The rabbit mouse is actually a type of mouse. It is also known as the tailless mouse because it has no tail. The rabbit mouse has silver-grey fur, is fat, has a comical appearance and looks like a little rabbit. The cavy likes to make its home in tree holes or under rocks. It is gentle and not afraid of people. It loves to eat grass and tree roots, and also likes to pick up food that tourists have dropped on the ground. Even if it is very hungry, it will not go into a house where people live to steal food. Legend has it that there were no cavy in Huashan in the past. During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, Taoist Jiao Daoguang built the Zhenwu Palace on Yuntai Peak in the northern peak. Due to the large-scale project and the large number of people, the cooking oil was stored in more than ten large tanks. However, overnight, all the oil in the tank was gone. Upon investigation, it was discovered that the mice on the mountain were using their thick, long tails to dip the oil into their mouths and eat it. The Taoist priest Jiao drew a talisman, but the mice still did what they wanted and the construction could not proceed. The priest was furious and drew a talisman with a brush, ordering the mountain god to cut off the tails of the oil-stealing mice. Since then, there has been a new kind of mouse on Mount Hua – the rabbit mouse. The rabbit mouse is just as normal when it sees tourists, but as soon as it sees a Taoist monk in white socks, it immediately stands up on its hind legs, glaring and blowing its whiskers. It paws its cheeks with its front paws, making a squeaking sound, and looks annoyed. Even today, if a Taoist monk sees a rabbit mouse getting angry at him, he will bow and repeatedly say, “If you have a fault, correct it; if you don't, be all the more diligent.”

There was a Taoist priest surnamed Yu in the Southern Heavenly Gate, who was known as the “busy” Taoist priest: he was busy chanting sutras, meditating, and chasing mice. The long-tailed mice that lived in the Thunder Temple were natural rivals of the Taoist priest. At night, they scurried about, squeaking and screeching, disturbing the Yu Taoist priest and preventing him from sleeping. In the morning, he found that his quilt had been chewed and his food was in disarray. What's more annoying is that in broad daylight they dare to run to the altar to steal food and lamp oil, and even shit and pee on it. While Yu Daoren was meditating, he was bitten on the buttocks by the rats.

One day, when Yu Daoren went to the Nanfeng Forest to collect medicine, he saw a rabbit lying in the grass by the road, covered in blood and already dying. The Taoist priest did not care about gathering herbs, and hurriedly carried the rabbit mouse back to the temple, where he used Yunnan Baiyao (a Chinese medicine) and precious herbs from Mount Hua to heal its wounds. After more than three months, the rabbit mouse's wounds had healed. Perhaps the rabbit mouse was moved by the Taoist priest's careful care, and it never left the Taoist priest's side. Whenever the Taoist priest meditated, it also closed its eyes and lay down nearby; whenever the Taoist priest chanted sutras, it also shook its head and swayed to the rhythm. After a long time, Taoist Yu called the rabbit rat “brother Taoist” and would talk to it when there was nothing to do. The rabbit rat would respond with squeaks.

One night, in the middle of the night, Taoist Yu was awakened by the mouse's piercing scream. He turned on the light and saw that the rabbit rat was not beside him. He grabbed his sword and rushed out. He saw that in the open space of the main hall, the rabbit rat was fighting with a group of mice, and three injured mice were lying next to it. The Taoist priest roared and rushed forward, and the rats scattered in all directions. The Taoist priest saw that the rabbit was covered in wounds and was furious. Ignoring the Taoist precept against killing, he used the “Stabbing Mouse” technique from the “Nine Unique Swords” of the Huashan School of Swordsmanship to kill the three mice lying on the ground. However, he saw that the rabbit was using its body to protect the injured mice, standing on its hind legs, patting its cheeks with its front paws and squeaking. Seeing this, the Taoist priest suddenly understood: it turns out that my Taoist brother does not want me to kill. While he was thinking, the injured mouse woke up and limped into the hole. For a period of time, the Taoist priest noticed that the rabbit mouse often went to the vicinity of the temple in the evening and dragged back a lot of food discarded by tourists. The Taoist priest thought that the rabbit mouse was storing food and felt even more distressed that it was panting from exhaustion, so he also helped it pick it up and put it in a side room. For several days in a row, the food picked up during the day would disappear overnight, and the next day it would be gone. The Taoist priest became suspicious and decided to investigate the case in the middle of the night. That night, the Taoist priest stood quietly by the window and peered in, but was shocked: a group of long-tailed rats surrounded the rabbit, munching on the food the rabbit had picked up. The rabbit kept dragging the food to the group of rats, as if a host was entertaining his VIPs. Occasionally, the group of rats stopped chewing and chattered with the rabbit, as if discussing something. The Taoist priest quietly returned to the front of the temple, looked up at the bright moon, and sighed with emotion. In the days that followed, the rats continued to live in the temple, but their behavior changed drastically. They no longer damaged or stole food, and they no longer disturbed the Taoist priest. Man and rat lived in peace. The Taoist priest was overjoyed. He put away his sword and staff and concentrated on chanting sutras and meditating. It is feared that the unique martial art of the Huashan Mountains, the “Nine Swords of Solitude,” will be lost forever!

