The story goes that red boy was born as a lump of meat, which was cut open with a sword by his father, and from which the child emerged wearing red silk trousers which glowed with light and a magic golden bracelet on his right wrist. He was an incarnation of Ling Chu-Tzu, “the Intelligent Pearl” and when he was seven years old he was already six feet tall. He performed many miraculous deeds and defeated the dragon king’s son, for which he was shamed by his father. Red Boy responded by cutting the flesh from his body in remorse until he was reduced to nothing. Seeing the suffering of Red Boy, Guanyin appeared and covered his remains with lotus leaves, which revived him and reconstituted his body. From that moment he became a dharmapala, a fierce protector of the faith.