The Heavenly Drum

In the Heavenly Palace lived a shenxian—an immortal sage—who had seven daughters, all grown up. The youngest had just turned eighteen. Their father was terribly afraid that the girls might start thinking about earthly life, and even more so, he feared they might find suitors among the humans. That’s why the old man kept them under strict control, forbidding them to go out or have fun. So, the poor girls sat in the palace, tormented by mortal boredom.

The youngest daughter was named Qi-jie. She was exceptionally beautiful. One day, as Qi-jie was resting in her chambers, the enchanting sounds of a flute reached her ears, carried to the Heavenly Palace from the human world. The flute sang so sweetly that Qi-jie couldn’t help but listen intently. She was burning with curiosity to find out who was playing, and with the help of her spotted deer servant, she quietly slipped out of the palace to peer through the clouds at the earth below.

It was spring. In the human world, the peaches were turning purple, the willows were greening, and swallows flew in pairs. Young couples were weeding the green wheat fields, singing songs. Qi-jie felt a pang of envy.

She turned toward the direction of the flute’s melody and saw a sturdy young man sitting under a spreading willow tree, playing the flute. The girl couldn’t take her eyes off him. She gazed and gazed, and soon fell in love.

The deer guessed what his mistress was thinking and whispered to her:

"Look, Qi-jie, how wonderful it is down there among the humans! Wouldn’t it be nice to go down and stroll among them?"

Qi-jie simply nodded.

The deer continued:

"Do you see that young man playing the flute? He’s so hardworking! From dawn till dusk, he cuts grass in the mountains! Do you like him?"

Blushing with embarrassment, Qi-jie nodded again and said:

"I do like him, but I don’t know if he’s a good person or not."

"I’ll find out in no time. Should I go down?"

The girl agreed, and the deer began to descend quietly to the earth.

The young man sitting under the willow tree, playing the flute, was named Wang San. He was an orphan who made a living by cutting grass.

When Wang San finished playing, he stood up, took his sickle, and was about to start working when suddenly he saw the deer running toward him. The deer approached Wang San, bent its front legs, bowed, and pleaded:

"Save me, brother grass-cutter! Hide me quickly! A wolf is chasing me!"

Wang San hid the deer in a haystack and climbed a tree. In that very moment, the wolf appeared. It ran up to the tree, panting, and asked Wang San:

"Have you seen a deer running along the road?"

Wang San waved his hand to the west and replied:

"Yes, I saw it. It ran off that way."

Hearing this, the wolf dashed off toward the west.

The deer then emerged from the haystack and began thanking Wang San. Then it asked if the young man had a large family.

Wang San sighed and replied:

"Ah, I’m all alone in this world. I sleep alone, I wake alone."

The deer asked:

"Why don’t you bring a wife into your home?"

The young man answered:

"I’m poor. Who would marry me?"

The deer said:

"Don’t be sad, brother Wang San! With your hard work, how could you not find a wife? Just wait, I’ll arrange a match for you!"

Wang San replied:

"I don’t know how to thank you."

The deer said:

"It’s late now, I must go, but we’ll meet again soon. If you need my help, turn to the southeast and call three times: ‘Brother deer! Brother deer! Brother deer!’ I’ll come to you in an instant."

With that, the deer disappeared. Wang San gathered his grass and returned home.

The next day, the young man rose at dawn and headed back to the mountains. As he approached the river, he saw a girl in a pink dress washing clothes on the bank. She had large, radiant eyes and deft, quick hands. She was also very beautiful. Wang San couldn’t take his eyes off her and forgot all about his grass.

The girl washed and washed, but suddenly she slipped and fell into the water. Without a second thought, Wang San jumped in after her and pulled her to the shore.

The girl was soaked and shivering. She said to Wang San:

"You really are a kind young man! If your home isn’t far, may I come and dry off?"

Wang San replied:

"Of course, come and dry off!"

And so they walked side by side to his house. When they arrived, the deer was standing near the house, waiting for them, holding two sets of clothes.

Wang San was surprised and asked:

"Why have you come, brother deer?"
And the deer laughed and replied:

"I told you I would come to propose to you. This girl's name is Qi-jie. For your sake, she left the Heavenly Palace and descended to earth. She was drawn to your hard work and kind heart, and she agreed to marry you. So, will you take her as your wife?"

Wang San listened to the deer, looked at Qi-jie, and it felt as if a flower had bloomed in his heart. The young man blushed and asked Qi-jie to become his wife. Wang San and Qi-jie lived happily, working diligently. The deer often came to help them.

When the immortal elder learned that his daughter had married, he became furious, burning with anger. One day, he waited until Wang San went to the fields, descended to earth, and took Qi-jie back to the Heavenly Palace.

