Master Taozhi, the abbot of Solitary Cold Temple, appeared benevolent, kind, and affable on the surface, but behind closed doors, he was an out-and-out villain.
He indulged the monks in desecrating the monastery, deceiving believers, and amassing wealth for himself. When his vile deeds were exposed, he was beheaded in the vegetable market as a public spectacle.
At the moment Master Taozhi's head fell to the ground, the city's residents erupted in jubilation, shouting with delight, wishing they could reattach the scoundrel's head just to behead him once again.
However, according to the ghost Chai Cuiqiao, Master Taozhi was not human but instead, a kind of simian demon known as a Mountain Demon.
On the day of the execution, he combined Bone Shrinking Technique with Illusion Technique to feign the fall of his head, deceiving both the executioner and the onlooking crowd, thereby escaping certain death.
