cut the sky asunder, followed by a terrible thunderstorm, but Tu Tzuchun sat still and showed no sign of fear. The wind howled, the rain fell in torrents, the lightning became incessant, and the mountains themselves seemed to shake to their very foundations. All at once a dreadful thunderbolt, blazing hot, fell from the skies of inkyblack clouds, and struck Tu Tzuchun upon the head.
In spite of himself, he fell flat upon the rock, pressing both his hands to his ears. When he opened his eyes again, the sky was as clear as before, and the great polar star, as big as a cup, was shining above the high mountains across the ravine.
Then, this thunderstorm, too, must have been the evil trick of devils, just as the tiger and the white snake had been. Tu Tzuchun’s heart became calmer, and wiping the cold perspiration from his brow, he again seated himself upon the rock. He sighed, and looked about him.
But while his sigh was still dying on the wind, there appeared in front of him the solemn figure of a great god. He was some thirty feet high, and wore a suit of armour made of pure gold. He held a three-forked spear in his hand, and pointing it at Tu Tzuchun’s breast, he roared in a terrific voice like thunder:
“Hey, there! What are you doing in this part of the world? These mountains of Emeishan have always been my abode since the very beginning of the world. How dare you sit here alone without paying any attention to my presence. You cannot be any ordinary mortal. If you value your life, I command you to make answer!”
But Tu Tzuchun still kept silence, for he remembered what the old man had told him.
“You will not answer me? … Well, then, do as you please. I will command my army to cut you to pieces!”