A dry wind sweeps across the endless blue plains of Mongolia.
On that desolate road, a shepherd was walking, lost in thought.
In his hand was a shabby horse tail, and deep sorrow lingered in his eyes.
"The wolves... have swallowed my last possession, my horse. All that remains is this useless tail; now, what am I to live for?"
Just then, an old monk wandering aimlessly stopped before him.
He quietly listened to the shepherd's deep lament, then took the tail without asking for anything. "Do not worry. This tail will bring you a much finer horse than before." There was a strange conviction in the monk's voice.
What did he see?
The place the monk arrived at was the estate of a prince notorious for his greed.
The monk discovered a small fox den near the prince's splendid tent and pushed the horse's tail from his bosom deep into the hole.
Then, with a feigned urgency, he reached out with both hands and grabbed the tail tightly.
Not long after, the prince, who was enjoying a hunt on his fine horse, witnessed the strange sight.
"Look here, what are you doing in there? Why are you fumbling around with your hand in the hole?"
The monk answered, pretending to wipe his sweat.
"Oh dear, Prince! I almost let a magnificent horse escape.
My horse, which was grazing for a moment, suddenly leaped into this mysterious hole. It is a good thing I managed to catch its tail; otherwise, I would have nearly lost this precious treasure."
The Prince's eyes gleamed. 'A horse that jumps into a hole of its own accord?' Curiosity soon began to turn into greed.
"What kind of horse is it that you are acting this way?" In response to the prince's question, the monk began to describe the horse vividly, as if it were standing right before his eyes.
"As for this horse, it is faster than lightning, and its hooves cut through the wind.
It could cross the meadow seventy times a day without running out of breath. Its mane is as white and dazzling as eternal snow, and its spirit reaches the heavens.
No king in the world has ever ridden a horse like this."
The monk's words stimulated the prince's imagination.
The 'legendary celestial horse' hidden in the hole was already vividly pictured in the prince's mind.
Humans believe what they want to see.
This is especially true if it is an object that satisfies their desires.
The prince roughly pushed the monk away and shouted.
"How dare you try to take such a magnificent horse on my land! Get out of the way immediately. This horse is mine now!"
The monk limped, pretending to be terrified.
"Prince, if you take my horse, how am I supposed to move? I cannot take a single step with my injured foot."
To the prince, blinded by greed, the monk's suffering was of no concern.
"Shut up! Do as you please whether you take the horse you rode here or not, but disappear from my sight immediately! I will personally retrieve the Heavenly Horse from this hole!"
The prince tightly gripped the monk's shabby tail.
The monk, pretending to be defeated, mounted the agile and sturdy magnificent horse the prince had ridden.
And he galloped like lightning toward the foggy plains.
The place the monk arrived was right before the grieving shepherd.
It was the moment when a single horse tail had returned, transformed into a real, living magnificent steed.
