《吕祖全传》Vol. 5

Before Peng Jian had finished speaking, the Peach Blossom Maiden said, “Father and Mother, you need not blame him or hold him at fault.” Then she turned to her elder brother and said, “Duke Zhou has sent you here now, and this is no time for idle talk. I have many urgent matters to attend to, so you must listen carefully to my instructions. There are some things I need to give you.”

She quickly fetched a bow and arrows and handed them to Peng Jian. “Keep these safely with you. Once my bridal sedan enters the gate, do as I told you.” Peng Jian nodded again and again. The Peach Blossom Maiden then gave him a sieve basket woven from cord, explaining carefully what he should do with it. He took the items and quietly carried them out, placing them inside the bridal sedan.

The Peach Blossom Maiden gathered the things she had prepared, put on a crown set with eight kinds of precious jewels, and dressed in a bright red robe embroidered with dragons. She wore yellow silk Daoist shoes and refused to step on the ground. Standing on the heated brick bed, she fastened a jade belt around her waist. Jiang, the matchmaker, arrived just then and entered the central hall. She hurriedly presented three feet of red silk and a pair of treasure vases filled with the Five Grains. The Peach Blossom Maiden told her to drape the red silk over her head, then took one vase in each hand and thought, “This woman is ill-intentioned. This time, I’ll let her go in my place!” She said to Jiang, “Auntie Jiang, you must stay by my side the whole time. Come to my home tomorrow, and I’ll reward you with twenty taels of silver.” Jiang was delighted. “Miss, I came to help you marry, so how could I accept a reward from the Grand Marshal?” Ren, the Grand Marshal, said, “If you take good care of her and escort my daughter there, I’ll give you twenty taels of silver. I will keep my word.”

The Peach Blossom Maiden then asked her father to carry her to the sedan. The book says that the objects she had prepared were originally meant to suppress and ward off baleful spirits. In time, people began to follow the same procedure when escorting brides, and it gradually became a custom and an important part of wedding rites.

The Grand Marshal Ren carried the Peach Blossom Maiden into the bridal sedan, weeping as he gave his blessing: “My daughter, you asked your father to carry you out of the house. May you live as long as your parents. Now that you have grown to adulthood, may you and your husband remain harmonious for a hundred years, may your descendants flourish, may your blessings and years be long, and may all things go in peace.” Madam Ren followed behind for a while as they set out, then could not hold back her sobs. Mother and daughter found it unbearably hard to part. And since there was no son in the family, only this one daughter, they did not know whether good or ill fortune awaited them after the separation, which made their grief all the deeper. Seeing this, Old Peng too could not stop his tears.

Only after the Grand Marshal Ren had carried her into the sedan did the Peach Blossom Maiden sit down. Suddenly, a strange wind swept toward the bridal sedan, and a steel whip came striking at it. This was the Black Baleful Spirit, summoned by Duke Zhou. As soon as he saw the Peach Blossom Maiden enter the sedan, he swung his whip at her. But a golden whip flew in from the left and blocked the steel one. The Red Baleful Spirit, the counterpart of the Black Baleful Spirit, had manifested its true form. Seeing the Red Baleful Spirit stop his whip and prevent him from striking the Peach Blossom Maiden, the Black Baleful Spirit said, “I have been sent by the Celestial Master of the Zhou ritual bureau, acting under the Celestial Dipper’s Orthodox Rites, to strike Ren Taohua dead. Why has the honored spirit saved her with a golden whip and prevented me from carrying out the command?”

The Red Baleful Spirit replied with a smile, “I too was summoned to save her by a divine spell from Ren Taohua, the perfected one who wields Qi. These two are contesting their arts in the realms of Yin and Yang, but the Peach Blossom Maiden is ultimately on the side of the righteous Way. She has descended by imperial decree to provoke Duke Zhou into fighting her, so that he may return to his original state and avoid sinking into the mortal world. The time for both of them to return is near. Why should we obey their private summons and let it damage the harmony between us?” The Black Baleful Spirit replied, “Your words accord with the subtle principles of the mysterious Dao.” The two spirits then returned to their respective places and rode clouds back to Heaven.

