In the Tianchi (also known as Yumu Lake) at the back of Jiulianping in the mountains behind Mount Heng in western Sichuan, there lived a beautiful and kind woman. She lost her husband early in life and was left to raise and educate her son alone. She also had to herd the oxen, laying a solid foundation for her son to follow in her husband's footsteps. She was the wife and daughter of Chongbogan, the warrior who tamed the floods in the Age of the Floods, and she was known to everyone in the world as Yumu.

One day, Yu's mother saw that her son Dayu had grown to be 16 years old, with a height of 9 chi, a tiger nose, a wide mouth with two big front teeth, and even more miraculously, three small holes in each ear, which could hear sounds from hundreds of li away. Yu's mother was happy to see this, and called Dayu to her, saying, “My dear, I see that you have grown up, and I have to tell you about your father.”

Dayu had longed to know everything about his father, and could not wait to say, “Mother, please go on, I am all ears.”

So, Yu's mother told the story of his father as if she were relating family treasures...

Yu's father, Chong Bojun, was the son of Zhuanxu and the great-grandson of Emperor Yan. In his early years, he was stationed in Guangrou. He was 1.2 zhang tall, with copper-coloured eyes and a mouth as big as a basin. He was extremely strong, as strong as an ox, and extremely brave. However, he was brave but not clever. The Heavenly Emperor sent him to control the floods in the world, but he listened to the slanderous words of the treacherous minister Xiang Yao and used a large amount of manpower and financial resources from all over the world to build embankments to block the water, using the limited land on which the people depended for survival. After nine years of flood control, the floods became a disaster, washed away the embankments and let the flood water rush through. Not only did he not control the floods, but the disaster was even worse than before. Many lives were lost and many acres of fertile land were destroyed. The Emperor of Heaven was enraged and ordered Chong Bo Gun to be executed. Chong Bo Gun felt guilty for failing to control the floods and accepted his punishment. He bowed to the ground, stretched out his neck and died on Yushan.

Yu's mother paused and said, “My son, be fair. Should your father be executed?”

After a moment's thought, Yu replied, “Mother, in my opinion, your father should be executed! Because he used the method of blocking the water, and countless lives were drowned.”

“My son, this is called a strange person who does not know reason, and a person who knows reason is not strange. If your father had not listened to slander, he would not have been executed.” Yu's mother said excitedly, “But your father did not complete the great undertaking of flood control. You must carry on your father's will and complete it, so that you can do justice to the people of the world!”

Upon hearing this, Yu knelt down and said, “My son will obey his mother's command.” That night, Yu looked up at the blue sky above Jiulianping, thinking about the raging flood below. He carried the pheasant he had hunted the day before and went to the mountain god temple by Yu's mother's pool. He offered the pheasant, knelt down, and prayed with his hands folded, “Mountain god! My mother wants me to carry on my father's work. I want to go down the mountain to control the floods, but I know nothing about it. I don't know if I have the talent or not. I hope the mountain god can give me some advice.”

Yu knelt in front of the mountain god temple all night without closing his eyes. It was still dark when he felt his knees getting sore and his eyelids fighting with each other. As he was half asleep, he saw an old man with a white beard walking towards him and saying, “The god has woken up. I am the mountain god of Jiulianping.” Hearing that the mountain god had come to him, Dayu hurriedly paid homage to him. The mountain god helped Dayu up with both hands and sat down on the ground, saying, “There is no need for you to be so polite, divine man. I am moved by your sincerity in controlling the floods, and I have come to offer a few strategies, hoping that you will adopt them.”

Dai Yu hurriedly said, “I will follow your teachings.” The mountain god said, “God, you are going to go down the mountain to control the floods. I hope you can do three things well: first, strengthen your physical training so that you can adapt to the harsh environment in the future; second, make friends and pay attention to observing the gods that are beneficial to flood control; and third, on the seventh day of the third lunar month, five years from now, rush to Hengshan in the south to ask the old immortal of the south pole to give you the He Tu so that you can successfully control the floods. Once these three things are done, the little god will go to heaven and report to the emperor, recommending you as the overall supervisor of flood control for the whole world.”

Yu woke up with a start. It was broad daylight, and he had remembered every word the mountain god had said. He reported to his mother, and from that day on, he insisted on sleeping with the green ox, being exposed to the scorching sun, bathing in the heavy rain, and running in the snow. After five years of hard training, he had built up his body like an iron tower. At the same time, he discussed flood control methods with the turtle, snake, insect and shrimp, carefully observing the patterns on the bodies of various animals. When he saw the pattern on the back of the turtle showing the shape of the earth, with the pattern of the eight directions joining together in the centre, the north, south, east, west, one and nine, two and eight, four and six, three and seven, all joining together to form a whole. He suddenly had an epiphany, his heart lit up, and he understood a lot. It turned out that the land and the sea complement each other. The land is like the back of a turtle, the ocean is like the turtle rolling around, and the patterns on the turtle's back are like rivers. If the rivers are dredged, the floodwaters will all flow into the ocean. No wonder, the decision my father made to block the water and break the levees caused widespread devastation...

