A novel's magic trick goes very wrongSourced
He copied a trick with limbs.
His own leg was really cut off.
In the Ming-era fantasy novel Journey to the South, arhats pretend to sever their limbs to trick the hero Huaguang. He imitates them and accidentally cuts off his real right leg; a lion then carries it away. This is an episode of fiction.
A magical trick
needed its instructions.
Summary / translation: Unbubly · CC BY-SA 4.0
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Journey to the South · Wikimedia contributors
Adapted, summarized and translated from the source. Adapted text is also available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Reviewed: 2026-10-01