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Cao Biền

Long time ago, China appeared a magical master whose name was Cao Bien. He knew many magic. Especially, he could see dragon-stream under ground. Place where had dragon-stream would spread special energy. If anyone after died was buried at the place their sons would be kings. His ability came to the recent king of China so the king forced his servants to call Cao Bien to come. The king requested Cao Bien to find dragon-stream that he would build mausoleum. Cao Bien obeyed king’s words and after five years he found place which had dragon-stream.
Cao Biền, truyện về cao biền
The king was very pleased he gave him very much jewelry and he also bestowed him to be a noble but Cao Biền refused. He knew that had a magical brush in king’s storage rooms and nobody knew about it so he wanted to have it.
“My king, I don’t want jewelry. I only want a storage room in a lot of storage rooms you have. You, my king, please, chose a key and I will be pleased to receive it”, said Cao Biền.
The king had a little surprise but he thought it was an interesting idea. Therefore, he agreed. Of course, he chose the key which could open the room where stored all brushes in castle. 
Stand out the storage room he took a stone with him. Unlock the door he saw a mount of brushes front his face then he grabbed a brush and punctured strongly the stone by brush’s head. It was broken. He threw the broken brush and grabbed another and did that again. One, two…then thousands brushes were broken.  At last when he threw all most of all brushes he found out a brush which wasn’t broken as he punctured against the stone.
“I found it, magical brush”, he said.
He drew a dragon without eyes on the wall. When he pointed two eyes the dragon moved immediately and flew out the wall. The dragon flew up the sky then it flew in cloud and disappeared. That made people very surprised. He continued to draw some animals and as dragon all of them became real animals when he had finished drawing.
At last, he drew a large kite then he point two eyes in it. The kite quivered. Cao Bien sat on the kite at one. The kite brought Cao Bien flew up and up slowly then it soared and disappeared. From the kite Cao Biền looked the ground to find dragon-stream. At last, he had seen the best dragon-stream he had ever seen. The dragon-stream was in a place near a river named “Tra Khúc” in Quang Ngai, Vietnam. Head of the dragon hid in the river.
But he wanted to enjoy a life as a king so he didn’t report to the king. Unfortunately, he didn’t have any son and he was too old to have much time to be a king. Therefore, he decided to let his daughter’s husband have that luck. If his son-in-law was king he would be treated very well and his daughter, his offspring also had royal lives.
In other side, it was so dangerous. He had to do in very strong privacy.
He came back China found his son-in-law and his student who was most trusted. They discussed in privacy that they would dug up and took his son-in-law’s father bones to Vietnam to bury again. But he had ever thought that the student also wanted do what he would do. Therefore, the student also dug up his father bones and took to Vietnam.    
That time the dragon was open its mouth (only Cao Biền could see).  Cao Biền asked his student to dive and throw pocket of bones into the dragon’s mouth but he threw his father’s pocket of   bones and put the other next to the dragon’s mouth.
Then Cao Bien chose 5 kind of rice and took a pannier of each kind asked his son-in-law to dig five holes where was shoulder of dragon, put five panniers of rice into five holes and buried. He gave his son-in-law 1000 joss sticks.
“Fire a joss stick per day. After 2 years 9 months and 10 days, soldiers will appear from holes to help you”, he said.
Then he came back China.
Time passed, it was 10 days to the date. His daughter bore three sons. They were very bizarre. One had a red face, another had a silver face and the other had blue face. All of them took a sword in their hand. They jumped into altar and said wanted to fight to have throne. All of people living in his son-in-law were frightened. Only an afternoon the news was spread. People went to take a look more and more crowd. His son-in-law was very scared.
“You did bear monsters. Only if I killed them all I can keep my head on neck. I am so stupid following your father’s words”, he said then he killed all three sons.
His family was also confused they fired all remaining joss sticks. Suddenly, the places where he buried five panniers of rice were inflated, bigger and bigger then they exploded. Millions of soldiers jumped up from the holes but they were too young they still couldn’t stand. Therefore, they fell down others and dead. All of them dead. 
When the date came. Cao Biền sat on the kite flew to Vietnam but he met an opposite wind so he was not on time. When he came all things were destroyed. He was very angry so he took out his sword and killed both his student and his son-in-law.
 From that time, Cao Biền became carelessness. He thought if he couldn’t have the luck he would make everyone can not have the luck. Therefore, he flew along Vietnam to find and destroyed dragon-stream. He cut the head of dragon he had ever wanted. Now day, water which is flowed that place always has red color people explain that was dragon’s blood.
 He flew to Nghe An and saw a mountain (now day is called “Đầu Rồng” mountain) which had dragon-stream at place nearby sea. He made an amulet which was iron stick. He plugged the amulet on top of the mountain. Trees couldn’t grow in the top of mountain from that to now.
 He flew cross Thanh Hoa. Of course Thanh Hoa also had a dragon-stream but that is a injured dragon so he think the dragon wouldn’t make any king. Therefore, he flew away. Because of that things Thanh Hoa could have many kings along Vietnamese history.
When his kite crossed Thien Mo (now day it was call Hà Đông) he saw a well near a river (the river now is call Nhuệ) had dragon-stream. He flew down slowly and threw the magical brush down the well. The brush transformed into big log which pinned hardy in ground under the well. None dared to touch the log until long time later a curious mandarin wanted to pull up the log. He tied the log at a side of rope and the other he tied around an elephant’s neck. But when the elephant pulled. The ground suddenly shook and houses caught fire. The mandarin was frightened. He stopped his curiosity and none dared to touch the log from that to now. The well had never been dried and if water was clear you could see the log.  
Then he drew a map with detail comment to give the king. That meant all dragon-streams in Vietnam were destroy. Only dragon-stream at center (now day which is Hà Nội) had a solemn ceremony. He forced people to buil a citadel called Đại La to confine dragon-stream. Then he asked people made 80,000 small   earthenware towers, grouped 80,000 soldiers. Each of them took a spear with a small earthenware towers on top. They had to marched and yelled.
“Thông vận hoàng đế”
They went to top of mountain nearly put earthenware towers on ground then came back. Therefore, the mountain now was called Bát Vạn (it means 80,000) because of that strange thing.
His king very pleased about him and gifted him so much but people living in Vietnam hated him so much. They planed to kill him. One day, when he was flying above a place (now day it is called Ninh Bình) thousands of arrows flew toward him. The kite was broken. He fell down and was injured. Fortunately, he could scoot back China and he had never dared to go Vietnam from that time. The mountain where he flew down now is call Cánh Diều( it means kite)
 THE END
 "Translated by Hung Nguyen"

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