右手虫 Bodhisattva's Right Hand
昨为拈花指，今作零落肢。
同种不同胎，左右复谁知？
The hand that plucked lotus from waters pristine,
Of the same species, yet not from the same egg, it seems.
Who can discern right from left, in life's uncertain scheme?
In this tangled web, truth and illusion gleam.
昔年，盘丝洞里曾有道士抬入了一双巨大的臂膀，小妖们都不知这是从何处得来的，但从这手的仪态推想，必是出自一位高人。百眼魔君亲临此处，将两枚卵状之物放入其中，并嘱咐洞中群妖，必要好生看守。
初时，这双臂膀往外溢出许多脓血，腥臭难闻。一段时日后，浊物干结作了极厚的血膜，将其包裹当中。
又过了几年，从远望去，那血膜内蠕蠕涌动，似有什么已在内里育化而成，急待钻出。恰至十年之期，破卵而出两只虫来，身似蜂，尾如手，口喷之毒，鸟兽沾染便死，草木沾染便枯。
百眼魔君得知这个消息，十分高兴，设宴庆贺，席间他对蛛精道:“师妹有所不知，我在紫云山中也试过一回，不料那仙卵羽化未成，连累我被师父好生责骂。此番我倒是想明白了，师父给的仙卵，命里承不起那般大的缘法，倒是这般，恰巧恰巧。
这两只虫，一只其尾为左手，一只其尾为右手。它们极爱倒挂洞顶上将尾巴垂下，诱猎物前往查看，其后合掌拍来，将其拍做一团肉，在将头儿垂下，正好囫囵吞吃。
其后，左手虫不知躲到山中何处修行去了，另一只无掌可合，便爱守在狭道里，若有来人，便可占尽地利之险，将其捕食。
In the olden days, a pair of enormous arms were brought into the Webbed Hollow by a Daoist. The lesser yaoguais had no idea of their origin, but judging by their form, they must have once belonged to a divine being. Shortly after, the Hundred-Eyed Daoist Master personally visited and placed two egg-like objects within the arms, instructing the yaoguais to guard them diligently.
At first, the arms exuded a thick, foul-smelling fluid. After some time, the fluid dried up, forming a thick blood membrane that encased the arms.
Years passed, and from a distance, one could see something writhing within the blood membrane, as if something was growing inside, eager to break free. Exactly ten years later, two insects emerged from the eggs. Their bodies resembled bees, their tails like hands, and their venomous spit could kill any bird or beast and wither any plant it touched.
The Hundred-Eyed Daoist Master rejoiced at the news and arranged a grand feast to celebrate. Amidst the banquet, he turned to the Violet Spider and shared a tale. "You may not be aware, but I once attempted a similar endeavor on Purple Cloud Mountain. Alas, the celestial eggs failed to hatch as intended, and I faced severe reprimand from our master. However, this time, I have come to realize that the celestial eggs bestowed upon us were not meant for lofty destinies to ascend. Creating yaoguais, on the other hand, is an ideal outcome."
One of the insects had a left hand for a tail, and the other had a right hand. They loved to hang upside down from the cave ceiling, dangling their tails to lure prey. When the prey approached, they would clap their hands together, crushing the prey into a pulp before lowering their heads to swallow it whole.
Later, the left-hand insect went into the mountains to practice, while the right-hand one, now unable to clap, preferred to guard narrow paths. There, it could take full advantage of the terrain to capture and devour any intruders.
