Since ancient times, it was passed down that rhinoceros horns possess the ability to communicate with spirits.
The "Jin Book" mentions a story:
The minister Wen Jiao returned to Wuchang, and when he reached Niuzhuji, he found the waters too deep to fathom. Local legends spoke of many monsters beneath, so Wen Jiao ordered someone to ignite a rhinoceros horn to inspect the area.
Soon, the water monsters appeared to snuff out the light, all in bizarre shapes, including some riding horse-drawn carriages and clad in red garments.
Wen Jiao found this quite curious, but that very night he dreamt of a person angrily saying to him, "You and I are separate in life and death, not disturbing each other. Why then, did you come to shine a light on us?"
Later, Wen Jiao suffered a stroke and passed away in less than ten days.
It's like they say, curiosity killed the cat.
