Once upon a time, there lived a small, close-knit village. Although the people did not have much, they were happy. However, a famine struck the community. The crops did not grow, and the hunting prey disappeared. As the elders discussed possible solutions, the food supply continued to dwindle.
Finally, one story keeper came across a legend that the Dragon King of the Lake would grant a favor to a human, for a price. In desperation, the village sent its most skilled hunter, Hidesato, to bargain with the Dragon King.
With great determination, Hidesato embarked on his journey with little else besides rations, the clothes on his skin, and his bow and arrows on his back. After Hidesato traveled a grand distance, he came across the lake from the legend.
Hidesato called out, "Oh majestic Dragon King of the Lake, I am Fujiwara Hidesato, and I've come to bargain with you."
The lake stood still.
Hidesato's heart trembled. "What if the legend was wrong? Without the Dragon King, how will our village survive?"
But, to Hidesato's amazement, the water began to ripple, and a great shape rose from its depths. The Dragon King of the Lake was far more fantastical than Hidesato had imagined. His silver scales shined like the clear water surface. However, they were not purely ornamental. Hidesato noted many scratches throughout the Dragon King's natural armor.
"Greetings, Hidesato. I am the Dragon King of the Lake. For what would you wish to bargain?"
"I ask for a solution to the terrible famine that has struck my village."
"I can offer a solution. What do you offer in return?"
"What do you want?"
"A foolish question. I could have demanded a price too steep for you to pay. Aside from your lackluster bargaining skills, do you have skill with that bow in your possession?"
"Yes. I am the strongest hunter in my village."
"Well then, Hunter Hidesato, here is your bargain. A great centipede from the nearby mountain has made a habit of attacking my family every night. If you kill him, I will save your village."
"It is a deal."
As Hidesato made camp at the lake's shoreline, the Dragon King returned to his underwater home to care for his family. Alone, Hidesato waited as night fell. Once the full moon's light began to hit the lake's surface, the ground suddenly shook.
As the Dragon King described, once night fell, a monstrous centipede appeared and charged towards the lake. Hidesato took his bow and struck an arrow into the middle of the Centipede's forehead.
However, Hidesato's skill was for naught as the arrow bounced harmlessly off the Centipede. Hidesato's heart jumped when the Centipede decided to focus its attention on Hideasto.
As the Centipede began to charge towards Hideasto, Hidesato, in turn, shot at one joint in the Centipede, but the arrow still bounced off. The Centipede was coming in close, so Hidesato jumped up the shoreline's larger rocks. With his newfound distance, Hidesato shot at the Centipede before it again made its way to Hidesato. Hidesato continued to avoid the Centipede's deadly grip while firing arrows in an attempt to find the Centipede's weak point. But no matter where Hidesato aimed, each arrow failed to do any damage. Hidesato soon had only one arrow left.
"This isn't working! What do I do?" Hidesato thought. "What will it take to bring down this Centipede? A centipede?" A new idea inspired Hidesato's mind, and so Hidesato placed the final arrow tip in his mouth and-
A sudden swipe from the Centipede hit Hidesato. "When did the Centipede get here? Where are my weapons?" To his horror, Hidesato saw the Centipede's weight had crushed his bow and arrow, and now its odious face leaned in closer to Hidesato.
"I can't die here, I won't!" With this resolve, Hidesato spat right into the Centipede's face. The Centipede shrieked and lurched away from Hidesato. Hidesato used the newfound space to run from the Centipede, which fell and became still. Hidesato rolled over the Centipede's body and retrieved his bow, now cracked in two. Hidesato did not have time to dwell on his loss as the water's surface began to ripple once more.
The Dragon King's countenance was more magnificent with the pleased look on his face. "Hunter Hidesato, I heard the Centipede's shriek. How did you manage to defeat it with a broken bow?"
"I remembered that human saliva was deadly to a centipede. I didn't know if the giant Centipede would be affected, but I thought it was worth a try."
"A reckless strategy, but worthy of receiving praise for its effectiveness."
"So, you will stop the famine?"
"I do not have to power to make the land fertile again. However, I do have a solution." The Dragon King held out a clawed fist and opened it. In his hand was a bag that contained one bag of rice, one roll of silk, and a bronze bell. Hidesato's heart sank at the meager gift.
The Dragon King chuckled at Hidesato's reaction. "Do not be alarmed at their ordinary appearance. These items are exceptional. This bag of rice will always be full, no matter how much you take out of it. Likewise, this roll of silk is endless. With these gifts, I would like you to help your people as you have helped mine. But beware, many will envy you for your wealth. Should you need me, you can call for aid with the bronze bell, and I swear help will come."
With the Dragon King's favors, Hidesato returned home to his village, and he used the bag of rice and the roll of silk to feed and clothe his people. Over time, the village grew to a city, and all who lived in it lived prosperously. Although such wealth often makes targets for bandits, rumors quickly spread that dragons attacked any who would harm the land. Over time, Hidesato's legend grew and all in the land knew him as Lord Dragon Friend.
Author's Note:
In the original story, Fujiwara Hidesato is traveling and comes across a lake which belongs to the Dragon King. The Dragon King asks Fujiwara Hidesato to kill the mountain centipede, which attacks the Dragon King's family. The Dragon King asks Fujiwara Hidesato to help because he was not scared to see the dragon. Fujiwara Hidesato promises to help. The centipede comes every night, so Fujiwara Hidesato waits for the next attack. Hidesato's arrows bounce off the centipede. Hidesato remembers that human saliva is deadly to centipedes and licks an arrow before releasing it. The Dragon King throws a feast to celebrate, and when Hidesato wants to leave, the Dragon King gives him gifts. Hidesato reluctantly accepts the rewards, which include an ordinary bell, a neverending bag of rice, an infinitely long roll of silk, and a cooking pot that makes everything taste delicious. Hidesato returns home and becomes very rich and later is known as the Lord Bag of Rice.
For my retelling, I wanted Hidesato to meet the Dragon King on purpose so he would have greater motivation to help the Dragon King than simply because the Dragon King needed help. Although simple compassion is a fine motivation, no normal human would agree to kill a monster that even dragons fear without thought for reward. However, the original Hidesato was wealthy enough to have servants, so the rice and silk from the Dragon King would only add to his wealth. I did not want greed to be Hidesato's motivation, so I changed the motivation to need by making Hidesato come from a poor environment, so the Dragon King's gifts would be more meaningful.
From this, I recreated Hidesato to be a poor hunter. I decided to make Hidesato a hunter so he would still use a bow. I created a famine, which would cause food to be scarce and would give Hidesato a motivation to visit the Dragon King for help. Hidesato saved the Dragon King's family, so I wanted the Dragon King's gifts to have the effect of saving Hidesato's family. I could not find a way to include the cooking pot, so I left it out. The original story's bronze bell was ordinary, which I thought was lackluster compared to the other gifts. I made it so the bronze bell could call the Dragon King, so this one event would stretch out over the ages.
The Dragon King and his family also served a second purpose. One question I had was about the economic implications of endless rice and silk on the market, along with people who might want to steal from Hidesato. I decided dragons made an excellent crime deterrent and that everyone else would live happily ever after.