When Ren Taohua’s wedding sedan arrived at the Zhou family’s gate, the Red God and the Black God appeared in response to the omens. The Red God, acting under Duke Zhou’s orthodox Tiangang methods, had come to take Taohua’s life. The Black God, acting under the divine spell of Miss Ren and the Perfected One of Qi, had come to protect her. After each explained the reason for carrying out their orders, the two deities rode clouds back to their respective stations.

The sedan left the Ren family’s gate amid the sound of drums and music, surrounded by many household servants. Seeing the luxurious procession for Duke Zhou’s wedding, with the sedan decorated in silk and embroidered with immortals from the Eighteen Grotto-Heavens, the people praised the grandeur of official households, so different from that of ordinary folk. Someone who knew Duke Zhou had no son remarked, “Of course his second marriage to a wife would be lavish.” Hearing this from inside the sedan, Peach Blossom seethed with resentment. She thought that if she did not need to find a way to bear Zhou Qian, she would never have to endure such humiliation. The images of the immortals from the Eighteen Grotto-Heavens on the sedan held the evil spirits at bay, so she traveled safely.

When the sedan reached the Zhou family’s gate, the Ren household asked the matchmaker Jiang to invite the Zhou family out to fumigate it. Duke Zhou heard that nothing unusual had happened when Peach Blossom boarded the sedan and was greatly surprised. He suspected her powers were formidable, since even the Black Fiend God had failed to harm her. He then arranged for the two evil spirits Mourning Gate and Hanging Guest to lurk near her, ready to try another spell against her.

Duke Zhou had someone bring an iron and leaves of cypress and moxa. He personally walked once around the sedan, fumigating it. Folk custom held that cypress leaves and moxa could ward off evil, but Duke Zhou did not know that these were precisely what could overcome the evil spirits he had summoned. The wailing spirits and the others fled to hide. Hearing that Duke Zhou was fumigating the sedan himself, Peach Blossom laughed to herself. She knew that the things he used had instead broken his own spell.

After fumigating the sedan, Duke Zhou ordered everyone to stand aside, planning to use his next trick when the bride entered the main hall. Believing Peach Blossom would surely die inside the sedan, he told the bearers to carry it through the gate. At Peach Blossom’s instruction, Peng Jian went ahead to the entrance. He took out a willow-wood bow and peach-wood arrows, recited an incantation toward the gate, and shot an arrow at it, crying, “Willow bow, peach-wood arrow: shoot the left door leaf, then the right; Mourning Gate and Hanging Guest vanish without a trace; may no evil spirit show its face!” At the twang of the bowstring, the two spirits immediately rode clouds back to their stations. The book says this is the origin of the folk custom of hanging a willow bow and peach arrows on the gate at the New Year when ill fortune threatens.

Duke Zhou had thought Peach Blossom would be unable to drive away Mourning Gate and Hanging Guest, so he was hiding nearby to watch. Peng Jian shot a second arrow, but it flew toward Duke Zhou’s face. Duke Zhou dodged and angrily demanded to know why Peng Jian had shot at him. Peng Jian explained that he was simply following Miss Ren’s instructions to drive away the evil spirits stationed by the gate. Duke Zhou stamped his feet repeatedly when he heard this, realizing that his plan had failed once again, and told Peng Jian to leave.

Duke Zhou returned to the inner hall and thought to himself that, although Mourning Gate and Hanging Guest had been dispelled, many other baleful spirits were still gathered there. Peach Blossom might not be able to deal with them all.

After Peach Blossom left the sedan, the matchmaker supported her as she walked along the red carpet laid out toward the inner hall. Near the second gate, Peng Jian took out a woven thread sieve and placed it over her head, reciting an incantation: “A sieve of thread, fashioned like Heaven’s net; the great red carpet pins down the tripping rope; cross the saddle and ride the Star-and-Sun Horse; when sheep see common grass, they flee without a trace!” He then scattered grass from a square measure around the gate.

