Hidden and Visible Realms

by Zhenjun Zhang

  (GXSGC, #155. 398; TPYL, 567. 2563a)

  44. THE MAN OF ANDING

  During the time of the Northern Expedition against Yao Hong (387–417),31 a man from the Anding Commandery,32 surnamed Wei, returned to his home state, arrived at the capital, and lived in the home of his relatives and friends.

  At that time there was social unrest, and a guest from Qi called on him. Wei said, “Even though I can avoid worries [about the disturbance] now, both my body and spirit are tired. I have no strength at all. I had intended to make a bowl of thick soup but could not do it. It is indeed extremely miserable!”

  At night, when he was sound asleep, a messenger came and knocked at the door, saying, “The officer is giving you cash.”

  Startled, Wei immediately went out the door and beheld one thousand cash outside. Furthermore, he saw an official wearing a black silk cap with headdress, holding a tablet, standing with his back toward the door.

  Wei called upon his host to meet the official together. By the time his host came, the official had left. Thus Wei fetched the money and used it.

  (GXSGC, #153. 397; TPGJ, 321. 2547–48)

  45. THE PORTRAIT IN TAIWU PALACE

  During the time under Shi Hu (r. 335–349),33 the head of one of the portraits of the worthies in the Taiwu Palace suddenly sank into his shoulders.

  (GXSGC, #90. 378; TPYL, 885. 3933a)

  46. THE LORD OF THE RIVER

  Emperor Xiaowu of Jin (r. 373–396) was once enjoying the cool under the northern window of the palace,34 when he saw a soaked man in a white kerchief and yellow silk shirt. The man introduced himself, “I’m the deity of the Hualin Garden pool, named Lord of the River. Should you treat me kindly, I will bless you.”

  At that time the emperor was drunk, and he drew the knife that he often wore at his waist and threw it at the deity. The knife hit the air and met nothing.

  The deity said in anger, “You did not receive me as a good man, I should let you know the reason for what is happening!”35

  After living for a short while longer, the emperor suddenly passed away. Everyone said that it was the spirit who caused his death.

  (GXSGC, #134. 392; TPYL, 882. 3919b; TPGJ, 294. 2343–44)

  47. A COMET

  At the end of the Taiyuan reign of the Jin (376–396), a comet was seen. Emperor Xiaowu disliked it immensely.

  That evening, when the emperor was drinking in the Hualin Garden, he raised a cup to toast the star, saying, “Comet, I urge you to drink a cup of wine. Even since ancient times, when has there been a Son of Heaven who lived for ten thousand years?”

  While grabbing a cup to drink together with the star, the emperor passed away.

  (GXSGC, #132. 392; KYZJ, 88. 642)

  48. ZHOU CHAO’S WIFE

  At the beginning of the [Liu] Song, Zhou Chao of Yixing Commandery was the commander under Xie Hui (390–426) at Jiangling.36 His wife, Nee Xu, was at home. At night, from a distance, she saw a house in which there was a light, the head of a dead person was on the ground, and blood was pouring. She was startled, but the house vanished right then. Later, Zhou Chao was sentenced to death.37

  (GXSGC, #233. 420; TPYL, 885. 3933a; TPGJ, 141. 1015–16)

  49. YUE XIA

  In the ninth year of the Yuanjia reign (424–453), Yue Xia of Nanyang was once sitting inside, when he heard someone in the air urgently calling for him and his wife, not ceasing until midnight. He was greatly startled and terrified.

  Several days later, when his wife was returning from the backyard, all her clothes were suddenly drenched in blood.

  Less than a month later, both Yue Xia and his wife died.

  (GXSGC, #243. 423; TPYL, 885. 3933b; TPGJ, 360. 2856)

  50. A COFFIN CART

  During the Yuanjia reign, Wang Zhi of Taiyuan was initially appointed the Governor of Jiaozhou.38 When he went out in a cart, he heard a clang in front of it and saw a coffin cart on the way; yet the rest of the people could not see it. After arriving at Jingzhou, he died immediately.39

  (GXSGC, #244. 423; TPGJ, 360. 2856–57)

  51. MEAT BECOMES FROGS

  Sima Xiuzhi (d. 417) once sent civil and military officials along with more than several thousand people to pick up his family.40 When they reached Nanjun it was windy, so they anchored their boats and went on land to cut firewood. Seeing that there was several hundred jin of meat, they cut and took some away. After returning, they cooked the meat in a pot. When the water was about to become hot, all the meat became several thousand frogs.

