Zhai Zhanchi, a native of Yidu County, was en route to his new post in Raozhou. Passing by Poyang Lake, he noticed a quaint shrine by the shore and stopped his retinue to explore.

Inside the shrine, numerous effigies were displayed. The foremost figure was the Ming Dynasty general, Ding Pulang, and among the throng, he spotted an idol representing his own Zhai ancestor, relegated to the very last position.

Zhai Zhanchi mused, "How can my Zhai ancestor possibly be made to submit to another?" With that thought, he promptly moved his ancestor’s effigy to the seat of honor, the highest position.

Shortly thereafter, he boarded his vessel. Suddenly, a gale erupted, snapping the masts and tearing the sails to shreds. The entire party watched in horror as the ship began to list dangerously, his wife and children bursting into cries of despair.

At that critical moment, a small skiff materialized from the churning waters, slicing through the waves with astonishing speed, and swiftly drew alongside them. An elderly man emerged from the craft and extended a hand, steadying Zhai Zhanchi as he stepped aboard. One by one, his entire family was safely pulled onto the smaller boat.

When his family could finally look clearly, they gasped in shock: the venerable man possessed the exact, formidable countenance of the Zhai ancestor’s statue they had just seen in the lakeside shrine.

Not long after, the squall subsided. When they turned to thank the rescuer and inquire about his small boat, the owner and vessel had vanished without a trace.