In ancient times, there lived in Songyeon a learned man named Chon Woo Chi. For many years he improved and eventually gained magical power. He did not think about fame, he was modest, and no one knew about his extraordinary abilities.
It was a time when areas along the south coast suffered from drought year after year. Moreover, a pestilence began, death mowed down people, bringing grief and suffering. But officials and rich people did not even think about easing the lot of the people; they cared only about their own well-being, weaved intrigues, and plotted intrigues. Jung Woo Chi helped people as best he could. But soon he had no money left at all, and he decided to resort to magical power.
He took the form of a celestial being, put on a golden crown and, with two young boys dressed in white robes, soared into the Sky and flew to the royal palace.
It was on the second day of the first month, and the courtiers came to the king with congratulations on the occasion of the New Year. Chung Woo Chi bowed to the king and said:
“I, the Heavenly Lord, declare to you, the king of this earth, that I intend to build a Palace of Peace in Heaven in memory of people who died in poverty.” Let every province give me gold, lots of gold. On the last day of the third month I will come for him.
The king began to hold a council with his dignitaries, and then sent an order to all eight provinces of the kingdom to deliver gold to the capital. The royal decree was carried out and the gold was placed in the royal vault. On the appointed day, the king rose to the dais and began to wait for the messengers of the Heavenly Lord. Soon the heavenly youths arrived on a cloud, took the gold and flew away on a rainbow.
Chung Woo Chi sold half of the gold to one Western country and bought one hundred thousand sok with the proceeds
[Juice is a measure of bulk solids equal to 180 kg] of rice. With the spring wind I delivered rice to
land and distributed it to thousands of starving people. The next year he fed the peasants and provided them with seeds. And the gold that was left was taken to the market in Seoul.
A military man approached him and asked how much gold was worth.
“Five hundred yang,” replies Jung Woo Chi.
“I don’t have that kind of money with me,” says the military man, “but I can bring it tomorrow morning.” Where do you live?
“In Puzhu, in the south of Korea,” answered Woo Chi, “and my name is Jung Woo Chi.”
The military man told the chief of the garrison about the gold. The chief was surprised, and then thought whether this was the gold that was collected by order of the king, and ordered the guards to seize Chon Woo Chi and bring him to him. And Jung Woo Chi says:
“I didn’t do anything to warrant being escorted.” So tell your boss. This requires a decree from the king.
The chief then ordered to surround the house of Chong Woo Chi, station five hundred soldiers there, and he himself sent a report to the highest name. Soon guards came from Seoul, grabbed Chun Woo-chi, put him in chains and took him to the capital, to the king.
As soon as we drove away, Jung Woo Chi screamed:
- You grabbed the wrong one!
The guards looked, and in front of them was a pine tree in chains, and Jung Woo Chi was standing next to him as if nothing had happened. The guards were confused and didn’t know what to do. And Jung Woo Chi put the bottle on the ground and said:
- Let me get into this bottle, otherwise you won’t take me.
The guards agreed, Jung Woo Chi climbed into the bottle, it became heavy. The guards barely dragged her to the king. King Jung Woo Chi saw it and said:
“I heard that Jung Woo Chi has magical powers, and now I see that people are not lying. He sits, alive and well, in a trap bottle. -
The king said so and ordered to throw the bottle into a cauldron of boiling oil. Jung Woo Chi shouts from a bottle:
“Thank you, Your Majesty, for throwing me into a boiling cauldron; at least I’ll warm up, otherwise I’d freeze on the way.”
The king got angry and ordered the bottle to be broken. The bottle shattered into small pieces, and from each of them the voice of Chon Woo Chi can be heard, asking Chong Woo Chi to the king to take care of his people and not leave them in trouble. The king became even more angry and ordered the bottle to be crushed into powder.
Once Chon Woo Chi met a gray-haired old man. The poor man cries and says:
“My neighbor Van became jealous of his wife and his neighbor Dzo and got into a fight with him. A
my son was walking past at that time. He saw two people fighting and began to separate them. I didn't understand. He hit Dzo Wang with all his might, he fell to the ground and gave up his ghost. And Van’s cousin went to the judge and testified against his son that it was he who killed Van. The son was convicted, but the killer walks free.
It turned out that he was friends with the minister.
Jung Woo Chi went to the minister. The minister looked in the mirror, and there was a man standing there. This was Jung Woo Chi. And he says to the minister:
“I am Van’s soul.” You have unfairly condemned a person. He didn't kill me.
The minister got scared, released the old man’s son, and put Zhuo in prison.
Once Chon Woo-chi passed by a drinking establishment. He hears music playing. When he entered, rich men were sitting at the table with dancers, each more beautiful than the other.
Jung Woo Chi says:
- I am a traveler, I wandered here by accident. Let me sit with you and listen to music.
- Since you really want to, sit down. After all, you are a peasant and, of course, you have not seen such an abundance of dishes, such luxury, such lovely girls,” answered Un and Sol, the most arrogant of all.
- Your truth, gentlemen. “I’ve never seen anything like this in my life,” Jung Woo-chi answered. “But there’s something missing on your table.” There are no watermelon, no grapes, no peaches.
The rich people laughed and said:
- Well, you are stupid! Where can you get them in the spring? Maybe you can bring them to us?
- I'll bring it! What will you give me for this? - Jung Woo Chi asked.
“If you bring it, we will bow low to you, but if you deceive us, we will severely punish you,” answered one rich man.
Chon Woo Chi went to the mountain, picked a branch of a peach tree, cast a spell, and peaches, grapes and a watermelon appeared in place of the flowers. Chon Woo Chi took them and went to the rich people. The rich people look and don’t believe their eyes.
There’s nothing to be done, the rich people had to bow to Chon Woo Chi. But Un and Sol didn’t want to, they just brought him a glass of wine. Jung Woo Chi says:
“You didn’t keep your word, and God will punish you for it!”
Un went out into the yard for a minor need, but could not relieve himself. I got scared and started screaming. Sol came out to see what was the matter, and also could not relieve himself. And the most beautiful dancer couldn’t. They began to ask Chon Woo-chi for forgiveness and beg for mercy. And they bowed to him so low that they hit their noses on the ground. Chong Woo Chi had mercy on them, called two heavenly youths, ordered them to ascend to Heaven and deliver three peaches to earth. Soon, peach leaves descended from the sky, and then three peaches fell, each as big as a man's head. Intact, not a single one was broken. Chung Woo Chi gave each person a peach, smiled and said:
- Eat peaches, and all the illness will come out of you.
From that time on, they say, these three never again showed their arrogance, did not break their word.
Chon Woo Chi once met a young man named Han Ja Gyong. The young man was so poor that he could not bury his own father or buy medicine for his sick mother. Chon Woo Chi pulled out a hollowed out pumpkin from his sleeve to draw water, gave it to the young man and said:
“If you need anything, shout into the ladle: “Servant Ho,” and you will hear in response: “I’m listening, sir.” Order one hundred yang to be brought to you, the servant will bring it without hesitation. Take it and bury your father. You'll ask again tomorrow. And so every day. But only one hundred yang. Don't ask anymore. You will also have enough to buy medicine for your mother. Ja doesn’t even know how to thank Jung Woo Chi, he asked his name. Jung Woo Chi told him what his nickname was. The young man ran home, looked, and on the scoop there was a pantry and a boy with a key in his hand. The young man called:
- Servant Ho!
And the answer came immediately:
- I’m listening, sir!
Zha Gen ordered to bring one hundred yang. In the blink of an eye, money appeared.
The young man buried his father and took a hundred yang every day for his sick mother.
This continued until Zha Gen asked for one hundred yang and on the same day another hundred yang. The servant didn't bring it! Zha Gen began to demand. Then the boy let him into the pantry. Zha Gen took one hundred yang and wanted to go out, but that was not the case: the door was locked. Zha Gen began to scream, then pounded on the door - no one responded. One of the finance department officials heard the noise and reported to the minister.
