In the Wanli reign, the magistrate of Licheng County dreamt that the City God demanded a male servant. He therefore selected eight yamen runners, inscribed their names upon an official document, and proceeded to the City God Temple to offer sacrifice, burning the document thereafter.

That very night, all eight yamen runners perished.

To the east of the City God Temple stood an inn, the proprietor of which was acquainted with one of the runners. One evening, the runner came seeking wine, and the host asked, "Are you entertaining guests? Who might they be?" The runner replied, "Just some new colleagues; there are quite a few of them. We're setting up a feast to get acquainted."

At dawn the following day, the innkeeper inquired among the other runners, only then learning that the man had died long since.

He proceeded to the City God Temple to investigate, where he found a wine bottle lying on the ground, its contents undisturbed.

Checking the payment for the wine at home, he found nothing more than a pile of paper ash.

In memory of the eight yamen runners, the magistrate specially commissioned statues to be erected within the City God Temple. Every time his subordinates were dispatched on official business, they were required to visit the temple to pay respects to the runners; failure to do so would invariably result in punishment from the magistrate.