The Legend of the Spirit Fox Worshipping the Moon in Sanjia Village, Laofuyu County, Jilin Province
Legend has it that west of Xisanjiazi Village, on the earth cliff of Xidazui, there stands an ancient elm tree. It is considered ancient because no one can recall how many hundreds of years it has existed. The tree's main trunk is thick, extending left and turning right, with a unique and extraordinary growth pattern; its branches intertwine in all directions, limbs climbing and arms winding; its leaves are lush, green, and dense, shading the sky and blocking the sun. Under the tree, dozens of people can sit and lie down to enjoy the cool shade with ample room.
It is said that one year, after a long and harsh winter passed, spring arrived, and the weather gradually warmed. People who had not visited the ancient elm tree throughout the winter began to gather from the village again. At this time, someone noticed an unknown path trodden in the snow leading directly to the base of the tree trunk, connecting to smooth marks running up the trunk to a circular hole about one zhang high with a diameter of roughly one chi. The洞口 (hole mouth) was smooth and shiny, suggesting that animals frequently entered and exited.
People found this curious. Some were afraid and dared not approach to watch, some were curious and had visited the hole to inspect, and others frequently hid in the woods to peek. Later, it was rumored that someone saw black and white foxes entering and exiting the hole. It was also said that the two foxes would kneel and worship the sky every day just before the moon rose, simultaneously spitting fireballs from their mouths, the size of chicken eggs, shimmering with light. They claimed this was the fox immortals refining elixirs. After the villagers heard this story, every evening they would go into the woods in groups of three or five to watch. All of them witnessed the scene of the fox immortals refining elixirs, and this story spread further and further.
There was a man surnamed Ma in the village who did not believe in such miraculous events. He went to watch for himself, but in his haste, he accidentally fell and broke his left arm, failing to see the elixir refining. His family went to the city to buy medicine, but it was ineffective, and the man cursed incessantly. One night, he dreamed of a divine figure with white hair and blue clothes, who introduced himself as a fox within the tree, holding a pill in his hand and saying, "Take this pill, and you will recover." Startled, the man opened his eyes and saw indeed a pill on the high table, radiating light that illuminated the entire room like daylight. He loudly called for his family to bring water and hastily swallowed the pill. Immediately, he heard his bones and tendons cracking, similar to a doctor performing surgery on a patient. Three days later, he was fully recovered. The man led his whole family to burn high incense before the ancient elm, offer grand sacrifices, and perform three bows and nine kowtows, after which the whole family enjoyed good health.
After this incident spread out, men and women riding horses and driving carriages came day after day to seek medicine. The vendors of incense and firewood, chickens, ducks, and fish, as well as those selling European plums and mountain haws in Xisanjiazi, sold out every day.
Later, led by the man surnamed Ma, the villagers pooled their money to build a temple behind the ancient elm, enshrining the black and white fox immortals for worship. Xisanjiazi Village thus became famous far and wide.