The minister ordered the robber to be seized and thrown into prison. They opened the pantry, and there was a man standing there, holding money in his hands.
- Who are you and by what right do you take money? - asks the minister.
- Who are you and by what right do you break into my house? And do you want to arrest me? - Zha Geng answers.
He took a closer look, and in front of him was the minister. You can't imagine anything worse! Ja Kyung had to tell the whole truth - both about the ladle and about Jung Woo Chi.
The minister went down to the storeroom to check if everything was in place, he looked - the cabinets were filled with green frogs and yellow snakes, and the gold and silver had gone to no one knows where. The minister reported this to the king. And then something happened that is scary to tell: worms ate the rice in the royal storehouses, tigers attacked the royal concubines.
They took Zha Geng to court. They interrogated him. The king asks:
- So, you claim that you received the ladle from Jung Woo Chi. Where and when? Answer!
“I received the ladle five months ago, when I met Jung Woo Chi on the street,” answered Ja Gyeng.
Then a whirlwind came and Zha Gen disappeared. The king began to hold advice with the ministers on what to do and what to do. One minister advised Chun Woo Chi to offer a high post, maybe then he would calm down. The king agreed and ordered a decree about this to be posted on all four gates of the fortress.
Chung Woo Chi read the royal decree and went to the palace. The king was delighted and declared his will to him. Chung Woo Chi agreed to help the king govern the state. So from that time on he began to serve at court.
At that time, a gang of robbers appeared, they took refuge in the forests on Mount Kadal, robbed and killed people. No matter what the local authorities did, they could not catch them. The king found out about this, said Chon Woo Chi, and he volunteered to deliver the robbers to the capital for trial. He took the soldiers, they mounted their horses and reached the mountain. And they don’t know where the robbers are. Then Chon Woo Chi turned into a kite and flew to the mountain. He looks, and there are robbers, about a hundred of them, no less, and the leader of the gang, Om Zhuni. Tall, red face, bulging eyes.
Chon Woo Chi flew around the bandit camp, came back, put on armor and a double helmet. He took the leaves, cast a spell, the leaves turned into warriors, Chon Woo Chi gave them spears and sharp swords. He sat on a black horse and led the soldiers up the mountain to the bandit camp. He cast the spell again, the castle gates opened, and Chong Woo Chi burst in with his warriors. But the robbers don’t know anything, they feast and drink wine.
Chon Woo Chi turned into a kite again, turned the warriors into kites, they rushed from a height at the robbers, carried away all the food, then the wind came, swept everything away and scattered it. Here Chon Woo Chi and the warriors took on their former appearance and rushed to strike and destroy the robbers. Chon Woo Chi turned one of the warriors into himself, and he soared into the air. The imaginary Chon Woo Chi strikes the robbers on the ground, and the real one attacks from the air, his sword sparkling with lightning. The robbers ran in one direction, but then Chon Woo Chi blocked their path. They ran to another - again Chon Woo-chi grew up in front of them. The robbers fell into a trap. The king rejoices, thanks Jung Woo Chi, and all the courtiers follow the king.
However, there was an envious person among the courtiers, his name was Wang Yong Hee.
He slandered Chon Woo-chi in front of the king, so much so that Chon Woo-chi was threatened with the death penalty. Jung Woo Chi found out about this, took the form of Wang Yong Hee, and snuck into his house. In the evening, the real Wang Yong Hee returned home, and there was a commotion.
The imaginary Wang Yong Hee began to scold the real one, to vilify him in every possible way and said to him:
“No other way than a hundred-year-old fox took on human form and entered the house.” Get out of here, you scoundrel!
And the real Wang Yong Hee shouts to the imaginary one:
- Get out of here, you insolent! And so that your feet are no longer here!
