The Strange Tales of Jigong

The Celestial Court assigned the Eighteen Arhats' Dragon-Subduing Arhat to guard the Great Demon. But after Dragon-Subduing drank one jin too much, he accidentally knocked over the jar sealing the Great Demon, who seized the chance to escape. Dragon-Subduing chased after him, and the Great Demon lured him into the belly of a woman in the mortal world who was about to give birth. Dragon-Subduing became a newborn baby. On the day he was born, an old monk came to his family's home and named him Li Xiuyuan, whose destiny was to become a monk. Li Xiuyuan and his cousin Yanzhi were engaged, but on their wedding day he remembered his past life, fled the wedding, and ran away from home. He made his way to a mountain, where lightning suddenly flashed and thunder roared, striking him. His fine hair was singed until it looked like straw, and he looked like a beggar. From then on, Li Xiuyuan took the name Jigong. Half-mad and half-silly, he set out to find the Great Demon, slaying monsters and demons and saving all living beings. After the Black Snake Demon escaped once more, Jigong encountered all kinds of unfilial children and used different methods to reform each of them.