《仙苑编珠》

The Great Dao was always so, existing before the formation of Heaven and Earth and the myriad things.

The Dao Jing says: “There was a whole and undifferentiated existence that came into being before Heaven and Earth. Silent and vast, it stands alone and does not change. It revolves and moves without cease, and can serve as the source of all things under Heaven. I do not know its name, so I call it ‘Dao.’” The Zhuangzi says: “The Dao is real and trustworthy, yet inactive and formless. The spirits and divine beings come from it, and Heaven and Earth are generated by it. It is above Taiji (the primordial state before Heaven and Earth were divided), yet is not high; below the Six Directions (above, below, and the four quarters), yet is not deep; born before Heaven and Earth, yet is not ancient; earlier than remote antiquity, yet is not old.”

The One Qi gathered and transformed, and Pangu came forth from it.

The Record of the Primordial Beginning’s Perfected Ones says: “Long ago, before Heaven and Earth had separated, all around was dark and chaotic. The sun and moon had not yet formed, and the myriad things were blended together like an egg, with Heaven and Earth indistinguishable in their deep, dusky hue. At that time, the Perfected Pangu appeared. Condensed from the vital essences of Heaven and Earth, he called himself the Celestial King of Primordial Beginning. He roamed through the chaos. Heaven’s shape was like an enormous canopy, with nothing to suspend it above and no foundation beneath. In the vast, deep Great Void there was no sound. Primordial Qi, the original breath that constitutes Heaven, Earth, and the myriad things, flowed boundlessly like water. Without this Primordial Qi, Heaven and Earth could not come into being.”

After Heaven and Earth separated, they stood thirty-six thousand li apart. The Celestial King of Primordial Beginning dwelt at the center of Heaven’s spine, a place called Mount Yujing. A palace stood on the mountain, furnished with gold and jade. The Celestial King of Primordial Beginning often breathed in the Qi of Heaven and bent down to drink the springs of Earth. Later, the Great Mystery Jade Maiden suddenly came into being among the rocks. She could speak, and her human form was fully formed; her natural beauty was extraordinary, and she was titled the Sage Mother of Great Origin. When the Lord of Primordial Beginning descended to roam the lower realm and saw her, he summoned her back to his heavenly palace.

The Celestial King stood facing east, while the Queen Mother circled toward the west.

After the Primordial Heavenly King, a revered deity in Daoism, and the Holy Mother of Great Origin returned to the Upper Palace, an age passed and they gave birth to the Heavenly Emperor. He governed the world for thirty-six thousand years. Later, he received the mandate to become the Great Emperor of Fusang and lived in the Palace of Fusang at the easternmost edge of the world. He was also known as the Lord of the East. It is said that the worldly custom of having the emperor’s heir live in the Eastern Palace was modeled on this arrangement. Later, they gave birth to the Nine Radiant Mysterious Maiden, known as the Most Perfect Queen Mother of the West, who lived on Mount Kunlun at the westernmost edge of the world. Thus, the Lord of the East was also called the “Wood Palace,” and the Queen Mother of the West the “Metal Mother.” They were revered deities between Heaven and Earth.

Fuxi drew the Eight Trigrams; the Yellow Emperor received the Five Texts

The Zhuangzi says that after Fuxi attained the Dao, he received and made use of the primordial Qi of Heaven and Earth. The Book says that when Fuxi first began to govern the world, he sensed a divine tortoise appearing with patterns on its shell. He then drew the Eight Trigrams, created writing and contracts, and later attained the Dao, becoming the Azure Emperor of the East.

The Zhuangzi says that after the Yellow Emperor attained the Dao, he ascended into the cloudy heavens. The Scripture says that the Yellow Emperor, Xuanyuan, climbed Mount Emei and met the Heavenly Perfected Sovereign, an immortal who had attained the Dao. From him, he received the Five Numinous Treasures talismans. After governing the world for three hundred years, the Yellow Emperor cast a cauldron and refined an elixir on Mount Jingshan. When the elixir was complete, a yellow dragon descended to welcome him; seventy-two of his ministers ascended to Heaven with him. The Yellow Emperor stored the Five Numinous Treasures talismans on Mount Yuanwei.

Zhuanxu was a descendant of the Primordial Heavenly King, and Emperor Ku rode in a dragon-drawn chariot.

The Daoist Traditions records that Zhuanxu, a legendary ruler of high antiquity also known as Gaoyang, rode in a carriage called “Jieyuan.” He traveled north to Youling, south to Jiaozhi, west to the Flowing Sands, and east to Panmu. The spirits of mountains and rivers, every kind of plant and animal, and all that lay beneath the light of the sun and moon came under his authority. Records from the Zhou dynasty say the same.

After surveying the eight directions, Zhuanxu ordered the spirits of the Four Seas to bring precious jade from Tianshi Mountain in the state of Anxi. He had it sealed away and guarded at various grotto-heavens, immortal mountains, and secluded palace heights. He also had bronze from Yushan cast into treasure cauldrons, one to be enshrined in each mountain that contained a grotto-heaven.

The Zhuangzi says that after attaining the Dao, Zhuanxu lived in the Mysterious Palace. Di Ku, a legendary ruler of high antiquity also known as Gaoxin, received a response from the True King of the Nine Heavens. The Three True Sovereigns then descended to Mude Terrace in a cloud chariot drawn by nine dragons and bestowed upon him the Five Numinous Treasures, mysterious Daoist talismans. Di Ku attained the Dao through these talismans and later sealed them away on Zhong Mountain.

Yu Shun obtained elixirs of immortality, while Yu the Great followed the Dao in governing the rivers.

The Zhengao records that Yu Shun received a revelation when the Long-Bearded King of the Northern Rong presented him with “ten turns of white-silver frost and purple radiance,” an immortal elixir. After taking it, Yu Shun became an immortal.

The Wu Yue Chunqiu records that when Yu the Great was controlling the floods, the work remained unfinished. Consulting the accounts of sages in the Huangdi Zhongjing, he learned that southeast of the Nine Mountains stood a mountain called Yuanwei. On the mountain, patterned jade formed a base, and a massive rock served as its cover. The writing was inscribed on golden slips made of blue jade, bound together with silver. Yu the Great then traveled south and climbed Mount Heng, offering a white horse in sacrifice, but he did not find the method for controlling the waters as he had hoped. He sighed toward the sky and dreamed of a man dressed in red embroidered robes, who said, “Do you wish to obtain my method for controlling the waters and the dragon-riding guards? Can you fast? Beneath the high cliffs of the Yellow Emperor’s Peak lies a book of golden slips.”

Yu the Great withdrew and fasted. On the day of Jigeng, he climbed Mount Yuanwei and lifted the stone. Just as foretold, he found a book written on golden slips and jade. Following its methods, he controlled the floods, cut through the Dragon Gate, and cleared the courses of the rivers. All under Heaven benefited from his achievements. The Lingbao Five Talismans spoken of today in Daoist traditions is this very book. The place where Yu the Great retrieved the talismanic text was Mount Kuaiji, also known as Yu’s Cave.

Laojun, the Venerable Lord, is boundless and without limit; the ancestor Jian enjoyed a long life.

Confucius said, “In private, I would like to compare myself to Lao Peng.” The Immortal Lord Ge (Ge Xuan, an immortal revered in Daoism) said that Laozi was rooted in nature and was born before Great Nonbeing, when Heaven, Earth, and all things had yet to take shape. He appeared without relying on anything. He witnessed the opening and closing of Heaven and Earth across a span too vast to count. He had no end and was never exhausted, reaching the realm of the Limitless. The Immortal Lord Ge also said that people of the world believed Laozi began in the Zhou dynasty, but the title “Laozi” had in fact appeared countless kalpas—vast cosmic ages—earlier, in a time so remote it could not be measured.

