This animated film is a paper-cut animation, adapted from the comic series of the same name by Ren Pu. After the young farmhand Xiao Liang is injured by the whip of the wealthy landlord Liu Heitian, the small wooden bird he carved with a hatchet transforms into a magical little yellow bird, healing his wounds. This scene is witnessed by Liu Heitian, who is left dumbfounded. Recalling that the emperor has fallen ill with a strange disease that prevents him from eating and has issued a proclamation offering a hefty reward for a cure, Liu Heitian's eyes light up with greed. However, after snatching the divine bird from Xiao Liang's hands, the bird refuses to obey his commands. Left with no choice, he pleads with Xiao Liang to take matters into his own hands. Seeing this as a perfect opportunity for revenge, Xiao Liang agrees, on the condition that he splits the reward with the landlord. After curing the emperor's illness, the gatekeeper general, the prime minister, and the minister in charge of finances all demand a share of the reward from Xiao Liang, and he agrees to each one. Little do they know, the reward Xiao Liang asks the emperor to grant him is eight hundred lashes. Synopsis sourced from Douban (https://movie.douban.com/subject/2030743)