  (GXSGC, #151. 396–97; BTSC, 145. 306b–07a)

  52. AN ABNORMAL TURTLE

  During the Yixi reign period (405–418) of the Jin, when Fan Yin governed the Nankang Commandery,41 a clerk of Gan County told him the following.

  Previously, when the clerk entered the mountain to cut wood for fuel, he got two turtles, each as big as a two-inch plate. The firewood he cut was still not enough, when he saw two trees growing side by side. Thus the clerk put the turtles on their sides between the two trees and continued cutting firewood. When he had moved far away from the turtles, it began to rain. He did not feel like fetching them again.

  Twenty years later, the clerk reentered the mountain. He saw the shell of one turtle had dried, but the other was still alive. The middle part of its body between the trees was around four inches while the two ends were about one foot, resembling the shape of a saddle.

  (GXSGC, #138. 393; Zheng, YML, 3. 62; TPGJ, 472. 3885–86)

  53. ZHUGE ZHANGMIN

  After Zhuge Zhangmin (d. 317) became wealthy and noble,42 within approximately a month, or several dozen days, he woke up startled at night and jumped around as if battling someone.

  Once staying overnight with him, Mao Xiuzhi was stunned at this.43 Mao could not understand his behavior but watched him for a long while.

  Zhangmin told him, “This creature is extremely strong. Nobody could control it except me.”

  Mao asked, “What creature was it?”

  Zhangmin said, “I only saw a fairly black creature. Its arms and feet could not be clearly distinguished. Recently it came on several nights, and I fought with it. Naturally, I have been startled and terrified.”

  In the house, snake heads were seen at the ends of all the pillars and rafters. Zhangmin ordered some people to tie knives onto sticks to cut them; the snake heads disappeared when the blade came near yet emerged again when the knife moved away.

  Finally, they wrapped all the ends of the pillars and rafters with paper, but it seemed that something was rustling inside the paper, resembling the sound of crawling.

  (GXSGC, #150. 396; TPYL, 885. 3933b)

  54. THE BLACK OX

  When Huan Xuan (369–404) lived at the National Residence of Nanjun,44 he went out to call on Yin [Zhongkan], the Governor of Jingzhou.45 At Huxue he met an old man with a bizarre appearance who drove a black ox. Then Huan exchanged the horse he rode for the ox.46 On the back of the ox he reached Lingling Brook, when all of a sudden the ox ran exceptionally fast.47 Therefore he stopped to water it. The ox entered the river directly and did not come out. Huan sent people to guard the river for several days, but the ox had disappeared.48

  (GXSGC, #119. 387; TPYL, 900. 3995a–b; TPGJ, 360. 2850)

  55. XI HUI

  At the beginning of the Long’an reign (397–402) of Emperor An, inside the home of Xi Hui (d. 398),49 a native of Gaoping and the Governor of Yongzhou,50 a creature resembling a lizard suddenly appeared. Each time it came, it would knock at the door first; then there would be several of them, and the lights would be extinguished. Xi’s sons and daughters, old and young, were all seized by terror. When they told Xi Hui about this, he was incredulous. But in a short while the creature came again.

  In the second year of the Long’an reign, Xi Hui had a different point of view on Yin Zhongkan’s scheme,51 and he set forth to the capital. On the way, he was killed along with his sons.

  (GXSGC, #143. 394–95; TPGJ, 360. 2851)

  56. THE TRANS
FORMATION OF A WHITE DOG

  When Wang Zhongwen was the Assistant Magistrate of the Henan Commandery,52 he lived in Goushi County.53 Returning at night one day, he passed by a big marsh. Glancing back, he saw a white dog behind his cart. It was lovely, so he intended to call and take it.

  All of a sudden, the dog transformed into the shape of a human being, resembling the deity statue used in funerals. It sometimes walked forward and sometimes reversed, as if intending to step onto his cart.

