《许真君仙传》

Xu Zhenjun’s personal name was Xun, and his courtesy name was Jingzhi. He was bestowed the title “Grand Historian and Eminent Envoy of the Nine Provinces, Perfected Lord of the Way, Mysterious Response, Divine Merit, and Wondrous Deliverance.” His great-grandfather was named Dan, his grandfather Yu, and his father Su. The Xu family had lived in Xuchang for generations. Their family tradition was noble and upright, and they had no desire to enter government service. Xu Zhenjun was a descendant of Yingyang You. Toward the end of the Han dynasty, his father fled the turmoil and moved to Nanchang County in Yuzhang Commandery, where the family settled.

Before Xu Zhenjun was born, his mother dreamed that a golden phoenix carried a pearl in its beak and placed it in her hand. She admired the pearl, then swallowed it. When she awoke, she felt movement in her belly and realized she was pregnant. Xu Zhenjun was born on the twenty-eighth day of the first month in the second year of the Wu kingdom’s Chiwu era.

From childhood, he was intelligent and perceptive, and treated others with kindness and generosity. Once, while hunting with others, he shot a deer, and a fawn fell from its belly. The mother deer kept turning back to lick the fawn, even as she died. Deeply moved and filled with compassion, Xu Zhenjun broke his bow and arrows and turned to studying the Dao.

Xu Zhenjun devoted himself to learning. He was broadly versed in the classics and histories, and also familiar with astronomy, geography, music, the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), and the study of longitude and latitude. Above all, he loved the arts of immortal cultivation. He traveled widely in search of teachers and texts, studying and investigating them, and probing deeply into their mysteries.

Hearing that Hao Shiyun of Xi’an had received divine formulas from the Perfected One Ding Yi, secret methods from Bao Shuo of the South Sea, and a celestial White Cloud Talisman, Xu Zhenjun went to become his disciple. Hao Shiyun sensed that their destinies were aligned and transmitted to him all the secret essentials he had received. The “As-You-Will Great Elixir” now circulating in the world is one of the divine formulas of Ding Yi. Xi’an is now called Ningzhou. Hao Shiyun once served the Wu kingdom as magistrate of Xi’an County and later settled there. Sixty li north of the present prefectural city stands Xiping Jingwu Immortal Monastery, which is said to have been his former residence.

Xu Zhenjun and Guo Pu, a Daoist practitioner and geomancer of the Eastern Jin, traveled together in search of famous mountains, hoping to find a place to cultivate the Dao. They came to the Jin family estate on Xiaoyao Mountain and judged it well suited to immortal cultivation, so they went together to pay their respects to Lord Jin. Guo Pu explained that Xu Zhenjun wished to borrow a house in which to practice cultivation, and had come to ask him. Lord Jin said, “If Lord Xu truly intends to cultivate here, why not acquire the fields and estate as well, so that you have what you need for daily fuel and food?” Xu Zhenjun replied, “I am grateful for your great regard. But accepting a gift without cause would trouble my conscience. Please name whatever price you require, and I will follow your terms.”

Xu Gong said, “Once a man of true resolve recognizes someone whose aims accord with his own, he should keep his word. If you, Sir Xu, truly intend to help me, then hand over your estate and property to me as support for firewood and the necessities of life.”

The Perfected One said, “You honor me so greatly, but it would be improper for me to accept without any formal standing. Tell me how much you need, and I will leave it entirely to your arrangements.”

Xu Gong said, “When a man of true resolve recognizes someone whose aims accord with his own, he can entrust him even with his life. How much more readily, then, can he entrust him with things external to himself?” He took a large coin, split it in two, and each man kept one half as a token of their agreement.

The Perfected One lived in the home of the Jin family, devoting himself each day to cultivation and seeking neither fame nor advancement. The people of the village were moved by his filial piety and kindness to others, while his friends admired his virtue and loyalty. When people offered him gifts, he would refuse even the smallest item unless it was given out of proper affection.

Once, someone sold him an iron lampstand. When he lit a lamp that night, the Perfected One noticed a patch where the lacquer had come off. Looking closely, he saw that the material beneath was gold. The next day, he went in search of the previous owner and returned the lampstand.

The Perfected One’s reputation grew more prominent by the day. The commandery recommended him as a Filial and Incorrupt official, a Han dynasty title for candidates selected for their filial piety and integrity, but he declined. The imperial court summoned him with honor several times, and, unable to refuse any longer, he finally took office as magistrate of Jingyang County in Shu Commandery in the first year of the Taikang era (280). He was then forty-two years old.

As soon as he took office, he disciplined the clerks, rooted out greed and corruption, abolished burdensome regulations, freed imprisoned people, and patiently reasoned with everyone. Officials and commoners alike were pleased and convinced by his example, and all were willing to mend their ways. He made loyalty, filial piety, kindness and compassion, patience and caution, diligence, and frugality the foremost lessons in his instruction of the people. He also encouraged respected local elders of good character to urge one another on and set an example in practice. Disputes steadily dwindled, until in time there were no lawsuits at all. Two clerks, Hu and Zhan, had once helped him administer affairs; they, too, are now worshipped in a local temple.