Amid the confusion, Peach Blossom quickly stepped over the saddle and poured out the five grains from the precious bottle she carried. As she passed through the gates and entered the hall, every spell she encountered was neutralized. The Zhou family’s female servants and maids saw that she was unharmed and heard that she was exceptionally beautiful, so they crowded into the inner hall to look at her. With so many women gathered together, the Yin energy was strong, and there was also an unclean atmosphere. The evil spirits feared that contact with this impurity would prevent them from returning to their stations, so they all rode clouds away.

Duke Zhou saw Peach Blossom pass through all three gates and reach the inner hall unharmed. Furious, he cursed her for her great skill and swore that he would never rest while she lived. Just then, the matchmaker Jiang came to ask whether the groom should come out to exchange bows with the bride. At a loss, Duke Zhou had no choice but to summon his daughter, Miss Tianxiang, to stand in for the groom and perform the wedding rites before accompanying the bride to the bridal chamber.

The stewardess told Peach Blossom of Duke Zhou’s arrangement. The day was inauspicious, she said, and the groom could not meet the bride, so Miss Tianxiang would take his place for the wedding ceremony and accompany her to the bridal chamber. Peach Blossom was secretly pleased, thinking she would not have to struggle further to deal with the situation. She handed her precious bottle to the matchmaker Jiang, then took a bronze mirror from the brocade pouch at her breast and concealed it in her sleeve, ready for what might come.

Miss Tianxiang entered the bridal chamber and exchanged bows with Peach Blossom. Once inside, Tianxiang lifted the red veil from Peach Blossom’s face and saw that she was as beautiful as an immortal. She felt deep affection for her and grieved that her father would have her killed that very night. Peach Blossom also saw that Tianxiang was lovely, and felt equally sorry for her, knowing she would suffer in her place. The two women felt compassion for one another, though the story says that neither of them would die here.

Miss Tianxiang spoke first, inviting Peach Blossom to sit on the bed beneath the canopy. Whether Peach Blossom could avoid the White Tiger Star on the bed is told in the next part of the story.

After Miss Peach Blossom met Miss Heavenly Fragrance, the two took a liking to each other and soon became close. The Peach Blossom Maiden had been reborn from an immortal and knew magical arts; she could clearly see the past and the future. Knowing that she had no choice but to let Miss Heavenly Fragrance take her place on the bed that night, she urged Heavenly Fragrance to sit in the place of honor first. Heavenly Fragrance did not understand the danger of the bed’s position. She only wanted to get it over with quickly and return to her room to rest, so she did as she was asked.

The Peach Blossom Maiden hid behind the embroidered bed curtains and secretly recited a spirit-summoning spell, rousing the White Tiger Marshal. The White Tiger appeared in the form of a fearsome god and lunged at Heavenly Fragrance, who was sitting on the bed, biting and injuring her. Heavenly Fragrance gave a terrible cry and fell from the bed, coughing up blood. Her face turned deathly pale, and she seemed to be dead. The others hurried to support her, but no matter how they called to her, she would not wake. They wept as they went to tell Master Zhou.

Hearing the crying in the room, Master Zhou assumed the Peach Blossom Maiden had been killed and secretly rejoiced. But when he learned that it was his own daughter who had died, he rushed to the bridal chamber, gathered Heavenly Fragrance into his arms, and wept bitterly, pretending not to know why she had suddenly died. Seeing through his act, the Peach Blossom Maiden pointed out that Master Zhou had summoned the baleful White Tiger star the night before, and that it had bitten his daughter to death.

Ashamed and angry, Master Zhou could only stop weeping, then turn to the Peach Blossom Maiden for help. She said that he had studied the Tiangang formula, a Daoist magical art, but knew how to cast spells without knowing how to undo them. He could not simply blame others for breaking his Tiangang Bagua formation. She agreed to save Heavenly Fragrance and asked for “reverse-flowing water” and willow branches. Here, “reverse-flowing water” means river water collected, according to the text, when the sea is ebbing and the river is rising.

