《地祇上将温太保传》

The Account of Marshal Wen, the High General of the Earth Spirits

Marshal Wen’s surname was Wen and his given name was Qiong; his courtesy name was Ziyu, and his childhood name was Zhuolang. He was from Pingyang County in Wenzhou. His mother, Lady Zhang, once dreamed that the sun in the south was as large as a cartwheel and sounded like thunder. When she awoke, she was pregnant, and later gave birth to Marshal Wen.

Marshal Wen stood nine chi and two cun tall. As he grew up, he became ambitious, brave, and decisive. At the time, bandits were rising throughout the Tang dynasty. He followed Prince of Fenyang Guo Ziyi into battle as a vanguard, and swords and spears never wounded him. Guo Ziyi once dreamed that a black mist enveloped the forward camp. After waking, he asked what had happened in the army during the night. The military supervisor said that the previous night only Commandant Wen Qiong had been dead drunk, and the smell of wine coming from him was like a black mist. Guo Ziyi then appointed Wen Qiong as a reserve general stationed before his tent, responsible for guarding the commander and awaiting orders.

One day, Guo Ziyi and the bandits faced each other across their camps. The bandits saw black mist billowing through the army, taking the shape of dragons and serpents, and fled in panic. Wen Qiong asked to pursue them with a thousand infantrymen. He killed several thousand bandits, yet not one of the soldiers under his command was lost. Before long, Wen Qiong was appointed chief inspector of the forces before the commander’s tent, overseeing military affairs there.

Guo Ziyi once shared lodging with Wen Qiong and dreamed again, this time that Wen Qiong had turned into a black snake and grown a horn. He knew then that Wen Qiong was no ordinary person. Even so, Guo Ziyi eventually suspected that he would bring trouble and planned to kill him. Sensing Guo Ziyi’s intentions, Wen Qiong fled to the foot of Mount Dai, where he made his living by slaughtering cattle and selling wine.

One day, Lord Bingling, a deity in the worship of the Eastern Peak, appeared in the guise of a Daoist and said to Wen Qiong, “From your appearance and bearing, you have already attained communion with the spirits. In the future, you are destined to receive incense offerings from generation to generation. How can you violate the precepts by slaughtering cattle and gravely transgress the laws of Heaven?” Wen Qiong replied, “In that case, I might as well return to the mountain and cultivate the Dao. Perhaps someone will guide me to become an immortal.” The Daoist answered, “You have no immortal’s bones. How could you force yourself to cultivate immortality?” Wen Qiong wanted to ask more, but the Daoist had vanished without a trace.

Wen Qiong found the encounter strange. From then on, he stopped slaughtering cattle and went only to the Eastern Peak Temple, where he served as a fundraiser for incense offerings. He carried out his duties diligently for three years.

One day, Yue Feng met a Daoist wearing yellow robes, his hair loose. The Daoist bowed with clasped hands and said, “Today, the Lord of Mount Tai has entered your name in the register. When your allotted years of life come to an end, you will become a Guardian of the Yue Prefecture. You may first set up a statue of yourself before the hall; in time, you will be able to take up this office.”

Yue Feng did as he was told and set up his statue in the Yue Prefecture. From then on, several of the prefecture’s Guardians often came to visit him. One day, Guan Qiuxiu, Guardian before the hall, said to Yue Feng, “When your statue changes, you will be able to return to your divine office.”

Yue Feng went to inspect the statue every day. A boy named Meng Yun laughed and said, “You come to look at this statue every day. Are you afraid someone will steal it?” Yue Feng replied, “General Guan told me that when the statue changes, I can become a god. Once I become a god, you’ll be one of my subordinates.”

Later, Meng Yun and Wei Yan painted the statue blue and fitted it with two teeth. One day, Wen Qiong came to burn incense and found that his statue had changed. He put on blue robes, a blue headscarf, and straw sandals, carrying only the iron bar he usually used to slaughter cattle. He went to the foot of the hall and, standing upright, transformed into a spirit. Meng Yun and Wei Yan hurried over to watch. Just as they were about to bow to him, they too transformed while standing.

On the ninth day of the fifth month, Wen Qiong’s physical body still had not fallen and showed no signs of decay. Later, he was granted the title “Great General of Manifest Virtue.”

The townspeople wanted to build a temple for him, and Yao Zizheng, the village head, also planned to build one. Wen Qiong told him, “I received my charge from the Lord of the Eastern Mountain, who governs the realm of the dead and the mountains. I am about to establish my merit, rid the world of calamities, and uphold the right way. How could I forget the Lord’s virtue in cherishing life and hasten to accept sacrifices and offerings without showing compassion and helping those in need? If I accept an imperial title, it will only burden my virtue. If you build a temple, I will burn it down.” Yao Zizheng therefore abandoned the plan.

The following year, Wen Qiong also returned to the Office of Mount Tai and took up the post of Grand Guardian. One day, Lord Bingling reported to the Emperor of Mount Tai: “Since the fifteenth day of the third month last year, Wen Qiong has resumed his post as Grand Guardian. He has rendered meritorious service and deserves a reward.” The Emperor asked, “What has he done?” Lord Bingling replied: “First, he refused to let the people build a temple and offer sacrifices to him. Second, he did not regard the title bestowed on him by the court as an honor. Third, he has served here without the slightest fault. He should be given an important position.”

The Emperor of Mount Tai then issued an edict appointing Wen Qiong to a senior office in the underworld, where he would oversee urgent summonses concerning people’s cases. He was given authority over human life and death.

