The Dragon Stone of Yidoushui Village​

Deep in the Taihang Mountains of Xiuwu County lies Yidoushui, a secluded village with just over 200 residents yet centuries of history. At its heart stands a grand Guandi Temple honoring Lord Guan Yu, the revered deity of loyalty and righteousness. Below the temple slopes rests a peculiar boulder etched with a lifelike dragon pattern—locals call it the "Dragon Manifestation Stone" (Long Xian Shi). Legend claims this stone dragon is the transformed spirit of the celestial serpent from Lord Guan's legendary Green Dragon Crescent Blade. The tale begins during a catastrophic drought. Months without rain parched the land, withering crops and drying wells. Desperate villagers gathered their belongings to flee. But an elder protested: "Our roots bind us to this soil. Let us first beg Lord Guan's mercy!" They prepared offerings and knelt before his statue in the temple, pleading: "Save your devoted people, O Divine Guardian!" Unknown to them, Lord Guan had long witnessed their suffering. Though powerless to command rain—a duty belonging to dragon kings—his heart ached. In desperation, he gripped his crescent blade and called: "Green Dragon! Will you remain silent?" The serpent coiled on the weapon stirred. For centuries, it had absorbed battlefield valor and villagers' incense, gaining spiritual wisdom while humbly learning virtue from its master. Now summoned, it materialized before Lord Guan, bowing low. "As a dragon," Lord Guan urged, "rainmaking is your birthright. Will you ease this land's torment?" "Your will be done, Celestial Lord!" The dragon soared skyward, summoning thunderheads. Torrents poured through the night, reviving rivers and fields. Yet Lord Guan refused to claim credit. That night, he visited villagers in dreams: "The Green Dragon saved you, not I. See my blade—its serpent is gone. Its spirit now dwells in the temple stone. Build a Dragon King shrine there to honor its sacrifice." At dawn, villagers rushed to the temple. True to the vision, the blade's engraving had vanished, while the boulder now bore a vivid dragon relief. To this day, though the Guandi Temple has been rebuilt many times, the crescent blade remains eternally dragonless—a testament to the serpent's ascension and the village's enduring gratitude.