Commentaries on the Zhuangzi say that Peng Zu’s surname was Jian and his personal name was Keng, and that he was Xuanyuan’s great-grandson. Skilled in nourishing life and cooking, he once presented Yao with pheasant soup and was later enfeoffed at Pengcheng. Because his Daoist practice was worthy of emulation, people called him Peng Zu. Both the Shenxian zhuan and the Liexian zhuan say that Peng Zu lived from the Xia dynasty into the Yin dynasty, for 760 years without growing old. He later traveled west toward the Flowing Sands, and no one knew what became of him after that. Thus Luo Yin’s inscription says: “The waters’ movement brought down a divine spirit, first revealing its radiance in the Dark Emperor, the god of the north. The lineage of the immortals opened a fortune blessed by Heaven, inheriting as well the auspicious legacy left at Pengxu, the fabled realm associated with Peng Zu. Stars appeared above the northern bank of the Pu River, and cloud-pheasants, the fabled birds of immortals, flew across the land of Flowing Sands.”

Guangchengzi lay peacefully at rest, while Yin Xi devoted himself to study.

The Zhuangzi says that the Yellow Emperor went to Mount Kongtong to visit Guangchengzi and ask him how to cultivate body and mind. Guangchengzi said, “You have asked well. Let me tell you.”

The Zhuangzi says: The Yellow Emperor visited Mount Kongtong and paid a call on Guang Chengzi, asking him how to cultivate body and mind. Guang Chengzi said, “A good question. I will tell you: the subtlety of the Great Dao is deep and obscure, while its ultimate reaches are still and silent. Do not look outward or listen outward, and your spirit will naturally become upright. Do not exhaust your body or disturb your vital energy; only then can you live long. I have practiced this Daoist method for twelve hundred years, and my body has never grown old.”

Both the Biography of the Original Beginning and the Scripture of Laozi’s Passage to the West record that Guanling Yin Xi, the official who guarded Hangu Pass, obtained Laozi’s Five Thousand Words on the Dao and Its Virtue and studied it again and again, ten thousand times. Later, at Qingyang Market in Shu Commandery, he ascended to heaven in broad daylight with Laozi, roamed across the Four Seas, ascended to the realm of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), the highest heaven in Daoism, and then descended to teach and transform eighty-one states.

Lu Ao traveled across the sea; Ruoshi soared into the sky.

The Biographies of Immortals says that Lu Ao was from the state of Yan. During the Qin dynasty, he traveled through the Northern Sea and came to Mount Menggu, where he met a man named Ruoshi. Ruoshi was dancing in the wind. Seeing Lu Ao, he said, “I have arranged to meet Hanman above the nine tiers of heaven, so I cannot stay long.” With that, he sprang into the clouds.

Chisongzi rode the clouds and summoned rain; Ning Fengzi rose aloft with the smoke.

The Biographies of Immortals says that Chisongzi was the rain master in the time of Shennong. He took water jade, a legendary jade-like elixir, and passed it on to Shennong. He could enter fire and travel up and down with the wind and rain. In the time of Gaoxin, he again served as rain master; people say that he is still the rain master today. Ning Fengzi once served the Yellow Emperor as pottery officer, overseeing the making of pottery. Someone taught him to breathe five-colored smoke from his mouth. He then piled up firewood, burned himself, and rose and fell with the smoke.

Huangshanjun lived for several hundred years; Baishi Xiansheng lived for three thousand.

The Biographies of Immortals says that Huangshanjun practiced Pengzu’s methods of nourishing life. He lived for several hundred years, yet his appearance remained youthful. Baishi Xiansheng was a disciple of Zhonghuang Dafu. By the time Pengzu was alive, Baishi Xiansheng was already three thousand years old. He once cooked white stones on Mount Baishi and ate them, which is why he was called Baishi Xiansheng.

Zhou was a disciple of Huang Zifu, also known as Zhonghuangzi. By the time Peng Zu was alive, Zhou had already reached the age of three thousand. He once boiled white stones for food on White Stone Mountain, and so people called him Master White Stone.

King Mu of Zhou rode in a chariot drawn by eight fine horses, traveling ten thousand li in a single day. He came to Mount Kunlun and held a banquet with the Queen Mother of the West beside the Jade Pool. The Queen Mother sang “Song of the White Clouds,” and King Mu joined in. Wo Quan gathered herbs on Mount Huai and loved to eat pine nuts. Several inches of hair grew over his body; his eyes were square, and he could fly and run faster than a horse.

Ma Shihuang was the horse physician of the Yellow Emperor. A dragon came before him and opened its mouth. Ma Shihuang saw that it was ill, needled it beneath the lips, and gave it a decoction of licorice root to drink. The dragon recovered. After that, dragons often came out of the marshes to ask him for treatment. One day, he rode away on a dragon. Kou Xian was a man of the state of Song who made his living by fishing. Sometimes he sold the fish he caught, sometimes he released them, and sometimes he ate them himself. He liked to grow Chinese climbing fig and eat its flowers and fruit. When Duke Jing of Song asked him for the art of nourishing life, Kou Xian refused to tell him, so he was put to death. Several years later, people saw him sitting above the gate of the city of Song, playing a zither as he departed.

Xiao Shi was skilled at playing the flute in the time of Duke Mu of Qin, and could summon peacocks and white cranes. Duke Mu’s daughter, Nongyu, was very fond of him, so the duke married her to Xiao Shi. He taught Nongyu to play notes that sounded like a phoenix’s call, and a phoenix settled on her tower. Later, the two rode off together on the phoenix.

The Traditions of the Immortals records that Shen Wentai was from Jiuyi. He obtained the Red Spring Divine Elixir, the Earth-Removal Talisman, and methods of cultivation that could restore youth and renew one’s lifespan. He wished to settle on Mount Kunlun, cultivate in stillness for more than two thousand years, and then pass these methods on to Li Wenyuan. He also refined yellow elixir by boiling it with bamboo-root juice, and taught the arts of taking yellow-and-white medicines—herbs such as yellow essence and atractylodes—and removing the Three Corpses, spirits said in Daoism to dwell in the human body and harm the body and mind. All these methods came from Shen Wentai and Li Wenyuan.

Song Lun could roam through the air, while Ge Hong sat calmly in repose.

The Traditions of the Louguan Temple records that Song Lun, courtesy name Dexuan, recited the Five Thousand Words—an old name for the Classic of the Way and Its Virtue—every day from the age of twenty-two, and took yellow essence and atractylodes. He received a response from the Old Lord, an honorific for the Daoist deity Lord Lao, who descended and taught him the Way of the Central Landscape, the Scripture for Communing with the Real, and methods including the Outlook of Lun’s Journey and the Cliff-Stretching Step. After practicing them, he could travel three thousand li in a day, walk over waves, and cross obstacles without needing to follow ferry crossings or roads.

The Traditions of Daoist Learning records that Ge Hong, courtesy name Zhichuan, had read ten thousand scrolls. He requested the post of Magistrate of Goulu because he prized the local cinnabar. Ge Hong wrote extensively: his inner and outer treatises comprised 116 chapters; his commemorative inscriptions, elegies, poems, and rhapsodies filled 100 scrolls; his proclamations, memorials, notes, and formal reports filled 30 scrolls; and the Traditions of the Immortals, Traditions of Worthy Historians, Traditions of Recluses, and Collected Accounts of Strange Events each filled ten scrolls. He also produced 310 scrolls of excerpts from the Five Classics, historical works, the Hundred Schools, writings on esoteric arts, and miscellaneous matters; 100 scrolls of the Golden Coffer’s Medicinal Prescriptions; and four scrolls of the Handy Emergency Prescriptions. Ge Hong lived to the age of eighty-one. In the end, he passed away peacefully, as if asleep, shedding his mortal body as he departed.

Zheng Siyuan was Ge Hong’s teacher. He once found two tiger cubs among the mountain crags; their mother had already died. Zheng Siyuan raised them until they were grown. Before long, a male tiger came to the front of his hermitage. It turned out to be the cubs’ father. The three tigers often came and went together. Zheng Siyuan had the tigers carry his medicine satchel and scriptures, and lived in seclusion on Mount Kuocang. Later, he became an immortal and departed.