The Peach Blossom Maiden had Heavenly Fragrance laid on a cool mat, face up. She placed a willow branch in the reverse-flowing water and turned it, forming hand signs and reciting a spell. Then she dipped the branch in the water and sprinkled it over Heavenly Fragrance’s face. She recited the spell three times and sprinkled the water three times. Heavenly Fragrance’s three hun and seven po—the spirits and souls said in traditional belief to make up a person—then returned to her body. Her breath came back, and she awoke. Everyone praised the Peach Blossom Maiden’s skill in magic. Overcome with shame, Master Zhou had no choice but to thank her. Heavenly Fragrance was grateful to the Peach Blossom Maiden for saving her life and stayed with her in the bridal chamber. The two grew fond of each other and became close.

Master Zhou, however, resented the Peach Blossom Maiden even more. He believed she had exposed him in front of everyone and resolved to find another way to kill her. He took out the Book of the Tiangang Spirits and used the Peach Blossom Maiden’s birth data to calculate a method called “subduing with a black dog.” He then ordered someone to buy a black female dog.

The next day, Master Zhou sent Peng Jian to the back garden of the Ren household to cut a south-facing branch from a peach tree. He set out an altar table, wrote the Peach Blossom Maiden’s birth data on the branch, wrapped it in yellow paper, and tied it to the black dog. He then shaped the peach branch into a circle, hung a spirit talisman on it, formed hand signs and recited a spell seven times. At last he burned the talisman paper and peach branch, killed the black dog, and ordered it buried in the southern part of the back garden. Master Zhou believed that the peach branch was linked to the Peach Blossom Maiden’s destiny, and that this would subdue her.

Seeing what Master Zhou had done and hearing him say that he meant to deal with the Peach Blossom Maiden, Peng Jian guessed that he planned to harm her and hurried to warn her. At that moment, the Peach Blossom Maiden was in her room when her heart suddenly began to pound. She made a calculation on her fingers and realized that Master Zhou had cut the peach branch tied to her destiny and used the black dog and her birth data to perform a spell of subjugation. She thought she might not escape this time, and that her life was in danger.

Peng Jian arrived and told her what had happened. The Peach Blossom Maiden said she already knew this spell was called “subduing with a black dog,” a method used to harm people, and that she would probably not escape this time. She asked Peng Jian to help her in return for her having saved Heavenly Fragrance earlier. Peng Jian promised to help, even if it meant going through fire and water. Delighted, the Peach Blossom Maiden said she now had a way to escape. How she would break the spell would be revealed in the next installment.

Peach Blossom Maiden told Peng Jian that Zhou Gong had performed an evil ritual using a black dog to suppress her. Its power was so great that even a celestial immortal of the Great Luo Heaven would find it hard to break. She said that if Peng Jian wanted to save her, he had only to do as she instructed. After she died, when Zhou Gong ordered people to lift her into the coffin, Peng Jian was to take three wooden staffs, strike the door bolt three times, call out, “Peach Blossom Maiden,” and then kick the main gate open with his right foot. She also told him to wait outside the main gate at the hour of Shen. If he smelled a waft of fragrant air, that would mean the moment had come.

Peng Jian worried he might not reach the gate in time, so Peach Blossom Maiden explained that the fragrant air would be her signal. He promised to follow her instructions and hurried away. Peach Blossom Maiden, meanwhile, packed the magical treasures she would need to protect herself after death, one by one, into a brocade pouch and kept it close to her body. When Miss Tianxiang came to visit, Peach Blossom Maiden did not mention Zhou Gong’s plan to harm her. She joked and chatted as usual. That night she did not sleep, but sat quietly, nurturing her spirit. The next day, after washing and dressing, she put on Daoist robes and looked calm.

Zhou Gong was still uneasy, so he sent someone to inquire after Peach Blossom Maiden. Hearing that she showed no sign of worry, he assumed he had already broken her natal star, the star associated with a person’s fate. At noon, he went to the rear garden, drew a talisman to hasten the baleful force, performed the ritual steps, chanted an incantation, and burned the talisman.

Peach Blossom Maiden was talking with Miss Tianxiang in her room when she suddenly cried out, fell to the ground, and stopped breathing. Miss Tianxiang and the maids screamed and wept in alarm. Peng Jian hurried over. Seeing that Peach Blossom Maiden had “died,” and that it was just then the hour of Wei, he concluded that Zhou Gong’s magic had taken effect. He immediately remembered Peach Blossom Maiden’s instructions, wiped away his tears, and went to wait outside the main gate.