In the second year after the founding emperor of the present dynasty ascended the throne, Wenzhou suffered a severe drought. Hao Sijing went to the shrine of Mount Tai to pray for rain. That night, a banner appeared among the clouds, bearing the two characters “Wen Qiong.” A fierce wind rose, followed by torrential rain, and the people were spared the drought. Hao Sijing wanted to build a shrine to Wen Qiong and offer sacrifices to him. But Wang Jiu’er, a local man who had become possessed and spoke on Wen Qiong’s behalf, said: “I have vowed to uphold integrity and rescue the people. In time, a Daoist master will admit me into the ranks of those who serve the Daoist rites. I do not value temple sacrifices or titles from the court. If you wish to repay my merit, do not send a petition to the court. If you can instead report my name before the shrine of the Dark Emperor, the deity revered in Daoism, and have my deeds attested, then the gods of Heaven and Earth will all pay their respects to the Dark Emperor.”

The people followed his words. They performed a Zhaijiao (purification ritual) to give thanks to Heaven, and submitted a petition to the Dark Emperor attesting to the meritorious deeds of “Ziyu.”

Later, when the succeeding Celestial Master, Master Xujing, was alive, Xu Wen, Hao Bian, and others promoted the teaching of the Three Altars. Deities across the realm who had received titles from the court feared them. Although this teaching did not spread widely, Wen Qiong was deeply angered by it. Yet without orders from his superiors, he did not dare to attack rashly.

During the Xuanhe era, Master Xujing made a tour of the Eastern Marchmount, and Lord Bingling went out to the outskirts to welcome him. When they reached the Office of Mount Tai, Lord Bingling asked the Emperor of Mount Tai: “Among the deities of the Office of Mount Tai, who is most capable of bringing rain?” The Emperor replied: “Recently, Wang Sibao has been appointed to the post of Mingming. Wen Qiong can take on this task.”

The Celestial Master Xujing said, “Yesterday, while examining the register of immortal officials, I came across the record of Wen Qiong. He did not covet offerings from the people, and he once brought rain to Wenzhou to end a drought. He cared little for the titles and honors bestowed by the court, and made supporting Daoism his foremost aim. Xujing came here for this very purpose. Could this be the person meant?”

The Heavenly Emperor replied, “It is.”

So the Yue Emperor summoned Wen Qiong. Wen Qiong went before the Heavenly Emperor, bowed, and said, “I have served in office for many years without ever having the chance to meet the Heavenly Emperor. Now, thanks to this summons, I have been able to come to the steps before the palace.”

Xujing asked, “Is this Wen Qiong?”

The Heavenly Emperor said, “Yes.”

Xujing said, “Earlier, the people of Wenzhou recommended you to the Celestial Court, saying that you had brought relief from drought. You take no pride in the offerings the people make at your temple or in the titles bestowed by the court, and you aspire to take refuge in the Orthodox Way and support the ancestral masters. Today, in the presence of the Yue Emperor, I establish for you an office of the Earthly Spirits, which governs their divine beings, and grant you Orthodox methods, talismans, registers, and incantations.”

Xujing then said to Wen Qiong, “You were born in transformed form on the fifteenth day of the third month, at the hour of the Tiger. The season was one in which the Qi of Wood was waning and the Qi of Fire just beginning. Wood generates Fire, and Fire flourishes under the signs Bing and Ding. Ghosts and spirits are the most numinous beings among all things, so this talisman alone is sufficient to serve as your true form.”

Xujing then wrote the four characters “Bing and Ding Give Birth to a Ghost,” matching them to the time of Wen Qiong’s transformed birth and making them into a true seal script. He then used cloud script to draw various talismans and registers. The methods of the office of the Earthly Spirits seem to have begun here.

The patriarch Xujing said, “The spirits of the Earthly Spirits carry out the commands of the Jade Pure One. In the Lingbao methods, they are officials responsible for guarding, escorting, and welcoming. That is why the Scripture on Deliverance speaks of ‘restraining the Earthly Spirits through the kalpas, guarding, escorting, and welcoming.’” He also told his disciples, “Among the departments of ritual methods, none is more efficacious than Wen Qiong.”

One day, Xujing, a Daoist Celestial Master named Zhang Xujing, entered Sichuan and came to Mount Qingcheng. Behind the mountain was a place called Great Stream Cave. Xujing assumed that the cave must contain an immortal realm and wanted to explore it, unaware that a band of surviving demons lived inside. They were remnants of the demons subdued by the founding Celestial Master, Zhang Daoling. They had gathered in numbers, built a temple there, and made it their home. They went in and out of the cave, sometimes spreading pestilence and epidemics to harm people, and sometimes summoning thunder and fierce winds to demand blood offerings from them.

The imperial court bestowed on the temple the name “Temple of Manifest Aid” and titled its deity “King of Numinous Protection, Universal Benefit, Broad Virtue, and Extensive Aid.” Among the people, he was known as the Great Emperor of Cili. The people of Sichuan flocked there to offer incense.

Xujing did not know that demons had occupied the cave, but the fiends had already learned that he was coming. They gathered all the ghosts under their command and plotted to kill him, seeking revenge for the founding Celestial Master’s destruction of them long ago. Xujing entered the cave with thirty disciples. A strange wind rose suddenly, the mountain darkened, and the surroundings grew so black that they could not find their way. As Xujing wondered at this, he suddenly saw a man with a blue face, wearing a robe and armor, carrying an iron mallet and riding a black horse beneath a black banner. He galloped ahead, shielding Xujing from the fiends. In an instant, the sky brightened.

Xujing continued onward and saw that the Temple of Manifest Aid had been reduced to ashes and all the hideous fiends in the cave were dead. Soon, the strange wind rose again. Just as Xujing was about to click his teeth and perform a spell, he saw the blue-faced deity gallop ahead on horseback to block the wind. In moments, the wind stopped and the sky cleared. Xujing went on to investigate and saw the blue-faced deity dismount and bow before him. “I, Wen Qiong, was ordered to serve here as the Celestial Master’s ritual marshal. I have slain demons that harm people and dispelled ghosts that disrupt Daoism, capturing several thousand of them. Now I have also captured the Five-Armed Demon King, the Great Emperor of Cili, who resisted and offended the Celestial Master. I await your judgment.”

