zhaoyu slay dragon

Apart from the preceding legends about God Erlang, there are another two, surnamed Zhao and Deng. According to historical records, a man named Zhao Yu from Sichuan was once a hermit in Mt. Qingcheng. Learning of his talents, Emperor Yangdi (569-618) of the Sui Dynasty appointed him head of Jiazhou (today's Leshan County of Sichuan Province). At that time, there was a flood dragon doing evil in the area. Amid deafening noise of drumbeats, firecrackers and cheers, Zhao Yu set out with ten hundred warriors to fight the dragon. Holding a double-edged sword in hand, Zhao Yu plunged into the water and killed the dragon. The water of the river was reddened by its blood. When Zhao Yu was out of the water, with the head of the dragon in his left hand and the double-edged sword in his right one, the local people all kneeled before him. Hence the estab-lishment of a temple for him called "God Erlang of Guankou." The Chronicle of Changshu County says, "After the death of Zhao Yu of the Sui Dynasty, Jiazhou was hit by flood. The local peo-ple saw Zhao riding a white horse in the mist galloping across the currents. They built a temple by the Guanjiang River to enshrine him called "God Erlang of Guankou." Another God Erlang was named Deng Xia, who surpassed others in valour. There was a say-ing, "The God Erlang Temple was located at Zhongqingli in Hangzhou City. Because Deng Xia killed a flood dragon, the area was no longer harmed. To express their gratitude, the local pet, ple set up the temple to enshrine him. He had once been a general under Erlang, so he was addressed, `God Erlang.'"

- The origin of Chinese deities by Cheng, Manchao