  Zhongwen was in a great panic. When he had run to his residence and grabbed a torch to look, it had already disappeared.

  More than a month later Zhongwen was on the path with his servant when he saw the dog again. Both Zhongwen and his servant fell prostrate and died.

  (GXSGC, #160. 399; TPGJ, 141. 1014–15)

  57. THE MESSENGER OF HEAVEN

  When Liu Bin was in the Wu Commandery as governor,54 by riding the wind and rain at night, a woman of Lou County suddenly arrived at the seat of the commandery in a trance.55 She felt that she had left home for a little while, which was only long enough to cook a meal, and her clothes were not wet at all.

  At dawn she was on top of the door of Liu’s residence, requesting to converse by saying, “I am the messenger of Heaven. As governor, it is proper for you to get up and meet me, then you shall become extremely rich and noble; otherwise, calamities will certainly befall you.” Liu asked where she came from, but she herself did not know.

  About twenty days later, Liu was truly put to death.56

  (GXSGC, #193. 408; TPYL, 885. 3933b; TPGJ, 360. 2856)

  58. THE MONSTER IN YU JIN’S HOME

  The mother of Yu Jin, a native of Xinye County,57 was ill. While the three brothers were taking care of their sick mother, suddenly they heard the strange sound of dog fighting coming from the front of the bed. All of their family came to look, yet no dogs were seen. They only saw the head of a dead person on the ground, blood still on it, and the two eyes still blinking.

  The family was seized with terror. They took the head out at night and buried it in the backyard.

  The next morning when they went to look, the head had come out and was above ground again, with the two eyes still blinking.

  They buried it again, but it surfaced again the next morning. Then they put a brick under the head and asked someone to bury it. It did not rise anymore.

  A few days later, their mother passed away.

  (GXSGC, #224. 418; TPGJ, 360. 2849–50)

  59. GE ZUO AVERTED THE ABNORMAL

  Ge Zuo was the Governor of Hengyang under the Wu (222–280).58 Within the territory of his commandery there was a huge raft stretched across the river, which could cause demonic and abnormal phenomena. The commoners established a temple for it. When travelers prayed and offered sacrifice, the raft sank into the water; otherwise, the raft would float up and thus damage the boat.

  Ge Zuo was about to resign from his official position, so he gathered many axmen and was going to remove the burden of the people. During the night before the planned date of destroying the raft, voices of people in the river like the sound of roaring waves were heard. When Zuo and the axmen went to look, the raft had been moved. It drifted along the river for several li and stopped at a bend.

  Since then there have never been disasters of boats capsizing or sinking. The people of Hengyang erected a stone tablet in honor of Ge Zuo, which reads, “Averting the abnormal by your upright virtue [instead of prayer], the divine wood was removed.”

  (GXSGC, #56. 368; TPGJ, 293. 2331)

  60. A GIFT OF DATES

  Wang Zhongde (d. 438) of Taiyuan experienced chaos when he was a child.59 To avoid foreign robbers, he lay in the grass without eating a single grain for three days. Suddenly, someone stroked his head and called him, saying, “You may get up to eat dates.” Then Wang awoke. In a glance he saw a child four feet long, who disappeared immediately. There was a small bag of dried dates in front of him. After eating the dates, he regained his strength a little, and then stood up.

  (GXSGC, #201. 409; TPYL, 965. 4282)

  61. THE WOODEN STATUE SHOOTS AN ARROW

  When Sun En raised the rebellion (399–402),60 Wuxing was in turmoil.61 To seek refuge, a man suddenly entered the temple of Marquis Jiang.62 As soon as he came through the door, the wooden statue [of Marquis Jiang] shot an arrow at him and he died immediately. All the travelers and temple guards witnessed this scene.

  (GXSGC, #149, 396; FYZL, 6. 203; TPGJ, 293. 2330–31)

  62. HAN GUI

  Han Gui of Guangling,63 styled Xingyan, battled Chen Min’s younger brother at Xunyang when Chen Min became a rebel.64

  After returning to his camp, he was about to dismount from his horse when he felt that his whip seemed heavier. He saw a green silk bag, inside which was a short letter, attached to the tip of the whip, yet nobody knew where it had come from.