Xujing said, “Anyone who tries to kill the one who carries on the Daoist lineage deserves death, especially one who led a horde of demons into battle! He should be beheaded according to Fengdu’s harsh punishments and the Black Code, the Daoist rules and laws.” Wen Qiong obeyed, beheading the fiends on the mountain beside Qinghua Temple.

After the slaughter was complete, the waters had dried up and the plants and trees had withered. Where the blood had fallen, even the stones were soaked through. To this day, stones on this mountain remain as red as cinnabar.

Xujing, a Daoist honorific title, submitted a memorial to the court, which appointed Qiong “Grand Protector and Assistant to the Dharma, Radiant Spirit and Manifest Martial Envoy.” It also placed under his command three thousand grim soldiers—the Black Horse Troops—under the jurisdiction of Dendu, the legendary realm of the dead. Their leaders were Xue Zhen and Xu Bian.

Xue and Xu said to Qiong, “In your previous life you were human. Though you are fierce, we are mighty generals of the underworld authorities. When we bring calamity or blessing, the consequences may be as slight as misfortune or as grave as the destruction of a household and slaughter. We patrol the world, and no one dares offend us. Even the gods honored in official sacrifices welcome us and see us off. If you wish to restrain us, your supernatural powers must exceed ours.”

Qiong replied, “Then I will fight you at the western city of Daishan.” Xue and Xu immediately arrayed their troops for battle. Qiong mounted a black horse and charged straight into their camp. Xue and Xu formed their ranks to meet him: ten thousand arrows flew at once, and long spears rose together. Qiong let out a thunderous shout, and his body instantly became a black serpent hundreds of thousands of feet long. Its tail coiled around the two generals, leaving them unable to transform. The soldiers scattered in every direction. A great fire sprang up all around them, leaving no way out. They could only cry out, bow before the general, and beg forgiveness for their offenses, pledging to submit to his command and never defy his orders.

The black serpent spoke: “I was ordered to guard the sacred mountain and govern you in order to assist the masters who transmit the teaching, protect the Dharma, and save living beings. Would I willingly let you ghosts of the underworld oppress me today? You received the scriptures and your orders, and after undergoing deliverance and refinement, you gained supernatural powers. Yet you dare oppose the righteous Way. By my own inclination, I would have devoured you. But the Patriarch is benevolent toward living things, so for now I will spare you.”

Xue and Xu bowed low, prostrating themselves. From then on, they and all their troops came under Qiong’s command.

During the reign of Emperor Zhenzong of the Song, a Daoist practitioner named Wang Zongjing visited Tianbao Cave on Mount Qingcheng, where he met Xujing. Xujing asked him, “What have you come to the mountain for?” Wang Zongjing replied, “I have come to seek a master and learn the teachings, so I can help the people, uphold what is right, and drive out evil.” Xujing said, “I am Zhang Xujing of old. Have you heard my name?” Zongjing answered, “I have sought my master for ten years but have never been able to meet him. Today I have the honor of seeing the Celestial Master, and I have come to pay my respects and beg you to impart your secret methods.” Xujing then transmitted to him one grade of the secret method of the singular Earth Deity, General Wen the Protector.

Wang Zongjing devoted himself to practice and performed rites in service of the Dark Emperor, the Daoist deity revered as the god of the north. He earned merit by serving the people, and many accounts tell of his efficacious manifestations. In the areas around Hengmen and the Luo River, he aided the people by reciting only the Incantation of Taiyin’s Transformation and using the Bing-Ding Spirit-Producing Talisman and a seal of the Court for Expelling Evil to drive out malign spirits. It was said that these methods never failed. People living along the shores of pools, lakes, rivers, and streams came seeking water rites; thousands arrived each day.

One night, while Wang Zongjing was away from home, he suddenly heard someone say, “True Official, please come out. I have something to report.” When he went outside, he saw General Wen the Protector dismount and approach him respectfully. Wang Zongjing and General Wen then sat together on the ritual altar. General Wen said, “Yesterday, at the command of the Celestial Master Xujing, I came to protect the True Official as he serves the Dark Emperor through incense offerings and relieves the people’s suffering. Now that your merit is great, the Dark Emperor has entered your name in the registers of immortals and made you a spirit official beneath his palace, in charge of the people’s incense offerings in the Qin region. The Celestial Master also considers your work in transmitting the tradition meritorious and has promoted you to True Person. I have come especially to tell you: put away my image and do not leave it in the world. If later generations build a temple to me because of it, that too will bring harm to my merit.” Wang Zongjing did as he instructed, then passed the ritual seal and the image of the Dark Emperor to Hao Daoxian.

Wang Zongjing also passed down the Record of the Dragon and Tiger, which lists 197 ritual procedures and formulas he regularly used. Thus, Hao Daoxian alone received his orthodox transmission. Wang Zongjing further told Daoxian, “You may go to Fujian. It is a place that does not honor the righteous Dao, where demons and evil spirits gather.”

Daoxian arrived in Fujian. Along the way, there was a spirit who practiced the poison art of the Golden Cocoon, named King Jialuo. The people of Fujian revered him, and many households even kept “golden cocoons”—supposedly controllable creatures used in gu poisoning. These creatures would seize people’s souls and force them to serve and labor; merchants and travelers on the road often fell victim to them as well.

When the demon spirits heard that the Grand Master was coming, they conferred among themselves: “We honor the Buddha as our lord. If he comes, we will kill him and cannot let him stay here. If he settles here, we will have nowhere left to stand.”

Daoxian reached Quanzhou and used talisman water, which indeed produced results. Yet at that time, demon priests who revered Buddhism were numerous throughout the region, while the orthodox Way had not been revived. Daoxian took out a mirror, recited the Bing-Ding incantation, associated with the Fire Phase and the expulsion of evil, and breathed Qi into the mirror. He refined and cultivated it for nine years, until it became spiritually responsive. Qiong appeared and could enter and leave the mirror, but the cultivation still brought no response, so Daoxian began reciting the Tianpeng incantation, commonly used in Daoism to expel evil and protect the body. Daoxian said, “I recite this incantation to strengthen its numinous power. I hope that by refining and cultivating this mirror, I can gain its assistance.” He cultivated it for another three years, and the mirror became even more efficacious. White vapor often rose from the place where it was kept.

One day, Taibao rushed out of the mirror and said to Daoxian, “You received the Grand Master’s orthodox transmission and inherited the Celestial Master’s teachings. Yet while you live here, few people come to take refuge and make offerings. Here in Min County is Sengjia Mountain, a place established by Sizhou. On the mountain’s left is the Golden Light Cave, and beside the cave stands a temple dedicated to King Jialuo. You can go there in person and subdue him.”

Daoxian followed his advice and went to the temple. He saw that its halls and pavilions were grand and splendid. More than ten thousand people from across the region came to recite the Diamond Sutra. The temple’s deities looked much like ordinary divine images. There were also the queen consort of the inner palace and more than three hundred princes. In the left hall stood twelve chancellors; in the right hall were fifty-seven marshals. There were also many Wuchang spirits, Plague Office deities, and other divine beings.

Daoxian looked around in fear and did not dare to cast a spell rashly. He stepped out of the temple and climbed the mountain to the left. On the mountain stood a pavilion called the Altar of the Arhat’s Wayfaring. Hearing no human voices anywhere nearby, he bound his hair, clicked his teeth while facing north, and secretly reported the matter to the Lord of the Sacred Mountain. Then he took out the mirror he had finished refining and called, “I am here. Come quickly and answer the summons!”

The Grand Protector Wen Qiong suddenly burst out of the mirror, holding a great war hammer. Thunder, lightning, wind, and rain followed, and the mountains all around were plunged into darkness. In an instant, a clap of thunder rang out. A great fire broke out in the temple, and the surrounding woods went up in flames as well. After a while, the sky cleared. King Jialou had been reduced to ashes; only one great pillar remained unburned. On it were written the words: “Wen Qiong, acting in accordance with Heaven’s mandate, assisted in the ritual and, by command, destroyed the demon.”

Only after the affair was over did Daoxian come to his senses from his terror. The Grand Protector came before him and said, “I, Wen Qiong, have destroyed the evil presence. By my own abilities, I could never have overcome it. Fortunately, the Patriarch had attained success in cultivation, enabling me to draw on the power of the Great Celestial Marshal’s Great Incantation. Through refinement and transformation, I have now attained all six supernatural powers. To repay the Patriarch for teaching me the incantation and refining my methods, I vow to make a great pledge: from this day forward, I will forever honor you as the master who transmits the lineage of the teaching. I will widely perform good deeds and bring aid to all people. Please do not remain here; you may go to Shu to cultivate. In the Bingwu year, you will shed your corpse—that is, cast off your physical body and attain immortality. The beings here have turned away from the Dao and taken refuge in Buddhism, to the displeasure of Heaven. Please accept my request and follow me to bring aid to all people.”

Daoxian said, “If Buddhism is not the true Way, why does the Grand Protector not destroy the Buddhist teaching as well?”

Wen Qiong replied, “Buddhism has the great merit of awakening people and teaching them to devote themselves to goodness. It also serves to conceal deviant paths, with compassion as its foundation. That is why the Most High left this teaching to instruct the ignorant people. The Master Tizhen, whose virtue accords with the Way of Heaven, could not bear to destroy it. Therefore Buddhism cannot be eradicated.”

At this point, Dao Xian mounted Taibao’s horse. Qiong led the way, holding a tally, and departed amid black clouds. In the blink of an eye, they arrived at Mount Qingcheng in western Shu. Taibao then gave Dao Xian one hundred taels of silver, so he could go to Sichuan and practice the talisman-and-water arts.

Dao Xian reached Chengdu and, after completing his business, thought of Qiong’s kindness to him. He decided to submit a memorial on Qiong’s behalf, requesting recognition for his merit. He therefore reported Qiong’s deeds to the Yue Emperor, the deity who governs the Eastern Mountain. Within seven days, the memorial reached the Yue Emperor. He said, “Qiong may be said to have greatly benefited all living beings under Heaven and to have greatly revived the transmission of the Orthodox Way.” He then issued an edict appointing Qiong as “Circuit Inspector of the Four Seas and Censor of the Nine Provinces.” Qiong also retained the title “Great Taibao, Assistant to the Dharma, Exalted and Illustrious, Martial and Powerful,” and was placed in charge of the registers and records used by the underworld’s offices to urgently summon and seize offenders.

After receiving from Dao Xian the method of cultivation through the Tianpeng Incantation, Taibao attained its effects and acquired six supernatural powers, enabling him to ascend to Heaven and enter the earth. The gods of the upper, middle, and lower realms all revered and feared him, and dared not offend him.

Dao Xian had five hundred and thirty-two disciples to whom he transmitted the method. More than a hundred truly obtained efficacious results; more than a hundred had thoughts that did not accord with their actions; and some experienced no response and gained no reputation. More than two hundred who violated the laws of Heaven were struck down by Taibao.

Among them were those who cultivated the Dao, served the sages, upheld and practiced the method, and honored the incense offerings. After Taibao petitioned the Yue Emperor on their behalf, they attained the Dao and became perfected beings. They entered the Right Victorious Court of Xuandu and served as clerks and spirit officials. Fifty-three of them held posts among the five hundred spirit officials of the Yuanhe Migration and Inspection Bureau; later, fifty-three also rose to serve as spirit officials in the Right Victorious Court.

