《西山许真君八十五化录》

In the jiashen year of the Jiading era (1224), the Patriarch Xu Zhenjun (Xu Xun) descended upon Jinling, proclaimed the way of loyalty and filial piety, and guided the people toward the right path. A lay devotee named Wang, moved by and receptive to the sage’s teachings, spent his entire fortune to build Chongzhen Daoist Abbey west of Tianqing Temple. He established an incense offering there, and the temple still stands to this day.

At his master’s command, Shi Cen joined in spreading Daoist teachings. Around this time, the disciples Xing Daojian and Liang Daoning completed Yongwu Daoist Abbey north of the Jiayihui Tavern, to welcome immortal guests. People gathered there like clouds and mist—more than a thousand of them. Yet, on closer examination, only a few truly held firm aspirations and sought the Dao with an urgent hunger: Wang Daochong, Song Daosheng, Zhao Daotai, Zhao Daojie, Lin Shouyi, Jia Shoucheng, Liu Daoyi, and Kong Shoushan.

These men had read the Biography from Mount Xi and praised the Patriarch’s merit. Recently, Song Daosheng brought me his hand-copied Biographies of the Twelve Perfected Ones and asked me to revise it. As I read, I found that its wording and ideas were repetitive and its chapters jumbled, making it likely to weary readers. I regretted this deeply. I therefore corrected the relevant accounts, divided the chapters and sentences, and arranged the whole work into eighty-five manifestations—the eighty-five episodes recounting Xu Zhenjun’s appearances. I paired each episode with a poem.

Xing Daojian waited steadily for instructions, always holding the book in his hands. His dedication truly deserves praise, and it gladdened me all the more. Once the poems were complete, Zhu Shouzhong came to work with me on reviewing and revising them, hoping to prevent errors in copying. In this way, the Patriarch’s deeds could be transmitted and circulated without giving rise to doubts.

The Patriarch’s sacred achievements and cultivation of the Dao now shine forth more clearly than the blue sky and bright sun. After repairing the abbey and compiling the poems and biography, I saw Xing Daojian raise funds to carve the printing blocks, allowing this biography to spread far and wide and endure for a thousand years and beyond. May it continue to circulate for ages, and may the good names of Xing and Liang, together with the Patriarch’s achievements and cultivation of the Dao, never be lost.

Postscript by Shi Cen, Perfected One of Yongwu, Mount Xi.

The Way of the immortals can be attained through study, and immortality can likewise be realized through effort. These claims are indeed trustworthy. The Way of the immortals lies in diligently cultivating merit within oneself and widely doing good deeds in the world. When merit and good deeds have become manifest, they can move Heaven and Earth and evoke a response from the spirits. This is simply the natural order. But without wisdom and effort, how could anyone accomplish such merit and good deeds?

In the past, the Patriarch Xu Zhenjun, an immortal revered in Daoism, rectified his thoughts and cultivated with sincerity. He remained pure and still, concentrated his spirit and stabilized his Qi, and held fast to primordial Qi with unwavering focus. Is this not the work of a sage? He cultivated benevolence and accumulated De, aiding the poor and relieving suffering. Whenever he saw someone in danger, he would often step forward to help. He also guided good people to enter the Dao and cultivate. He put others before himself and treated all things impartially, without favoritism. Is this not the practice of the Dao?

From this, we can see that once merit and good deeds are complete, the sacred Way is fulfilled. Xu Zhenjun led his entire family in ascending to the highest heavens—a feat unheard of among people from ancient times to the present. This biography was compiled precisely to hold up the Patriarch’s example of meritorious deeds and accumulated De. The poems, too, were not written by disciples to show off their elegant diction. The poems and biography recount the Patriarch’s deeds and praise his great achievements, in the hope that later students of the Dao will understand how he accumulated merit and established good works. If they put these lessons into practice, take the Patriarch as their model, cultivate abundant De, and attain the Way of the immortals, would they not then stand alongside the perfected beings of the Western Mountain?

The chapters on the Eighty-Five Transformations were set down not merely to record the past. Through them, the Patriarch offered instruction and guidance, placing deep hopes in later students and urging everyone to cultivate diligently and advance with vigor.

In the Bingwu year of the Great Song, on an auspicious day, the Perfected One Yongwu of the Western Mountain, Shi Cen, praised the Patriarch’s sacred De, respectfully bowing one hundred times, and composed this preface.

The ancestral master’s surname was Xu, his given name Xun, and his courtesy name Jingzhi. His great-grandfather was named Ying, his grandfather Wu, and his father Su. For generations, the family had lived in Xuchang. His forebears were upright in character and had no desire to enter government service. The Xu family traced its ancestry to You of Yingyang. In the final years of the Han dynasty, the ancestral master’s father moved south to Nanchang County in Yuzhang Commandery to escape the turmoil, and settled there.

In the second year of the Chiwu era under Wu (239 CE), the ancestral master’s mother dreamed that a golden phoenix descended from the heavens bearing a pearl in its beak and dropped it into her hands. She admired the pearl, then swallowed it. When she awoke, she felt movement in her womb. She became pregnant and gave birth to the ancestral master.

A poem says: “A golden phoenix descends from the highest heavens, bearing a pearl; the sagely mother of Gaoyang gives birth to an outstanding son. A red glow appears in her chamber as an auspicious sign, while the ancestral master’s name is entered in the jade registers of the Purple Palace—the Daoist celestial realm. If his grandfather and father had not accumulated virtue through good deeds, how could their descendants have become immortals? The ancestral master’s wondrous practice surpasses past and present; for hundreds of years, its blessings have extended to both the people and their rulers.”

Yuanyou and Junmai of Mount Gouqu, in the area of present-day Maoshan in Jiangsu, and Mu, a senior military adjutant, were all distant cousins of the ancestral master, sharing the same great-grandfather. A poem says: “The two Xu brothers were both versed in the arts of the Dao. They lived in seclusion on Mount Gouqu, far from the disturbances of the world. They had no interest in contending for fame or profit. Though they once served in a military headquarters, they did not become attached to worldly office. The immortal tradition had ancient roots, its flourishing branches linked to a spirit-filled lineage. The ancestral master had brothers of such a kind, whose aspirations set them apart from ordinary people.”

The ancestral master was born clever, with a handsome and distinguished appearance. From a young age he understood principles clearly, and was never at odds with others. Once, he went hunting with a group and shot a doe with an arrow. Her fawn fell from her body, and the doe turned back to lick it before finally dying. The sight moved the ancestral master, who immediately broke his bow and threw it away.

A poem says: “His appearance was clear and untainted; his brows and eyes were finely shaped, unlike those of worldly people. His heart was broad enough to embrace rivers and seas, and his sincerity deep enough to subdue ghosts and spirits.”

How could his innate nature and mind have been revealed without shooting the deer? How could he have cleansed away the dust and grime, and shown himself as clear-featured and free from worldly concerns?

His heart was broad enough to embrace rivers and seas; his sincerity was deep enough to subdue ghosts and spirits.

How could his innate nature and mind have been revealed without shooting the deer? How could he have received the phoenix’s confirmation that his cultivation had reached the highest truth?

In his dealings with others, he benefited all beings and built up deep hidden virtue—good deeds done beyond public view. Even today, his achievements remain fresh through the ages.

Transforming Through Learning

The Patriarch devoted himself to learning and became widely versed in the classics, histories, astronomy, geography, music, the Five Phases, and books on prophecy and portent, which foretold good and ill fortune through hidden words. He especially loved the arts of immortal cultivation and attained considerable skill in them. When he heard that Hao Meng of Xi’an had received a divine formula from the Perfected One Ding Yi, he went to become his student and learned its secrets.

The poem says:

Naturally gifted, he surpassed ordinary people; with single-minded effort, he immersed himself in the writings of the many schools.

To live in the world, one should understand its affairs; to seek immortality, one must grasp the essentials of the Immortal Way.

How could he keep this profound Daoist teaching to himself? He hoped to obtain the divine formula and use it to help the people.

Fortunately, Lord Hao opened a precious storehouse; it was good that the merits of cultivation and the accomplishments of one’s work supported each other.

Transforming Through Choosing a Place

Later, the Patriarch and Guo Pu, a practitioner of divination in the Eastern Jin, traveled together in search of famous mountains and auspicious sites, seeking a place suited to the life of cultivation. At Xiaoyao Mountain, on the southern foothills of the Western Mountain, they found the residence of the Jin family and moved there. This is where the present Yulong Wanshou Palace, at the blessed site of Xiaoyao, now stands. The Jin family later manifested as spirits; their story is told elsewhere. The Patriarch devoted each day to cultivation. A cinnabar well and a medicine mortar, once used for drawing water and pounding herbs in alchemical work, can still be found there. He sought neither fame nor advancement. The people of the village were transformed by his filial devotion, fraternal respect, and kindness, while those who knew him admired his Virtue and moral integrity.

The poem says:

The blessed site of the Western Mountain is a splendid realm of immortals; its green peaks and clear streams are like a painting.

The Patriarch and Master Guo surveyed the auspicious place in person. Through the Jin family’s gracious offer, they were able to move there and make it their home.

The lay of the land and its waters was beautiful and suited to cultivation; each day, the Patriarch worked alongside his companions and tilled the soil himself.

The villagers gladly accepted the teaching of Virtue, and from then on the Patriarch’s moral reputation spread far and wide.

Transforming Through the Golden Lamp Stand

A man who sold iron lampstands noticed one night, as he lit a lamp, that gold showed through a patch where the paint had come off the stand. After examining it, he went to find its owner the next day and returned the lampstand. When someone left something behind, he would not take even the smallest item if keeping it was not morally right.

A poem says:

His nature was honest and upright, praised by everyone. How could he give in to selfish desire and keep this golden lampstand?

Even if someone offered him a generous stipend, he would not accept it if it was unjust. Nor could even a small lost object make him betray his conscience.

Money is like drifting clouds: it gathers, then scatters. Good character is like sunlight: ever more pure and radiant.

The Patriarch looked to the aspirations of the sages of old: even when Yao yielded the throne to another, he regarded it lightly.

The Transformation at Jingyang

The commandery recommended him as a Filial and Incorrupt official, a Han-dynasty method of selecting officials that valued filial conduct and integrity, but he declined. The court issued several solemn summons, yet he still did not answer them. In the end, unable to refuse any longer, he took office as magistrate of Jingyang County in Shu Commandery in the first year of the Taikang era (280), at the age of forty-two.

A poem says:

His name for benevolence and virtue spread throughout the commandery, and the people all loved him; the reputation of this wise local official reached the court.

It seemed that a red luan bird in the clouds carried an imperial edict, while a white crane flew from the mountains on the wind.

The dust and cares of the world could not conceal his love of the quiet mountains and forests; the court was in need of a pillar of talent.

How could he rashly refuse the emperor’s edict and its favor? Thus began Jingyang’s virtuous governance.

The Transformation Through Virtuous Governance

When Perfected Lord Xu first took office, he warned the officials against greed and baseness, removed burdensome and petty regulations, released those in custody, and patiently reasoned with each of them. Officials and people alike were sincerely persuaded, and everyone was willing to mend their ways. He investigated cases with keen, almost divine insight, and the officials dared not deceive him.

Whenever he heard a lawsuit, he first taught people to be loyal, filial, kind, benevolent, forgiving, cautious, diligent, and frugal; to draw near to the worthy and keep away from the wicked; to curb greed and restrain violence. These admonitions were recorded in public notices and set out in great detail. He also feared that the county was so vast, with households separated by a hundred li, that his message might not reach everyone. So he selected virtuous and respected men, along with elders willing to heed advice, and asked them to help guide the people. In time, the spirit of quarrels gradually faded, and before long there were no lawsuits at all.

A poem says:

Immortal companions among the flying birds praised his virtuous governance. The qin sounded beside the court hall, and from then on the clamour of disputes fell silent.

He understood the people’s hardships and chose respected villagers and reasonable elders to advise and guide the community. As a result, the custom of competing for dominance gradually faded. In time, there were no lawsuits at all.

The poem says:

Birds flew in the company of immortals, and his administration flourished; beside the official hall, where government affairs were handled, quarrels and clamor had ceased.

Kind and considerate toward the people, he was gentle and approachable, like a mother pheasant caring for her chicks. His virtue was so deep that even pests stayed away from the region.

His aspirations were far-reaching. He had once hoped to assist the ruler and fulfill his ambitions, as Fu Yue, the worthy minister of the Shang dynasty, had done. Now, living in retirement, he made do by planting peach trees.

The courtyard was quiet, official business sparse, and the people had no disputes. The days were long, the curtains hung low, and the sunlight was free to shift across the room.

Relieving Hardship and Bringing People to Harmony

Earlier, poor harvests had left the people without grain to pay their taxes. County and commandery officials enforced the law and pressed them for payment, driving many from their homes. The patriarch therefore used a wondrous elixir to transform rubble into gold, then secretly hid the gold in the garden behind the county office.

One day, he summoned all the people who had not yet paid their taxes to the courtyard, rebuked them, and sent them to work in the garden behind the office. As they labored in the fields, they discovered the gold and used it to pay their taxes. They were then able to settle in peace. Hearing of his kindness, displaced people from neighboring regions came in great numbers to seek refuge there, and the population gradually grew.

The poem says:

The seasons were harsh, and the rice and grain harvests failed, leaving the hungry unable to pay their taxes.

County and commandery officials detained people and demanded payment, tightening their pressure until families were trapped and had no choice but to flee elsewhere.

He secretly hid gold and silver treasures in the garden behind the office. Under the pretext of assigning labor, he sent farmers there with their hoes to dig.

The people thus obtained the means to pay what they owed. Once their taxes were settled, the villagers returned home with their plows and began cultivating their fields again.

That year, an epidemic spread on a massive scale, and seven or eight out of every ten people died. The Patriarch used the miraculous prescription taught to him to treat the people. Wherever the talisman water reached, patients recovered quickly; even those who were gravely ill and had long failed to respond to treatment all recovered. When word spread, sick people from other regions came in a steady stream, nearly a thousand each day. The Patriarch placed a bamboo pole by the river, ten li outside the city, to mark the spot. He left talisman water there for people to collect and drink beneath the pole, and the patients all recovered. Those who were old, frail, or too seriously ill to come themselves had their families bring back talisman water for them to drink, and they recovered as well.

The people of Shu then composed a song in praise: “The people do not steal, and the officials do not deceive. Our lord has saved the people’s lives; illness can no longer harm anyone.” Later, people from Jiangzuo, the region east of the lower Yangtze, also came to Jingyang to obtain talisman water. The Patriarch inscribed a talisman over a vessel of water and had it carried back to the riverbank, where a bamboo pole was set up as a marker for the sick to drink from. The people of Jiangzuo also recovered. This stretch of river is now called the Shu River, or the Brocade River, and lies in Gao’an, Ruizhou.

The poem says: When the epidemic was raging, word spread through the villages of a miraculous prescription that could cure illness. The Patriarch devoted himself to using this prescription, empowering water with talismanic methods to save the people. Those suffering from chronic, severe illness drank it and regained their health; even grave diseases soon gave way to recovery. People from the Brocade River region also came seeking help. To this day, traces remain by the river of the bamboo poles once set up as markers.

“Abandoning glory and transforming” begins the passage that follows; it means giving up worldly splendor and changing one’s outward appearance.

After serving for many years as an official in Jingyang County, Patriarch Xu Jingyang realized that turmoil was about to break out in the Jin dynasty. He resigned, packed his belongings, and returned to his hometown. Jingyang County belonged to Hanzhou. After the Patriarch’s ascent to immortality, Shaozhou was renamed Deyang to honor the virtue with which he had benefited the people. Later, the county seat moved west, and the old site was converted into a Daoist temple, now called Jingyang Abbey.

The local people were grateful for the Patriarch’s kindness, but could find no way to persuade him to stay. So they built shrines to him in many places while he was still alive, hung his portrait in every household, and honored him as they would a deity. On the day he set out, the people carried provisions and escorted him along the road, their procession filling the countryside. Some followed him for a thousand li before turning back; others went all the way to his home and, wishing to remain in his service, refused to return. They built thatched huts on open ground east of the Patriarch’s residence and lived there in rows like a military camp. Many adopted the Patriarch’s surname, and the place came to be known as Xu Family Camp. Such was the people’s deep affection for the Patriarch and the lasting benefit he had left them.

The poem says:

After success in office and a name that has spread far, what more is there to seek? Better to return home and spend one’s later years in peace, following the example of the two Shu brothers, Guang and Shou, who resigned their posts in the Han dynasty and went home.

Who knows how many shrines and statues were built in all these places? Old and young, carrying provisions, crowded the long road to see him off.

King Tai of Zhou fled the Di people and moved to Qishan, where a market later grew up. After Yu the Great took leave of Emperor Yao, he settled in Deng, which then flourished.

The Patriarch’s kindness is hard to forget. Unable to bear parting from him, the people built thatched huts and gathered to live at Xu Family Camp.

The Transformation at Xinwu

The Patriarch once visited Xinwu and rested at Xianglin. Suddenly, five young maidens appeared, each holding out a precious sword to him. Finding this strange, the Patriarch accepted the swords. A Daoist temple called Wulin Abbey now stands there. Later, the five maidens came together to the Patriarch’s home and spent their days practicing swordplay for pleasure. No one could make out who they were. The Patriarch recognized them as sword immortals—those who had cultivated to immortality through swordsmanship—and always treated them with courtesy. In time, he indeed drew on their power to wield the divine swords. After the Patriarch ascended to immortality, the maidens withdrew beneath the parasol trees he had planted with his own hands. They came to be known as the Immortal Maidens of the Bridge Tree.

The poem says:

Entering Xinwu, he met five maidens. Each held out a precious case and offered a sword whose edge gleamed like frost.

Silently applying the light of wisdom, he had long foreseen all manner of extraordinary signs. When his numinous powers became manifest, his appearance changed remarkably. He commanded ghosts and spirits to obey the ordinances, and destroyed such evil creatures as serpents and dragons.

The Patriarch’s cultivation and merit were complete, and he ascended to Heaven. The immortal maiden, meanwhile, concealed herself among the emerald-green parasol trees.

The Yellow Hall Transformation

Later, the Patriarch and Lord Hao traveled together to Songyang. They heard that at the Yellow Hall Retreat in Danyang County, Jinling, there was a female master named Zhenmu, skilled in the arts of the Dao. They went together to pay her a visit and ask her about the wondrous principles of the Great Dao.

Zhenmu said, “You both were born with the spiritual bones suited to becoming immortals, and your immortal names were recorded in Heaven long ago. In the past, however, the Filial Piety King, a revered deity whose teachings centered on filial devotion and fraternal respect, descended from the Shangqing realm into the human world to guide the people and uphold filial piety. When he first came to the household of Master Lan in Qufu County, Yanzhou, he said, ‘In a later age, there will be an immortal named Xu Xun, who will inherit my Dao teachings and become foremost among the perfected beings.’ He left behind the treasured Golden Elixir scripture, a bronze tally, and an iron warrant, instructing Master Lan to entrust them to me for safekeeping until your arrival. I have kept them for many years. I also transmitted the methods of the Illustrious King of Filial Piety, which likewise take filial devotion as their foundation. Now that you have come, I should pass these methods on to you.”

Zhenmu then chose an auspicious day and, following the rites, ascended the altar to transmit the teachings. She expounded filial piety and solemnly enjoined the vows and precepts. She brought out the bronze tally, iron warrant, Golden Elixir scripture, the Zhengyi method for vanquishing evil, the Five and Three Flying Steps, and other teachings. She passed on to the Patriarch every level of the rites and all their secret instructions. It is said that the Five Thunders arts and other methods transmitted today also came from Zhenmu.

The poem says: The Patriarch went to the Yellow Hall to visit Zhenmu. She revered the teachings of the Filial Piety King and passed them on. The incense had only just been lit, and its smoke had not yet risen; the two had not yet spoken, but their thoughts were already in accord. Zhenmu swore to transmit the teachings by the bronze tally and iron warrant, and entrusted him fully with the treasured texts and the Golden Elixir. She chose a day, ascended the altar, and transmitted all the methods. The immortal name of Jingyang, Xu Xun’s honorific title, had long been entered in the registers of the immortals.

The Jade Register Transformation

The Mother of Shen turned and said to Lord Hao, “In the past, you became Lord Xu’s teacher by passing on a divine formula. Now only Lord Xu has inherited the teachings of the Illustrious King of Filial Piety, so you should instead take him as your teacher. Moreover, according to the Jade Emperor’s register of celestial officials, your post is Censor of Yuandu, while Lord Xu’s is Grand Envoy of Gaoming. The ranks recorded in your celestial registers are far apart. And the Twelve Branches and the twelve regional divisions you govern also differ: Lord Xu oversees the Plain of Xuanyang, corresponding to the Zi position among the Twelve Branches; you command the Land of Xingji among the twelve divisions, corresponding to the Chou position. From now on, you should honor Lord Xu as your senior.”

The poem says: People say that you were once Lord Xu’s teacher, but such a teacher-student relationship does not fit the ranks in the Jade Emperor’s celestial register. Though you once passed a divine formula on to Lord Xu, you did not know that celestial offices, too, have their own order of rank. The celestial officials who oversee the earthly divisions each have their place in the hierarchy, and the stars are distributed differently across the heavens. Your ranks are far apart, and your duties differ like those of an envoy and a court historian. Why question the honor of placing Lord Jingyang, Lord Xu’s title, above you?

Transformation at the Court of the Perfected

After the Patriarch and Lord Hao bowed and took their leave, the Patriarch thought that he would come to pay his respects to the Mother of Shen every year from then on. She sensed his thoughts and said, “You need not come again. I am about to return to the celestial realm where the Heavenly Emperor dwells.” She then picked up a stalk of sweetgrass and tossed it southward, saying, “When you return, find the place where the sweetgrass lands and build a shrine for me there. It will be enough to come once each autumn.”

When the Patriarch and Lord Hao returned, they first went to look for the place where the sweetgrass had landed. They found it more than forty li south of the Mother of Shen’s residence. By then, the sweetgrass had grown into a clump. They built a shrine there, also called the Yellow Hall, and named it Chongzhen Abbey. The place now known as the Yellow Hall Palace of the Flourishing Dao is this same shrine. On the third day of the second autumn month each year, the Patriarch would go there to bow and pay his respects.

The poem says: The Patriarch had hoped to come and pay his respects every year, for the teacher’s kindness was profound and impossible to forget. He would not shrink from a journey of a thousand li or the hardships along the way; he hoped only that the immortal would return to the realm of the immortals, encircled by five-colored clouds. The Mother of Shen tossed down the sweetgrass, and where it landed, it grew into a clump. People then built a shrine and enshrined her image. On the third day of the second autumn month each year, the figures of phoenixes and cranes seemed to fill the sky, while flutes and pipes played celestial music.

Transformation at the Resting Place of the Perfected

The Patriarch was heading to Feimao when he passed a clear pond. He stopped to rest briefly and named the place “Qizhen Jing.” The Qizhen Jing in Qingpi Village today is this very spot.

He saw the villagers slaughtering many animals to offer to the spirits. The villagers marveled to one another, saying, “If the offerings are not sumptuous enough, the spirits will grow angry and bring disaster.” The Patriarch said, “How dare these demons cause such mischief!” That night, while staying at an inn, he summoned the power of wind and thunder to subdue them, uprooting even the trees. The next day, he told the locals, “The demons’ shrine has been dispelled. There is no need to make offerings anymore.” The abandoned shrine still stands there today, but people no longer worship at it.

The poem says: On his return journey, the Patriarch passed through Feimao and stopped to rest in Qingpi Village. Seeing the villagers preparing offerings, he realized they were slaughtering and cooking animals on a grand scale because of the demons’ shrine. He would not allow evil beings born from plants, trees, earth, and stone to cause trouble. He summoned wind and thunder to destroy them and warned the villagers to stop making offerings recklessly. The region was thus brought to peace, free of further disturbances.

The Transformation of the numinous spring

The Patriarch saw many people carrying water buckets and traveling far along the road to fetch water. He thrust his staff into the dried-up pool before the shrine, and a spring immediately welled up for the people to drink. Even during drought, it never ran dry. The stone well at Ziyang Jing in Daze Village today is this very place.

The poem says: The local residents had to carry water a long way, enduring great hardship because there was no spring nearby. The Patriarch lightly struck the ground with his Five Peaks staff, a ritual implement associated with the Five Peaks, and clear spring water gushed forth, murmuring as it flowed. The poem also mentions the story of Geng Gong, who summoned craftsmen to dig a well while besieged by enemies, and that of Pang Jian, who used bronze vessels to raise funds for a spring to be dug. These stories serve to highlight the Patriarch’s wondrous powers: sweet spring water welled up of its own accord and never ceased.

The Transformation of Dragon City

The next day, the Patriarch climbed to the mountaintop and pointed to the spring altar on the mountainside. “Something uncanny is hidden here and will cause trouble in the future,” he said. So he built an altar and established a Jing—a Daoist site for worship and cultivation—to suppress it. Today, people stop here each year when making a pilgrimage to Chanmu, a female immortal revered in Daoism. The place is called Dragon City Temple.

The poem says:

Xu Zhenjun happened to climb to the mountain summit to look out. Suddenly, he saw a spring gushing from the mountainside. Before long, he saw demonic qi spreading through the mountain and realized that something uncanny was hidden there. Thinking that if it emerged in the future, the people would surely suffer harm, he cast a spell that same day to move it elsewhere. He then established an altar to suppress the malign presence. Relics of the site can still be seen today.

Transformation at Songbi

The Patriarch crossed the Little Shu River, now called Huanghukou, and came to a shop by the river. The shopkeeper, Zhu, was poor but welcomed the Patriarch with great respect. On a whim, the Patriarch painted a pine tree on the shop’s wall, then left. That very day, the shop did twice as much business as usual.

Later, the river swelled and broke through its banks, washing away all the houses in the market. Only the wall bearing the pine painting remained undamaged. The place is now called Songhu Market. The Zhu family built a temple there and enshrined the Patriarch.

A poem says: Though the Zhu family was poor, they were glad to welcome guests; the Patriarch’s visit was a blessing for those fortunate enough to meet him. The Patriarch sat down cheerfully and left an immortal trace on the wall; the painting became the Zhu family’s treasure. From then on, the Patriarch’s whereabouts were far off and elusive, while the Zhu family’s business grew ever more prosperous. Later, when the river broke through its banks and swept the houses away, the wall bearing the pine painting remained as firm as a mountain, as though protected by a spirit.

Yellow Dragon Transformation

The Patriarch once refined a divine elixir on Mount Huanglong in Aicheng. A flood-dragon spirit occupied a pool beside the mountain and often raised floods in an attempt to submerge the alchemy chamber. The Patriarch sent divine soldiers to capture it and nail it to the rock face. The “Dragon-Pinning Stone” still remains there today.

After the elixir was complete, the Patriarch went to the stone chamber of Ge Xian’gong on Mount Mufu to make an offering and report his accomplishment. He then came to Xiuchuan. Drawn to its swift-flowing, clear water, he sharpened his divine sword on a rock by the stream. The place is still there on Mount Mei in Xiuchuan. Later generations built a temple there to commemorate the Patriarch’s sacred deeds and named it Jingyang Temple. He next crossed the water and climbed Xiufeng, the mountain now called Mount Jingyang. At its summit, he set up an altar and performed a Zhaijiao rite, offering thanks to the Lord on High, then swallowed the elixir of immortality.

The poem says: The Patriarch went to Mount Huanglong to refine an elixir, where a flood-dragon spirit raised a deluge by the mountainside. He urgently summoned fierce divine officials and ordered them to hunt down the arrogant demon and nail it to the mountain rock. Once this was done, he went to the stream to sharpen his treasured sword. When the elixir was ready, he climbed the ridge and built an immortal’s altar. The Patriarch performed the Zhaijiao rite to thank the celestial perfected ones, then swallowed the elixir and rose to Heaven on a rainbow-colored luan.

The former residence of Lord Hao (Haojun) was nearby. South of the stream lay Haoxian Village (Haoxian Cun) and the Haoxian Daoist Abbey (Haoxian Guan), both sites where the Perfected Hao (Hao Zhenjun) once lived. The Patriarch then went to Lord Hao's estate, passing through Xi'an County, which is today Fenning.

The local Shebo (the spirit who governs the land and the altar of the soil) came out to meet the Patriarch and asked him to rid the district of a demon that was harming the people. The demon's spirit had gone into hiding and would not show itself. As the Patriarch passed a small shrine, the five Mao brothers, spirits of the shrine who were later known as the spirits of the Xieyou Temple, located east of the county seat, came out to greet him. They told him: "A jiao (a scaly water-dragon demon) has been doing evil here. When it heard that an immortal lord was coming, it fled to Ezhu to hide. It will return, and we beg the immortal lord to destroy it for the people."

Following their account, the Patriarch tracked the jiao's trail. At Ezhu, beside the road, he met three old men, whom the locals later honored with the Sanwang Temple (Temple of the Three Kings). The Patriarch asked where the jiao was hiding, and all three pointed ahead and said, "It is crouching beneath the bridge." That bridge was later called the Fulong Bridge (Bridge of the Crouching Dragon).

When the Patriarch reached the bridge, he brandished his sword and rebuked the jiao. Frightened, the jiao fled into the great river and hid in a deep pool, a place later called the Xialong Cave (Cave of the Lower Dragon). The Patriarch then ordered his officials and soldiers to drive it out. The jiao escaped upstream, where it was finally slain. That place came to be called the Shanglong Mouth (Mouth of the Upper Dragon).

The Patriarch was angered that the Shebo of Xi'an had failed in his duty, so he sealed the gate of his shrine and forbade the people to worship there. Even today, the main gate of the Chenghuang Temple (Temple of the City God) in Fenning County is kept shut all year, and it is said that if it were opened, fire would break out in the county. During sacrifices, the Zhushi (the officiant who leads the prayer rites) can enter and leave only through a side door, so few residents go there to worship. Local people have instead made their offerings at the small shrine. The Xieyou Marquis Temple now enjoys a flourishing incense trade and is often believed to manifest spiritual efficacy.

The poem says:

People in the world tell how the Patriarch rode his carriage past Haoxian Village, having heard that a jiao was troubling the area. The three old men pointed out that it hid beneath the bridge, while the five Mao brothers reported on the road that it had already fled. To rid the people of this harm, the Patriarch pursued and slew the jiao, determined to root it out completely. He rebuked the spirit of Xi'an for neglecting its duty, and to this day its shrine gate remains sealed.

Cang Xi Hua (Transforming at Hidden Stream)

After the Patriarch (Zushi) returned to the commandery seat, he said: "This place sits where the land and water routes meet, and its population is large. Surely there are people here whose fated encounters would let them attain the Dao and become immortals?" He took out several pellets of elixir, mixed them among ordinary pills, and sold them, letting people pick up whatever they chose according to their own affinity. Many came to buy and later to redeem their purchases, yet not one of them obtained an elixir. The Patriarch sighed that encountering someone with an immortal affinity was truly rare in the world.

The poem says: Hongdu has a dense population. Could there be no worthy person among them with the destiny to become an immortal? The Patriarch dropped several elixir pellets into the cauldron, then mixed them among many ordinary pills and had his disciples sell them along the streets, letting people take whatever they picked up by hand. The pills were sold out, yet the elixirs remained in the bag, and not one person had an immortal affinity.

Cang Xi Hua (Transforming at Hidden Stream)

The Patriarch heard that a vicious jiaolong (water dragon) was causing trouble at Xinhao, stirring up winds and waves, so he took up his sword and went after it. The site he had once traveled through was called the Longquan Guan (Dragon Spring Monastery), which was later renamed Xianyou. The jiaolong fled into a cave in a stream, and from then on the stream was called Cang Xi (Hidden Stream). The Patriarch inscribed talismanic characters on a huge boulder and composed an anti-jiaolong incantation to subdue the creature. The stele bearing the anti-jiaolong incantation still stands today. The site is now a Buddhist monastery called Yanzhen, and beside it a Daoist monastery, also named Yanzhen, was built ten li west of Fengxin County.

The poem says: I heard that a fierce jiaolong was making trouble at Xinhao, stirring up waves at will. The Patriarch personally drew his sword to destroy it, and the monster fled into the stream to hide. The Patriarch issued an awe-inspiring anti-jiaolong incantation to keep it from emerging again to cause chaos, and he left precious talismans (fulu) to hold the waters in place. The stele still clearly preserves the traces of this event, and for thousands of years people have revered the Patriarch's virtue.

At that time, far to the north of Haihun (an ancient place name), a giant serpent coiled in the mountains, making a cave its lair. The vapor it exhaled condensed into clouds and mist, and whenever it erupted, every person and animal within a radius of forty li was drawn in and devoured, with no survivors. Boats on the rivers and lakes were often overturned and sunk by it, and the common people suffered greatly. When the Patriarch (zushi) heard of this, he ascended the summit of the North Ridge to investigate. The Hui Xian Peak east of the present-day Chiwu Guan (Daoist temple) is the spot where the Patriarch ascended in those days. He indeed saw the poisonous vapor filling the sky. Moved by compassion for the people suffering from the serpent's scourge, he gathered his disciples and prepared to go and eliminate it.

The poem says:

The poisonous vapor blots out the sky, and the giant serpent does harm; within a hundred li of Haihun, households have nearly been cut off.

The giant serpent coils in the mountains, using the cave as its nest and stirring up the winds; the breath it exhales is like clouds, shrouding the sunlight.

The roads are therefore impassable, and wild beasts and livestock are swallowed by it; the rivers and lakes are also harmed, and boats are capsized and sunk.

The Patriarch climbed the ridge to survey the area first, and his disciples united their strength, ready to act and rid the land of this harm.

Upon entering this region, more than three hundred local residents learned that the Patriarch was skilled in daofa (Daoist methods). They came forward one after another, pleading their hardships and earnestly asking him for help. The Patriarch said: "The affairs of the world turn in cycles, and now we have met with such a calamity. The common people have suffered this misfortune, and they truly cannot escape this ordeal. I have come for exactly this purpose, and I will surely remove this scourge for you. I swear that I will not allow this snake to coexist with you."

After a while, his disciples arrived and together urged the Patriarch to act. The Patriarch said: "We must still wait until the right moment." He then thrust his sword into the ground and silently prayed to Heaven. After a long time, a spring welled up from the earth. Before long, a chiwu (red crow) flew overhead, and the Patriarch said: "The moment has come."

The site was originally named Houshi Guan (Observatory of Awaiting the Moment). It was later renamed Chiwu Guan (Red Crow Monastery), and today it is known as Shousheng, also called Guangfu.

A poem by the Benchao (present-dynasty) Daoist Wan Zhonghang says: In the past, a long snake committed violent deeds, and Jingyang (the title of Xu Xun) once waited here for the right moment to eliminate it. The immortal maiden in the cave had only just received her orders to act when a spirit crow suddenly came to bring word. The fushi (spirit envoy who acts under talismanic command) flew angrily across the valley, and the flashing swords struck down together, causing the gods and ghosts to tremble with fear. A thousand years later, this place has seen many rises and falls, yet the hidden virtue Xu Xun accumulated remains boundless.

A poem titled "Zhuojian Quan (Spring of the Planted Sword)" by Zhang Tianjue says: Having planted the sword in the ground, in an instant it became a well beneath the cliff; while waiting for the right moment, the crow within the sun flew in from afar to bring word. The remnant evils around Haihun have now been entirely cleared away, and the grace left behind is still seen in the Qijing Tu (Map of the Seven Pacifications).

The poem says:

The long snake raised chaos and did harm, covering Heaven and Earth. The world turns in cycles, and the common people met with calamity. The daofa is efficacious, and the people came to lay out their grievances. The people suffered disaster, and who could fail to grieve for them? How could I permit you, a demon, to commit violent deeds? Since you have met us, you will surely be cut down. The sword is planted to await the moment, and the moment seems as though it can be awaited. The crow flies past and the spring wells up, as if urging us to act.

[The final line, "zhan she hua" (slay the snake, then transform), survives only in these syllables. It means that after the snake is slain, a transformation takes place.]

Thereupon the Patriarch came to the place where the serpent dwelt, grasping a precious sword and working his arts. Startled, the serpent fled into its cave. The Patriarch then drew talismans (fu) to summon the Haihun Shebo (a local earth-god-type spirit) to drive it out, but could not bring the serpent forth. He then summoned the Shegong of Nanchang to lend assistance. The talismans fell to the east of the county seat, and a Daoist temple was later built on that spot and named the Fuluo Guan (Temple of the Fallen Talisman), now known as Taihe.

The serpent then emerged from the cavern, raising its head more than ten zhang high, its eyes blazing like torches, and spewing poisonous vapor that rose straight into the sky. The villagers beat drums and shouted, hurrying forward to join the fight. At this moment the Patriarch called upon wind and thunder and directed divine soldiers to subdue the giant serpent, leaving it unable to move. Lord Hao (a immortal of legend) then leapt up, treading the ritual steps, planted his foot on the serpent's head, and struck at its skull with his sword. Only then did the serpent lower its head, and his disciples Shi Cen, Gan Zhan, and others also swung their swords at it.

The poem says:

The Patriarch repeatedly dispatched talismans, summoning the spirits of the soil to drive out the serpent; its raised head stood a full hundred zhang high. Its eyes flashed with fire like hanging lightning; from its mouth it exhaled smoke that darkened the road of the heavens. The villagers beat drums and shouted, swelling the momentum of the cause; the Dharma Master called upon the thunder gods and strove to subdue the giant serpent. Then Lord Hao stepped the ritual steps and rose into the air, trampling the serpent's head. Only after the head bowed low did the multitude begin to slay it.

Little Serpent Transforms

When the snake's belly split open, a small snake crawled out, several zhang (about ten feet) long. Gan Jun wanted to kill it, but the Patriarch said, "It has not yet harmed anyone, so it should not be killed at will."

Frightened, the little snake fled six or seven li. When it heard the beating of drums and shouting, it still turned back to listen and looked back toward its mother. Today the local place names Shezigang (Snake Child Harbor) and Qili Ting (Seven-Li Listening) are said to derive from this episode.

The disciples asked to go after the snake and kill it. The Patriarch said, "If this snake harms the common people five hundred years from now, then at that time someone will naturally come forward to put it to death. You may use the pine tree before my altar as a test. When its branches grow long enough to cover the altar and brush the ground, that will be the time."

The Patriarch also prophesied: "In the one thousand two hundred and forty years after my departure as an immortal, the region of the Five Mounds in Yuzhang (roughly the Nanchang area of present-day Jiangxi) will produce eight hundred earth immortals (dixian, immortals who still cultivate among people and possess immortal rank). Their teacher will come from Yuzhang and vigorously propagate my teaching. When a sandbar suddenly appears in the middle of the river before the prefectural city, covering the mouth of the Sha Well, that will be the time of fulfillment." This account is recorded in the Songsha Ji (Record of Pine and Sand).

The Yuzhang Zhifang Cheng (Gazetteer of Yuzhang) records that Shilong Sha (Stone Dragon Sandbar) lies on rocks on the western bank of the Zhang River, facing the prefectural city. Pan Qingyi wrote a poem, "Gazing at Longsha," which says: "The region of the Five Mounds holds countless people; examine the Songsha Ji with care. The prophecy of Songsha has not yet been fully fulfilled, yet the scene before us already shows its numinous signs. Where the flood dragon once scoured the land, half has now become mulberry fields. The land turns with the course of the river, and the sandbars float upon the water, linked one to another."

If this little snake harms the people in later days, the eight hundred earth immortals will naturally put it to death. If it does not harm the myriad beings, then it should not be killed. And so the little snake was allowed to enter the river.

Shezigang in Jianchang County is this very place, and a temple stands there. The temple on Mount Wucheng in Xinjian County is exceedingly efficacious. The present dynasty conferred on it the title "Lingshun Zhaoying Anji Huize Wang" (Prince of Spirited Compliance, Manifest Response, Peaceful Relief, and Benevolent Grace), and the common people call it the "Little Dragon Temple." After the great snake died, its bones gathered into a sandbar, which is now called Longgu Zhou (Dragon Bone Islet).

The poem says:

Seven Pacifications (Qijing)

Wherever the Patriarch traveled in the Haihun area, he left behind altars and wells, six in all. Including the one he set up when he passed through on his way back, there were seven, arranged like the Big Dipper, to suppress and eliminate future calamities. The "Seven Pacifications" refers to the Jinhua Pacification, the Yuzou Pacification, the Danfu Pacification, the Huabiao Pacification, the Ziyang Pacification, the Huoyang Pacification, and the Liuqi Pacification. Today some of these sites have become Daoist temples, Buddhist monasteries, or government offices.

Later the Patriarch came to the northwest of the county seat and saw a clear mountain spring. He cast a talisman (fulu) into the spring to cure the people's illnesses, and its healing power was as effective as the water of the Shu River. The local people called this water Kouling Water, and a Kouling Water Terrace was later built there.

After the giant serpent was destroyed, its demonic blood stained the precious sword, so the Patriarch cleaned the blade and cut a piece of stone to test its edge. Today Jianchang County still has the Sword-Polishing Pool and the Sword-Testing Stone. The Patriarch told his disciples, "The great serpent has been destroyed, but the water dragon spirit has not yet been eliminated. That creature understands spiritual forces and will surely know that I intend to remove this harm. I fear it will take the opportunity to ruin the prefectural city. I plan to return to the prefecture, and my disciples Zhan and Cen will go with me." It was the sixth year of the Yongjia era.

The poem says:

The giant serpent of Haihun has already been slain,

Yet I still worry that the remaining demons have not been fully driven out.

The Patriarch cut the stone to test his sword and sharpen its edge;

He again cast talismans into the spring to heal the people.

The master dug the public well and brought the grace of water;

The people relied on the sacred altar, which was better than empty prayer.

Where he passed in those days, the Seven Pacifications were built;

Now immortal halls stand here, showing that later generations remember the Patriarch.

The Transformation of the Charcoal Woman

The Patriarch's arts of the Dao (daoshu) were extraordinary, and his fame spread far and wide. Several hundred people wished to become his disciples, and he could not refuse them all. He therefore transformed a lump of charcoal into a beautiful woman and at night sent her to wander through the quarters where the disciples lodged, using her to test them. The next day, only ten of them had neither been seduced by feminine beauty nor behaved improperly. All ten later became outstanding disciples under the Patriarch and ascended to immortality (shengxian). From then on, whenever the Patriarch travelled the rivers and lakes, subduing jiao dragons and slaying serpents, these ten always followed at his side. Most of the others left in shame. Today, in Xijin in Jianchang County, there is a place called "Charcoal Woman Market," where a Daoist temple named Miaoming Guan has been built.

Poem:

The Patriarch's arts stood unrivalled in the world,

and people from near and far came to become his disciples, numbering several hundred.

They wished to attain the Golden Immortal (jinxian) and receive the supreme secret transmissions, so the Patriarch used the charcoal woman to test these would-be disciples.

All were bewitched by beauty and clung to pleasure, and before they knew it, soot had stained their bodies.

Ashamed, they scattered in flight, and only eleven became perfected adepts (gaozhen).

The Transformation at Hengquan

The Patriarch returned to the commandery city with his disciples Gan and Shi and inspected the town. By chance he encountered a young man of handsome face and striking bearing. The young man came forward to give his name, saying he was surnamed Shen. He was respectful and cautious in manner and quick in reply, and he hurried away as soon as he had spoken. The Patriarch said to his disciples, "That man was not a man. He is the spirit of an old jiao dragon, come deliberately to test us. Though he looks like a man, he carries a fishy stench. I pretended not to understand on purpose, hoping to draw out his kind so that we could destroy them all together."

The Patriarch secretly followed him and saw that the jiao spirit went to the riverbank, transformed itself into a yellow ox, and stopped on a sandbar outside the commandery city. Today the place is called the Yellow Ox Great Sandbar. The Patriarch then cut paper into a black ox and sent it to provoke the yellow ox. He also had Shi Cen wait in hiding with a sword, to strike while the yellow ox lay in deep sleep. Master Shi's blade cut the yellow ox across the thigh, and the ox fled into a well south of the city. The well is called Hengquan (Horizontal Spring). It now lies at the southeast corner of Shanglan Temple, its mouth hidden behind a wall, and so it is also called the Jiao Well.

Poem:

The Patriarch's keen eye, who could deceive it?

How hateful that the jiao spirit dared to disguise itself and spy in secret.

Lord Xu, the Perfected of Daoist legend (Xu Zhenjun), was debating a jiao spirit (jiaojing, a water demon of the dragon-like jiao kind) when the creature seized a chance to escape. It transformed into an ox and charged into a well south of the city. The well was called Hengquan and lies at the southeast corner of Shanglan Temple. Its opening is walled over, so it is also known as the Jiao Well.

How could anyone deceive the Patriarch's insight? It is infuriating that the jiao spirit dared to scheme. Though it could hold its own in debate and small talk, it could not hide the foul stench of its body. In a moment it became a sturdy ox and was resting peacefully when a divine ox rammed into it and left it exhausted. The Patriarch struck its left leg with his sword, and it fled into the Hengquan Well, but it could not escape the pursuit in the end.

Tracking the Jiao Spirit

The Patriarch dispatched a fu envoy (fushi, an emissary who carried out orders issued through talismans) to trace the creature. The envoy learned that it had fled all the way to Changsha, and that after emerging from the Jia Yi Well (a well traditionally linked to the Han-dynasty writer Jia Yi), it had taken human form and entered the household of Jia Yu, the Historian.

Earlier, the jiao spirit had admired Jia Yu's daughter, so it came to the door disguised as a young man. Jia Yu, impressed by his learning, agreed to give his daughter to him in marriage. The jiao spirit then bribed Jia Yu's trusted attendants with generous gifts, and they all spoke well of it. After the two were wed and lived together, they had two sons over the course of several years.

Each year, between spring and summer, the jiao spirit would leave alone and travel the rivers and lakes like a merchant. In autumn it would return aboard a large vessel laden with heavy cargo, and the goods it brought back were always treasures. It is said that these riches came from capsizing boats during the spring and summer floods and plundering them. One autumn it returned alone and told Jia Yu that bandits had robbed its cargo and that it had injured its left leg. When the Jia household heard this, they all grieved for it and went everywhere seeking physicians to treat its wound.

The jiao spirit had fled into the Hengquan Well, and then in Changsha it formed a marriage tie with the Jia family. Its karmic bond with Jia Yu's daughter had been fated from a former life, and it bore two sons with her, but the union did not last long. Each time it brought back treasures, it claimed they had come from its family home, when in truth they had been seized from merchant ships that had met disaster on the rivers and lakes. After the divine sword wounded it, the wound never healed, so it invented a story of bandit robbery and returned empty-handed.

The Patriarch then disguised himself as a physician and went to visit Jia Yu. Delighted, Jia Yu called his son-in-law out to seek treatment. The jiao (a hornless water dragon) sprite sensed the Patriarch's arrival and, terrified, dared not show itself. Jia Yu rose to summon it himself, and the Patriarch followed him into the main hall, where he shouted sternly: "Jiao demons have harmed people throughout the rivers and lakes, and not just once. I have tracked you all the way here. How could you think to escape? Come out, come out!"

With no other recourse, the jiao revealed its true form, coiling and sprawling beneath the hall steps, and was then slain by the officials and soldiers. The Patriarch next sprinkled empowered water (water consecrated through ritual arts) over Jia Yu's two sons, and they too turned into small jiao and were killed at once. Jia Yu's daughter nearly took on jiao form as well, but her parents pleaded for her, and the Patriarch gave her a spirit talisman (fu) that kept her from transforming.

The Patriarch told Jia Yu: "Beneath the place where a jiao dwells lies water. Right now, less than a foot below your house, there is a raging flood. You should move your family at once, lest you bring disaster upon yourselves." Panicked, the whole Jia household moved to higher ground. Before long, their former dwelling collapsed into a deep pool of unfathomable depth. This is the Zhaotan (Shining Pool) of present-day Changsha.

The poem says:

The Patriarch came to Hunan bearing medicines, and when Jia Yu heard of it, he invited him to talk. The jiao at once felt fear, and hastily summoned its tiger minions, its worry growing deeper. The jiao revealed itself below the steps and was slain, startling its whole kind; the Patriarch sprinkled empowered water before the hall, turning the two sons into small jiao. With the demon creature removed, the Jia family moved to higher ground, and before long the old site had become a deep pool.

Subduing the Jiao

The Patriarch then returned to Yuzhang, where the jiao...

The Patriarch (Lord Xu) returned to Yuzhang. The remaining followers of the water dragons were still powerful, and fearing that the Patriarch would destroy them, they grew uneasy. They transformed themselves into human form and wandered through the city, seeking out the Patriarch's disciples. They claimed: "My family lives in Chang'an, where we have accumulated virtue and done good for generations. We have come from afar to seek instruction from the wise Lord Xu. I have heard that he possesses a divine sword, and I wish to know how powerful it is."

A disciple told them: "My master's divine sword, when pointed at the heavens, splits the heavens; when pointed at the earth, it breaks the earth open; when pointed at the stars, they lose their normal courses; when pointed at the rivers, the rivers flow backward. No evil spirit can withstand it. It is a sacred treasure." The visitor asked, "Then is there anything it cannot harm?" The disciple, speaking in jest, replied, "Only winter melons and gourds are unharmed."

The water demon believed this and transformed all of its subordinates into winter melons and gourds, which floated across the river's surface, vines and all, hoping to drift out beyond the borders of Yuzhang. At dawn the Patriarch rose and sensed a heavy demonic aura. Looking out over the river, he saw the objects into which the water dragons had transformed. He handed his sword to Shi Cen and told him to walk across the water and strike them down. The dragons' allies were all connected to one another, and they were wiped out entirely, and the river water turned colour as a result.

The Patriarch said, "This is where the dragons have lurked. If we do not suppress them, they will emerge again to cause trouble, and the people will find it hard to subdue them." He then commanded the spirits and deities to cast an iron pillar in a well south of the Yacheng (Inner City), leaving it exposed several feet above the mouth of the well. Eight hooked cables were placed beneath the pillar to bind the earth veins (dimai). The Iron Pillar Yanzhen Palace stands on this very site today. The Patriarch prayed, saying, "If this iron pillar tilts or sinks, the demons will rise again, and I will emerge once more. If the pillar stands upright, the demons will be eradicated forever."

From that time on, the water demons vanished without a trace, and the city enjoyed peace. The Patriarch, however, worried that future treacherous villains might attempt rebellion, and so he left a prophecy through the iron pillar: so long as the land remained stable and the hearts of the people were inclined toward goodness, treachery would not arise, and even if someone plotted to stir up rebellion, they would ultimately fail. This clearly reveals the Patriarch's profound concern for later generations.

Among the rivers and lakes, water monsters such as jiao dragons were a source of dread. The Patriarch (Zushi) asked what use a sword could be, and whether it could truly avert slaughter. A keen blade can split five stones, so how could a gleaming sword edge fail to cut open a melon or gourd? The Patriarch had at first intended to let the jiao drift away with the current, but then he suddenly walked across the water and slew them. Seeing the dragons causing havoc in caves in many places, he left an iron pillar to guard Hongdu (the area of present-day Nanchang, Jiangxi).

The Record of the Eighty-Five Transformations of Perfected Lord Xu of Xishan, Middle Fascicle

Transformation of the Paper Money (Chuqiang, paper money)

While the Patriarch was searching for the Feimao, he crossed the Xiao Shu River and gave the boatman two hundred coins as payment. The boatman kept demanding more and asked for a thousand coins, and the Patriarch agreed. After landing, the boatman checked the money and found that only two coins were genuine while the rest had turned into paper money. Only then did he realize with astonishment that the Patriarch was a divine being. From that point on, whenever the immortal's procession passed by, the boatman asked for only two coins and no longer dared to demand more.

The poem says: The Patriarch searched far and wide for the Feimao, came to the banks of the Shu River, and hailed a ferry beneath the green willows. The river lay calm and the banks were broad, the boatmen busily poled their craft, the wind and waves subsided, and the passengers felt at ease and held him in reverence. Since the boatman had already received the two hundred coins from the Patriarch, why did he still demand a thousand? Had the Patriarch not revealed his divine power through paper money, how could the boatmen have learned to act with such caution from then on?

Transformation of the Medicine Lake

Once, during a drought in the area of Xinjian County, the lake was full of leeches. The Patriarch cast a single pill into the lake, and the leeches vanished for good. For this reason the place is still called the "Medicine Lake" to this day.

The poem says: The lake water is bright, its ripples mirroring the clear sky, and the grasses teem with many creatures. The Patriarch dropped a single elixir pill into the lake, and thereby removed the leeches and all kinds of insects.

The moonlight falls on the sandbars, and white reeds sway with the waves. The slanting sun is reflected on the water, and a red glow spreads along the shore. Gazing into the distance, there is no mist to block the view among the billowing clouds, and the boats of the immortals come and go across them, drifting freely to the west or to the east.

Songhu Transformations

In the city of Songhu there is a place called "Miao Cave," where the Patriarch (Zushi) once paused to rest. Ever since, the household there has been free of mosquitoes.

The poem says:

The inn in Songhu City is called Zhilan. It welcomes travelers who come to lodge, and its host treats guests with such warmth that their spirits are lifted. Now merchants passing through all halt their horses here to rest, just as the Patriarch once stayed here, riding a phoenix-like bird.

No mosquitoes remain, and the bed and couch are quiet and still. One sleeps as if entering the dream of the butterfly, and the mat and pillow are especially peaceful. On the post road, crows cry out in a clamor, urging the day toward dusk, and passing carriages and horses all come to a stop as travelers unsaddle to prepare for rest.

Suo Cave Transformations

In Fengcheng County there is a cave called "Miaozhen Cave." When a dragon entered the cave, the Patriarch sealed its entrance with a wedge of miao wood. To this day, the wedge has not rotted.

The poem says:

Ancient gnarled trees and tangled vines lock the stone gate, and the mountains are deep and remote, with mist hanging dark throughout the year. Strangely, auspicious cranes never come to nest here; instead, it is said that venomous serpent-dragons gather in this place.

Floods surge through here often, washing away the fields, and village folk fear daily the harm of the poisonous shen-monster. The Patriarch sealed Miaozhen Cave, and though many years have passed, the wedge is still preserved.

In the second year of the Taining era of Emperor Ming of Jin, General-in-Chief Wang Dun (courtesy name Chuzhong) raised troops in rebellion and advanced toward the capital, camping by the lakeside. Patriarch Xu Zhenjun and Hao Jun went together to visit Wang Dun, hoping to persuade him to stop the military revolt. At the time Guo Pu was in Wang Dun’s staff, so Xu Zhenjun and Hao Jun had Guo Pu introduce them.

Wang Dun happily invited them to drink and asked, “I dreamed that a tree burst through heaven; what do you think this foretells?” Xu Zhenjun said, “This is not a good omen.” Hao Jun said, “A tree above the character ‘heaven’ and breaking through it forms the character ‘wei’ [not yet]; you had best not act rashly.” Wang Dun’s expression changed, and he had Guo Pu perform divination. Guo Pu said, “This affair will not succeed.” Wang Dun was displeased and asked how long he himself could live. Guo Pu replied, “If you raise troops, disaster will come very soon; if you withdraw to Wuchang, your lifespan will be difficult to estimate.” Wang Dun flew into a rage and asked Guo Pu in turn how long he could live. Guo Pu answered, “My allotted lifespan ends at noon today.” Wang Dun was furious and ordered the guards to seize Guo Pu and behead him.

The Dongxian zhuan records that Guo Pu had already told his family in advance to prepare what was needed for his funeral. Guo Pu was executed between two pine trees by the river. Three days later, people in the southern market saw him selling his own clothes and ornaments and conversing with acquaintances one by one. When Wang Dun heard this, he did not believe it; he opened the coffin to look, but found no corpse inside. This was “corpse liberation” (shijie), a Daoist tradition in which the body of a cultivator is transformed and the person ascends to immortality. Guo Pu later became the Xianbo of the Water Palace, an immortal official in the Water Palace.

Xu Zhenjun raised his wine cup and tossed it into the air; the cup turned into a white wagtail and flew around the roof beams. When Wang Dun looked up, Xu Zhenjun and Hao Jun had already disappeared. Later Wang Dun was indeed defeated, died of grief and anger, and in the end suffered the punishment of having his corpse cut open for examination.

The poem says:

Though the Jin dynasty was weak, Heaven still protected it; the rebel minister Wang Dun betrayed his ruler and brought troops against the capital.

To seek an explanation of his dream he summoned righteous men, not knowing that the wicked man had other plans.

Patriarch Xu Zhenjun happened to meet Wang Dun, yet caused Guo Pu in the end to lose his life.

Xu Zhenjun tossed his cup, which became a white wagtail circling the beams; while the crowd vied to look, Xu Zhenjun and Hao Jun had vanished.

The closing phrase “iron boat transformation” is the beginning of the next line or the next passage, and its meaning is not yet complete.

The Patriarch and Haojun returned to Jinling (modern Nanjing) and planned to hire a boat to Yuzhang (around modern Nanchang). The boatman said that his vessel lacked anyone who knew how to pilot it. The Patriarch replied, "Simply close your eyes and sit quietly. Do not peek under any circumstances. I will steer the boat for you myself."

The Patriarch then summoned two dragons, which lifted the boat and carried it forward. As the boat passed Chiyang, the Patriarch pressed his seal into a cliff on the west bank to subdue the water monsters there. The mark is said to be visible there even today. The boat gradually rose into the sky and soon passed over the summit of Mount Lu, arriving at the Jinque Cave (Golden Gate Cave) on Zixiao Peak (Peak of Purple Mist). The Patriarch and Haojun wished to visit the cave, so the boat skimmed low over the treetops, scraping against the branches with a rustling sound.

The passengers could not bear it any longer and secretly opened their eyes to look. At once the two dragons dropped the boat above a series of mountain peaks, and the mast snapped and fell into a deep ravine. In time these places turned into iron and stone. The peak is now called "Stone Peak," and the mast that fell into the ravine became a broken rock. The Patriarch said to the passengers, "You did not heed my words. Where can you go now?" The passengers begged the Patriarch for help. He taught them to take spirit herbs, and so they were able to abstain from the five grains (bigu, grain avoidance), live without dying, and eventually settle in seclusion on this mountain.

Later, the Governor Xiangyi of Jiangzhou sent men to investigate the wondrous sights of Mount Lu. When the investigators reached Zixiao Peak, they saw boats on the lake, flocks of cranes, and red-scaled fish. They also saw a man riding a white horse and two youths who whistled loudly, their voices carrying several hundred paces. He suspected that these were the passengers from the earlier voyage. The Patriarch and Haojun each mounted a dragon and set out separately, one by water and one by land, meeting at the Tianbao Cave on the North Ridge.

A poem says: Jinling and distant Yuzhang are a thousand li apart, and there was no one to pilot the boat. The Patriarch secretly summoned two dragons to carry the boat along, riding the wind over a thousand li. Suddenly the trees rustled, and someone peeked at the scene outside, so the boat was left resting on Zixiao Peak. The passengers begged the Patriarch for rescue, and he taught them to take spirit herbs and to practice bigu (grain avoidance) and cultivation.

The Patriarch, because the jiao dragons, water monsters, and their kind had scattered and fled into Poyang and Xunyang Commanderies, feared they would one day return to bring calamity. He therefore traveled along the rivers and lakes and destroyed them at the river mouths.

The Patriarch came to the summit of Dangyao Mountain, where three jiao lakes had underwater caverns that opened to the Great River and also connected with the regions of Raozhou and Xinzhou. After slaying the jiao monsters, he founded the Yuyang Fu Jing (a sacrificial sanctuary used in Daoism to protect and subdue a locality) to suppress them. He also established the Kaihua Jing at a water bend below the northwestern stone cliff, and later the Taicheng Fu Jing. Beside the sanctuary lay a vast marsh of unfathomable depth, home to many jiao monsters. The Patriarch eliminated them all except one small jiao that escaped, so he founded a sanctuary there to block its way out.

The Patriarch also cast iron talismans to guard the mouth of Poyang Lake, sealing the paths by which the jiao monsters entered and left. It is said that one of these iron talismans still lies in the river at Shangzhong Stone in Hukou County. He further covered the Yuan Pool in Luling with iron implements, sealing the deep pool where the jiao monsters hid, and guarded the mouth of Poyang Lake with iron talismans. The site was later called Feifu Ridge, and on the ridge stands the Guanri Chongzhen Abbey (Abbey of Sun-Viewing and Venerating Truth). The Patriarch also left behind a sword, one foot eight inches long, which looked like jade and also like copper or iron. No one could determine what material it was made of.

The following year was the seventh year of Yongjia. The Patriarch traveled to Changsha, then went on to Shaoyang. A year later he arrived at Chen and Heng Commanderies. Wherever he went, he removed harm for the people, and afterward he returned to Yuzhang. In all, he established more than seventy fu and jing, all to protect the commanderies and counties and to avert disaster.

The poem says:

The jiao monsters scattered and slipped into Poyang and Xunyang,

fearing that they would return and bring calamity.

Caverns in Raozhou and Xinzhou ran deep and connected,

and in the mountains of Dangyao lay the hidden jiao lakes.

Iron talismans subdued the water monsters and sealed their paths,

and iron implements covered the deep pools, leaving the jiao nowhere to hide.

Thereafter the Patriarch traveled through Jingzhou and Guangzhou,

and left his precious sword to guard the deep waters.

Guang De Hua (Widespread Transformation)

The Patriarch's teachings reached throughout Jiangdong and across Hunan and Hubei. The temples, fu and jing, and altars he established were too numerous to count, and some were scattered across mountains, lakes, and remote, wondrous places. For example, the Mojian Pool beside Longsha has never silted up, even to this day.

The poem says:

Be certain to sweep away the demons and calamities of every land,

for the Patriarch's traces lie across every river and lake.

The Story of Huache Abbey

With the sacred merit complete, the three thousand works had been accomplished, and more than seventy immortal sanctuaries had been built.

So that the common people could live in peace, every prefecture and county the Patriarch passed through was settled into a secure and prosperous life. Traces of his journey still remain in the Longsha region, and the water of Mojian Pool (Grinding Sword Pool) is as clear as water in a jade jug.

In Jing'an County there lived an immortal lady named Liu Yizhen, who had lived for several hundred years yet still had the face of a child. Chen Mu, a legendary female immortal, praised her many times. When the Patriarch went to visit, she had already ascended to immortality. The Patriarch therefore left behind a precious carriage made of wood. Later, the carriage rose on the wind and did not come down for three days. For this reason, people called the temple there Huache Abbey. A stele still stands locally, and the abbey is now known as Bingxia Abbey.

The poem says: Lady Liu's aspiration in cultivating the Way was vast, and Chen Mu praised her again and again. Her spirit was pure and serene, her lifespan equal to that of the crane, her character lofty, and her appearance as clear as ice. When the Patriarch came to pay his respects, the Immortal Lady had already ascended. Only the precious wooden carriage was left behind, and so Huache Abbey became a place where people come to pay homage to the past.

The Patriarch returned to his former hermitage and each day discussed the true meaning of the Dao with his disciples. For decades he set aside worldly affairs and devoted himself wholly to cultivating the Great Way. He composed the Zui Si Xian Ge (Song of Intoxicated Reflection on the Immortals) and also wrote the Ba Bao Xun (Eight Precious Admonitions), whose contents are: loyalty (zhong), filial piety (xiao), integrity (lian), caution (jin), generosity (kuan), abundance (yu), tolerance (rong), and endurance (ren).

Loyalty means not deceiving; filial piety means not disobeying; integrity means not grasping for gain; caution means not being careless in one's actions. By cultivating oneself in this way, one can accomplish virtue (de). Generosity wins the esteem of the many, abundance allows one to have something to spare, tolerance enables one to accept others, and endurance keeps the mind settled and at ease. When one treats others with caution, generosity, abundance, tolerance, and endurance, resentment and faults are dissolved.

All who are my disciples, whether in activity or in stillness, must be diligent and sincere, keeping these teachings in mind at all times, and guarding their original heart even when alone. If one turns away from one's original intention, the Three Officials (Sanguan), as the Daoist tradition describes the Heaven, Earth, and Water officials, will examine and punish them. As the people of the villages received this teaching, they all corrected their ways, turned toward goodness, and kept away from wrongdoing, and the custom of honoring parents and loving siblings flourished.

In his daily conduct, the Patriarch moved and rested in accord with the proper timing and responded to things as they arose, so that outwardly he appeared no different from ordinary people. Yet cranes often flew above the place where he lived, and auspicious clouds hovered over it. Since the Eastern Jin dynasty, warfare had been constant, and the region south of the Yangtze suffered repeated incursions, but within a radius of one hundred li around the Patriarch's dwelling, bandits dared not enter, the villages were peaceful, harvests were abundant every year, and the people suffered no calamities. His blessings reached the common people, yet they did not know the reason why.

The Patriarch traveled through the rivers and lakes and the regions of Shu and Han, and upon returning, he discussed what he had seen and learned. He instructed the people and left behind precious admonitions; he devoted himself to cultivating the Great Way and wrote the immortal songs. Dense auspicious clouds hovered over the thatched hut, and the xuan he (black crane), as its name indicates, cried out and rested on the branches of the trees. Though the Eastern Jin era was turbulent with war, the hundred-li territory where the Patriarch lived remained peaceful and serene.

Jin Yu Hua (Transmutation of Gold and Jade)

When the Patriarch was living in seclusion on the Western Mountain, a fangshi (a practitioner of esoteric arts) claimed that he could transform copper and iron into gold and turn stone into jade, and he wished to sell this method to the Patriarch. The Patriarch asked, "Will these things revert to their original forms?" The fangshi replied, "After five hundred years, they will return to their former state." The Patriarch said, "Then this will certainly mislead later generations." In the end, he declined to accept it.

The Transformation Through the Elixir Edict

The poem says: Yanran lived in seclusion in the mountain forest when a fangshi (a master of esoteric arts), carrying extraordinary skills, came specially to visit him. He breathed upon stones buried in the earth and turned them into fine jade, and he transmuted ordinary copper into hard gold. Yet he felt no greed for these profitable arts, and he did not let wealth harm his resolve on the Dao. The Patriarch firmly refused to accept them, for otherwise the man would surely come to resent him deeply in the days ahead.

In the second year of the Ningkang era of Emperor Xiaowu of the Jin (374 CE), the year jiaxu, Patriarch Xu Xun was one hundred and thirty-six years old. On the morning of the first day of the eighth month, a procession of immortals descended from the heavens. Two immortals rode in carriages, accompanied by a great retinue, and together they arrived in the Patriarch's courtyard. The Patriarch came down the steps to greet them and bowed in reverence.

The two immortals said, "We have been ordered by the Jade Emperor to bestow an edict upon you." The Patriarch bowed his head and listened respectfully. The edict proclaimed:

"Xu Xun, you who cultivate the immortal Way: you began to pursue the Great Dao before countless kalpas past, enduring every kind of hardship, and your cultivation has deep roots. You have studied the many methods and arts of the Dao. You have rescued people from calamity, removed misfortune, and subdued demons and evil spirits, using your merit to aid all living beings. Your name has been entered in the Jade Register, and the assembled perfected beings hold you in esteem and reverence. You therefore deserve promotion. We now confer upon you the office of Grand Envoy of Lofty Brilliance, Chief Historian of the Immortals of the Nine Regions, and bestow upon you a robe of purple feathers, a jade banner, a precious tally, and one box each of jade unguent and Golden Elixir. Upon receiving this edict, you should carry out its commands."

The Patriarch bowed again, climbed the steps, and accepted the edict. One of the immortals said, "I am Cui Ziwen, the Duke of Jade Perfection." The other said, "I am Qiuzhong, the Grand Minister of Primal Perfection." Having spoken, the two bowed to the Patriarch and sat down to tell him the day of his ascension. Then they departed in their cloud chariots.

The poem says: The autumn air is pure and solemn, and the sky is clear and bright, as the processions of the celestial immortals descend from the realms of the blessed. The Patriarch still felt that his merit was insufficient, yet the heavenly court had long known that his cultivation was complete. The crimson ceremonial garments and precious banners honor his lofty virtue, while the jade unguent and elixirs are bestowed upon him for his practice of longevity.

Master Yi-zhen told the Patriarch that the date for his ascension had been fixed. On that day, phoenix-birds, cranes, and numerous spirits would come to welcome him.

Instructing the Transformation

The Patriarch summoned his disciples and the elders of the village and informed them of the day he would depart. From then on, everyone gathered at the Patriarch's home each morning and evening, held banquets, drank together, and cherished the parting. The Patriarch also taught them that the path to immortality lay in performing good deeds, accumulating virtue, and establishing merit, and he wrote books including the Lingjian Zi (Master Lingjian).

The Patriarch further composed, for each of his eleven disciples, a set of five-character verses in two rhymes, ten exhortatory poems in all, to leave for the world. For those disciples who would not ascend with him, he transmitted the "Great Merit Ruyi Elixir Formula," one of the formulas within the "Dingyi Fang" (Prescriptions of Dingyi). According to this method, one must first select an auspicious day, fast and purify oneself, and set up an altar to sacrifice to the spirits who govern the eighteen medicinal substances. Then one writes talismans and recites the incantation for each ingredient in turn before compounding the pills. The scripture states that this method can cure many diseases, and that the medicine often works immediately upon the illness.

The poem says:

The Patriarch's day of ascension has been fixed, and so he held a banquet to entertain the elders of the village. The old folk joyfully drank with the Patriarch, and the master and disciples composed poems together in the midst of their gathering. The Patriarch aided the world with arts and medicines, and his grace was vast; he also left behind scriptures that spread compassionate teaching. Though everyone sincerely grieved to part, they were encouraged all the same: performing good deeds, accumulating virtue, and establishing merit are the foundation of cultivating the Dao.

On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, Lord Xu held a grand purification ritual (Zhaijiao) and invited the people of the village, and young and old all came. By midday, celestial music could be heard from afar, and auspicious clouds filled the sky. Before long, the music and clouds drew near the site of the ritual. Immortals rode a feathered-canopy dragon chariot, with attendant officials and guards on either side, and immortal youths and colorfully dressed maidens leading the way before and behind. Red mists and purple vapors spread out and encircled the gathering. The two envoys who had appeared earlier came again.

Lord Xu descended the steps to greet them, and the two immortals once more read out an imperial edict:

"The Heavenly Emperor decrees to Xu Yi, the youth who seeks immortality: your past faults of greed for killing, concealing your transgressions, and failing to make offerings to your ancestors are pardoned. Your merits in this life, in healing illnesses with talisman-water and punishing wicked people, are recorded. The Director of Fate of Mount Qian (a spirit official who governs the registers of life in the human world) has been ordered to transmit the Golden Elixir to the lower realm, and to seal your debts and fortify your body, so that you, your family, your kitchen hearth, and your residence are all brought within the Three Heavens (the celestial realms in Daoist cosmology)."

The edict further states that Lord Xu will leave the mortal world, bearing earth on his back and ascending into the air. The Left Great Strength Celestial Guardian (a celestial general) and divine powers such as the Flowing Gold Fire Bells will protect him and drive away evil spirits. The edict also bestows honors upon his ancestors: his great-grandfather Mei is granted the title Attendant of the Jade Void; his grandfather Yu is granted the title Grand Guard of the Taiwei; and his father Su is granted the title Registrar of the Supreme Ultimate who holds the registers of the household. The residence in which he lived is granted the title Left Mansion of the Celestial Bureau.

The Jade True Lord Shangong (a revered Daoist deity) said, "Although you have many disciples, only six may accompany you on your journey. The rest each have their own days of ascension and cannot go along."

Thereupon, the Jade True Lord Shangong invited Lord Xu to board the dragon chariot. He ordered Chen Xun to go ahead holding the register, with Zhou Guang and Zeng Heng handling the reins, Huang Ren-lan and his father's clan following as attendants, and Xu Lie and his mother's clan accompanying them. Forty-two members of the immortal household ascended to heaven together, and even the parrot and the dog rose with them.

The villagers, reluctant to part, prostrated themselves on the ground and wept, unable to bear the separation. Lord Xu said, "The paths of immortals and mortals differ, so sorrow and fear naturally arise at parting. So long as you keep to filial piety and compassion, and respectfully follow Heaven and Earth, why should you worry that good fortune will not come to you?"

He then left behind a bell for cultivation and a stone casket, saying, "When the world changes, these things will become relics of the past. For now, let them remain as tokens by which you may recognize one another in days to come."

Shortly after the immortal carriage rose into the air, a mortar and a wheel hub fell to the ground. A parrot cage also fell more than ten li southeast of the residence, on the site of today's Chongyuan Temple. Several rats also fell to the ground. Though their intestines hung out of their bodies, they did not die. People speculated that they may have secretly eaten the immortal elixir. Should anyone in later generations come upon these relics, they will surely regard them as auspicious omens.

As the immortal chariot receded into the distance, people watched until it disappeared from sight, leaving only auspicious clouds and rosy mists filling the valleys. For a hundred li around, a rich, strange fragrance lingered, and it did not dissipate for a full month.

Brocade Curtain Transformation

Imperial edicts urging Lord Xu (Xu Zhenjun) to ascend to heaven came from the Jingyang region. The decrees were sealed with purple clay. A carriage with a feathered canopy and a green dragon came to fetch him. The neighborhood lanes closed their gates, set out offerings and vegetarian feasts, and gave food to the hungry. Above the clouds, pipe organs played to see him off.

The celestial officials gave him an honorable residence, and the heavenly court conferred on him a distinguished title, which brought glory to his ancestors as well. His whole household ascended together, the house itself lifted into the heavens, and only a few immortal objects were left behind as proof that he had once left traces among people.

Brocade Curtain Transformation

After Lord Xu returned from Jingyang, he gave Shu brocade to Chen Mu (Chen Mu), an immortal said to have associated with him, as a token of the Way. Chen Mu made the brocade into a curtain for the hall. At that moment, the curtain suddenly took flight, circled and danced over the old residence, and then rose into the clouds. Later a Daoist temple was built on this site, and it was therefore named "Wandering Curtain" (Youwei).

Chen Mu's kindness ran deep, so what is there to be surprised about? The Patriarch offered the brocade to show that he would not break his word. He did not want the silk spread on a bed like an ordinary object, so it should become the curtain in the hall of an exalted Perfected (a high Perfected of supreme rank).

Lord Xu had already ascended with his entire family and left the human world, and only this sacred object remained, drifting in the air. It circled the clouds all day long until at last the heavenly spirits recalled it.

Perching Wutong Transformation

Wang Shuo, son of Wang Changshi (Chief Clerk Wang), invited the Zushi (Patriarch) to stay at the West Pavilion. After some time, the Patriarch said to Wang Shuo, "I think you are fit to receive my Daoist arts." He then secretly transmitted to him the immortal prescriptions, adding, "This place has beautiful mountains and rivers. A spiritual spring wells up to the south, the Dongtian (cavern heaven, the immortal realm described in Daoist teachings) lies directly ahead, and the Yuan River flows below. It is suitable for building a Daoist monastery." Wang Shuo followed his advice.

Before leaving, the Patriarch wrote the character "jing" on the wall as a marker for the guesthouse. He and Guo Pu (a Jin dynasty diviner and geomancer) had come here while seeking out perfected immortals and selecting auspicious sites. This place is Bingwu Shan in Yichun.

On the day the Patriarch ascended to immortality, a cloud chariot passed over the mountain. He sent two green-robed envoys down to tell Wang Shuo that he had been summoned to Heaven by the Jade Emperor (Yuhuang) and had come to bid farewell. Wang Shuo and his whole family bowed to the Patriarch and begged him to take them along as well. The Patriarch leaned down and told them, "Your immortal bones are not yet mature. You may only extend your lives." He then dropped a stalk of xianmao (a legendary immortal herb suitable for cultivation and consumption) to Wang Shuo, saying, "This xianmao has a unique flavor. If you plant it here and take it over a long period, it will grant longevity. Its sweet flavor nourishes the flesh, its pungent flavor nourishes the joints, its bitter flavor nourishes the kidneys, its salty flavor nourishes the bones, its smooth flavor nourishes the skin, and its sour flavor nourishes the sinews and vessels. Blend it with bitter wine (vinegar) and take it, and it will certainly be effective." With these words he took his leave. Afterward, the Wang clan followed his instructions in taking xianmao, and all of them lived to a hundred years.

The poem says:

From long ago, seeking out perfected immortals, you came to Bingwu Shan,

The young lord of the Wang family invited the Patriarch home to rest.

The mountains and rivers are beautiful, fit for building a monastery;

The people are refined, worthy of the heavenly writ and auspicious mandate.

Now the Patriarch has left the mortal world,

Going to answer the cinnabar edict of Heaven,

So he halted his precious chariot among the clouds,

And instructed the Wang family to plant and take xianmao,

So that the entire Wang clan might live beyond a hundred years.

Chongci Hua

After the Patriarch ascended, the local people and Wang Jian, a clan descendant of the Patriarch, built a shrine on this site and enshrined the one hundred poems the Patriarch had left behind. The poems instruct the Wang family to plant and take xianmao, so that the whole household might live beyond a hundred years.

Chongci Hua

After the Patriarch ascended to the heavens, the villagers and the Patriarch's clan grandson Jian jointly built a shrine at his former residence. They copied the one hundred and twenty poems he had left onto bamboo slips, placed the slips in a large bamboo basket (Dapu), and let people draw from it to divine fortune and misfortune. These slips became known as the "Sacred Lots" (Shengqian). The bells, the case (han), and the mortar were also kept in the shrine as treasures. Later the shrine was converted into a Daoist temple, and it was named the Jinwei Guan (Brocade Curtain Temple) after the brocade curtain.

The people of Jingyang in Shu competed to donate money and cloth. Carrying silk ribbons, they came to the Fantan Well to repay the Patriarch's grace, and they carved their names into the well. Later, when the local people built temple halls, they tore down some of the original structures, and even today, when asked, some people still remember this. During the reign of Emperor Yang of Sui, the incense and cultivation activities at the temple were interrupted, and the temple soon fell into disuse. In the Yongchun era of the Tang dynasty, the Celestial Master (Tianshi) Hu Huichao rebuilt the temple. Emperor Ming of the Tang showed particular reverence in making offerings there. Emperors Taizong, Zhenzong, and Renzong of the Song all bestowed imperial calligraphy on the temple. Zhenzong also sent palace envoys bearing incense, candles, flower hairpins, banners, and dancing figurines, and he gave the temple the name Yulong Guan (Jade Prosperity Temple). The name comes from the phrase "Tai Shi Yulong Teng Sheng Tian" in the Scripture on the Salvation of Humanity (Duren Jing). The court also ordered a ban on cutting wood on famous mountains, exempted the temple from related taxes and labor service, appointed officials to oversee its affairs, and designated it as a residence for elderly senior officials.

The poem says:

The Patriarch rode his dragon chariot and has already ascended to heaven; the village built a shrine to honor this immortal.

The Great Basket holds the Sacred Lots, and the Patriarch's verses carry subtle meaning; the ancient case and mortar are still preserved nearby.

The restoration of the temple began in the Great Tang, and in the Great Song it received complete repair and adornment.

The temple was renamed Yulong, and its taxes and labor service were exempted; may incense and sacrifices continue for generations.

National Enfeoffment

Emperor Huizong issued a jade register conferring an honorific title on the Patriarch, and he also granted the edicts (gaoci) used in jiao rites.

On the seventeenth day of the fifth lunar month of the second year of the Zhenghe era (1112), the Emperor respectfully dispatched Cheng Qi, an attendant of the Inner Palace Attendants Bureau, to invite twenty-seven Daoist priests to establish a daochang (ritual service) at the Yulong Guan in Hongzhou. The service was held continuously for seven days and nights. On the day it concluded, a jiao (offering ritual) was performed, with altars set up to present reports to the three hundred and sixty directional stations.

The Emperor memorialized to the Divine Lord of Spiritual Merit and Marvelous Salvation, the Perfected Lord (a deity venerated in Daoism), saying: The supreme spirit has no form or image and cannot be described in words. Yet the spirit's De (virtue) manifests in the human world, and so, for now, I praise and make manifest your numinous traces according to what people have seen, and I begin to offer you honorable and beautiful titles. I pray that you will accept this veneration and protect this blessed land for a long time. The Emperor, filled with trepidation, offers this text with sincere and earnest prayer.

The Emperor's memorial presenting the patriarchal register and edict:

Your servant, the Emperor, respectfully receives the Exalted Perfected and makes manifest his numinous traces. Looking up to the Taixiao (Heaven of Grand Ether), I respectfully make my petition within the numinous halls. The grace bestowed by the spirit has become the blessing of the people, and the good fortune of clarity and prosperity has descended, further ensuring that the nation's fortunes endure and flourish. Your servant, the Emperor, with utmost sincerity and earnest heart, respectfully presents this memorial. Your servant, the Emperor, in trepidation, bows twice and states these words.

Jade Register Text.

On the seventeenth day of the fifth month of the second year of the Zhenghe era (1112), the Emperor respectfully memorialized:

Heaven favors the state and extends its blessings to the four quarters. There is a Perfected Spirit of supreme truth who assists the August Lord on High, displays his majesty and virtue, bestows blessings and auspicious signs, and protects the people's peace and well-being. Yet the titles he has received are still not enough to express our gratitude and reverence for him. The Emperor therefore issued an edict ordering the responsible officials to examine the secret archives and to clarify the virtuous deeds the True Lord left behind, so that they might be transmitted to later generations.

We respectfully recall that the True Lord grasped the registers and charts that are the foundation of Heaven and Earth and secretly accorded with the profound Dao. From the Wei to the Jin dynasties he inherited good fortune and manifested spiritual power and virtue. He relieved the poor and healed the suffering, and the people of his region relied on him. He also eradicated demons and noxious influences, so that calamities in the world were brought to an end. For this reason he received the fulu (talismans and registers) from Lady Chen, the immortal woman of legend who transmitted talismans to the True Lord Xu, established his name in the register of the Metropolitan Immortals, and ascended to the immortal realm. Though many years have passed, his temples and images still stand tall, and his virtue seems as vivid as ever.

Now the imperial favor shines brightly, the nation's fortune is at its height, and auspicious omens have repeatedly appeared, revealing the unseen protection of the powers beyond. After prayers for blessing were offered, they have proven efficacious: the people are at peace and all things are abundant. It is fitting to confer a lofty honorific title upon the True Lord, to express our solemn reverence in offering sacrifice to him. We have therefore respectfully dispatched Wang Zhuan, Court Gentleman of Presentation, Compiler of the Hall of Worthies, and Prefect of Hongzhou, to present the honorific title: "Divine Merit Wondrous Salvation True Lord."

We respectfully request that the True Lord graciously accept this solemn investiture, protect the state so that it may remain secure for a long time, preserve the dynasty's fortune, allow good governance to continue, and extend his grace widely among the people. We respectfully submit this memorial.

In the fourth year of the Zhenghe era (1114), the court changed the name of the guan (Daoist monastery) to gong (palace), added the characters "Wanshou" (Ten Thousand Longevities) to the palace's name, and changed the earlier arrangement of monasteries ordered by the Heavenly Stems to the "Shifang" system (a system open to Daoists from across the land, who jointly served as its abbots).

The poem says:

The newly issued purple edict displays the Emperor's solemn respect; the decree records the divine merit of the True Lord.

The Emperor's own brushwork shines with clarity, splendid as the stars; its cloud-like passages also gleam like sun and moon.

The True Lord manifests his spirit to benefit the people with good works; the state adds an honorific title to express reverence and remembrance.

Yulong Palace (Yulong Gong) is an important Daoist sacred site and should be built on a grand and magnificent scale. It should also receive an imperial decree of enfeoffment and be made into a Wanshou Palace (Wanshou Gong, "Palace of Ten Thousand Years of Longevity").

Miraculous Manifestations in the Zhenghe Reign

On the first day of the fifth month of the sixth year of the Zhenghe reign, at the hour of the dragon (around 7 to 9 a.m.), a memorial marked with the character "Xun" and not yet sent to the relevant offices was received at court and handed over to the Ministry of Rites. The emperor said:

"While I was reading in the Hall of Venerating Governance, I seemed, as if in a dream, to see a Daoist priest approaching from the north of the Shuhua Gate. He wore a nine-flowered crown and a crimson robe. Two attendant boys in blue garments held swords and whisks. Behind them came two envoys in colorful Daoist vestments, bearing a seal and a staff. The priest arrived at the palace steps, raised his ritual tablet in salute, and ascended the hall by the left-hand stairs.

"I suspected that he was no mortal, and so I asked, 'Who are you? You have received no imperial summons. Why have you come?' The priest replied, 'I am Xu Jingyang (Xu Zhenjun, Perfected Lord Xu), and I am temporarily overseeing the duties of the Nine Heavens. The Supreme Emperor has commanded me to inspect the kingdom of Xiqu Ye. On my journey I passed through my former homeland and saw a noxious qi rising here, so I have come specially to call on you.'

"I invited him to sit and asked, 'What calamity is this?' He answered, 'Three hundred and sixty thousand bundles of silk have sunk beneath the water to the north and south. This is the work of a small dragon. The earlier dynasty should never have enfeoffed this dragon as a king. When it was executed during the Yongjia era, it split open its mother's belly and escaped. It had not yet had time to harm anyone, and so it was pardoned. Now, however, it has presumptuously brought disaster upon the state. Once I have finished my assignment, I will deal with it myself and will not allow it to remain in the Jiang-Huai region.'

"I thanked him in the dream and asked, 'I suffer from an anxi sore (anxi chuang), and many medicines have failed to cure it. Does the Perfected Lord have a remedy?' He poured a single pill from a small gourd ladle. It was about the size of a mung bean. He blew on it and then rubbed it onto the sore. I felt as though melted ghee were pouring into my body, and a coolness penetrated straight to the marrow of my bones. Then he bowed in farewell, but after taking a few steps he turned back and said, 'My old residence has long lain in ruin. I hope Your Majesty will deign to look upon it.'

"Suddenly I awoke. A few days later, the relevant offices reported that a whole shipment of silk bundles had indeed been overturned and sunk by wind and waves. I then consulted the geographical records and learned that at Mei Mountain in Fenning County, Hongzhou, there was a site where the Xu family's Jingyang had sharpened his sword. I issued an edict to have a portrait painted to match what I had seen in the dream, and I bestowed it upon the Chuxiang Palace of Shangqing. Soon afterward, at the request of the Office of Daoist Records (Daolu Yuan), a shrine dedicated to Perfected Xu was built behind the Hall of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing)."

The emperor again issued an edict ordering the Zhongdafu official Xie Jingren to travel to Fenning County and, together with the county magistrate, the assistant magistrate, and other officials, to use public funds to repair the Xu Jingyang Temple there. He also bestowed a decree instructing the responsible personnel to store the edict within the temple. Each year on the Tianning Festival (the emperor's birthday), one novice (tongxing), a young person who practices and serves within a Daoist temple, was to be assigned to the temple. At the same time, officials were sent to investigate whether any other sites associated with Perfected Xu remained. Where no temple existed locally, the local authorities were to build one with public funds. Where the temple buildings had fallen into disrepair, they were to be restored according to established regulations. Where the temple had no permanent endowment of land, suitable fields nearby were to be allocated for its use. The matter was to be handled with strict care.

"Several months later, the emperor again dreamed of Lord Xu appearing as before. Xu came to thank him and said: 'Fenning is a place I once passed through, and I trouble you to rebuild the temple once more. The original remains of the Western Hills sanctuary that I chose are still there, but the buildings are cramped and crude, and cannot accommodate the people who come from everywhere to pay their respects. I hope Your Majesty will have it repaired.'

When the emperor woke, he immediately issued an edict ordering Hongzhou to rebuild the Yulong Wanshou Palace, and he sent down plans so that it would be reconstructed according to the regulations of the Chongfu Palace in the Western Capital. He also bestowed on Lord Xu a statue of the deity, along with bronze ritual implements, including an incense burner, vases, candlesticks, a bell, and a chime stone. He personally inscribed the plaques for the palace gate and the halls.

The palace had six main halls, twelve smaller halls, three covered corridors, seven gates, and five pavilions. The front hall bore paintings on its three walls that recounted Lord Xu's origins and his accomplishments in cultivating the Dao. The rear hall enshrined the jade registers (yuce), imperial texts bestowed upon the deities, and above it stood the Treasure Repository Pavilion. Inside the hall were displayed the imperial calligraphy of three successive emperors, and the double walls on either side were painted with scenes of the immortal honor guard (xianzhang) entering and leaving in ceremony. The palace compound was enclosed by walls. On the west side of the wall, on the former residence of the Immortal Xu, a Daoist hermitage (daoyuan) was built to house Daoist priests.

During the Jianyan era, Jin troops invaded the south of the Yangtze and considered setting fire to the palace. Suddenly, water welled up between the pillars of the buildings, and the fire could not take hold. The Jin commander was greatly astonished. He wrote on the wall: 'The Jin Dragon-Tiger General Lai Xianzhong, ordered to serve as Commander of the Great Army of the Upper Bank of the Marshal's Headquarters, came here, viewed the sacred images throughout, and found their adornment magnificent, and so did not dare to burn them. Recorded on the second day of the first month of the eighth year of Tianhui. Let the abbot of this temple take note.' After writing this, the Jin troops withdrew. The wall bearing this inscription has recently collapsed, and the characters have faded.

The poem says:

The Western Mountains of Jiangzuo—the range west of the lower Yangtze—are a blessed land. Their palaces and temples are solemn and splendid, and people dare not burn them down. On the second day of the first month in the eighth year of the Tianhui era (1130), the temple’s custodian recorded this event. Once he had finished writing, the army withdrew and departed. Later, the wall was on the verge of collapse, and the writing on it gradually faded and became illegible.

The poem says: The Western Mountains of Jiangzuo are a blessed land; their lofty palaces surpass the immortal realm of Penglai. Broad, deep corridors welcome circling breezes; towering halls and pavilions seem to rise amid purple clouds. Their splendid design surpasses Chongfu Palace, and their scale is grander still than the Han dynasty’s Jianzhang Palace. In the Bingwu year, the place once suffered the calamity of war and fire. Drops of water fell from the eaves and beams, striking such fear into the invading troops that they fled.

Transformation of the Precious Books

The imperial writings of three emperors and the jade documents of the patriarch—the precious records known as golden registers and jade ledgers—disappeared after the Jurchen invasion.

The poem says: The world has changed dramatically, and war has broken out everywhere; the rise of conflict seems to have been ordained long ago. The precious books of the Three Sages must be carefully guarded, and the jade records of the assembled immortals are of immense value. How could they be exposed to ordinary people, let alone stolen by northern barbarians? People searched everywhere for the immortal officials but could not find these treasures. Perhaps divine beings gathered them up and carried them to Yaoking, the palace of the immortals.

Transformation of the Emperor’s Writings

In the twenty-eighth year of the Shaoxing era (1158), the court bestowed ten scrolls of imperial writings. They are now kept in safekeeping to guard the blessed land.

The poem says: Heavenly writings have repeatedly descended from the palace, their words and images shining like stars. The emperor’s edicts and own writings are elegant in style, their ink still fragrant. Their characters are clear, as though they added to Emperor Yao’s literary brilliance; their earnest admonitions echo the counsels of Emperor Shun. These imperial writings are stored in precious lacquered cases and vermilion halls, carefully preserved to guard the blessed land.

Transformation of the Sacred Objects

Every object left behind by the patriarch is guarded by sacred beings and must not be profaned.

The poem says: In the patriarch’s day, his whole family ascended to immortality and left the world, leaving behind objects to guard their ancestral mountain. A monk once carried off a bell, and its sound ceased; a herdsman moved a chariot hub, but it flew back to its original place. The ancient traces left by the true immortals still display their miraculous power. How could the shallow and ignorant dare to treat these objects with contempt?

How could anyone presume to touch ritual implements—objects used to honor the gods or in the practice of the Dao—at will? A spirit guards the mysterious threshold, the entrance or vital gateway.

The Manifestation of the Lingshang Tree

Before the hall stands a Lingshang tree, planted long ago by the founding master himself. Its flourishing or withering often foretells the fortunes of the palace gates. Boiling its leaves into a decoction can cure illness.

The poem says:

Before the founding master attained immortality, he planted a Lingshang tree with his own hands in the courtyard.

Its branches and leaves grew thick, casting cool shade over the sacred hall; its deep green foliage seemed to enclose the jade steps.

People often read its flourishing and withering as signs of fortune and decline; it also quietly foretold the palace gates’ prosperity or ruin.

The leaves, too, had the miraculous power to heal the sick. The immortal would pluck them and give them away, and everyone gladly accepted them.

The Manifestation of the Cinnabar Well

This was the well where the founding master once refined elixirs. Dragons often appeared there in the past, so Dongzhen set up inscribed stones to guard it.

The poem says:

The golden well water is deep and clear, like jade nectar; here the founding master once succeeded in refining elixirs.

After the immortal crane had departed and the parasol tree had withered, a dragon suddenly appeared, raising clouds, mist, wind, and rain.