  He opened and looked at it. It was the Sutra of Spells by Buddha, written on aged paper,65 which has been heard frequently in the world.

  (GXSGC, #173. 402; TPYL, 359. 1653b & 704. 3142a)

  63. ZHAO LIANG

  Zhao Liang of Henan went to Chang’an together with scholar Zhu, his fellow townsman. When they reached the territory of Xin’an,66 they found it constantly raining.

  Having exhausted their provisions, they said to each other, “Where can we get good food?”

  Within a moment, a cooked meal with soup appeared before them. Both of them were astonished and dared not eat. Then a human voice said, “Just eat. Don’t be suspicious.”

  The next morning, the two men said again, “Where will we get good food once more?” Immediately, a nice meal appeared before them again.

  Consequently, they arrived at Chang’an, and no calamities befell them.

  (GXSGC, #167. 401; TPYL, 849. 3796b; BTSC, 142. 292a)

  64. DRAGON PEARL67

  During the Han dynasty, in the city of Luoyang there was a cave. Its depth was unfathomable. A woman who harbored murderous intention said to her husband, “I have never seen this cave.” Even though it was against his own inclination, her husband accompanied her to see it. As soon as they arrived, the woman pushed him down into the cave, and after quite a long while he reached the bottom. The woman later threw food into the cave, seemingly offering sacrifice to him.

  While suddenly falling, the man was in a trance. After a long time, he regained consciousness. He got the food and ate it, so his strength grew a bit.

  Being flustered, he searched for paths and found another cave, and he crawled forward to approach and enter it. The path in the cave was rugged and zigzagged. After he had walked several li, it became a bit brighter. Consequently, he found broad and flat ground.

  After walking more than one hundred li, he felt what he stepped on was dust, and smelled the fragrance of round-grained nonglutinous rice. He ate the rice, which was fragrant and delicious, not merely killing the hunger. So he packed some of the rice as his provisions, and walked along in the cave eating this food.

  When the cave came to an end, he passed a path filled with a mudlike substance, the smell of which resembled the dust he had encountered previously. Again he got some of it and left. He walked very far, and the mileage was hard to clearly count. He constantly walked toward the direction that was bright and broad.

  When he had eaten all that he brought with him, he reached a big city. The city walls were built in good order; the palaces were magnificent; the terraces, pavilions, and residences were all decorated with gold foil. Though there was no sun or moon, they were brighter than the natural light from the three sources of light [the sun, the moon, and the stars]. The people there were all thirty feet tall. They wore silk garments and played unique music, which was never heard in this world.

  Then the man pleaded [for food] sadly. A tall man asked him to go forward. Following the order, he walked ahead, and passed nine palaces that were exactly the same. When he arrived at the last palace, he was suffering from hunger.

  The tall man poin
ted to a huge cypress tree, which was about one hundred arm spans around, in the yard. Under the tree was a goat. He was asked to kneel down to stroke the goat’s beard. He first obtained a pearl, and the tall man grabbed it. The pearl he got when he stroked the goat’s beard for the second time was grabbed again by the tall man. When he got the third one during the subsequent stroke, the tall man asked him to eat it himself. Then he was able to cure his hunger.

  He asked the names of the nine palaces, pleading to stay there and not leave. The tall man replied, “Our ruler said that you cannot stay here. After returning home, you may ask Zhang Hua (232–300),68 who should be familiar with this place.” The man then continued walking along the cave, and consequently he was able to come out in Jiaozhou.69

  Six to seven years after his return, he came back to Luo. He visited Zhang Hua and showed him the two items he had obtained. Hua said, “The substance like dust was saliva of the Yellow River dragon, the mud was mud from Kun Mountain,70 and the immortal at the nine palaces is called the Grand Master of Nine Palaces. The goat was a dim-witted dragon. The first pearl you got enables one to live as long as heaven and earth if he or she eats it, the second is able to prolong one’s life span, and the third one may be eaten just as food.”

  (GXSGC, #62. 369–70; FYZL, 31. 966–67; TPYL, 803. 3567b & 920. 4004a–b; TPGJ, 197. 1476; and SLFZ, 9. 191)