How the Young Man Searched for His Beloved

In ancient times, in a small village, there lived two families—the Zhangs and the Lis. The Zhangs had a son named Zhang Shuan, while the Lis had a daughter nicknamed Li Hua, which means "Li Flower." Both the young man and the girl grew up to be exceptionally beautiful and became famous in the area for their looks. They had been close since childhood and secretly vowed to never part and to live together until their hair turned gray. Zhang Shuan sent a matchmaker to Li Hua's house, but her parents refused him due to his poverty and decided to marry their daughter off to a wealthy man named Wang. The Wangs chose an auspicious day, hired musicians, and set off to fetch the bride. Li Hua did not want to enter the wedding palanquin, but her parents forced her. The musicians began to play, the bearers lifted the palanquin, and off they went. Li Hua sat inside, banging her head against the walls and weeping. When they were halfway there, she heard a whistling sound. A shapeshifter descended from the sky—his face was black, and his eyes were round. He grabbed the bride and carried her away.

When Zhang Shuan heard about this, he was heartbroken and said to his parents, "I cannot live without my Li Hua. I will not rest until I find her."

His father said to him, "An evil shapeshifter has taken your Li Hua. Where will you look for her now?"

His mother added, "An evil shapeshifter has taken your Li Hua. You will never find her."

But Zhang Shuan did not listen to his parents. He left home to search for his beloved Li Hua.

He searched for countless days, asking everyone he met, but no one had seen Li Hua or heard anything about her. "Perhaps the evil shapeshifter has devoured my beloved," he thought. Overcome with sorrow, he sat by the roadside and wept. Suddenly, out of nowhere, an old man with a white beard appeared. The old man asked the youth, "Why are you crying, young man? Who has wronged you?"

The youth replied, "I will not hide it from you, grandfather. An evil shapeshifter has taken my beloved. I have searched for Li Hua for many days, but she is nowhere to be found."

"Come with me," said the old man. "I know where the evil shapeshifter lives."

Hearing this, Zhang Shuan quickly stood up and followed the old man.

They walked and walked until they encountered another young man. The old man asked him, "Who are you, and where are you headed, young man?"

The young man replied, "My name is Wang Lan. I am wandering the world in search of my bride. An evil shapeshifter stole her halfway from the wedding palanquin and took her to an unknown place."

The white-bearded old man nodded and said, "Come with us. I know where she is."

And so the three of them continued their journey together: Wang Lan, Zhang Shuan, and the white-bearded old man. They walked all day without eating a single grain of rice. Zhang Shuan could not stop thinking about his beloved and had no appetite for food or drink. Wang Lan, however, was so hungry that he began to tremble.

He said to the old man, "We should eat something. Let's rest and then continue."

The old man nodded and said, "Look behind you, young man."

Wang Lan turned around and saw a large house with a tiled roof, a high porch, and a stone lion at the entrance.

The old man said again, "Let's go inside and ask for something to eat."

The old man led the youths to the porch and knocked on the door. An old woman came out and asked, "What do you want? Why are you knocking?"

The old man replied, "We do not need buns or meat. Just give us something simple. We are hungry from our journey."

The old woman said, "Alright, follow me."

They entered the room behind her and saw a beautiful girl, about eighteen years old, sitting on a bench. The old woman had prepared all sorts of food and served the guests, saying, "I want to discuss something with you. I don't know if we'll come to an agreement. My husband died long ago, and I live alone with my daughter. I want to take a son-in-law into my home to support me in my old age. Which of you two young men will stay here forever?"

The old man began to persuade Zhang Shuan, but he would not listen, as he could only think of his beloved. The old man then turned to Wang Lan, who was more than willing. He was drawn to the tiled house and the young beauty.

Wang Lan stayed, while the old man and Zhang Shuan continued on their way. After walking a little over a mile, the old man suddenly said, "I dropped my handkerchief on the porch near the stone lion. Go back and fetch it for me."

Zhang Shuan ran back and saw that the tiled house had disappeared, leaving only the lion. The lion was tearing Wang Lan to pieces, grabbing chunks and devouring them. Terrified, Zhang Shuan ran back to the old man and said, "A disaster has struck! The lion has eaten Wang Lan."

