探骊得珠 — “To search for the black dragon and obtain its pearl”

A long, long time ago, a family lived by the Yellow River, making a meager living by cutting reeds and weaving mats and winnowing fans. Their life was extremely impoverished.

One day, the son was cutting reeds by the river under the scorching sun. Feeling dizzy and exhausted, he sat down to rest. He looked at the river shimmering with sparkling waves under the sunlight and recalled his father mentioning that there were many treasures at the deepest part of the river. However, no one dared to go there because a fierce black dragon named Li Dragon resided there.

He thought, if he could dive to the riverbed and find the treasures, his family wouldn't have to work all day long and still not have enough to eat for three meals. He decided it was worth taking the risk. With a resolute heart, he quickly stripped off his clothes and plunged into the icy river.

At first, he could still see small fish swimming around him. As he went deeper, the light grew dimmer, and the water became colder and colder. Eventually, he couldn't see anything; it was pitch black all around. He felt a bit scared, unsure where to swim.

Just then, a round object glimmered not far away. He focused his eyes and saw, 'Ah, it was a luminous pearl!' Holding his breath, he swam towards it, embraced the pearl with both hands, and pulled with all his might. The pearl came into his arms.

He quickly surfaced, and once ashore, he ran home as fast as he could. As soon as his father saw the pearl, he asked where he had gotten it. He recounted the entire experience to his father in detail.

His father listened and said, 'That was incredibly dangerous! This priceless pearl was growing under the black dragon's jaw. The dragon must have been asleep when you plucked it. If it had been awake, you would have lost your life.'