And the History of the Latter Han tells of a certain Ch'ang Fang who acquired a fu and a bamboo staff from an old medicine seller whom he had seen disappear into a medicine jug.
老翁見其心誠，於是給他竹杖一枝、靈符一枚，長房乘杖而去，自此能夠醫療百病，鞭笞百鬼。何以知道他能鞭笞百鬼？原來人們經常見他獨自一人，卻憑空大怒。人詢其故，長房答道：「我正在痛罵那些惡行犯法的鬼呢！」