Before the Perfected One became county magistrate, poor harvests had left the people without grain to pay their taxes. The commanderies and counties enforced the law against them, and many fled their homes. After taking office, he used a divine elixir to transform rubble into gold. He secretly had land dug up in the garden behind the county office. One day, he summoned all the people who had not yet paid their taxes into the courtyard, ordered officials to demand payment, and then sent the people to perform labor in the rear garden. As they dug, they found gold, which they could use to pay their taxes. No longer fearing that they would have to flee and become displaced, they all settled in their homes. Refugees from neighboring areas, drawn by his virtuous governance, came in great numbers to seek refuge under his care. In time, the county’s registered households grew steadily, its population flourished, and its produce became increasingly abundant.

In the region, severe epidemics broke out year after year, and many people died or were injured. Xu Zhenjun used the divine prescriptions he had obtained to treat the sick. As long as the talismanic methods were applied, patients quickly improved; even those who were gravely ill recovered. When the epidemic spread to other commanderies and counties, patients came in one after another, sometimes more than a thousand a day. Xu Zhenjun therefore set up bamboo poles by the river, ten li outside the city, and placed talismans inside them. He had people draw water from beneath the bamboo and drink it, and all the sick recovered. Even the elderly and frail, who could not come in person, recovered after having the water brought to them.

The people of Shu composed a song in his praise: “The people do not steal, and the officials do not deceive. Our lord has brought people back to life, and disease can no longer harm us.” Xu Zhenjun served in Jingyang for many years. Knowing that the Jin dynasty was about to fall into turmoil, he gave up his post and returned east. Grateful for his kindness, the people tried every means to persuade him to stay. They built a shrine to honor him while he was still alive, and each household passed down his portrait, revering him like a deity. As he departed, the people carried provisions and accompanied him along the road, their procession filling the fields. Some followed him for a thousand li before turning back; others went all the way to his home and asked to remain in his service, never to return to their native villages. They built homes on the open ground east of Xu’s residence, arranging them like a military camp, and all adopted the surname Xu. The place is still called “Xu Family Camp.” This shows the extent of Xu Zhenjun’s kindness to the people.

When Xu Zhenjun and Lord Wu were traveling together at Songyang, they heard that a female teacher named Chanmu, who lived at Huangtang Jing in Danyang County, Jinling, was well versed in Daoist arts. The two went to her together and became her disciples. Chanmu said, “Long ago, the Filial and Fraternal King descended from Shangqing—the heavenly realm in Daoist belief—to the home of Lord Lan in Lan Village, Qufu County, Yanzhou. He left behind a precious scripture on the Golden Elixir, a bronze talisman, and an iron certificate, and told Lord Lan: ‘After the Jin dynasty, an immortal named Xu Xun will transmit my teachings.’”

The immortal woman Shenmu, who had transmitted Daoist teachings to Lord Xu, instructed someone to pass the methods on to him for safekeeping, until the time came for you to receive them. This had been arranged many years earlier, and the time for transmission had now arrived. Shenmu therefore ascended the ritual altar, swore an oath according to the rites, and transmitted to the two lords both the Zhengyi method for slaying demons and the art of the Three-Five Flying Steps, a ritual technique used in Daoist purification rites to pace the stars and tread the Dipper. The two lords had already received Daoist teachings from Shenmu. After bowing in thanks, they took their leave.

The True Lord planned to visit Shenmu every year. Sensing this, Shenmu said, “You need not come again. I am about to return to the imperial realm.” She took a stalk of fragrant grass and cast it toward the south, saying, “When you return, find the place where it lands and build me a shrine there. It will be enough to come once each autumn.”

After returning, the two lords searched for the fallen stalk and found it more than forty li south of their residence, where it had already grown into a clump. They built a shrine there, calling it the Yellow Hall; it later became known as the Yellow Hall Palace for the Flourishing of the Dao. On the third day of the eighth lunar month each year, the two lords would surely go there to pay their respects.

After returning from Songyang, the True Lord went to visit the place where Shenmu had cast the stalk. Along the way, he saw a pond beside the road, its water so clear that he could see the bottom, and stopped to rest briefly. There is now a Daoist temple in Qingpi Village called the Retreat of the True Lord. According to tradition, this is where he rested.

The True Lord also saw local villagers slaughtering livestock in great numbers to offer to the gods. In fear, they said to one another, “If the offerings are not abundant, the God of Wealth will grow angry and bring disaster upon us.” The True Lord said, “How dare demons and evil spirits cause such trouble!” That night, while staying at an inn, he summoned fierce winds and thunderbolts that destroyed the grove. The next day, he told the villagers, “The demon shrine has been banished. There is no need to make offerings anymore.” The ruined shrine altar still stands there, but the villagers no longer worship at it.

Continuing to trace the stalk’s path, the True Lord saw villagers carrying buckets a long way to fetch water. People lined the road, and even the old and the young struggled. He thrust his staff into the dry marsh in front of the shrine altar, and a spring gushed forth for the villagers to use. This well never runs dry, even during droughts. The Stone Well at Ziyang Temple in Daze Village is said to be this very spring.

Zhenjun Xu once climbed to the summit of Longcheng Mountain. Pointing to the spring altar halfway up the slope, he said, “Something strange must be hidden here. In time it will become a demon and bring harm to the people.” He planted his sword upright, established an altar, and used ritual power to suppress it. According to legend, whenever the immortals traveled here each year to pay their respects to the female immortal Chenmu, they stopped to rest at this spot. For this reason, the place came to be called Longcheng Abbey.

Zhenjun Xu crossed the Little Shu River, at what is now Huanghu Kou, and came to a shop by the river. The shopkeeper, a Zhu, was poor but welcomed him with the utmost courtesy. Zhenjun Xu casually painted a pine tree on the wall and then left. That very day, the Zhu family’s business brought in twice its usual income. Later, the river broke through its banks and floods swept away the houses and shops in the town. Only the wall bearing the pine tree remained unharmed. The place later became known as Songhu Market, and a local Earth God shrine dedicated to the Zhu family still stands there.

Zhenjun Xu once refined a divine elixir on Mount Huanglong in Aicheng. A flood demon of the dragon kind lived in the mountain. It gathered the waters and unleashed a flood, seeking to inundate the building where the elixir was being refined. Zhenjun Xu sent divine soldiers to seize it and nail it to a rock face. The stone where it was pinned can still be seen today. After the divine elixir was completed, Zhenjun Xu also performed a sacrifice in the stone chamber of Ge Xianweng, the Daoist immortal Ge Xuan, on Mount Mufu.

When Zhenjun Xu came to Xiuchuan, he admired its rushing streams and clear, sweet water, and sharpened his divine sword on a stone beside the stream. That stone is now called Mount Mei, and Jingyang Abbey stands beside the mountain. Later, Zhenjun Xu crossed the water and climbed Xiufeng Peak. At its summit, he set up an altar and performed a Zhaijiao rite to give thanks and pay homage to the Lord on High, then swallowed an elixir of immortality. The place is now called Mount Jingyang. On the south side of the stream stands Hao Immortal Abbey, which tradition identifies as the former home of Zhenjun Hao.

On his way to the residence of Lord Hao, Zhenjun Xu passed through Xi’an County, now Ningzhou. The local shebo, a guardian spirit of the land, came out to welcome him. Zhenjun Xu asked whether any demons within the district were harming the people, but the shebo had hidden them away.

Zhenjun Xu passed a small shrine, where five divine beings came out to greet him. They said, “A flood demon of the dragon kind is also harming the people here. When it heard that the Immortal Lord had arrived, it fled to Ezhou and hid. It will return one day. We ask the Immortal Lord to rid the local people of this menace.”

Xu Zhenjun passed a small temple, where five divine beings came out to welcome and pay their respects to him. They told him, “A flood dragon is still causing trouble here and harming the people. When it heard that the Immortal Lord had arrived, it fled to Ezhou Islet to hide. It will return one day. We beg you to rid the local people of it.”

The temple deities were five brothers surnamed Mao, who usually protected the small temple together. The temple stood four hundred paces east of the prefectural city. Following the clues the deities had given him, Xu Zhenjun tracked the flood dragon to Ezhou Islet. Along the way he met three old men and asked where it was hiding. Pointing ahead, they said, “It is beneath the bridge.” Xu Zhenjun went to the bridge and thrust his sword at the flood dragon. Startled, it fled into the great river and hid in its depths. Xu Zhenjun then mobilized officials and soldiers to pursue it. The flood dragon emerged downstream and was eventually slain.

The three old men were later honored as the Three Kings of Universal Response and worshipped locally. Today, local place names include Fulong Bridge and the Upper and Lower Dragon’s Mouths. Xu Zhenjun was angered that the Shebo of Xi’an, a deity who governed the local land, had sheltered the flood dragon and failed in his duties. He sealed the doors of the deity’s shrine, halted the local sacrifices to him, and ordered residents to worship the five divine beings surnamed Mao instead. The main gate of Ningzhou’s City God Temple remains closed throughout the year; whenever it is opened, disaster befalls the region. The local people still hold grand ceremonies for the Mao temple deities who protect them.

When Xu Zhenjun returned to the prefectural city, he said, “This is an important meeting point for waterways and roads, with a large population. Can there really be no one here who can be recognized as having an affinity with the Immortal Way?” He mixed a few grains of elixir with other medicines and put them up for sale, hoping that someone with the right affinity would trust him and buy them. Yet no one encountered this opportunity. Xu Zhenjun lamented how rare it was to find someone capable of becoming an immortal.

Xu Zhenjun heard that a flood dragon was wreaking havoc in Xin Hao, so he set out to pursue it with his treasured sword. The dragon fled all the way, and when it passed the place where Xianyou Abbey now stands, it was so frightened that it burrowed into a cave in a stream. That is why the place is now called Cangxi, “Hidden Stream.” Xu Zhenjun carved talismanic words into a huge rock and inscribed a text to subdue the dragon. The inscribed stone is still kept at Yanzhen Abbey, ten li west of Fengxin County.

