The Legend of Sealed Book

About the story

In Heaven there is a remarkable volume called the "Heavenly Book," which has been locked behind the doors of a stone shrine for three thousand years. Its guardian, Yuan Gong, is intensely curious about its contents and secretly takes it out to read when no one is around. It turns out to contain one hundred and eight spells. Yuan Gong slips down to the mortal world and carves the book's contents into a rock wall. Though he intends to benefit humankind, his act violates Heaven's laws, and the Jade Emperor punishes him. Three foxes accidentally eat the elixir from an alchemical furnace, become spirits, and descend to the mortal world to swindle people out of their money. They also pose as immortal maidens and collude with the authorities, oppressing ordinary people and bringing harm to the world. Yuan Gong then guides the gifted Dansheng—a child who sprang from an egg—to study the spells in the Heavenly Book, pit his wits and courage against the fox spirits, and rid the people of their scourge.