Musnad Ahmad 208:2

Hashim narrated to us, Shu'bah narrated to us, from 'Abd al-Malik ibn Maysarah, who said: I heard Kardus ibn Qays, and he was the public storyteller in Kufa, say: A man from the companions of Badr informed me that he heard the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, say: "For me to sit in a gathering like this is more beloved to me than to free four slaves." Shu'bah said: I said, "Which gathering does he mean?" He said: "He was a storyteller."