法苑珠林 67.54

67.54

Liu Chifu of Wei dreamt that Lord Jiang summoned him to be an attendant scribe, and the date was urgent. Thereupon he went to the temple to make a petition: his mother was aged and his child was young, and his circumstances were truly pressing; he begged that the dream [summons] be pardoned and remitted. Wei Bian of Kuaiji possessed many arts and skills and was good at serving the spirits; [Liu] requested that Bian take his place, and thus kowtowed until he bled. The temple liturgist said, 'We specifically wished to call upon you; what sort of person is Wei Bian to match this position?' Chifu repeatedly begged, but was refused to the end. Shortly afterward, Chifu died. (This one evidential account above is from the Zhiguai zhuan.)