Legends of Double Ninth Festival
During the period of the Eastern Han Dynasty in China's history, it is said, there lived in the Ruhe River a monster of plague. Whenver he appeared, there would always be someone from each family who fell ill and someone who lost his life each day. People living in this area suffered greatly from brutality of the monster.
A plague took off Huanjing's parents. He himself nearly lost his life. After his recovery Huanjing tool leave of his wife and the folks and set off determindely t seek for celestial beings and learn military art so as to eliminate the monster of plague.
Huanjing visited many famous mountains and called on lots of elder scholars. And at last he got to know that there lived in seclusion a celestial senior named Fei Changfang who possessed supernatural power that no one could match. If he went to learn from him, he could eliminate the monster of plague as easy as turning his hand over.
Huanjing was overjoyed to know this. He travelled across mountains and rivers and after going through all kinds of hardships and difficulties he came at last to the foot of the old mountain.He was worrying about the problem of how to find the celestial senior when a crane came flying before him.
The crane led him directly to the old temple in which the senior lived. The temple was surrounded with pines and cypresses of verdant green as well as surging mountain streams. However the door was made fast. Huanjing stood outside the door waiting respectfully for fear of disturbing the celestial senior.
Huanjing waited respectfully for three days, the door of the temple was opened at last. Fei Changfang, with white hair and ruddy complexation, stroked his long beard and said to Huanjing with a smile, " Since you were so devoted, please come in."
After accepting Huanjing as a disciple Fei Changfang, the celestial senior not only taught him the swordsmanship of subduing demons but also so absorbed in practising the aswordmanship that he often forgot the food and sleep. And at last his swordmanship reached high degree of professional proficiency.
One day the celestial senior asked Huanjing to come before him and said,"Tomorrow will be the 9th day of the 9th lunar month, and the monster is going to appear and make mischief. Since you have mastered the art, it is time for you to return and eliminate the monster for the people."
The celestial senior gave Huanjing a parcel of the cornel leaves and a jar of chrysanthemum wine and passed on to him secretly how to use these things to repel the evil. After that he let Huanjing ride on the crane and go to his hometown.
It was the morning of the 9th day when Huanjing returned to his native place. He led the folks to a high mountain nearby according to the senior's instruction. And then he gave each a leaf of the cornel and a cup of chrysanthemum wine.
Around noon the monster dashed out of the Ruhe River after making several monstrous cries. He rushed into the villages stenchfully. But to his great surprise, not a soul turned up after he passed several villages.
The monster was wondering at this when he suddenly caught the sight of the people standing crowded at the top of a mountain not far away. He laughed monstrously and rushed at the mountain.
As soon as the monster reached the foot of the mountain there suddenly blew from the mountain a gust of the strange scent of the cornel and the smell of the crysanthemum wine, which made him stop abruptly and change colors immediately.
Huanjing came down the mountain with the vanquishing sword in hand. And only after few rounds of fight he killed the monster with his sword. From then on the area near Ruhe River was never haunted by the plague. And the custom of climing the montain avoid the plague on the 9th day of the 9th lunar month was thus handed down year after year.
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