The Spirit of the White Tiger Star is Yin Ch’eng-hsiu.  His father, Yin P’o-pai, a high courtier of the tyrant Chou Wang, was sent to negotiate peace with Chiang Tzu-ya, but was seized and put to death by Marquis Chiang Wen-huan.  His son, attempting to avenge his father’s murder, was pierced by a spear, and his head was cut off and carried in triumph to Chiang Tzu-ya.

As compensation he was, though somewhat tardily, canonized as the Spirit of the White Tiger Star.

Apotheosized Philosophers

The philosophers Lieh Tzu, Huai-nan Tzu, Chuang Tzu, Mo Tzu, etc., have also been apotheosized.  Nothing very remarkable is related of them.  Most of them had several reincarnations and possessed supernatural powers.  The second, who was a king, when taken by the Eight Immortals to the genii’s Heaven forgot now and then to address them as superiors, and but for their intercession with Yue Ti, the Pearly Emperor, would have been reincarnated.  In order to humiliate himself, he thereafter called himself Huai-nan Tzu, ‘the Sage of the South of the Huai.’  The third, Chuang Tzu, Chuang Sheng, or Chuang Chou, was a disciple of Lao Tzu.  Chuang Tzu was in the habit of sleeping during the day, and at night would transform himself into a butterfly, which fluttered gaily over the flowers in the garden.  On waking, he would still feel the sensation of flying in his shoulders.  On asking Lao Tzu the reason for this, he was told:  “Formerly you were a white butterfly which, having partaken of the quintessence of flowers and of the yin and the yang, should have been immortalized; but one day you stole some peaches and flowers in Wang Mu Niang-niang’s garden.  The guardian of the garden slew you, and that is how you came to be reincarnated.”  At this time he was fifty years of age.

Fanning the Grave

One of the tales associated with him describes how he saw a young woman in mourning vigorously fanning a newly made grave.  On his asking her the reason of this strange conduct, she replied:  “I am doing this because my husband begged me to wait until the earth on his tomb was dry before I remarried!” Chuang Tzu offered to help her, and as soon as he waved the fan once the earth was dry.  The young widow thanked him and departed.

On his return home, Chuang Sheng related this incident to his wife.  She expressed astonishment at such conduct on the part of a wife.  “There’s nothing to be surprised at,” rejoined the husband; “that’s how things go in this world.”  Seeing that he was poking fun at her, she protested angrily.  Some little time after this Chuang Sheng died.  His wife, much grieved, buried him.

Husband and Wife