The bride, the monk, and the flying hill

In a tale told around Feilai Peak, Jigong knows that a hill is about to land on a village. He hurries from house to house. The villagers have heard the odd monk say strange things before. Preparations for a wedding continue; the warning slips beneath the bustle.

Then Jigong lifts the bride onto his back and runs. The wedding party follows, and the neighbours follow the wedding party. Out of the village goes a whole noisy crowd. Behind them, the hill comes down. The chase has carried everyone clear of its landing place.

The bride returns to the groom, and anger gives way to astonishment. Feilai Peak now stands quietly across the stream from Lingyin. Its caves and carved figures hold another kind of time. The tale leaves a lively question in the landscape: how did a day of celebration become a rescue?