When Wang San returned from the fields, Qi-jie was gone. He began to search for her. He searched for half a day but couldn't find her anywhere. The young man became despondent and suddenly remembered the deer. He turned to the southeast and shouted three times:

"Brother Deer! Brother Deer! Brother Deer!"

As soon as he shouted, the deer appeared before him.

The deer said to the young man:

"Brother Wang San! The immortal elder found out that Qi-jie married you, got angry, took her to the Heavenly Palace, and imprisoned her. Qi-jie told me to tell you to sow sorghum and take good care of it, even better than in previous years. And when the sorghum ripens, don't harvest it all; leave the thickest stalk in the field. Overnight, it will grow up to the clouds. You can climb this stalk to reach the Heavenly Palace and meet Qi-jie. She also asked you to play the flute every day; it will cheer her up. Remember well what I've told you. Now it's time for me to go. Qi-jie is waiting..."

Before Wang San could blink, the deer disappeared.

The young man was heartbroken. He lifted his head, looked at the sky, but saw nothing except dark clouds. Where was his Qi-jie now? The young man took the flute and began to play to cheer up his wife. Never before had his flute sounded so clear. The gentle notes soared straight to the heavenly prison. When Qi-jie heard Wang San playing, the shackles on her feet seemed to lighten.

Wang San was eager to see Qi-jie as soon as possible, so he did everything as she had instructed: he sowed the sorghum and tended to it diligently. The sorghum grew tall, very tall. Wang San looked at it with joy.

And the sorghum grew stronger day by day. Soon, the tassels appeared. Qi-jie sat in the heavenly prison, waiting impatiently for the sorghum to ripen. Each day felt like a year to her.

Finally, autumn came, and the sorghum turned red. The fluffy tassels hung from the stalks. One stalk stood out above all—thick, tall, as big as a tree. The young man harvested the sorghum, took it home, but left the tallest, thickest stalk in the field. Overnight, it grew up to the clouds. Wang San saw it, wrapped his arms around it, and began to climb to the heavens.

There he was, at the Heavenly Palace. Six maidens came out to meet him, all wearing identical dresses.

The eldest asked:

"Who are you, and why have you come?"

Wang San replied:

"I am Qi-jie's husband, looking for my wife."

The maidens rejoiced and exclaimed in unison:

"So you are our younger sister's husband?"

Wang San answered:

"Yes, I am her husband!"

The eldest sister said:

"We saw that the sorghum had turned red and came out to meet you. Our little sister is suffering in the heavenly prison. And the deer was also locked up for delivering her message to you. You won't be able to see them now, so hide for a while..."

As soon as she said this, the immortal elder appeared on the path. He walked, limping, leaning on his cane.

The elder pointed his cane at the young man and asked his daughters:

"Who is this man, and where did he come from?"

The eldest replied:

"He flew from Earth to Heaven!"

"The young man must be skilled if he managed to fly to Heaven," thought the elder, and he asked:

"Why have you come?"

Wang San answered:

"I am your son-in-law, here to pay my respects and take my wife, your seventh daughter, back home."

Hearing this, the elder bowed his head, then smiled slyly and asked:

"Heh, heh! So you are Wang San?"

The young man replied:

"That's me!"

Meanwhile, the elder decided to test Wang San. He ordered a plow to be brought and said:

"I've heard you're a master plowman! Do you see the grass growing on the wall? Well, plow it! If you succeed, I'll give you my daughter. If you fail, leave at once!"

Having said this, the old man hobbled away.

Plowing a field—there was no better plowman than Wang San! But how could one plow a wall? Wang San was about to despair when the eldest sister said:

"Don't worry, brother! I'll help you."
She blew on Van Sanya's feet once, then again, and the young man effortlessly stood on the edge of the wall, took hold of the plow, and in an instant, he plowed the entire wall.

Soon, the old man returned and saw that not a single blade of grass remained on the wall. He thought to himself, "This young man truly is skilled." And so, the old man decided to set another task for the youth. He ordered a dou of bran to be brought and said to Van Sanya:

"Do you see this bran? Weave a rope from it. If you succeed, I will give you my daughter. If you fail, be gone!"

Having said this, the old man hobbled away.

Van Sanya was the best at weaving ropes from hemp or grass, but how could one weave a rope from bran? He was about to despair when his eldest sister quietly said to him:

"Don't worry, little brother! I will help you."

The girl blew on the bran, took a handful, and began to weave a rope. She wove a little and handed it to Van Sanya. The young man continued weaving, and in no time, he had a rope.

When the old man returned and saw the smooth, slippery rope, he had nothing to say. Still unwilling to concede, he set another task for the youth:

"Very well! Rest today, and tomorrow you will go to Monkey Mountain and fetch me the Heavenly Drum. If you succeed, I will give you my daughter. If you fail, be gone!"

Having said this, the old man hobbled away.

Van Sanya was even more disheartened than before. "How am I to obtain the Heavenly Drum?" he wondered. But then all his sisters approached him at once—the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth—and said:

"Don't worry, brother-in-law. We will help you."

The third sister gave him a canvas bag, the fourth gave him a small axe, the fifth gave him a flint, and the sixth gave him a needle. They told him what to do and how to proceed to obtain the Heavenly Drum and what to do afterward. They warned him not to speak a word, to remain silent, so as to avoid disaster and return alive.

Van Sanya listened, terrified, but what could he do? He had to save Qi-jie!

As soon as dawn broke, Van Sanya prepared for his journey, bid farewell to his sisters-in-law, and set off for Monkey Mountain.

When he reached the mountain, he grabbed onto the thorny brambles with his hands, planted his feet firmly on the rocks, and began to climb. His hands were soon scratched and bleeding, his feet raw, his clothes torn to shreds, but he kept climbing and climbing until he finally reached the summit.

He hid in the bushes and looked around. Everywhere he looked, monkeys were frolicking and leaping about. The Heavenly Drum hung from a tall tree, guarded by the monkeys. Suddenly, Van Sanya noticed a pit, climbed down into it, rolled around, and emerged covered in clay. He sat on a rock to dry in the sun.

At that moment, the monkeys ran down from the mountain to bathe in the mountain stream. They saw Van Sanya, mistook him for a clay bodhisattva, and began to grab at him, each trying to claim him for themselves. They brought him to the Heavenly Drum, placed him beside it, and began bowing before him. They plucked fruits from the tree, laid them at his feet, and then—peng-peng-peng, peng-peng-peng—ran off, leaving only an old monkey to guard the drum.

Van Sanya pulled the canvas bag from his robe, beckoned to the monkey, and shouted:

"Quick, get into the bag!"

The monkey didn't think twice and jumped into the bag, which Van Sanya promptly tied up. He swiftly climbed the tree, took the drum, slung it over his back, and ran off. The monkeys immediately noticed the theft, panicked, and buzzed like bees in a hive, chasing after him.

Dun-dun-dun—Van Sanya ran; peng-peng-peng—the monkeys raced after him. Seeing that the monkeys were close, Van Sanya threw the small axe to the ground. Instantly, a raging river appeared, blocking the monkeys' path.

Hua-hua-hua—the monkeys splashed through the water, swimming across.

Dun-dun-dun—Van Sanya ran with all his might; peng-peng-peng—the monkeys pursued him. Seeing that the monkeys were getting closer, Van Sanya threw the flint to the ground, and a tall mountain rose behind him, blocking the monkeys' path.

Qi-liu-liu, qi-liu-liu—the monkeys scrambled up the mountain.

Dun-dun-dun—Van Sanya ran; peng-peng-peng—the monkeys chased after him. Seeing that the monkeys were catching up, Van Sanya threw the needle to the ground, and sharp, glittering cliffs rose behind him, blocking the monkeys' path.

The cliffs sparkled like sharp knives, impossible for the monkeys to climb.

Van Sanya escaped the monkeys and arrived at the Heavenly Palace. His eldest sister met him, took cotton from a small box, and told Van Sanya to plug his ears and prepare a sturdy stick. Van Sanya did as he was told.

Meanwhile, the immortal old man sat gloating, thinking, "Heh, heh! Van Sanya won't return alive; the monkeys will tear him apart."

Just as he thought this, Van Sanya entered the room, carrying the drum on his back. When the old man saw that his son-in-law had returned alive and brought the drum, he grew even angrier and decided to strike the youth dead. He said:

"Let me check if the drum you brought is real or not!"

The old man raised his staff and struck the drum. Dong!—the drum thundered; sha-sha-sha—leaves fell from the trees. "Well," thought the old man, "I've half-deafened Van Sanya!"

But Van Sanya, as if nothing had happened, said:

"Strike harder! I can't hear it!"

The old man was amazed and struck even harder:

Dong!—the drum boomed; ge-cha! ge-cha!—the walls trembled. "Well," thought the old man, "if he survives this time..."

But Van Sanya, again as if nothing had happened, said:

"Strike harder! I can't hear it!"

When the old man struck the drum twice, his head began to spin. How could he strike a third time?

"Can't do it?" said Van Sanya. "Let me try." He raised the staff. Dong-dong-dong—he beat the drum. The heavens shook, the earth quaked, and the wicked old man fell backward and breathed his last.

Van Sanya broke the iron gates of the heavenly prison, removed the shackles from Qi-jie, took out his flute, and joyfully descended to the mortal world with his wife.

The six sisters also descended to the earth with them and found hardworking husbands. The spotted deer came down to the mortal world as well, and they all lived happily ever after.

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The Heavenly Drum

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