The Legend of Cuội on the Moon

Once upon a time, in a certain region, there was a woodcutter named Cuội. One day, as Cuội went into the forest as usual, he came across a den where four tiger cubs were playing. As soon as they spotted Cuội, they charged at him, eager to eat him alive. Cuội, armed with his axe, struck them down one by one, killing them all. Just then, the mother tiger returned and, upon seeing her dead cubs, was overwhelmed with grief and rage, roaring fiercely. Terrified, Cuội quickly climbed up a nearby ancient tree. The mother tiger silently approached a small banyan tree nearby, plucked some leaves, and fed them to her cubs. Miraculously, the four tiger cubs came back to life. The mother tiger then took her revived cubs away to another place.

Cuội hurriedly climbed down and dug up the roots of the tree to bring it home. On his way, he came across an old man lying dead. Cuội plucked some leaves, chewed them, and fed them to the old man to see what would happen. To his surprise, the old man came back to life. Cuội then told the old man about the origins of the tree. The old man said, "This is a precious tree with magical powers. You must take care of it for the good of others, but remember never to water it with dirty water, or it will fly away."

Cuội returned home and planted the tree in the ground, following the old man's advice to always water it with clean water. Thanks to this tree, Cuội was able to bring many people back to life. Once, he saved a drowned dog, and it started to follow him everywhere. Another time, he rescued a young girl who had drowned, and she asked to become his wife. Cuội's family lived happily together. One day, when Cuội was away, bandits came and killed his wife, ripping out her insides and disposing of them. When Cuội returned home, he did his best to save her, but without her organs, she couldn't come back to life. The loyal dog volunteered to give its own innards as a sacrifice. Heartbroken, Cuội decided to try it. To his surprise, his wife came back to life, and the dog, having its insides replaced with clay, also revived.

From that time on, Cuội's wife had a fluctuating memory - sometimes she remembered, and other times she forgot. Knowing this, Cuội instructed her, "When you need to relieve yourself, do it on the west side, not the east, or the tree will fly away." At first, Cuội's wife remembered this advice, but later, she forgot. One afternoon, when Cuội returned from the forest, he saw his wife urinating at the base of the tree. Suddenly, the tree began to uproot itself and slowly ascend. Cuội ran after it, trying to pull it back down, but it was no use. In desperation, he jumped up and hugged the tree trunk, and together they soared up to the moon.