Chon Woo Chi cast a spell here, ordered the servants to crush the laurel tree bark into powder and sprinkle the powder on Van. And Van turned into a nine-tailed fox. The servants attacked the fox with sticks, they were going to beat it, Chon Woo Chi did not allow them, he ordered the fox to be tightly tied and thrown into prison. Van wants to say a word, but he cannot. He began to bark like a fox, but the servants forcibly calmed him down. Van was so grieved that he was about to die. Then Chun Woo Chi came to prison, advised Wang Yong Hee not to envy anyone, cast a spell, and Wang Yong Hee again took on human form. He began to ask Chun Woo Chi for forgiveness for causing him so much harm.
I once saw Chon Woo-chi in the village of children. I started watching them play. And he liked it so much that he decided to please them with something.
Jung Woo Chi pulled out a cup from his sleeve, and in the cup a girl was drawn with a bottle in her hand. Jung Woo Chi looked into the cup and said:
- Come out, Zhu Sung Dan, give the guys some sweet wine.
As soon as he said this, the beauty came out of the cup and poured some wine for the guys.
Glad guys! And it must happen that at this very time the rich traveler Oh Son was walking along the road. The beauty brought him wine and returned it back to the cup. And Oh Sun liked the beauty so much that he began to ask Jung Woo Chi to sell the cup. Jung Woo Chi agreed, they agreed that the next day Jung Woo Chi would come to Oh Sung for money.
Oh Song brought the cup home, hung it on the wall, and in the morning he said:
- Ju Sung Dan, give me some wine!
At the same moment, a beautiful girl appeared in front of him and brought him wine.
Oh Song drained several glasses in a row, and the wine went to his head. He sat the beauty on his lap, and then his wife appeared. The wife got angry and wanted to hit the beauty, but she walked into the cup and was the only one they saw. The wife grabbed the cup and threw it on the floor, the cup was in pieces. Oh Song is upset, he feels sorry for the cup!
And at this time, Jung Woo-chi arrived in time to receive money for the sold cup. Oh Song told him that there was no more cup, it was broken, and asked him to lower the price. Jung Woo-chi left his double to conduct the conversation with Oh-sung instead, and he went to Oh-sung’s wife, reproached her for breaking the cup, and began to demand his money. And she didn’t make any noise, she started screaming. Then Jung Woo Chi decided to teach the woman a lesson so that she would not behave in the future, and turned her into a monster, so huge that it barely fits in the room. Oh Song came, looked, got scared, asks for forgiveness, wants to give money for a cup. Then Chon Woo Chi changed his anger to mercy, didn’t even take the money, but removed the spell from his wife, she turned into a woman again.
One day Chung Woo Chi decided to visit his classmate, scientist Yang Bong Hwan. He came, and he was lying in bed, ill. And all because he fell in love with a woman, young, beautiful. That woman lived near the southern gate in Hendok. Widowed. No matter how much Bong Hwan begs her to marry him, he never agrees.
Jung Woo Chi felt sorry for his friend and said:
“I’m already thirty, but I have no experience in love affairs.” I only heard that it is difficult to cure love. But I'll think of something. Calm down and don't worry. I'll bring her to you!
He said so and left. I went to see the young widow. And that widow lived with her old mother, and in such poverty that you can’t even tell. I wanted to kill myself. Suddenly one day he hears a voice from Heaven:
- Look at the star of Doom and immediately ascend to Heaven. You have been commanded to be at the heavenly festival!
The woman lowered her head and said:
“I don’t have time for the holidays, I’m in mourning for my husband.” And how can I ascend to Heaven if I have not gotten rid of worldly desires?
A voice from Heaven answered her:
- Do not drink earthly moisture contrary to the will of Heaven.
At that same moment, the heavenly youth descended to earth and gave the woman some aromatic drink to drink. The woman drank and ascended to Heaven on a rainbow cloud. The poor mother didn’t have time to come to her senses, she just looked after her daughter.