The Accounts of the Immortals (Lie Xian Zhuan) records that Juanzi was from the state of Qi. He lived for three hundred years by consuming medicines made from plants and often fished at Heze. Once, he caught a carp and, on cutting it open, found a talisman in its belly. With this talisman, he could summon clouds and rain.

The Declarations of the Perfected (Zhen Gao) records that long ago, Lou Shaoweng entered Mount Hua and paid his respects to the mountain for twenty years. At last, one day, he met an immortal of the Western Peak, who transmitted the Immortal Way to him.

During the reign of Duke Zhuang of Chu, the market official Song Laizi often swept and tidied a marketplace. One day, he suddenly encountered an old man singing as he begged for food. Song Laizi recognized him as an immortal and followed him in cultivation for thirteen years. In the end, he attained the Way and became an immortal, taking his place among the immortals of the Central Peak.

The Traditions of the Divine Immortals records that Chen Yongbo obtained a prescription for Seven-Star Powder. After taking it for twenty-eight days, he suddenly vanished without a trace. He had an eleven-year-old child who took the same medicine for twenty-eight days and likewise disappeared. The prescription said that after thirty days of taking it, one would ascend to immortality of one’s own accord.

Wang Yao, whose courtesy name was Boliang, could cure any illness. He used neither acupuncture nor medicine; he simply had the patient sit on a piece of cloth, and after a while the illness would be gone. He had a small bamboo case only a few inches long, and a disciple surnamed Qian.

One night, in a heavy rain, Wang Yao had his disciple carry the bamboo case on a nine-jointed bamboo staff and accompany him through the rain. Their clothes did not get wet. They climbed a mountain and entered a stone chamber, where two people sat together. Wang Yao opened the case and took out three jade mouth organs, each made of a jade reed. The three of them played facing one another. After a long time, he put the jade instruments back in the case and carried it away again. The two people said to Wang Yao, “Come back soon. Do not linger too long in the human world.” More than a hundred days later, Wang Yao again set off with the bamboo case and never returned. Thirty years later, his disciple saw him at Ma Ti Mountain.

Jie Jun used a bamboo staff; Zuo Ci wore wooden clogs.

The Biography of the Immortals records that Jie Xiang, whose courtesy name was Yuanze, came from Kuaiji and was well versed in Daoist arts. The Great Emperor of Wu respected him and asked him to display his arts of transformation. Jie Xiang planted melons and fruit, which grew ripe in an instant and were ready to pick and eat. The emperor wanted mullet, so Jie Xiang dug a square pit in the palace courtyard, filled it with water, and fished there. He caught a fish.

The emperor then remarked that ginger from Shu was hard to obtain. Jie Xiang said he could send someone to buy some. The emperor gave him five hundred coins. Jie Xiang wrote a talisman, placed it inside a bamboo staff, and sent a messenger off riding the staff. The messenger closed his eyes and heard only the sound of wind. By the time he had bought ginger in Shu and returned, the cooks had not yet finished cutting the fish.

Zuo Ci, whose courtesy name was Yuanfang, also possessed Daoist arts. Sun Ce wanted to kill him and sent men to chase him away. Wearing wooden clogs and leaning on a bamboo staff, Zuo Ci walked at an unhurried pace. Sun Ce pursued him on horseback, yet Zuo Ci always remained a hundred paces ahead. Later, when Cao Cao tried to kill Zuo Ci, all he saw was a bundle of grass.

The White-Haired Elder and the Purple Qi

The Biography of the Immortals records that when Emperor Wu of Han traveled east, he saw an old man at the foot of Mount Tai with a white glow several feet high above his head. He asked the man how this had come about. The old man replied that he had grown frail in old age at eighty-five. A Daoist taught him to give up the grains, take medicinal substances prepared by magical arts, drink water, and make a miraculous pillow containing thirty-two kinds of medicine. He was now one hundred and eighty years old and could walk three hundred li a day.

Shan Zidu had a purple glow more than a zhang high above his head. When Emperor Wu encountered him during an excursion, he asked how this had come about. Shan Zidu said that he was already one hundred and thirty-eight years old and practiced the Way of Pengzu. Emperor Wu learned this method but was unable to master it. Shan Zidu lived to be more than two hundred, took medicinal substances prepared by magical arts, and later ascended to Heaven in broad daylight.

“Receiving the scripture from the Lord of the River, Emperor Wen of Han grasped its meaning” means that the scripture was transmitted by the Lord of the River and that Emperor Wen of Han thereby understood its essential teaching.

Ge Xiangong said that no one knew the name of Heshang Gong. During the reign of Emperor Wen of Han, he made a simple shelter from grass by the river and often recited the Dao De Jing written by Laozi.

Emperor Wen admired Laozi’s teachings. When he came across several lines he did not understand, he sent an envoy to ask Heshang Gong about them, but Heshang Gong gave no reply. The emperor went in person and said, “All the land under Heaven belongs to the imperial house, and all the people under Heaven are my subjects. Though you have cultivated the Dao, you are still one of my people. How can you refuse to lower yourself to meet me and instead act so arrogantly? I have the power to make people rich and honored, and I can also make them poor and lowly.”

Heshang Gong then clapped his hands and rose slowly into the air, reaching a height of several dozen feet above the ground. He replied, “I do not reach up to Heaven, I do not burden others in the middle, and I do not dwell below on the earth. How, then, can I be counted among Your Majesty’s subjects? And how could Your Majesty make me rich or poor?” Emperor Wen bowed to the ground and apologized to him. Heshang Gong then transmitted to the emperor two volumes of his Commentary on the Dao De Jing.

Lou Zheng transformed; Mozi, Zhu Ying.

The Biographies of the Immortals (Shenxian zhuan) records that Lou Zhi studied the Mozi Record of the Five Phases. After taking Vermilion Blossom Pills, he lived for more than eight hundred years and looked like a child. He could turn one person into a hundred, a hundred into a thousand, and a thousand into ten thousand. He could summon wind and clouds, walk across water, and make all the fish and turtles in the water come ashore. He could breathe five-colored clouds from his mouth, stretching for ten li and soaring straight into the sky. He could also fly through the air and travel wherever he wished.

Mozi, whose name was Di, was a minister of the state of Song and the author of the Mozi. He was skilled at defending cities and devised ingenious methods of defense. He once matched wits with Gongshu Ban, leading Gongshu Ban to conclude that his siege ladder could not capture Song; he therefore abandoned the siege. Later, Mozi entered Di Mountain to study the Dao. An immortal taught him the recipe for Vermilion Blossom Pills and gave him twenty-five scrolls on mastering the wondrous transformations of the Five Phases. He traveled among the Five Sacred Peaks, and his eventual whereabouts are unknown.

Sun Bo and Ban Meng were fellow practitioners; Ban Meng was another name for Sun Bo.

The Biographies of the Immortals records that Sun Bo practiced Mozi’s Five Phases arts and could make plants, trees, metals, stones, and people turn into blazing flames. No amount of water poured on them by others could put the flames out; only Sun Bo herself could extinguish them. Once the fire was out, everything returned to its original state, unscorched. She could also have hundreds of people walk across the surface of the water without getting their clothes wet or sinking. At times, she would spread a mat on the water and sit there drinking and feasting while musicians played. She could also pass through stone. Later, she entered Mount Linlü to refine elixirs, attained the Dao, and departed as an immortal.

Ban Meng was a woman who could fly through the air, sit suspended in it, and enter the earth. She could make roof tiles fly up, and by pointing at the ground, conjure a well. She could also hold ink in her mouth and spray it onto paper to compose written passages. She drank wine and took elixirs, living for more than four hundred years. Later, she entered Mount Tiantai and departed.

Wang Gang was skilled at harmonizing the Yin and Yang energies; Zhang Zhen had mastered the Five Phases.

The Biographies of the Immortals records that Tianmenzi’s surname was Wang and his given name was Gang. He was skilled in methods for cultivating the body and mind and practiced the Way of Xuan and Su. He lived for one hundred and eighty years. He had a young female attendant named Zhang Zhen, who had mastered the Five Phases.