When Zhou Gong learned that Peach Blossom Maiden was dead, he was delighted, convinced she could no longer escape his grasp. He ignored Miss Tianxiang’s pleas, saying her death had been fixed by fate. He ordered the household to prepare her for burial at once and instructed them to shut the main gate so that no one from the Ren family could come to deliver a message.

Once the burial items were ready, Zhou Gong sent four maids to carry Peach Blossom Maiden’s “corpse,” but no matter how hard they tried, they could not lift it. More people joined them, yet it did not budge. Zhou Gong took up the Tiangang sword, a ritual sword, and struck her himself. Sparks flew wherever the blade hit, but not even her clothes were torn. Everyone marveled that she had cultivated Daoist arts and made her body impervious to harm.

Furious, Zhou Gong ordered people to bring dry wood and burn her. The wood would not catch; when they finally got it alight, the fire soon went out. They poured oil onto the wood, but the flames died instead, and the thick smoke drove everyone into the courtyard. Only after calculating on his fingers did Zhou Gong understand: Peach Blossom Maiden had used the body-weightening technique, a spell that made her body too heavy to move, to protect herself. He then let his hair hang loose, took up his sword, chanted an incantation, and summoned the gods, calling down the Six Ding divine generals, Daoist guardian deities summoned to descend.

After the divine generals arrived, Zhou Gong believed that this time only four people would be needed to lift Peach Blossom Maiden. Meanwhile, Peng Jian had been waiting outside the gate for a long time. At last he smelled a waft of fragrant air and knew the moment had come. He struck the door bolt three times with the three wooden staffs and called out loudly, “Peach Blossom Maiden.”

When Peng Jian caught the scent of incense, he followed Lady Taohua’s instructions. He struck the main gate three times with three wooden staffs and called out loudly, “Lady Taohua!” Then he raised his right foot and kicked the gate. With a crash, it swung open.

At that moment, the household servants had just carried Lady Taohua’s body out of her room. Seeing this, Lord Zhou was pleased with himself and followed after them, urging, “Hurry and take her to be laid out for burial!” In truth, an evil spirit had blocked Lady Taohua’s soul from returning to her body. When Peng Jian struck the gate, the spirit was startled and withdrew. Lady Taohua’s soul immediately returned to her body, and her strength came back. She turned over and sat up, then stood. The Six Ding and Six Jia guardian deities, who had been protecting her, saw that she had revived. They sent out a flash of light and returned to their stations in Heaven.

The servants and maids saw Miss Taohua suddenly rise and ran about in terror, falling into confusion. Lady Taohua opened her eyes and saw Lord Zhou beside her. In anger, she said, “Zhou Qian! I have never killed your father. Why did you attack me so viciously and insist on putting me to death? What can you do to me now?” Ashamed and furious, Lord Zhou raised his Tiangang sword, a Daoist ritual sword, and swung it at her.

Lady Taohua recited a divine spell to turn the evil force back against its wielder. She stepped back, swept both sleeves toward Lord Zhou, and laughed aloud. The evil spirit she had subdued suddenly turned on him. Caught off guard, Lord Zhou had no time to defend himself, though he possessed magical powers. He cried out, “Ow!” His Tiangang sword fell to the ground, and he crashed down after it. This is what is called “the returning Sha”: Lord Zhou did not understand the changes in the magic concealed in her sleeves. The Sha force rebounded and struck him, costing him his life. As the saying goes:

He kindles a fire and gets burned himself; in harming others, he harms himself.
Alas, people in this world so often fail to understand this truth.

Lord Zhou lay on the ground, his face purple and his lips pale blue. He had stopped breathing. The whole household panicked. The women and children wept and cried, “Our lord must have been killed by Ren Taohua’s sorcery! Don’t let her escape! Take her to Grand Preceptor Wen!”

Miss Tianxiang saw that her father would not let her plead for Lady Taohua. Weeping, she returned to her room. Hearing everyone shout that they meant to seize her, Lady Taohua sneered. “Zhou Qian failed to harm someone else and ended up harming himself. He brought this on himself. I’m right here. Let’s see how you plan to arrest me.”

Peng Jian, having finished his task, hurried inside. Hearing the weeping, he was startled and rushed to the inner hall, where he found everyone in confusion. Lady Taohua stood there, smiling coldly. He hurried over and called, “My dear sister, everyone is glad you’re alive—” Before he could finish, the others crowded around him and said, “Lord Zhou has been killed by Lady Taohua. Why are you still talking to her?” Peng Jian was shocked. “Is that true?” They pointed toward the front of the hall. He went over and felt Lord Zhou; finding no breath, he burst into tears.

The others urged him, “He’s already dead. Crying won’t help. We need to think of something.” Peng Jian stopped crying and said, “What is there to think about? A few days ago he wanted to harm someone, and today he tried again. First he caused his own daughter’s death, but the person he had harmed was revived. He still did not learn his lesson. Now it is his turn. Who can he ask for help?”

Peng Jian turned and knelt before Lady Taohua, begging her to show mercy once more and bring Lord Zhou back to life. Lady Taohua helped him up. “Brother, there’s no need for this. Since everyone wants to seize me and take me to Grand Preceptor Wen, let him come. I’m not afraid.” Peng Jian replied, “They’re all confused. For my sake, little sister, please save him.” He was about to kneel again when everyone else knelt too, pleading with Lady Taohua to revive Lord Zhou and promising that they would always be grateful to her.

Seeing them beg so desperately, and wishing to display her powers, Lady Taohua smiled. “You’re not going to arrest me now? For Brother Peng’s sake, I’ll reluctantly save him once.” The others hurriedly kowtowed and asked what they should do. Lady Taohua said, “Do what you did just now. As long as someone calls out, ‘Jiedao,’ he will come back to life.”

Peng Jian did not understand why they should call “Jiedao” instead of Lord Zhou’s name. Lady Taohua said, “That is Heaven’s secret; you wouldn’t understand. Go and do as I say. Once Lord Zhou is alive again, you’ll see what I can do.” Peng Jian closed the main gate, followed the same procedure as before, and called out, “Jiedao!” Lord Zhou’s spirit awoke and returned to his body. He turned over and sat up. When he saw Lady Taohua, hatred surged within him. He rose, snatched up his Tiangang sword, and shouted, “Witch! Don’t run! You dare use the returning Sha to hurt me? If I don’t kill you today, I’m no man!” As he spoke, he raised his sword and thrust at her.

Lady Taohua took a Ruyi peach branch, a ritual implement, from her brocade pouch. She used it to parry the sword and cried, “Zhou Qian, you not only fail to repay me for saving your life, you dare use your power to attack me?” Lord Zhou thrust again. Lady Taohua dodged and fought back with the peach branch. One embodied Yin, the other Yang, and they battled in the great hall.

Seeing this, Peng Jian cried, “Oh no!” He had no weapon and could not step between them to break up the fight, so he ran to tell Miss Tianxiang. She was so frightened that she fainted. Peng Jian then hurried to the Ren household to deliver the news.

Lord Zhou and Lady Taohua fought from the main gate to the courtyard. Finding the space too small to use their magic, they rose together on clouds into the sky and continued their fierce battle. By then, Elder Ren had arrived at the Zhou household. Tianxiang came out and told him what had happened, then broke into tears. Everyone looked up and saw Lord Zhou and Lady Taohua riding colored clouds as they fought in the sky, flying farther and farther away until they gradually disappeared. They paid no heed to the people below, who cried out about the bond between father and daughter.

Later, Elder Ren and his wife learned that their daughter had ascended to her divine station. They also saw that Tianxiang resembled their daughter, and Peng Jian told them that the two young women had been close. So they asked Peng Jian to act on their behalf and adopt Tianxiang as their goddaughter. Tianxiang had lost her mother when she was young, and now her father too had become a god, leaving her without anyone to care for her. When she heard that Elder Ren and his wife wished to take her in, she thought of Lady Taohua’s affection for her and went in person to pay her respects to the couple. The Ren household kept her there for company. Peng Jian was entrusted with managing the Zhou family’s affairs.

