Time: 2013-03-26 12:24 Source: Story Website Author: Mingyue Zhuyeqing\ During the Yongzheng period, in Shinan Prefecture, Hubei (now Enshi County), there was a family with the surname Fan. The head of this family was named Jin Wen, who made a living by selling miscellaneous goods in the streets and alleys. Although he was nearly thirty, he had never married. Besides a servant named Zhang Li, he had no other family members. Zhang Li, in his early twenties, was honest and straightforward, diligent and conscientious in his work, and carried out his tasks without complaint. Therefore, Fan Jinwen liked him very much and treated him generously.\ One year, while Fan Jinwen was out selling goods, he had a dispute over a trivial matter with a local merchant named Yang Bin. The argument escalated, and eventually, they came to blows, fighting fiercely for a time. Although bystanders later intervened and broke up the fight, a grudge was established from then on.\ Yang Bin, who was narrow-minded, sinister, and malicious, harbored continuous resentment toward Fan Jinwen. He then bribed a rogue with money to murder Fan Jinwen with a knife on the road while he was returning home at night and ordered the rogue to flee to another region afterward. Upon hearing this tragic news, Zhang Li hurried to the scene. Seeing his master brutally killed, his heart felt as if stabbed with a knife. After bitterly grieving, he concluded that Yang Bin must be responsible. The next morning, he rushed to the local government office to seek justice.\ After the county magistrate held court and heard the case, he accepted the complaint and sent the officers to summon Yang Bin. When Yang Bin learned of Zhang Li's accusation, he was not very afraid, as he had already prepared a scheme. He instructed his steward to quietly give the magistrate a thousand taels of silver. After accepting the generous gift, the magistrate declared that Fan Jinwen's death was due to a robbery and had nothing to do with the Yang family, stating that only the murderer could solve the matter.\ Thus, the case became a cold case. Zhang Li repeatedly urged the county office to take action, but the magistrate not only grew impatient but also saw him as troublesome. In the end, Zhang Li was beaten twenty times with a rod and expelled from the courtroom.\ With no way to appeal, Zhang Li turned to the heavens in vain, calling upon the earth in vain, his heart filled with grief and anger. Helpless, he bought a sharp blade and carried it with him, intending to avenge his master by attacking Yang Bin when he was unguarded. Unexpectedly, this plan was accidentally discovered by Yang Bin, who became extremely fearful and hurried to the magistrate, hoping to find an excuse to arrest Zhang Li, thereby resolving everything once and for all. A sympathetic officer, having learned of this, secretly warned Zhang Li in advance, advising him to escape immediately.As soon as Zhang Li heard this, he hurriedly took advantage of the darkness to flee to a distant place. From then on, he wandered through the martial world, taking odd jobs for others to make a living. Fortunately, by a chance encounter, he met a Traveling Physician (a traveling doctor who attracts patients by ringing bells, hence the name, also refers to folk doctors roaming the martial world). This physician saw that he was honest and kind-hearted, so he accepted him as a disciple. After several years, he taught him all his skills.
When the master saw that Zhang Li had fully mastered his teachings, he handed him the bell and medical tools, telling him to make a living on his own. From then on, Zhang Li went roaming the countryside with the bell, and because his medical skills were excellent and he charged low fees, people from dozens of miles around knew of his fame and sought him out for treatment.
One noon, Zhang Li was walking in the mountains, preparing to visit a farmer to give treatment. As he walked halfway along the mountain path, he suddenly saw a burly man approaching. Looking closely, the man had sharp eyebrows, bright eyes, a full beard, and a towering presence. However, his left arm was exposed outside his clothing, and there was a long wound on it, with flesh and blood rotting and pus oozing out, emitting a faint foul smell. Zhang Li, always remembering his master's teaching to 'uphold the virtue of benevolence and carry the ambition to aid the world,' stopped and asked the man, 'What happened to your arm?'
The man said, 'A few days ago, while walking through the valley, I was injured by a hunter's bullet. Because I couldn't afford medical treatment, it has rotted to this condition.'
Zhang Li examined the wound carefully for a long time, then looked up and said, 'The lead pellet has lodged deep in the muscle. If untreated, within days, you may lose this arm. Tell me your name, and I can treat you.'
The man was very happy to hear this and said, 'My name is Ban Xiong. I am twenty years old and a descendant of Ban Biao of the Han Dynasty (Ban Biao, father of Ban Gu, who wrote the Later Annals to the Historical Records). If you are truly willing to heal me, please come to my home for a visit.'
Zhang Li nodded in agreement. Ban Xiong then led the way, and the two set off into the deep mountains.