After this, the ritual books of Taibao and the Ten Earth Deities circulated throughout the land, and many people revered this method. Yet people regarded the Earth Deities’ method as a lesser practice within the Orthodox Way, believing it to be a method transmitted only by human-world deities. Those who practiced it were also expected to cultivate the arts of other divine bureaus. From then on, no further efficacious results were heard of.

Among those who study the lesser arts, eight or nine out of ten know that Marshal Wen (Wen Qiong, a divine general who protects Daoism) acts swiftly, yet they cannot devote themselves wholeheartedly to revering him. Marshal Wen once said to Iron Victory at the Court of the Marchmounts, the residence of the spirits of the Five Marchmounts: “I wish to establish merit and protect Daoism. But though many people practice the methods these days, none possess the immortal bones for such a calling. The age has truly grown corrupt.”

Marshal Wen devoted himself to protecting the Orthodox Way and hoped that heavenly harmony and its influence would spread far and wide. Yet Xu, Wen, Hao, and Bian stirred up demonic teachings in the world, abetting the way of the Sangha of the Three Altars and protecting the Buddhist Vajra Chan tradition. Their deviant influence spread widely. The court enacted laws to prohibit them strictly, but they followed the teachings of demons and refused to repent. The Longevity Emperor loathed this, so he ordered Perfected Du to widely perform meritorious deeds and send a memorial by flight to the Three Heavens—the celestial courts above, as Daoists call them—in hopes of putting an end to the demonic teachings once and for all.

At that time, the Sovereign Lord of the Eastern Marchmount summoned Lord Bingling and said: “Demonic ways are flourishing, and the people have embraced the teachings of Śākyamuni; as a result, the world is being harmed. The ruler of the realm may still tolerate this, but you must obey the Supreme Lord’s urgent command and stamp it out as soon as possible.” Lord Bingling immediately assembled the officers and generals of the Court of the Marchmounts and sent out troops to quell the rebellion, deploying forces in every direction. But the two demonic practitioners used their wicked arts, at times appearing as the Five Manifestations, at others transforming into strange beings of Dongting. Their followers numbered in the tens of thousands, and even the Directorate of Epidemic Spirits dared not arrest them.

The spirits of the Five Marchmounts therefore gathered at the Heavenly Treasure Grotto-Heaven to deliberate. Lord Bingling reported: “Only Chief Inspector Wen Qiong can handle this. Wen Qiong is currently in Qingzhou assisting Liu Boqi in practicing the methods and helping the people. We can temporarily send Zhang Xun in his place to suppress them.” The spirit of the Western Marchmount said: “The officers and generals under the Court of the Marchmounts cannot subdue them. How can this task be entrusted to Wen Qiong alone?”

The Account of Wen Taibao, Supreme General of the Earth Spirits

Bingling said: Long ago, there was an earth immortal named Hao Daoxian. For many years he recited the Tianpeng Incantation, a Daoist spell, and refined jade nectar in a mirror. Once refined, the jade nectar possessed six supernatural powers, governed the register of life and death, and employed sixty junior judges to oversee the affairs of the world.

Liu Jun practiced this method, then the highest tier of Daoist cultivation, and was protected by Wen Qiong. The sovereigns of the various sacred mountains were greatly alarmed, so the Mountain Sovereign issued a talisman summoning Wen Qiong. Wen Qiong reported: “The two demons Xu and Hao have heard of my reputation and are afraid. If I lead troops against them, they will surely flee. Zhang Quji can go ahead and investigate. Let him accompany me, and then we can win the merit.” The Mountain Sovereign agreed.

Wen Qiong issued orders, established rewards and punishments, and led his army westward. After traveling nineteen thousand li, they reached Mount Yeni. When the two demons Xu and Hao heard that Wen Qiong of the Mountain Court had arrived, his reputation and power struck them with fear. Knowing they could not resist, they disbanded their followers and fled in every direction, then transformed into two snakes and hid in the Vast Cavern.

Zhang Quji went ahead, transformed himself into a three-year-old child, and used a ball to lure the two demons. Light shone from the ball, revealing several children of two or three playing inside. Xu and Hao also turned into children and crawled into the ball. Zhang Quji then seized it, leaving them no way to escape.

Soon Wen Qiong’s army arrived. Mount Yeni in the west shook, and the Vast Waters roared. Xu and Hao had no choice but to confess their crimes. Wen Qiong devoured their subordinate ghost kings and annihilated 360,000 Buddhist monks. After returning victorious, Wen Qiong reported to the Mountain Sovereign and offered thanks. He was then appointed Inspector of the Divine Temples throughout the realm, retained his former post, and was granted the title “Taibao Who Assists the Dharma, Aids the Spirits, and Shines with Martial Valor and Heroic Might.”

Perfected Du reported to the Emperor Shou: “The demonic crimes throughout the realm…”

Perfected Du reported to Emperor Shou: “The malevolent winds throughout the realm have been stilled. This is all thanks to Wen Qiong.”

The emperor asked, “Has he been granted a title?”

Perfected Du replied, “He was once offered a princely title, but he would not accept it. He was urged to enjoy offerings in a temple, but he refused those too. When the state sought to confer a title on him, he declined again. He can truly be called the mighty spirit general of Mount Yue, commander of the numinous powers throughout the realm. He is upright and selfless, and his divine powers are vast.”

Thereupon, Perfected Du reverently carried out the imperial decree and submitted a memorial to the Three Heavens—the heavenly realms in Daoist belief. On the night he bowed and presented it, the emperor asked, “Has the memorial’s message reached the heavenly realms?”

