Legend has it that Li Jing once studied immortal cultivation under the Du E daoist spiritual master from the Kun Lun Mountains, and later came to earth to take up an official position as the general of the Chen Tang Pass.
His wife gave birth to two sons, the first named Jin Zha and the second named Mu Zha.
Then his wife became pregnant again and three years and six months later gave birth to a strange meaty egg.
Li Jing thought it was unlucky, so he split it with his sword.
Unexpectedly, a handsome little boy with golden bracelets and red silk wrapped around him jumped out from inside the meaty egg, and everyone named him Ne Zha.
Ne Zha was taken as a disciple by the Tai Yi daoist spiritual master of the Kun Lun Mountains, who taught him his skills.
Ne Zha has been practicing martial arts since he was a child, and is strong and bold.
One day, he was playing on the beach with some children when he saw that the third prince of the Long King of the East China Sea was bullying the people and children.
Ne Zha was so angry that he rushed over and fought with the Third Prince, eventually beating him to death and jerking his tendons.
When the Long King of the East China Sea found out about this, he was so angry that he blamed Ne Zha’s father, and even created a big wave that flooded Chen Tang Pass.
Ne Zha did a very brave and sad thing on his own so that his parents wouldn’t be implicated: he cut open his stomach, took out his intestines and bones, and returned the meat and tendons to his parents.
But miraculously, with the help of his master, Tai Yi, he borrows the power of the lotus leaf and the lotus flower and comes back to life as Ne Zha in his lotus incarnation.
Tai Yi master also gave Ne Zha two magic treasures, a fire-tipped spear and a wind and fire wheel.
Ne Zha’s magic power was even stronger.
After that, Ne Zha ran to the East China Sea and made a big mess, smashing up the Long Palace and catching the Long King.
Legend has it that after this, Ne Zha helped Jiang Zi Ya in his crusade against King Zhou, which was a great success, and became a powerful immortal as a living person, or “sainthood in the flesh”.