Chapter 368 Bird Language

A Taoist priest in Zhongzhou went to the countryside. The host held a banquet. After the meal, the owls came from the tree. The master asked about the reason. The Taoist priest said, "The bird is talking. It says, 'The fire is terrible!'" When the family heard this, they all laughed and didn't pay attention to it. The next day, there was a fire in the master's house, and most of the house was burned down. Only then did he admire the Taoist priest's magical power.

A good man caught up with the Taoist priest and said, "The Taoist priest is not a prophet, is it an immortal?" The Taoist priest said, "I can only understand the language of birds. I'm not an immortal." While talking, a sparrow in the tree couldn't help singing. The good man asked, "What is the bird talking about?" Taoist priest said, "It is saying 'the sixth year of the first year, the sixth year of the first lunar month; fourteen deaths, sixteen deaths'. I think there is a pair of twins nearby. Today is the tenth day of the first lunar month. In less than five or six days, both children will die." Everyone didn't believe it. After some time, a family gave birth to twins and soon died. The date was exactly the same as what the Taoist priest said.

When the county magistrate heard about this, he invited the Taoist priest into the house as a guest. It happened that a group of ducks passed by in the house. The county magistrate asked, "What does the duck have to say?" The Taoist priest said, "Your excellency is at peace with your wife and concubine. You must have quarreled. The duck said, 'That's it! In favor of him! In favor of him!'" The county magistrate was greatly admired. It turned out that his wife and concubine turned against each other and chattered. He came forward to mediate, but was involved and was kicked out of his boudoir.

Since then, the Taoist priest has lived in the county magistrate's house. Because he is proficient in bird language, predicts good or bad luck, and is very respected. However, Taoist people are simple and unscrupulous. When they speak, they are unscrupulous. The county magistrate is greedy, and the local tribute to the government is full of all his personal belongings, replaced with silver, and spends them at will.

On this day, the county magistrate chatted with the Taoist priest, and the ducks passed by the door again and quacked. The county magistrate asked, "What did the duck say this time?" The Taoist priest said, "What is said today is different from the past. The duck is accounting for the adults." The county magistrate asked, "What is it?" The Taoist priest said, "The duck said, 'The candle is 180 cents, and the silver beads are 1,800 cents.'" When the county magistrate heard this, he was ashamed and thought that the Taoist priest was sarcastic.

Seeing that he looked unhappy, the Taoist priest asked to leave, but the county magistrate did not allow it. A few days later, the county magistrate drank with the guests. Suddenly, there was a cuckoo's cry outside the window. The guest asked, "Does the cuckoo have anything to say?" The Taoist priest said, "Yes, it's saying, 'lost the official and go.'" Everyone was stunned when they heard the words. The county magistrate was furious and was about to chase the Taoist priest away.

Not a few, the county magistrate was dismissed due to corruption.