The story of Muzha

Muzha was Li Jing’s second son, a general’s son like his brothers Jinzha and Nezha. He left home as a child, entered the gate of Puxian Zhenren at the White Crane Cave on Mount Jiugong to learn the sword, and did not return to Chentang Pass for years.

Puxian Zhenren gave him a pair of Wugou swords, their blades bitterly bright, that answered each other in attack and defence when used together. Muzha carried them always, practised hard for years, and grew fully skilled.

When Jiang Shang raised his army against King Zhou, Puxian Zhenren sent Muzha down to help. He took leave of his master, went straight to serve in the Western Qi army, and was reunited in camp with his brothers Jinzha and Nezha.

Though the three brothers belonged to three different masters they often fought side by side; whenever their elders went out to break a formation, Muzha went with them in support, and the three divided the work in order and covered one another.

As the Ten Absolutes, the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation and the rest were set out and the Chan disciples broke them together, Muzha moved with the army throughout and met the Shang generals and Jie disciples who came out to challenge with his Wugou swords more than once.

When the Zhuxian and the Ten Thousand Immortals formations were raised and the saints of the three teachings came before them, Muzha went with his master Puxian Zhenren to help, and saw the Jie disciples scattered one after another.

The army marched east to Chaoge; the Shang army broke at Muye and King Zhou burned himself, and Shang ended. Muzha entered the city with the Zhou army and afterwards returned with Puxian Zhenren to Mount Jiugong, leaving the field for a time.

When the Investiture war was over, Muzha attended on Guanyin under the name Moksa the acolyte, travelling with her to Mount Putuo in the southern sea and holding the office of guardian of the law.

When Guanyin went to the Flowing Sand River to convert Sha Seng, Moksa went with her at her order and fought him in the water for several passes without a decision, until Guanyin appeared and explained what had gone before, and Sha Seng laid down his weapon and submitted, waiting for the pilgrim to come.

Later, when Guanyin subdued Red Boy on Mount Hao, Moksa again went with her and worked with her to subdue him; Red Boy was afterwards taken into Guanyin’s service under the name of the Boy of Wealth.

From then on, wherever Guanyin went to convert or to subdue, Moksa mostly attended her with his staff, going between the southern sea and the human world, and kept that office of guardian for a long age.