any alternative for incense /or candle burning?

I would like to know your primary concern before I can advise you further on the alternatives.

I have never before heard of a '马路将军'.

Ma Zhu the sea goddess (see below) is the traditional patron of travelers, although she is primarily associated with sea travel or travel across water.

Alternatively, you may install in your vehicle a statue of whichever deity you regard as your special patron, as a protective item. A talisman issued by them will also do just fine.

Praying to the Kitchen God at home need not involve anything fancy-schmancy. A small printed picture of him, or even a piece of paper bearing his title/name, pasted on the wall near your stove, will do just fine. This will have to be blessed before installation, however.

As per the sintua tradition, ritual items related to worship of any particular god have to be blessed by the selfsame god when he manifests via a medium. A god who outranks him or is otherwise given the authority to act on his behalf can also bless the items. It is not common for Hell deities to bless items related to Heavenly gods, nor is it common for Heavenly gods to bless Hell-related items. The general rule of thumb is Heavenly deities for Heavenly items, and Hell deities for Hell items.

As the Kitchen God is not a god that mediums channel, any other Heavenly god should be able to help you bless the items that you will use to worship him. Consult whichever reputable temples or sintuas that might be present in your area.

Incense or candles, while traditional, are not an absolute must for worship. What matters more than anything else is that you possess deep faith and a virtuous heart, which will more than suffice. Simply placing offerings before the Kitchen God's picture will be fine.

exactly, it must be a typo error in th ebook, may be it meant this?
http://www.chinacultures.com/2014/03/side-...e-road-god.html

That is the five ghost 五鬼
They are often depicts as the muscle for Zhong Kui 钟馗天师。

At the same time, in Feng Shui Theology, Wu Gui is also a direction, which worshipped properly, can help boost extra income (often from gamble/luck related偏财)

Also, in Chinese Star Astrology 紫微斗数, there is 五鬼官府，where sees as bad luck. Same theory also exist in 八字

Why is it the 2 imp-like creatures have the same headband like Monkey King? Is it also used to subdue them the same way Guan Yin subdues Monkey King?

The Five Ghosts can be found in two varieties; the warrior type (first picture below) and the worker/civilian type (second picture below). They are correspondingly geared towards different types of duties, military and civil.

Could I say that they are are somehow like assistants for the higher ranked Heaven or Hell deities? Segregated into different fields;namely; military and administration?

The Five Ghosts serve the Hell deities alone, Joey. They have zero involvement with the Heavenly side of things. Heavenly gods have their own, non-undead/non-ghostly helpers.

That being said, you have the right idea; they are assistants both soldierly and clerical, who also do things like shine their masters' shoes and make their tea. 

The more I read the more associations I make with the Heaven and Hell being closely resembling what's happening in Earth.

Anyway, who is the most feared Hell deity?

Who is the King of Ghosts?



Da Shi Ye/大士爷, the Venerable Great Lord, also known as the King of Ghosts (大士鬼王), is one of the most fearsome Hell deities, if not THE most fearsome. Originally a vicious demon king who was the holy terror of the spiritual realm, Da Shi Ye was subdued by Guan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy, subsequently converting to the cause of good and becoming her disciple. This did not entirely quell his ferocious nature, however, and Guan Yin found him a job that would allow him to exercise this characteristic in a constructive manner - she found him a job as the commander of Hell's soldiers, including beings such as the Black and White Brothers and other ghostly troops.

Worship of Da Shi Ye becomes very widespread during the Seventh Month - the Hungry Ghost Festival. It is during this period that the souls serving penance in Hell are temporarily set free for a month's reprieve, and Da Shi Ye keeps his glinting eye on these prisoners, ensuring that they do not harm human beings or escape. In accordance with this belief, large paper effigies of him are erected in temple grounds, cemeteries and other strategic areas where the wandering spirits are said to frequent.



Da Shi Ye's fierceness is legendary. Any and all who offend against him or defy him are sure to be destroyed. Even his own followers fear him, as well as some of his superiors. There is only one individual who can quell his savage temper, and this is, of course, Guan Yin. Take a close look at a statue of Da Shi Ye, and you will see a small figurine of Guan Yin sitting or standing upon his head - she is there to quell his excesses and ensure that he does not go overboard.

if i light up the incense and left house before it is done burning, there is a risk of fire

hi , if fire hazard is a concern , I would like to suggest a alternative to incence burning.

This incense holder is made of metal , when you burn your incense sticks , you place it lying inside followed by a cover on top.

This will decrease any chance of creating a fire hazard. 

hxxps://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRC3vOY_09yuoCvmcQGPrN5D-zRU9gtuIIgq-oQtbfrowMfi5CE2A

Oh, no.

Oh, no, no, no, no.

These are not the Five Ghosts, JunJun. Not at all.

The Wu Lu Cai Shen/五路财神 or Five Directional Gods of Wealth ('路' in this context refers to 'direction' or 'path', not a literal 'road' or 'highway') are a five-man Wealth God team, who correspond to the five cardinal directions, in a manner similar to the Five Camp Commanders. Their leader is Marshal Zhao the Military Wealth God, who is the Northern Commander of the Five Camp Commanders - I have spoken about him earlier in this thread.

Below is a picture of the Five Directional Gods of Wealth, with Marshal Zhao at the top right holding his sword aloft.



The Wu Gui/五鬼 or Five Ghosties, whom I very briefly touched upon earlier, are a group of impish undead creatures who, although commonly associated with Zhong Kui the Demon-Stalker, serve as errand boys and runners for most Hell deities who are senior in rank to them, including the Black and White Brothers, Ox-Head and Horse-Face. There are multiple squads of Five Ghosts, thus creating a massive army to do Hell's bidding.

The Five Ghosts can be found in two varieties; the warrior type (first picture below) and the worker/civilian type (second picture below). They are correspondingly geared towards different types of duties, military and civil.

HELP you to post the picture for everyone's reference

HELP you to post the picture for everyone's reference

Just out of curiosity...the holder looks like a coffin. Does it symbolizes somtg? 

Just out of curiosity...the holder looks like a coffin. Does it symbolizes somtg?