《神仙感遇传》

Biographies of Encounters with Immortals—a collection of stories about people meeting immortals or extraordinary figures of the Daoist tradition—was compiled in five volumes by Du Guangting in the late Tang and Five Dynasties period. It is included in the Zhengtong Daoist Canon, in the Biographies section of the Dongxuan Division. An existing edition used for collation is Seven Slips from a Cloudy Satchel, compiled by Zhang Junfang.

The work arranges its people and stories by volume. Its contents are as follows:

Volume One: Wang Gao, Ji Zonglao, He Daozhang, Xie Zhen, Li Ji, Ye Qianshao, Mou Yubin, Yu Manchuan, Celestial Master Hou, the girl of the Han family, Wang Jie, Wang Congji, Cui Xuanliang, the Daoist Qian, Linghu Xuan, Li Quan, Elder Deng, Yang Chu, Liu Yanguang, Master Feng, Song Wencai, and Liu Jing.

Volume Two: Peng Qiu, Wang Kejiao, Chen Jian, Shao Tu, Hao Fan, Mr. Wang, the guest from Jinting, Fei Xuanzhen, Bai Zhuangfu, Li Yan, Li Ban, Pei Chen’s elder cousin, the recluse from Mount Lu, and a friend of Quan Tongxiu.

Volume Three: Yao Sheng, the censor; Shaoshi of Jingzhou; Master Pan of Caoqiao; Chancellor Lu Jun; Li Gongzuo; the Five Zizhi; He Liang; and Commandant Xue.

Volume Four: Xie Fan, Zheng Youxuan, Lu Daoliu, Mr. Cheng, Xu Dingguo, Master Lu of Huayuan in Jingzhao, the Ten Immortals of Emperor Xuanzong, the man with the curly beard, the oil seller from Dongming, Wang Lin, the monk from Niutou Temple in Zizhou, Ren Gongjin, and the woman of Qiyang.

Volume Five: Cui Xizhen, the Yue monk Huaiyi, Du Hui, Hao Dancu, Wang Kuo, and Gao Pian, Duke of Yan.

Wang Gao was from southern Hunan and lived near Wangqiao Abbey. According to tradition, the abbey had been built in ancient times. Its halls, towers, pavilions, and terraces were designed with great ingenuity, but after many years it had been abandoned and was gradually falling into ruin. Wang Gao often worried about its condition but lacked the means to repair it. For the time being, he could only make offerings before the statues of the gods inside. He planned to raise money for repairs once his household had a better harvest.

The Wang family’s young herdsman often grazed the cattle beside the abbey, where he would see a villager. The man had yellowish-red skin and short hair, and was stronger than most people. He liked to play with the herdsman and test their strength, and the herdsman usually lost. He would often wait for the boy to arrive, then play and become familiar with him.

Sometimes Wang Gao scolded the herdsman for coming home late. When the boy explained why, Wang Gao said, “If it were a ghost or demon, its body would be cold and light.” The herdsman replied, “His body is cool and heavy. He says little, and walks slowly.” Wang Gao said, “Go there again tomorrow, and I’ll follow you and watch from hiding. Just test your strength against him, and I’ll help you pin him down.”

The next day the herdsman went to graze the cattle again, and the man came too. As the boy tested his strength against him, Wang Gao joined in, and together they pinned the man down. To their surprise, he was a golden figure. When they first carried him away, he seemed light; once they reached home, however, he became extremely heavy, weighing several thousand jin. Carved into his back were the words: “Repair the Daoist abbey with this, in gratitude to Wang Gao.”

Wang Gao sold the golden figure and used the proceeds to repair the abbey. The work was completed a few years later. Wang Gao’s descendants remain very wealthy to this day.

Ji Zonglao

Ji Zonglao was a Daoist from Yuzhang, in what is now the area around Nanchang in Jiangxi. He often traveled to famous mountains in search of a master and instruction in the Daoist arts, but he never found what he sought. In the second year of the Dazhong era, 848, the Year of the Earth Dragon, he met a Daoist at a village temple in Shuzhou. The Daoist wore shabby clothes and a hat to shield himself from wind and snow. As a fierce snowstorm raged, he suddenly arrived at the temple seeking shelter for the night and stayed in the room opposite Ji Zonglao’s.

Late that night, there were no lamps or candles in the rooms, and heavy snow was falling outside. Ji Zonglao suddenly saw light streaming from the room next door. Peering through a crack in the door, he saw that the room was as bright as if lamps had been lit, though there were none. The Daoist took many things from a small gourd and laid out curtains, bedding, and everyday utensils. He also arranged furnishings and clothes; everything was complete. Realizing that the man was no ordinary person, Ji Zonglao knocked and asked to see him. The Daoist did not answer, and the light in the room soon went out.

Ji Zonglao sat outside the door all night, hoping to see him in the morning. When daylight came and he opened the door, the Daoist had vanished. Deeply reproaching himself for not having sought instruction in time, Ji Zonglao traveled throughout the realm, continuing his search for the Daoist.

He Daozhang

He Daozhang was a Daoist of Mount Tianmu in Tianzhou.

He Daozhang was a Daoist priest at Mount Tianmu in Tiantian Prefecture. He practiced the Dao with devotion and diligence, and people near and far respected him. The goods and money he received from offerings and from conducting Zhaijiao purification rituals, he gave to support repairs to Daoist temples, the making of divine images, and their furnishings. He also made every effort to restore abandoned altars, damaged halls, and ancient sites of the Daoist tradition. He did this in many places.

The Tianmu Temple had once been destroyed by a wildfire, leaving almost none of its buildings standing. He Daozhang worked with his own hands for five or six years, carrying tools such as baskets and shovels, until the halls and towers were completely renewed. East of Mount Tianmu stood a steep cliff, with a dead tree leaning against it. A light often shone beneath the tree. He Daozhang planned to plant pines and cypresses there, so he cut the dead tree down. The cliff rocks fell away with it, revealing a stone cave. Inside were more than seventy scrolls of the Ancient Shangqing Scriptures, old Daoist scriptures of the Shangqing school. The cinnabar, ink, and seal-script writing on the scrolls looked as fresh as if they had just been written.

At the time, He Daozhang was busy rebuilding the temple and had no time to read the scriptures. A Daoist priest borrowed them from him, hoping to take them away secretly. Suddenly, wind and rain swept in, the sky darkened, and the scriptures vanished. After they disappeared, no one ever learned where they had gone.

Xie Zhen was a craftsman from Linye, skilled at repairing clay sculptures. He worked with care and precision. He once took part in repairing the Shangqing Palace at the Mud Crane Temple. According to tradition, the Celestial Master had built this palace while in Shu. Xie Zhen devoted himself completely to the repairs and worked with great care on the clay decorations.

Suddenly, a Daoist priest arrived with two attendants to inspect the work. He had an extraordinary bearing and stood nine feet tall. Entering through the gate, he said to Xie Zhen, “It is rare to find someone repairing a Daoist temple in the mountains. I am grateful for your care.” With his hand, he drew a talisman on the ground and told Xie Zhen to memorize it thoroughly. Then he said, “From now on, this talisman will surely work for anyone who falls ill, even if they are a thousand li away. Do not charge too much; take only enough to support your household.”

Xie Zhen memorized the shape of the talisman and used it to treat people. Its effects were remarkably powerful. He earned a great deal of money, and his household prospered.

Li Ji was from Guizhou. One day, while gathering firewood on a mountain, he rested beneath a large tree and noticed a scroll caught among its branches. He took it down and read it. The book contained a list of names, all titles of ghosts and spirits. When Li Ji spoke each name aloud, the corresponding ghost or spirit answered.

His parents found this astonishing, so they secretly copied the book and took it to someone who could read, asking them to identify it. Later, Li Ji learned to read the names of the ghosts and spirits himself. Each time he called one, it responded. He could then command ghosts and spirits, make himself and his shadow disappear, walk across the surface of water, and even reverse the flow of a stream by drinking from it. His transformations were so varied that he seemed capable of anything.

Some people suspected him of performing illusions and wanted to take him to the authorities. He said, “I’m only using magic for amusement. I haven’t harmed anyone, so why treat me as a monster?” Later, he withdrew to Mount Yangshuo to cultivate the Dao, and he is said to still be alive today.

Ye Qianshao was from Xinzhou. As a boy, he went up the mountain to gather firewood. Once, while taking shelter from the rain beneath a large tree, he suddenly saw the Thunder Duke trapped by its branches, unable to spread his wings and fly away. A lightning strike had split the branches, but they had closed together again. Ye Qianshao found a stone wedge and used it to pry them apart, freeing the Thunder Duke. Ashamed, the Thunder Duke thanked him and agreed to meet him again the next day.

The following day, Ye Qianshao returned to the tree as promised, and the Thunder Duke came too. He gave him a scroll of talismans written in ink and said, “With this scroll, you can summon thunder and rain, cure illness, and save people through meritorious deeds. Of my five brothers, if you want to hear thunder, call ‘Thunder One’ or ‘Thunder Two,’ and they will surely answer. But ‘Thunder Five’ is fierce and quick-tempered. Do not summon him unless there is an emergency.”

From then on, whenever Ye Qianshao used talismans to pray for rain, they proved remarkably effective. Once, while drunk in Jizhou City, he was seized by the prefect, who punished him and even tried to humiliate him. Standing at the foot of the steps, Ye Qianshao shouted, “Thunder Five!” It was summer, with the sun blazing overhead, but at once a clap of thunder sounded, throwing everyone into panic. The prefect came down the steps, treated him with respect, and asked him to pray for rain. After a night had passed, heavy rain fell, easing the drought.

After word of this spread, Ye Qianshao traveled to Huazhou. At the time, days of rain had sent the Yellow River surging higher, and the officials were so busy fighting the floods that they had no time to sleep. Ye Qianshao used a two-foot-long iron rod to draw a talisman and planted it on the riverbank. According to the story, the floodwaters surged upward like hills, yet flowed along the bank and dared not cross the boundary marked by the talisman. The people were thus spared from being submerged, and the story continued to be told long afterward.

When sick people came to him for talismans, he would write one for them on the spot, without choosing his brush or ink. It is said that every talisman worked. He often traveled around Jiangsu and Zhejiang, enjoyed eating meat, and did not cultivate the Dao. Later, he disappeared, and no one knew where he had gone.

Mu Yubin

Mou Yubin was from Luodai, Chengdu. His family was poor, so he made his living doing manual labor at the market. Whenever he fell ill, he would ask someone to draw a talisman for him. He did not care what paper or brush was used; as long as the talisman was written and handed to him, it often proved effective. Later, he frequently traveled around Jiangsu and Zhejiang. He enjoyed eating meat and fish, and did not cultivate the Dao. After that, no one knew where he went.

Mou Yubin once met a young Daoist priest on the road. The priest said he was carrying some belongings and wanted someone to help take them into Chengdu. Mou Yubin agreed and followed him to the North Street of Dashushi. It was just the hour of the Dragon, yet the priest said it was not noon and they could not stop there; they had to go straight into the mountains. Mou Yubin continued to follow him, and later that day they reached the gate of Mount Qingcheng.

They went from a shrine into a bamboo grove and came to a dozen or so small huts. The priest unlocked the door himself. The rooms inside were tidy, but no one else lived there. He asked Mou Yubin to fetch fire from the temple, while he picked wild vegetables beside the fence and cooked them for him. The priest said he did not want Mou Yubin to spend the night there, but had no money to send him away, so he gave him a small booklet. Mou Yubin leafed through it and saw a formula for an esoteric art. By following the recipe, one could change one’s beard and hair; making the preparation as prescribed would ensure food and clothing for life, and guarantee that one would encounter an auspicious opportunity.

Mou Yubin left Mount Qingcheng and reached Shipodian. That night, when he worked out the distance he had traveled, he realized that from morning to evening he had covered more than two hundred li. He prepared the medicine according to the booklet, and it worked very well when he used it. The Duke of Yan was in Shu at the time and summoned Mou Yubin, bestowed robes and a headdress on him, and changed his name to “Yubin.” The booklet contained only this one recipe and no other writing. The recipe itself was never passed down afterward.

Yu Manchuan was a court musician in Chengdu. Near his home was a lane with little water, where an old man had for many years carried water to several households.

On the third day of the third lunar month, Yu went to the Zhenzhen Monastery on Xueshe Mountain for the Silkworm Fair, a spring market. There he met the old water seller and struck up a conversation. The old man said he lived nearby, then invited Yu to walk around the fair with him. After the market closed, he invited Yu to visit his home.

They followed a road lined with orange trees and bamboo, crossed streams and ditches, and walked about ten li before reaching a residence. Pavilions and halls stood throughout the grounds, crowded with people; the furnishings and paintings were like those in a Daoist monastery. The old man led Yu to a large kitchen, where many people were gathered. In the blink of an eye, Yu could no longer find him. When he asked the others, he learned that Ge Suo had transformed himself into one of the people in the kitchen. Ge Suo said that the next day was the Silkworm Fair, and that they were preparing a grand Zhaijiao, a Daoist ritual of purification and prayer. In a moment, ten days had passed. After that, the old water seller was never seen again.

Celestial Master Hou

Celestial Master Hou was from Mutou Market in Jiulong. At the Silkworm Fair, where Ge Suo had manifested, he accidentally damaged the bundle of clothes belonging to a visiting Daoist and was greatly alarmed. The Daoist, however, took no offense. He gave Hou a talisman and said, “If you draw talismans and registers according to this method, you can treat all kinds of illness. This will be enough to provide you with food and clothing for life.” Hou followed his instructions, and the talisman proved effective time and again. At first, people said it was a talisman bestowed by a Celestial Master; later, they came to call him “Celestial Master Hou.”

