PCJ – Chapter 103 Blasphemy

Chen Yinggang, who was holding the statue of the Bodhisattva, was also from Meizi Mountain.

“Is this really a Bodhisattva? How could there be such a Bodhisattva?” Chen Yinggang looked at the statue in his hand. It was indeed strange. It looked like a person with their head tilted back, holding a large stone above their head. How could there be such a Bodhisattva?

“It’s upside down, it’s upside down. Turn it over and take a look,” said Chen Santou.

Chen Yinggang turned it over, revealing that it was indeed a person performing a headstand on a stone. The statue was truly peculiar. A group of elementary school students watched with great interest, commenting on the statue.

Zhang Jiaohua observed clearly that the statue was less than twenty centimeters high. It was indeed an inverted Bodhisattva. Zhang Jiaohua immediately recognized it as Zhang Wulang, the founder of the Meishan Sect.

In the Meishan water tradition, most people regard Zhang Wulang as the founding master. Even those who do not regard him as the founding master still invoke Zhang Wulang when calling on deities. In some sects, although Zhang Wulang’s name is not mentioned, many of their incantations end with “urgently, urgently as ordered by the law.” According to legend, “urgently” refers to the daughter of the Supreme Lord, who was Zhang Wulang’s wife. Zhang Wulang learned his skills from her.

Legend has it that when Zhang Wulang was twelve, he decided to go to Kunlun Mountain to learn magic from the Supreme Lord. On his journey, he lost his way. By chance, the Supreme Lord’s daughter, Jiji, was washing clothes by the roadside.

Zhang Wulang asked Jiji, “Do you know the Supreme Lord?”

Jiji asked in return, “Why are you looking for the Supreme Lord?”

Zhang Wulang said he wanted to learn magic from him. Jiji, finding Zhang Wulang handsome, fell for him and wanted to marry him. So she took him home and intentionally told her father, “There’s a man named Zhang Wulang who wants to challenge you with his skills.”

The Supreme Lord then instructed Zhang Wulang to chop down the big trees in the back mountain with an axe. Zhang Wulang couldn’t chop down the trees and cried in despair in the mountain. At noon, Jiji brought him food, saw him crying, and comforted him. She used her magic to chop down all the trees.

The next day, the Supreme Lord gave Zhang Wulang a hoe and told him to dig up the tree roots and turn the entire mountain into soil. Zhang Wulang cried again in distress. Jiji used her magic again to dig up the roots and turn the mountain into soil.

On the third day, the Supreme Lord gave Zhang Wulang three dou and three sheng of oil hemp seeds and told him to plant them in the back mountain. Jiji secretly told him not to scatter the seeds, but Zhang Wulang, being honest, scattered all the seeds in the soil.

On the fourth day, the Supreme Lord told him to collect all the seeds. How could Zhang Wulang possibly gather the seeds back? Jiji used her magic to summon all the birds to help pick up the seeds. When they returned home, the Supreme Lord measured the seeds and found three sheng and three ge missing. The Supreme Lord was furious. Jiji pleaded with her father, explaining that the missing seeds were inevitable due to scattering. The Supreme Lord then drove Zhang Wulang away, and Jiji eloped with him.

Later, the Supreme Lord discovered that his daughter had eloped with Zhang Wulang and was enraged. He sent a flying knife to kill Zhang Wulang. Jiji used her magic to intercept the knife and smeared it with chicken blood before returning it. The Supreme Lord, seeing the chicken blood, sent the knife again. Jiji intercepted it again and told Zhang Wulang to bite his finger and smear his blood on the knife. Only then did the Supreme Lord relent.

Eventually, Jiji and Zhang Wulang settled in a place and established an altar under a large camphor tree, where Jiji taught him magic. Zhang Wulang became so skilled that he could use a sieve to carry water and even decapitate himself and reattach his head. One day, Zhang Wulang decapitated himself and was about to reattach his head when a woman interrupted him, asking for water. In the confusion, Zhang Wulang reattached his head backward, earning the nickname “Heaven-Turning Zhang Wulang.” The water rituals of the Meishan tradition were passed down from him. Regardless of which deity they invoke, the final incantation always includes “urgently, urgently as ordered by the law,” signifying that Zhang Wulang’s skills were passed down from the Supreme Lord through Jiji.

In Taoism, Zhang Wulang was known for his modesty. However, if his statue were desecrated, even Zhang Wulang would be angered.

“That is the statue of our founding master. Don’t handle it carelessly,” Zhang Jiaohua suddenly felt a surge of strength, pushing through the crowd and reaching for the statue in Chen Yinggang’s hand.

Chen Yinggang quickly evaded Zhang Jiaohua’s grasp. “What are you doing? I found this. It’s mine. Don’t even think about taking it.”

Despite recognizing the famously mystical Zhang Jiaohua from Meiziao Elementary School, Chen Yinggang was unwilling to give up his newfound “toy.”

Though small, the statue was quite heavy. Chen Yinggang had somehow found a piece of broadcast wire and used it to tie the statue, attaching it to his pocket. The wire was looped around Zhang Wulang’s neck, making it look like he was being hanged. This was a grave insult to the deity.

“You can’t do this. You will be punished,” Zhang Jiaohua said urgently.

“Zhang Jiaohua, stop trying to scare me. This isn’t a Bodhisattva; it’s just a clay figure. I’ve never seen such a clay figure before. You’re not going to scare me into giving it to you,” Chen Yinggang replied with hostility.

Zhang Jiaohua had no choice but to give up. He had hoped to take the statue home and turn it into his household deity, which would greatly aid his practice of Meishan magic. But seeing the hostility from others, he decided to let it go.

“What are you doing? What are you doing? Disperse immediately!” Ma Lisong chased away the crowd of children.

The children scattered, leaving only Chen Santou and Chen Yinggang. Zhang Jiaohua looked at the statue in Chen Yinggang’s hand, shook his head, and sighed.

Chen Yinggang was delighted with his new “clay figure” and played with it frequently.

Chen Santou, however, was worried. “Gangzi, maybe you should give the clay figure to Zhang Jiaohua. That guy is quite strange.”

“I’m not afraid of him. Why are you? The more he wants it, the less I’ll give it to him. Let him worry,” Chen Yinggang said with a mischievous smile.

Chen Santou found Chen Yinggang’s smile somewhat unsettling.

As school ended, Chen Yinggang kept smiling, and everyone thought he was just happy with his new toy, paying no further attention.

The mute child stood firmly by Zhang Jiaohua’s side. “Jiaohua, is the figure in Chen Yinggang’s hand really a Bodhisattva? How could it be so small? Aren’t the Bodhisattvas in temples very large? How could there be such a small Bodhisattva?”

Zhang Jiaohua shook his head. “I don’t know either.”

However, Zhang Jiaohua knew that something unexpected was bound to happen.