The Difficulty of Obtaining Immortal Fate: The Legend of Jinling City and the Rise and Fall of the Liu Family

In Jinling, there was a wealthy Liu family with two sons. The eldest, Liu Qi, was intelligent and excelled in literature, rituals, and music from a young age. The second son, Liu Rui, was a bit slow and only started speaking at the age of five. As a result, the family favored the eldest and looked down upon the younger son. Over time, Liu Qi also began to mock his brother for being dull.

One day, the two brothers encountered an old Taoist in tattered clothes with a humble appearance. Liu Qi scoffed at the Taoist and mocked his brother by saying, "If it weren't for you being my brother, you would be worse off than this old Taoist and would have died early." After saying this, he walked away without looking back at the old Taoist. On the other hand, Liu Rui, without saying a word, noticed that despite the Taoist's hardship, he exuded an otherworldly aura. He approached the Taoist and gave him all the silver he had, expressing, "Even though I'm not very bright, I understand the difficulty of seeking the Dao. Here is some silver to help you, and may it create good karma for us." After that, he bowed deeply. The Taoist smiled and said, "Receiving your silver signifies that we have some predestined affinity. I have a talisman; if you encounter danger, it may protect you." He then took out a yellow talisman from his sleeve and handed it to Liu Rui.

Liu Rui accepted the talisman, thanked the Taoist, and then went to find his brother without mentioning the talisman given by the Taoist.

Some months later, Liu Qi was captured by a group of bandits while visiting a friend. The bandits knew that the Liu family was wealthy and had been monitoring their movements. They knew that one of the sons was out visiting a friend that day and set up an ambush to capture him in hopes of obtaining a ransom. The leader of the bandits was called Niu Bao, a notorious troublemaker in Jinling who was also heavily in debt due to gambling. He had recently borrowed money but couldn't pay it back, and in fear of the debt collectors, he resorted to such criminal activities to acquire wealth.

Liu Qi, realizing he was in trouble, was taken to a secluded location and his captors sent a young messenger to the Liu family with a letter demanding a hefty ransom for Liu Qi's release.

Upon receiving the letter, the father, aware of his son's predicament, was torn between reporting the incident to the officials and possibly angering the bandits, or risking his son's safety and future prospects. Liu Rui, knowing his brother was in trouble, reassured his father, "Don't worry, Father. The bandits want money, so I will bring the ransom to free my elder brother."

The father had no other choice but to agree.

Two days later, Liu Rui took five hundred taels of silver and went to a meeting with the bandits in a remote place outside the city. Upon arrival, he found the bandits holding his brother captive. One of the bandits, angered at the sight of the silver, demanded that Liu Rui bring the ransom quickly to secure his brother's release. Liu Qi, trying to explain there was too much silver to carry, mentioned that he had brought paper money instead. Niu Bao, realizing they could extort more money, told Liu Rui to leave the paper money and come back in a few days with an additional five hundred taels before they would release Liu Qi. As Liu Qi heard these words, he recognized the voice. He remembered encountering a brawler named Niu Bao a few months earlier and getting into an argument with him after witnessing him assaulting an elderly man. The vicious man matched the voice of the bandit leader.

He then blurted out, "I know who you are, Niu Bao! Release my brother at once, or I will report you to the authorities!"

Liu Qi's impulsive action shocked Niu Bao. Knowing he was in trouble, he made the decision to kill the two brothers to cover his tracks. Niu Bao signaled to his accomplices, and they prepared to kill Liu Rui on the spot. Frightened, Liu Rui fled into the woods, but the bandits caught up with him and attempted to attack him. In that critical moment, a golden light burst forth from Liu Rui, blinding the bandits. As the light faded, Liu Rui found that the bandits were frozen in place, as if they had been immobilized. He realized that he was holding the yellow talisman in his hand which had protected him as the Taoist had promised.

Liu Rui rescued his brother and reported Niu Bao and his gang to the authorities.

After this ordeal, Liu Rui went in search of the Taoist but couldn't find him. He gradually lost interest and focused on family matters. Liu Qi, having gone through the harrowing experience, became more mature. He felt ashamed of his past behavior towards his brother and apologized, leading to a harmonious relationship between the two brothers. Their father was pleased to witness their reconciliation.

In the following years, Liu Qi passed the imperial examination and Liu Rui managed the family's businesses, bringing prosperity to the Liu family in Jinling. The family became known for their acts of kindness and generosity, and their reputation grew throughout the region.