generous amount of silver and offered it to him. Li Chushi took nothing from him. A few days later, Li Chushi mysteriously vanished.
Eventually, Li Ao’s wife fully recovered from her illness. Everything happened exactly as Li Chushi had predicted!
The entire town was left marveling: “This is indeed miraculous!”
From then on, Li Ao became a true believer and would tell anyone he met: “There are indeed divine beings in this world. I now believe in their existence, not their non-existence!”
Translated by cecilia
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