The Han Family’s Daughter

A young woman of the Han family lived in Luoxian County, among the local residents of Zhendu. After Liu Pi seized Chengdu Prefecture, imperial troops marched west to suppress him. As the soldiers were about to reach Zhendu Market, the people scattered and hid in the grass. The Han girl was then fifteen or sixteen years old. Her family was well off, but she was unaccustomed to walking long distances, so she took refuge in Zhendu Temple, the local Daoist temple, and entered a large room behind the main hall.

A temple attendant led her inside. She saw several young female Daoists playing chess beneath a window. The attendant then took her to meet an older female Daoist. The older woman said to her, “You are not used to being frightened. Just relax and watch the game.” Much later, they prepared a meal for the Han girl. After she had eaten, the Daoist said, “Her family is probably worried. We can let her go home.”

When the attendant escorted her home, three days had passed there. The Han family then had Zhendu Temple extensively repaired and its divine images solemnly adorned, to repay the female Daoists for their kindness.

Wang Jie, a successful candidate in the highest level of the civil service examinations, had read widely in the classics and studied the histories thoroughly. He pursued his studies with diligence, investigating questions the ancients had left unexplored and gaining insights earlier Confucian scholars had never reached. He wrote thirty volumes of Jiuguzi. He could identify and correct errors and shortcomings in the Six Classics and the histories. He also wrote The Two Bells and a work explaining analogies. In learning and judgment, he surpassed the ancients in some respects. He enjoyed drinking for his own pleasure and was not bound by worldly conventions. When the wine had worn off, he would often discuss principles with others and study literary composition, much like Liu Lan, who dared to criticize the ancients.

Later, Wang Jie fell ill after absorbing dew and inhaling the clouds and mists of the mountains. His illness persisted for years. Once, while traveling to a feast, he met a man carrying a staff and wearing a bamboo hat. The man had the bearing of a crane and an air of ancient refinement that set him apart from his companions. His name was Xidao. With a smile, he asked Wang Jie, “Young man, are you burdened by the ‘Three Sensations’? How did you become so thin?” Wang Jie denied it. Xidao said, “Your illness can be cured. I have already grasped the methods of the Dao and understand the techniques of refining in the furnace and cauldron. What illness could I fail to cure?” Wang Jie then bowed to him as his teacher and observed a three-day fast by the Zhang River. Xidao taught him this formula: “The essence of Wood is the celestial soul; the liquid of Metal is the earthly spirit. Kan and Li—the symbols of Water and Fire, Yin and Yang—move in a spaciousness that forms nothing. Metal and Wood each have their fixed measure; only when Qin and Jin join together is harmony achieved.”

Xidao said the practice would take effect in as little as sixty days, or as long as three years. He also composed a song: “When the faint earthly spirit enters the celestial soul, Yin and Yang unite. When Yang Qi is warm and harmonious and Yin Qi nourishes, the troubles of spirits and ghosts vanish. Praise in a thousand songs would never be enough; from ancient times to the present, even the sun and moon have been subject to its power.” Wang Jie followed the formula and took the prescribed substances. After a year, his illness gradually healed.

After that, Wang Jie lived in seclusion, presenting himself as a wild and eccentric man while moving among ordinary people. He lived to the age of eighty. He was known along the road at Peng Mountain and later spent time in Chengdu, often staying in Lewen County. At the time, fierce beasts posed a serious threat. Wang Jie would get drunk and sleep outdoors among the grass and trees without fear. People believed he might shed his mortal body like a cicada leaving its shell and attain the Dao as an immortal.

He lived in the city of Lewen County. At the time, fierce beasts gathered in packs and caused especially severe harm. After drinking, he would sleep among the wild grasses or lie naked in the woods without the slightest fear, as though he regarded himself as someone who had shed his mortal body like a cicada’s cast skin and attained the Dao to become an immortal.

Wang Congji

Wang Congji was a eunuch. When the King of Shu first took charge of the region, Lizhou and Yazhou came under the jurisdiction of the Yongping Army, and Wang Congji served as its supervisory military commissioner. Later, the Shu army recaptured Chengdu, the military command was abolished, and prefectures and counties were established in its place. Wang Congji lived in Shu for more than ten years. Though poor, he enjoyed doing good deeds and had no fixed home.

One day, he met an old man at the market. Looking at him, the old man said, “You will face a great calamity and find yourself in a place of death.” He took a small gourd from his robe and gave Wang Congji fourteen grains of cinnabar. “Take these,” he said. “In ten days, a beard will grow. Do not be surprised; this will help you escape calamity.”

After taking them for three or five days, Wang Congji did indeed grow a beard. A little over a month later, Shao ordered the eunuchs to be executed, and Wang Congji was among those marked for death. Someone urged him to flee, but he replied, “How can one evade the orders of one’s ruler and father?” He bowed his head and awaited his fate. The prefect took pity on him and petitioned the King of Shu to grant him a special pardon. Seeing that Wang Congji’s appearance had changed and that he no longer looked like a eunuch, the king spared him.

Cui Xuanliang

Cui Xuanliang was from Xingyang. His family had revered Daoism for generations, diligently burning incense and making offerings, and often reciting the Huangting Jing and the Daode Jing. During the Baoli era, he became prefect of Huzhou and presided over a Huanglu Zhai at the Purple Ultimate Palace, a Daoist purification ritual performed to pray for blessings and avert calamity.

Three hundred and sixty-five cranes descended upon the ritual altar. One stood atop the Xu Huang Terrace, the raised platform on the altar. Its entire body was snow white, with only the crown of its head vermilion. Purple Qi enveloped the whole altar from the hour of Chen, roughly seven to nine in the morning, until the hour of You, roughly five to seven in the evening, when it finally dispersed.

Bai Juyi, Prefect of Hangzhou, composed this eulogy:

“A bird came flying from the northwest. Its vermilion crown gleamed like a spark of fire, and its white feathers spread like snow. It crossed the Liao River, yet did not pass Mount Wei. Ah, why did it come to Hao Xing Commandery?

“During the Baoli era, at the time of the Three Origins retreat, it descended in broad daylight with purple clouds, circling above the ritual altar alongside another three hundred and sixty cranes. It reached upward to the mysterious realm and downward to the ranks of the immortals. Who, then, dwells upon this altar?”

From then on, Prefect Cui Xuanliang felt a spiritual affinity with the miraculous and became even more devout. One day, as he recited the Huangting Jing in his quiet chamber, an extraordinary fragrance filled the room. He then passed away without illness. When he was buried, his coffin was so light that it seemed to contain nothing but empty clothes.

Cui Xuanliang’s son held a staff position in Jinling, but later resigned and went to live on Mount Mao. He found contentment in nothing more than playing the qin and drinking wine, and eventually departed this bodily life as well. It is said that the Prefect of Huzhou often recited the Huangting Jing and the Duren Jing. While reciting in his quiet chamber, he held an incense burner in his hand and suddenly vanished. He was buried at Rongyang; only the incense burner and his ritual robe, the ceremonial garment worn by Daoist priests, remained in the coffin.

Daoist Qian was from Lin’an in Hangzhou. He began his career as a low-ranking military clerk, serving the governor Linghu Xun, and later followed him to the capital. At the time, the court sent General Han Chong of the Imperial Guard, bearing an imperial tally, on a mission to Yunnan. The presented scholar Yuan Xun served as deputy envoy, and Daoist Qian accompanied him.

Yuan Xun was devoted to burning incense and cultivating the Dao. When they reached Chengdu, they came upon a Yellow Register ritual being held at Yuju Monastery, a Daoist Zhaijiao purification rite performed to pray for blessings and avert calamities. Yuan Xun stayed overnight at the monastery to take part in the liturgy, and Daoist Qian went with him. After the ritual’s altar-sealing ceremony ended, a Daoist suddenly appeared. He held a precious sword and a bowl of water, wore purple robes and a tall crown, and stood seven or eight feet tall. He walked around the outside of the ritual ground and followed the covered walkway to Daoist Qian. Using a ladle made of locust wood, he scooped up water and gave it to him to drink. The water was very sweet. Daoist Qian took several sips, and the Daoist then departed.

From that time on, Daoist Qian no longer ate, and his appearance grew clearer and more joyful day by day. Astonished, Yuan Xun provided him with a Daoist crown and a brown robe so that he could enter the Dao and cultivate. During the Qianfu era, he was still seen traveling to and from the capital; later, his whereabouts became unknown.

Linghu Xuan was the son of Linghu Xun, the governor of Yuhang. He had long revered the mysterious Dao and cared little for a career in government or worldly renown. At his private residence in Kaihua, he built a quiet chamber. Every three or five days, he would enter, close the door, burn incense, and sit in stillness until evening.

At that time, immortals were said to descend. Strange mists and fragrances often appeared in his courtyard, sometimes seen and smelled by others. Linghu Xuan said that while entering stillness, he had once been led by a green-robed attendant of the immortals up a high mountain in heaven, where he paid a visit to the Venerable Lord Lao, Taishang Laojun. He saw the celestial court appoint Zhang Tianshi, Zhang Daoling, as the “Great Master of the Mysterious Center,” succeeding Perfected Yin in that office.

At first, Perfected Yin and the Three Heavens, honored deities in the Daoist pantheon, discussed their merits before Taishang Laojun. The Venerable Lord Lao said, “The various Hu peoples invaded and harassed the Central Plains, gradually encroaching upon the lands of Hua and Xia. Perfected Yin failed to stop them; this was his fault. Daoling established the Twenty-Four Administrative Districts, the early Daoist parishes founded by Zhang Daoling, distinguishing the human realm from the realm of ghosts and spirits and bringing blessings to the people. This was Daoling’s merit.”

The Venerable Lord Lao judged that both men’s merits and faults should be examined on a platform and verified by the Great Dao. He ordered Perfected Yin to ascend a lotus platform and sit upright in meditation. Before long, the scene around him grew dim and indistinct. He then ordered Zhang Daoling to ascend the platform. After Zhang had sat there for a long time, strange colors and beams of light appeared above it. The scene shifted through many transformations, as though the human and celestial realms had joined. From then on, Zhang Daoling succeeded Perfected Yin as the Great Master of the Mysterious Center.

In the year Yiyiwei, the author heard Linghu Xuan recount this story. In the year Dingyou, the author met the Daoist Zhang in Mengyang, Xichuan. Zhang said that the Celestial Master had once descended to transmit the Daoist teachings and was revered by people near and far. He also told of the Celestial Master’s descent to teach, saying that the Celestial Master had risen to become the Great Master of the Mysterious Center. What Zhang said matched Linghu Xuan’s account exactly, including the story of the two men’s merits being tested on the platform.

The workings of the mysterious Dao are profound and hard to fathom, and cannot be verified in detail. I record this strange event for now.

Li Quan

Li Quan, styled the Master of Broad Vision, lived on Mount Shaoshi. He was devoted to the ways of the immortals and often traveled among famous mountains, gathering methods of occult arts and Daoist practices. When he came to Tiger’s Mouth Cliff on Mount Song, he found the Yellow Emperor’s Scripture of the Hidden Talisman, a Daoist classic. The scripture was written on silk, fitted with a vermilion-lacquered roller, and sealed in a jade casket. Its inscription read: “Seventh day of the seventh month, first year of the Great Wei True Lord.” The Shangqing Daoist Kou Qianzhi had hidden it in a famous mountain, intending to pass it on to someone who shared his aspirations. The scripture was already damaged and decayed. Li Quan copied it out and read it thousands of times, yet never understood its meaning.

Later, Li Quan entered the Qin region and came to the foot of Mount Li, where he met an old woman. She wore her hair coiled atop her head, with the rest hanging loose, and was dressed in ragged clothes. Leaning on a staff, she had an extraordinary bearing. Beside the road stood a tree scorched by a past fire. Seeing it, the old woman said, “Fire arises from within wood. Once disaster breaks out, it is bound to cause harm.” Li Quan was astonished. “Those are words from the Yellow Emperor’s Scripture of the Hidden Talisman. How do you know them?” The old woman replied, “I obtained this talismanic scripture three Yuan and six cycles of sixty years ago—a span of great antiquity. Young man, where did you find it?”

Li Quan bowed twice in respect and told her in detail how he had come by the scripture. The old woman said, “Young man, your features reveal the foundation that leads to the Gate of Life, and your destiny accords with the sun-shaped mark on your forehead. Your Jing, Qi, and Shen have not weakened, and your thoughts are free of deviation. You are wise, eager to learn the arts, courageous, and fond of reflection. You are indeed my disciple. But at the age of forty-five, you will face a great calamity.” She took out a sheet of talismanic writing in vermilion ink, threaded it onto the top of her staff, and had Li Quan kneel and swallow it, saying, “May Heaven and Earth protect us.” Then she sat on a rock and explained the meaning of the Scripture of the Hidden Talisman.

The old woman said, “This talismanic scripture contains three hundred characters: one hundred explain its principles, one hundred describe its laws, and one hundred set out its arts and calculations. The upper section teaches immortals the way of guarding the One; the middle section describes how to govern the state and bring peace to the people; the lower section gives strategies for strengthening the army and winning victory. All of this arises from inward reflection and accords with human affairs in the world. As for its subtlety, even the Scripture of the Yellow Court and the Scripture of the Eight Radiances cannot be called profound by comparison. As for its central teachings, the Confucian classics and commentaries, along with the histories and writings of the various schools, cannot match its meaning. And in the skillful use of its ingenuity and wisdom, even Sun Wu, Wu Qi, Han Xin, and Bai Qi are not remarkable by comparison.

“Those who have not attained the Dao must not be allowed to hear these teachings. Thus, the Perfected One who uses them attains the Dao; the noble person who uses them gains their techniques; but the ordinary person who uses them brings calamity upon himself. This is because people differ in insight and natural endowment. If you are to pass this scripture on to someone who shares your aspirations, you must first purify yourself through fasting and cleanliness. Whoever possesses a copy of the scripture is the teacher; whoever does not is the disciple. Do not esteem someone because they are rich and powerful, nor look down on them because they are poor and lowly. Anyone who violates this rule will lose twenty years of life. Reciting the scripture seven times on your own birth day will increase your wisdom and lengthen your life. Copying it once each year on the seventh day of the seventh month and hiding it in a stone cavern in a famous mountain will add to your years.”

After a while, the old woman said, “It is getting late. I have some boiled wheat; let us eat together.” She took a gourd from her sleeve and asked Li Quan to fetch water from the valley. Once filled, the gourd suddenly weighed more than a hundred jin, and Li Quan could not hold it; it sank into the spring. When he returned with water, the old woman had vanished. Only several sheng of boiled wheat remained. Li Quan ate it and from then on gave up ordinary food.

During the Kaiyuan era, Li Quan served as deputy military commissioner of Jiangling and Censor-in-Chief. He was skilled in military strategy and wrote ten volumes of the Tai Bai Yin Jing and ten volumes of the Zhongtai Zhi, which discussed methods of mutual advantage. At the time, Li Linfu pushed him aside, and he never rose to high office. Later, he went into the famous mountains in search of Daoist arts, and after that his whereabouts were unknown.

Deng Lao lived near the Yangtze River in Suizhou, close to the Tongquan border. He owned a manor with several thousand mu of farmland, on which stood an ancient Daoist temple. Warfare continued without pause, the people were scattered and struggled to make a living, and even the fertile fields had gone to waste, overgrown with weeds. Epidemics continued to break out.

One day, Deng Lao was walking through the temple when he saw scripture books scattered across the floor. He hurried to gather and put them away. Suddenly, an old man appeared before him and said, “This is the Old Lord’s Scripture Kept Beneath the Pillow. If you recite it diligently, you can receive blessings and remain unharmed by calamities.” Deng Lao listened respectfully and picked up the small scripture the old man pointed out. When he had finished gathering the books, the old man had vanished.

After that, Deng Lao recited the Scripture Kept Beneath the Pillow day and night, eventually repeating it several thousand times. Within a year or two, his family’s circumstances improved, and they had enough to live on. Even when warfare broke out, he remained calm and unafraid.

Kang Gong of Chengdu once visited Deng Lao’s home and received the scripture from him, then devoted himself to reciting it. At the time, the city was besieged on all sides, and many people died. Kang Gong’s household had more than ten people and had stored no provisions, yet they all remained safe and ultimately escaped the disaster. To this day, the elders and younger members of Kang Gong’s family still often recite and uphold the scripture.

Yang Chu was from Chengdu and came from a wealthy family, living in a gold and silver shop in Shushi. He served his parents with great filial devotion, and his character was praised by relatives and friends. Once, while visiting the Daoist temple dedicated to Ge Xian, he obtained a portrait of the Perfected Luo Gongyuan, an honored title for a highly accomplished Daoist practitioner. Every morning and evening, he offered incense and lit a lamp before it.

Several years later, the King of Shu took control of Chengdu and had layer upon layer of city gates built. This left both the government and the people short of money. The Yang family gave all they had, contributing seven hundred thousand cash coins toward military expenses, but this covered only half the sum. One night, officials pressed them urgently for payment. Yang Chu worried that his elderly mother would become anxious, so he did not dare tell her.

Suddenly, a countryman came and asked him, “The officials are demanding the money so urgently. How do you plan to manage?” Yang Chu told him of his predicament. The man told him to find some pig iron and charcoal, then stayed the night at his house. He put the iron and charcoal into a furnace and worked them there while the two of them drank together. Late that night, he left Yang Chu some pills and said, “Use half this gold to pay what you owe the government, and the other half to replenish your household wealth. I am the Perfected Luo of Mount Qingcheng. We will meet at Mount Qingcheng. Take this pill, and you will be able to see me there.” With that, he departed.

Yang Chu looked into the furnace and found that the iron had turned into gold. He used the gold to pay the military expenses in full, and afterward his household could prepare abundant food each day for his mother. One day, he swallowed a pill and went straight to Mount Qingcheng. When he returned home, he brought a pill for his mother as well. Though she was elderly, after taking it her hair turned black, and within six months her appearance had grown young again.

Liu Yanguang was from Lubi Granary in Jinling. He once held an office in western Zhejiang and served the military governor Tang Ruoshan. Tang was fond of Daoist arts. He and his younger brother, Tang Ruoshui, had both encountered immortals and received from them essential instructions for cultivating the Dao.

During the Kaiyuan era, Tang Ruoshan received special favor from Emperor Ming of Tang and was appointed military governor of western Zhejiang. A little over a year later, he resigned, set sail, and left a memorial to the throne on board, to be presented to the emperor before his death. The supervising commissioner reported the matter to the court. The emperor then ordered Tang Ruoshui to search for Tang Ruoshan among the immortal mountains around Jiangling, but no one ever learned where he had gone.

Ten years later, Liu Yanguang was sent on a mission to Yangzhou and encountered Tang Ruoshan at the fish market. Tang was selling fish beneath the eaves of a house. He invited Liu to his home. The doorway and lane were very narrow, and the dew lay thick on a path overgrown with weeds, barely wide enough for one person to pass. Once inside, however, the ground gradually grew level. The courtyard was paved with bricks and stone, and flowers and trees flourished; its towers, terraces, pavilions, and halls were splendidly decorated, as though they belonged to a realm beyond the human world.

Tang Ruoshan invited Liu Yanguang to sit and eat. Learning that Liu still owed money to the government and that his household had been reduced to poverty, he looked at him with compassion. He then told Liu to prepare cast iron and charcoal at the inn where he was staying. That night, Tang came to the inn, placed the charcoal and iron in a blazing fire, and then left. He told Liu, “Your descendants are destined to encounter the Dao in the immortal mountains; they are not suited to serving as ordinary minor officials. It will be enough for them to remain content with a simple life and live in seclusion in the countryside. Take one third of this gold to repay your debts to the government, and use the rest to enlarge your household estate. Do not eat rare delicacies; this will increase your good fortune and emoluments. Do not wear fine clothes; this will increase your blessings. Secretly practice good deeds, help others, and do all you can to relieve their urgent hardships: these are precisely what the Dao values. You should study the supreme scripture for guiding people to liberation, the Wondrous Scripture of the Five Thousand Words, and diligently put it into practice.”

After receiving the gold, Liu Yanguang repaid his government debt as Tang had instructed and established his household estate in Lubi. He lived to the age of eighty or ninety. His grandson Song later entered the Dao and cultivated the Way at Mount Tiantai.

Feng, the Venerable Master

Venerable Master Feng’s place of origin is unknown. At first, he was still a wandering practitioner. He came to the old temple residence of Celestial Master Ye on Maoyou Mountain in Songyang County, Chuzhou, and stayed there for several months. Then he informed his master that he wished to receive ordination and become a Daoist priest, and said that he was willing to remain on Maoyou Mountain to cultivate the Dao. His master agreed.

After his master left, Venerable Master Feng lived alone in the mountains. He sold his clothes to buy materials for building a thatched hut. As soon as it was finished, a mountain fire burned it down. He then went from house to house in the surrounding villages asking for bamboo and timber, and rebuilt it just as before. Once again, the hut was burned down after it was completed. He then lived beneath a rock for several months. During this time, strange beings repeatedly came to test him, trying to make him abandon his resolve to cultivate the Dao, but he resisted them all. Celestial Master Ye then descended and gave him a white pill about the size of a pea, saying, “A great epidemic will break out this year. You can use this pill to save people: one pill will stop illness throughout an entire household.”

Venerable Master Feng used one dou of the pills to treat the epidemic, saving many people. The local people then donated money, timber, and labor to build a temple hall, a bell tower, an altar for purification rituals, covered corridors, and other structures at the mountain’s summit. Within a year, all the necessary buildings and facilities had been completed.

When Vice Director Chen Ru of Quzhou fell ill, he sent someone to summon Venerable Master Feng to treat him. Venerable Master Feng did not go, and he also refused the generous gifts sent by the Chen family. Chen Ru eventually died. His younger brother, who oversaw the affairs of the prefecture, provided funds to help build a Daoist temple and accumulate merit.

Later, when the Zhongyuan Festival arrived, Venerable Master Feng invited more than twenty Daoist priests to establish a Yellow Register altar—a Zhaijiao rite held by Daoists to pray for blessings, avert calamities, and deliver the dead—and conduct ceremonies for fifteen nights in succession. The bright moon shone as if it were daylight, and not a wisp of cloud appeared in the sky. Suddenly, a cold wind rose and thunder crashed. In the midst of the rites at the altar, Venerable Master Feng abruptly disappeared. A strange fragrance filled the mountains, and everyone was astonished.

After a while, Venerable Master Feng returned and said, “Just now, the Celestial Master and the Zhang Celestial Master of the Three Heavens descended together and bestowed on me a divine sword. They told me to cultivate the Dao in the mountains for now. When an edict comes in the future, I am to emerge into the world to aid the people, using this sword to assist the state.” The people inspected the offerings from before the rites and indeed found a sword more than three feet long, along with a sheet of paper four or five feet long and three feet wide. Its appearance was much like ordinary paper, but its length and width were so unusual that it seemed beyond the ability of human artisans to make.

When Governor Lu, the Minister of State, heard about the divine sword, he set up a Yellow Register altar in the main hall and asked Venerable Master Feng and the other Daoist priests to escort the sword into the prefectural city in a brightly decorated carriage. When they were still two or three hundred paces from the city gate, the sword suddenly shot up like lightning and flew straight into the center of the altar, where it remained for a long time. Minister Lu wanted to report the matter to the military commissioner. Venerable Master Feng said, “The Celestial Master said that when the time comes to assist the state, the command will come from the Most High. The time has not yet come, so I cannot emerge into the world rashly.” Minister Lu agreed that his reasoning was sound. The divine sword remains on Maoyou Mountain to this day.

In the past, Celestial Master Ye had once told someone, “One hundred and sixty years from now, a person whose Daoist arts surpass mine will come to live on this mountain.” Venerable Master Feng has now indeed fulfilled his words.

Song Wencai was from Pengshan County in Meizhou. At first, he went on an excursion to Mount Emei with several people from his home district. They had already reached the summit when he happened to lose the headscarf he had brought with him, so he retraced his steps to look for it. Gradually falling behind his companions, he saw an old man and followed him at an unhurried pace. The road all along was broad and level, with unusual flowers and trees growing at its sides. After several hundred steps, they came to a palace: its steps were paved with jade, its halls built of fine jade, and its towers wreathed in clouds and mist. The scene was unlike anything to be found in the human world.

The old man led him up to the Terrace of Pearl and Medicinal Herbs, where they looked out over the surrounding peaks. The mountains were arrayed across the earth like pieces on a board. Daoists were playing chess, young attendants in blue were gathering herbs, clear streams rushed over rocks, and cranes soared through the sky. Wencai asked the old man in astonishment, “Where are we?” The old man replied, “This is a small grotto in a famous mountain. Among the thirty-six heavens, this is the Emei Grotto Heaven, the twenty-third heaven where Perfected Immortals dwell.”

Just as the two were about to bow and take their seats, someone repeatedly called Wencai by name. The old man said, “Your companions are looking for you. You cannot stay long; perhaps you can return another time.” He instructed a young attendant to escort Wencai to the gate, where he could rejoin his companions. When Wencai looked back, the immortal palace had vanished.

His companions said, “We were separated half a month ago. We searched for you every day, and only today have we found you again.” Wencai then recounted in detail the extraordinary sights he had encountered.

Liu Jing of Pengcheng, in the area of present-day Xuzhou, Jiangsu, traveled to Mount Jinhua in search of people who had cultivated the Dao and attained the truth. Halfway up the mountain, he felt that the scenery before him was unlike anything ordinary: the mountains and rivers were exceptionally beautiful. A grand gate and pavilion rose into the clouds. Inside the gate, pools on either side were clear, and trees stood in lush rows like pieces on a chessboard. Soft vines hung low, bearing pear-shaped fruit whose fragrance filled the air.

Liu Jing looked around but saw no one. He reached out and picked some fruit, putting it in his robe and sleeves. Before he had a chance to eat any, several foxlike beasts suddenly came rushing out, barking furiously and scrambling to bite him. In a panic, Liu Jing looked around, but could find no roof tiles or stones to throw. He could only take out the fruit he had picked and hurl it at them. When the fruit was gone, the beasts left as well.

He turned back to look at the palace and pavilions he had just seen, but before his eyes there was now only a mountain ravine overgrown with weeds and brush. Seng Xiu was on friendly terms with Liu Jing and once heard him tell this story.

End of juan one of Records of Encounters with Immortals.

End of Volume One of Accounts of Encounters with Immortals.

Collation notes:

1. “Opposite chamber” is written as “Daoist chamber” in the Yunji Qiqian.

2. “Lei Wu” is written as “King Lei” in the Yunji Qiqian.

3. This sentence is written as “causing a single clap of thunder” in the Yunji Qiqian.

4. “Ten days” is written as “three days” in the Yunji Qiqian.

5. The Yunji Qiqian reads “Jinshi Wang Jie.”

6. This sentence is written as “the two kinds of texts that exist” in the Yunji Qiqian.

7. “Banquet” is written as “swallow” in the Yunji Qiqian.

8. “If” is written as “bitter” in the Yunji Qiqian.

9. “Realize” is written as “make” in the Yunji Qiqian.

10. This sentence omits the word “of” in the Yunji Qiqian.

11. This sentence is written as “Neither leniency nor severity succeeds” in the Yunji Qiqian.

12. This sentence is written as “From ancient times to the present, cast aside the sun and moon” in the Yunji Qiqian.

13. “With” is written as “also” in the Yunji Qiqian.

14. “One year” is written as “two years” in the Yunji Qiqian.

15. “Calculate” is also written as “calculate” in the Yunji Qiqian.

16. This sentence is written as “He also composed the ten-volume Zhongtai zhi” in the Yunji Qiqian.

17. The Yunji Qiqian version omits the word “pearl.”

Accounts of Encounters with Immortals, Volume Two

Compiled by Master Guangcheng, Du Guangting

Pengqiu

Peng Qiu, courtesy name Bojian, was from Beihai. During the Taishi era of the Jin dynasty, he went to gather firewood on Jade Maiden Mountain, west of Beiqiu. Suddenly, he caught a strange fragrance and followed it against the wind to find its source. The mountainside opened wide before him, revealing palaces and towers, spacious and lofty.

Peng Qiu went inside and peered around. He saw five jade trees. Farther ahead, in the hall, four immortals were playing a board game. When they saw him, they rose in surprise and asked, “Lord Peng, why have you come here?” He replied, “I followed the fragrance.” The immortals then resumed their game as before.

One of the younger immortals went upstairs, laughing and playing the qin as she said, “Yuanhui, why are you the only one who has gone upstairs?” Peng Qiu leaned against a tree for a while. When he felt hungry, he licked the dew from its leaves. Before long, an immortal arrived riding a crane and said, “Yuhua, why have you let this mortal stay here? The Queen Mother of the West is about to inspect the immortals’ dwellings with Wang Fangping. Hurry and send him away.”

Frightened, Peng Qiu went out through the gate. When he looked back, the immortal realm had suddenly vanished. By the time he returned home, it was already the Jianping era. After hearing his story, the local elders told him that the area around his former home had all become wasteland and burial grounds. Peng Qiu then traveled once more through famous mountains in search of the Dao, and never returned.

Wang Kejiao

Wang Kejiao was from Kunshan, Suzhou. He had been a farmer and knew nothing of Daoist arts. From childhood, five-colored rays of light often rose from his eyes…

Wang Kejiao was from Kunshan, Suzhou. He was originally an ordinary farmer and had never known anything about cultivating the Dao. When he was a few years old, five-colored light once shone from his eyes. It grew brighter at night, and even in a dark room he could see objects clearly. Someone told his relatives and friends, “This is an illness. When the light disappears, he will go blind.” His parents, not understanding the matter, had an inept doctor treat him with moxibustion, and the light in his eyes vanished.

In the eleventh month of the tenth year of the Xiantong era (869 CE), Kejiao was returning from the market. As he passed by the river, he saw a large boat decorated with gold, pearls, and kingfisher feathers. Music was playing aboard as its passengers enjoyed themselves. He stood watching. When the boat drew up to the bank, a young attendant in blue robes led him aboard. He saw more than ten people wearing tall crowns and feathered robes, their garments patterned with brilliant scenes like clouds, rosy skies, and mountains and rivers. Each held a musical instrument. One of them sang, “Uncle Wang San wants to see you.” Kejiao did not know who this person was. Another person beside him said, “He has the fine roots for becoming an immortal, but fire has harmed him. He must not be given wine yet. Only after ten years without food might he attain the Dao.” That person gave him a chestnut to eat. Kejiao ate half and kept the other half in his hand. Then everyone played music and drank wine, and the attendant led him back off the boat.

In a daze, as if in a dream, he had scarcely set foot on the ground before he found himself beneath Waterfall Cliff on Mount Tiantai. In an instant, he had crossed a thousand li of land and water. Yuan Cong, the governor of Taizhou, suspected the story was false and sent an official inquiry to verify Kejiao’s hometown. By the time Kejiao arrived at Mount Tiantai, twenty days had passed since his disappearance. From then on, Kejiao ate nothing, yet his appearance remained bright and healthy. Lord Yuan gave him a feathered robe and a coarse cloth Daoist robe, and arranged for him to live at Ziji Palace, a Daoist temple.

Wang Feng, Censor-in-Chief and Investigating Inspector of Yuezhou, submitted a report stating: “At first, he only journeyed in spirit and heard the heavenly music of the Shao; soon he came to his senses and realized that thirty days had passed in the human world. Although ten years were set as the term, I fear he may suddenly ascend and depart one day.” An edict replied: “The deeds of immortals are all recorded in the classical texts. These wondrous events are worthy of praise; on close examination, he is indeed no ordinary person. Besides, he is dwelling on a famous mountain, where conditions have been much the same since ancient times. How far away, after all, are Penglai and Yingzhou? Let the local authorities care for him attentively and allow him to live in seclusion and cultivate the Dao as he wishes.” The authorities therefore let him live and rest as he pleased. Several years later, he was still in the Jiangnan region.

Chen Jian was a minor official in Jinhua County, Zizhou. One morning, he arrived at the county office before the city gates had opened and paced outside as he waited. Suddenly, he met a Daoist who was walking quickly and glanced back at him. Without realizing it, Chen Jian followed him for several miles until they reached a Daoist temple. Its halls were tall and secluded, and a great mountain rose beside it.

The Daoist led Chen Jian into a dim room furnished with a desk, brushes, ink, and other things. He took out a roll of yellow silk and more than ten sheets of paper and handed them to Chen Jian. “You seem skilled at writing,” he said. “Copy these for me.” Chen Jian opened them and saw that every page was covered in ancient seal script, a form of writing used in antiquity. He had never studied seal script and felt at a loss. The Daoist had already left, and Chen Jian had no way to refuse, so he tried copying the characters as he saw them. To his surprise, the work came easily, and he finished in half a day.

The Daoist brought him a cup of broth and said, “This is the Divine Elixir of Jinhua. It is not easily obtained. Drink it, and your life span will have no end.” The broth tasted wonderfully sweet. The Daoist thanked Chen Jian and saw him off, saying, “When the world grows troubled, come here again. This is the Grotto-Heaven of Jinhua, an immortal realm in Daoist legend.” As soon as Chen Jian stepped outside, he felt as if he had just awakened from a dream and discovered that three days had passed.

After returning home, Chen Jian began studying seal script. His brushwork became forceful and far surpassed his former skill. From then on, he no longer ate. At the time, the prefect Xian Zi was preparing to receive a Daoist register through an ordination ritual. He found the matter extraordinary and took it as an auspicious sign sent by the immortals. In a county document, he wrote: “We are now about to transmit the secret registers, and this auspicious sign has appeared. It clearly reveals the path to understanding the Great Dao and is indeed a portent of attaining the Dao and becoming perfected.” Later, Chen Jian withdrew into Jinhua Mountain and disappeared, though at times he would return to the prefecture.

Shao Tu was a native of Yuyao. He entered government service after being selected through the Filial and Incorrupt examination, and once served in the Jiangshu Office of Judicial Records, acting as county magistrate. In his later years, he grasped the Daoist methods and received Fulu (talismans and registers) on Mount Tiantai, becoming a Daoist. He later changed his name to Zheng Tu. He served his master with great reverence, even surpassing the devotion he showed his own relatives. He lived in the former residence of Celestial Master Ye, beneath Mount Siming.

His younger brother, Dewen, was well versed in Confucian learning but did not understand the subtle truths of the Dao. Shao Tu was close to Jin Shao, a Daoist elder on Mount Siming, and regarded him as an older brother, yet for more than ten years he never visited him. One day, he packed his things and set out to see Jin Shao on the mountain. On the way, he met three Daoists carrying baskets and gathering vegetables. They told him, “There will soon be warfare in the mountains. The regions around the rivers and lakes will fall into turmoil, and grain prices will soar. It will not be a fit place to live. Since you are devoted to the Dao, you should travel far away as soon as possible to escape disaster.” Shao Tu saw that their baskets held things like lingzhi, mushrooms, and medicinal herbs, so he asked no further questions. When they had finished speaking, the three went up the mountain.

His companions noticed that Shao Tu had fallen behind. When he caught up with them, he slowly told them what had happened. The steepest part of the mountain was called Dalan Yang’e. It could be reached only by a narrow path that climbed along the ridge; there was no other way. Shao Tu said he had met and walked with the three men, but none of his companions had seen them.

That evening, Shao Tu stayed at Jin Shao’s home. At daybreak, he returned to his own residence. He discussed the Dao with a friend late into the night. As dawn approached, dressed in Daoist robes and holding a ritual tablet, he knelt upright and transformed. A ritual tablet is an implement held by Daoists during ceremonies. He listed, item by item, the books and clothing kept in his home, then sealed them away. When the seal was opened, the belongings had already been distributed among his old friends and relatives, with each person provided for.

His younger brother, bound by Confucian ritual conventions, wept in grief and took a long time to recover. Shao Tu awoke and said to him, “I have only attained the Dao; I have not died. Why are you so sorrowful?” After saying this, he peacefully transformed once more.

That year, warfare gradually broke out. From then on, battles raged throughout the Central Plains, and famine struck both near and distant regions, largely as Shao Tu had predicted.

Shao Tu had held a ritual tablet and knelt upright when he transformed, but his younger brother claimed that he had transformed while seated, and so straightened his legs and sat him upright. The person who recorded this account considered the matter regrettable, believing that the younger brother was so constrained by worldly ritual conventions that he could not understand the truth.

Wu Pan’s country estate stood at the foot of Bian Mountain in Huzhou. Nearby was a small mound of earth and stone, three or four zhang high and only a few paces around. A huge boulder lay slanted across its top. One day, Wu Pan happened to have some people pull at the boulder with a long rope. It suddenly shifted, revealing a deep stone cave beneath it, brightly lit inside.

Wu Pan had a servant tie on a rope and descend to investigate. The servant saw more than ten urns arranged in neat rows along both walls of the cave. The water in the middle was blood-red. There were also several small vessels in the cave, neither quite copper nor quite gold, gleaming brightly and decorated with exquisite carvings that seemed beyond human skill to make. The cave grew deeper the farther in the servant went. Afraid, he turned back. He took the smallest vessel, hoping to show it to people outside, but once he emerged, it had vanished. The group then covered the opening again with the boulder.

Later, someone found a copper urn in the nearby woods. It could hold six or seven dou of water, and it too was filled with red water. Someone poured the water into a stream; a few days later, the entire stream had turned red. An old woman also found a patterned stone that shone brightly. It accidentally fell into a fire and gave off an unusual fragrance that could be smelled far away. Knowing it was no ordinary stone, the old woman kept it. Whenever she put it into the fire, it gave off the same fragrance as before, but eventually the stone disappeared.

At the time, a local villager had obtained a prophecy saying that at the foot of Bian Mountain there was fragrance worth a whole city and medicine for immortality. The scent from the old woman’s stone and the ten urns of red water discovered by Wu Pan fulfilled the prophecy exactly.

Wang Sheng

Only the two characters “Wang Sheng” appear here; there is no account of Wang Sheng.

Wang Sheng once traveled through Wucheng in Huzhou. Passing beneath Mount Jinzi, he came upon a stone gate standing wide open and walked inside. Beyond it, houses stood in neat rows, wells were laid out in an orderly pattern like a chessboard, and famous flowers and unusual trees grew everywhere. The scene seemed to lie beyond the human world. The residents wore crowns adorned with rosy clouds and feathered robes. Their bearing was ancient and otherworldly, like that of immortals.

After exploring these wondrous sights, Wang Sheng longed to stay and live there. He wrote a poem, then later returned to search for the place. But when he reached Mount Jinzi, he saw only towering, sheer cliffs and could find no trace of that immortal realm.

During the Xiantong era of Emperor Yizong of the Tang dynasty, a traveler from Jinting set out from Jinting Road in Keqi, heading over the mountain ridges toward Mingzhou. After walking twenty or thirty li, he suddenly lost his way and could only press on in a daze. Evening was approaching, and he had no idea where he might spend the night.

Just then, he met a Daoist carrying a hoe and asked him for directions. The Daoist said, “There are no homes nearby, and nowhere to stay. If you don’t mind the humble surroundings, you can spend the night in my home.” He led the traveler inside. A secluded path wound through the woods, and the valley was quiet and remote. The traveler rested for a while. Much later, the Daoist cooked wild vegetables and medicinal herbs for him to eat.

Soon, someone knocked at the door. A young attendant came to report, “The Hidden Cloud Abbey has invited Master to attend a Zhaijiao (purification ritual) tomorrow.” Zhaijiao is a Daoist rite in which an altar is set up for offerings and prayers. At daybreak, the Daoist set out, telling the attendant to look after the guest.

The traveler asked how long the Hidden Cloud Abbey had been there and how far away it was. The attendant replied, “The abbey has been here since ancient times. It is five hundred li from here. It often lies hidden among the clouds, beyond the sight of ordinary people, which is why it is called the Hidden Cloud Abbey.” Astonished, the traveler said, “Five hundred li is so far. When will your Master return?” The attendant answered, “For Master, the journey there and back takes no more than a moment.”

Sure enough, the Daoist returned before long. He wanted the traveler to stay for several more days, but the traveler was longing for home and earnestly took his leave. The Daoist asked the attendant to guide him back along the way he had come. After walking two or three li, the traveler found that the place where he had stayed was gone. He later learned that three or four years had passed. Before long, he went back to look for the place and visit again, but he could never find it.

Fei Xuanzhen was a Daoist at Xing Tang Temple in Shuangliu County, Chengdu. Toward the end of the Dazhong era under Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, a Daoist who called himself “Haozi” came to stay at the temple. He lived there for more than a year, spending his days regulating his breath and abstaining from grains, though he sometimes drank wine. He was easygoing and at ease, with no particular ambitions.

One day, he suddenly said to Fei Xuanzhen, “I’d like to paint your portrait. May I?” Fei Xuanzhen smiled and replied, “If you want a portrait, you must first paint yourself.” Haozi did as he suggested. He picked up a mirror, dipped his brush in ink, and painted his own likeness by looking at his reflection. The features he painted were remarkably true to life, and he finished quickly. He then wrote an encomium and two poems to accompany the portrait and left them with Fei Xuanzhen. He seemed to compose them offhandedly, without deliberate thought.

The encomium reads: “I am Wuzi, of no great talent. I know the decree of Heaven and follow my nature. I prize stillness and simplicity, and cherish a life of poverty. I have crossed many mountain ranges, wandering freely alone. Though I have studied the Dao, I have yet to grasp its Great Way completely; I seek only to nourish my spirit. I make the mountains and rivers my home and keep my own shadow for company. I wear cloth robes tied with grass cord, a deerskin cap, and a gauze scarf. I eat pine nuts and drink spring water, traveling from Shu to Qin. The Great Way is distant and profound—who, then, is my teacher? I gaze upon the human world and long for that noble immortal dwelling high in the heavens. My mind is open, my thoughts never cease; I can only draw close to the elusive Dao.”

The first poem reads: “All day in my thatched hall, I inquire into the Way; the breeze often comes and goes as my companion. No worldly troubles disturb my ears; my heart is as leisurely and free as a cloud. When I drink wine, I think only of the moon; eating pine nuts, I never tire of mountain life. I often recite the Scripture of Inner Effulgence (Neijing Jing), a Daoist text on visualization and cultivating life; in this way, I naturally preserve a youthful appearance.”

The second poem reads: “With these companions in life, I have enough to see me through the days; white stones and green pines are my home. As I gaze at the moon, clouds beyond me come and go freely like wild deer. I often buy wine and drink myself drunk amid mist and rosy clouds.”

He also said: “I wander alone in stillness, upright and independent. I drink dew from magnolia blossoms and clothe myself in the feathers and fur shed by birds and beasts. I seek no profit from the human world, nor do I pursue fame and praise under Heaven. This is the life of a Daoist who dwells in the mountains.”

When he had finished writing the inscription, Haozi straightened his clothes, took up his staff, and left. No one ever learned where he went.

Bai Zhuangfu, whose courtesy name was Yongnian, was from Hengyue in Hunan. In his youth he was ambitious and devoted himself to studying the way of the immortals. On important days such as the Three Primordial Days and the Eight Seasonal Festivals, he would go to Daoist temples on Mount Heng to help burn incense, observe purification rites, and perform prostrations. He also sought instruction in profound scriptures and the principles of realizing the way of the perfected. For this, he won the respect of accomplished adepts. He did not shrink from hardship: he often carried firewood and water as he diligently sought out teachers, never growing weary.

Later, he obtained books of alchemy and techniques for ritual stepping and dispelling evil. He practiced them for twenty years. Thereafter, he helped people overcome their troubles, subdued harmful spirits, and treated illnesses. Many benefited from his aid.

When the Chao bandits invaded the capital, the emperor traveled west, and warfare engulfed the realm. The court’s laws and discipline fell apart. Powerful local leaders were fierce and oppressive, establishing their own domains and disregarding the law. Bai Zhuangfu always urged them to follow the righteous way, and many heeded his instruction.

At that time, a powerful local leader lived in the region, but his name has been lost. He had arranged a marriage for his son. One morning, the day before the wedding, a young man appeared from nowhere with more than ten attendants. He strode straight into the hall, sat cross-legged, and shouted angrily, “I was going to marry the daughter of a certain family first. Why are you taking her from me?” Everyone was startled and afraid; no one dared to answer. The young man ordered his attendants to bring out gifts of incense, red silk, a lamb, black coins, and bundles of silk, and return them to the local leader. Yet he still meant to force the woman to marry him. Suspecting that he was a ghost or monster, and unable to resist him, the leader sent a swift messenger more than a hundred miles to ask Bai Zhuangfu to come and investigate.

As Bai Zhuangfu drew near, the young man at first showed no fear. After a while, however, he muttered to himself, “The Venerable Master Bai really has come.” Then he began to weep, leapt onto the roof, called out several times, and vanished. All the gifts he had brought remained where they were, so Bai Zhuangfu distributed them among the poor and the sick.

Bai Zhuangfu explained to the local leader the principles of following or going against the righteous way. The leader recognized his mistakes, disbanded the people gathered in his fortified stronghold, dismissed his guards, and returned to ordinary life. The provincial inspector and local officials all praised what had happened. Throughout the Xiang and Heng regions, people of every level of wisdom praised Bai Zhuangfu’s virtue and revered his teachings.

One day, a woodcutter knocked at his door and said, “Immortals are gathered in the cliffs of the western peak, talking together. You can go there.” Bai Zhuangfu suspected that the woodcutter was a spirit formed from a tree in the mountains, so he studied his eyes carefully to distinguish what was true from what was deceptive. As he gathered up his robe, ready to set out, the woodcutter said, “Your merit and cultivation are already manifest, and your name has been entered in the register of immortals. What evil spirit would dare to offend you? Still, do not regret even the slightest mistake.” With that, he left by another path.

Bai Zhuangfu followed with his staff. By the time he arrived, night had fallen. He saw only a light on the cliff face. Looking closely, he found a poem written there, the ink still wet:

“On a clear autumn day, with nothing to do,

I ride the mist and fly to the distant sky.

I send word through a woodcutter,

To meet Bai Yongnian as promised.”

When he had finished reading, the cliff face was suddenly blank, and the light disappeared.

When Li Yan was in the region of Qian, he saw a light on a cliff wall. Looking closely, he discovered a poem written there, the ink still wet: “In clear autumn, with nothing to do, I ride the mist toward the distant sky; taking the woodcutter’s words as proof, I have made an appointment with Bai Yongnian.” As soon as he finished reading, the cliff wall was blank, and the light vanished.

When Li Yan served as military governor of Qian’nan, his jurisdiction included Anju Mountain. A vast cliff rose several hundred feet above the water. On the cliff was a numinous grotto whose name was unknown to the local people, though they had heard that immortals often dwelled there. Those who wished to pay their respects would row beneath the cliff and knock on the side of the boat for a long time. Clouds and a strange fragrance would then appear in response. The villagers reported this to Li Yan. He ordered Daoist priests to travel there in a large boat and reverently prepare a Zhaijiao (purification ritual). Dozens of perfected immortals gathered one after another atop the cliff to watch and listen to the liturgy. They could be seen for three or four days. Even today, people who make invocations often see them.

Li Ban lived during the Former Qin regime of the Sixteen Kingdoms period. He was deeply interested in Daoist arts and often traveled to Chuanku Mountain, southwest of Weiguo County. Water flowed from the mountain in every season; from a distance it looked like white silk, and sometimes melon leaves floated out. Li Ban entered the cave to find the water’s source. After walking more than three hundred paces, he came to a spacious, brightly lit place. Inside were houses, beds, scripture books, and tables. Two white-haired men with their hair parted into side locks sat facing each other on a bed. Li Ban stepped forward to pay his respects. One of them turned and said, “You may return now. You should not stay here too long.” Li Ban then took his leave. At the cave entrance, he saw several melons and tried to pick one to eat, but they had already turned to stone. He followed the same path home, where his family told him that forty years had passed since he left.

Pei Chen once served as a military adviser in Tongzhou. One of his paternal cousins was traveling from Luoyang to Zhengzhou. At dusk, he heard someone groaning beside the road. He dismounted and parted the grass to investigate, and found a sick crane. Its wings drooped, its appearance was listless, and its wings were covered in sores and losing feathers. His cousin was surprised to learn that the sound had come from a crane, and felt pity for it.

Suddenly, an old man dressed in white and leaning on a staff approached him and said, “You are still young, sir. Why do you pity this crane? If human blood were smeared on it, it would surely be able to fly again.”

Pei Chen knew a good deal about Daoist arts. Upright and free-spirited by nature, he replied at once, “I am willing to pierce my arm and draw blood; that would be no trouble.” The old man said, “Your kindness is admirable. But this matter requires someone who has lived through three lifetimes…”

The text after “requires someone who has lived through three lifetimes” is corrupted. The story that follows says that a certain Tang had already lived for several hundred years. A hermit went to visit him and stayed the night. The hermit asked his daughter to bring the “moon of the waning quarter” (apparently referring to the light of the waning moon). The daughter placed the moon against the wall, where it looked like a thin sheet of paper. Tang rose and prayed, “We have a guest tonight. Please grant us light.” As soon as he had spoken, the room grew bright, as if a candle had been lit.

This story appears in The History of the Gourd.

Hermit Lu

Lu the Mountain Recluse often sold blocks of stone at the grass market south of White Wave. The stones had been fired and were used for pounding lime. After seeing him come and go for many years, the local people noticed that strange things often happened around him. The merchant Zhao Yuanqing liked investigating unusual people and events, and wanted to travel with Lu. He repeatedly bought the goods Lu sold, and also brought melons, fruit, and tea, using the opportunity to ask about his livelihood.

Lu saw what Zhao had in mind and said, “You don’t look as though you’ve come to buy things. What is it you really want?” Zhao replied, “I have privately heard that you live in seclusion and conceal your De, and that your insight is profound, surpassing that of Cao Gui. I hope you might offer me a word of guidance.”

Lu smiled and said, “Today I’ll let you witness something for yourself. At noon, your host will meet with an unexpected incident: someone will come looking for trouble without cause. Tell his wife and children not to open the door or answer, but to shut it and take shelter by the water. They need only spend three strings and four hundred coins, and there will be no great harm. Otherwise, the calamity will be severe. You can tell him what I’ve said right away.”

At the time, Zhao was staying with the Zhang family, so he told them everything. The Zhangs had long known that Lu possessed extraordinary abilities, and so they shut the door and waited. Just before noon, a man who made cakes arrived with a sack on his back, exactly as Lu had said. He knocked and asked to be let in. When the Zhangs did not respond, he grew angry, kicked the door, and shouted insults. A crowd gathered to watch. The Zhangs left through the back door with the wife and children and took shelter. At noon, the man went away. After walking a few steps, he suddenly fell down and died.

Much later, the dead man’s wife arrived, crying out that she would take the matter to the authorities. The officials could not determine who was responsible, so those present recounted in detail how the Zhangs had shut their door and taken shelter. The officials ruled that the Zhangs were indeed innocent, and only required them to provide seating and pay the costs of burying the dead man. His wife accepted this, so the Zhangs complied. The expense came to exactly three thousand four hundred coins. After that, people flocked to seek out Lu, and the place grew as busy as a market. Unable to bear it, Lu eventually left.

He once said to Zhao Yuanqing, “There are many assassins in the world who can make themselves invisible, and many people follow them. After twenty years of cultivation, a follower can change their appearance and name; after another twenty years, they can be listed among the earthbound immortals, one of the ranks of immortals in Daoism. Most of what these people say is strange and hard to understand.”

Zhao Yuanqing said that Lu’s appearance and age often changed, and that he had never seen him eat or drink. Once, in Fuzhou, Lu was traveling with several people when they encountered six or seven richly dressed men who had been drinking. Lu scolded them: “What do you people think you’re doing? Your days are numbered.” The six or seven men immediately fell to their knees and repeatedly said, “We wouldn’t dare, we wouldn’t dare.” The others traveling with Lu were astonished. Lu said, “They are all river bandits who rob passing boats.” The rest of the account…

He was probably one of those immortals who had attained the Dao and lived in seclusion.

Quan Tongxiu’s Friend

Quan Tongxiu passed the jinshi examination during the Yuanhe era. Earlier, he had traveled around the coastal lakes. Later, he fell ill and became impoverished, so he had no choice but to hire a villager to work for him. The man had been in his service for a year.

While sick, Quan Tongxiu wanted a drink made with licorice and beans, so he told the hired worker to buy some licorice. The worker prepared a fire for cooking the drink but did not go to buy any. Quan thought he was being lazy, but for the moment he had no chance to question him. Suddenly, he saw the worker break off a small twig, rub it between his hands, and hold it near the fire. The twig turned into licorice. The worker then brought over a handful of sand and gave it to Quan to make the bean drink. The finished drink was indistinguishable from the real thing, and Quan was astonished.

When Quan’s illness had improved somewhat, he said to the worker, “I have been sick and poor for a long time. Now that I am better, I plan to go elsewhere. I would like to buy some wine and meat and invite the village elders to gather. I also hope to borrow some travel money from them, but I have no money to make the arrangements.”

The worker cut down a dead mulberry tree, made the wood into several bundles, and piled them on a tray. He sprinkled them with water, and the wood all turned into beef. Then he took some water and a few cakes and changed them into wine. The village elders were invited, and they ate and drank to their hearts’ content. As a result, Quan received thirty bolts of fine silk.

Only then did Quan apologize to the worker. “I was arrogant toward a man of the Dao before, and I was badly in the wrong. Now let me become your servant and serve you as I would a teacher.”

The worker replied, “When I was young, I committed a transgression, which is why I became a hired hand serving scholars. The term we agreed upon has its own appointed limit. Please don’t change the usual arrangement; perhaps that is the only way I can bring my affairs to a close.”

Quan agreed, but whenever he asked the worker to do something, he still felt uneasy. Later, the worker took his leave. Before departing, he spoke of the allotted spans of life and of the fated cycles of hardship and success. He also said that there was nothing among the myriad things that could not be transformed, except for the vermilion tendons in the mud and the hair of the head: no medicinal power could transform them. With that, he left, and no one knew where he went.

End of volume two of Accounts of Encounters with Immortals.

The following notes record textual differences found when collating this text with the Seven Tablets in a Cloudy Satchel (Yunji qiqian):

1. Here, the Yunji qiqian reads “below.”

2. Here, the Yunji qiqian reads “cause.”

3. Here, the Yunji qiqian reads “early.”

4. In this sentence, the Yunji qiqian reads “twenty or thirty li.”

5. In this sentence, the Yunji qiqian reads “hurried along.”

6. In this sentence, the Yunji qiqian reads “ask for directions,” meaning to ask someone which way to go.

7. In this sentence, the Yunji qiqian reads, “He searched again for his whereabouts, but no one could tell him where he lived.” This means that he sought the man’s tracks again, but no one could tell him where he lived.

8. Here, the Yunji qiqian reads “Pei Shen.”

9. According to the Yunji qiqian, a passage is missing here. In brief, it says: The old man told Pei Shen that his intention in saving the crane was commendable, but that only the blood of someone who had been human for three lifetimes could heal the crane’s wound. Pei Shen had not been human in his previous life; only Hu Lusheng of Luoyang had been human for three lifetimes. Pei Shen returned to Luoyang, visited Hu Lusheng, and explained the matter in detail. Hu Lusheng showed no reluctance. He took out a stone box, pricked his arm with a needle to draw blood, filled the box, and handed it to Pei Shen. Pei Shen returned to the old man and smeared the blood on the crane’s wound. The old man praised him for keeping his word and asked him to stay a little while. Feathers soon grew over the crane’s wound. The old man then asked Pei Shen to carry a bundle and warned him not to open it. After returning to Luoyang, Pei Shen tried to open the bundle. He saw red snakes poking their heads out from all four corners and stopped. His uncle opened it and found something like dried cooked millet. After eating it, he entered Mount Wangwu and was never heard from again. Pei Shen lived to the age of ninety.

10. The Yunji qiqian does not include the text from “But it must be someone who has been human for three lifetimes” to the end of this passage.

11. In this sentence, the Yunji qiqian reads, “During the Yuanhe era, he sat the jinshi examination and failed.” This means that he took the jinshi examination during the Yuanhe era but did not pass.

12. In this sentence, the Yunji qiqian reads “traveling and making inquiries among the rivers and lakes,” meaning that he traveled and searched throughout the region.

13. The Yunji qiqian reads “ordinary and lowly” for “servile and low-ranking,” meaning of ordinary, humble status.

Biographies of Encounters with Immortals, Volume Three

Compiled by Master Guangcheng, Du Guangting

The Censor Yao

The Censor Yao’s personal name has been lost. According to the uncle of Zheng Quan, governor of Zhengzhou, after Yao retired from office he lived in Zuoyi, Puzhou. He had a son and two nephews. All three were grown, but dull-witted and unpromising. Yao’s son was a little older than his nephews. Seeing that they refused to study, Yao often instructed and scolded them, but they still would not settle down and apply themselves.

So Yao built a thatched hut on the southern slope of Mount Tiao and sent the three young men there to live, cut off from worldly affairs so they could focus on their studies. The mountains and forests were deep and secluded, far from the noise of the human world. As he sent them up the mountain, Yao warned them, “At the end of each quarter, I will check how well you have studied. If you have made no progress, I will certainly beat you. You must all apply yourselves.”

Once they reached the mountain, the two nephews never opened their books, occupying themselves only with rough chores. After several months, Yao’s son said to them, “The day of the examination is near. You haven’t looked at a single book, and I’m worried for you.” They paid no heed; only Yao’s son studied diligently.

One night, well past midnight, he lit a lamp and bent over his desk to read. Suddenly he felt something tugging at the fur robe behind him, and its front gradually slipped downward. He paid no attention and slowly pulled the robe back into place. After a while, the same thing happened again, several times. When he looked back, he saw a small white creature crouched on the robe. Its fur was lustrous and pure white, like jade. He struck it with the straightedge he used as a paperweight. Startled, the little creature fled.

He quickly called his two nephews, and together they lit the room and searched. The doors and windows were tightly shut, and there was nowhere in the room for it to hide, yet they could not find the creature.

The next day, an old servant arrived on horseback and knocked at the door. He said to the three young men, “My lady sends her greetings. Her little one was ignorant and wandered into your fur robe last night, for which I beg your pardon. You did strike it rather hard, but it has recovered now. Please don’t worry.”

The three hurriedly apologized, exchanging bewildered glances, unable to make sense of what had happened. A little later, the same servant returned, carrying the injured child, with several wet nurses carrying children behind him. Their clothes were richly and finely made, unlike anything worn in ordinary households. The servant conveyed his lady’s message: “The little one is unharmed now, so I have brought it here to show you.” The three leaned in for a closer look. From the child’s brow to the tip of its nose ran a red mark, the very wound made by the straightedge. The three grew even more frightened. The messenger and the wet nurses gently reassured them, saying that their lady would come in person shortly.

The three wanted to slip away, their hearts in turmoil. Soon an old servant arrived in haste with dozens of palace attendants dressed in purple. They set up screens and mats, and arranged splendid furnishings. The fragrance in the room was unlike anything ordinary. Then a lavishly decorated carriage came rushing in, its body blue and its wheels vermilion, swift as the wind. Hundreds of fine horses surrounded it, accompanying and guarding it before and behind. When it stopped at the door, a lady stepped out.

The three hurried forward to bow. Smiling, the lady said, “I never imagined my little one would wander in here. You injured it last night, but the wound was not serious. I was afraid you might be frightened, so I came in person to reassure you.” The lady appeared to be about thirty. Her manner was graceful and dignified, and her bearing seemed that of an immortal. The three had no idea who she really was.

The lady asked whether they were married. All three replied that they were not. “I have three daughters,” she said. “They are exceptionally beautiful and virtuous, and I can marry them to the three of you.” The young men rose and bowed in thanks. The lady stayed, and had a courtyard built for each of them. With a gesture and a point of her hand, splendid halls and towers rose from the ground.

The next day, many richly decorated carriages arrived. The retinue of guests surpassed that of the imperial relatives and nobles. The horses and clothing shone so brightly that their radiance lit the ground, while their fragrance filled the mountain valleys. The three daughters stepped down from the carriages, each around seventeen or eighteen years old. The lady led them into the hall and invited the three young men to take their seats. The feast was abundant and splendid, with precious dishes and many kinds of fruit, some of which had never been seen in the human world.

The three had never imagined such an encounter. Pointing to her daughters, the lady said, “Each of them is to marry one of you.” The young men rose from their seats and bowed in gratitude. Dozens of women came to escort the brides, each as radiant as an immortal.

That evening, the three young men married the three women. The lady said to them, “What people value most is life, and what they most desire is wealth and rank. If you keep all this secret for a hundred days, I can grant you long life, carry you beyond the world, and raise you to the highest offices.”

The three thanked her again, worrying only that they were too dull to succeed in their studies. “You need not worry,” the lady said. She then ordered the divine officials who governed human affairs to summon Kong Xuanfu—that is, Confucius. Before long, Kong Xuanfu arrived in formal robes, a sword at his side. The lady stood respectfully, exchanged a few words of greeting with him, and then said, “These three sons-in-law of mine wish to study. Please teach them.”

Kong Xuanfu had the three sit down and showed them the titles of the Six Classics, the six canonical works of Confucianism. At once they understood their contents and grasped their essential meaning, as if they had studied them long before. Kong Xuanfu then took his leave. The lady next ordered Zhou Shangfu—that is, Jiang Taigong—to teach them the military talismans of the Dark Lady and the secret methods of the jade tablet. The three mastered everything.

As they sat down together and talked again, they heard that Princess Wenle had sent someone with seals, and had written to urge them: for the time being, set aside your lofty ambitions and accept the appointments the state assigns you. Later, the three went to the capital. The noble and influential came to visit, but beyond exchanging greetings, they said very little. The court appointed them as companions to the heir apparent and enfeoffed them as dukes of the state. When they returned to the mountain, the Hanlin scholars composed poems to see them off.

On the banks of the Lishui River in Jingzhou stand two rocks shaped like a gate, so they are called “Shaoshi.” During the Yonghe era of the Jin dynasty, two flying immortals, dressed in robes and headwear as white as snow, each rested on one of the rocks. They stayed for more than ten days before leaving. The local residents saw them with their own eyes.

The Daoist Master Pan of Caoqiao

At Fuye Abbey in Caoqiao, Hangzhou, there lived a Daoist Master Pan. His family was wealthy, and he was generous and open-minded. He often welcomed guests and helped others through his cultivation and virtuous deeds. One day, a young man arrived. He was strikingly handsome and unlike anyone else…

A young man came to a Daoist temple and said to Master Pan, “I have long heard of your noble De and your readiness to help people in distress. I would like to stay for two months in the thatched hut beside the path through the bamboo grove behind your courtyard, to escape a calamity. If you will take me in, do not worry that I will cause you trouble, and do not concern yourself with feeding me. Just give me two dou of wine, and that will sustain me for sixty days.”

Although Master Pan did not understand what calamity the young man was trying to escape, he heard that he was fleeing danger and gladly agreed. The young man then hid in the hut. No one came looking for him, and he neither ate nor drank. When the sixty days had passed, he thanked Master Pan and took his leave.

The young man asked, “Master, have you ever received instruction in Fulu?” Master Pan replied, “The registers I received have reached the level of the Middle Alliance of the Cavern of Mystery. I simply have not dared to pursue higher methods.” The young man said, “The rank of the registers you received is already very high. I once received a register of the Zhengyi Nine Provinces Community Command, and I would like to presume to pass it on to you in gratitude for your kindness.”

He then burned incense before an image of the Heavenly Worthy and transmitted the names of the Nine Provinces Community Command, along with its spirit officers and generals. At his summons, soldiers and mounted troops appeared before them in an instant. When the transmission was complete, he instructed these troops: “After this transmission, you are to follow and protect the master. In future, when he summons you, respond as you did just now.” The soldiers then vanished.

The young man said to Master Pan, “You may build a bed platform in the central hall to serve as an altar, set out a table, burn incense, and sit upright. You will then know every matter throughout the Nine Provinces, whether auspicious or inauspicious, great or small. But you must not eat pungent foods or meat and blood offerings; if you break this rule, the underworld will punish you. If you maintain purity and caution, you can cultivate into an immortal with a long life.” Having said this, he vanished, and no one knew where he had gone.

Master Pan at once set out a bed platform and armrest, then sat upright in the central hall. Before long, he knew every matter across the four seas, great or small. This continued for more than ten days. The spirit officers kept reporting news, and their noise became unbearable. Master Pan said angrily, “I am a man of leisure. Why should I be told every matter from every direction?” He ordered the spirit officers to stop reporting. They replied, “We cannot leave our duties unfulfilled.” After that, they reported even more. Unable to stop them, Master Pan ate meat and chewed garlic, breaking his rules of purity. Three to five days later, the reports gradually faded into the distance, and the spirit officers stopped coming.

One night, the young man came again and said, “I was rash in transmitting the true secret method, and have therefore been punished. You, Master, have also defiled the numinous spirits, and deserve to be tried in the underworld. But remembering how you once took me in, I cannot stand by and watch you sink into suffering. You must receive a separate company of guardian generals and perform many good deeds in secret, helping the sick and relieving suffering, to atone for your earlier transgression. Otherwise, you will fall into the dark underworld.”

Since eating pungent foods and meat, Master Pan had already known that he had broken his precepts. These words left him even more fearful and unsettled. The young man formed grains of rice into a human figure about four or five inches tall and placed it in a hole in the wall. He also transmitted to Master Pan two jade-seed talismans and told him, “When people come seeking help because of illness or hardship, first ask this rice figure to learn the source of their calamity, then use my talismans to help them. Take no money. What matters is accumulating merit and atoning for your transgression. Keep up the practice diligently and do not interrupt it. I will return in ten years.”

From then on, Master Pan used talismans written in cinnabar to help people, dispelling calamities and treating illnesses. Those who came to seek his help were as numerous as people gathered at a market. More than ten years later, the young man returned and stayed for over a month. He spoke for many days about matters in the heavens and beyond the ordinary world, then said farewell and departed. A little over a year later, Master Pan died without illness. People supposed that he had attained the Daoist method of corpse liberation: shedding the physical body and becoming an immortal by another means.

When Lu Jun, the chancellor, was young, he passed the jinshi examination and later served as a Gentleman of the Imperial Secretariat. Because of illness, he asked to be posted outside the capital and was appointed governor of Junzhou. After taking office, his condition gradually worsened. He grew thin and weak, yet still forced himself to receive visitors. He often rested alone in a quiet room on the hill behind the prefectural headquarters, with his attendants kept at a great distance. Without his summons, no one dared approach.

Suddenly, a man in tattered clothes climbed over the wall and came in. Lu Jun invited him to sit, and the man said his surname was Wang. When Lu Jun asked where he had come from, he replied that he had come from the mountains. Lu Jun smiled and said, “You must be the Mountain Recluse Wang, a Daoist who lives in seclusion. Have you come to give me some guidance?” The recluse said, “Your rank is exalted, and you have risen to the highest position a subject can attain. Yet your life will be short, and you have now encountered a calamity, which is why you suffer from an illness that will not yield to treatment. I have come especially to save you.”

There was no water in the mountain retreat. Lu Jun was about to call someone to fetch water and brew tea, but the recluse stopped him. He dipped his sash into a well and drew out a pill of elixir. Then he wrung the water from the sash and had Lu Jun swallow the pill. Afterward, he made an agreement with him: “In five days, you will recover, and your body will be stronger than before. Three years from now, you will face a great calamity. You must diligently practice hidden virtue—doing good and accumulating merit without seeking recognition—and keep helping others and showing compassion for all living things at heart. I will return then, and we will meet at the beginning of summer.”

From that point on, Lu Jun’s illness gradually improved, and in about ten days he was back to normal. The following year, he resigned as governor of Junzhou and returned to the capital, where he took up a post in the Department of Washing and Dyeing. One day in April, the Mountain Recluse Wang suddenly came to Lu Jun’s home and said happily, “The second period of misfortune destined for you this year is nearly over. The calamity was originally very severe. But last year, while you were in office, you overturned an unjust case and saved three people’s lives, so the calamity has been dispelled. This month, you will feel unwell for only three to five days. There is no need to worry.”

The next day, the Mountain Recluse Wang had two servants take ten thousand coins to Dog’s Backbone Slope to give to poor and sick people. He then set off again, telling Lu Jun, “At noon on the fifth day of the fifth month in the twenty-third year, have a Daoist meet me at the summit of Mount Wan. By then you will be commanding the region along the Han River, and I will transmit to you the Elixir of Radiant Splendor, a Daoist elixir of the immortals. Be sure to keep our appointment.”

After that, Lu Jun held a succession of prominent and prestigious posts, and later became commander of Hannan. In the appointed year, he instructed the Daoist Niu Zhiwei to climb to the summit of Mount Wan at noon on the fifth day of the fifth month. The Mountain Recluse Wang was there, just as promised. He gave Niu Zhiwei two Golden Elixirs to swallow and said, “You have the capacity to cultivate the Dao, but you have not accumulated hidden virtue and do not yet meet the standards of a Daoist. You must diligently practice goodness.” He then gave Lu Jun ten Golden Elixirs and said, “You will enjoy a long life. Do not stop cultivating. When your allotted years in the world have run their course, you will return to the Palace of Peng, where the immortals reside.”

After bidding farewell to Niu Zhiwei, the Mountain Recluse Wang suddenly vanished. Niu Zhiwei later lived into his eighties, yet his appearance remained like that of a man around thirty. Lu Jun lived to the age of ninety, with keen hearing and eyesight and undiminished energy. After he died, an extraordinary fragrance filled the house.

After Li Gongzuo passed the jinshi examination, he served as a local official in Zhongling. He had a servant who had begun working for him when Li was still a commoner. The servant labored diligently day and night, always respectful and careful, for nearly thirty years. Li Gongzuo never realized that his servant was in fact an extraordinary being.

One day, the servant took his leave and left behind a poem:

“I have a precious pearl hidden beneath my clothes, and do not mind if they are covered in dust. I know the way to long life, and do not reject this living body. Jiangnan is a land where immortals dwell; I should settle there in seclusion and enter the realm of the perfected immortals. I do not disdain the feelings of ordinary people, and am willing to come to their aid. Su Dan’s traces have long since faded—the commentary says that Suzi refers to Su Dan. The deeds of Zhuanmeng, too, are worth drawing near to—Li Gongzuo’s courtesy name was Zhuanmeng. Do not say that the Eastern Sea will turn into mulberry fields; between Heaven and Earth there is a way of eternal spring.”

The “pearl beneath the clothes” in the poem alludes to the precious Dao within. “The way to long life” refers to the practice of seeking longevity. The poem also mentions Su Dan, a legendary immortal, and Zhuanmeng, pointing to the connection between the poet and Li Gongzuo.

After leaving, the servant passed through the gate and vanished. Neighbors saw him leap into the air and fly away.

Wang Zizhi, courtesy name Xianmiao, said he was from Hou County in Henan. He often traveled around the capital, Luoyang, seeking the Dao. Local elders said that for more than fifty years, whenever they saw him, he always looked to be around forty. No one knew his true age. He enjoyed cultivating Qi and practicing self-cultivation, and he also loved to drink.

When Wang Chongying, Duke of Langya and military governor of Pu, first took up his post, Wang Zizhi came to the Purple Ultimate Palace, a Daoist temple. Wang Chongying treated him with great generosity. Hearing that he liked wine, he sent him two hu of wine every day.

One day, while out walking, Wang Zizhi met a woodcutter carrying firewood on a pole and standing at the temple gate. The woodcutter had an extraordinary appearance, which struck Wang Zizhi as remarkable. He bought the firewood and paid more than its worth. The woodcutter accepted the money without protest and turned to leave. Wang Zizhi sent someone to follow him and find out where he went. The man saw the woodcutter walk straight into a tavern and spend all the money on wine.

Another day, the woodcutter came again and said to Wang Zizhi, “This wine is indeed good, but it is far inferior to the wine brewed by the Shi family in Xie County. I have just come from there. The only pity is that I had no singing girls with me, so I could not enjoy the wine to the fullest.”

Wang Zizhi immediately came down the steps, took the woodcutter by the hand, and invited him to sit by the stove. “Could you get some of the Shi family’s fine wine?” he asked. The woodcutter was delighted. He drew a talisman in red ink and held it over the fire. A young attendant was standing nearby. The woodcutter called to him: “You are your master’s servant. Take these two wine vessels to the Shi family and bring back wine. I will wait here to drink with your master.”

It was already late at night, and the city gates were shut. The young attendant told Wang Zizhi’s servant, “Close your eyes.” He then placed a hand on the man’s head, and the two of them, together with the wine vessels, passed out through a crack in the gate and arrived in Xie County, a thousand li away. They bought wine and returned. The woodcutter and Wang Zizhi drank together. The wine was sweet, rich, and intensely fragrant; no other wine in the world could compare with it.

Around midnight, the woodcutter said to Wang Zizhi, “You are already drunk. Shall I call another guest to keep you company?” Wang Zizhi replied, “Gladly.” The woodcutter drew another talisman in red ink and held it over the fire. In an instant, a strange fragrance filled the room, and a dignified man appeared. He had fine features, wore a purple robe, and held a tablet of the kind officials carried when attending court. He bowed and took his seat. The woodcutter greeted him: “Please, sit down.” After several rounds of drinking, the two wine vessels were nearly empty. The woodcutter heated an iron rod and used it to warm the purple-robed man’s clothes, then said, “You may go.”

By then, dawn was breaking in the east. After everyone had parted, the woodcutter asked Wang Zizhi, “Do you recognize the man who drank with us just now? In a little while, go to the River God’s Temple and look for him.” Once the woodcutter had left, Wang Zizhi went to the temple to investigate. He discovered that the man who had drunk with them the night before was a deity; the mark left by the iron rod was clearly visible as well.

Zhao Jun, a court physician serving at the military headquarters, personally investigated the matter. Su Shui, a proofreader at the Hongwen Academy, also lived in the Zhongtiao Mountains and knew the story well. Later, Wang Zizhi met the woodcutter immortal again, and the immortal taught him further secrets of cultivation. From then on, Wang Zizhi became an earthbound immortal, one who had attained immortality through cultivation while living among people.

He Liang was an official at the post station in Shanyin, Shangshan. He had served there for twenty years. He was humble and careful, diligent in his duties, and never slackened.

One day, the weather was bitterly cold, with rain and snow falling together, and no travelers on the road. A Daoist came hurrying through the storm, his clothes soaked through. He went from house to inn asking for a place to stay, but every proprietor shut the door and refused him. Taking pity on him, He Liang invited him to shelter beneath the post station’s covered walkway, then lit a roaring fire and prepared food for him.

The Daoist stayed the night. When he was about to leave, he said haltingly, “You have cared for me so generously; I cannot leave without repaying you.” He then took a pill from his flask and asked He Liang to swallow it, saying, “You will suffer no illness before your allotted years come to an end.” With that, he departed.

He Liang was already over forty at the time. From then on, his bones, sinews, and strength grew steadily stronger, and he never fell ill again. In the early years of the Qianfu era, he was over ninety, yet looked like a man of forty; his teeth and hair had not aged either. Master Feng Junjuan of Xindu once summoned He Liang and asked him about the matter. People from near and far also recounted the story in detail. I heard it from Master Xindu.

Xue, an official

Commandant Xue and his friend Li set out from the capital, united in their purpose of seeking the Way of the immortals, and traveled together among famous mountains. Several years passed, but neither found the person they sought. Later, Commandant Xue traveled south into the Five Ranges, declaring that he would live in seclusion on Mount Luofu. His resolve to seek the Dao grew ever stronger. Li, however, changed his mind halfway there and returned to the capital. His career in government went poorly, and he grew old.

More than thirty years after they parted, their friendship had gradually faded, and their relatives had one by one passed away. In his later years, Li went with a walking stick to visit Commandant Xue on Mount Luofu, and the two were indeed reunited. Commandant Xue had lived in the mountains for a long time and had completed his Daoist practice. His bearing was handsome, and his skin was as white as crystal. The splendid halls in the mountains, the pavilions open to the breeze, and the waterside terrace for viewing the moon seemed unlike anything found in the human world.

Seeing Li’s haggard appearance, Commandant Xue felt great pity for him and said, “Though you would like to stay here and rest, in the end you cannot remain for long.” He then brought out a great deal of gold, silver, and other valuables to help Li. He also arranged a feast with singing and dancing women to entertain him and see him off.

As Li was about to leave, Commandant Xue noticed that several of his teeth were missing and asked how it had happened. Li explained that he had damaged them while playing ball. He had gathered the teeth that fell out and kept them in his sash. Commandant Xue took them out to examine them, had a singing girl scrape away the grime, then used a small knife to open the gaps where the teeth were missing and set two of the teeth back in place. He sent Li on his way and gave him a parting instruction. By the time Li reached the foot of the mountain, the teeth were firmly set. More than ten years later, his other teeth had decayed and fallen out, but these two remained secure and unmoving.

When Zhang, the Lord Rong, left his post as Attendant-in-Ordinary, he was appointed governor of this region. A little over a year later, he contracted a severe miasmatic illness. After several months of sickness, his condition continued to worsen. Lord Zhang was a Buddhist, and when people brought him talismans and medicines, saying they might help, he did not believe them. His relatives and staff were deeply worried.

The Deputy Commissioner, Mr. Feng of Xindu, privately told one of Lord Zhang’s trusted aides, “Commandant Xue of Mount Luofu is well versed in Daoist arts and often relieves the suffering of the sick. People from near and far have benefited from his help. You could send someone with a token to ask him to treat Lord Zhang.” Lord Zhang then sent a messenger into the mountains to seek him out, and the messenger indeed found Commandant Xue’s dwelling. On hearing of Lord Zhang’s illness, Commandant Xue felt compassion for him and said to the messenger, “Please thank Lord Zhang for sending mountain produce all this way. There is no paper or brush in the mountains, so I will not write a letter. There is no need to worry about his illness. When you return, ask him to have the courtyard swept, cleanse his body and mind, and observe a three-day fast. An answer will naturally come.”

When the messenger returned, Lord Zhang did as instructed. Three days later, a strange fragrance filled the entire residence. Nothing else unusual occurred, yet Lord Zhang recovered. Later, Lord Zhang sent another messenger into the mountains with gifts to express his thanks. The messenger lost the old path and could never find Commandant Xue’s dwelling again.

Commandant Xue was probably one of the Earth Immortals. I heard this story, too, from Mr. Feng of Xindu.

End of Volume Three of Accounts of Encounters with Immortals.

The following are textual differences from the Yunji Qiqian: In item 1, the text reads “broad-minded and magnanimous”; in item 2, “practiced the Dao and helped people”; in item 3, “Mao” is written as “Yuan”; in item 4, “young in years” is written as “a youth”; in item 5, “could not bear to see people”; in item 6, “asked where he came from”; in item 7, “gave him the elixir and then arranged a date”; item 8 omits the word “already”; in item 9, “diligence” is written as “encouragement”; in item 10, “joy” is written as “meeting”; in item 11, “unwell” is written as “slightly unwell”; in item 12, “firmly” is written as “trapped”; in item 13, the text reads “The mountain recluse instructed two servants to carry ten thousand coins”; item 14 omits the word “each other”; in item 15, the text reads “From then on, Gong held a succession of prominent and exacting posts”; in item 16, “bade farewell to Zhiwei”; in item 17, “the woodcutter rescued him, saying”; in item 18, “the young servant said to his attendant”; in item 19, “he could copy the vermilion talisman and place it over the fire”; in item 20, the text reads “in an instant” and omits the word “asked”; in item 21, the text reads, “The woodcutter said, ‘Sit down.’”

Xie Fan was from Shu and had loved cultivating the Dao since childhood. He once pledged brotherhood with three like-minded companions, and together they traveled among the mountains, seeking out various arts and methods. At the entrance to Mount Emei, they swore an oath: this mountain was a dwelling place of immortals, and perhaps they might find a path to the Dao there. The four then entered separate valleys, each seeking his own opportunity.

Xie Fan entered Mupi Valley. After walking five or six li, he came upon four old men seated on a huge rock, with a large platter of cooked meat before them. They invited him to sit and eat. Xie Fan said that he was devoted to seeking the immortal Dao and, since traveling among famous mountains, had long abstained from meat—not out of affected restraint. The old men were pleased to hear this. Since he sought the Dao, they said, he should continue farther into the valley; he might find what he was looking for.

Xie Fan walked on for several dozen li and saw an ornate pavilion unlike any human dwelling. After he entered, several Daoist adepts asked how he had come there. When he explained, one of them studied him closely for a long while, then led him into the main hall. There, a sacred image stood in solemn splendor, and scriptures were piled on a table before the Celestial Worthy. The adept told Xie Fan to close his eyes, then handed him a scroll chosen at random. He said it was the “Heavenly Script in Great Seal Characters,” a mysterious Daoist talismanic script. By practicing according to it, Xie Fan could prolong his life, transcend the world, accumulate merit, and help others. This was no place for him to remain for long, the adept said, and told him to leave.