In the Shangliao area of Haihun, a great serpent occupied a cave in the mountains. Its breath turned into clouds that stretched for forty li. It devoured people and livestock, gravely endangering the local population. When Xu Zhenjun heard of it, he climbed Beiling, now known as Huixian Peak, to survey the situation. Sure enough, he saw poisonous vapors spreading across the sky. He gathered his disciples and prepared to go and slay the serpent.

As soon as Perfected Lord Xu entered this area, hundreds and thousands of local residents came rushing to beg for his help. Compassion moved him, and he said, “The affairs of the world go through cycles of change. Now disaster has come. What fault have the people committed that they must suffer such calamity? I have come here to resolve this matter, and I swear I will not coexist with this serpent. I will surely rid you of it.”

When Perfected Lord Xu’s disciples had gathered, they too urged him to slay the serpent demon. He said, “We must wait until the time is right.” He planted his sword in the ground and silently prayed toward Heaven. After a long while, a spring suddenly welled up. Soon after, a red crow flew past. Perfected Lord Xu said, “The time has come.” He built the Temple for Awaiting the Moment here. It was later renamed the Red Crow Temple of Longevity and Sainthood, and is now called Guangfu Temple.

Perfected Lord Xu went to the serpent demon’s lair. The villagers beat drums and shouted as they hurried forward to await his instructions. He planted his sword and performed his rites, then drew talismans to summon the Lord of the Soil of Haihun and the Duke of the Soil of Nanchang, the local earth deities of those places, to drive the serpent demon from its cave. A Daoist temple was later built where the talisman fell. It was called the Temple of the Fallen Talisman and is now Nanchang’s Taihe Temple.

Once out of its cave, the serpent raised its head more than ten zhang high and spewed poisonous vapors straight into the sky. Perfected Lord Xu gave a long whistle, summoning wind and thunder, then commanded the divine troops to attack. He ordered Lord Hao to step the Dipper and tread the stars, and cleave the serpent’s head with his sword. Lords Shi and Cen, along with Gan Zhan and the others, wielded their swords and split open its belly. A small serpent several zhang long crawled out. Lord Gan wanted to kill it, but Perfected Lord Xu said, “It has not harmed anyone. You must not kill it recklessly.” The little serpent fled seven li. When it heard the crowd’s drums and shouts, it turned back to look at its mother. The disciples asked to pursue and kill it. Perfected Lord Xu said, “If this serpent harms the people five hundred years from now, I will appear again to slay it. Let the pine branch before my altar, when it brushes the ground, serve as proof.”

He also said, “One thousand two hundred and forty years after I become an immortal and depart, eight hundred terrestrial immortals will appear in the Yuzhang region, within the Five Mounds. Their master will come from Yuzhang and will vigorously spread my teachings.”

A sandbank appeared in the middle of the river at the prefectural city. It gradually spread until it was about to block the entrance to Shajing. If the small snakes were harming the people, the eight hundred men should naturally have destroyed them; if they were not, then they should not have been killed. The young snakes were thus able to enter the harbor channels. Today, Snakelet Harbor and Qili Ting in Jianchang, and Haicheng Temple in Xinjian, are all places associated with this event.

After the Perfected Lord killed the giant serpent, its demonic blood stained his treasured sword. He ground and washed the blade clean, then cut a piece from a rock to test its edge. Jianchang Prefecture still has traces of Coldwater Terrace, Sword-Grinding Pool, and Sword-Test Stone.

The Perfected Lord said to his disciples, “Although the great serpent has been destroyed, the flood-dragon spirit has not yet been eliminated. That creature is spiritually perceptive and must know that I intend to rid the region of harm. It may seize the chance to attack the prefectural city. We should return there. Disciples Zhan and Cen, come with me.” This was the sixth year of the Yongjia era.

The Perfected Lord’s Daoist arts were profound, and his fame reached far and wide. As many as a thousand people wished to become his disciples, but he could not accept them all. So he used magic to turn charcoal into a beautiful woman and, under cover of night, placed her where the disciples were staying to test them. When he checked the next day, only ten had remained unmoved and conducted themselves properly. These men later became his foremost disciples, serving at his side and ascending to immortality with him. From then on, whenever the Perfected Lord traveled through the rivers and lakes or slew flood dragons and serpents, all ten accompanied him. Most of the others felt ashamed and left. Today, at Xijin in Jianchang Prefecture, there is a Charcoal Woman Market and a Daoist temple called Miaoming Temple.

The Perfected Lord returned to the prefectural city with the two Immortal Lords, Gan and Shi, and inspected the town. They happened to meet a handsome young man, elegant in bearing and richly dressed. He came to pay his respects, gave his surname as Shen, behaved with courtesy and attentiveness, and answered questions with quickness. He soon took his leave. The Perfected Lord turned to his disciples and said, “That man just now was no mortal. He was the spirit of the old flood dragon, who came deliberately to test us.”

Although the jiao spirit looked human, a foul, fishy odor came from its body. I deliberately pretended to be dull-witted so it would reveal all its kind. The Perfected Lord saw that the youth was actually a monster descended from an old jiao and tracked its movements. It came to the riverside near the prefectural city, where it transformed into a yellow ox and appeared on the sandy shore. The Perfected Lord cut paper into the shape of a black ox and sent it to fight the yellow ox.

The Perfected Lord then had his disciples investigate where the jiao spirit had gone. They found it had again taken the form of a yellow ox by the river, a place later called Yellow Ox Sandbar. After sending away the black ox he had made from paper, the Perfected Lord ordered Shi Cen to go secretly with a sword. When the jiao spirit was fast asleep, Shi Cen struck it with the sword and hit its left leg. The yellow ox fled into a well south of the city. The well is now at the southeast corner of Shanglan Temple, and people also call it Jiao Well.

The Perfected Lord sent talisman officials to pursue the jiao spirit, following it all the way to Jia Yi’s Well in Changsha. After emerging from the well, the jiao spirit took human form and entered Jia Yu’s home. Earlier, it had married Jia Yu’s daughter and lived there for several years, fathering two sons. Each year it would travel by boat in spring and summer, then return in autumn with a full cargo. This time it suddenly came back empty-handed and told Jia Yu that it had been robbed and injured its left leg. Jia Yu summoned a doctor, and the Perfected Lord went to visit disguised as a physician. When Jia Yu called him in, the Perfected Lord did not enter. Instead, he stepped into the hall and shouted, “The jiao spirits of the rivers and lakes have harmed people for a long time. I have tracked you all the way here. How can I let you escape? Come out at once!”

The jiao spirit then revealed its true form. The Perfected Lord led his troops in killing it, and killed its two sons as well—for the children were in fact young jiao. Jia Yu’s daughter nearly transformed into a jiao too, but after her parents reported the matter to the Perfected Lord, she was spared.

The Perfected Lord said to Jia Yu, “There is water beneath the jiao spirit’s dwelling. Now, less than a foot beneath your house lies a flood. Move away at once, or you will find yourself submerged.” The whole Jia family was panic-stricken and moved to higher ground. Before long, the place where they had lived collapsed into a deep pool, bottomless to the eye. That place is now called Zhaotan in Changsha.

The Perfected Lord then returned to Yuzhang. The jiao spirit still had many followers.

After Xu Zhenjun (Xu Xun) returned to Yuzhang, the remaining forces of the flood-dragon demons were still powerful. Fearing that Xu Zhenjun would wipe them out, they grew deeply anxious. They took human form, wandered through the city, and asked about Xu Zhenjun’s disciples. Pretending to live in Chang’an and to come from generations of charitable people, they said they had traveled a great distance after hearing that Xu Zhenjun possessed a divine sword and wanted to learn of its power.

The disciples said, “When our master points his divine sword at the sky, the heavens split open; when he points it at the earth, the ground collapses; when he points it at the stars, they fall into disorder; and when he points it at rivers, they flow backward. No evil creature can withstand it. It is a sacred treasure.” The flood-dragon demons asked, “Is there anything it cannot harm?” The disciples replied, “Only winter melons and gourds are beyond its power.”

Believing them, the demons turned all their companions into winter melons and gourds. They made them drift together across the river, intending to escape downstream beyond the borders. Xu Zhenjun rose at dawn and sensed a strong demonic presence. He saw the winter melons and gourds in the river, transformed from the flood-dragon demons. He handed his divine sword to Shi Cen, who walked across the water and cut them down. Not one of the demons’ followers survived, and the river changed color.

After Xu Zhenjun had cast an iron pillar, he left several feet of it projecting above the well. He also fastened eight chains to the earth’s veins to subdue the water demons. He prayed, “If the iron pillar tilts, the demons will rise again, and I will return to the world. If it stands upright, the demons will be wiped out forever.” From then on, the water demons disappeared, and the city was at peace.

Worried that treacherous usurpers might arise and cause turmoil in later generations, he left an inscription beside the iron pillar: “The terrain is favorable and the people are kind-hearted; surely no wicked person will appear. Even if someone rises up in rebellion, they will ultimately fail.” His concern for future generations reached far ahead, much as this inscription shows.

Xu Zhenjun feared that flood dragons and mirage demons might flee to the areas around Poyang and Xunyang and cause trouble again. He traveled through the rivers and lakes, eliminating them one by one. When he reached the summit of Yanyao Mountain, he found three flood-dragon lakes. Their underwater passages led to the great river and connected with the areas around Raozhou and Xinzhou. Xu Zhenjun therefore destroyed the flood-dragon spirits within them and established Yuyangfu Jing, Kaihua Jing, and Taichengfu Jing to guard the region.

Xu Zhenjun cast an iron talisman at the mouth of Poyang Lake to guard the place and block the passage through which demons and evils could enter. Today, the iron talisman is said to be at Shangzhong Stone in Hukou County. He also cast an iron lid in the river to cover the Dark Pool of Luling and subdue the lair where its demons hid. He then used an iron talisman to suppress them and a numinous sword to guard the site. Today, Flying Talisman Ridge and Chongzhen Abbey still stand there.

