In the south of Dali County(大理縣)), Yunnan Province(雲南), there was a villager named Li Shigui(李士桂), whose family had been engaged in farming for generations and also raised two water buffaloes.
One day, it was already dark and the two water buffaloes hadn’t returned yet. Li Shigui went out to search for them. In the night, aided by the moonlight, he saw an animal lying in the field sleeping, making snoring sounds like thunder. Li Shigui thought this animal was one of his buffaloes and scolded, ‘You darn beast! Why haven’t you come home yet?’ Saying this, he climbed onto the back of the animal, trying to grab its two horns. However, the animal had no horns, only two erect ears covered in fur. Looking closely, he found it had stripes like a yellow lynx all over its body. Only then did Li Shigui realize he was on the back of a tiger, feeling extremely frightened but unable to get down.
The tiger was in deep sleep and suddenly felt someone riding on its back, immediately waking up. It leaped up, roaring loudly while thrashing about. Li Shigui thought to himself: ‘If I get down from the tiger’s back, I won’t survive!’ So, he used all his strength, tightly grabbing onto the tiger’s two ears, even piercing the ear cartilages with his fingers, gripping tighter and refusing to let go.
The tiger, naturally fierce, leaped through mountains and rivers, getting injured all over by thorns and thistles. By the early hours of the next day, it finally succumbed to exhaustion and died. Li Shigui lay stiff on the tiger’s back, barely alive. His family found him and saved his life. His legs were mangled by the tiger’s claws, with some areas exposing bones. After over a year of treatment, he eventually recovered his health.
Translated from《執虎耳》in 《子不語》:
雲南大理縣南鄉民李士桂，家世業農。家畜水牛二隻，至夜，一牛不歸，士桂往尋。昏黑中，月色初上，見田中有獸臥焉，酣聲雷鳴，以為己牛，罵曰：「畜生，如何此刻不回家！」隨即騎上。將攀其角，角不見，但聳毛耳兩隻，遍身狸色斑然，方知是虎，急不敢下。
虎被人騎，驚醒，騰身起，咆哮叫跳。士桂私念下背必為所啖，於是竭生平之力，緊握其耳，至于穿破耳輪，手愈牢固，抵死不放。虎性猛烈，騰山躍水，為棘刺所傷，次日晨刻，力盡而斃；士桂亦僵仆虎背，氣息奄然。家人尋得，抱持歸家，竟獲重生。兩腳上為虎爪所攫，肉盡骨見。醫逾年，才得平復。