The Sweet-Toothed Wang-Ye

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A-Gu was a fisherman who loved to gamble. One day, after selling his fish in the market, he passed by a Wang-Ye Temple on his way to the gambling den. A-Gu entered the temple and prayed, “Oh, mighty Wang-Ye! Tonight, I intend to win a lot of money at the gambling den. Please let me win a lot of money, the more the merrier! It is my dream to have a lot of money. If I win big tonight, I will bring you a delicious ‘Ant Candy’ to repay your kindness.” A-Gu left after praying. Wang-Ye heard A-Gu's prayer. He thought to himself, “What is an ‘Ant Candy’? I have never heard of it before, but it seems very delicious and mouthwatering! I will help A-Gu to win money, in order to taste this ‘Ant Candy’!”

That evening, A-Gu clutched his purse full of coins and said happily, “How wonderful! Praying to Wang-Ye really worked! I won so much money tonight! I must come back tomorrow to win more money.” As A-Gu passed by the Wang-Ye Temple on his way home, he remembered his promise to the mighty Wang-Ye. He said in a worried tone, “Oh no, I promised Wang-Ye that I would repay him with an ‘Ant Candy’, but where shall I find such a thing? There is no such thing as an ‘Ant Candy’. I must think of something.” A-Gu came up with an idea. He covered a stone with honey, and set it on the altar. Soon, the fragrant honey attracted a lot of ants, and the stone was covered with ants. A-Gu said, “This is the ‘Ant Candy’ that I promised to repay you with. Please enjoy.” Having said this, A-Gu went home. Wang-Ye took a look at the ‘Ant Candy’ and said furiously, “What audacity! This is just a stone covered in ants! How dare A-Gu deceive me! I shall teach him a lesson!”

That night, Wang-Ye appeared in A-Gu's dreams and said, “You will never catch a single fish for the rest of your life unless you quit gambling.” At first, A-Gu didn't believe what Wang-Ye said. He kept going to the gambling den. One day, he suddenly realized that he hadn't caught a single fish for many days. So, he decided to quit gambling.