Now, the page boy Jinxia came into the cave and reported to the Immortal Taiyi, “Senior Brother is out there, all dim and shadowy, drifting and floating, coming to rest wherever the wind leaves him. I don’t know why.” When the Immortal heard this, he understood at once what it meant, and he hurried out of the cave. He instructed Nezha, “This is no place for you to settle. Go back to Chentang Pass and come to your mother in a dream. Forty li from the pass there is a mountain called Mount Cuiping, and on it there is a stretch of open ground. Have your mother build a temple to Nezha there. When you have received the smoke of incense for three years, you will be able to stand in the world of men again and help the true ruler. Go quickly, and don’t delay!” At this Nezha left Mount Qianyuan and came to Chentang Pass. It was just the third watch of the night. Nezha came to his mother’s bedchamber and called, “Mother, it is your child, Nezha. Now my souls have nowhere to rest. I beg you, Mother, remember how bitterly I died. Forty li from here there is a Mount Cuiping: build me a temple on it, so that I may receive a little incense and go on to be reborn in the realm of Heaven. My gratitude for your loving kindness will be higher than heaven and deeper than the abyss.” Madam Yin woke up: it had been a dream. She burst into tears. “Madam,” asked Li Jing, “why are you weeping?” She told him all about the dream. Li Jing flew into a rage. “You’re still crying over him! He’s done us harm enough already. As the saying goes, ‘Dreams spring from the heart.’ It’s only because you keep thinking of him that you have all these muddled dreams. There’s no need to be troubled by them.” His wife said nothing. Now, the next day Nezha came to her in a dream again, and on the third day once more. Whenever she closed her eyes, there stood His Highness1 before her. Before she knew it, five or seven days had gone by. Nezha had been fierce by nature in life, and in death his souls were just as bold, so he said to his mother, “I’ve been begging you for days, and you don’t care at all how bitterly your child died. You won’t build me a temple — then I’ll give your whole house no peace!” Madam Yin woke, but she dared not tell Li Jing. In secret she gave a trusted servant some silver and sent him to Mount Cuiping, where the ground was broken and the work begun. A temple was built, with a statue of Nezha as its god, and within the month the work was done. On Mount Cuiping Nezha made his divine power known, and the people everywhere were moved: pray to him a thousand times and a thousand times he answered; pray ten thousand times and ten thousand times he responded. And so the temple grew lofty and imposing, and very fine. This is what met the eye:

Nezha made his power known on Mount Cuiping, and people from near and far, from every quarter, all came to offer incense, swarming like ants, more of them day by day, in a stream that never stopped. Whether they prayed for blessings or to be spared disaster, he answered every prayer. The sun’s crow flew and the moon’s hare ran, time sped by like an arrow, and before anyone knew it more than half a year had passed.

