Hundreds of years ago in the pagoda of Shaolin Temple was locked up a monk whose name was unkown. But it is said he was originally a willow at the foot of the South Heaven Gate. Due to his flirtation with with another beautiful lady in Heaven, the Jade Emperor imprisoned him in this pagoda to meditate his guilt for 500 years.
However, the truth differs from the rumour somewhat.
The abbot of Shaolin Temple was the one who really witnessed this event. The old man had a very kind heart to the mass public, even very gentle to a crawling ant on the ground. And this old wise man revealed the story in the end.
In fact, the willow spirit lived intimately with another female willow spirit at the foot of the South Heaven Gate. They both unexpectedly coiled tightly like two entangled snakes with each other. However, in the eyes of gods this action was exceedingly outlandish and filthy. But how could they know the process of the two lovely creatures for a great many years together.
In the beginning they were just a pair of saplings an inch apart from each other. Nobody noticed them and none of these gods would love to! Then the two plants got to know each other quickly. Gradually their branches and twigs climbed on to each other and tangled intimately tightly as they grew. Of course, they told each other a number of stories and feeelings of themselves which were merely exclusive to themselves. Later they developed a facinating habit, but it was this habit that betrayed them in the end.
The female willow looked unexceptioally gorgeous and had a very strong interest in the seven-stringed zither. Definitely she played this musical instrument very nicely, probably making anyone who listened to it intoxicated. While her partner loved the flute a great deal. Each midnight of the 15th day of each month, they transformed into human figures, sitting down face-to-face with one another playing their own instruments.
Whereas the rythem of the seven-stringed zither the lady played floated to the outside, piercing any object. But the young man's had not captured this sort of function and facinaton yet. Happily the lady did not feel bothered about her partner's skills of playing musical instruments. Once the lady told the young man her green blood inside her body could not fully support her to grow and amusingly said someday she could collapse. The young got furious with her for this kind of stupid prediction. On the other hand he cheerfully said he could die himself because of the hard conditions ahead undecoded. And the female immediately repled,"If you died, I would follow you!" While her partner frowned a bit, saying,"No, you shouldn't! I would like you to live as long as you need to be." Just in this way did they live for quite a long time. But their happiness did not last long and the clamity fell upon them eventually.
They were sued of flirtation under the nose of the Jade Emperor, which by all means had overpassed the rules of Heaven too far, and which had seriously endangered the reputation of Heaven. Not too long, they were forced apart according to the imperial law. The female was imprisoned in the Musical Hall of Heaven, while her partner was thrown to Hell, awaiting his execution because of his guilts of flirtation and spirit magic abuse. Nonetheless, all the gods just wished to enjoy the young lady's musical talent and striking beauty. After all she was promoted to be as Chief of Musical Hall of Heaven in a short time after her imprisonment. Fortunately, the young man did not die finally, for the abbot in Shaolin Temple once visited his good friend, King of Hell, and accidentally found this young man, begging to take him to his temple. He told King of Hell that he could tell the man's innocence from his face. After King of Hell reported this information to Jade Emperor, who miraculously gave his approval, but a pogoda must be erected in Shaolin for the young man's lockup. How cruel!
But who can tell the true face of Heaven? Not so long after the female willow chaired Musical Hall of Heaven, a great number of repectable and handsome young Heaven gods and even warriors proposed to her one after another. It seemed that they had completely forgotten their words and judgements to her and her partner just not a long time ago. Not doubt, she refused them all. Until finally the third prince of the Jade Emperor showed his attachment, she commenced not to rebuff him abruptly. However, she focued on her seven-stringed zither whenever she had time to play it, especially at midnight on the 15th day of each month. Oddly once she played the the zither, she could feel the young man's flute shivering.
On Earth her partner had never bent their co-playing tradition. This young man picked up his flute to blow attentively as well as emotionally every midnight on the 15th of each month two. He didn't only feel her seven-stringed zither, but also envisioned her entire figure. It was the happinest moment of his! Maybe this is the heart-to-heart communication as well.
Time flies! It came to the 15th day of August of one year again.
Jade Emperor held a magnicent banquet to treat all his gods and goddesses in Heaven. They gathered in a large hall which could accommendate all of them in airy space. Loads of performers were arranged to give shows during this gathering, the female willow amongst them, too. All the immortals including Jade Emperor and his wife Qeen Mother were waiting for the willow's zither show.
When it came to her performance, it was nearly midnight, the moon perfectly round and charming. At this moment the female willow's nerve rose to her highest, for her habit of co-playing would come soon. Suddenly Thunder God and a Dragon King ran as fast as they could to the hall. They murmured to a messager guarding the hall gate, who sidled to Jade Emperor, whispering something to him. Jade Emperor admittedly nodded and gave his own order. The messager passed Jade Emperor's order to the two gods, who jerked away instantly.
A quarter to midnight a rainstorm poured down Henan, for this place had remained drought for half a year. No doubt, Shaolin Temple was then in the pouring as well. Just moments before this time, the round brilliant moon had merged into thick layers of black clouds. But it could not stop the young man's flute under the pagoda at all. Just as his lips touched the flute, the solid-built pagoda collapsed from top. He was that time on the first floor under it. As the disaster happened, he was immediately buried by such rubble of the pagoda. At that moment before he really died, he wished he could see her again play the seven-stringed zither with him face-to-face. Now he really saw her as he was sitting cross-legged in front of her, she gently smiling to him.
The abbot immediately rushed out to the pagoda, but too late. The kind-hearted old man was horror-struck.
The female willow was definitely smilinmg, not to him, but to her audience. Time came to the midnight, a string on the seven-stringed zither was broken in a crisp force. Instantly she beheld the collapsed pagoda, and noticed her sweet heart's smiling face in dust, a flute beside his right hand, blood leaking from the edge of his mouth. He was dead!
Her tears flooded down her lovely cheeks after a moment of astonishment in total silence.
