Dai Zong's Signature Art
The Divine-Traveling Art is Dai Zong's signature ability. Water Margin presents it as an art or magical discipline completed through the body, jiama, and incantations. It is neither a vehicle nor instantaneous teleportation. Dai Zong still runs on his own legs, but after using the special jiama implements and reciting the required formulas, his speed, endurance, and traveling range far exceed those of an ordinary person and can be compared to modern transportation.
Jiama and Shared Travel
Jiama (甲马) are commonly understood here as sheets of paper bearing Daoist talismanic markings in Chinese popular tradition; their preparation belongs to Dai Zong's special transmission. To perform the art, he binds them to his legs and travels rapidly while reciting an incantation. A pair can also be shared so that another person travels with him. In the novel, Dai Zong gives one to Li Kui and, through Dai Zong's own recitation and performance of the method, the two travel together.
An Irreplaceable Role at Liangshan
Possession of the Divine-Traveling Art makes Dai Zong especially suited to carrying messages, executing urgent missions, and traveling repeatedly over long distances. It also makes his position at Liangshan irreplaceable. Information can move efficiently, allowing Liangshan in nearly every campaign to seize the initiative ahead of government forces and ultimately win. His power therefore does more than make him fast: it changes how the entire community communicates and acts across distance.