At that time, the famous magician Kang Im Doren turned into a beggar and came to the market square to beg for alms. He looks - a cloud is floating in the sky. The magician raised his index finger, the woman immediately fell from Heaven, alive and well. And it had to happen that just at that moment Jung Woo-chi was walking through the market square. I saw that a woman had fallen from Heaven and marveled at such a miracle. And then one beggar says:
- Poor Jung Woo Chi! Your power more often brings evil than good. Do not try to marry off a widow; she is destined to remain chaste for the rest of her life. Chon Woo-Chi grabbed a sword to teach the beggar a lesson for his insolence, and he turned into a tiger and rushed at Chon Woo-Chi. Jung Woo-chi wanted to run away, but that was not the case: his feet were rooted to the ground. Chon Woo-chi fell to his knees and asked for mercy. I couldn't help my friend.
Another time, Chung Woo Chi went to visit So Hwa Dam, famous for his Taoist learning. A Taoist lived in a poor hut in the Yage Mountains. The fame of his talents spread throughout the world. Jung Woo Chi came to him and asked him to teach him the art of magic. So Hwa Dam was delighted and introduced him to his younger brother, So Yong Dam. And that brother was a student of the Taoist.
And he invited Jung Woo Chi to compete in magic. Chung Woo Chi took So Yeon Dam's hat, cast a spell - the hat turned into wire. So Yeon Dam took Jung Woo Chi's hat and cast a spell - the hat turned into a tiger skin. Then the wire became a white dragon, and the tiger skin became blue. The dragons soared into the air, grappled with each other, and everything around was shrouded in clouds and fog. The blue dragon was defeated and flew away to the southeast.
So Hwa Dam burst out laughing, took the cups from the table, and threw them into the air.
The dragons immediately descended to the ground, disappeared, and in their place lay two hats. The Taoist asked Chun Woo Chi for forgiveness for his younger brother’s disrespect and said:
“There was no point in you competing with the guest without my permission.” And you were defeated because your dragon was blue. Blue is the color of wood, and white is the color of metal. Of the five elements, metal wins over wood. It doesn't happen the other way around. That's your mistake!
So Hwa Dam once said to Jung Woo Chi:
— There is a mountain near the South Sea, it’s called Hwasan. A famous Taoist named Un Su Seongsen lives there. He was once my teacher. So I want to ask you to carry a letter from me. The path ahead of you is long and difficult. The mountain is steep and high, there is no housing nearby.
Jung Woo Chi agreed, but he himself thinks: “Does So Hwa Dam really not believe in my abilities?” Jung Woo Chi felt offended. But he took the letter and set off without hesitation. He walked and walked and came to the sea. Suddenly he looks - there are bars. High-extreme. Jung Woo-chi wanted to climb over it, but he climbed and climbed, and the grate got higher and higher. I reached all the way to Heaven. For ten days, ten nights, Chon Woo-chi climbed along the bars, but he never climbed over.
His conscience tormented him that he had not fulfilled the request, he turned into a seagull and flew away. And So Hwa Dam turned into a paper kite and set off in pursuit. Then Chon Woo Chi became a leopard, and So Hwa Dam became a lion. The lion rushed at the leopard, overpowered him and said:
“You still have a lot of arrogance, but you lack skill.” You need to learn from me! Never use magic power for evil, do only good. Now let's go together to the Taebaek Mountains and improve our knowledge.
So Chon Woo Chi was forgiven and went with the teacher to the mountains.
They built a home there and devoted their lives to self-improvement. Many books were written and stored in the cave.
For a long time no one knew anything about them, but one day they were met in the mountains by a man named Yang Bon Ne from Gangwon Province, he went there to venerate the relics of the first king, Tang Gun. And the hermits said:
“We live far from the bustle world, we comprehend the secrets of the universe. Several volumes have already been written about this. You seem to be a reliable person. Promise to preserve them, so that later you can pass on the secrets contained in them to your descendants.
Yang Bon Ne took the books and returned home. He reads those books day and night, and has comprehended all the wisdom. I began to explain them to people, but no one wanted to listen.
A secret must remain a secret.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru