// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did the Five Colored-Face Devils say? "We're faced with a problem.

The Five Colored-Face Devils (Chinese: 五鬼; pinyin: Wǔ Guǐ; lit. 'Five Ghosts'), later referred to in the narrative as the Five Roads Gods (Chinese: 五路神; pinyin: Wǔlù Shén), are a group of minor characters in the classic Chinese Ming dynasty novel Investiture of the Gods (Fengshen Yanyi). In the novel, they are five spirits who initially trouble a residence in Chaoge and are later ordered by Jiang Ziya to assist in constructing the Investiture Terrace. The name Wulu Shen (五路神) is also used in Chinese folk religion for several different traditions, including road gods and Gods of Wealth.

Role in the novel

The five spirits are first foreshadowed at the end of Chapter 15, when the narrator says that Jiang Ziya will first subdue the Five Roads Gods in Song Yiren's rear garden.

In Chapter 16, Jiang Ziya and Song Yiren begin work on a building in the rear garden. Strange disturbances occur during the construction, and Jiang Ziya encounters five spirits. They have differently colored faces and are described as demons or monsters. They tell Jiang Ziya that they have cultivated for many years and ask him to spare them.

Jiang Ziya defeats the five spirits and orders them to leave the area and go to Xiqi Mountain, where they are to await his orders. They agree to his command.

The five spirits are not given individual personal names in the novel. They are referred to collectively as the five spirits, five demons, or Five Roads Gods. Their five colored faces are described in the episode, but the novel does not explicitly explain the colors as a representation of the Five Elements.

In Chapter 37, Jiang Ziya returns to Xiqi with Bai Jian. A strong wind appears, and Jiang Ziya discovers that the five spirits have come to greet him. They remind him that he previously ordered them to remain at Xiqi Mountain and await his orders. Jiang Ziya tells Bai Jian to supervise the construction of the Investiture Terrace and orders the Five Roads Gods to assist him. The five spirits and Bai Jian then begin constructing the terrace at Mount Qi.

The five spirits have no further major role in the novel. They are primarily supporting characters in the story of Jiang Ziya and the construction of the Investiture Terrace.

Folk religion

The name Wulu Shen (五路神) existed outside Investiture of the Gods and was used for several different religious traditions. Historical sources associate the name with road gods, local deities, Wutong-related gods, and Gods of Wealth. These traditions were not necessarily regarded as the same group of deities.

A Qing-period source, the Quhai zongmu tiyao (《曲海總目提要》), says that the Five Roads Gods were commonly called Lutou (路头) and were also regarded as Gods of Wealth. It says that their origin was unknown and that their worship was particularly widespread in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. The same source describes the worship of Wutong Gods (五通神) in Jiangnan and notes their connection with the Five Roads Gods.

The Five Roads Gods were also associated with Lutou (路头), a road deity worshipped in the Jiangnan region. In this tradition, the five roads correspond to the east, west, south, north, and center. Because people and goods traveled along roads, the road deity became associated with travel and the movement of goods, and was subsequently worshipped as a deity associated with wealth.

The National Museum of History in Taiwan identifies Lushen (路神), Wulu Shen, Wulu Caishen (五路财神), and Lutou as related names for a road deity and records the practice of worshipping the deity on the fifth day of the first lunar month. The museum describes the five roads as the east, south, west, north, and center and explains the association with the hope that wealth will come from all directions.

One tradition identified a figure called He Wulu (何五路), said to have died while resisting foreign enemies at the end of the Yuan dynasty. Other accounts identified the Five Roads with the Wutong Gods or the Five Manifest Gods. A Chinese educational source describes these as different traditions associated with the name Wulu.

Accounts of Jiangnan customs state that during the reign of the Kangxi Emperor, Governor Tang Bin suppressed the Wutong cult and destroyed the Wutong temple at Shangfang Mountain. According to these accounts, worshippers subsequently used the name Lutou for the deity.

A separate tradition identifies the Five Roads Gods of Wealth with Zhao Gongming and four associated deities. In this grouping, Zhao Gongming is the central deity, while Xiao Sheng is the Treasure-Inviting Heavenly Worthy (招寶天尊), Cao Bao is the Precious-Treasure Heavenly Worthy (納珍天尊), Chen Jiugong is the Wealth-Inviting Messenger (招財使者), and Yao Shaosi is the Auspicious-Market Immortal Official (利市仙官).

This grouping is associated with Investiture of the Gods in later popular religious tradition, but it is different from the five spirits who appear in the novel as the Five Roads Gods. A National Museum of History collection record describes the Zhao Gongming group as the Five Roads Gods of Wealth and notes its connection with Fengshen Bang.

The Five Roads Gods or Lutou are traditionally worshipped during the Chinese New Year period, especially on the fifth day of the first lunar month. In Jiangnan custom, people traditionally tried to welcome the deity as early as possible, a practice known as qiang Lutou (抢路头, "racing to receive the road god"). The custom was associated with the hope of obtaining wealth and a profitable year.

The fifth day was traditionally regarded in Jiangnan as the birthday of the road deity. The Qing writer Gu Lu recorded the custom in Qingjialu (《清嘉录》), describing people setting out offerings, lighting firecrackers, and competing to be among the first to welcome the deity. Modern descriptions of the custom likewise associate the five roads with the east, west, north, south, and center.

The different traditions associated with the name Wulu Shen should therefore be distinguished from the five spirits in Investiture of the Gods. The novel uses the name for a group of five supernatural characters who serve Jiang Ziya, while folk-religious traditions use related names for road gods, local cults, and Gods of Wealth. There is no need to assume that all of these traditions represent the same five deities.