Now, Jiang Wenhuan, Lord of the East, had called up four hundred thousand troops to avenge his father and was fighting a great battle with Dou Rong at Youhun Pass, where Dou Rong could not get the upper hand. So Li Jing was drilling his army at Yema Ridge and keeping close guard on the passes. One day, as he was bringing his troops back, he passed by Mount Cuiping. From the saddle Li Jing saw men and women coming and going with their incense, helping the old along and leading the young by the hand, swarming like ants, crowds thick on the road. From his horse Li Jing asked, “This mountain is Mount Cuiping. Why are all these men and women streaming here in an endless line?” The adjutant replied, “Half a year ago a god began to answer prayers and show his power here. Pray to him a thousand times and a thousand times he answers; pray ten thousand times and ten thousand times he responds. Pray for blessings, and blessings come; pray against trouble, and trouble goes. That is why men and women from every quarter have been stirred to come and offer incense.” When Li Jing heard this, it came back to him, and he asked his aide, “What is this god’s name?” The aide replied, “It is the temple of Nezha.” Li Jing flew into a rage and gave the order: “Make camp! I’m going up the mountain to offer incense.” The troops halted, and Li Jing spurred his horse up the mountain to offer incense, while the men and women scattered out of his way. He rode straight up to the front of the temple, and there above the gate hung a board bearing four characters: “Temple of Nezha”. He went inside and saw Nezha’s likeness, as if alive, with ghostly judges standing to the left and right. Li Jing pointed at it and cursed, “You beast! In life you plagued your parents, and in death you make fools of the people!” When he had done cursing, he raised his six-jointed iron whip and with one stroke smashed Nezha’s gilded image to pieces. His fury roused, Li Jing kicked over the ghostly judges as well. He gave the order: “Set fire to it! Burn the temple down!” And he told the crowds who had come with incense, “This is no god. No one is to offer incense here.” The people were so frightened that they hurried down the mountain. Li Jing mounted his horse, his anger still unabated. There is a poem to prove it. It says:

Now, Li Jing led his troops into Chentang Pass, dismounted at the commander’s headquarters and gave the order: “Dismiss the men.” He went into the rear hall, where Madam Yin came to meet him. Li Jing cursed her: “A fine son you bore! He’s done me harm enough already, and now you go and build him a temple to lead decent folk astray. You won’t rest till you’ve cost me this jade belt of mine! The powerful ministers have the run of the court these days, and what’s more, I’ve never had any dealings with those two, Fei Zhong and You Hun. If anyone carries word of this to Zhaoge, those treacherous ministers will impeach me for setting up a false and evil god, and all my years of service will be thrown away for nothing. This whole business is your doing, a woman’s doing! Today I’ve burned the temple down. If you build him another one, I won’t let you off lightly then!”

We will say no more of Li Jing. Our story turns back to Nezha. That day his spirit had gone out roaming, and he was not in his temple. When he came back, the temple was gone: the hillside was red and the earth scorched, the smoke and flames were not yet out, and the two ghostly judges came to meet him with tears in their eyes. “What happened?” Nezha asked. The ghostly judges answered, “It was Commander Li of Chentang Pass. He came up the mountain without warning, smashed your gilded image and burned down your temple. We don’t know why.” Nezha said, “I have nothing more to do with you now: I gave my flesh and bones back to my parents. How could you smash my gilded image and burn my temple, and leave me nowhere to rest?” He was sorely aggrieved. He thought it over for a long while: “I’d better go back to Mount Qianyuan once more.” Nezha had received half a year’s incense, and already he could feel that he had something of a form and a voice. In no time he reached the high mountain and came to the grotto, and the page boy Jinxia led him in to see the Immortal Taiyi. “Why aren’t you in your temple, receiving your incense?” said the Immortal. “What have you come here for?” Nezha knelt and told him what had happened: “My father smashed my clay image and burned down my temple. Your disciple has nothing left to lean on, so I had no choice but to come to you, Master. I beg you to take pity on me and save me.” The Immortal said, “Then Li Jing is in the wrong. The boy gave his flesh and bones back to his parents; what he does up on Mount Cuiping is nothing to do with you, Li Jing! Now that you’ve stopped him receiving incense, how is he to take on a body? Besides, Jiang Ziya will soon be coming down the mountain. Very well — since it is for you, I’ll do you a good turn.” He called to the page boy Jinxia, “Pick two lotus flowers from the Five-Lotus Pool, and three lotus leaves, and bring them here.” The boy hurried off, fetched the leaves and flowers and laid them on the ground. The Immortal stripped the petals from the flowers and laid them out in the pattern of the Three Powers. Then he broke the lotus stalks into three hundred joints for bones, and set out the three leaves as top, middle and bottom — as heaven, earth and man. He placed a pill of golden elixir in the very centre. By the method of the Former Heaven4 he turned his breath nine times over, parted the dragon of Li and the tiger of Kan, caught hold of Nezha’s souls and thrust them in among the lotus leaves and flowers, crying, “Nezha, if you don’t take human form now, when will you?” There was a loud crack, and up sprang a man: his face as white as if powdered, his lips as red as if painted with cinnabar, his eyes flashing with a keen light, and he stood sixteen feet tall. This was Nezha in a body made of lotus. When he saw his master, he threw himself down at his feet. The Immortal said, “This business of Li Jing smashing your clay image — it truly is heartbreaking.” “Master,” said Nezha, “I can never let this wrong rest!” “Come with me into the peach orchard,” said the Immortal. There the Immortal passed on to Nezha the Fire-Tipped Spear, and in no time Nezha had mastered it. At once he wanted to go down the mountain and take his revenge. “Your spearwork is good now,” said the Immortal. “I give you the two wheels of wind and fire5 to stand on, and besides, I’ll teach you magic talismans and secret spells.” He also handed him a leopard-skin bag, with the Heaven-and-Earth Ring, the Sky-Stirring Sash and a golden brick inside it. “Go and pay a visit to Chentang Pass.” Nezha knocked his head on the ground and thanked his master. He got up on the wheels of wind and fire, planted both feet firmly, took the Fire-Tipped Spear in his hand and made straight for the pass. A poem says:

Now, Nezha came to Chentang Pass, went straight in through the gate to the commander’s headquarters and shouted, “Li Jing, come out and face me, quick!” The adjutant went into the residence to report: “The third young lord is outside, standing on two wheels of wind and fire, with the Fire-Tipped Spear in his hand, and he’s calling you by name6, my lord. I don’t know why. Please decide what’s to be done, my lord.” “Nonsense!” Li Jing shouted. “When a man is dead, how can he live again?” Before the words were out of his mouth, another band of household servants came to report: “My lord, if you’re slow to come out, he’ll fight his way into the residence!” Li Jing flew into a rage. “Such a thing!” He snatched up his painted halberd, mounted his dappled grey and rode out of the residence. There was Nezha, standing on the two wheels of wind and fire, the Fire-Tipped Spear in his hand, and he was not at all what he had been before. Li Jing was badly shaken. “You beast!” he said. “In life you made mischief, and now that you’re dead you come back from the grave to plague us here again!” “Li Jing!” said Nezha. “I gave you back my flesh and bones. I’ve nothing to do with you any more. Why did you go to Mount Cuiping, whip my gilded image to pieces and burn my temple? Today I’ll take you and pay you back for that whip!” He gave his spear a shake and thrust it straight at Li Jing’s head. Li Jing met it with his painted halberd. Wheels and horse circled round and round, halberd and spear rising together. Nezha’s strength had no limit, and within three or five bouts he had Li Jing reeling, horse and rider all in disarray, his strength spent and his sinews beaten, the sweat running down his back. Li Jing had no choice but to flee to the southeast. “Li Jing,” Nezha shouted, “don’t think I’ll spare you this time! I won’t go back empty-handed until I’ve killed you!” And he chased after him. Before long he was about to catch up — Nezha’s wheels of wind and fire were fast, and Li Jing’s horse was slow. Li Jing panicked. There was nothing for it but to get down from his horse and escape by the earth escape. Nezha laughed. “The arts of the Five Phases are nothing special to us Daoists. Just because you’ve escaped into the earth, do you think I’ll let you go?” He stamped his feet and set the two wheels of wind and fire going, and with a roar of wind and fire, like flying clouds and flashing lightning, he raced off in pursuit. Li Jing thought to himself, “If he catches me this time and runs me through with his spear, what then?” He saw Nezha drawing closer and closer. Just as he was in this desperate fix, he suddenly heard someone coming along singing. The song went:

Li Jing looked and saw a young Daoist with a kerchief over his topknot, a wide-sleeved Daoist robe, hemp sandals and a silk sash. The newcomer was none other than Muzha, disciple of the Immortal Puxian of the White Crane Cave on Mount Jiugong. “Father,” said Muzha, “your child is here.” Li Jing looked and saw that it was his second son, Muzha, and only then did his heart grow easy. Nezha was in hot pursuit on his wheels when he saw Li Jing talking with a young Daoist, and he brought his wheels down to the ground. Muzha stepped forward and gave a great shout: “Not so fast! You little devil, what gall! A son killing his father — that’s defiance and a crime against the bonds of kin! Go back at once and I’ll spare your life!” “Who are you,” said Nezha, “to talk so big?” “You don’t even know me!” said Muzha. “I am Muzha.” Only then did Nezha realize it was his second brother, and he cried at once, “Second Brother, you don’t know the whole story.” He told him everything that had happened on Mount Cuiping, in every detail. “… So who’s in the right here, Li Jing or me?” “Nonsense!” shouted Muzha. “Under heaven there are no parents who are in the wrong!” Nezha went over it again: “I cut open my belly and gouged out my guts — I’ve already given him back my flesh and bones. I’ve nothing to do with him. What feeling of father and son is there left?” Muzha flew into a rage. “What an undutiful son!” And he slashed at Nezha with the sword in his hand. Nezha caught the blow on his spear. “Muzha, I’ve no quarrel with you. Stand aside, and let me take Li Jing and have my revenge.” “You little devil!” shouted Muzha. “How dare you commit so monstrous a crime!” He came at him with his sword. Nezha said, “This was fixed by the great reckoning: the living taking the place of the dead.” And he answered with the spear in his hand, full in Muzha’s face. Wheels and feet crossing, the two brothers fought a great battle. Nezha saw Li Jing standing to one side and feared he might get away. Hot-tempered as he was, Nezha flicked the sword aside with his spear, took out the golden brick and hurled it into the air. Muzha was not on his guard. The brick struck him square in the back and knocked him head over heels, and he fell to the ground. Nezha stepped onto his wheels and came for Li Jing. Li Jing turned and ran. “Even if I have to chase you to the islands in the sea,” Nezha shouted, “I’ll have your head! Only that will ease my hatred!” Li Jing fled on as if flying — truly like a bird that has lost its forest or a fish slipped through the net — not knowing east from west or south from north. The chase went on a long while. Seeing that things were going badly, Li Jing sighed to himself: “Enough! Enough! Enough! Who knows what wickedness I, Li Jing, did in a past life, that I failed to attain the Way of the immortals and have now fathered this bane besides? It must be fated so. Better to kill myself with my own blade than suffer disgrace at this boy’s hands.” He was just about to do it when someone called out, “General Li, don’t do it, whatever you do! This poor Daoist is coming!” And he sang a song as it came to him. The song went:

The singer was the Heavenly Venerable Wenshu Guangfa of the Cloud Heights Cave on Mount Wulong, and he came with a fly whisk in his hand. When Li Jing saw him, he cried, “Master, save this humble officer’s life!” “Go into the cave,” said the Heavenly Venerable. “I’ll wait for him here.” A little later Nezha came charging up, bold and fierce and full of fight, standing on his wheels of wind and fire, spear in hand. He saw a Daoist. And what did this Daoist look like?

Now, Nezha saw a Daoist standing on the hillside, but there was no sign of Li Jing. “You there, Daoist,” Nezha asked, “did you see a general go by?” “General Li has just gone into my Cloud Heights Cave,” said the Heavenly Venerable. “What do you want with him?” “Daoist,” said Nezha, “he’s my enemy. Let him out of your cave nicely, and I’ll leave you be. But if Li Jing gets away, you’ll take three thrusts of my spear in his place.” “Who are you,” said the Heavenly Venerable, “to be so fierce that you’d give even me three thrusts of your spear?” Nezha had no idea what manner of man this Daoist was. “I am Nezha,” he cried, “disciple of the Immortal Taiyi of the Golden Light Cave on Mount Qianyuan. Don’t you look down on me!” The Heavenly Venerable said, “I’ve never heard of any disciple of the Immortal Taiyi called Nezha! Run wild somewhere else if you like, but here at my place there’s no running wild. Run wild one bit, and I’ll take you into the peach orchard, hang you up for three years and give you two hundred strokes of the flat staff.” But how could Nezha tell what was good for him? He flourished his spear and thrust at the Heavenly Venerable. The Heavenly Venerable turned and ran for his cave, and Nezha came after him on his wheels. The Heavenly Venerable looked back, saw that Nezha was close behind, and took from his sleeve a thing called the Dragon-Escape Stake7, also called the Seven-Treasure Golden Lotus, and tossed it into the air. At once wind rose on every side, cloud and mist filled the sky, dirt and dust went whirling up, and down it came with a roar. Nezha was left in a daze, not knowing south from north, in a black murk where he could not tell east from west. A golden ring had closed round his neck and two golden rings round his legs, and he stood pinned against a pillar of gleaming yellow gold. By the time Nezha opened his eyes to look, he could not move his body at all. “You little devil!” said the Heavenly Venerable. “A fine job of running wild!” He called to Jinzha, “Bring the flat staff!” Jinzha hurried off to fetch it, came before the Heavenly Venerable and reported, “Here is the flat staff.” “Beat him for me!” said the Heavenly Venerable. Jinzha took his master’s command and gave Nezha such a thrashing with the flat staff that the true samadhi fire spurted from all seven openings of his head. “That will do for now,” said the Heavenly Venerable, and he went into the cave with Jinzha. Nezha thought to himself, “I didn’t catch Li Jing after all, and instead I’ve had a thrashing with the flat staff from this fellow, and I can’t even get away.” Nezha ground his teeth in bitter hatred, but there was nothing he could do: he could only stand there, his fury shooting up to the Ox and the Dipper. — Mark this, reader: the Immortal Taiyi had sent Nezha here on purpose, to grind down his lust for killing. The Immortal knew all about it already. Just as Nezha was fretting, over yonder came someone in wide sleeves and a loose robe, with a silk sash and hemp sandals: it was the Immortal Taiyi. When Nezha saw him, he cried, “Master! I beg you, save your disciple!” He called out several times, but the Immortal paid no attention and went into the cave. The page boy Baiyun announced, “The Immortal Taiyi is here.” The Heavenly Venerable came out of the cave to welcome him, took him by the hand and said with a laugh, “So it’s your disciple you’ve sent me to teach a lesson!” The two immortals sat down. The Immortal Taiyi said, “He has sinned so gravely against the precept against killing that this poor Daoist sent him here to grind down his true nature. And sure enough, he has given offence to you, Heavenly Venerable.” The Heavenly Venerable ordered Jinzha, “Let Nezha go and bring him in.” Jinzha went up to Nezha and said, “Your master is calling for you.” Nezha said, “You’re plainly out to torment me. What trick have you played on my eyes, that I can’t stir? And now you come to make fun of me!” Jinzha laughed. “Close your eyes.” Nezha had no choice but to shut them. Jinzha drew a magic talisman and took back the Dragon-Escape Stake; when Nezha hurriedly looked, the rings and the stake had all vanished. Nezha nodded. “Fine, fine, fine. I’ve come off very much the worse today. I’ll go into the cave for now and see my master, and then decide what to do.” The two of them went into the cave. Nezha saw that the Daoist who had had him beaten was on the left, and his master on the right. The Immortal Taiyi said, “Come here and kowtow to your Uncle8!” Nezha dared not disobey his master, and he had no choice but to bow down. “Thanks for the beating,” said Nezha. Then he turned and bowed to his master. The Immortal Taiyi called, “Li Jing, come here.” Li Jing threw himself down in a bow.

The Immortal said, “As for the business at Mount Cuiping, you shouldn’t have been so narrow-minded either. That is how father and son came to be at odds, like Shen and Shang.” Standing to one side, Nezha was so angry that his face blazed like fire; he could have swallowed Li Jing whole. The two immortals had already understood what he was thinking. The Immortal said, “From now on, father and son are never to cross each other again.” He told Li Jing, “You go on ahead.” Li Jing thanked the Immortal and went straight out. That left Nezha in such a state that, angry as he was, he dared not say so, and he could only stand there to one side, scratching his ears and rubbing his cheeks and heaving long sighs and short ones. The Immortal laughed to himself and said, “Nezha, you go back too. Keep good watch over the grotto. I’m going to play a game of chess with your Uncle; I’ll be along in a while.” When Nezha heard this, his heart burst into bloom. “Your disciple understands,” said Nezha. He hurried out of the cave, set the two wheels of wind and fire going and went after Li Jing. He had chased on ahead for quite a while when Nezha saw Li Jing up in front, riding the earth escape. “Li Jing, don’t run!” he shouted. “Here I come!” When Li Jing saw him, he groaned, “That Daoist has gone back on his word! Since he sent me off first, he shouldn’t have let the boy go down the mountain — that would have been looking after me. But before any time has passed, he lets him come chasing after me. That’s helping a man and not seeing it through. What am I to do?” There was nothing for it but to flee on ahead.

Meanwhile, Li Jing was so hard pressed by Nezha that he had no road up to heaven and no door down into the earth. Just at this moment of peril, he saw a Daoist on the ridge, leaning against a pine with his back to a rock, who said, “Is that Li Jing at the foot of the hill?” Li Jing raised his head and saw the Daoist. “Master,” he said, “this humble officer is Li Jing.” “Why in such a hurry?” asked the Daoist. “Nezha is hot on my heels,” said Li Jing. “I beg you, Master, save me!” “Come up onto the ridge, quick,” said the Daoist, “and stand behind me, and I’ll save you.” Li Jing climbed the ridge and hid behind the Daoist. He had not yet caught his breath when he heard the roar of Nezha’s wheels of wind and fire, and in a moment Nezha had reached the foot of the ridge. Seeing the two of them standing there, Nezha gave a cold laugh. “Surely I’m not going to come off worse again this time!” And he rode his wheels up onto the ridge. “Is that Nezha coming?” asked the Daoist. “That’s me,” Nezha answered. “Daoist, why have you got Li Jing standing behind you?” “What are you chasing him for?” said the Daoist. Again Nezha told him the whole story of Mount Cuiping. The Daoist said, “You settled all this at Mount Wulong, and yet you’re chasing him again: you’re breaking your word.” “Don’t you meddle in our affairs,” said Nezha. “Today I’m going to take him, whatever happens, and ease my hatred!” “Since you won’t —” said the Daoist, and he turned to Li Jing. “Then fight him a round and let me watch.” “Master,” said Li Jing, “this beast’s strength has no limit. This humble officer can’t beat him.” The Daoist stood up, spat at Li Jing and gave him a slap on the back. “Fight him and let me watch. As long as I’m here, no harm will come of it.” Li Jing had no choice but to thrust at Nezha with his halberd, and Nezha met him with the Fire-Tipped Spear. Father and son fought on the ridge for fifty or sixty bouts. This time it was Nezha whom Li Jing pressed so hard that the sweat streamed down his face and his whole body was soaked. Nezha could not hold off the painted halberd, and he thought to himself, “Li Jing couldn’t beat me before. Just now this Daoist spat on him and slapped him — there must be something behind it. I know what to do: I’ll feign an opening, run the Daoist through with my spear first, and then deal with Li Jing.” Nezha sprang clear of the fight and thrust his spear straight at the Daoist. The Daoist opened his mouth, and a white lotus flower caught the Fire-Tipped Spear. “Li Jing,” said the Daoist, “hold off for now.” At this, Li Jing quickly blocked the Fire-Tipped Spear