Perfected Du replied, “After the relevant offices in the heavenly realms received the memorial, they sent it to the emissaries for deliberation. Their judgment read: ‘This god of the human realm has scarcely any virtue, yet dares to offend the Supreme One. We had intended to send you before the spirit officer of the Left Bureau, who investigates and prosecutes offenses in the heavenly realms. But recalling that you have practiced the Daoist teachings for seven lifetimes, we will pardon you this once. The name Wen Qiong is to be proclaimed throughout the realm, and made known to the City God offices in every region, which oversee local affairs of the underworld. Wen Qiong is upright and once received the orthodox teachings from a patriarch. He is therefore specially granted the title “Supreme General of the Earthly Spirits,” commander of the earth’s deities. He is to be ranked among the orthodox gods of the realm, govern the spirits among plants and trees, and supervise palaces, Daoist temples, and shrines.’” Perfected Du filed the judgment and did not dare copy or circulate it.

From then on, Grand Protector Wen Qiong’s fame spread far and wide. The spirits of plants and trees, as well as officials and commoners, all revered him. Perfected Zhong of Guozhou practiced the teachings of the earthly spirits, and they proved highly efficacious. In Chenzhou lived Wang Qingru, a court gentleman who had settled there; he was later appointed governor of Guozhou.

One day, Wang Qingru passed an old temple at Chen Creek and saw the words “Plague Office” written on the door of the right-hand corridor. Forgetting the proper etiquette for a moment, he looked around casually, lifted the curtain of the hall, and went inside. Suddenly a man approached. He looked like a gatekeeper from a human government office, and bowed to Wang Qingru, saying, “The Great King has ordered that the Pacification Commissioner come and see him.”

Wang Qingru was taken aback and asked, “Who is the Great King?”

The man replied, “It is King Kang, who was granted the title King of Awe Inspiring Aid, Benevolent Benefit, Faithful Favor, and Heroic Valor.” The messenger pressed him repeatedly, and Wang Qingru could not refuse. He followed the man to a hall. Someone then conveyed King Kang’s command: “Please have the Pacification Commissioner enter the hall.” King Kang leaned to one side and bowed, inviting Wang Qingru to take a seat.

King Kang said, “By order of the Great City God, I oversee the Plague Office and investigate good and evil. Now, through the convergence of karmic ties from past lives, I have had the chance to meet the Pacification Commissioner and Judge here. It seems I have somehow offended your dignity. I humbly ask you to be understanding and grant my request.”

Qingru said, “Your Majesty has something you want me to take care of. Please explain the matter in detail.”

The king said, “Yesterday I received an official document from the Great City God Office, which oversees the affairs of the City Gods. It ordered me to spread plague in Guozhou last year. There is a Perfected One named Zhong in this province. Since childhood, he has revered the Dark Emperor, who personally bestowed on him the seal of the City God Office and appointed him Chief Superintendent. The Eastern Peak also assigned Wen Dusun to serve as his commanding officer. The people of Guozhou have committed many offenses, and many are sick. The locals are fierce and cruel, and refuse to accept instruction.

“When I first arrived in Guozhou, a group including the Three Altar Cave King, Yuanhuang, and Hongshan worshipped Buddhism and made a practice of warding off plague through ritual rites. I killed their entire following in one fell swoop—several hundred, perhaps a thousand people—and the evil spirits of Guozhou were largely eliminated. At first, I knew nothing of Perfected Zhong. Since then, whenever I have spread plague, I have acted under the mandate of Heaven. As soon as Perfected Zhong’s talismanic methods reach me, I immediately withdraw the plague; I have never dared disobey. But Perfected Zhong believes I am deliberately spreading plague in Guozhou to obtain offerings for myself. He has imprisoned five thousand of my soldiers and officers, and even intends to use his magic to seize me and take me to Mount Tianyue. I hope you will understand my situation and show me mercy. Once we have completed the transfer of Guozhou’s military and administrative seals, I will lift the plague that very day. This, too, will quietly build up merit.”

Qingru said, “I will follow Your Majesty’s instructions. But there is something I do not understand: if Your Majesty could kill all those in the Three Altars who practiced Buddhist rites, why could you not kill Perfected Zhong?”

The king said, “Perfected Zhong has three abilities that I cannot match. First, his name is registered in the Right Victory Office. Second, he can forge ritual mirrors to communicate with the spirits. Third, Wen Dusun of the Eastern Peak Office is his commanding officer and obeys his orders. No shrine of the gods under Heaven dares offend him. There is a saying in the City of the Dead: ‘You may capture Shakyamuni Buddha in the Western Heaven, but you cannot stand against Wen Dusun of the Eastern Peak.’”

Qingru said, “I do not understand why this is so.”

Prince Kang said, “Yesterday, while Perfected Hao was refining the mirror, he recited the Tianpeng Incantation again and again, using it to empower his cultivation. The Grand Protector thereby received merit and attained the Six Supernatural Powers; his numinous might has no equal.” After Wang Qingru took his leave, Prince Kang gave him five hundred taels of gold in gratitude for his assistance.

When Wang Qingru arrived home, his family told him that he had been away for three days. After handing over the official seal of Guozhou, he asked the clerk responsible for documents and registers, “Where does Perfected Zhong Ming live?” The clerk replied, “Perfected Zhong lives north of the city.”

The next day, Wang Qingru went to Perfected Zhong’s jing, a Daoist retreat where practitioners lived and cultivated, and explained what had happened. Perfected Zhong said respectfully to the magistrate, “This ghost has been spreading plague here since last year. Had you not investigated the matter and dealt with it, two-thirds of the people of Guozhou would likely have died.” Wang Qingru pleaded for the ghost to be spared. Perfected Zhong said, “Since I have received your order, I shall of course comply. However, Kang Ying is now serving as Grand Protector in the Court of Yue. In time, Celestial Master Xujing will also enroll him as the sixth of the Ten Generals of the Earth Deities. But he handled plague matters poorly and investigated them too harshly. Yesterday I ordered Wen Qiong to arrest him. Now, in accordance with your wishes, I shall pardon him.” The clerks and soldiers under the arrested Kang Ying were each given one hundred strokes by Patrol Officer Wen and then released.

