ExclusiveTraditional Chinese Tales: Disobeying the deity's guidance led to calamity

Disobeying the deity's guidance led to calamity. When the kingdom of Liao was about to be destroyed by the kingdom of Jin there lived a scholar in one city of Liao. Although he didn't conduct too many outstanding good deeds in his daily life he was extremely devout toward divine beings and buddhas worshipping them daily with great piety. Not only had he set up a Buddhist shrine at home but also regularly visited temples to burn incense and worship. One day, while worshipping at the temple, he discovered a strange phenomenon. The statue of a guardian deity was covered with a layer of small water droplets as if a person had sweated profusely. During the following days, he noticed the same thing when he visited the temple. The scholar was terrified. He did not know what had happened. Thus, became even more devout to this guardian deity's statue. One night, the scholar dreamed that the guardian deity told him the kingdom of Liao's fate is about to end. Heaven will summon the kingdom of Jin to destroy it. The fall of Liao and the rise of Jin is Heaven's decree and irrevocable. Tomorrow, the Jin army will arrive and many people in this city will be slaughtered. You were originally destined to be among those killed. However, because you've been very devout in your Buddhist practice I have been working tirelessly these past few days, hoping to save you from this calamity. The small bits of water on my body are truly my sweat. Now, my efforts have finally paid off. The deity who arranged this calamity has finally agreed to give you a chance to escape. Now, listen carefully. Tomorrow, at dawn, after the city gates open, you must immediately go out through the east gate and find a place to hide outside the city. You can only return the day after tomorrow. Do not look back on your way. Do not covet treasures. If anyone tries to pull you away, do not go with them. This is the only way for you to avoid this calamity. Remember this well. The next day, right after the scholar awoke, he quickly packed some dry food and clothing hurriedly headed towards the east gate. Halfway there, he suddenly remembered that his ancestral treasures were placed in a conspicuous place at home and he worried that the jinn soldiers would take them. The scholar forgot the deity's warning. He turned back, headed home, and hid the treasures. Just as the scholar stepped out of his home, he encountered a friend who grabbed him, saying Wait! Don't go! We're having a banquet at home, and I'm looking for you. The scholar recounted the words the deity had spoken in his dream. After hearing the dream, his friend burst out laughing, saying Foolish man! Foolish man! How can a mere dream be taken as evidence? You are just scaring yourself! Look at our city. It's fortified. There are watchtowers on the city walls and beacon towers in the distance. The jinn soldiers would be spotted immediately as soon as they showed their faces. The garrison can then light the beacon fires, close the gates, and hold out for reinforcements. Besides, we always catch the wind of potential attack when the war approaches. Right now, it's peaceful everywhere. The jinn soldiers are nowhere to be seen. All right! Let's go to the banquet! After hearing what his friend had said, the scholar thought he sounded right. That dream was probably nothing more than an unreliable wild dream. So he did go and joined the banquet. The feast was sumptuous, and the guests were in high spirits. After three rounds of wine, the scholar's friend brought up the scholar's dream again as a joke, and the guests all burst into laughter. Before the laughter subsided, shouts of battle and panic noises erupted. It turned out that the jinn soldiers, having skillfully concealed themselves using the terrain, had escaped the Liao patrols undetected. As a result, the jinn soldiers launched a sudden attack, leaving the city guards no time to even close the gates. After entering the city, the jinn soldiers engaged in widespread slaughter. The scholar and several guests were beheaded by the jinn troops that invaded the city, while the scholar's friend and a few other guests survived. From then on, this story spread far and wide, evoking sighs from all who heard it. Firstly, the rise and fall of dynasties, for the idea that life and death are all arranged by the divine beings. Secondly, it was such a pity that the scholar could have survived, but lost his life because he disobeyed the deity's guidance. In fact, even those who have faith in divine beings and buddhas find it difficult to let go of what they cherish. The scholar in this story was like that, unable to relinquish wealth and so-called friendship. He believed these were the most real things, but they are the most illusory. Because he could not let go of things he valued, he lost his precious life.