After roughly the time it would take to eat a meal, they still hadn't reached his home, and the mountain path grew increasingly rugged. In the end, the mountains were so steep and abrupt that there was barely any path. Seeing that Zhang Li was struggling to walk, Ban Xiong turned back, lifted him onto his back with his right hand, and ran and jumped with ease, not struggling at all.After walking for a while, they finally arrived in front of a huge cave. Outside the cave, jagged rocks were scattered and wild grass grew abundantly. Only then did Ban Xiong gently place Zhang Li on the ground, and then led him into the cave. Inside, candles were lit, casting quite a bright light. The cave had no walls or roof, only some beds, stoves, tables, and other life utensils, all made of stone.
An elderly woman with white hair was sitting on the ground, holding a set of Buddhist prayer beads and murmuring Buddhist chants continuously. Upon seeing Ban Xiong bringing Zhang Li in, her face lit up with joy. She immediately stopped chanting and tried to rise from the ground, but Ban Xiong hurried forward, whispered a few words into her ear in a low voice that was hard to hear, and upon hearing this, the elderly woman sat down again and reverently resumed chanting the Buddha's name. Zhang Li knew this elderly woman was Ban Xiong's mother, and did not ask further. He let Ban Xiong go to the mountain spring outside the cave to clean his wound, and then took out from his backpack a precious medicine specifically for treating external injuries and applied it. After applying the medicine, he said, 'After three days, wash the wound and apply it again, and it will be fine.'
Hearing this, Ban Xiong was overjoyed, and shouted behind him, 'Quickly bring the meals to treat our guest.' No sooner had he spoken than a young woman with a hair bun adorned with wildflowers emerged from the stone room behind the cave. She placed a bamboo basket she was carrying on the stone table and then turned back inside. When Zhang Li looked, he saw that the bamboo basket was full of dried venison. Ban Xiong bashfully said to Zhang Li, 'It's not easy to find food deep in the mountains, please don't mind.'
By this time, Zhang Li was already very hungry. Before Ban Xiong finished speaking, he reached into the basket, grabbed a large piece of dried venison, and devoured it hungrily. Seeing this, Ban Xiong was delighted and said, 'I didn't expect you are one of our kind as well.' So they enjoyed the meal together. After finishing, Ban Xiong asked about Zhang Li's family background. Learning that he was still single, he said, 'Although my younger sister is simple, she is hardworking and capable. Since you have no family, if you don't mind, I would like her to serve you, to repay your great kindness.' Hearing this, Zhang Li was extremely astonished. He never expected that seeing a doctor could earn him a wife. While he was hesitating, Ban Xiong added, 'We should deal with matters straightforwardly and not be indecisive or overly reserved.'
Then he walked to the elderly woman and said a few words to her. The elderly woman, after listening, nodded, then turned and called from the back of the cave. The young woman came out again, her demeanor bold and poised, without any trace of shyness.Zhang Li, seeing that the matter had come to this, nodded in agreement. Ban Xiong was overjoyed and immediately called the two of them together to exchange vows and become husband and wife. That night, they celebrated in the bridal chamber, full of joy and happiness. From then on, Zhang Li lived with the woman in the stone chamber behind the cave.
After more than ten days, Ban Xiong's injuries had fully healed, and he invited Zhang Li to enjoy the scenery in the mountains with him. When Zhang Li stepped outside the cave, he indeed found the mountain rugged and the trees lush, with a unique and beautiful view. The two of them traveled several miles together, but as the path became increasingly perilous, Zhang Li felt some fear and prepared to turn back. Suddenly, Ban Xiong pointed to the mountain top and said to him, “There are still people walking up there, what is there to be afraid of?” Zhang Li looked in the direction Ban Xiong was pointing and indeed saw someone running down from the mountain top at great speed. In a short while, he reached the two of them. Seeing Ban Xiong, he bowed and said, “Lord Weiwen wishes to hunt in the Southern Mountains with you and specially sent me to invite you.” Ban Xiong said to the visitor, “I understand, you may return; I will come immediately.”
Thus the man quickly departed, disappearing into the valley in an instant. Ban Xiong then pulled Zhang Li back to the cave and said to him, “If today we manage to hunt something unusual, I shall share it with you.” After saying this, he took out a tiger skin coat from the cabinet and went out. Zhang Li felt a bit strange at the sight. Later, after dinner, while strolling outside the cave, he suddenly saw in the distance a huge tiger charging toward the cave, roaring fiercely. Zhang Li was terrified; noticing a strong tree beside him, he instinctively embraced it and climbed up.
