Original Text
Luo Zu was a native of Jimo, who in his youth came from a poor family. The clan was required to provide one able-bodied man for garrison duty on the northern frontier, and so Luo Zu was sent to serve. After several years of frontier service, his wife bore him a son. The garrison commander held him in high regard. It happened that the commander was promoted to the post of Assistant Commander in Shaanxi and wished to take Luo Zu with him. Thus Luo Zu entrusted his wife and child to the care of a friend surnamed Li and departed for Shaanxi. Three years passed without an opportunity to return home. By chance, the Assistant Commander needed to dispatch a letter to the northern frontier, and Luo Zu requested to be the messenger, so that he might also visit his wife and son; the commander consented.
Upon returning home, Luo Zu found his wife and child safe and sound, which brought him great relief. However, discovering a pair of men's shoes beneath the bed stirred suspicion in his heart. He then went to visit his friend surnamed Li to express his gratitude. Li bought wine and entertained him warmly, and Luo's wife also spoke at length of Li's profound kindness and generosity, leaving Luo Zu deeply grateful. The next day, he said to his wife, "I must deliver a letter for the adjutant and will not return tonight; do not wait for me." With these words, he mounted his horse and rode away. Luo Zu concealed himself nearby and returned home after nightfall. Hearing his wife and Li talking in bed, he flew into a rage, kicked open the door, and burst into the room. The two, terrified, fell to their knees, crawling and kowtowing, begging for mercy. In fury, Luo Zu drew his knife, then sheathed it again, saying, "At first, I regarded you as a man, but now that you have acted thus, killing you would only defile my blade! I tell you this: from this day forward, my wife and son are yours; my military service falls to you as well; the horse and weapons are here. I am leaving." With that, he strode away. The neighbors reported the matter to the authorities. The officials arrested Li and subjected him to torture; Li confessed the entire truth. Yet, as no one had witnessed the event and there was no evidence, a thorough search far and wide yielded no trace of Luo Zu. Suspecting that the adulterer had murdered him, the authorities imprisoned both Li and Luo's wife. A year later, both died in prison, and the officials sent Luo Zu's son back to Jimo.
Later, in the village of Shixiaying, a woodcutter went up the mountain to gather firewood and saw a Daoist sitting in a cave, yet he never saw him eat anything. The people, finding this strange, brought grain and offered it to him in the cave. Someone recognized this Daoist as none other than Patriarch Luo. The food offerings piled up inside the cave, but Patriarch Luo never partook, and even showed signs of annoyance at the clamor, so gradually fewer people came to see him. After several years, the mugwort and brambles outside the cave grew as thick as a small forest. Someone secretly peered in and saw Patriarch Luo still sitting motionless in his original spot. After a long while, someone saw him emerge and walk about on the mountain, but when they drew near, he was nowhere to be seen; peering back into the cave, Patriarch Luo was still sitting there, the dust on his clothes undisturbed. The people grew even more astonished. After a few more days, when they went to look again, Patriarch Luo had already let his jade staff droop, having long since achieved transcendence through seated meditation. The locals built a temple for him, and every third month, pilgrims came in an endless stream to burn incense. His son also came to offer incense, and people called him Little Patriarch Luo, giving him all the incense money. To this day, Patriarch Luo's descendants come to the temple once a year to collect the incense offerings.
Liu Zongyu of Yishui related this matter to me in great detail. I said with a smile: "Nowadays, those who believe in Buddhism do not aspire to become sages or worthies, but only hope to become immortals. Let me tell these people: if one wishes to attain Buddhahood instantly, he must first lay down the butcher's knife in his hand."
Commentary
As for the story itself, it is an interpretation of the common saying, "Drop the butcher's knife and become a Buddha on the spot." The "Historian of the Strange" then satirizes those who prayed to gods and Buddhas in his time, arguing that there is no fundamental difference between sages and Buddhas—both require first reforming evil and embracing goodness. If one's evil nature remains unchanged, one can become neither a sage nor a Buddha.
This story, along with "The Flow of Coins" in Volume Five, was told to Pu Songling by Liu Zongyu, a tribute scholar from Yishui County, which belonged to Yizhou Prefecture, demonstrating that Pu Songling's network for story creation was extensive, not limited to friends from Zichuan alone.