In the early years, at the downstream ferry of Shaxi River in Shaxi Town, Tongjiang County, there was a deep pool. At night, the pool was filled with rays of light. A lama passed by and took out his magic mirror to find a golden box at the bottom of the pool. He turned it over and read the scriptures, which recorded “the precious spider playing with the golden box.”
So he searched everywhere and came to a poor mans yard, where he found a spider larger than an egg on the eaves. He closed his eyes and calculated, confirming that this was indeed the treasure spider. However, his cultivation was not yet complete, and he still needed to practice for three more years. At that time, he paid the yard owner silver to buy this spider, asking him to raise it on his behalf. After three years, he would pay again to express his gratitude and discuss the future use of the spider.
The head of the temple followed the lamas instructions, bought rice with money, cooked it into food, and fed it carefully every day.
After two years, the spider was bigger than the copper basin.
When the local landlord heard the news and knew the value of the spider, he tried every means to get it. One day, he brought several henchmen and rushed into the poor mans yard, seized the spider and threw it into the pond without waiting.
The spider spun around the water surface several times, instantly emitting a brilliant red glow. The pond water splashed apart with a “splash,” revealing a large stone disc two zhang in diameter at the bottom. Immediately, a thunderous roar echoed, and the stone disc slowly split open. Suddenly, ten thousand rays of golden light shot out, forming a three-foot-long golden box that kept spinning. The spider leaped onto the split stone disc, extended its eight legs, grabbed the golden box, and sprayed out a trail of shimmering red threads to wrap the box several times before pulling it upward with all its might. However, the spider had not fully matured and lacked sufficient strength; it was exhausted and gradually weakened, its body turning from red to yellow and finally black, unable to move. Seeing this, the landlord became frantic, reaching out to grab the golden box. But with a “splash,” the pond water closed back together, drowning the landlord.
Up to now, there is still a broken stone plate at the bottom of the pool, which people call “golden Plate Stone”, and the pool is called “Golden Box Pond”. In the pool, there is a stone beam that protrudes from the water, which people say is the spine of a rich man.