That autumn, his wife passed away from her illness. Zhong Qingyu had an uncle who served as a county magistrate in Xijiang, and his mother commanded him to travel there to pay his respects.

Zhong Qingyu thought to himself, "This trip to Xijiang will take me through Zhongzhou. It’s a perfect chance to try my luck; perhaps that Taoist priest was right, and I might actually encounter my intended fiancée." (Zhongzhou is modern-day Henan.)

Thus, he made his preparations and set off. One day, upon reaching Henan, he happened upon a village where a festival was underway. A stage had been erected beside the river, where opera was being performed to large crowds. Men and women mingled freely.

Zhong Qingyu was in a great hurry and had no time for the performance. Seeing the crowd was a solid mass, completely blocking the way, he pulled hard on his mount’s reins and shouted, "Excuse me, make way!" He then urged his horse forward with his whip.

Suddenly, he heard a clatter of hooves. A sturdy male donkey, ** bold and persistent, trailed him closely, unwilling to leave. This incensed the ** female donkey, causing her to rear and buck violently, swaying left and right.

Zhong Qingyu became furious. He snatched up his long whip and lashed out repeatedly at the male donkey’s ears. In pain, the donkey bolted forward in a wild dash. Coincidentally, near the riverbank, a young master from a noble family, no more than six or seven years old, was sitting on his wet nurse's lap, watching the opera. No one expected the donkey to charge through. The surrounding guards failed to react in time, and all tumbled into the river. The young master, being small and frail, could not escape either.

The river water was icy cold and deep. The young master was simply unlucky; he died instantly.

The enraged guards scrambled out of the water, brandishing their swords and blades, swearing to find this Zhong fellow and fight him to the death. Seeing he had caused a terrible disaster, Zhong Qingyu panicked, suddenly remembering the Taoist priest's words: "If you encounter danger, flee southeast." With no time to consider further, he kicked the donkey’s belly hard. In agony, the beast bolted straight toward the southeast. Dust flew up as they vanished in an instant.

After galloping nearly thirty li in this frantic pace, he entered a mountain hamlet and saw a thatched cottage. An old man stood by the door. Zhong Qingyu reined in his horse and dismounted, approaching with a respectful bow. The old man smiled and said, "My humble name is Fang. Young master, you seem to be in a great rush; may I ask where you come from?"

Zhong Qingyu replied, "My surname is Zhong, and I am from Liaodong. I was merely passing through this esteemed place and have accidentally caused a death. I beg for your assistance, elder."

The old man said, "No matter. Young master, please stay here for now. Let me go out and inquire about the situation." With that, he took his leave and returned that evening, looking aghast. "Young master, you have caused a catastrophe! The deceased was no small person; his father is a reigning Prince, immensely wealthy and powerful. I, an old man, cannot possibly help you."

Zhong Qingyu’s face changed color upon hearing this. He immediately knelt down, pleading, "Please, elder, have mercy. Find some way, no matter what it takes."

The old man replied, "There might be a solution, but with the Prince’s beloved son dead, he has already issued a proclamation, sending men everywhere to apprehend the culprit. If I were to rashly shelter you, and we were discovered, I fear I would not escape death either. This truly puts me in a difficult position." As he spoke, he gave a slight smile.

Zhong Qingyu was an intelligent man. Seeing the strange quality of the old man’s smile, knowing he clearly had a plan, he urged, "As long as I can escape this calamity, elder, name any condition you have, and I will not refuse anything."

The old man stroked his beard and chuckled, "With those words from you, I feel reassured. I dare to ask, young master, how old is your esteemed wife?"

Zhong Qingyu answered, "I am alone, like a monk reciting scriptures, living a carefree life."

The old man inquired, "In that case, young master, you are still a bachelor?"

Zhong Qingyu corrected him, "Not quite a bachelor. I was married before, but my wife had a short life and passed away this autumn."

The old man laughed heartily, "That is excellent!" Seeing Zhong Qingyu’s displeasure, he quickly added, "Young master, don't misunderstand; I am not wishing ill upon your wife’s early passing! Truthfully, I have a niece who is not at all unattractive. She has lived with me since childhood, proficient in everything from zither and chess to calligraphy, painting, needlepoint, and embroidery. Since you are unmarried and my niece is of marriageable age, you two would make a perfect match. What do you think, young master?"

Zhong Qingyu pondered, "The Taoist’s divination was spot on. He said I would marry again, and here is my destined person in Zhongzhou. Is this not fate?" He smiled and replied, "I am deeply honored by your favor, elder; I am overjoyed. However, being a criminal, I fear I might implicate you."

The old man laughed, "Since we are becoming family, why be strangers? Now that you are betrothed to my household, I certainly won't stand by and watch you be executed. Besides, my niece just had her engagement settled, and now she’s about to become a widow—I am certainly not agreeable to that."

Zhong Qingyu thought to himself, That's what I was waiting for. He then asked, "Elder, what ingenious plan do you have to rescue me from this sea of suffering?"

The old man waved his hand. "I do not possess such great ability. Saving your life will depend on my niece. Let us finalize the marriage first. Any questions you have, you can discuss them at length with your new wife. Ah, I almost forgot to tell you: your new bride’s background is quite significant. Her father—my elder sister's husband—is an accomplished High Monk whose Daoist arts are profound enough to pierce the heavens. Even if you stirred up the biggest trouble imaginable, with your father-in-law covering for you, you are guaranteed to turn misfortune into blessing." With that, he burst into loud laughter.

