Hence he is also called "the general below the altar." Huyeh is also seen as a guardian spirit of fisher folk. As a servant of Pao Sheng Ta Ti, the "black tiger general" also has the power to cure abscesses and drive out fevers, while the Huyehs in Earth God temples are reputed to banish fevers and keep peace in the temple.
虎爺也被討海人視為守護神；由於是保生大帝的部將「黑虎將軍」，也具有治愈毒瘡、消滅瘟疫的能力；土地公廟的虎爺則有驅癘鎮廟和孩童觸摸虎腮可以治療腮腺炎的說法。