Five years later, on the seventh day of the third lunar month, after passing through 999 bends, climbing 999 mountains, crossing 999 rivers and traveling 999 li, Dayu finally arrived at Hengshan in the south. He was exhausted and hungry, and when he asked around for the immortal Xianweng Wuzhe, everyone said that he had not returned from traveling on a white crane. In his desperation, Dayu fainted. At that moment, an old man with white hair and a youthful face, with an air of a Daoist immortal, arrived on a white crane. He woke up Yu and took him to a cave on Hengshan. Inside the cave were a stone table and stone benches. On the stone table were immortal peaches, a chessboard and chess pieces. The old man with white hair told Yu to eat a peach to satisfy his hunger first. Then, pointing to the chessboard, he said, “Yu, I am the immortal from the South Pole. Watch carefully as I teach you how to play chess.”

The immortal placed the chess pieces on the board, which looked like mountains, and the paths, which looked like waterways. He was amazed and enlightened. Suddenly, the immortal laughed heartily and said, “I'm leaving, I'm leaving!” and flew up into the sky on a white crane.

When Yu woke up, he felt the fragrance of the immortal peach in his mouth. Looking down, he saw that there was no chess table in front of him, but a map of the river. The map depicted a yellow river to the north of the big mountain, which is today's Yellow River. To the south of the big mountain was a long river, which is today's Yangtze River. Other rivers were scattered in a well-organized manner. Yu was overjoyed and bowed to the sky with his forehead pressed against his hands, saying, “Thank you, immortal, for giving me the map of the river. Yu will not shrink from death while trying to control the floods!”

Dai Yu returned to Jiulianping happily with the river map in his hands and bowed in front of the mountain god temple and said, “Mountain god, mountain god! Over the past five years, I have trained myself into an iron body; and I have understood that flood control cannot be done by blocking the water, but by dredging the river channels. At the same time, I have returned the river map from Hengshan in Nanyue, and I understand even better the principle that if we follow the mountains to find the water, all countries will be at peace. Mountain god, please enlighten me.”

The mountain god turned into an old man with a white beard and walked towards him, helping him up and saying, “Please rise, divine man, you are embarrassing me. I have already gone to Heaven to report to the Emperor that you and your mother were born in Jiulianping, that you care about the survival of the human race, and that you do not blame your father for having you beheaded. Not only do you exercise regularly, you also make friends easily. You have great ambitions, seeking the map on Hengshan Mountain. Although I am a minor official with a minor position, I am the local governor here and have the responsibility to recommend talented people. Therefore, I have recommended you to go down the mountain to control the water and have issued a military order. If you are incompetent at controlling the water, the Heavenly Emperor will punish me instead. The Heavenly Emperor has decreed that you should control the water of Tongxi River in the front mountain of Mount Yinghua. Then, take the Green Bull to control the water disasters in the world! I believe you will become a great man in the future, and I will feel relieved if you go now.”

(Originally published in “Chinese Taoism” 2002, No. 1)

川西蓥华山后山九联坪的天池 (又称禹母池)，住着一位美丽善良的妇女，她早年丧夫，独自一人担负起扶养和教育儿子的重担，还要放牧青牛，为子承父志奠定坚实的基础。她就是洪荒时代治水勇士崇伯鲧的妻子女儿，天下人人皆知的禹母。

一日，禹母见自己的儿子大禹长到一十六岁，身高九尺，虎鼻下张着一张光形的嘴，露出两颗大门牙，更神奇的是，耳朵上各有三个小孔，能听百里之外的声音。禹母见此心里感到高兴，便把大禹叫到面前道：“儿呀，为娘见你已经长大成人，不得不把你父亲之事告诉你了。”

大禹早就想知道自己父亲的一切，便迫不及待地道：“母亲请讲，孩儿洗耳恭听。”

于是，禹母如数家珍地讲起了禹父的故事……。

禹父崇伯鲧是颛顼之子，炎帝的重孙。早年封在广柔之地，他身高一丈二尺，眼如铜铃，口大如盆，力大胜牛，勇猛异常。但，有勇无谋，天帝派他治理天下洪水，他偏听奸臣相繇的谗言，动用了天下大量的人力财力，把人民赖以生存的、有限的土地用来筑堤堵水。治水九年，洪水泛滥成灾，冲垮堤埂，让洪水横冲直闯。不但没有把洪水治服，反而比未治理以前受灾更大。多少人的生命被洪水吞没，多少良田被洪水洗劫。天帝见情，龙颜大怒，降旨将崇伯鲧处斩。崇伯鲧自疚治水无方，其罪当诛，便伏在地上，引颈就刑，死于羽山。

禹母停了停话语道：“儿呀，你说句公正话吧，你父亲该不该处以斩刑?”

