Now, that evening Xu Gai withdrew in silence to the rear hall. But no more of that. The next day Wang Bao did not even come to see his commander, but led his troops straight out of the pass and went to the Zhou camp to challenge them to battle. A mounted messenger brought the report to the command tent. Ziya asked, “Who will go out and face them?” Nezha answered, “I will go.” Ziya agreed. Nezha stepped onto his wheels of wind and fire, took up his Fire-Tipped Spear and sped out of the camp. When Wang Bao saw a general coming on wheels of wind and fire, he called out at once, “Are you not Nezha?” Nezha answered, “I am,” and thrust with his spear. Wang Bao hurriedly met it with his painted halberd. Knowing that Nezha was a disciple of the Exposition Sect, Wang Bao thought to himself: “In a fight, nothing beats striking first.” In the thick of the fight he loosed a face-splitting thunder at Nezha. What he did not know was that this thunder could harm only others; Nezha had a body made of lotus. When he saw the thunderclap coming and the flames with it, he pressed down on his wheels of wind and fire and they rose into the air, and the thunder did nothing. Nezha cast up his Heaven-and-Earth Ring, which struck Wang Bao square on the crown of the head and knocked him senseless from his horse; Nezha finished him with a thrust of his spear, cut off his head and took it back to camp to hang up as a warning. He came before Ziya and told him all that had happened. Ziya was delighted. Meanwhile Xu Gai heard that Wang Bao had fallen in battle and thought to himself: “Those two generals did not understand the times and brought death on themselves. Better to send an officer to offer our surrender, so that the common folk will not be ground into the mud and ashes.” Just as he was fretting over it, word came: “A wandering ascetic1 is here to see you.” Xu Gai ordered, “Ask him in.” The Daoist came into the residence, made a Daoist salute before the hall and said, “General Xu, this poor Daoist salutes you.” Xu Gai said, “Greetings! What instruction brings you here, Daoist?” The Daoist said, “General, you may not know it, but I had a disciple named Peng Zun, who died at Leizhenzi’s hands. I have come here on purpose to avenge him.” Xu Gai said, “May I ask your honourable surname, Daoist, and your great name?” The Daoist said, “This poor Daoist’s surname is Fa, and my name is Jie.” Seeing that the Daoist had something of an immortal’s air and a Daoist’s frame about him, Xu Gai hurried to invite him to the seat of honour. Fajie made no show of modesty and gladly took the seat of honour. Xu Gai said, “Jiang Ziya is a man of the Way from Kunlun, and under his command are disciples from the Three Mountains and Five Peaks2. I fear you cannot beat him.” Fajie said, “Set your mind at rest, General Xu. I will catch them for you, Jiang Shang and all, to be counted as your merit.” Xu Gai said, “If so, Master, it will be the greatest kindness.” He hurriedly asked, “Master, do you keep a meatless table, or do you eat meat?” Fajie said, “I keep the fast. I need nothing much.” The night passed without a word more. The next day Fajie, sword in hand, went straight to the Zhou camp and asked by name for Jiang Ziya to come out and talk. A scout brought the report to the command tent: “There is a wandering ascetic who asks the Marshal to come out and talk.” Ziya gave his orders and came out of camp with his disciples to meet this ascetic. On the other side there were no soldiers at all — he stood quite alone. And how did he look?