As Lord Zhou and Lady Taohua fought, their energy only grew. They used every kind of power, and the battle raged with howling winds and peals of thunder, drawing the attention of the Celestial Inspector who patrolled the skies. Seeing how fiercely they fought and that they were nearing the Northern Gate of Heaven, the inspector reported them to the True Warrior, the Dark Heaven Supreme Emperor, a northern guardian deity in Daoism. The True Warrior saw with his discerning eye what had led to the conflict and sent the Generals Turtle and Snake to summon them.

The two generals intercepted the pair among the clouds and shouted, “Stop fighting! We have the Supreme Emperor’s command to summon you to the Golden Palace to meet him. Disobey, and we will knock you from the clouds!” Hearing that the Supreme Emperor had summoned them, the two had no choice but to put away their weapons and follow the generals. They knelt and paid their respects.

The True Warrior issued this decree: “You both have cultivated the Dao. Why do you seek to destroy one another? Zhou Qian, you were originally formed from the Ruyi Jiedao. You served as a divination attendant in the Doushuai Palace, but you failed to keep its rules. You secretly descended to the mortal world and revealed Heaven’s secrets, bringing Lady Taohua down with you. Ren Taohua, you were originally formed from the scabbard of the Ruyi sword. You were once one being; you must not continue to harbor opposing intentions. The time has now come for your physical bodies to ascend. I grant each of you one Golden Elixir.” He ordered them to swallow the elixirs, then said, “If you harbor opposing intentions again after taking them, the elixirs will dissolve in your stomachs within three quarters of an hour. Even a body impervious to weapons will turn to pus and blood.”

With that, the True Warrior waved the Seven Stars Banner. It swept the two up and carried them to Mount Wudang, where he appointed them Marshals Zhou and Tao. He then set them apart with a flash of divine light. Waving the Seven Stars banner seven times in succession, he breathed a stream of primordial righteous Qi toward them. The two marshals gathered in the divine light, and their physical bodies returned to their original places.

That night, a Daoist priest named Ye on Mount Wudang dreamed that the two marshals asked him to deliver letters to their families. When he awoke, he went to the main hall and saw that two divine marshals had appeared among the heavenly generals. Their spiritual radiance was dazzling, and golden light shimmered around them. At the feet of each image lay a letter bearing a message. Priest Ye did not dare open the letters on his own. First he bowed before the images of the Supreme Emperor and the two marshals, then hurried down the mountain that night to the city of Chaoge. He went to the Zhou residence, gave the letters to the gatekeeper, and described his dream. Peng Jian took the letters, hosted a banquet for Priest Ye, and personally accompanied him to visit Elder Ren and his wife and Miss Tianxiang, telling them what had happened.

When everyone opened the letters, they saw that they asked the two families to live in harmony and offered words of comfort. Everyone was greatly relieved. They knew that Lord Zhou and Lady Taohua had become gods, yet their powers still worked miracles. Together, they followed Priest Ye to Mount Wudang to offer incense, first paying respects to the True Warrior and then to the two marshals. Looking closely at the images, they saw that the marshals’ faces were exactly as they had been in life. After paying their respects, they gave the priest a hundred taels of gold to cover the cost of incense offerings.

The story later spread far and wide, and everyone found it remarkable. When word reached the imperial court, civil and military officials alike came to view and honor the images. A poem by later generations bears witness:

Heaven knows all that people do.
Do not imagine that past deeds can be hidden from Heaven.
Good and evil are sure to meet their due; three feet above your head, the spirits are watching.

Heaven has its arrangements for all things; even the cleverest schemes come to nothing.
The human heart is never satisfied, like a snake wishing to swallow an elephant. One should keep a good heart and learn from the sages.
Daydreaming cannot cure illness, and money cannot buy an immortal.
People have lamented the harshness of human affairs throughout the ages; whatever evil others may do, I will still guard my own heart.