The Dragon Palace

The Dragon Palace

     Long ago, there lived a young warrior called Li. He was a good and clever man.
     One day, while he was hunting in the jungle, he saw a stag. It was so beautiful that Li followed it as it ran into the jungle. Soon, Li realized that he had lost his way. After wandering around for a few hours he saw a bright light in the distance. He walked towards the light and came to a large house.
     An old lady welcomed him but reminded him to leave the next morning before her sons return. A servant sent Li to his room. Li could not sleep. At about midnight, he heard loud noises. He ran out to see what was happening. The old lady was talking to two of her servants.
     He heard the old lady saying, "The Jade Emperor ordered rain before dawn but my sons are not here. What should I do?"
     Li stepped forward and offered his help. The old lady said,"Yound warrior, I am the mother of the dragons who bring rain to the earth. Are you sure you can help us?"
     Li said, " It would be a pleasure to repay your kindness."
     The dragon mother thanked him and gave him a magnificent horse and a small jar. She said," The horse knows the way. When it stops at a place, you must drop only one drop of water from the jar."
     Li went on his way. The horse stopped at a few places and Li dropped one drop of water at each place. Then, the horse stopped at Li's village. There was a terrible drought. Li dropped twenty drops of water from the jar.
     When Li returned to the dragon palace, the old lady was furious. "Why did you drown the village in twenty feet of water?"she cried angrily.
     Li was so sorry for what he had done. He begged the old lady for forgiveness and promised to do good deeds to others. The old lady forgave him and gave him a bag of jewels. He left the palace on his own horse. When he arrived at a city , he sold the jewels. He built a new village for his people with his new fortune. The villagers were thankful for what Li did. Li remained kind and became a famous general.