The Traditions of Divine Immortals (Shenxian zhuan) records that Tianmenzi’s surname was Wang and his given name was Gang. He excelled at methods for nourishing and strengthening the body, and practiced the Way of the Mysterious and the Plain (a Daoist art of sexual cultivation for health). He lived to the age of 180 and still had the appearance of a young woman. Later, he drank pearl elixir, a miraculous liquid spoken of by immortals, ascended into the sky, and entered Xuanzhou, a legendary immortal realm.

Zhang Zhen was a prince who became the disciple of Master Sang. He mastered the principles of the Five Phases and used them to care for body and mind, cure illness, and ward off calamity. He could summon winds, clouds, thunder, and rain, and turn grass clippings and broken tiles into domestic animals or dragons and tigers. He could multiply himself into hundreds or thousands of forms, and walk across rivers and seas. He could spray water that became pearls and jade without vanishing, and shape a lump of mud into a horse that could travel a thousand li in a day. He could also exhale Qi of five colors. In addition, he could cast talismans to summon fish and turtles, enable people to see things a thousand li away, and cure illness with enchanted water, with immediate results. Later, he entered Mount Kongtong to refine elixirs and ascended into the sky in broad daylight.

Jiuling could dispel calamity and avoid misfortune, while Beiji Zi valued Jing and Qi.

The Traditions of Divine Immortals records that Jiulingzi’s surname was Huang and his given name was Hua. He learned the arts of restoring youth and delaying old age, as well as fetal breathing, a method of cultivation based on holding the breath and regulating respiration. He also refined elixirs and ascended into the sky in broad daylight.

Jiuling could dispel calamity and avoid misfortune, while Beiji Zi valued Jing and Qi.

The Traditions of Divine Immortals also records that Jiulingzi’s surname was Huang and his given name was Hua. He mastered fetal breathing, an art that restores youthful vitality and delays aging, and understood the essentials of the Five Phases. He could evade weapons, fierce tigers, and wolves, subdue every kind of calamity, and dispel many misfortunes. He devoted himself to practicing these methods and achieved great results. He lived among ordinary people for five hundred years, then took an elixir, became an immortal, and departed.

Beiji Zi’s surname was Yin and his given name was Heng. He mastered methods for nourishing the spirit, caring for body and mind, and cherishing Jing and Qi. His essential teaching was: “To govern metal with metal is called truth; to govern people with people is called spirit.” Later, he took a divine elixir, became an immortal, and departed.

The sun’s radiance blooms; the hidden cavern offers long life.

The Traditions of the Immortals records: The Solar Master, surnamed Li and named Ming, learned the Way of Master Yu. He loved to drink wine and was often drunk. When Master Yu reproached him, he replied, “I began learning the Dao only in my later years. My temperament is fierce, and worldly habits have not yet been cast off, so I use wine to dissolve my arrogance.” He was skilled in cultivating the Way of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water). He lived among ordinary people for five hundred years. His skin remained smooth and his face radiant, though his temples had turned snow white. He mastered the art of the Seven Treasures and became an immortal after taking an elixir.

The Master of the Absolute Cavern, surnamed Li and named Xiu, followed a path of cultivation that upheld the principle that “the soft and weak can overcome the hard and strong, and the Yin can restrain the Yang.” He was always as cautious as someone approaching an abyss or walking on thin ice; this was regarded as the way to long life. He lived to the age of four hundred, and his appearance still showed no signs of age. He wrote thirty works and became an immortal after taking the Returning Elixir.

Women of Yang can attain the Dao through subtle practice, and women of Yin can also succeed in cultivation.

The Traditions of the Immortals records: The Solar Maiden, surnamed Zhu and named Yi, advanced in cultivating the Way of the Five Phases, achieving subtle results. She lived to the age of two hundred and eighty. Her face was as lovely as a peach blossom, and she looked like a girl of seventeen or eighteen. After obtaining the divine elixir, she became an immortal and departed.

The Lunar Maiden, surnamed Lu and named Jin, loved the Way of Master Yu but had not yet mastered its subtleties. While selling wine in a tavern, she encountered the Solar Master passing by. He then taught her methods for nourishing the body and techniques for steaming and refining elixirs. After taking an elixir, she became an immortal and departed.

The Mysterious Maiden presided over cooking, while the Master of the Southern Pole knew the arts of the uncanny.

The Traditions of the Immortals records: The Great Mysterious Maiden, surnamed Xu and named He, was widowed at a young age and then began learning the Dao, cultivating the arts of Master Yu. While seated, she could set up a traveling kitchen to provide food for immortals, and she could bring about every kind of transformation.

The Master of the Southern Pole, surnamed Liu and named Rong, could hold powder in his mouth and turn it into lifelike eggs. By reciting an incantation, he could make a cup turn into a tortoise or turtle shell, and he could also turn water into fine wine. He became an immortal after taking the Cloud-Frost Elixir.

Luo Fenglin, a cultivator of the Dao, studied the Dao on Mount Song for four hundred years. He could hold his breath for three days without breathing. He took coptis root and thereby attained long life and deathlessness. The three brothers of the Zhou family studied the Dao on Mount Chang for ninety-seven years. They met an old man who passed on to them seven scrolls of true scripture. As the three recited them together, a white deer suddenly appeared. The two younger brothers stopped reciting to look at the deer; only Zhou Jun remained undistracted. He recited the scripture ten thousand times, then immediately ascended to Heaven. Because the two younger brothers were distracted by the white deer, the scripture suddenly caught fire and was destroyed, so they could not ascend. This happened because their minds were not steadfast.

Bo Zhen’s heart was upright; Ji Dao’s Heaven was clear and blue.

The Zhengao records that when Jiang Bozhen was gathering herbs in his cultivation of the Dao, he encountered an immortal. The immortal had him stand straight in the sunlight and saw that his shadow slanted. “Your heart is not upright,” he said. He then taught him: “When the sun has risen three zhang, open your mind and face it. When you feel warmth within, your heart will be upright.” Jiang Bozhen practiced this every morning and eventually attained the Dao.

When Xu Jidao was studying to become an immortal, he encountered a divine immortal. The immortal told him, “If you wish to study the Dao, then when the sky is clear, chant the Tianli, tread upon the Two Whites, and circle around the Two Reds.” Xu Jidao followed these instructions and eventually attained the Dao. “Tianli,” “Two Whites,” and “Two Reds” are cultivation terms used in the original text, but they are not further explained here.

Liu An honored the worthy; eight immortals descended into his courtyard.

The Shenxian zhuan records that Liu An, King of Huainan, was fond of Daoist arts. When he heard of practitioners who possessed such arts, he traveled great distances to invite them, using humble words and generous gifts. In response, eight immortals descended.

One could sit upright and summon wind and rain, then rise to bring forth clouds and mist. One could subdue tigers and leopards and summon flood dragons. One could divide into multiple bodies and change appearance, or vanish while seated. One could travel through the air, tread across water, and cross the sea. One could enter fire without being burned and enter water without getting wet. One could transform into a thousand forms and ten thousand guises at will. One could ward off disasters and misfortune and enjoy long life. One could refine mud into gold and congeal mercury into silver.

Ding’s crane spoke like a person; Su’s deer took the form of an ox.

The Scripture of Flying Immortals records that Ding Lingwei could transform himself in countless ways and act as he pleased. One person could ward off disaster and misfortune and prolong life; another could refine clay into gold and make mercury solidify into silver.

Ding Lingwei once took the form of a talking crane, and Su Dan once turned an ox into a white deer.

The Scripture of Flying Immortals records that Ding Lingwei entered the mountains to seek the Dao at the age of seven. A thousand years later, he transformed into a crane and returned to his hometown, alighting on a huabiao pillar as he sang: “I am Ding Lingwei, who lived here long ago. I studied the Dao for a thousand years, and only today have I returned.” The Biography of Lord Su records that Su Dan was from Binzhou. When he was a boy tending oxen, one of them turned into a white deer, and he thereby attained the Dao. Later, he returned to his hometown and stayed on Ox-Spleen Mountain. The local officials went together to pay their respects. At dusk, Lord Su unfurled the Scripture of the Yellow Court, and it transformed into a great bridge stretching across the city gate. The officials crossed it to return home.

Dazu attained the Dao after taking rehmannia; Tang Feng attained the Dao after taking stone honey from Mount Zhongyue.

The Biographies of Immortals records that Dazu attained the Dao after taking rehmannia, and Tang Feng attained the Dao after taking stone honey from Mount Zhongyue. Here, “taking” refers to ingesting elixirs or medicines, a common expression in ancient accounts of seeking immortality through cultivation.

Morong attained the Dao after taking coptis; Xianmenzi attained the Dao after taking a preparation made from green fruit.

The Biographies of Immortals records that Lord Morong attained the Dao after taking coptis. Xianmenzi attained the Dao after taking a powdered preparation made from the green fruit of sweet chrysanthemum.

The Three Elders of Changling refined Qi; the Four Whiteheads of Shangshan took lacquer.

The Biographies of Immortals records that the Three Elders of Changling attained the Dao through “Yin Qi-refinement,” a method of Qi cultivation. It also records that the Four Whiteheads of Shangshan attained the Dao by taking Jiujia powder and eating lacquer.

Miaozhen entered a cave; Jiyan caused a coffin to rise into the air.

The Daoxue zhuan records that the Jurchen woman Qian Miaozhen cultivated the Dao from childhood and lived in a cave on Mount Gouqu. She lived to the age of eighty-three. After reciting the Huangting jing the prescribed number of times, she bade farewell to her relatives and friends, took a yellow-and-white medicine, and then spent a night in the Swallow Cave. At dawn the next day, Daoist nuns and priests had gathered to wait. Suddenly, they heard a thunderous sound from inside the cave and saw a chariot adorned with dragons and phoenixes fly in from the northwest to carry her up to the celestial realm.

Ji Huiyan cultivated the Dao while living on Mount Tianmu in Qian County. After she died, she was buried according to local custom. Several years later, a thunderous crash suddenly rang out from the mountain. When villagers went to investigate, they saw the planks of her coffin flying into the air. The lid fell in the southern village, which later came to be called Shangpian Village; the base fell in the northern village, which later came to be called Xiaban Village; and the two side panels fell in the same place, which later came to be called Bantong Village. People said this was a sign that she had ascended to heaven.

The Lie xian zhuan records that Zhu Huang was from Guangyang. After falling ill, he became mentally confused. The Daoist Ruan Qiu gave him seven kinds of medicine and told him to take nine pills each day; as a result, all his illnesses were cured. Ruan Qiu then taught him to recite the Huangting jing. Zhu Huang followed Ruan Qiu into the mountains to cultivate the Dao. After eighty years, his beard and hair had both turned black, and he then departed as an immortal.

Nü Wan was a woman who sold wine at the market in Chen. When an immortal passed through, he left five scrolls of the Su shu in her keeping. Nü Wan secretly copied the words in the book and learned the art of nourishing life; from then on, she did not age. Later, she left home, and no one knew where she had gone.

“Changsheng Stops the Rain; Fang Hui Seals the Pass” is the title of the following entries.

The Biographies of Immortals records: Changsheng died and returned to life many times. While living in Gucheng, a sudden flood broke out and many people suffered. He climbed Missing Gate Mountain and shouted, “Changsheng is here. The flood will surely recede in five days.” It later happened just as he had said. Decades afterward, he served as a gate guard in Huayin.

Fang Hui was a recluse in the time of Emperor Yao who refined and consumed mica. Near the end of the Xia ruler Qi’s reign, he held a post in the palace, where bandits seized him and locked him in a room. Fang Hui transformed himself and escaped, then used his seal to seal the door. People at the time said, “If you can get a lump of Fang Hui’s clay, the door’s bolt can be opened.”

Qiu Sheng, Director of Wood; Zixian, the Bamboo Pole

The Biographies of Immortals records: Qiu Sheng served as Director of Wood, an official in charge of timber, during the reign of Tang of Shang. He consumed pine resin, built a stone chamber for himself, and later departed as an immortal. King Wu of Zhou once went to his stone chamber to make offerings to him. Zixian was a diviner who lived for more than a hundred years. One night, an immortal arrived carrying a bamboo pole and called for Zixian. Zixian and an elderly woman who ran a wine shop each mounted a bamboo pole. The poles turned out to be dragons. They rode the dragons up Huayin Mountain and departed as immortals.

Zhu Zhong Sells Pearls; Ren Guang Sells Elixirs

The Biographies of Immortals records: Zhu Zhong was from Kuaiji and often sold pearls at the market. Empress Lü, wife of Emperor Gaozu of Han, sought a pearl three inches across. Zhu Zhong presented one and received five hundred gold pieces as a reward. Princess Luyuan then privately offered him seven hundred gold pieces to present another pearl; Zhu Zhong gave her one four inches across. During Emperor Jing’s reign, he also presented several dozen pearls three inches across, then departed, and no one knew what became of him.

Ren Guang was from Shangcai and skilled in consuming elixirs. He once sold elixirs around the capital. Zhao Jianzi invited him to Mount Baiti, after which there was no word of him for three generations.

Tending Pigs at Shangqiu; Smelting Metal at Tao’an

Shangqiu Zixu was from Gaoyi. He liked herding pigs and playing the yu flute. He took zhu and calamus and drank water to stave off hunger, so he never felt hungry or grew old. People saw him from one generation to the next. After three hundred years, no one knew where he had gone.

Tao Angong was a metalworker from Lu’an. One day, the flames in his furnace suddenly spread apart, and purple radiance shot straight up into the sky. Before long, a Vermilion Bird, a red divine bird, alighted on the furnace and said, “Angong has already reached communication with Heaven. On the seventh day of the seventh month, I will come to welcome you, riding a Red Dragon.” When the day arrived, the Red Dragon indeed came, and heavy rain fell across the land. Angong mounted the dragon and ascended to Heaven.

Huang Daozhen Enters the Peach Source of Wuling; Liu Chen and Ruan Zhao Enter the Peach Source

According to legend, the fisherman Huang Daozhen was from Wuling. As he rowed out to fish, he suddenly entered Peach Source Cave and met immortals. Liu Chen and Ruan Zhao were from Shan County. While gathering herbs at Tianmu Peak, they lost their way and wandered into Peach Source Cave, where they too met immortals. They stayed there for half a year before returning home. By the time they arrived, they had already seen their own seventh-generation descendants.

Huang Chuping Transforms White Stones; Feng Gang Gathers Flowers to Make Medicine

The Shenxian Zhuan records that Huang Chuping was from Danxi. When he was fifteen, his family sent him to herd sheep. Later, he met a Daoist who took him to Mount Jinhua, where he lived for forty years. His elder brother, Chuqi, searched everywhere for him and eventually found him. He asked where the sheep were. Chuping said they were on the eastern mountain. When his brother went to look, he saw only white stones covering the mountainside. Chuping rebuked the stones, and every one of them turned into a sheep. The two brothers took pine resin and poria together. After ten thousand days, they could make their bodies disappear while sitting or standing, and ascended to Heaven together. Chuping changed his surname to Chi and took the name Songzi; Chuqi took the name Chixuzi. The Red Pine Abbey in Wuzhou is said to mark the site associated with them.

Feng Gang was from Yuanyang. He often gathered the flowers of many herbs, soaked them in water, sealed them in clay, and buried them. After a hundred days, he made them into pills. Placing one pill in a dead person’s mouth brought them back to life at once. After taking the medicine himself, Feng Gang lived forever, grew no older, and departed as an immortal.

Lü Gong Meets an Immortal; Shen Jian Entrusts a Maidservant to Someone else

Lü Gong, courtesy name Wenjing, enjoyed taking medicinal substances for health and longevity when he was young. While gathering herbs in the Taihang Mountains, he suddenly met three immortals. They asked him, “Do you wish to live forever? My surname is Lü and my courtesy name is Wenqi. Since we share a surname, you are destined to attain longevity.” Lü Gong then followed the immortals away.

After two days, the immortals taught him a secret formula and told him, “You have been with us for two days, but two hundred years have passed in the human world.” When Lü Gong returned to his home village, he found that more than ten generations of his descendants had been born. A descendant named Lü Xi had become a Daoist. Weeping, he welcomed Lü Gong and paid his respects. Lü Gong then passed the formula on to Lü Xi. From that time on, no one in the Lü family grew old and died; generation after generation, they cultivated themselves into immortals and departed.

Shen Jian of Danyang learned the arts of daoyin (breath regulation and bodily stretching for health) and taking medicinal substances for health and longevity. Anyone who was ill recovered simply by seeing him. Once, before leaving on a long journey, he left behind two maidservants, three male servants, a donkey, and ten sheep, giving each person and animal one pill. For three years, they neither ate nor drank. When Shen Jian returned, he gave each of them another pill, and they resumed eating and drinking as usual. Shen Jian could fly through the air, sometimes departing and sometimes returning. Three hundred years later, people no longer knew where he had gone.

Hua Ziqi became a disciple of Master Luli and received a secret Lingbao formula. He prepared it and took it. Each day he could walk five hundred li, and he had enough strength to lift a thousand-jin weight. He also shed his skin ten times a year. Later, he became an immortal and departed.

Le Zichang of Qi met the immortal Huo Lin and received the formula for Giant Victory and Red Pine Powder. The immortal said, “When a snake takes it, it can transform into a dragon; when a person takes it, they can become a child again.” After taking the medicine, Le Zichang lived to be one hundred and eighty, yet still looked like a young girl. His nine wives took it too: the older ones regained their youth, while the younger ones stopped aging. Later, they ascended Mount Laosheng, became immortals, and departed.

The Traditions of Immortals records that Wei Shuqing of Zhongshan attained the Dao and became an immortal after taking mica. While Emperor Wu of Han was resting alone in his palace, he suddenly saw a man riding on clouds and mounted on a white deer, who came to the front of the hall. The emperor asked in surprise who he was. The man replied, “I am Wei Shuqing of Zhongshan.” The emperor said, “Are you not one of my subjects?” Wei Shuqing did not answer and suddenly vanished. The emperor deeply regretted what had happened.

Wei Boyang was from the region of Wu. He went into the mountains to refine divine elixirs, taking three disciples and a white dog with him. When the elixirs were ready, he fed one to the dog, which died. He took one himself and also died. A disciple surnamed Yu took an elixir and died as well. Seeing this, the other two disciples abandoned the elixirs and left. Wei Boyang then rose, and departed with the disciple and the white dog who had died after taking the elixir. Along the way, he met a woodcutter and entrusted him with a letter to take back to his home village and deliver to the two disciples who had left.

Wei Boyang wrote the Cantong qi and the Five Categories of Correspondences, in two volumes, explaining the essential principles of refining divine elixirs.

The Hidden Instructions for Ascending to Truth says that Dongfang Shuo, whose courtesy name was Manqian, once served as an official during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han and took the Primordial Spirit Pill. During the reign of Emperor Xuan of Han, he abandoned his post and went to Kuaiji to sell medicine. Later, he ascended to become the Year Star—the ancient name for Jupiter, also referring to the star deity associated with it. The Zhuangzi also says that after Fu Yue attained the Dao, he assisted King Wu Ding of Shang, bringing the realm under Shang rule. Later, he rode the Eastern Dimension and mounted the stars Ji and Wei, taking his place among the constellations.

The Traditions of Immortals records that Shen Xi of Wu Commandery studied the Dao in Shu. Although the text does not say that he became an immortal, he could avert calamities, cure illness, and aid the people; his merit moved Heaven. On one occasion, he and his wife were traveling together in a carriage when they encountered a carriage drawn by a white deer, one drawn by a blue dragon, and one drawn by a white tiger. Those accompanying them were all dressed in red and carried spears and precious swords.

The Traditions of Divine Immortals records that Shen Xi of Hao Commandery once studied the Dao in Shu. He excelled at averting calamities, curing illness, and helping the people, and his merit moved Heaven. One day, he and his wife were riding together in a cart when they encountered a cart drawn by a white deer, one drawn by a green dragon, and one drawn by a white tiger. The attendants in the carts wore red robes and carried spears and sharp swords. They told Shen Xi, “You have benefited the people. The Yellow Elder (a deity revered in Daoism) has now sent immortal officials to welcome you.” Then three immortals presented Shen Xi with a white jade tablet, a green jade tally, and characters written in cinnabar jade. They carried him off to Heaven.

Chen Anshi had once been a retainer of Guan Shuben. Whenever he traveled, birds and beasts would move aside of their own accord. He never harmed any living creature. When Chen Anshi was thirteen, Guan Shuben became devoted to Daoist arts. One day, two immortals came to visit Guan Shuben disguised as scholars, but he did not recognize them, and they did not stay. Guan Shuben then said to Chen Anshi, “You are fond of Daoist arts. I can teach you.” He gave him two pills to swallow, after which Chen Anshi no longer needed food or drink. Guan Shuben later became Chen Anshi’s disciple in turn. As Chen Anshi was about to ascend to Heaven, he passed the Daoist arts on to Guan Shuben, who later also became an immortal and departed.

Li Bachi, beggar at the market through eight hundred generations

The Traditions of Divine Immortals records that Li Bachi was from Shu, though no one knew his personal name. People of the time estimated that he was already eight hundred years old, so they called him “Li Bachi.” He wandered from place to place, with no fixed whereabouts. Knowing that Tang Gongfang could pass on Daoist arts, he pretended to be covered in sores to test him. Tang Gongfang tried all kinds of medicine, but could not cure him. Li Bachi said, “Someone has to lick them.” Tang Gongfang first had two maidservants lick the sores, but they could not cure them. He licked them himself, but that did not work either, so he had his wife try. Li Bachi said that he also needed to bathe in three hu of fine wine. After bathing, his skin became smooth as polished jade. He then had Tang Gongfang, his wife, and three maidservants bathe in the wine as well. They all emerged looking young again. Li Bachi then passed on to Tang Gongfang a Dan scripture, a text about refining elixirs and cultivating the Dao. Tang Gongfang followed its instructions to compound and take the elixir, then became an immortal and departed.

Li A, also from Shu, had been seen by people across many generations. He never grew old and often begged for food at the market. Gu Qiang followed him for many years. When Gu Qiang was eighteen, Li A looked to be about fifty; when Gu Qiang was over eighty, Li A still looked unchanged. Later, Li A suddenly told everyone, “Kunlun has summoned me. I must go.” After that, he never returned.

Pearls in Series from the Immortals’ Garden, Middle Scroll

Written by Wang Songnian, Daoist of Mount Tiantai

The Calf Changes Its Appearance; Father Gui Alters His Complexion

The Traditions of the Immortals records that the Calf was from Ye. He had consumed pine nuts and poria for a hundred years. At times he looked young and vigorous, at other times old and frail; sometimes handsome, sometimes ugly. Once, leading a yellow calf, he went to buy wine from a household in Yangdu that sold it. The daughter of the house liked him and went with him to gather peaches and plums, which tasted very sweet. People in the village secretly followed, hoping to catch up with him. They managed only to grab the yellow calf by the ear; the Calf had already fled far away, and they could not catch him. Decades later, people saw him again at the foot of Mount Pan, still selling peaches and plums in winter.

Father Gui was from Xianglin. His skin was sometimes black, sometimes white, yellow, or red. He often consumed cassia leaves and branches, mixing them with tortoise brain to make a thousand pills. Even now, cassia pills are still passed down in southern Jingzhou. One day, he drifted up into the clouds and departed.

Wuguang Consumes Rush and Chives; Ruanqiu Cultivates Chinese Chives and Scallions

Wuguang lived in the Xia dynasty. His ears were seven inches long, and he loved playing the qin. He consumed rush and chive roots. When King Tang of Shang offered him the realm, he refused to accept it, carried a stone on his back, and drowned himself in the Liao River. Four hundred years later, in the time of King Wuding, people saw him again.

Ruanqiu was a Daoist on Mount Qu. He wore his hair loose, had ears seven inches long, and had no teeth. He could walk four hundred li in a day. He often cultivated scallions and Chinese chives, and lived for more than a hundred years, though those around him did not know his true identity.

Chifu Consumes Elixirs; the Woman of Mount Hua Eats Pine

Chifu was from Bayong and once served as a clerk at the Biji Shrine. He consumed elixirs and saltpeter. After thirty years, he looked instead like a child. Red hair grew on his body, and his palms bore markings known as “Chifu’s lines.”

The woman of Mount Hua was named Yujiang. She said she had once lived in the Qin palace and entered the mountains to escape the turmoil of war. After a Daoist taught her to eat pine needles, she no longer felt hunger or cold, and green hair grew on her body.

Wang Qiao, whose courtesy name was Zijing, loved playing the sheng. Its music sounded like the cry of a phoenix. The Daoist Fuqiu Gong guided him up Mount Song. Thirty years later, on the seventh day of the seventh month, Wang Qiao rode a crane into the heavens from Mount Goushi. The Xianjing says that after attaining immortality, he served as “Attendant of the Imperial Dawn,” commanded the Five Sacred Mountains, oversaw the Perfected Ones of Mount Tongbai, and lived in the Golden Court Grotto on Mount Tiantai.

Lingyang Ziming loved fishing. Once, he caught a white fish with a letter hidden in its belly. The letter described a method of ingesting substances. He then climbed Mount Huang, gathered five kinds of medicinal fats used by immortals, and took them for three years. Later, a dragon came to welcome him and carried him up Mount Lingyang.

Xifu was from Nanjun and lived in the mountains. An immortal came to buy melons, taught him how to refine the melon seeds, and told him to store them with herbs such as cinnamon, aconite, and angelica. He was to take them at the spring equinox. More than twenty years later, Xifu could fly.

Qilong Wu was from Hunting. When he was twenty, he found a dragon’s young in a pond. They looked like guardian officials, and there were more than a thousand of them. He raised them in a thatched hut, feeding and caring for them. As the dragons gradually grew, they left one by one. Fifty years later, a flood swept away his dwelling, and he left the area as well. One day, he rode a dragon to Hunting.

Jizhu was from Chang’an; Xin Xuan was from Wu and Yue.

The Biography of Daoist Studies records that Sima Jizhu once practiced divination for people in a Chang’an marketplace. At the time, Song Zhong and Jia Yi served as senior officials. Seeing him, they asked, “Why does a gentleman take up such a lowly trade?” Sima Jizhu replied, “To have no hunger or cold troubling you within, and no fear of robbery from others without; to hold a high position without harming anyone, and to live in a low position without being harmed by anyone—this is the way of a junzi, a noble person. The phoenix does not flock with sparrows. What could you know of it?” Later, Song Zhong fell into disgrace, Jia Yi was consumed by anxious thoughts, and Sima Jizhu’s whereabouts eventually became unknown.

The Hidden Instructions for Ascending to Perfection says that those who practice the “Western Numinous Sword-Release Method”—a cultivation method for transcending the body through the technique of sword release—train at Dayou Abbey on Mount Weiyu. The practitioner consumes the “essence of luminous elixirs” and embraces the “radiance of the dawn.” Their appearance is like that of a woman, and their beard is three feet long.

Xin Xuanzi loved wandering among the mountains. He aspired to rely on Zijing, the legendary immortal Wang Ziqiao, to ascend into the void, and to travel with Lingyang, another legendary immortal, through mysterious realms. For this reason he was known as Xuanzi, with the courtesy name Yanqi. In an account of himself, he said, “The Queen Mother of the West saw my arduous cultivation, and the Northern Deng Emperor took pity on my Dao-centered heart. Two hundred years have passed since then. The Great Emperor also ordered me to command the Marquis of the Eastern Sea and oversee the affairs of the spirits in the Wu and Yue regions. Yet I have not managed to don emerald robes and ascend through the nine heavens, or to ride the clouds and fly across the four quarters.”

Xu Mai lived in seclusion in the mountains, while Longwei concealed himself in a cave.

The Zhengao says that Xu Mai’s childhood name was Aying. The Daoxue zhuan says that he aspired to travel far away and never return, so he changed his own name to “Far Traveler.” At the age of twenty, he visited Guo Pu for a divination. The judgment told him, “You were born auspicious; you should learn the way of ascending to immortality and traveling afar.” He then became Bao Jing’s disciple. Later, he and like-minded companions traveled east through famous mountains, taking medicinal herbs and practicing grain abstention. He could also hold his breath for as many as a thousand breaths. At first he lived around Tonglu, Xincheng, and Lin’an. Wherever he stayed, he built a tower and opened a door at its rear, then climbed the mountains to gather medicinal herbs, often leaving for a whole month. He often said, “Aying loves the mountains and forests as a fish loves the water.”

The Zhengao also says that Xu Mai once studied under Wang Shilong and took such cultivation substances as jade liquid and brain essence. “Elder Longwei” refers to a man who attained the Dao on Mount Bao. No one knew his surname; he was known as “the Recluse.” After King Helü of Wu climbed Mount Bao, he ordered the Recluse to explore the cave’s deepest reaches. The Recluse entered the cave and returned only after 174 days. He said he had traveled more than seven thousand li, then suddenly came upon a thousand roads and a hundred branching paths, all with the same scenery. There stood a golden city, whose houses were silent and empty. The plaque above the city gate read “Separate Palace of the Queen of Heaven.” In a jade chamber lay a scroll written in red characters. The Recluse bowed, took it as proof, and brought it out to show the King of Wu. It turned out to be the Five Talismans of the Numinous Treasure, which Yu the Great had hidden away.

Xian’an took licorice; Boyu took pine flakes.

The Biography of Lady Wei records that Lady Wei, styled Xian’an, was often ill in her youth. The Perfected One, King Qingxu, told her, “The first step in cultivating the Dao is to rid yourself of illness, nourish the five organs, moisten the skin, fill the marrow, and sharpen the hearing and sight. Only then can you begin your practice.” The Perfected One then gave her a prescription for licorice pills. After taking them as directed, she recovered from all her ailments. Later, she attained the Dao and became the Perfected Lady of Primordial Emptiness, the Supreme Perfected One of Southern Mount Heng, and Mistress of Destiny—a female immortal revered in Daoism.

Chu Boyu was from Qiantang. When he was sixteen, his family arranged a marriage for him. As his bride entered the house by carriage, he climbed over a wall and left home, withdrawing to the central peak of Mount Tiantai for twenty years. A woodcutter once saw him beneath a rock deep in the mountains. He looked calm and composed, with only two bundles of pine shavings beside him. Word of the encounter spread, and people far and near came to know of him. Emperor Gao of Qi summoned him to serve in office, but he declined. He later moved to Mount Dahuo, attained the Dao, and became an immortal.

The Biographies of Immortals records that Ma Mingsheng was from Linzi. His family name was originally He, and his courtesy name was Junxian. As a young man, he was wounded by bandits and left lying by the road. A divine being came upon him and gave him medicine, bringing him back from the dead. Afterward, he became a disciple of Master Anqi and traveled throughout the world, enduring great hardship. In the end, he obtained the Scripture of the Golden Liquid Elixir of Great Clarity, a Daoist text on preparing the Golden Liquid Elixir. He entered the mountains to cultivate. When the elixir was complete, he did not wish to ascend to heaven at once, so he took half of it and became an earthbound immortal, one who still dwells among the living. He then traveled through the nine provinces for more than five hundred years, finally ascending to heaven in broad daylight.

Ge Yue was known as Huang Luzi. When someone fell ill, even if they were a thousand li away, sending him their name was enough for them to recover. He could use magic to immobilize tigers, wolves, insects, and birds. He could make water flow backward for one or two li, and during great droughts he could summon dragons and bring down rain. He was immensely strong, able to lift a thousand-jin weight, and could run fast enough to catch a galloping horse. A cloud of five-colored Qi rose more than a zhang above his head. After living to the age of two hundred and eighty, he mounted a dragon one day and departed.

