One day, a peasant saved a Taoist when he was drowning. The Taoist decided to thank the peasant for his good deed and took him to his cave. There he took out a huge pumpkin from its hiding place and took out three magical things from it: a needle, a mallet and a wand. The Taoist laid them at the feet of the peasant and said:
“Although these things are unsightly in appearance, they contain magical power: the needle gives life and cures all diseases, the mallet, when struck, carves out gold and silver coins, and the rod gives the power to defeat any army and destroy enemies. You saved my life and as a reward you can choose one of them.
The peasant, without hesitation, took the needle and hid it in his belt.
“You made your decision too quickly,” the Taoist was surprised. “Aren’t you attracted by wealth or power?”
“I chose life,” answered the wise peasant, “since neither power nor wealth have no value without it, and by saving the lives of others, I, if desired, will have both power and wealth.” That’s why I prefer the needle, and as for the rod and the mallet, you won’t have any trouble with them.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru