ENG
The human heart swings good and ill,
With wealth and treasure, freedom's thrill.
Riding a hammer to the sky,
Tell me, is it strange or nigh?
Years ago, in Village of Chen, a villager went out one day and saw a peculiar man standing by the roadside, holding a rope tied to a white soft-shelled turtle. Passers-by came and went, but no one paid any attention to this strange sight.
The villager pretended not to notice and tried to hurry past, but the white turtle at his feet let out a pitiful cry. In his compassion, he argued with the peculiar man and eventually bought the white turtle, releasing it back into the water.
That night, the villager had a dream in which the white turtle vomited out a tiny person with blue-purple skin and an ugly face. The tiny person ran towards the villager, startling him awake.
After that, the villager began to change. His eyes could see occasional glimmers of light in the mountains and fields, and his appetite grew immensely, along with his strength. One day, he took a shovel and dug into the ground, discovering a coffin filled with valuable artifacts. This unexpected found bestowed hiss great wealth.
One night, the white turtle appeared in his dream again, letting out a cry. The villager felt his stomach churn and vomited out the tiny person with blue-purple skin. The tiny person fell to the ground and hurried towards the white turtle. Realizing something, the villager grabbed the tiny person and swallowed him back down. The white turtle called out a few more times, but the villager covered his mouth, refusing to let the tiny person out. After a tense stand-off, the villager woke up again.
Over time, the villager's appearance became increasingly abnormal, forcing him to wear an iron mask to hide his face. Eventually, even his skin turned blue-purple, and he fled into the mountains, carrying specially made tools to search for more treasures.
Interestingly, on his treasure-hunting journey, he discovered that he was not the only one with such an experience, which brought him some comfort.
The story starts in the Village of Chen. A villager sees a strange man standing by the road holding a rope tied to a white soft-shelled turtle. Most people ignore the sight, but the villager hears the turtle cry pitifully. Moved by compassion, he argues with the man, buys the turtle, and releases it back into the water.
That night he has a strange dream: the white turtle vomits a tiny person with blue-purple skin and an ugly face, and the tiny person runs toward him. He wakes up startled. After that dream he begins to change in small but important ways: he starts to see occasional glimmers of light in the mountains and fields, his appetite and strength grow, and he develops a new drive to dig and search. Acting on that drive, he digs and finds a coffin full of valuable artifacts, which makes him wealthy.
On another night the turtle appears in a dream again and cries. This time the villager actually vomits the tiny person out into his house. The tiny person moves toward the turtle, so the villager grabs it and swallows it back down. The turtle calls out a few more times, but the villager covers his mouth and refuses to let the tiny person go. He then wakes up again.
Over time the villager’s body and face become increasingly abnormal. He must wear an iron mask to hide his appearance. Eventually his skin turns the same blue-purple color as the tiny person, and he leaves the village for the mountains. He carries specially made tools and sets out to search for more treasures, suggesting the changes pushed him toward treasure-hunting.
At the end of the account he learns he is not the only one who has gone through this experience, and that knowledge comforts him. The story shows a clear sequence: an act of compassion leads to strange supernatural encounters, those encounters coincide with sudden wealth, and the villager’s refusal to return the tiny person appears linked to his physical transformation and new life as a treasure-hunter.