¶ Shu Wuzing
Once upon a time, one of the Gods of Fortune named Ebisu received a magical fishing rod as a gift. With its help, he awakened a demon who had peacefully slumbered in the depths of the sea sand.
This demon was called Shu Wuzing, and upon awakening, he set off to the Middle Realm to satisfy both his hunger and boredom. The troubles caused by the demon alarmed the Jasper Emperor, who ruled the land of Chinayindu, and he sought help from the celestials.
Yanwang Umma-ö himself descended from the Heavens to capture the mischievous Shu Wuzing, which proved to be a challenging task. It was only with the assistance of the wandering warrior Wang Leizu, who at that time did not yet bear his infamous nickname, that they managed to capture Shu Wuzing. Since then, Shu Wuzing had been imprisoned in a black as pitch pearl that couldn’t even be shattered during a storm.
You won’t find all this in the book ‘Takuan from Koto.’ If you want to learn how Shu Wuzing ended up in the pearl, read the short story ‘Wang Leizu and the Vase of Heavenly Porcelain.’
¶ Shu Wuzing and the Envoys of the Goddess of the West
However, the moment finally came when the sand demon Shu Wuzing broke free. If it weren’t for the envoys of the Goddess of the West, who happened to be nearby by a stroke of luck, the demon would have caused much harm to humans.
To find out how the sand demon encountered the envoys of the Goddess of the West and how this encounter concluded, read the third book of ‘Takuan from Koto.’
¶ Quotes
Bricabrac took a couple of magical bulbs out of his bag.
“And their leader,” he continued, “is now sitting right here.” And the sorcerer showed Leizu a jet-black pearl.
Wang-Zhu Leizu immediately recognised the enchanted pearl. In the pearl was imprisoned the sand demon that had brought a lot of trouble to the Earthen Realm – and, unfortunately for Bricabrac, it so happened that Wang Leizu had assisted in the demon’s capture. Now, looking at the jet-black pearl, Leizu realised that there was no more truth in the bragging of a sorcerer than whales in a lake.
Then another monk, this time a real one, fell right onto the head of the stone monk. It was Zaemon, who had heard Qingbao’s frightened cry and rushed to the rescue. With both feet, the monk hit Shu Wuzing on the top of the head, and flashed the shakuhachi flute, intending to cut the demon’s back.
But the flute only tinkled helplessly against the armour that Shu Wuzing had made for himself from the destroyed statues. The sand demon released the duke and turned to his new foe. “It will be more interesting to fight a monk than to tear the legs of a cowardly, fat noble,” he reasoned.