Tu Xingsun

Tu Xingsun was a disciple of Jiu Liuzun of the Chanjiao sect in Investiture of the Gods. Though barely four chi tall, he mastered the art of earth-diving teleportation—traversing a thousand li in a single day—and wielded an iron cudgel and the Immortal-Binding Rope. After joining the Zhou forces, he achieved numerous remarkable feats in battle, married the warrior maiden Deng Chanyu, and ultimately fell in combat at Mianchi. Upon his deification, he was enfeoffed as Tufu Xingjun. Owing to his legendary tale—where extraordinary power defied his unimposing stature—and his peerless mastery of earth-diving sorcery, folk tradition venerates him as the deity presiding over the vital energies of the land. In certain regions, he is specifically invoked to safeguard the geomantic integrity and structural stability of homes and ancestral dwellings. In premodern times, it was customary to burn incense and offer sacrifices to the earth before excavation, ground-breaking, or house construction—a rite intended to solicit the silent protection of Tufu Xingjun, ensuring the safety of the project and the enduring firmness of its foundations.