Speaking of this, General Xuehe burst into tears: "That's because ever since the eldest lady died, I thought you would be captured by the soul-catcher and taken to the underworld. What the eldest lady did in her life was to spy on the way of yin and yang. She was burned by the fire of karma and would definitely go to hell and suffer after death. I couldn't bear it, so I resigned from my position as general and volunteered to come to hell as a prison ghost. I built good relationships with the other prison ghosts in the eighteen levels of hell, just so that I could be relieved of my suffering when the eldest lady came. But who would have expected that the eldest lady had such great magical powers that so many soul-catchers in the underworld came out to capture you, but they couldn't find you. Even Zhong Kui, the ghost-catching master who is feared by the underworld, couldn't do anything to the eldest lady!"
I was shocked. It turned out that General Xuehe voluntarily fell into hell and became a prison ghost because of Su Xiaoniu. He did this to build good relationships with other prison ghosts, so as to prepare the groundwork for Su Xiaoniu to be sent to hell after her death. In this way, even if Su Xiaoniu really went to hell, as long as General Xuehe said a word, Su Xiaoniu would be able to eat and drink the best food in hell.
Su Xiaoniu was deeply moved. Perhaps even she hadn't expected that because of her, this great general who once guarded the Naihe Bridge and the Blood River Pond in the underworld would be reduced to a prison ghost. She helped Xuehe up and said, "Thank you, Xuehe. You've done so much for me. I will always remember it."
General Xuehe stood up flattered. Based on the subsequent greetings and conversation between Su Xiaoniu and him, I also learned some things about General Xuehe.
The Blood River General is a male deity guarding the Naihe Bridge and the Blood River Pond. He is flanked by two lesser deities, one white and one black: the Day Wandering God and the Night Wandering God. In the past, every year on the 16th day of the tenth lunar month, the "Blood River Assembly" was held at the Blood River Hall, located next to the Naihe Bridge in Chongqing's Fengdu Ghost City. Women who gave birth to sons and daughters, fearing they would defile the spirits, would come here to pray and repent. As mentioned previously, many buildings in Chongqing's Fengdu Ghost City bear a striking resemblance to the netherworld. Within the Blood River Hall, a statue of the Blood River General is displayed, flanked by the Day Wandering God and the Night Wandering God.
Unlike the Blood River General, the right side of Fengdu Emperor's palace is the "Wrongful Death City," a place dedicated to receiving the souls of those who died with grievances and injustices. To the left is the "Blood Stained Pond." The "Blood Stained Pond," also known as the "Blood Pond Hell," is one of the 138 famous hells in the underworld. Who ends up in the Blood Pond Hell after death? According to the Jade Calendar and other sources, there are several situations in which this happens:
First, regardless of gender, if someone likes to slaughter livestock during his or her lifetime and splashes blood onto kitchen utensils, stoves, temples, Buddhist halls, scriptures, paper, and all sacrificial vessels, he or she will suffer all kinds of torture in various hells and be thrown into the Blood Pool Hell.
Secondly, those who abuse slaves and servants, and beat them until they bleed, will go to this hell.
Third, men and women who have sexual intercourse without regard for the gods or Buddhas, or who do not care about the date (five days in total, May 14th, May 15th, August 3rd, August 13th, and October 10th of the lunar calendar), and who violate the prohibitions and have sexual intercourse, will go to this hell.
Fourth, women who die due to complications during childbirth, or go near a well or stove within 20 days after giving birth, or hang their washed underwear on a high place or on a road where people pass by, or kill their favorite poultry such as chickens and ducks after giving birth, will be sent to this hell.
Despite its illogicality and lack of rationality, this "theory" has deceived countless believers. The Blood Pond even has a female "warden," known as "Lady Chitou." In the old days, many women prayed to this lady before giving birth, especially during difficult labors, hoping for her salvation and forgiveness. Even those who survived would still make a wish to Lady Chitou, fearing they would be cast into the Blood Pond Hell after death.
In ancient times, the Jiangnan region was a prevalent superstition known as the "Blood River Repentance." This ritual was performed to pray for the souls of women who died in childbirth. It was said that when a woman died after childbirth, her family feared she would enter the Blood River Hell. To ensure her salvation, they would create a straw effigy of the deceased, clothed in a red skirt, and hang it inside a large bell in a monastery. The bell would be struck slowly day and night. Every seventh day, a cushion was added, and monks would chant sutras nearby. This continued for forty-nine days, seven cushions plus daytime. Then, relatives would gather, inviting dozens of monks. They would chant mantras and perform rituals at the temple, set off fireworks, and create numerous paper figures and horses, as well as images of city walls, bridges, ponds, and evil spirits. These figures, along with the straw effigy, would be burned together. This was known as breaking the Blood River Pond, allowing the deceased to be reborn.
General Xuehe and Madam Chitou are a very famous couple in the underworld. One of them is in charge of the Naihe Bridge, and the other is in charge of the Blood Pool Hell.
Chitou Lady is not typically worshipped alone, but is often enshrined alongside other deities at Dizang Temple and Niangniang Temple. At Taipei's Longshan Temple, Chitou Lady is enshrined alongside Mazu and Zhusheng Niangniang in the rear hall. Longshan Temple is one of Taipei's three most ancient temples, housing a diverse collection of Buddhist, Taoist, and Confucian deities, making it a highly influential deity.
This belief is also related to the Blood Basin Sutra, also known as the "Women's Blood Basin Sutra" or the "Buddha's Great Blood Basin Sutra." It primarily tells the story of a woman giving birth, whose blood pollutes the land and rivers. Devout men and women mistakenly use this water to make tea offerings to the saints, thus offending the gods and Buddhas. Consequently, they are cast into the Blood Pond Hell. They spend their days with their hair disheveled and their hands shackled, suffering various punishments in hell. How can they escape this? Only if the mother's children believe in Buddhism and raise them, observe the "Blood Basin Fast" for three years and sixty days, and finally invite monks to perform a "Blood Basin Ceremony" and recite the Blood Basin Sutra. Only then can the mother's soul escape the sea of suffering and be reborn in a Buddha land.
The Jade Calendar Treasure Note also states: "If relatives in the living world make a vow to abstain from killing on their behalf, buy lives and release them, and on a sufficient number of days, offer fasting to the gods and Buddhas, and recite the Blood-stained Sutra and Repentance, then they can transcend their suffering." The "Blood-stained Sutra and Repentance" mentioned in the text refers to the Blood Basin Sutra. The Blood Basin Sutra appeared as early as the Tang Dynasty and is not recognized by Buddhism, being a complete apocryphal scripture. Despite its spurious status, it remains extremely popular, with many female believers. Classical novels such as "Jin Ping Mei" and "Dream of the Red Chamber" both depict the recitation of the Blood Basin Sutra for women in labor.
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