Zheng Lun

Zheng Lun originally served as the grain-supply supervisor under Su Hu, Marquis of Jizhou, and was a disciple of the Daoist immortal Du’e Zhenren of the West Kunlun Mountains, from whom he mastered the art of emitting twin streams of vital energy from his nasal orifices: a single snort would unleash two beams of white light capable of seizing an opponent’s soul—ensuring victory in every battle. He captured numerous renowned generals, including Chong Heihu and Huang Feihu. After Su Hu pledged allegiance to the Zhou, Zheng Lun joined the Zhou campaign against King Zhou of Shang. There he faced off repeatedly against Chen Qi, the ‘Ha’ General of the Shang forces, whose powers were mirror opposites yet functionally analogous to his own. Zheng Lun ultimately perished during the calamity inflicted by Niu Jin, one of the Seven Demons of Meishan. During the Investiture of the Gods, Jiang Ziya enfeoffed him and Chen Qi jointly as the divine guardians of the Xiqi Mountain Gate—the origin of the ‘Heng-Ha’ pair of gate guardians enshrined at Buddhist temple entrances—a tradition that later merged with the Buddhist legend of the Vajra Protectors (Vajrapāṇi and other esoteric guardian deities).