Jigong is a well-known classic figure. He saved the world and saved the people, so many stories about him are circulated among the people. Most of these stories have a certain legendary color, but they also reflect from the side that he is very popular and loved by the people.
01
It is said that there is a large lake outside the east gate of Shaoxing Prefecture , called Baishui Lake. It has beautiful scenery and many people live around it. People have lived here for a long time, and it has always been safe and smooth, and nothing major has happened.
02
One day, a strange thing happened in Baishui Lake. The lake emitted a strange fragrance for no reason. Children along the lake were attracted by the fragrance and jumped down one after another as if they had lost their souls, and none of them came back up.
03
The villagers were very frightened. Someone suggested that everyone jointly set up an incense table to pay homage and pray for the blessings of the gods.
04
While paying tribute, a monster suddenly rose from the lake. He said to everyone: "I will eat a pair of boys and girls every day. If not, I will destroy your village and eat all of you."
05
There are about 600 people in the villages along the lake. Everyone who has children at home writes their names on the paper, kneads it into a ball of paper, and the child of whomever is drawn will be sent to sacrifice to the demon. These children can't escape even the fifth grade of junior high school, and sooner or later they will be eaten by monsters.
06
Just like this, people are arrested every day in the village, making the people panic all day long.
07
When the prefect heard about this, he felt helpless and had to post notices everywhere, saying, "Whoever can catch the goblin will be rewarded with a thousand taels of silver."
08
One day, a great monk came to the Shaoxing government office. He had a red face and a yellow robe and a burly figure. He claimed to be the monk of Lingyin Temple Ji Epilepsy and came to catch the monster.
09
When the prefect heard that the holy monk had arrived, he quickly came out to greet him.
10
The two went into the study to talk. The magistrate asked what items were needed to catch the monster. The monk said that he only needed to build a Dharma platform high on the lake shore.
11
So the prefect immediately ordered people to build a Dharma altar and ordered his servants to prepare a banquet to entertain Monk Jigong.
12
The next day, the altar was set up. The prefect accompanied the fake Jigong to the shore of Baishui Lake, and the fake Jigong jumped onto the altar.
13
I saw him burning incense, drawing talismans, doing rituals, lighting the talismans and throwing them into the lake.
14
Suddenly, the lake water made a roaring sound, like thunder, and monsters appeared on both sides of the water.
15
Jigong confronted the monster with his sword, and the two sides fought on the stage.
16
Jigong’s ways were not as good as those of monsters, and he was defeated soon, but he still held on with all his strength.
17
The two sides continued to stalemate until sunset. When the monster got tired, he jumped back into the lake with a bang.
18
Jigong was also so tired that he was covered in sweat. He got off the altar and told the magistrate that he would go back to the temple to get the magic weapon and come back tomorrow to catch the demon. After saying this, he hurried away.
19
It turned out that the fake Jigong did not go back to the temple to get the magic weapon, but asked a powerful old Taoist priest to come down the mountain to help him. Unexpectedly, the old Taoist priest no longer cared about secular affairs and refused to go down the mountain to help him.
20
Fake Jigong was so angry that he decided to go back to Baishui Lake alone to eliminate the demon.
21
When the prefect saw the fake Jigong returning, he thought he had obtained the magic weapon, so he ordered a banquet to be held and he would go to catch the demon tomorrow.
22
But Zhenjigong heard that there were monsters in Baishui Lake and was heading here to catch them. Passing through Xiaoshan County, I visited an old acquaintance.
23
This old acquaintance had a good relationship with the prefect. Hearing that Jigong was going to Baishui Lake to eliminate demons, he decided to write a letter and sent his servants Ding Wangxiong and Li Bao to go with Jigong.
24
The three of them traveled day and night and finally arrived at the east gate of Shaoxing Prefecture.
25
entered the city. The city was very lively. Everyone was discussing that Monk Jigong was back to catch monsters again and was drinking in the county government office!
26
Wang Xiong and Li Bao were very puzzled: "Why is there still a monk Jigong here? Could it be that the one with us is fake?"
27
The two of them were suspicious of Monk Jigong, but they reluctantly followed the master's instructions.
28
The county government official knew Wang Xiong and Li Bao, and was stunned when he learned that they were bringing Jigong here to catch the monster.
29
At this time, the prefect was drinking with the fake Jigong in the house. When the messenger sent the letter, the prefect became furious and thought that someone was impersonating the monk Jigong, so he asked someone to bring him in for questioning.
30
When the real and fake Jigong met, they asked each other their names. The fake Jigong was timid and thought to himself, "I didn't expect the real Jigong to really come."
31
Both of them said that they were Jigong and they were both here to catch monsters. The prefect had no choice but to ask them to have a drink together and go to Baishui Lake to catch monsters together tomorrow.
32
The next day, everyone came to Baishui Lake, and Jigong jumped onto the altar.
33
Zhen Jigong said with a smile that he had no magic and could only climb stairs, which made everyone laugh.
34
The real Jigong went up to the altar, and the fake Jigong asked him to cast a spell to catch demons. He said he couldn't, and pretended to be afraid of heights, then jumped off the altar and hurried away, which made everyone burst into laughter.
35
After the real Jigong left, the fake Jigong cast a spell on the altar and wanted to lure the monsters out of the lake.
36
The monster came out and went straight to the fake Jigong. The fake Jigong had to hold back with his sword, and the two sides started fighting again.
37
But he said that Chu Daoyuan had a grudge against Jigong since he was punished by Jigong, so he invited Zhang Daoling to go with him to take revenge. They heard that Jigong was catching monsters in Baishui Lake, Shaoxing, so they came to seek revenge.
38
happened to meet Jigong's apprentices Lei Ming and Chen Liang on the road.
39
Chu Daoyuan knew Lei and Chen, so he asked Zhang Daoling to use the ecstasy method to immobilize the two.
40
The two could not move and had to curse. Chu Daoyuan drew out his sword and was about to kill them.
41
At the critical moment, he suddenly heard a loud shout, "Don't hurt my disciple." Chu Daoyuan looked back and saw that it was Jigong.
42
Jigong solved the spell for his disciples and asked them to go to Baishui Lake to wait for him, saying that he would arrive soon.
43
After the two left, Jigong asked Chu Daoyuan and Zhang Daoling what they planned to do with him. Chu Daoyuan said that he would have to kill him to relieve his hatred, and Jigong laughed after hearing this.
44
Zhang Daoling used the ecstasy formation again, and Jigong was wandering around like he was drunk.
45
Zhang Daoling shouted again, and Jigong fell to the ground, unable to move.
46
Chu Daoyuan was overjoyed when he saw this. He walked over and chopped off Jigong's neck with his sword. He only heard a clang and sparks shot out from Jigong's neck.
47
Chu Daoyuan muttered secretly, why is this monk's head so hard? When he looked at it again, it was just a stone.
48
The two of them knew that they were no match for Jigong, so they had to give up.
49
It turned out that Monk Jigong had already escaped using the Earth Escape method. He came to Baishui Lake to meet up with the two apprentices, and walked together towards the Fatai to watch the fake Jigong catch demons.
50
Jigong was no match for the monster, and was beaten out of breath by the monster.
51
Seeing that the fake Jigong was about to die, the real Jigong couldn't bear it, so he asked his two apprentices to take shelter under the eaves.
52
He himself kowtowed three times to the northwest, and then took shelter under the eaves.
53
After a while, the sky was filled with dark clouds, thunder and lightning, and heavy rain.
54
With the sound of thunder, the monster on the altar was so frightened that it jumped back into the lake, and Jigong was able to escape.
55
It turns out that this fake Jigong is also a demon. He wanted to eliminate harm for the people and pretended to be a monk Jigong. Now when he saw the thunder, he was also very scared and hid under the table.
56
Zhenji Gong also had good intentions for him, so he asked him to come down and take shelter under his monk's robe.
57
In an instant, the thunderbolts struck one after another, but they never hit the monster.
58
The real Jigong took off his monk's hat and gave it to the fake Jigong, asking him to put on his hat and go down into the lake to lure out the lake demon.
59
So Jigong put on his monk's hat and jumped into the lake.
60
Sure enough, after being lured by the fake Jigong, a thunder struck into the lake, hitting the monster just in time, and the rain gradually decreased.
61
The lake water roared, and the demon rolled up. Everyone gathered to take a look, and it turned out to be a thirty-foot-long crocodile demon.
62
After the monsters were removed, the prefect came to salute Jigong and asked him to return to the Yamen to give him some silver as reward, but Jigong declined.
63
The three masters and disciples were on the road. At this time, the fake Jigong ran out and asked the monk Jigong to accept him as his disciple. After hearing this, Jigong laughed and told him to change back to his original form first.
64
The fake Jigong's body swayed and his prototype was revealed. It turned out to be a giant dragon, more than twenty feet long.
65
But Jigong said, "You are a beast and I am a human being. How can I accept you as my disciple?" After hearing this, the dragon actually shed tears and had to leave silently.
66
So the three masters and disciples continued on their way. After walking for several miles, they suddenly saw a monk named Jigong walking towards them from a distance.
67
The two apprentices were very surprised. Why was there another master in front of them? Jigong saw through it at a glance and burst out laughing.
68
This Jigong came over and knelt down, begging Jigong again to accept him as his disciple. It turned out that he was the dragon just now. Seeing how sincere he was, Jigong agreed.
69
Jigong named him Wuchan. From then on, the dragon became a good partner of monk Jigong.