大禹思索片刻答道：“母亲，依儿之见，父亲该处斩!因为父亲采取堵水的办法，淹死了数不尽的生灵啊。”

“儿呀，这就叫怪人不知理，知理不怪人。如果你父亲不听信谗言，也不至于处斩。”禹母激动地道：“但，你父亲未完成治水的大业，你一定要继承父志去完成，才对得起天下的百姓!”

大禹闻言，双膝跪地道：“孩儿谨遵母命。”是夜无语，大禹眼望九联坪那蔚蓝色的天空，心想着山下波浪滔天的洪水，他提着昨天狩猎的山鸡，来到禹母池边的山神庙前，献上山鸡，双膝跪下，双手合十地拜道：“山神爷呀山神爷!我母亲要我继承父志。下山治水，想我大禹一无所知，有何德何能，还需山神爷赐教。”

大禹在山神庙前跪了一夜，未合双眼。还未天明，脚也跪酸了，上眼皮不断地和下眼皮打架，当他似睡非睡之际，只见一个白胡子老头向他走来说道：“神人苏醒，小神乃九联坪山神是也。”大禹听说是山神来到身边，急忙参拜不已。山神双手扶起大禹，就地而坐道：“神人不必多礼，小神被神人治水之诚心所感动，小神特来献上几策，望神人采纳。”

大禹忙道：“谨遵教诲。”山神道：“神人呀，你要下山治水，小神望你做好三件事：一是加强自己身体的锻炼，以日后适应艰苦环境；二是广交朋友，留心观察对治水有利的神灵；三是你于五年之后的三月庚日，赶到南岳衡山去求南极仙翁赐给河图，治水方能成功。待三事办妥，小神即上天去奏明天帝，荐你为天下治水总都管。”

大禹猛地惊醒，见天色大明，刚才山神爷所言之事，一字不漏地记人心中，他禀明禹母，就从这天起，他坚持与青牛同宿，在赤日里曝晒，在大雨中沐浴，在雪地里奔跑。由于五年的艰苦锻炼，把自己的身体锻炼成铁塔一般。在此同时，他与大龟、蛇、虫、虾一起畅谈治水之方，细心观察各种动物身上的花纹。当他看到大龟的背上展示了大地的图形，在八方合十的图案花纹上，让东南西北呈现稳和；一与九，二与八，四与六，三与七，方方合十，构成一体。他茅塞顿开，心里一亮，领悟了许多，原来大地海域相辅相成啊。大地好似龟背、海洋好似在龟的团转，龟背上的图纹好似河流、如果把河流疏通，洪水就会全部流进海洋。难怪，父亲采取的堵水决堤，致使遍地遭殃呀……

五年后的三月庚日那天，大禹走过了九百九十九道弯，翻过了九百九十九座山，越过了九百九十九条河，行程了九百九十九里路，终于来到了南岳衡山。他劳累过甚，饥寒交迫，四处询问南极仙翁无着，皆言乘白鹤云游未归。大禹一急，便昏倒在地。此时，只见一白发童颜，仙风道骨的老者，乘白鹤而至。他叫醒大禹，将他带到衡山一个山洞里。洞中有石桌，石凳。石桌上放着仙桃和棋盘、棋子。白发老者叫大禹先吃一个桃子充饥。然后，指着棋盘道：“大禹，吾乃南极仙翁是也。你仔细观看吾教你下棋。”

南极仙翁在棋盘上摆放棋子，棋子尤如大山，棋路尤如水路一般，让大禹看得惊讶不已，心明眼亮。刹时，仙翁呵呵大笑道：“吾去也，吾去也!”遂乘白鹤飞上天空。

大禹一觉醒来，感到口里还有仙桃之香味。低头一看，面前哪有棋桌，分明是一张河图。图上绘着大山以北一条黄色的河流，就是今日的黄河。大山以南一条长长的河流，就是今日的长江。其它河流错落有致。大禹大喜，以首加额，向空中拜道：“多谢仙翁赐以河图，大禹治水，万死不辞!”

大禹手拿河图喜滋滋地返回九联坪，拜在山神庙前道：“山神爷啊，山神爷!五年多来，我已锻炼成铁塔一般；而且明白了治水不能堵水，只能疏通河道；同时，我从南岳衡山拿回了河图，更明了随山寻水，万国其宁之理。山神爷，请你赐教吧。”

山神爷又变成了一个白胡子老头向他走来，扶起大禹道： “神人请起，折煞小神也。小神已上天奏明天帝，陈述了你母子生在九联坪，以人类生存为怀，不怨其父杀头之事。不仅加强锻炼，还广交朋友，衡山求图，抱负不小!小神虽官小职微，却是这里地方官，有推荐贤才之责。因此，小神荐你下山治水特立下了军令状。如你治水无能，天帝就拿小神治罪。天帝口诏，令你选治蓥华山前山通溪河之水。然后，带看青牛去治理天下水患!小神观你日后定成大器，神人就放心去吧。”

（原载《中国道教》 2002年第1期）