Song Lin and Ann Qi silently mingled into the crowd, observing both sides of the conversation.
"Everyone, rest assured. I, General Zhao, am not here to cause trouble but to find someone!" The general sat high atop his horse, speaking with an air of arrogance. freewēbnoveℓ.com
"General, please go ahead. We will spare no effort in helping you locate this person."
"A maiden who can fit into this shoe."
Soon, several cave masters ordered people to gather women from the surrounding villages.
Seeing the commotion, Song Lin recalled the story of *Ye Xian.*
In the upper volume of *Youyang Zazu* under *Nuogao Record,* the story resembles Cinderella but predates it.
Ye Xian, the daughter of a cave master, was born to his first wife and often tormented by her stepmother and stepsisters. One day, she picked up a giant golden fish, about ten feet long, and secretly raised it in a pond.
The stepmother and others stealthily cooked the fish and buried its bones in a manure pit. Ye Xian, heartbroken, encountered an elderly man with long hair at the burial site. The man instructed her to dig out the fish bones and pray to them for her wishes to come true.
Ye Xian did as he said, and miraculously, her wishes were granted.
During a festival, when everyone dressed in elegant clothing to go out, the stepmother forced Ye Xian to stay home while taking her stepsisters to the celebration.
Ye Xian wished for splendid clothing and golden shoes. Later, the story unfolded like Cinderella’s: she lost a shoe, which was sold by a merchant to the Tuohan King. No one could fit the shoe until they found Ye Xian, who eventually became the Tuohan Queen.
"A wish-granting fish bone?" Song Lin remarked with intrigue.
*Nuogao Record* is the Chapter in *Monster Chronicles* that contains the most accounts of gods, ghosts, and strange creatures from overseas.
It gathers bizarre anecdotes from pre-Tang ghost tales, *Lieyi Records,* *Dongming Records,* and others. The entries are quite scattered, mostly brief and fragmented.
Although Song Lin has read quite a few, relying on them for prophetic insight is difficult; most lack complete stories.
The story of Ye Xian happens to be one of the few with a beginning and an end.
A wish-granting fish bone—truly fascinating.
"Ancestor, should we leave?" Ann Qi asked.
In his eyes, it was just an ordinary side story.
"No, let’s wait a little longer."
Song Lin decided to continue observing.
Soon, the owner of the shoe was revealed: a stunning young maiden. She turned out to be Ye Xian.
Initially, after Ye Xian managed to fit the shoe, her stepmother and stepsisters belittled her, persuading others it was a mere coincidence.
Later, Ye Xian produced the matching shoe, finally convincing General Zhao.
Before long, Ye Xian returned home to retrieve a box containing the treasured fish bones. She then followed General Zhao, preparing to set sail and return to the Tuohan Kingdom.
"My child! Don’t abandon your mother!"
Her stepmother and stepsisters regretted their past cruelty.
Song Lin and Ann Qi exchanged glances. Their figures became invisible as they quietly boarded Ye Xian’s carriage.
Ye Xian leaned against the treasure box with boredom, her heart brimming with anticipation and dreams of a heroic and handsome king.
Little did she know, the king was actually a decrepit old man in his eighties.
At that moment, a gentle breeze lifted the curtain of the carriage.
Standing at the door were two Taoists.
Ye Xian wanted to scream, but in the next instant, she fell unconscious.
Song Lin stepped forward and opened the treasure box.
The box revealed a chaotic pile of bones.
As the box opened, black aura surged out.
Within the black aura, a disheveled old man formed, his hair wild and unkempt, as though he had crawled out from some muddy ground.
Upon seeing Song Lin and Ann Qi, the old man showed no fear; rather, his face lit up with joy as he dropped to his knees in worship.
"The Keeper of the Heavenly Book greets the Ghost Valley Ancestor!"
"Hmm? You know me?" Song Lin couldn’t maintain his composure.
Could it be yet another perk of his Great Witch identity? This blessing truly seemed heaven-defying.
"Do you still recall how Qin Shi Huang caught that little golden fish by the Fen River?"
As soon as the words were spoken, distant memories surfaced in Song Lin’s mind.
Back then, Little Yingl Zheng did indeed catch a giant golden fish along the water’s edge, only for Liu Bang to steal it from him.
It all came together unexpectedly!
"You were the one who gained sentience back then?" Song Lin displayed a peculiar smile, curious about Qin Shi Huang’s reaction upon meeting this old acquaintance.
"No, not at all! At the time, I was merely an ordinary golden fish, lacking spiritual wisdom—I was simply larger than average. My transformation came about for entirely different reasons!"
Yingl Zheng fishing, Liu Bang stealing the fish, and Emperor Wu of Han battling the fish—all had this creature as their centerpiece.
Because of it, many legends arose, and it was seen as a symbol of national destiny.
This giant golden fish ultimately ascended into godhood.