There were four empires under the sea: north, south, west, and east. The king of the east ocean empire was severely suffering from an incurable disease. One day, the king convened all his retainers and said,

“I feel the emptiness of my life thinking my disease cannot be cured and I cannot help waiting for coming death. I want to shoot by last bolt like a felling of clutching at a straw. So gather all renowned doctors in this ocean.”

A few days later, a prominent doctor visited the king and said,

“Your disease as getting worse and it seems that there is no remedy to cure your illness. But I’ve heard that rabbit’s liver is a true panacea. If you try to eat a fresh rabbit’s liver, I am pretty sure that your disease will be gone.”

Right after the doctor left, the king gathered his retainers again to select the one, who will go up to the ground and bring a rabbit to this palace of the sea king. Suddenly, an octopus volunteered that he would do this glorious task for the king. However, he was rejected by other retainers because these retainers thought if humans found the octopus in the ground, he would be the dinner dish for those humans with all his legs cut. At last, a loyal snapping turtle was selected and he departed there right away. The snapping turtle went up to the ground and looked for a victim rabbit. Just at the moment, he found a rabbit, thus the snapping turtle approached the rabbit and said,

“Nice to meet you sir rabbit, it is such a great pleasure that I meet you here, I am from the east ocean empire and want to invite you to our palace. This palace is a true paradise that is full of pearls and diamonds. There are always grandiose clouds around the palace and also beautiful shelters in the bamboo forest, where you can feel a crisp clear iridescent blue flow of water around your face. You can have all best quality dishes, which are all made of rare sea plants good for your health and good body shape.”

By this cajolery, the rabbit was totally taken in by honeyed words. So they went down the sea palace together. When the rabbit and the snapping turtle were standing in front of the king, other retainers said to the rabbit about the truth. The rabbit regretted his careless behavior and thought’

‘Ah! I did make a mistake, how can I avoid this stymie? There should be a way of escape. Be calm, be calm….’

The king said to the rabbit,

“It’s a little awkward to say this to you but I really do need your liver and please think this as a glorious contribution”

The retainers began to move for getting the rabbit’s liver. Just then, the rabbit came up with an idea and said to the king,

“Your highness, I think you should know something important before cutting my abdomen. I feel so glad, of course, that I can give my liver and you can cure your disease because that is truly a glorious job ever in my life. But there is no liver in my body right now because as you know my liver is well known for its therapeutic quality, thus I always hide my liver deep in the forest around my home.”

Then the king asked the rabbit how that can happen, that separation of liver from the body and the rabbit answered,

“Before the god made this whole world, he selected us specially and gave very special ability. So I can live without my liver, which means there is no problem that I give my liver to you”

Rabbit said all explanations of this situation, and the king was finally deceived. The king let the snapping turtle to go up with the rabbit again and bring the liver. They went up together and no sooner had they arrived, than the rabbit ran away. The rabbit said to the snapping turtle,

“You stupid turtle, how can anybody separate livers from their bodies? That is ridiculous! Bye and I hope I never see you again!”

Then the snapping turtle realized how he and the sea king were stupid. He blamed himself for not being acute enough to catch the rabbit’s lie and thought it was reasonable to commit a suicide because he missed the life of the king. He committed suicide by biting his tongue.

‘Please forgive me your highness, I do not have any words to say..’

<End>

Ps. the afterward stories about the sea palace are so various because this fable was at first handed down orally and written down far later.