In ancient times, the four Dragon brothers were always fighting and getting into trouble. The Jade Emperor decided to separate the brothers to rule over the four seas and to become wise and benevolent rulers to the sea creatures and the people living along their coasts.
Azure Dragon ruled the East Sea. Red Dragon ruled the South Sea. Black Dragon ruled the north sea. White Dragon ruled the East Sea. For centuries, people prayed to the sea gods for safe passages and the four sea gods lived harmoniously as they stayed within their borders and ruled over their dominions.
Then one day, the East Sea Dragon King’s daughter came down with a strange illness that worried the kingdom. The King’s concern for the princess caused him to neglect his royal duties and the other three Dragons Kings were looking to take advantage of the distraught king.
The ministers from the East Dragon Palace started to voice concern for their water kingdom and searched high and low for the princess’ cure. No matter what medicine the physicians brought to the princess, she showed no sign of improvement. In desperation, the Dragon King went to his brother, the Azure Dragon in the West Sea, to beg for assistance.
Azure Dragon King of the West Sea was known to have the most famous physician in the entire Heavenly Kingdom. The West Dragon King saw this as an opportunity to ally with his brother against the two other Dragon Kings. The East Dragon King accepted his brother’s alliance and took the physician to the East Sea Palace with him.
Upon arrival, the physician stated that the princess needed a rabbit’s liver. The King asked his servants to volunteer for the tasks, but they were hesitant as they were all sea creatures unable to venture out of water. When the King slumped down on his high chair in despair, a turtle slowly stepped forward and boldly claimed that he could bring the needed rabbit’s liver. However, the turtle asked the King to marry the princess after she recovered from her illness. The King thought about the idea for a moment, but he agreed.
The turtle set off for land eagerly, but he had no idea how he would find a rabbit. He had never seen a rabbit before, but the West Sea physician gave him a painting of the animal. The turtle scanned the land for several days, but he was not able to find any creature that matched the painting. The turtle refused to give up and continued his search and he finally spotted a small furry creature with long ears. The turtle slowly approached the rabbit and called out to the creature in a soft voice as not to scare it away.
The curious rabbit looked at the approaching turtle debating whether to stay or run away. Seeing the slowly approaching turtle, the rabbit decided that the strange animal was not a threat and waited patiently.
When the turtle finally arrived, he thanked the rabbit breathlessly for waiting for him and offered the rabbit an invitation to the Palace feast.
“His Majesty, the Dragon King of the East Sea, will be holding a feast for the best-looking animals in his kingdom. When I saw you jumping around in the woods, I could think of no better guest than you. Would you do us the honor of attending the feast?” The turtle flattered. He could see the wide smile that started on the rabbit’s face and knew that the fake flattery had succeeded.
“I have never seen the sea palace. If it’s not dangerous, it would be my honor to accept His Majesty’s grace.” The rabbit replied.
The turtle reassured the rabbit that the dragon palace was a wondrous place filled with peace and quiet. There were pearls scattered about on the seafloor for the rabbit to pick as much as his little heart desired. The turtle offered to take the rabbit on his back as the rabbit could not swim. The rabbit could barely contain his excitement as they approached the East Sea Palace.
Upon arrival, the turtle escorted the rabbit into his own room and asked him to wait. The turtle said he needed to go to the Dragon King to announce the arrival of their esteemed guest. When the turtle left, the rabbit heard the door locked, but he didn’t pay any attention. It didn’t take long before the guards rushed in to take the rabbit in chains to the Dragon King. The startled rabbit saw the Dragon King rush over to him in excitement.
“Finally, the liver for my daughter is here. She will be cured!” The King said as the rabbit stood in stunned silence.
The rabbit soon realized that the turtle had lied to him and that he was kidnapped to become the princess’ cure for her illness. The rabbit had to think quickly before the physician could come and take out his liver.
“Forgive me, Your Majesty. As the entire kingdom knows, my liver does have special properties that can heal ailments. In order to keep the healing property of my liver, I have to take it out and wash it once a month. Unfortunately, I had just washed my liver and left it out to dry when the turtle approached me. Had he told me that the princess was in need of a cure, I would have brought it with me.” The rabbit lied as best as he could.
The King commanded the rabbit to bring his liver immediately to the palace. The rabbit agreed, but he asked for a large feast before they left. The rabbit explained the feast was a ritual for putting his liver back into his body. The King immediately ordered his servants to prepare a large feast for the rabbit and the rabbit happily ate as much as he could. Seeing the impatient King, the rabbit asked the turtle to take him back to land.
The rabbit quickly jumped off the turtle’s back as soon as he was close to land. When he had safely landed, the turtle told the rabbit to hurry and get the liver.
“Silly turtle! Did you really think an animal could take its liver out of the body?” The rabbit laughed as he ran into the woods. The turtle realized that the rabbit had tricked them. He cried out loud because he feared for the princess’ death and his punishment if he returned to the palace without a cure. He thought about losing the princess he had loved all his life. Just then, a mountain god heard the crying turtle and asked him why he was crying. Moved by the turtle’s love for the princess and devotion to the king, the mountain god gave the turtle a root of wild ginseng.
The turtle joyfully took the wild ginseng back for the princess and she was cured in no time. They held a splendid wedding and the couple lived happily. The turtle was also promoted to as a high minister and he took charge of the alliance between the East and the West Sea Dragon Kings. The four seas experience peace for many centuries.