The dragon appeared and vanished from time to time, seeming uncanny; people nearby were often troubled and frightened by it.

Dongzhen used magical arts, inscribed talismans on the stones, and set them to restrain the well’s waters. The strange sounds then subsided.

The Manifestation of the Iron Pillar

When Yan Zhuan of the Tang dynasty was serving as governor of the prefecture, he saw the iron pillar and was deeply skeptical. He once ordered it dug up. In an instant, thunder roared and violent winds rose; the river flooded, and the city walls shook. Yan Zhuan was terrified. He kowtowed, repented, and begged forgiveness. Only after a long while did the apparitions cease.

The poem says:

The iron pillar stands like a mountain, guarding the prefectural lands; the founding master’s sacred legacy is truly awe-inspiring.

Even the full strength of human effort could not move it. How could a holy object protected by spirits be destroyed with ease?

The city walls shook as wind, rain, and hail swept in; the river surged, and wind and thunder roared in fury.

Only then did Yan Zhuan feel fear. He bowed again and again, burned incense, and pleaded earnestly.

The Manifestation of the Immortal Bell

Xu Yan again forcibly took the bell that the Patriarch had used in his cultivation to a Buddhist monastery and struck it. Its sound turned dull and husky, as though someone were striking wood and earth. Suspecting that the Daoist priests had cast a spell to silence it, he had them detained and meant to punish them. Later, Xu Yan suddenly fell asleep while seated. In his dream, a divine being rebuked him and threatened to cut off his head. He woke with a start, released the Daoist priests, and returned the bell to the palace. During the turmoil of the Five Dynasties, the bell flew away in a single night, and no one knew where it had gone.

The poem says:

A master craftsman cast this bell; its clear, ringing voice marked the hours by day and night.

Struck in the immortal palace, its sound was extraordinary; taken to a Buddhist monastery, it made no sound at all.

Xu Yan suspected the Daoist priests had cast a spell to silence it, so the governor’s office discussed bringing charges against them.

Had Xu Rang not received a warning from the spirits, the Daoist priests would have found it hard to clear their names.

The Transformation of the Immortal Chariot Hub

Governor Xu Deng wanted to see the immortal chariot hub left by the Patriarch—a hub from the vehicle said to carry immortals—and ordered it brought to the prefectural office. Before anyone could examine it, it flew back that very night. It remained there into the present dynasty, but after the Jurchen invasion, it soon vanished without a trace.

The poem says:

The ancients made chariot fittings and shaped wheels according to established principles. Even when they modeled them on objects from the immortal realm, they did not carve them at random.

The black shafts and green carriage body followed the laws of the earth; the red wheels and emerald canopy accorded with the patterns of Heaven.

The story of Anpu also calls to mind why the ancients summoned worthy men. Who can say that the tale of throwing vegetables was simply about judging people by their appearance?

This immortal chariot hub belongs only in a sacred palace-temple. How could ordinary people forcefully carry it away?

The Transformation of the Immortal Casket

The stone casket left by the Patriarch had seams, yet it could not be opened. After Zhang Shanan took control of Hongzhou during the Tang dynasty, he forced it open. Inside the lid, he found writing in cinnabar: “Five hundred years from now, the rebel Zhang Shanan will open this.” Zhang Shanan was frightened and tried to wash the words away, but could not erase them. He therefore hid the lid and left only the base behind. Today, the stone casket and the medicine mortar are still preserved.

The poem says:

Zhang Shanan defied the court and took control of Hongzhou. He opened the immortal casket without authorization, hoping to see what lay inside.

He forcibly pried at the stone lid with tools, then suddenly discovered that his own name had already been written there in cinnabar.

The causes and conditions of all things in the world are determined in advance. Yet the words spoken by the perfected beings in Heaven do not all endure.

Poem:

Shan’an defied the laws of the state and entered Hongdu. There he dared to search through the immortals’ documents and inspect what they contained.

He forced open the stone cover with a metal probe, and suddenly saw that his own name had already been written in the elixir register.

All things in the world follow a fixed course; the words spoken by the immortals in Heaven are no empty promise.

Five hundred years ago, the Master had foretold this. How could later generations fail to be astonished?

The Melon-Cutting Transformation

At the end of summer each year, local scholars and common people prepare incense, flowers, drums, music, and banners. They go to the sleeping hall to welcome the Patriarch’s small image and respectfully escort it to the village shrines. In this way, they pray for relief from calamities and for protection against drought and locusts.

A few days before the welcome procession, people lead the heads of the village associations to set out melons and fruit as offerings in the front hall. This rite is called “melon-cutting”; it serves to announce in advance the date when the Patriarch will be welcomed.

Poem:

The annual village sacrifice is always lively; at summer’s end, the melon-cutting rite begins.

Banners wave in the wind to the sound of drums and music; standards and streamers fill the sky as people carry incense and flowers to welcome the Patriarch.

From then on, caterpillars and locusts vanish from the countryside, and grain and wheat grow abundantly in the fields.

The immortal’s sacred procession descends, bringing many blessings; the people therefore honor the Patriarch with even greater devotion.

The Yellow Center Transformation

There are six statues of the Patriarch. Only the two in the front hall and sleeping hall are never moved; the others may be taken out in procession as needed. Over a period of sixty days, each statue makes its rounds through different places. The people of all eighty-one villages in the Hongrui region gather at the palace to perform a Jiao rite (a Daoist sacrificial ritual) in gratitude. This is called the “Yellow Center Retreat,” a rite handed down by the Patriarch.

Poem:

The Patriarch’s statue stands tall and solemn, enshrined in the palace’s celestial hall.

The people pray for blessings from the holy immortals; the Patriarch’s manifested forms travel through the region, spreading Daoist teachings.

Every household around Ruiyang turns in devotion, and every home throughout Hong Commandery honors the Patriarch.

The people of eighty-one villages gather together and continue to perform the Yellow Center Retreat to this day.

The Altar-Banishing Transformation

On the twenty-eighth day of the seventh month, the Patriarch’s sacred procession ascends Five Dragon Ridge, to the left of the palace, and uses its power to ward off snakes and tigers. This practice has existed since ancient times and is called “altar-banishing.” As a result, those who come from near and far to pray for blessings and relief from calamity may travel day and night without danger from snakes or tigers.

Poem:

The Patriarch’s immortal carriage soared through the sky and arrived at Longgang. The surrounding world seemed frozen in the chill. Snakes and insects were driven away from marshes, deep or shallow, and tigers and wolves vanished from the nearby and distant forests. People could travel by day or night without fear, and carts and horses came and went safely and in good health. Within the ritual altar, unseen deities lent their aid, answering the sincere prayers of those who offered a stick of incense.

The Transformation of the Pure Month

The middle month of autumn is called the “Pure Month.” From the first day onward, the Daoist temple opened its doors to people from all directions who came to offer incense, pray, repay the gods, and make sacrifices. The first to arrive were officials from the prefecture. The prefecture prepared incense, candles, wine, valuables, and written prayers, then sent an official on horseback to present them.

People from near and far came with the old and young in tow, riding in sedan chairs or on horseback. Along the roads, people pressed shoulder to shoulder, while carts followed one after another. Vendors brought all kinds of goods to sell for profit, and skilled performers displayed astonishing feats. Tea houses, taverns, eateries, and inns lined the roads without a break for more than ten miles. The passes and market towns were packed with people, and the bustle continued until the end of the month.

The poem says:

In the Pure Month, the Daoist temple opens its doors to welcome visitors, and people from near and far come to make offerings.

Many merchants set up stalls to sell their wares, while performers display their remarkable skills.

Scholars and common folk arrive from every region, filling the passes and market towns with goods.

For all thirty days, the crowds remain packed together without dispersing; along the roads that lead in every direction, the temple fair drums rumble loudly.

Every year at the Mid-Autumn Festival, a Zhaijiao purification ritual is held to celebrate the ascent to immortality. The day before, people rest in the hills and set up a ritual altar to perform the ceremonies. The following day, Lord Huang comes to pay his respects. Lord Huang is the Patriarch’s son-in-law. He has come many times, each time to ask the Patriarch about the Dao.

Early the next morning, Lord Huang arrives at Houbei, five li from the palace. There stands a pavilion called the “Dressing Pavilion,” where Lord Huang changes his clothes. The palace prepares the ceremonial procession and welcomes him through the Duan Gate. In former times, there was a gate in front of the main hall called the Huangge Gate. Lord Huang first pays his respects in the front hall, then enters the rear hall, where host and guest observe the proper rites and share a banquet, known as the “Feast Ceremony.” When the ceremony is over, he leaves the hall and rests to the west, then returns westward at dusk.

The shops, merchants, and residents east of the palace often insist on inviting Lord Huang to tour the streets, hoping to prosper in business and enjoy good fortune. They vie to lead him along and urge him to stay, nearly escorting him all the way to Longgang Bridge before turning back. Local custom holds that wherever an uncle by marriage—the term used for a son-in-law—goes, he brings thriving business and harmony in all things. It is said that this proves true every time.

The poem says:

At Mid-Autumn, the moon is full, bright, and clear, and osmanthus blossoms scent the air. A purification ritual celebrates the ascent to immortality and opens the sacred precinct. Auspicious clouds circle the Purple Court as Lord Huang comes in person to pay his respects. The immortal procession floats upon the breeze, its attendants and splendor shining brilliantly. The Immortal Palace grants a banquet, with everyone joining in song, dance, and music. The sacred procession tours the marketplace, bringing good fortune to the people. Men and women of the common folk block the road to invite Lord Huang, praying for thriving business and scattering coins and vegetables before Lord Huang.

Transformation of the Purple Court

Every three years, the related rites are held after the Shangyuan Festival, on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. Auspicious clouds circle the Purple Court as Lord Huang comes in person to pay his respects. The immortal procession floats upon the breeze, its attendants and splendor shining brilliantly. The Immortal Palace grants a banquet, with everyone joining in song, dance, and music. The sacred procession tours the marketplace, bringing good fortune to the people. Men and women of the common folk block the road to invite Lord Huang, praying for thriving business and scattering coins and vegetables before Lord Huang.

Transformation of the Purple Court

On the day after the Shangyuan Festival (the fifteenth day of the first lunar month), which takes place once every three years, the Patriarch’s procession sets out to inspect and pay its respects in Ruiyang. Huang Jun says: On the day of the festival, as noon approaches, the Patriarch is first invited to the front hall. A vegetarian meal is laid out, and the Three Offerings rite is performed, presenting wine and other offerings to the deity in three rounds. Only after seeking permission does the procession set out.

As soon as the procession leaves the East Gate, it heads south across Wangxian Bridge, passes through Maopu, and enters Huanggu Lane. It then reaches Anliyu and proceeds to Yuandu Altar, where it pauses briefly. Yuandu Altar stands beside the temple. There was once a Daoist monastery there, but it has since fallen into ruin. The procession then climbs Shigu Mountain and enters Yuanxian Jing, a place for Daoist practice or worship. Emerging from there, it takes the post road, turns onto a small path about two li long, and arrives at Zhutang Temple to make offerings. This is the burial place of the Duck-Herding Boy, and it was formerly called Zhutang Temple. The procession then returns to the main road, passes Antoushan, and reaches Sanshi Li Station, where offerings are made at seven places in all. The attendants eat lunch here, then cross Jiugang and Jiuzhai, pass Longpi Bridge, and proceed directly to Xiangfu. Xiangfu belongs to Gao’an County and was formerly known as Qixian Temple. People from Ruiyang often come out of the city to greet and bow to the procession; this is called “Receiving the Immortal.”

After the Patriarch is carried down from the sedan, a banquet is held with Huang Jun in the front hall. On the seventeenth, a second reception rite is performed. The officiant accompanies the procession to the rear hall, where wine is poured and offerings are made before the Immortal Lady of the Xu family. This rite began in the Wushen year of the Chunxi era (1188). The next day, before the fifth watch, the procession sets out to return. Six places along this route are furnished with offerings. Several thousand scholars and commoners burn incense and bow in welcome. In the settlements along the way, hundreds of men, women, young and old often burn incense, perform rites, burn paper money, and present offerings; some are so moved that they weep bitterly. Whenever the procession departs or arrives, the officiant bows twice outside the main gate to see it off or welcome it. Whether the Patriarch is going to Nanchao or Xiying, or is invited by the prefectural government or called upon for prayers, the officiant accompanies him.

The Patriarch rides in a sedan chair carried by bearers, led by a white horse and a golden phoenix. According to tradition, a half li east of the Patriarch’s residence there once stood a shrine to the White Horse Spirit. The White Horse received offerings from the Patriarch, and the place is now called White Horse Pond. After the Patriarch attained the Dao, the White Horse Spirit volunteered to serve as his guide. The golden phoenix may symbolize the Vermilion Bird leading the way. Some people place it atop the sedan chair, which fits the saying, “Above is the Vermilion Bird.” There is also a popular story that the golden phoenix fulfilled a portent in the Patriarch’s mother’s dream, but the chronicler considers this unlikely.

The sedan bearers sing an old song, joined in chorus by the crowd. It is called “Yellow Crane Tower.” Several pairs of people also accompany the procession wearing tall crowns and colorful headscarves; these crowns are called “Colored Towers.” Their style is remarkably unusual and ancient, and may be a ceremonial custom inherited from the Jin dynasty. Each Colored Tower is about two chi high, wide at the top and narrow at the bottom. It is made with a bamboo frame woven with colored silk, worn on the head and secured under the chin with ties. The Tang Daoist Xiong Jingxiu once said, “The affairs of the world have passed to the Tang, yet the immortal songs still preserve the customs of Jin.” Even people of the Tang dynasty found this custom strange.

The song still survives, but its lyrics have long been lost. Shou Xie therefore wrote three stanzas to replace them. The first says: The Patriarch’s cultivation and merit were complete; the Celestial Emperor issued an edict summoning him to rise through the air into the Nine Heavens. Chickens and dogs ascended with his immortal retinue, and traces of the sacred event remain to this day. The second says: The Patriarch left us a thousand years ago. Morning and evening, people burn incense and pray to the distant spirit, hoping only that he will show compassion, extend his grace to the human world, and bestow blessings upon all. The third says: The Daoist master Chenmu lived in Danyang. At a certain place, she once used the art of flying thatch, leaving fragrance wherever she went. The immortal procession has not forgotten its old promise: every year it goes to Huangtang for a visit.

The roads taken by the procession, whether straight, slanting, or winding, must follow the ancient routes and must not be changed at will, or disaster will follow. Before the procession sets out, local people compete to clear the old roads and mark the route, since these are not the paths people ordinarily use. An old record says that the Patriarch once followed the path taken by his beloved daughter, stayed two nights at Huang Jun’s house, and only then returned by the main road. When searching for the flying thatch, the Patriarch also took a winding route. For this reason, journeys today to Nanchao and Xiying still follow the places visited in former times.

The weight of the sedan chair, the speed of its progress, whether the journey is smooth, and whether the weather is clear or rainy are all treated as omens. A light sedan, rapid progress, a smooth journey, and clear skies are considered auspicious signs for the local people. A heavy sedan, slow progress, jolts or falls, or overcast and rainy weather are considered inauspicious. Good omens foretell abundant harvests and peace among the people; ill omens foretell injuries and disease among livestock. Only on journeys to Xiying is it auspicious for rain and cold to accompany the outward trip and for the return to be warm and clear. The reverse is considered an ill omen.

Each time the procession goes out, it sets off before dawn and continues until dark, passing thatched huts and thorny brush. The attendants, along with those praying or making vows, often number in the hundreds, yet from ancient times to the present, no one is said to have injured a foot. During the procession, contact with the corpses of people or animals and with anything unclean is especially forbidden. Incense money, clothing, food, and places for sitting or sleeping must all be kept away from such things. Tradition says that failing to avoid them brings sudden calamity, and that a later visit to fulfill a vow will also meet with misfortune. These accounts were handed down by earlier generations and were regarded by people of the time as proof they had witnessed with their own eyes.

The poem says that once the ceremonial retinue accompanying Perfected Lord Xu is established, the local area will suffer a sudden calamity. Later, disasters will also arise from holding rites to honor and repay the gods. These accounts have been handed down from earlier generations and are borne out by events witnessed firsthand in our own time.

The poem also says:

The ceremonial retinue follows the Master to the Purple Court, the realm of immortals. Auspicious talismanic decrees arrange a banquet to welcome them. Immortal nectar fills the wine vessels, and cups of fine wine are served one after another. Precious foods are laid out like stars, with an array of rare delicacies. The ancient rite of the decorated tower is still preserved in the ceremony; songs of “The Yellow Swan” are sung, followed by new melodies. Villagers crowd around, jostling to look on and pay their respects. Whether the harvest will be abundant or poor must be confirmed by the rainfall.

Record of the Eighty-Five Manifestations of Perfected Lord Xu of Xishan, middle and lower fascicles. Compiled by Shi Cen, the Realized Person of Valor and Insight of Xishan. Chapter title: “The Manifestation of Divine Might.”

Hao Meng, courtesy name Shiyun, was a native of Puyang. He served as magistrate of Xi’an County in the state of Wu and later settled there. He was exceptionally filial by nature. As a child, when mosquitoes bit him in summer, he refused to shoo them away, fearing they would leave him and bite his parents instead. At the age of forty, he received a marvelous formula from the adept Ding Yi. Later, he studied with Bao Shuo, governor of Nanhai, and learned further secret methods.

During the Huanglong era of Wu, Heaven sent down a White Cloud Talisman to him. From then on, he practiced Daoist arts, and his fame spread throughout Wu and Jin. During the reign of Emperor Wu of Jin, the Patriarch received the Daoist teachings from Hao Meng, who passed all their secret essentials on to him.

Toward the end of the Yongjia era, Du Qiang led an army to attack Shu and seized its prefectures and counties. After the Patriarch slew a great serpent, Hao Meng said, “This serpent is an essence-being of Shu. With the serpent dead, Du Qiang will also meet his end.” Events later unfolded just as he had said.

On one occasion, a violent wind suddenly rose. Hao Meng drew a talisman and tossed it onto a rooftop. A green bird carried the paper away in its beak, and the wind immediately stopped. When someone asked him why, he replied, “A boat on South Lake was caught in the storm. The two Daoist priests aboard called on Heaven for help, so I used my art to calm the wind.” It was later confirmed that this was exactly what had happened.

Gan Qing, the magistrate of Xi’an County, had been dead for three days when Hao Meng said, “The magistrate’s allotted years are not yet over. I will appeal to Heaven on his behalf.” He then performed a rite beside Gan Qing’s body. A few days later, Gan Qing rose with Hao Meng. Gan Qing’s younger brother, Gan Bao, a Gentleman of the Palace Library, marveled at this strange event and wrote the Records of the Search for Spirits, which has been handed down to the present day.

Hao Meng once crossed the Yuzhang River. When he was caught in rough waters and could find no boat, he used the white feather fan he carried to paddle across. The onlookers were astonished.

In the second year of the Ningkang era, the Patriarch ascended to Heaven, and Hao Meng returned to Xi’an. On the fifteenth day of the tenth month that year, the Supreme Emperor ordered the Perfected Zhou Guang to carry an edict summoning Hao Meng. Hao Meng then rode in a white deer carriage with four disciples and ascended in broad daylight. His residence was called the Purple Cloud Palace. It stood where Pingjing Hao Immortal Temple now stands, west of Hao Immortal Village in present-day Fenning County. In the fifth month of the second year of the Zhenghe era, the court, acting on an imperial command, posthumously bestowed on him the title Perfected One of Divine Might.

The magistrate of Xi’an County was a bold and spirited man, renowned both for his filial devotion and his mastery of the arts of the Dao. He once quelled a riot with a talisman borne by a blue crow, crossed the raging floods of the Bai River on a fan, and brought a soul back to its body, restoring a person to life. He tracked down and slew the snake demon Du Qiang. Before long, he had achieved wondrous merit. Then he received an imperial patent of honor and ascended peacefully to the celestial realm in a deer-drawn carriage.

Chen Xun, courtesy name Xiaoju, was from Shu and came from a family of generations of scholars. He was widely learned. At the time, the state of Wei sent Zhong Hui and Deng Ai to attack Shu, and Liu Shan surrendered. Though still young, Xiaoju already aspired to transcend the world, cultivate the Dao, and seek immortality. He went to Mount Qingcheng and took Gu Yuanzi as his teacher, seeking the means to cross beyond the world. Later, hearing that the Patriarch was governing benevolently at Jingyang and benefiting the people, he went to the government office to pay his respects and offered to serve as a clerk. The Patriarch greatly admired him and arranged a post for him.

Xiaoju took the lead in guiding his peers, helping govern by improving local customs and bringing peace to the people; his contributions were considerable. He was therefore accepted as a disciple. The Patriarch regarded him as a trusted follower to whom important matters could be entrusted, and placed him in charge of the scriptures and the tending of the alchemical furnace. When the Patriarch ascended, Xiaoju walked ahead, staff in hand, to guide the way. In former times, west of Yulong Palace, stood Xiaoju’s Daoist retreat, called Chengxian Residence. He planted a tall parasol tree with his own hands and built his dwelling facing it. In the fifth month of the second year of Zhenghe, an imperial patent bestowed on him the title True Person of Zhengte.

In an age of turmoil, who would still uphold Confucian learning? Yet Xiaoju went alone into Mount Qingcheng, seeking the essentials of cultivating the Dao. He admired the Patriarch’s benevolent governance and willingly devoted himself to following him, becoming his disciple. Loyal and dependable, he oversaw the scriptures; steadfast in purpose, he tended the alchemical furnace. After the Patriarch’s ascension, he guided the way with staff in hand. Beneath the shade of the tall parasol tree, his Daoist retreat remained.

Zhou Guang, a native of Luling, whose courtesy name was Huichang, was a descendant of the great general Zhou Yu. In his youth, he took an interest in astronomy and musical theory. As he grew older, he mastered the Dao of Wuwei (non-action) and quietude. He once traveled through Shu with like-minded companions to Yuntai Mountain, where he learned Han dynasty Celestial Master (Tianshi) arts for driving out evil influences and destroying demons. He used these arts to relieve the suffering of the people.

When he heard that the founding master Xu Xun was in Jingyang, Zhou Guang went straight to the local authorities to pay him a visit and offered to begin with the humblest duties. The master accepted him and assigned him to attend to his staff and footwear, caring for the things he used each day. Zhou Guang worked diligently day and night, following the Daoist teachings without ever faltering. At home, too, he was unfailingly respectful and obedient.

Later, he built a residence a little over a hundred paces west of the master’s home. When the master ascended to immortality, Zhou Guang and Zeng Xingguo rode together in the dragon carriage. Zhou Guang’s residence was therefore called the Xuanshao Prefecture. During the Baoda era of the Tang dynasty, the governor, Lord Zhou Ling, honored Perfected Xu Xun as the founding master, renovated and enlarged the residence, and renamed it the Xuanshao Prefecture. Related stone inscriptions still survive. The present-day Taixu Abbey stands on this site. In the fifth month of the second year of the Zhenghe era, Zhou Guang received an imperial decree conferring on him the title Perfected One of Primordial Communion.

The poem says:

Zhou Guang came from a family of generals, outstanding in talent and broad in learning, and fond of the teachings of Laozi and Zhuangzi. He performed the prescribed rites to pay homage to Celestial Master Zhang and cultivated the methods of the Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) tradition. Seeking the Dao, he traveled to Jingyang to visit Xu Xun. He served the founding master with tireless diligence; hearing his teachings, as beautiful as immortal music, he grew ever more steadfast in his resolve to seek the Dao. When the day came for the master to ascend to immortality, Zhou Guang rode with him in the phoenix carriage and journeyed to the realm of the immortals.

“Divine Grace and Transformation” is the title of the following section.

Zeng Heng of Sishui, whose courtesy name was Xingguo, was a descendant of Zeng Shen. He became a Daoist priest when young. Bright and quick-witted, widely learned and gifted in many arts, he studied the Daoist methods passed down by the Masters of the Three Heavens. He could foresee what was about to happen, and wherever a path led to a famous mountain or great peak, he would go there. With subtle incantations and efficacious talismans, there was no illness he could not cure.

When the divine being Sun Deng met him, he said, “Your bones and features are refined, and your spirit and Qi are clear. You work diligently at your cultivation and never cease advancing; one day you will surely become an immortal who has transcended the mundane world. You must keep striving.”

Later, Zeng Heng lived in seclusion in Fengcheng County, Yuzhang Commandery. Hearing that the Patriarch’s reputation had spread far and wide, he went to pay his respects and offered to serve at his side. The Patriarch held him in high regard and transmitted to him all the wondrous arts and secret teachings. In time, Zeng Heng ascended to Heaven, riding in a dragon-drawn carriage. The Zhenyang Temple in Fengcheng County commemorates his legacy. In the fifth month of the second year of Zhenghe, the court, acting under an imperial decree, conferred on him the title “Perfected One of Divine Grace.”

The poem says:

His features were refined, his spirit and Qi clear: he was one who had transcended the mundane world. Through diligent cultivation, he finally attained the state of a High Perfected One, a realized person who has attained the Dao.

He traveled freely among famous mountains and great peaks; his subtle incantations and efficacious talismans brought relief to the people far and wide.

Personally instructed by an immortal lord, he cultivated the Dao and entered the sacred realm, while also understanding the ways of governing the world.

He swiftly achieved profound and wondrous accomplishments; riding a crane and driving a dragon, he departed the mundane world.

“Master of the Three Heavens” refers to a master who transmitted the Daoist methods of the Three Heavens. Incantations and talismans are used in Daoist cultivation and liturgy.

Julu Shihe, courtesy name Daoyang, was a Daoist of profound attainment. In his youth, he practiced the teachings of Dao and De. When he entered Mount Siming, he met a divine being and learned many wondrous methods, including fetal breathing—a practice of regulating the breath to lessen dependence on ordinary breathing and food. Through these methods, he could go without sleep or food, command spirits and deities, dispel evil influences, and even transform base materials into gold and jade to help the poor. The local people benefited from his kindness, and his fame spread far and wide.

During the Huaihui era, he heard that the Patriarch was widely teaching the Dao in Jiangzuo, the region east of the lower Yangtze. He traveled there on foot to pay his respects and offered himself as a disciple. The Patriarch accepted him, taught him wondrous methods, and then sent him back to the mountain to instruct others. When Emperor Ming summoned him to the palace by imperial decree, the Patriarch asked whether he would stay. Shihe firmly refused to remain at court and eventually returned to Mount Xishan, where he attended upon the Patriarch.

In the second year of the Ningkang era, he and Chen Xiaoju, holding staffs, led the attendants as they followed the Patriarch in ascending to heaven. Shihe left a trace of his presence in Yuzhang city, known as Zigaifu, on the site of today’s Nanchang County government offices. The Fengxian Abbey in Linyang County, Donghai Commandery, was where he had once lived in seclusion. In the fifth month of the second year of the Zhenghe era, the court, acting on an imperial edict, bestowed upon him the title Perfected One of Vast Beneficence.

A poem says:

Long ago, on Mount Siming, he met a divine being

And received the subtle secrets of cultivation.

He commanded spirits and deities to accomplish good works,

And transformed gold and jade to aid the hungry, the cold, and the poor.

To win the favor of an emperor is rare indeed;

To draw near a master whose kindness comes once in a thousand years is rarer still.

He withdrew to Mount Xishan and remained at the Patriarch’s side,

Learning from him until he rode a dragon to heaven and left the mortal world behind.

Gan Zhan of Fengcheng, in what is now the Fengcheng area of Jiangxi, had the courtesy name Bowu. Born among ordinary people, he was known for his filial devotion and praised by his local community. When the Jin dynasty was beset by turmoil, he withdrew to the remote countryside and took an interest in the arts of the immortals and the quest for longevity. Hearing that the patriarch practiced a method centered on filial devotion, eradicated calamities, and benefited all living beings, Gan went to visit him. He earnestly asked to become his follower and offered to serve at his command. The patriarch recognized his exceptional abilities and accepted him. When the patriarch ascended to Heaven, he also passed on to Gan the wondrous secrets of the Golden Elixir.

Gan later returned to Fengcheng, widely extending kindness and helping the people. At noon on the seventh day of the first month in the first year of the Dajian era, a heavenly decree descended. He mounted a qilin carriage, rode off on the clouds, and departed. The Qingdu Temple in the county is said to have been the place where he once stored his elixirs. His former residence was called Huayang Pavilion, and the Feihuang Temple was later built to honor him. In the fifth month of the second year of the Zhenghe era, the court, acting on an imperial decree, bestowed on him the title “Perfected One of Refined Practice.”

The poem says: The Jin dynasty was then in a time of disorder. Gan Zhan withdrew to the countryside, keeping his abilities hidden for a time. His filial conduct earned the esteem of his community, and by nature he was drawn to the arts of the immortals; he took the patriarch as his teacher. He slew a giant serpent and removed a great calamity, then cut off the menace of the jiao dragon and the shen monster so they could no longer multiply. Once his work was done, he departed alone in a qilin carriage. Around Sword Pool, traces of an altar site and a well still remain. Yongwu transforms.

Shi Cen of Pei Commandery, whose courtesy name was Taiyu, was a renowned strongman in his region. His grandfather, Shi Shuo, had served as an official in the state of Wu before moving to Chiwuxian in Jiujiang. Taiyu was tall and powerfully built, exceptionally brave and strong, and highly skilled with both bow and sword.

When Patriarch Xu (Xu Zhenjun) first led his disciples to slay the great serpent of Haihun County, more than three hundred local strongmen came to help. Taiyu was among them. He respectfully and sincerely asked to join the party. Patriarch Xu agreed, and from then on Taiyu and Gan Bowu often stood guard beside him, swords in hand.

At dawn on the twenty-eighth day of the eleventh month in the second year of Ningkang, Taiyu saw a boy appear in the sunlight in the east. Riding on colored clouds and holding a white bamboo tablet, the boy drove a Green Dragon down to Taiyu’s dwelling. After proclaiming the Jade Emperor’s decree, the boy took Taiyu with him as he rode the Green Dragon and ascended on the clouds. Two li southeast of Patriarch Xu’s residence stood an altar called the Purple Jade Palace, said to have been the place where Taiyu lived.

On the Thousand-Peak Rock that guards the river at Xiling Town stood a Daoist temple, whose plaque now reads “Perfect De.” It was Taiyu’s lookout. There was a similar place in Nanchang; both were used to watch for water demons. In the fifth month of the second year of Zhenghe, the court, acting on an imperial decree, conferred on Taiyu the title “Perfected One of Valor and Insight.”

A poem says: Taiyu followed his master, hand on his precious sword, and won outstanding merit; in slaying serpents and dispelling mirage spirits, he proved himself exceptional. As a young man, he displayed his might with bow and arrow; in adulthood, he became skilled in writing and widely learned. He cast off his worldly appearance and devoted himself to the Daoist arts of the Jin dynasty. Though he could fight dragons and tigers with his bare hands, he had no wish to serve at court. After ridding Jiangxi of its demons, he took up his tablet, rode the colored clouds, and ascended to Heaven.

Subtle Beneficence and Transformation

Peng Kang of Lanling, whose courtesy name was Wuyang, was a relative of Patriarch Xu. He remained for a long time among the master’s disciples…