Minister Tang, a scholar who passed the Xinchou Imperial Examination, was burdened by illness. In his final moments, he suddenly felt a rising heat emanating from his lower body. As it reached his legs, his feet died; as it ascended to his abdomen, his legs perished; reaching his heart, the death of the heart proved the most arduous. Childhood memories, long buried, surged forth like a tide, flooding his mind with every drop of his lifeblood. Good deeds brought serenity, while misdeeds brought vexation and regret, a turmoil and agony comparable to oil boiling in a cauldron—a state beyond mere description. He vividly recalled an incident from when he was seven or eight: raiding a bird's nest and killing sparrows. A hot flush churned in his chest, taking a long time to subside. As he reviewed every action of his life, wisps of heat circled and threaded through his throat into his brain, finally piercing the crown of his head and soaring upward like smoke from a chimney. After several shikezhong (moments), his soul departed his body, and his life expired.

His spirit, vast and without anchor, drifted in the wilderness. There, he encountered a giant, towering several zhang high. The giant casually scooped up Minister Tang and tucked him into his sleeve. Inside the sleeve, the space was cramped, packed tight with all manner of ghosts, shoulder-to-shoulder, pressed into a single mass. The air within the cuff was foul, causing dizziness and chest tightness—an unbearable suffering. Minister Tang pondered, "This calamity can only be resolved by Buddhist teachings." As soon as he uttered three or four invocations of the Buddha's name, his form floated out of the sleeve. The giant recaptured him, but after three attempts, he let him go, moving on with his business.

Minister Tang stood alone, hesitant, unsure of where to go. Recalling the Buddha situated in the Spirit Mountain in the West, he set off westward. After walking a short distance, he saw a monk sitting quietly by the roadside, hands pressed together in prayer. Minister Tang approached to ask directions. The monk replied, "The names of deceased scholars are recorded on scrolls, managed by the Star of Literary Merit (Wenqu Xing) and Confucius. It would not be too late to seek them out first to erase your name from the register before determining your next path."

Minister Tang inquired about their locations and, following the monk's directions, went to pay his respects. Arriving at the Sage's temple, he saw Confucius seated facing south. Tang prostrated himself, explaining his purpose. The Sage Confucius said, "Regarding the erasure of your name, you must first seek out the Emperor Lord of Literary Merit (Wenqu Di Jun)."

Helpless, Minister Tang journeyed to visit the Star Lord of Literary Merit. He reached a hall where a divine being resided, his appearance exactly matching the legends of the Star of Literary Merit in the mortal world. The Emperor Lord said, "Young Master, your intentions were fundamentally upright, and by rights, your natural lifespan was not yet complete. However, your mortal shell has decayed. To be reborn now requires the great power of a Bodhisattva."

Minister Tang accepted this instruction and proceeded to seek out the Bodhisattva Guanyin. He arrived at a bamboo grove containing a hall. Walking into the main sanctuary, Minister Tang saw the Bodhisattva, her coiled hair majestic, her face like a full moon, holding a willow branch vase. He stepped forward, bowed deeply, and reverently relayed the Emperor Lord’s words. The Bodhisattva showed a look of difficulty. Minister Tang pleaded desperately. A Venerable nearby spoke up, "Please, Bodhisattva, exert your great divine power: use earth to form flesh and break a willow branch for bone." The Bodhisattva nodded, snapped a willow branch, tilted the water in her vase, mixed the pure water with the earth to form mud, and patted the mud onto Minister Tang's body. She ordered a young attendant to send his soul back to the living world, causing the spirit and the physical body to reunite. Immediately, a groan issued from within the coffin. Minister Tang's illness was cured. His family opened the lid and helped him out; counting the days, he had been deceased for seven days.