高僧傳 10.64

10.64

Yin Qizhi, Marshal to the Grand Commandant of Qi, was accompanying Chen Xianda to garrison Jiangzhou, and bid farewell to Zhi. Zhi drew a tree on paper with a crow atop it, telling him: 'In an emergency you may climb this.' Later Xianda rebelled and left Qizhi to garrison the prefecture. When Xianda was defeated, Qizhi fled into Mount Lu. As pursuing cavalry were about to overtake him, Qizhi saw a tree in the forest with a crow atop it, just as Zhi had drawn; taking heed, he climbed it, and the crow never took flight. Seeing the crow, the pursuers assumed no one was there and turned back. In the end he was spared.