er was Hsue Su. His personal name
was Ching-chih, and his ordinary name Sun.

At forty-one years of age, when he was Magistrate of Ching-yang,
near the modern Chih-chiang Hsien, in Hupei, during times of drought
he had only to touch a piece of tile to turn it into gold, and thus
relieve the people of their distress. He also saved many lives by
curing sickness through the use of talismans and magic formulae.

During the period of the dynastic troubles he resigned and joined
the famous magician Kuo P'o. Together they proceeded to the minister
Wang Tun, who had risen against the Eastern Chin dynasty. Kuo P'o's
remonstrances only irritated the minister, who cut off his head.

Hsue Sun then threw his chalice on the ridgepole of the room, causing
it to be whirled into the air. As Wang Tun was watching the career of
the chalice, Hsue disappeared and escaped. When he reached Lu-chiang
K'ou, in Anhui, he boarded a boat, which two dragons towed into the
offing and then raised into the air. In an instant they had borne it
to the Lue Shan Mountains, to the south of Kiukiang, in Kiangsi. The
perplexed boatman opened the window of his boat and took a furtive
look out. Thereupon the dragons, finding themselves discovered by an
infidel, set the boat down on the top of the mountain and fled.

The Spiritual Alligator

In this country was a dragon, or spiritual alligator, which transformed
itself into a young man named Shen Lang, and married Chia Yue, daughter
of the Chief Judge of T'an Chou (Ch'ang-sha Fu, capital of Hunan). The
young people lived in rooms below the official apartments. During
spring and summer Shen Lang, as dragons are wont to do, roamed in the
rivers and lakes. One day Hsue Chen-chuen met him, recognized him as a
dragon, and knew that he was the cause of the numerous floods which
were devastating Kiangsi Province. He determined to find a means of
getting rid of him.

Shen Lang, aware of the steps being taken against him, changed himself
into a yellow ox and fled. Hsue Chen-chuen at once transformed himself
into a black ox and started in pursuit. The yellow ox jumped down a
well to hide, but the black ox followed suit. The yellow ox then jumped
out again, and escaped to Ch'ang-sha, where he reassumed a human form
and lived with Ms wife in the home of his father-in-law, Hsue Sun,
returning to the town, hastened to the _yamen,_ and called to Shen
Lang to come out and show himself, addressing him in a severe tone