General Wang Dun raised an army and marched against the court, encamping beside the lake. Xu Zhenjun went to visit him together with Lord Hao and Guo Pu. During a banquet, Wang Dun said, “I dreamed that a tree burst through the sky. What omen is this?” Xu Zhenjun replied, “It is an inauspicious omen.” Lord Hao said, “A tree breaking through the sky, taken together, forms the character ‘wei.’” Wang Dun then asked Guo Pu to divine the matter. Guo Pu said, “This venture will not succeed.” Wang Dun asked, “How much longer will I live?” Guo Pu replied, “If you raise troops in rebellion, disaster will soon be upon you. If you return to Wuchang, your remaining lifespan is difficult to estimate.” Wang Dun grew angry and asked Guo Pu, “How long do you have left to live?” Guo Pu said, “Until noon today.” Wang Dun immediately ordered his guards to seize Guo Pu and behead him. Xu Zhenjun flung his wine cup into the air, and it turned into a wagtail that circled the roof beams. When Wang Dun looked up, Xu Zhenjun and Lord Hao had vanished.

Xu Zhenjun and Lord Hao arrived in Jinling and wanted to hire a boat back to Yuzhang. The boatman said they lacked someone to steer. Xu Zhenjun said, “Just sit quietly with your eyes closed. Do not look, under any circumstances. I will steer for you.” The boatmen agreed. Xu Zhenjun summoned two dragons and had them carry the boat along. When they passed Chiyang, he pressed his seal against a cliff on the west bank to drive away the water monsters. The imprint is said to remain there today. The dragon boat soared through the air, soon passing over the summit of Mount Lu and reaching the Golden Gate Cave on Purple Cloud Peak. Xu Zhenjun and Lord Hao wanted to enter the cave and look around, so they had the boat descend a little. Its hull brushed through the trees with a rustling sound. Unable to resist, the boatman secretly peeked. At once, the two dragons abandoned the boat among the layered peaks, snapped its mast, and threw it into a deep ravine. Xu Zhenjun said to the boatman, “You did not heed my words. How will you get back now?”

The boatmen knelt before the Perfected Lord and begged him to save them. He taught them to take a miraculous herb, and they thereby gained the art of long life. Together, they withdrew to live in this mountain. Today, the mountain has Iron Boat Peak, and the stone formed from the boat’s mast still lies in the ravine.

The Perfected Lord returned to the place where he had once lived in seclusion. He stayed there for several decades, paying no heed to worldly affairs. Each day he discussed the truth with his disciples and devoted himself to cultivating the Great Dao. He also composed the “Song of Intoxicated Thoughts of the Immortals.” In addition, he wrote the “Eight Treasures Admonition,” setting out eight virtues: loyalty, filial piety, integrity, prudence, generosity, abundance of spirit, tolerance, and patience. Loyalty means not deceiving; filial piety means not disobeying; integrity means not being greedy; and prudence means avoiding mistakes. Generosity wins the support of the people; an abundant spirit allows one to handle affairs with ease; tolerance makes it possible to accept others; and patience brings calm and ease. The people of the region were transformed by his teaching: they corrected their faults, turned toward goodness, and kept away from wrongdoing, while filial devotion and respect among siblings flourished.

In his daily conduct, the Perfected Lord adapted to circumstances and seemed no different from an ordinary person. Yet cranes often called and flew around his dwelling, while auspicious clouds circled above it.

In the second year of Ningkang, the jiǎxū year, the Perfected Lord was 136 years old. On the first day of the eighth month, a cloud-borne carriage descended from the heavens, carrying two immortals in a palanquin with a grand retinue. The Perfected Lord faced the sky and greeted them with a bow. The two immortals said, “By command of the Jade Emperor, you are bestowed with a purple robe and appointed Grand Historian of the Immortals of the Nine Provinces and High Illumination Envoy. You are also given a purple feathered robe, and one case each of jade cream and Golden Elixir.” After the Perfected Lord bowed and accepted the gifts, one immortal said, “I am Cui Ziwen, the Supreme Lord of Jade Truth.” The other said, “I am Xia Qiu Zhong, the Great Minister of Primordial Truth.” They told the Perfected Lord the date on which he would ascend to Heaven, then boarded the cloud carriage and departed.

The Perfected Lord summoned his disciples and the elders of the region, told them the date he would depart, and held a great gathering in the courtyard. Every day he hosted feasts and drank with them, reluctant to part, while teaching them to do good and accumulate merit in hopes of attaining the Dao and becoming immortals.

He wrote works such as The Book of Master Lingjian and, together with eleven disciples, composed ten admonitory poems each in five-character, two-rhyme form. When parting, he also passed on the “Recipe for the Great Accomplishment and Wish-Fulfilling Elixir”—a formula for refining elixirs—to the disciples who would not ascend with him. The admonitory poems are said to be the 120 spirit lots used today, and the elixir recipe has also been handed down.

The local people still hold the Huangzhong purification gathering every year, reportedly setting up the ritual on the fifteenth day of the eighth month. Men and women, young and old, from the surrounding villages are invited to attend. At noon, auspicious clouds gather in the distance, music sounds from the sky, and a feather-adorned canopy and dragon carriage appear, accompanied by officials, guards, immortal boys, and immortal maidens. The two imperial envoys, Cui and Xia, descend once more and proclaim an edict from the Jade Emperor: the Director of Destiny at Qianshan has been ordered to bring the Golden Elixir to the human realm, and everyone is instructed to purify body and mind, put their homes in order, remove all defilement, and prepare to ascend to Heaven. The Perfected Lord bows and receives the edict.

Following the instructions of the Supreme Lord Yuzhen, the Perfected Lord selects six of his many disciples who are suited to accompany him. The others each have their own appointed time to ascend and cannot go with him. He boards the dragon carriage and orders Chen Xun and Shi He to lead the way with staffs, Zhou Guang and Zeng Heng to drive, Huang Renlan and his paternal relatives to attend him, and Yulie and his maternal relatives to follow. The Perfected Lord’s household numbers forty-two people; the whole family ascends together with their residence, and even the chickens and dogs fly up with them.

The villagers, unable to bear the parting, bow to the ground and weep bitterly. The Perfected Lord leaves behind the bell used in cultivation and a stone casket as proof for the future. One of his servants, named Xu Da, hears that he is about to ascend to Heaven and pleads earnestly to go with him.

The Perfected Lord sent a message to the man through Shao, saying that each person’s lifespan has its allotted number and cannot be changed simply by making a request. Earlier, he had arranged for the man and his wife to carry rice out of the Western Ridge on his behalf. When they heard that the Perfected Lord had ascended to Heaven, they hurried back. Their cart overturned, spilling the rice on the ground, and they beat their chests and wept bitterly. The Perfected Lord then taught them the arts of an earthly immortal, methods for cultivating immortality while remaining in the human world. The couple withdrew together to the Western Mountain, and the rice that had spilled onto the ground later sprouted again. After they went into seclusion, they changed their surname first to Wu and later to Gan so that people would not recognize them. In later times, people built a shrine to them at Cart-Turnover Ridge in Shengmi Market. The couple’s whereabouts were unpredictable; people saw them from time to time.

Not long after the Perfected Lord’s ceremonial procession ascended into the sky, a medicine mortar and a wheel hub fell to the ground. A chicken coop fell more than ten li southeast of the residence, and several mice fell as well. Their entrails trailed outside their bodies, yet they were still alive. According to legend, they had once stolen and eaten an elixir. Later, people who saw these strange objects considered them auspicious signs.

After the Perfected Lord ascended to Heaven, colored mists and auspicious clouds covered the valleys, while a wondrous fragrance spread for a hundred li and did not fade for a month. When the Perfected Lord had earlier returned from Jingyang, he gave Sichuan brocade to Mother Shen as a token. She made it into curtains for the hall. At the moment of his ascension, the curtains suddenly rose into the air, circled above the old residence for an entire day, and finally flew up into the clouds.

The Perfected Lord had once sought immortals with Guo Pu and chosen a place of spiritual excellence. They passed Qiwushan in Yichun. Wang Shuo, son of the Director Wang, welcomed him with due courtesy. The Perfected Lord taught him the arts of immortality and said, “This place faces a grotto-heaven, a Daoist paradise, and looks down on the Yuan River. It is suitable for building a Daoist temple.” Wang Shuo followed his advice and asked the Perfected Lord to write the character “Jing” on the wall. After writing it, the Perfected Lord departed.

When the Perfected Lord ascended, Yun Geng passed overhead and sent two attendants in blue robes to bid farewell. The entire Wang family asked the Perfected Lord to take them with him and help them attain transcendence. He said, “Your immortal bones, your aptitude for cultivating immortality, are not yet sufficient.” He left them a single stalk of immortal mao and told them to plant it and take it regularly to enjoy long life. Later, members of the Wang clan all lived to around a hundred years of age. The immortal mao is still preserved today at Yuxu Abbey in Linjiang.

The Celestial Censor of the Dark Capital, the Divine and Fierce Perfected Lord Hao, was named Meng and styled Shiyun. He was from Puyang. By nature, he was filial, and he practiced Daoist arts during the reigns of the Hao and Jin dynasties.

The Divine Inspector of the Mysterious Capital, Lord Shenlie Haozhen, was named Meng, with the courtesy name Shiyun. He was from Puyang. By nature, he was deeply filial, and during the Hao and Jin eras he practiced Daoist arts. It is said that he once drew a road across the Yuzhang River with a feather fan and crossed over. On the fifteenth day of the tenth month in the second year of Ningkang, he received an imperial summons from the Heavenly Emperor and ascended to heaven with four of his disciples.

Lord Qianhui Pengzhen was named Kang, with the courtesy name Wuyang. During the Jin dynasty, he served as Left Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs. He took Lord Xu Zhen as his master and attained the Dao through cultivation. On the twenty-fourth day of the eighth month in the second year of Yongchu under Emperor Gaozu of Song, all twenty-six members of his household ascended to heaven together. The Zonghua Abbey in Longxing City now stands on the site of his former home.

Lord Hongshi Shizhen was named He, with the courtesy name Daoyang. He was a senior Daoist priest at Fengxian Abbey in Muyang County, Donghai Commandery. He followed Lord Xu Zhen in cultivating the Dao and attained success. He could command ghosts and spirits and drive away evil influences. On the day Lord Xu Zhen ascended to heaven, he was ordered to carry the ceremonial insignia and lead the way.

Lord Yuantong Zhouzhen was named Guang, with the courtesy name Huichang. He was from Luling. He took Lord Xu Zhen as his master, practiced the Daoist arts, and worked diligently day and night. He built a dwelling a little over one hundred paces west of his home. The Xuanzhao Blessed Land’s Taixu Abbey now stands there. When Lord Xu Zhen ascended to heaven, Zhou rode with him in a chariot drawn by a jiaolong and ascended as well.

Lord Jingxing Ganzhen was named Zhan, with the courtesy name Bowu. He was from Fengcang. He took Lord Xu Zhen as his master, eliminating harm and aiding living beings. On the seventh day of the first month in the first year of Tianjian under the Chen dynasty, the Heavenly Emperor issued a summons, and he ascended to heaven in a chariot drawn by a qilin. The Qingdu Abbey in Fuzhou now stands on the site of his former residence, where he kept elixir medicines; it was called Feihuang Abbey.

Lord Yongwu Shizhen was named Cen, with the courtesy name Dayu. He was from Jiujiang. Bold and strong, he stood out among others. He took Lord Xu Zhen as his master and attained the Dao through cultivation. On the twenty-eighth day of the tenth month in the second year of Ningkang, he received an imperial summons from the Heavenly Emperor and ascended to heaven. The Zhide Abbey on the western ridge now stands on the site of his former residence, where he watched for water demons and kept elixir medicines; it was called Feihuang Abbey.

The Perfected Lord of Courageous Awakening, Shi, was named Cen, with the courtesy name Dayu, and was from Jiujiang. He was brave and strong, with few equals. He took Perfected Xu as his master and attained the Dao. On the twenty-eighth day of the tenth month in the second year of Ningkang, he received the Heavenly Emperor’s edict and ascended to Heaven. The Zhidu Abbey on the western ridge stands where he once watched from a terrace for the water demon.

The Perfected Lord of Divine Grace, Zeng, was named Heng, with the courtesy name Xingguo, and was from Sishui. He was widely learned and possessed many skills. After taking Perfected Xu as his master, he mastered every essential method of cultivation, as well as spirit talismans, divine prescriptions, and secret teachings. Later, he rode in a chariot drawn by a jiao dragon and ascended to Heaven alongside Perfected Xu. The Zhenyang Abbey in Fuzhou preserves his legacy.

The Perfected Lord of Upright Excellence, Chen, was named Xun, with the courtesy name Xiaoju, and was from Shuchuan. He was widely learned and had extensive experience. When Perfected Xu held office in Jingyang, he entrusted Chen with the affairs of the administration. Later he accepted him as a disciple, treated him as a confidant, and assigned him to oversee the scriptures and other books and tend the alchemical furnace. On the day Perfected Xu ascended to Heaven, he ordered Chen to lead the way, staff in hand.

The Perfected Lord of Harmony and Quietude, Xu, was named Lie, with the courtesy name Daowei. His father died when he was young, and he served his mother with great filial devotion. His mother was Perfected Xu’s elder sister. After she was widowed, Perfected Xu had a house built for her on the western side of his residence. She and her son later attained the Dao and, by the Heavenly Emperor’s edict, ascended to Heaven in Perfected Xu’s company. Forty-two members of his immortal family ascended with them.

The Perfected Lord of the Surging Dao, Huang, was named Renlan, with the courtesy name Ziting. He was from Gao’an and once held office in Qingzhou. Perfected Xu gave his daughter in marriage to him. Huang’s father, Fu, with the courtesy name Wanshi, had been recommended for his filial conduct and integrity and served as a censor. Father and son both took Perfected Xu as their master and attained the Dao. Thirty-two members of the family ascended to Heaven with Perfected Xu.

The Perfected Lord of Universal Grace, Zhongli, was named Jia, with the courtesy name Gongyang. He was the son of Perfected Xu’s second elder sister. Orphaned at a young age, he was taught the highest principles of cultivation by Perfected Xu. On the fifteenth day of the tenth month in the second year of Ningkang, he received the Heavenly Emperor’s edict and ascended to Heaven. The Danling Abbey on Elephant-Tusk Mountain in Xinjian County stands on the site of his former residence.

The Celestial Master of the Cavern of Truth, Hu, was named Huichao, with the courtesy name Basu. The dynasty in which he lived is unknown. He lived near Hongjing on West Mountain in Yuzhang, where Perfected Xu taught him the Way of the Three Origins and Nine Cycles. He ascended to Heaven on the fifteenth day of the second month in the third year of Chang’an in the Tang dynasty. The Longxing Abbey of Mystery and Wonder is where he subdued the camphor tree spirit.

Perfected Lord Xu transmitted the Way of the Three Primordials and Nine Cycles to the Perfected Lord. On the fifteenth day of the second month in the third year of Chang’an during the Tang dynasty, the Perfected Lord ascended to Heaven. Today’s Longxing Xuanmiao Temple stands at the place where he once felled the camphor tree spirit.

At the end of the text, “jing” means “the end.” “Chongsheng” refers to a Daoist practitioner ascending to immortality; “Three Primordials and Nine Cycles” is a specialized term in Daoist cultivation traditions.