Later, Wang Qingru submitted a memorial recommending Perfected Zhong, and the court bestowed on him the title Perfected of Awe-Inspiring Grace. Patrol Officer Wen declined the court’s title, so the court specially awarded him money and one catty of aloeswood.

Patrol Officer Wen had also uprooted the incense cult of the Five Manifestations deity of Chizhou, wiped out the troops under the Great King of the Suspended Chariot in Anqing, slain the Lesser Official of Tongsheng, driven out Liu Xiaoyi of Dongting, destroyed temples at Hongshan and Hanyang, and burned the shrine of the Plague Bureau at Niushi. These tasks were entrusted exclusively to Patrol Officer Wen, and their retribution came very swiftly. His other wondrous and efficacious deeds are too numerous to recount one by one. Later generations will surely gather more strange accounts and record them widely.

Later generations will certainly be able to gather accounts of strange and unusual events far and wide and record them in detail. What has not been recorded will not be discussed here.

Supplement to the Account of General Wen Taibao

Compiled and edited by Huang Gongjin, a humble scholar who cultivates simplicity in the Room of Emptiness.

General Wen Qiong was loyal and upright by nature. After becoming a Mountain Deity, he guarded the incense offerings to the Dark Emperor for many years. The Mountain Emperor admired him.

One day, the Northern Emperor sent a thousand pills of pestilence down to the Eastern Mountain and ordered his emissaries to spread disease, inspect the human world, and punish those who were disloyal or unfilial, took life, or destroyed property. In obedience to this command, the Mountain Emperor summoned Wen Qiong and assigned him to carry out the work of spreading pestilence. Wen Qiong accepted the pills, then considered the matter again and again: a single pill would bring death to more than a thousand people, and the deaths of a thousand people would bring calamity to a thousand households. What is more, pestilence could spread with the weather and propagate through poisonous vapors, causing further disasters beyond all reckoning. This truly ran counter to the Supreme One’s virtue of cherishing life. Better for me alone to bear it and die in place of a thousand people; then countless lives could be saved. What would I have to regret?

So he faced north, looked up to Heaven, and swallowed all the pestilence pills at once. Before long, his stomach ached and he burned with fever, until he could barely endure it. He burned incense and went straight to the Mountain Emperor, where he transformed into a fierce demon. He reported the whole matter, then prostrated himself on the ground and awaited punishment.

Just then, the Northern Emperor sent someone to urge the Mountain Emperor to deal with the matter. The Mountain Emperor had no choice but to report the truth, explaining Wen Qiong’s failure in his duty. The Northern Emperor then ordered the Right Victorious Bureau, a divine office responsible for inspection and punishment, to investigate his offense. The Dark Emperor approved of Wen Qiong’s intentions, testified on his behalf, and submitted a plea asking that his offense be pardoned. The Northern Emperor granted the request and urged Wen Qiong to devote himself to carrying out the Dark Emperor’s commands, spreading its teachings and destroying evil spirits. From then on, Wen Qiong’s reputation and power grew even greater.

Later, the author also mentions Cao Kefu, the resident priest of Yulong Palace. Cao Kefu had studied secret methods concerning the Earth Deities from childhood, and had once transmitted the teachings and practiced the Dao in Chiyang. The local Temple of the Five Manifestations, dedicated to the Five Manifestation Deities, was known for its remarkable efficacy, and its halls were magnificent.

At the time, a man was responsible for transferring and managing a certain carriage service. At first, he took his family to pay their respects at the temple, bringing his concubine into the main hall to look around as well. After returning home, he suddenly fell unconscious and could not be revived; medicine was of no help. He was later placed in a coffin, though he had not yet been formally laid out for burial. Officials heard that a Daoist named Cao in the marketplace was highly effective in practicing talismanic arts, so they sent someone to summon him.

When Cao arrived, he read the document and said, “It is a pity that once a person has been dead for a day, they cannot be brought back to life. But if we can establish that malevolent spirits are indeed at work, we can deal with them.” Ban agreed. Cao drew talismans and performed a rite, then burned the talismans beside the coffin. Before long, the coffin lid lifted by itself. The corpse sprang out and stood before Cao, making a clicking sound.

Cao said, “This is the evil spirit that was summoned here, possessing the dead body. There is no need to be afraid. Wait while I question it.” After repeated interrogation and torture, it finally said, “I am the fourth among the Five Kings at the temple in this prefecture, the Bodhisattva Huaguangzang.”

Cao then asked why it had used evil arts to seize a living person’s soul. It replied, “When the deceased entered the temple to look around, he thought to himself, ‘How can there be such a beautiful person in this world?’ I saw that his mind had stirred with a deluded thought, so I seized his soul.”

Cao ordered it to return the soul. The spirit said, “I ought not to disobey an official’s command. But the soul has already left the body, and the person has stopped breathing. There is truly no way to undo it.” Cao grew angry and threatened to petition the Celestial Emperor to destroy both its form and spirit. The spirit said, “I am formed from the refined essence of the mountains and rivers of the Five Sacred Peaks and Four Great Waterways. I am not like ordinary spirits. The official need only cut off the incense offerings made to me in Chizhou.” As soon as it finished speaking, the corpse returned to the coffin and resumed its former state.

Cao ordered the coffin sealed and the body prepared for burial. He chose a date to petition the Celestial Emperor, requesting that a divine executioner be sent to behead the spirit. He then reported to Ban Che and had all the temple’s clay statues transported to the training ground and destroyed. When they struck the fourth statue, it indeed began to bleed. From then on, the people of Chizhou no longer worshipped the spirits in that temple. Cao’s reputation grew greatly as a result. Later, he became the head of the Daoist palaces and temples, and never performed rites recklessly: whenever he acted, his rites were sure to take effect. When people asked about his arts, he would only say that they had been taught to him by General Wen, also known as Grand Protector Wen.

