Another one pointed at a deep bend of a river nearby and asked Shang Qiukai weather he could dive in to get a precious pearl down the river bend.

Instantly Shang Qiukai dived into the water and came up with the precious pearl.

For the first time everyone began to think more favorably of the old farmer. Fan Zihua heard the news and put Shang Qiukai on his lodger guest payroll, giving him meat to eat and silk garments to wear like those who came from noble families.

Not long afterwards, a fire broke out in Fan Zihua's warehouse.

Fan Zihua said to Shang Qiukai that if he could go in and save the stock of brocade, he would be rewarded handsomely.
Shang Qiukai dashed in and came out with the brocade. He was neither burned nor hurt.

Now there came a marked change in the attitude of those who had bullied him. They were remorseful and came up to apologize.

"We are all blind fools. Please forgive us. We played tricks on you. We insulted you. Now we've come to realize that you must be an immortal. No ordinary man can perform such superhuman feats as you did. Please let us share your secret."

"But there is no secret to talk about. Truth to tell, even I myself did not know how I did it. However, there is one thing I can tell you. That is, I believed with all my heart what you said was true. So I was obsessed by just one thought—I must do all that was in my power to do. At that moment, nothing else in the world mattered. I forgot what was good for me and what was bad for me. That was why nothing stood in my way. But now that you have told me that you lied, that you were really making fun of me, I can no longer perform what you call superhuman feat. You have intimidated me. I have worries and suspicions now.

When I recall how I narrowly escaped from being burned or drowned, I can't help feeling scared. I was indeed lucky. Shall I ever dare to get near water and fire again? No, because I have lost faith."

From then on, Fan Zihua's men never dared to insult a poor man. They even made a point of getting down from their carriages to greet the street beggars, if they saw one, with a deep bow.

L: Thank you Wang Jing for such a good story. It's said when the great Chinese thinker and philosopher Confucius heard the story, he told his disciples: "A man with absolute faith can move heaven and earth. He can move the spirits. He can go through the universe and nothing will stand in his way. Just think how much more you and I can achieve when we have faith in the truth. You should always keep this in mind."

Z: That's really philosophical and sparkling with wisdom. Anyway, I will keep this in mind.