Early evening on the third day of the ninth lunar month. After reciting the sutra together, the rabbit rat circled the Taoist priest three times, stopped, raised its front paws and crossed them, as if the Taoist priest was bowing, and made a sad squeaking sound. Its small, round eyes seemed to be glistening with tears. The Taoist priest understood in his heart and returned the bow: “Are you leaving me to return to the forest and streams?” After a long while, the rabbit nodded, bowed deeply, and staggered along the temple gate, running into the forest.

In the past, Taoist Yu was short-tempered, but now his fellow Taoists noticed a complete change in his personality. He treated everyone with kindness, and his fellow Taoists said that Master Yu had encountered a mouse (Shu) and attained the Dao.

(Originally published in “Chinese Taoism” 2002, No. 3)

兔鼠其实也是鼠类的一种，因臀下无尾，因此又称无尾鼠。兔鼠毛皮为银灰色，体态肥胖，憨态可掬，模样活像一小兔子。兔鼠喜欢在树洞或岩石底下安家，性情温和不怕人，爱吃青草及树根，也爱捡吃游人丢在地上的食物，再饿也不会到人住的房屋里偷食。相传华山过去没有无尾鼠。北周武帝时，道士焦道广在北峰云台峰营建真武宫，由于工程浩大人员众多，吃用的菜油放在十几口大缸里。谁知一夜之间，缸里的油全没了。一查，发现是山上的老鼠用又粗又长的尾巴往嘴里沾油吃。焦真人便画了一道符，但老鼠仍我行我素，工程还是无法进行。真人大怒，提笔画符敕令山神，将偷油鼠的尾巴连根去掉。自此以后，华山便又多了一种鼠——兔鼠。兔鼠见了游人倒也平常如故，一旦见了穿白袜的道士，立刻后腿撑地站立起来，瞪眼吹须，两只前爪用力拍打脸颊发出吱吱尖叫，面呈恼怒之色。时至今日，道人一见兔鼠对自己发怒，便拱手行礼连连祝诵：“有则改之，无则加勉。”

南天门有一于姓道人，人称：“三忙”道人：忙诵经、忙打坐、忙打老鼠。雷神殿里常住的长尾巴老鼠，天生就是道人的对头。夜晚上蹿下跳吱吱乱叫，扰得于道人不能入睡，早晨起来发现棉被咬烂，食物狼藉。更令人气恼的是大白天它们也敢跑到供台上偷食供品、灯油，还在上面拉屎撒尿。于道人打坐时，竟被鼠辈们咬伤了屁股。

一日，于道人去南峰林中采药，见路边草丛中躺着一只兔鼠，身上鲜血淋漓，已经奄奄一息。道人顾不得采药，忙把兔鼠抱回庙里，用云南白药配以华山名贵草药替它疗伤。过了三月有余，兔鼠伤势见好。或许是道人的精心照料感化了兔鼠，它每日寸步不离道人左右，道人打坐，它也闭目伏在一边；道人诵经，它也随着音律摇头晃脑。时间一长，于道人称兔鼠为“道兄”，无事便同它对话，而兔鼠也用吱吱的叫声回应道人。

一天夜半，于道人睡中被老鼠凄厉的尖叫声惊醒，拉亮电灯一看兔鼠不在身边，手提宝剑冲了出来。只见在大殿的空地上，兔鼠正与一群老鼠厮咬在一起，旁边躺了三只受伤的老鼠。道人大吼一声冲上前来，群鼠四处逃窜。道人一见兔鼠伤痕累累，气愤之余，顾不得道人不杀生的戒律，用华山绝学“独孤九剑”中的刺鼠剑法，欲使躺在地上的三鼠毙于剑下。却见兔鼠用身体挡在伤鼠前，后腿立起，前爪拍打双颊，发出吱吱尖叫声。道人见状，心中顿然明白：原来道兄不让我杀生。思忖间，受伤的老鼠醒来一瘸一拐地钻进洞里。一段时间里，道人发现兔鼠常在傍晚时分到庙外附近，拖回好多游人丢弃的食物。道人以为兔鼠要储存食物，更心疼它累得气喘吁吁，便也帮它捡回，放在一间偏房里。接连几天，白天拣的食物，经一夜，第二天全不见了。道人心中生疑，决定夜半查案。当晚，道人悄立窗前探视，却吓了一大跳：一群长尾巴老鼠围伏一圈，大嚼兔鼠拣回的食物。兔鼠不停地把食物拖到群鼠前，似一位主人正在招待它的贵宾。间或群鼠停止嚼食，与兔鼠吱吱对语，似在谈论什么问题。道人悄然回转殿前，仰视明月，感叹不已。以后的日子里，群鼠依然住在庙里，但鼠风大变，既不损坏或偷食东西，也不再骚扰于道人，人鼠相安无事。于道人从此快乐无比，剑棍入库，专心诵经打坐。而华山绝学“独孤九剑”恐将从此失传矣!

九月初三，傍晚。于道人同兔鼠诵完经，兔鼠围着道人转了三圈，停下，抬起前爪交叉在一起，如同道人做揖状，嘴里吱吱有声，其声悲伤。小小圆眼，竟似有泪光闪闪。道人心中明白，便对兔鼠回了个揖：“道兄可是要离开我，重回林泉间。”良久，兔鼠点点头，弯腰长揖，沿着庙门摇摇摆摆地向林中跑去。

过去于道人脾气暴躁，如今道友们发现于道人性情大变，待人一团和气，道友们都说于爷是遇鼠 (淑)得道了。

（原载《中国道教》 2002年第3期）