Collected Illustrations of the Three Realms: Volume 11 (Human Figures)

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The Trials of Fei Changfang

Changfang was placed in an empty room where a stone weighing ten thousand jin jin: A traditional unit of weight, often called a "catty." Ten thousand jin would be approximately 6 tons. was suspended above him by a single, rotting rope. Suddenly, a swarm of snakes rushed in and began to gnaw at the rope, attempting to snap it. Despite the looming danger, Changfang remained perfectly still and did not move.

The old man returned and patted him, saying, "You are indeed teachable."

Next, he commanded Changfang to eat feces. Within the waste were three worms In Daoist belief, these are the "Three Corpses" (Sanshi), supernatural parasites that live inside the human body and seek to cause illness and death., and the stench was exceptionally foul and repulsive. Changfang found the task too loathsome to complete.

The old man sighed, "You were so close to attaining the Way Achieving the state of a "Xian" or immortal transcendent., but I regret that you failed at this stage. What can be done?"

Changfang then prepared to bid farewell and return home. The old man gave him a bamboo staff original: 竹杖 zhuzhang, saying, "Ride this, and it will take you wherever you wish; you shall arrive in an instant. Once you have reached your destination, you must throw the staff into Ge Pond original: 葛陂 Gebei.."

Changfang mounted the staff and returned home in the blink of an eye. He believed he had only been away from his family for ten days original: 旬日 xunri., yet in reality, more than ten years had passed in the mortal world.

He immediately threw the staff into the pond as instructed; looking back, he saw that it had transformed into a dragon. His family members, who believed he had been dead for a long time, were shocked and did not believe it was him.

Changfang explained, "The body you buried years ago was merely a bamboo staff." They opened his tomb and split the coffin; sure enough, the staff was still lying there.

From then on, he possessed the power to heal all manner of illnesses and to whip and drive away hundreds of ghosts A phrase indicating his divine authority to command and punish malevolent spirits.. Once, while hosting guests, he sent a messenger to the state of Song An ancient kingdom in central China. to fetch minced fish original: 鮓 zha — often referring to preserved or fermented fish delicacies.. The messenger returned in an instant, and they proceeded with the meal.

Huan Jing A famous disciple of Fei Changfang. once studied under Changfang. One day, Changfang said to Jing, "On the ninth day of the ninth month..." This marks the beginning of the legend of the Double Ninth Festival, where people climb mountains to escape calamity.