ABSTRACT
Hsi-shui died at the age of fifty-six and two years later a pedlar from the Pok Lo (itS) district announced that, when they had opened the temple of their City God sometime previously, the character T'ang Lung-wen (f1Sibt ) had been found inscribed on the hem of the robe of the divinity. Thinking that it was a practical joke they had tried to erase the lettering, but the harder they rubbed the clearer the characters stood out. Lung-wen (tbt), "the Literary Dragon", happened to be the friendship name of Tang Hsi-shui, and further inquiries elicited the fact that the discovery coincided with the date of his death. It was thus evident that his spirit had been selected to look after the interests of the dead in a neighbouring county. To strengthen the conviction an extraordinary incident occurred at the reburial of the Saint, for it was discovered that the heart was intact and had suffered no decay. Whilst the villagers were gaping at the miracle, a dog suddenly leaped into the grave and snatched it up, disappearing in a cloud of dust and violent gusts of wind.