with his halberd. The Daoist asked Nezha, “You little devil! It’s you and your father who are fighting; I have no quarrel with you. Why did you thrust your spear at me? Luckily my white lotus caught it — otherwise you’d have struck me down by stealth instead. What do you mean by it?” Nezha said, “Li Jing couldn’t beat me before. You told him to fight me — so why did you spit on him and slap him? It’s plain you were playing some trick so that I couldn’t beat him. That’s why I thrust at you: to vent my anger.” “You little devil,” said the Daoist, “you dare thrust at me!” Nezha flew into a rage, flourished his spear and thrust again, straight at his head. The Daoist leapt aside and raised his sleeve, and at once auspicious clouds swirled and purple mist coiled round, and something came dropping down and shut Nezha inside the Exquisite Pagoda. The Daoist clapped both hands on the pagoda, and fire sprang up inside it, burning Nezha so that he screamed, “Spare me!” From outside the pagoda the Daoist asked, “Nezha, will you acknowledge your father?” Nezha had no choice but to cry out again and again, “My lord, I acknowledge him! He’s my father!” “If you acknowledge your father,” said the Daoist, “I’ll spare you.” Quickly he took back the precious pagoda. Nezha opened his eyes and looked: from head to foot, not a bit of him had been burned. Nezha thought to himself, “What a strange thing! This Daoist really is playing tricks!” “Nezha,” said the Daoist, “since you acknowledge Li Jing as your father, kowtow to him.” Nezha had a mind to refuse, but the Daoist made as if to raise the pagoda again; so Nezha, having no choice, swallowed his anger and held his tongue, bowed his head and went down on his knees, still with a look of resentment. “You must also call him ‘Father’,” said the Daoist. Nezha would not answer. “Nezha,” said the Daoist, “if you won’t call him ‘Father’, you still haven’t submitted. I’ll take out the golden pagoda and burn you again!” Nezha panicked and cried out at once, “Father, your child knows his fault!” Though Nezha said it with his mouth, in his heart he had not truly submitted. He only ground his teeth in secret and thought to himself, “Li Jing, you’d better keep that Daoist by your side for ever!” The Daoist called to Li Jing, “Kneel down. I am going to give you this golden pagoda in secret. If Nezha won’t submit, raise the pagoda into the air and burn him.” Standing to one side, Nezha could only groan in secret. The Daoist said, “Nezha, from now on you and your father are to live in harmony. In time to come you will both be ministers in the same court, helping the enlightened ruler, and you will attain the true fruit. There is no need ever to speak of what is past again. Nezha, go on back.” Seeing how things stood, Nezha had no choice but to go back to Mount Qianyuan. Li Jing knelt and said, “My lord, in the greatness of your Way and Virtue you have saved this disciple from mortal peril. May I ask your honoured name, my lord? On what famous mountain, in what grotto, do you dwell?” The Daoist said, “This poor Daoist is the Daoist Randeng9 of the Primal Awakening Cave on Mount Lingjiu. Your cultivation was never completed, so you are meant to enjoy wealth and honour in the world of men. Now King Zhou of the Shang has lost his virtue, and the world is in great turmoil. You need not hold office for now. Go and live hidden in the mountain valleys, and forget fame and gain for a while. When King Wu of Zhou raises his army, come out again and win merit and make your name.” Li Jing knocked his head on the ground, went back to the pass and withdrew from sight. — The Daoist, in fact, had been asked here by the Immortal Taiyi to grind down Nezha’s temper and make him acknowledge the bond of father and son. In later days father and sons, all four of them, attained sainthood in the flesh, and the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King10 (Tuota Tianwang) was none other than Li Jing. There is a poem by a later writer that says:

This was Nezha’s second coming into the world, at Chentang Pass. Later, when Ziya came down the mountain, it was just in the time of King Wen11’s seven years at Youli. To learn what happened next, read the next chapter.