But the old man kept walking without stopping. "Do you know why the lion ate Wang Lan?" he asked.

"No, grandfather," Zhang Shuan replied.

The old man said, "Think about it. Then you will know."

Zhang Shuan and the old man walked day and night until they finally arrived at a stone house. The old man said, "This is my home."

Zhang Shuan entered and saw that everything inside was made of stone—a stone bed, a stone pot, stone bowls, and stone basins. The old man told Zhang Shuan to gather pine cones to prepare a meal. Seven days passed. Seeing that the young man remained undaunted and did not lose hope, the old man asked, "Do you want to rescue Li Hua?"

"I do," the youth replied.

"Then go to the western edge of the sky, to the Fiery Mountain, and retrieve the precious sword from the cave of the Fire Tiger. I will give you a robe that will protect you from the fire. Put it on and march forward bravely. But remember, if you take a single step back, the fire will consume you."

Zhang Shuan put on the magical white robe, which sparkled and shimmered, and set off for the western edge of the sky. After countless days of travel, he finally saw the Fiery Mountain ahead. Flames roared, and fiery tongues hissed, threatening to lick the sky. Unafraid, the youth walked straight into the fire. But what a miracle! The fire did not harm him. At the mountain's peak was the cave of the Fire Tiger, guarded by the beast itself. The tiger's eyes were like temple bells, and flames shot from its mouth. Remembering his beloved Li Hua, Zhang Shuan grew even braver. He rushed into the cave, saw the precious sword hanging on the wall, and grabbed it. He struck the tiger, and it fell dead. At that moment, the flames on the mountain extinguished. Zhang Shuan took the sword and returned to the old man.

The old man said to him, "Now go and rescue your Li Hua. A shapeshifting fish from the Eastern Sea has taken her and settled her on an island. But know this: if fear or doubt overcomes you, you will not save your beloved."

Zhang Shuan took the precious sword and headed for the eastern edge of the sky. After countless days of travel, he reached the Eastern Sea. The emerald sea seemed endless, with waves crashing upon waves and breakers rolling over breakers. He looked around and thought, "If only I could find a small boat. I am not afraid of the wild wind or the towering waves. I fear nothing! I just need to reach that island!"

As he walked along the shore, the wind stung his face with sand, the sea soaked his feet, hunger gnawed at him, and the cold pierced him to the bone. But the youth pressed on.

One day, he saw a peach tree floating on the sea. One moment it was swallowed by a wave, the next it reappeared on the surface. The youth looked at the tree and suddenly saw three bright red peaches among the green leaves. The tree drifted straight toward him. Zhang Shuan grabbed the branches, and suddenly he felt very thirsty. He plucked a peach from the tree and was about to eat it when a fierce roar sounded, and a tiger appeared out of nowhere. Startled, Zhang Shuan fell into the water. The tiger vanished, and the peach tree disappeared as well. The youth felt his body become as light as a peach leaf, and he stepped onto the water as if it were solid ground. He stood and did not sink. The peach, it turned out, was magical and could protect him from water. Holding the magical peach in his mouth, Zhang Shuan walked straight to the island. The island lay in the middle of the sea, shrouded in black mist and overgrown with wild grass. As soon as the youth set foot on the island, the shapeshifting fish emerged from the mist, accompanied by shrimp soldiers and crab generals. All of them carried long spears and steel pikes. The shapeshifting fish was black, with a silver helmet gleaming on its head and a silver armor shimmering on its body. The fish let out a cry, and the sea roared in response. The shrimp soldiers and crab generals surrounded the youth. Unafraid, Zhang Shuan did not retreat. He raised his precious sword, turned to the east, and swung it! He turned to the west and struck! A fiery white trail followed the sword. At that moment, the mist dispersed, and the soldiers and generals turned back into shrimp and crabs, scattering in all directions.

When the shapeshifting fish saw the gleaming sword, it shut its eyes. The youth struck it down. Then he found his beloved, and they became husband and wife.

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How the Young Man Searched for His Beloved

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