Later, in a county on the border of Shu, there was a shrine to a spirit renowned for its efficacy. Successive dynasties had bestowed titles upon it, and it was said to bring people good fortune or calamity. The shrine’s inner hall lay deep within, concealed from view, and people were never allowed to enter freely. Anyone who tried to go in would surely be struck by the spirit’s punishment. When the county magistrate first took office, he was already troubled by doubts about this. Later, members of his household and his children fell ill, and everyone blamed the spirit. One day, under the pretext of another matter, he issued an order for the inspector and county lieutenant to lead the archers to the shrine…

When the county magistrate had just taken office, he already suspected that the deity in the temple was not what it seemed. Later, members of his household and relatives fell ill one after another, and everyone blamed the deity. One day, the magistrate pretended he had other official business and sent the patrol inspector and deputy county magistrate to the temple with a group of archers. Dressed in full official attire, he had secretly prepared offerings and written a proclamation addressed to the deity. Then he opened the doors of the chamber where the statue was kept, led his men in by force, and saw an enormous monkey that had no time to transform. The magistrate ordered the archers to shoot it dead, then burned down the temple.

After completing three years in office and handing over his duties properly, the magistrate left his post and set out for his hometown with his family. Halfway along the journey, he stopped to rest at an inn. As he went to the latrine, he suddenly saw a procession escorting a deity pass by, with a well-ordered retinue of mounted attendants. He recognized the deity being carried in the sedan chair: it was the monkey spirit he had shot dead in the temple years before. The deity stepped down from the chair, spoke, rested his hand on his sword, and sat down. He ordered his attendants to seize the magistrate, then commanded a ghost official to devour him.

As the magistrate was being seized, someone nearby pleaded on his behalf, saying, “There is no need to devour him. I ask only that Your Majesty go to his home and take charge there.” The ghost official then flung the magistrate into the air. He vanished in an instant and came down in the wilderness, with no idea where he was. He searched along the road for several days before meeting someone. Only then did he learn that he was more than five thousand li from home. Day and night he begged and asked for directions, but could not find his way back. He had no choice but to seek news of Mount Longhu in Xinzhou, hoping to go and seek the Celestial Master’s help. He prayed with all his heart, as though a spirit were secretly protecting him, and so he managed to stay alive.

More than four years later, he finally found out how to reach Xinzhou. Before he had even entered the mountains, he met a Daoist and went up to ask him who he was. The Daoist replied, “I am Master Xujing.” The magistrate bowed until his forehead touched the ground and was about to recount what had happened when Master Xujing said, “I already know. There is no need to enter the mountains. How have you been making a living on the road?” The magistrate answered, “I can only tell people’s fortunes.” Master Xujing then gave him a mirror and a command tablet, instructing him to hang the mirror on his chest and tie the tablet to his left arm, and sent him on his way. The magistrate continued his journey as though secretly protected. He could travel more than a hundred li a day without feeling tired.

About a year later, he suddenly arrived in his home village, as though someone had guided him home. At the doorway, he encountered a situation like the one in which Master Xujing had taught him the method. He again passed himself off as someone who could cast divinations and make predictions for others. The deity led the family, young and old alike, outside to watch. As the spirit officiant was speaking with someone, the mirror suddenly shook. Following the method he had been taught, he struck it once with the command tablet. General Wen (Wen Qiong, a Daoist guardian deity) leapt out of the mirror amid crashing thunder and lightning, while black mist and black winds rose so fiercely that no one could look up. After a long while, the wind and mist cleared. Before the hall lay a large monkey and two small monkeys, all struck dead. The spirit officiant explained what had happened, and the family gradually remembered that the two small monkeys had been born to his wife and concubines, though they could no longer recall their names.

Once, Lu Yanghao came to Jiangxi to preach in Linjiang Army. Someone in the Xiao family fell ill, and the household offered a reward for a cure. Lu Yanghao performed a spirit-possession rite in front of Huili Temple. Whenever a spirit possessed a boy, the boy would leap into the water at Jiangyue Pavilion and never come back up. The onlookers were doubtful. Later, Lu Yanghao possessed another person, picked up the sword carried by the ritual official, and jumped straight into the pool. After a long while, three men carried a fish’s head ashore. Only then did they realize that this creature had been causing the Xiao family’s illness. After that, the illness was cured. Lu Yanghao told people, “I hadn’t even sent General Wen yet, and I was still able to cure it so quickly.”

Hong Yian was well known in the area around the Inner Terrace and Dengdu. He took his disciple Zhong Yeyun to Pucheng County in Jianning Prefecture. In the household of Huang Tongyao of Niutian, the youngest daughter suffered from madness caused by an evil spirit. After examining her, Hong Yian performed a spirit-possession rite and discovered that malevolent spirits named Jiang Lang and Old Lady Dai were causing trouble. He confined them in a temple, but later someone performed a rite to release them.

After the evil spirit escaped, it drew on the power of an evil deity and took the forms of flying crows and ferocious tigers. They surrounded the monastery, roaring and making a great uproar. No spell could subdue them. Only after the power of ten terrestrial deities—gods who govern the earth—was invoked were they all captured. The evil spirit was then bound and taken to the western shore of the lake, where it was sunk and its physical form finally destroyed. This shows that the terrestrial deities each attend to their proper duties, and that Marshal Wen (a Daoist protective deity) acts swiftly and answers with efficacy. So it is indeed. I have recorded what I saw and heard to supplement what the earlier account left out.

Supplement to the Account of Marshal Wen