Zhong Kui was deified by the emperor because he caught "a kid". What is the origin of this unlucky ghost?

This kid, who was eaten by Zhong Kui, is a "waste" who stole people's happiness and money, and a kid with a long history. But Zhong Kui can be deified, mainly because this boy harassed a powerful Tang Xuanzong. Because Zhong Kui helped Tang Xuanzong solve the imp that troubled him, Tang Xuanzong wanted to repay Zhong Kui. So in his return, Zhong Kui became a household name.

Zhong Kui was an ugly scholar. Because of his ugly appearance, he was rejected by the emperor and didn't want to recruit him as an official. Zhong Kui was very sad when he knew this, so he hit the wall in front of the emperor and committed suicide. After his death, the emperor was very sympathetic to him, so he ordered the imperial secretary to dress him in a red robe and gave him a deep burial. This is also the reason why Zhong Kui wears a red robe in film and television works.

Later, during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, I dreamed that a child was making trouble in his dream and had a tendency to steal from him. But before the child stole from him, a GREAT GHOST in a red robe appeared in his dream and swallowed the child at once.

Tang Xuanzong asked who this GREAT GHOST was, and this GREAT GHOST replied: I am Zhong Kui. When Emperor Xuanzong woke up from his sleep, he felt he had to thank Zhong Kui. So he drew a portrait of Zhong Kui catching a child and hung it in the palace to ward off evil spirits.

His behavior passed from hand to hand. First, the ministers of the DPRK followed suit, and then the people followed suit, so Zhong Kui became a well-known exorcist.