English Original
Li Chuntan was in charge of transporting provisions down the river to Dachangkou in Huaining, Anhui. One of his subordinates, Gong Kai, approached him and said, "I had a most peculiar dream last night."
"What did you dream?"
"I saw an old man with white hair and a long white beard. He was weeping as he came to me and pleaded, 'Help! You must save my life! If you do, I will surely repay you one day!'"
"That is indeed strange."
Their conversation was cut short by sudden shouts. All the soldiers in the escort were pointing excitedly at something in the water.
"Look, sir," said Gong. "It's a seal! Have you ever seen one this far upriver?"
The soldiers captured the seal and hauled it beside the boat. Li and Gong went to inspect it. When the seal locked eyes with Gong, it gave him a long, profound look. Gong's heart raced as he recalled his dream.
"Sir, I wish to buy this seal and set it free. I believe it is connected to the dream I just described."
"Very well, as you wish. It's your money." Gong took out his purse to reward the soldiers for retrieving the seal.
Everyone was pleased—except for a cruel soldier named Chen Si, who insisted on eating the seal for dinner. He refused Gong's money, snatched up his spear, and stabbed the seal in the head. The water turned red with its blood.
"Don't you know how delicious seal meat is?" Chen asked the others. "Why settle for a measly tip? Let's feast tonight!" While most soldiers pitied the poor creature, some were indifferent. They helped Chen haul the dead seal aboard and joined him in eating it.
This meal soon proved to be a grave mistake. Before long, everyone who had partaken fell ill. Chen suffered the most, writhing in agony. As others tended to him, he suddenly spoke in an eerie voice:
"For years I cultivated my powers. All was going smoothly until a stroke of misfortune stranded me in this river. I begged Gong Kai for help. Everyone agreed to spare me—everyone but you, Chen Si. You refused me life. You drove your spear into my head and killed me! You took my life, and now I shall take yours!"
To the soldiers' horror, Chen Si threw back his head and died.
Some spirits spend decades or even centuries honing their abilities, among them the power of transformation. Science may not yet acknowledge such phenomena, but remember: there may be more to the animals around us than meets the eye.
中文翻译
李春潭负责将粮食物资沿河运送到安徽怀宁的大昌口。他的下属龚凯前来禀报：“大人，我昨晚做了一个非常奇怪的梦。”
“梦见了什么？”
“我梦见一位白发白须的老者。他哭着走到我面前哀求道：‘救命！你一定要救我一命！你若相救，他日我必报答！’”
“这确实古怪。”
他们的谈话被一阵呼喊声打断。护卫队的所有士兵都兴奋地指着水中的某个东西。
“大人，您看，”龚凯说，“是只海豹！您可曾见过海豹游到这么远的内河？”
士兵们捉住了海豹，将它拖到船边。李春潭和龚凯上前查看。当海豹看到龚凯时，它投来一道悠长而深邃的目光。龚凯心跳加速，想起了自己的梦。
“大人，我想买下这只海豹放生。我觉得它和我刚才说的梦有关。”
“好吧，随你。反正是你的钱。”龚凯拿出钱袋，准备酬谢拖回海豹的士兵。
大家都很高兴——除了一个名叫陈四的凶狠士兵，他坚持要把海豹当晚餐吃了。他拒绝接受龚凯的钱，夺过自己的长矛，刺穿了海豹的头颅。海豹的鲜血染红了河水。
“你们不知道海豹肉有多美味吗？”陈四问其他士兵，“要那点可怜的赏钱做什么？今晚咱们开荤！”大多数士兵都同情这可怜的动物，但有些人却不在乎。他们帮陈四把死海豹拖上船，和他一起分食了。
这顿饭很快被证明是一个严重的错误。不久，所有吃了海豹肉的人都病倒了。陈四病得最重，痛苦地翻滚着。当其他人照料他时，他突然用一种诡异的声音说道：
“我修炼多年，一切顺利，直到一时倒霉流落至此河。我向龚凯求助。所有人都同意放了我——除了你，陈四。你拒绝给我生路。你用长矛刺穿我的头，杀了我！你夺我性命，现在我就要取你性命！”
在士兵们惊恐的注视下，陈四头向后一仰，死了。
有些精魂花费数十年甚至数百年磨练能力，其中就包括变化之力。科学或许尚未承认此类现象，但请记住：我们周围的动物，可能远非表面所见那么简单。