The tiger reached the base of the tree and then stood up like a human. Immediately, its body shook, the tiger skin fell off, and it transformed into human form. Looking closely, Zhang Li realized that the tiger was in fact Ban Xiong. Thinking he had encountered a monster, his fear intensified. Clinging to the branch, trembling all over, he shook so violently that leaves fell from the tree. Hearing the rustling above his head, Ban Xiong looked up and saw Zhang Li on the branch, so he called him down. Though terrified, Zhang Li dared not disobey Ban Xiong and nervously climbed down.
Ban Xiong led him back into the cave, but Zhang Li stood frozen in place, afraid to move. Seeing this, Ban Xiong stepped forward and helped him into the cave.After entering the cave, Ban Xiong let Zhang Li sit down and smiled at him: “Accidentally revealing my true form and frightening you is my fault. But in this world, there are thousands upon thousands of people with the hearts of tigers and wolves, and each one is greedy, cruel, and relentless. I may not be human, but I am kind-hearted and have no intention of harming anyone, and once I shed the skin, I can appear human. Why are you afraid of me, a single tiger, but not afraid of so many tigers, and why fear an occasional tiger in a skin but not a tiger that will never change? That is what I cannot understand about you.” Once Zhang Li heard this, he greatly admired him and, seeing that Ban Xiong had no ill intentions, felt somewhat at ease.
One morning, Zhang Li got up early and saw that Ban Xiong was still fast asleep, so he quietly took a tiger skin garment from the cabinet and went outside the cave. He tried putting the tiger skin on, and as soon as he did, he suddenly transformed into a tiger. Looking around, he felt very majestic and powerful, though he found his limbs a bit awkward, and his walk was still somewhat unsteady. Just then, his wife returned from picking flowers, and upon seeing him, couldn't help but laugh. Zhang Li felt very embarrassed and hurriedly shook off the skin to return to his human form. His wife smiled at him and said, “Husband, if you don't mind us being different, I can make another new garment for you.”
After saying this, she went back into the cave and told her mother. The old woman was very pleased when she heard this, so she rummaged through boxes and gave her daughter more than a dozen old skins, asking her to sew a new tiger skin garment according to Zhang Li's size. When Ban Xiong woke up and saw his sister sewing a tiger skin garment, he was very curious and asked what was going on. His sister told him what she had seen that morning, and only then did Ban Xiong suddenly understand. Once the garment was made, he and Zhang Li both put it on, and every day they ran and leapt outside the cave. Ban Xiong taught Zhang Li how to stalk, roar, fight, and hunt prey, and from time to time they would go hunting together. Life passed in a very carefree and free manner.
A few years later, Ban Xiong's mother fell seriously ill. Zhang Li gathered herbs from the mountains and made them into a soup for her to drink. However, her illness was so severe that she was already near the end of her life, so the herbal medicine had no effect, and soon she passed away. Ban Xiong was greatly grieved and harbored some doubts about Zhang Li's medical skills, occasionally blaming him a little.Zhang Li had troubles in his heart that he could not express, so he privately discussed with his wife about returning to his own home. His wife said to him, 'My elder brother has a violent temper; if he finds out, he will certainly not agree. I heard that after a tiger eats dog meat, it becomes very drunk. If we can get some dog meat, we can leave.' After hearing this, Zhang Li secretly began to look around for wild dogs, and within a few days, he hunted one. His wife prepared the dog meat in advance, and as soon as her brother returned, she served it to him. Ban Xiong was greatly pleased and, in no time, devoured it completely. After a while, he indeed fell to the ground utterly drunk. Seeing this, Zhang Li and his wife promptly packed their things and left the cave.
About ten days later, when the two were almost home, they discovered a group of people by the roadside performing ancestral rites at a grave. Zhang Li looked closely and, as the saying goes, 'no enemies meet by chance,' there was Yang Bin, the one who had killed his master, among the crowd. Enemies meeting face-to-face made Zhang Li's eyes burn with anger. Without having time to explain to his wife, he took a tiger skin coat from his bundle, put it on, and instantly transformed into a large tiger with white markings on its head, lying in ambush by the roadside. When Yang Bin passed by, the tiger suddenly roared and leapt out, knocking him to the ground and biting him to death. The others, seeing the tiger, were so terrified that they screamed and ran in all directions.
After everyone had scattered, Zhang Li took off the tiger coat and put it back into his bundle, then explained the whole matter to his wife. When they returned home, his wife took out the tiger skin coat intending to burn it. Zhang Li was greatly alarmed and hurried to stop her. His wife said, 'Your killing instinct has already been aroused. If someone else offends you in the future, what if you want to kill them?' Saying this, she threw the coat into the fire and burned it completely. Later, Zhang Li's wife gave birth to two sons, both healthy and strong from a young age. When they grew up, both joined the military and achieved many military accomplishments.
