Once upon a time, where a great river curved around the hills, lay a little village called Stone Mill Village. Beyond the village stood a hill no one dared to approach—everyone called it "Muddle Hill," for it was said to hide a fierce beast named "Qiongqi." It looked like a tiger with great wings on its back, its fur blazing like fire. The strangest thing of all? It always helped the wicked bully the good, turning white into black and right into wrong.
In the village lived a young girl named Xiaoxi. Her parents had passed away long ago, so she lived with her grandmother, washing clothes by the river each morning and gathering herbs on the hills each afternoon. Xiaoxi had a kind heart—even when she had barely enough to eat, she'd share her corn buns with beggars. But there was also a lazy fellow in the village named Er Gou, who did no work at all and was always stealing things from neighbors. Yet he had a smooth tongue, and could make bad deeds sound as fine as good ones.
One day, Er Gou stole a new saw from Carpenter Zhang's shed. When the carpenter caught him, Er Gou shouted at the top of his lungs: "Come quick! Look what I found—Xiaoxi stole the saw! She said she'd sell it to buy fancy new clothes!" Just then, Qiongqi flew over the village, heard the shout, and swooped down with a loud roar: "That's right! That's right! I saw her do it myself—Xiaoxi's a thieving bad girl!"
The villagers were fooled by Qiongqi's words, pointing fingers at Xiaoxi and muttering under their breath. Carpenter Zhang was so angry he threw all the herbs Xiaoxi had gathered onto the ground. Xiaoxi's eyes filled with tears, but no one would listen to her—for Qiongqi always claimed to be "the fairest judge," and everyone believed it.
That night, Grandma stroked Xiaoxi's head and said: "Don't weep, child. Qiongqi loves to mix up right and wrong, but we must never do the same. Tomorrow, go to the back mountain's 'Clear Heart Spring'—there grows a 'White Heart Flower' in the crack of the rock. It might just help us."
Early the next morning, Xiaoxi set off with a bamboo basket on her arm. When she reached the Clear Heart Spring, she saw Qiongqi perched on a rock, with Er Gou crouching beside it holding a stolen steamed bun: "Good beastie, help me again! Say that Old Madam Wang's duck was stolen by Xiaoxi—will you?" Qiongqi grinned and said: "Easy easy! Give me more treats, and I'll say whatever you want!"
Xiaoxi's face burned with anger. She rushed forward and cried out: "You're lying! Er Gou's the thief—you're just helping him do bad things!" Qiongqi flapped its wings and roared: "You cheeky girl! How dare you talk back—see what I'll do to you!"
Just then, Xiaoxi spotted a glowing flower in the rock crack—there was the White Heart Flower! She reached out and picked it, and the moment her fingers touched the petals, bright light burst forth. The light shone on Qiongqi, and the beast suddenly clutched its head and howled: "Ow ow ow! My head hurts! All those lies and bad deeds—they're swirling right in my brain!"
It turned out the White Heart Flower could reveal the true thoughts in people's hearts. When Qiongqi helped the wicked tell lies, it had clouded its own mind too. Now the bright light made it remember everything it had done wrong. It rolled on the ground, the flames on its body dying down little by little: "I… I wasn't always like this. I used to tell right from wrong, but then I found it was easier to help the wicked—they'd give me nice things. So I got more and more fond of twisting the truth…"
When Er Gou saw what was happening, he turned to run—but the villagers had followed Xiaoxi up the mountain and heard every word he'd said. They caught him at once, and Carpenter Zhang blushed as he apologized to Xiaoxi: "I'm sorry, child—I should have listened to you!"
Qiongqi hung its head and said: "I know I was wrong! From now on, I'll never help the wicked again, never twist right and wrong!" After that, it stayed by the Clear Heart Spring on the back mountain. Whenever someone tried to tell lies or do bad things, it'd flap its wings and cry out: "Watch out! The White Heart Flower will show everyone what's in your heart!"
Even now, the old folks in Stone Mill Village still pat little children on the head and say: "Don't be like the old Qiongqi beast! Always tell right from wrong, never turn white into black—only then can you live a good, steady life!"