Xie Fan took his leave of the adept and descended the mountain with the scripture. That night, he stayed with a family at the mouth of the valley. Their child had fallen into scalding broth and suffered burns over much of his body. The family was distraught, but had no way to treat him. Xie Fan examined the scripture and found talismanic characters marked for healing. He wrote them down, burned them to ash, mixed the ash with water, and used it to wash the child. Before long, all the burns had healed. From then on, Xie Fan often used the Heavenly Script in secret to do good and save lives. Countless people he helped recovered.

When the Chancellor Lord Bin was serving in Chengdu, he took Xie Fan into his household and treated him with exceptional respect. Later, when Lord Bin traveled to the capital to pay his respects at court, Xie Fan went with him to Chang’an. One day, a young member of Lord Bin’s family fell gravely ill. Many renowned physicians were helpless. Lord Bin suddenly remembered Xie Fan’s divine talismans and hurriedly sent for him. As soon as Xie Fan arrived, he wrote a talisman, and the patient recovered at once. Lord Bin offered him more than a hundred thousand in gold and silk, but Xie Fan refused to accept a single coin.

Later, Xie Fan returned to Shu and resumed his travels among the mountains. After that, no one knew where he went.

Zheng Youxuan came from an official family and lived in Chang’an. As a boy, he studied under the same teacher as a child from the neighboring Wenqiu family. Zheng Youxuan was frivolous by nature and thought his family background made him superior. He often mocked the Wenqiu family for being poor, saying, “You were born into a different station from mine, yet you study alongside me. Even if I say nothing, don’t you feel ashamed?” Wenqiu remained silent, looking displeased. A little over a year later, Wenqiu died.

Ten years passed, and Zheng Youxuan passed the Classics examination and was appointed an assistant in the government of Shuzhou. When he took up his post, the governor assigned him as county lieutenant of Tangxing, an official responsible for local security and related matters. One of his colleagues, named Qiu Sheng, was the son of a wealthy merchant and had just turned twenty. The Qiu family was rich, and Qiu Sheng often dined and went out for pleasure with Zheng Youxuan, giving him money on many occasions. Zheng Youxuan accepted the gifts, but because Qiu Sheng was not from a scholar-official family, he never treated him with respect.

One day, Zheng Youxuan hosted a banquet but did not invite Qiu Sheng. As the feast was ending, someone asked him, “Qiu Sheng serves alongside you. You held a banquet without inviting him. Has he done something wrong?” Only then did Zheng Youxuan send for Qiu Sheng. When Qiu Sheng arrived, Zheng Youxuan handed him a large cup of wine. Qiu Sheng declined, saying he could not drink a full cup. Zheng Youxuan flew into a rage and berated him: “You petty man of the marketplace, concerned only with small gains and losses—what gives you the right to occupy an official post? It is already your good fortune that I am willing to associate with you, and you still dare refuse the wine?” With that, he flung his sleeves and stood up. Qiu Sheng left in anger, resigned from office, and shut himself away. A little over a month later, he died of illness.

The following year, Zheng Youxuan was dismissed from office and took up residence in Mengyang. He had long been drawn to the teachings of Huang-Lao, which concern cultivation and the nurturing of life. Hearing that a Daoist named Master Hao lived in the Shu Mountains, he admired the man’s character and went to visit him, hoping to become his disciple. He stayed there for nearly ten years, yet learned nothing. Gradually losing heart, he took his leave and returned.

Later, Zheng Youxuan was traveling to Chang’an when he lodged at an inn in Baocheng. There was a boy of about ten at the inn, handsome and clever. Zheng Youxuan spoke with him and was astonished by his quick, nimble replies. The boy said, “We have known each other for many years. Do you remember?” Zheng Youxuan replied, “I don’t.” The boy said, “In a former life, I was a child of the Wenqiu family in Chang’an, and I studied with you. You looked down on my humble birth and often insulted me. Later, I was born again as the son of the Qiu family, the county lieutenant of Tangxing, and served alongside you. You accepted my generous gifts, yet called me a man of the marketplace. Why are you so arrogant? You rely on your birth into an official family to bully others. This is contrary to the Dao.”

The boy continued, “I am the Perfected One of Great Clarity, a revered deity of Daoism. The Supreme Lord saw that you had the disposition to cultivate the Dao, so he sent me to be born among humans and befriend you. I was meant to teach you the secret methods of immortal cultivation. But your frivolity and arrogance kept you from attaining the Dao. Alas, how tragic!” As soon as he had spoken, the boy suddenly vanished. Only then did Zheng Youxuan realize the wrongs he had committed. He believed that both Wenqiu and Qiu Sheng had died from anger in a moment of resentment.

Lu Daoliu

Lu Daoliu’s origins were unknown. He was over seventy and made his living telling fortunes in Luoyang. Then he suddenly fell ill. After more than ten days, his condition had become critical. He heard that the reclusive scholar Cheng Xiuyi, who had traveled between the eastern and western capitals and was known for frequent marvels, seemed to have attained the Dao. Lu Daoliu therefore told him about his illness.

Cheng Xiuyi took from a gourd a speck of cinnabar, fine as a mustard seed. He placed it in a white tea bowl, added a few drops of wine, and ground it. Then he wrote the words “Two Heavenly Messengers” inside the bowl, gave the cinnabar to Lu Daoliu, and told him to swallow it with wine. Lu Daoliu recovered at once.

Not long afterward, Lu Daoliu was coming into the city from Xuanyuan Temple when he passed the Gu River. The weather was hot, so he went into the water to bathe. Before long, the river suddenly surged, its crest rising more than a zhang high. Lu Daoliu was swept away for over a hundred paces. On the riverbank, two heavenly messengers urged a man who was hoeing melons to wade in and save him. Only then did Lu Daoliu escape danger. Once he reached the bank, he could no longer see the two messengers. Some said he had been spared from the flood because Cheng Xiuyi had secretly used the words “Two Heavenly Messengers” to perform a saving spell.

During the Tianfu era, Cheng Xiuyi went to Chang’an and told people, “The Five Ridges can serve as a refuge from the world.” He claimed he was going to search for cinnabar, entered Guiyang, and then vanished without a trace.

The Cheng family had been wealthy for generations and lived in Lingkou. Cheng Sheng had several uncles. His seventh uncle was fond of cultivating the Dao. From a young age he wore a Daoist’s robes and often traveled to Mount Huayin, sometimes returning home briefly. After the Xiantong era, no one knew where he had gone.

Later, the Great Ji army captured Tong Pass, and Emperor Zhaozong fled in panic. The Cheng family was scattered, and their lives fell into hardship. Then, quite suddenly, one day Cheng Sheng’s uncle returned home. Taking pity on their plight, he stayed for a few days, then set off with Cheng Sheng’s son for the sandy plain at Tongzhou.

When they reached the uncle’s residence, they saw a broad, spacious compound, with pavilions rising high and receding into shadow, like palace gates. The uncle told Cheng Sheng’s son to wait outside. After a long while, he brought out a collection of clothes and utensils and gave them to the boy to take home and help his family. When the son returned, he brought with him money and valuables worth tens of thousands of gold pieces. Cheng Sheng was astonished. He realized that his uncle had attained the Dao and become an immortal.

The next day, Cheng Sheng set out with his son to find his uncle, but they could no longer find his residence. From then on, the Cheng family had enough to eat and wear. For fifty or sixty years, a stone had stood by the outer corner of their wall, used to block carts and horses. The uncle had someone move it into the courtyard. Cheng Sheng thought the stone seemed unusual, so he split it open and found five jin of cinnabar inside, a mineral commonly used in Daoist alchemy. When the neighbors heard about it, someone spread the news, and powerful men in the army eventually seized the cinnabar.

What a pity! This cinnabar was surely no ordinary substance. Perhaps it was a superior elixir made by immortals, yet it was lost in this way.

Xu Dingguo belonged to the Right Third Army and was exceptionally strong. During the Dazhong era, the emperor issued an edict selecting thirty men to escort Master Xuanyuan back to Mount Luofu, and Xu Dingguo was among them. Once they reached the mountain, he claimed to be ill and in need of medicine and rest, which allowed him to stay behind. He then served Master Xuanyuan with the deference of a household attendant. Xu Dingguo was already over sixty at the time. A few years later, the master sent him back to Chang’an. His appearance had grown much younger, and he moved lightly, like a galloping horse. By the Tianfu era, he was more than a hundred years old, yet looked only about forty.

Master Lu of Huayuan, Jingzhao

In the area of Liyang, Huayuan, Jingzhao, stood an ancient Daoist temple. It was said that Master Lu had attained the Way of Sitting in Oblivion—a method of seated cultivation that quiets the mind and spirit—during the Sui dynasty, and that his physical form had remained preserved ever since.

During the Qianning era, an official on a mission to the Northern Capital met Master Lu at an inn. They talked and laughed as if they had long known each other, and stayed together for more than ten days. After they parted, the official returned to the capital, took leave, and went to his country estate to visit Master Lu. In a small hall, he saw that Master Lu looked exactly as he had when they met in the Northern Capital.

Early in the Guangqi era, Emperor Xizong again fled the turmoil, this time to Liangyang. A man named Yao, pursued by bandits, fled for safety at night and accidentally fell into a well beside the ancient temple, injuring his foot. He dug a hollow into the well wall and sheltered there while he recovered. The nearby villages were deserted and remote, and no one ever came. With no implements for cultivation, he simply recited the Huangting Jing and the Daode Jing day and night. Gradually, he found that he no longer felt hungry, and his injured foot healed. He had no idea how many years he had spent in the hollow in the well.

After Prince Xiang put down the unrest, the emperor returned to the capital. A patrol of soldiers spent the night at the ancient temple. During the night, they saw light shining from the well, investigated, and pulled Yao out. Grateful for the protection of the scriptures, Yao later became a Daoist priest and lived at the temple.

The Ten Immortals of Emperor Ming

Emperor Xuanzong once dreamed that ten fairies rode auspicious clouds into the palace courtyard, each carrying a suspended musical instrument and playing it. The melody was clear and far-reaching, the very music of the immortal realm. When they had finished, one fairy stepped forward and asked, “Does Your Majesty know what this piece is called? It is the immortals’ Purple Cloud Melody. We would now like to teach it to Your Majesty, so that it may become a refined and proper sound of the Great Tang since its founding. It is quite unlike the ancient music of Xian Shao and Da Xia.” Xuanzong was delighted and learned the piece at once.

Before long, Xuanzong awoke, with what seemed to be the melody’s lingering notes still in his ears. He had someone bring him a jade flute—a flute made of jade—and practiced as he played. He quickly mastered the rhythm and committed it carefully to memory, unwilling to let the tune slip away. At daybreak, he attended to state affairs in the Zichen Hall, where court audiences were held. The chancellors Yao Chong and Song Jing came to present their business, but Xuanzong seemed not to hear them. Uneasy, the two men presented their report again. Xuanzong still paid no attention; he simply rose and looked out into the courtyard, never once turning toward them. The chancellors grew even more apprehensive and hurriedly withdrew.

The eunuch Gao Lishi then reported to Xuanzong, “The chancellors have come seeking Your Majesty’s decision. You should answer them directly, saying whether you approve or not. Yao Chong and Song Jing were presenting matters of great military and state importance, yet Your Majesty ignored them throughout. Have the two chancellors committed some offense?” Xuanzong smiled and said, “Last night I dreamed that ten fairies played music. They performed the Purple Cloud Melody and taught it to me. I was afraid I would forget the rhythm, so I kept practicing it silently and could not attend to what the chancellors were saying.” As he spoke, he took the jade flute from inside his robe and showed it to Gao Lishi.

That same day, Gao Lishi went to the Central Secretariat, where the chancellors handled government affairs, and told them what had happened. Their apprehension then eased somewhat. The piece was later added to the imperial music bureau, the institution responsible for music.

The Man with the Curled Beard

The Bearded Wanderer—a red-bearded traveler with an easygoing nature—was a Daoist brother, though no one knew his name. In the final years of Emperor Yang of Sui’s reign, the Minister of Works, Yang Su, remained in Chang’an. After the emperor departed for Jiangdu, Yang Su held great power. He was arrogant and exalted, and looked down on everyone. At that time, Li Jing brought a calling card to pay Yang Su a visit, giving him the chance to see the red-sleeved courtesan who stood beside Yang Su. Her surname was Zhang, and her name was Hongfu. She saw that Yang Su was headed for ruin, and before long she left him and went to Li Jing.

Li Jing and Hongfu left Chang’an together, intending to travel to Taiyuan. They stopped to rest at the Lingshi inn, where they encountered the Bearded Wanderer. He was a burly man with a thick red beard, dressed in worn clothes and riding a thin donkey. He tossed his cloth bundle onto the ground and took out a pillow and a few other things. Seeing Zhang combing her hair, which fell all the way to the floor, he stood beside the bed and combed his own hair.

Li Jing was furious at the sight and kept glancing angrily at him. Zhang studied Li Jing’s expression closely. Holding her hair in one hand and shielding herself with the other, she signaled to Li Jing not to be angry. She quickly finished combing her hair, straightened her clothes, and went over to ask the man’s surname. The Bearded Wanderer replied, “Zhang.” Zhang said, “My surname is Zhang too. We must be brother and sister.” She then bowed to him. She asked which child he was in the family; he said he was the third. He asked where Zhang stood among her siblings, and she replied, “I am the eldest daughter.” The Bearded Wanderer was delighted and said, “Now…”