The story has it that the five scholars, on their way to the national capital, overheard the gods of pestilence living in the next room say that they planned to poison the wells in the small town where they were staying.
老百姓懼怕他們，尊稱他們為五路瘟神。（三）相傳在唐代有五個舉人，上京去趕考，途中投宿旅店。到了深夜，他們無意中聽見隔壁房間有幾個瘟神在談話，說是次日子時要在五口水井撒瘟藥，危害地方。