Yang Lian, also known as Dahong, was from Yingshan, Hubei. Before becoming an official, he was quite famous and had a high opinion of himself. After finishing the imperial examination one time, he heard someone announcing the names of those who achieved the highest scores. At that moment, he was eating and still had a mouthful of food. He quickly ran out and asked, 'Is there anyone surnamed Yang?' The person replied, 'No.' Yang Dahong felt disappointed and swallowed the mouthful of food, which got stuck in his chest. This formed a blockage, causing him great pain. Everyone advised him to participate in the provincial examination for talented individuals. Worried about the lack of funds, his friends pooled together ten taels of silver for him to barely afford the journey.
That night, he dreamt of a person who told him, 'There is someone ahead who can cure your illness. You must beg him earnestly.' Before leaving, the person gave him a poem, which included the lines, 'Under the willow by the river, three tunes of the flute are played. Don't sigh as you cast them into the river.' The next day, Yang Dahong saw a Taoist priest sitting under a willow tree at his lodging. He approached and bowed, requesting the priest to cure his illness. The Taoist priest smiled and said, 'You've got the wrong person! How could I possibly cure illnesses? However, I can play three tunes for you.' He then took out a flute and began playing. Yang Dahong suddenly remembered the scene from his dream and pleaded even more desperately with the Taoist priest. He respectfully handed over all the silver he had with him. The Taoist priest took it and threw it into the river. Yang Dahong felt regretful because the silver was hard-earned. The Taoist priest said, 'It seems you are a bit attached to material possessions. It's alright, the silver is by the river. You can go and pick it up yourself.' Yang Dahong went to the riverbank and indeed found the silver there. He felt even more amazed and called the Taoist priest an immortal. The Taoist priest casually pointed and said, 'I am not an immortal. There is an immortal over there.' When Yang Dahong turned to look, the Taoist priest suddenly struck his head and neck forcefully, saying, 'You are too worldly!' Yang Dahong received an unexpected blow, and his lips immediately opened, making a gurgling sound. Then, he spat out something that fell to the ground with a clattering sound. He bent down, opened it, and found that it was the mouthful of food he had swallowed, wrapped in blood vessels. He suddenly felt that the pain had disappeared. When he turned to look for the Taoist priest, he had already vanished.