Now, the niece was sixteen, peerlessly beautiful. Since their wedding night, sharing cups across the table, Zhong Qingyu was often despondent, his face drawn, sighing constantly. The niece was displeased. "Though I am plain, must my husband despise me so much? What have I done to provoke you?"

Zhong Qingyu apologized profusely, "My lady misunderstands. With your beauty, I should be overjoyed to have married you; how could I possibly scorn you? To be frank, I mistakenly killed the Prince's heir, and my life hangs by a thread, which is why I am troubled."

The niece frowned. "This is a disaster of monumental proportions! Why didn't you tell me sooner? That uncle of mine, I’ll scold him later! Don’t fret; let me think of something."

Zhong Qingyu urged, "My lady, I know you are no ordinary woman. You can ‘bring the dead to life’ and ‘heal the flesh to bone’! If the dead can be resurrected, surely you can save your husband. If you can get me out of this trouble, from this day forward, I will serve you, fetching tea and water, waiting on your every command."

The niece sighed, "Since it has come to this, I certainly won't stand by. However, my father took the tonsure and severed all contact with me. It has been quite some time since I saw the old man. This current crisis requires the great divine power of a monk to resolve. We will ascend the mountain tomorrow morning and try our luck. I only fear that before our mission succeeds, we might suffer an indignity."

Zhong Qingyu declared, "I do not fear indignity; at worst, I shall emulate Han Xin. Besides, your father—my father-in-law—surely wouldn't make me crawl between his legs, would he?"

The niece laughed, "He wouldn't go that far. At most, he'll make you kneel! Ah, speaking of kneeling, we need to prepare thoroughly. By the way, do you like wearing knee pads? I will make you a pair; they might prove useful."

Zhong Qingyu's eyes twinkled, and he praised her, "My lady, you truly are a genius. Let me tell you, if we’re making knee pads, let’s make them large ones, stuffed with plenty of cotton padding, hee hee. I fear my knees will ache if I have to kneel for too long."

The couple stayed up all night making the knee pads. The next morning, they set off for the Southern Mountain. They walked for over ten li into the mountains, where the path was treacherous and difficult to tread. As the two climbed on foot, the delicate niece could only manage a few steps before sweat beaded on her brow, and she gasped for breath. Zhong Qingyu felt deep pity and sighed, "To endure such suffering for my sake, I truly deserve death!"

The niece smiled, "This is nothing compared to the greater hardship ahead."

Not long after, the path began to ease. Rounding a mountain corner, they vaguely saw temples nestled among the peaks. Opening the gate to the monastery, the couple first burned incense and paid respects to the Arhats. Then, they headed straight for the rear courtyard, winding their way until they reached a meditation room. Pushing open the door, they found an old monk sitting with his back to the wall, meditating. His eyebrows were lowered, his eyes closed, and he remained silent.

The room was exceptionally clean, without a speck of dust. In the center stood a bronze statue of the Tathagata Buddha, towering several zhang high, imposing and magnificent. The old monk sat upright, a meditation cushion before him, behind which lay scattered gravel and sharp shards of stone, pointed like bamboo shoots. At the sight, Zhong Qingyu sucked in a cold breath, thinking, Heavens above, how can one possibly kneel on stones this sharp?

The niece, however, appeared calm. She bent her knees and knelt upon the sharp stones, joining her palms in greeting. She said, "Your daughter is newly married. Today, I bring my husband to offer you congratulations, Father. Are you in good health?" As she spoke, she kept casting meaningful glances at Zhong Qingyu, signaling him to kneel.

Zhong Qingyu had no choice but to kneel. The sharp stones pierced through his clothes and trousers, scraping his skin, and cold sweat instantly beaded on his forehead. Fortunately, the knee pads offered some protection, or he would have certainly bled.

The old monk remained unmoved, as if in deep meditation, for a long time without speaking. Only when the sun began to set did he finally open his eyes. He looked at his daughter and let out a long sigh, "Little girl, you have tired me! I already know of your matter. Go back. I will give you an answer in three days."

The couple remained kneeling for a long time until their knees went numb. They managed to stand up with difficulty and took their leave.

Three days later, as the couple were playing a game of Go, a servant reported, "The primary culprit in the wrongful killing of the young master has been captured. He is to be executed at the wushi san ke hour."

A day later, the couple entered the mountains to express their gratitude, but the old monk was nowhere to be seen. A young novice monk, holding a broken piece of bamboo, approached them. He said, "Master instructed me to pass on this message: Bury the benefactor well. The one who will die in place of the son-in-law is this bamboo."

It turned out that to save his son-in-law, the old monk had performed a great act of divine power, transforming a piece of emerald bamboo into the likeness of Zhong, who took the punishment in his stead.

When Zhong Qingyu learned the truth, he was deeply moved: My father-in-law is truly formidable; turning wood into a man—extraordinary, truly extraordinary. He respectfully accepted the broken bamboo. After a brief glance, he saw that the bamboo was snapped clean in half. The break was stained with bloody marks. This, he realized, must have been the result of the executioner’s excessive force. Yet, since bamboo possesses no life, the fact that it bled was certainly a strange phenomenon.