The final phrase, “Xiaofu rode upon fire; Shimen sent forth smoke,” consists of two brief accounts: Xiaofu traveled riding flames, while Shimen could emit smoke.

Xiaofu repaired shoes for people at the market in Beiqu Zhou when he was young. No one knew how old he was; they only saw that he never grew old. When people asked him to teach them the art of long life, he refused. Only Liang Mu learned his fire arts—the spells for wielding fire. Later, Xiaofu climbed Mount Sanliang and said farewell to Liang Mu. Riding on dozens of torches, he ascended to heaven.

Shimen was Xiaofu’s disciple. He learned the fire arts and enjoyed eating peach and plum blossoms. Later, he became a dragon officer under King Kong Jia of Xia, in charge of the dragons. Kong Jia killed him and buried him. One day, wind and rain suddenly came to escort him away, while fires and smoke spontaneously rose among the mountains and forests.

Weidao Holds Firm, Huang Guan Passes the Trials

The Zhengao records that Jin Weidao studied the Way of the immortals and practiced for twelve years on Mount Fenzhong. An immortal tested him by suspending a stone weighing one hundred thousand jin in the air and letting a single white hair hang down, then placing Weidao beneath the stone. Weidao’s resolve never wavered, and he had no doubts. He lay beneath the stone for twelve years. Later, the immortal gave him a divine elixir, and he ascended to heaven in broad daylight.

Huang Guanzi loved Daoist arts from childhood. Each morning, he bowed and prayed for long life. He persisted for forty-nine years, then entered Mount Jiao. An immortal tested him with one hundred and forty trials, and he passed them all. He received the Golden Elixir, recited the Great Cavern Perfect Scripture (Dadong Zhenjing), and ascended to heaven in broad daylight.

Zizhu Works for Hire, Xia Qiu Is Abandoned

The Biographies of the Immortals (Liexian Zhuan) records that Zizhu spoke with the accent of Chu and had a delicate voice. Later, he entered Mount Jiao. An immortal tested him with one hundred and forty trials, and he passed them all. He received the Golden Elixir, recited the Great Cavern Perfect Scripture, and ascended to heaven in broad daylight.

Zizhu worked as a hired laborer for others, while Xia Qiu was abandoned.

According to the Traditions of Immortals, Zizhu spoke with a Chu accent and a delicate voice. He went to see the King of Jiangdu and said, “Master Ning looked after me and had me serve as his guest laborer for three hundred years.” The king asked where Master Ning was. Zizhu replied, “On Dragon-Brow Mountain.” The king sent an envoy to pay him a visit. The envoy saw Master Ning covered in hair, with broad ears and loose hair, playing a zither. He said to the envoy, “Zizhu is the ninth-generation descendant of a family living next door to me.” Xiaqiuzhong was a native of Ning. He sold medicine there for more than a hundred years.

One day, the earth suddenly shook. Dozens of houses collapsed, and every house by the water was destroyed. After Xiaqiuzhong died, people threw his body into the water and gathered up his medicine to sell. But Xiaqiuzhong returned wearing a leather coat to retrieve his medicine. The person who had thrown away his body bowed and begged forgiveness. Xiaqiuzhong said, “I regret only that you let others learn of my affairs. I am leaving.” Later, he took the form of a royal courier for the King of the Hu and came to Ning. People in the north called him a “banished immortal,” meaning an immortal exiled to the human world.

Yin Sheng Begs; the Tavern Keeper Earns Ten Thousand Coins a Day

Yin Sheng was a beggar beneath the Wei Bridge who often begged in the marketplace. The people there detested him and splashed him with filthy water, but his clothes were not soiled at all. Local officials arrested him and locked him in fetters, yet before long he was back in the marketplace, begging. Later, the houses of the people who had splashed him with filth suddenly collapsed on their own. So people sang, “When you see a beggar, give him fine wine, and spare your house the calamity of collapse.”

The Tavern Keeper brewed wine at a wine shop in a marketplace in Liang. His wine was excellent, and he earned ten thousand coins a day. The shop owner drove him away, pretending he had committed some fault. The wine soon turned sour and spoiled. Many merchants came with their daughters to invite him back. He came and went from time to time. More than a hundred years later, he returned to Liang as a county magistrate. He taught the people to grow vegetables and said there would be a great famine three years later. His prediction came true. Then he suddenly removed his official seal and sash and left.

Wang Zhi Watches a Game of Go; His Axe Handle Has Rotted Away; Lord Xu Sleeps Drunk

The Records say that Wang Zhi was a native of the Xi’an region and had loved playing chess since childhood. Once, while gathering firewood in the mountains, he saw two immortals playing chess beneath a stone bridge. He set his axe aside and sat down to watch. When the game ended and he stood up, he found that the handle of his axe had rotted away. By the time he returned home, several hundred years had passed in the world. Mount Lanke in Quzhou is said to have received its name from this story.

Xu Gong was a native of the Jinhua region. One day, while in the mountains, he saw several Daoist priests drinking wine and was given a cup himself. After drinking it, he fell into a drunken sleep. When he awoke, he found that the place had become a lake. By the time he returned home, several generations of his descendants had come and gone. Even now, there is still an Xu Gong Lake in the Jinhua mountains.

The Shang Immortal roams through fire; the Great One floats upon a lotus.

According to the Records of Immortals, Shangqiu Kai was a native of the state of Jin. From childhood, he loved the cultivation of the Dao and lived on Mount Gushe. He could walk across water and fire without being burned or drowned. At times he rescued capsized boats; at other times, he blew toward the water and put out great fires. He was skilled at painting, but remained poor and lodged in the household of the Fan family. The Fan family’s guests often treated him with contempt, mocked him, and deceived him.

One day, a fire broke out in the Fan household, and the guests were unable to put it out. Only Shangqiu Kai rushed alone into the flames to retrieve bolts of brocade. He went in and out repeatedly, without a speck of ash on him or a burn on his body. While the fire was still raging, he blew water toward it in front of the guests, and the flames went out. Only then did they suspect he was an immortal, and they apologized to him in shame. Later, Shangqiu Kai entered Mount Song and never came out again.

According to the History of Han Remnants, during the Yuanshou era of Emperor Wu of Han, an astrologer reported that the star Taiyi had disappeared from sight. Emperor Wu summoned Dongfang Shuo and asked him why. Dongfang Shuo said, “The star has vanished from view because it has come to roam among humankind, bringing good fortune and longevity to ruler and people.”

Emperor Wu then asked how he could confirm that the star had appeared. Dongfang Shuo replied, “Your Majesty can send people to perform rites on the southeastern shore of the rivers and seas, in the Xun direction, and welcome Taiyi. The sign will be the sight of a person unlike ordinary people, arriving by boat or riding a crane. Once the person has been seen, you can cut bamboo to build an altar, perform a Jiao rite—a Daoist ritual offering—and give thanks to the Supreme Emperor.”

Emperor Wu followed Dongfang Shuo’s instructions and went to welcome Taiyi. That same month, the governor of Kuaiji Commandery duly reported that a person had appeared at sea. The person wore a child’s hairstyle, had a complexion like jade and a handsome beard, and was naked except for an oak leaf covering his waist. He rode upon a red lotus leaf more than a zhang long, lying on his back within it and holding a scroll of yellow writing. He drifted in from the northeast. The officials burned incense and bowed to welcome him, but as they bent forward in obeisance, he was already a hundred paces away. In an instant, clouds and mist concealed him. When the mist cleared, he was nowhere to be seen; only the yellow scroll remained. It drifted to shore and was picked up, yet was not wet at all. The writing on it shone with light. It was all Celestial Script, said to be used in the heavenly realm, and no one could read it, so it was presented to Emperor Wu.

Emperor Wu asked Dongfang Shuo to identify it. Dongfang Shuo said, “This is the Fire Pearl Scripture from the upper realm.” Some also say the book was called the String of Pearls.

Li Sheng, whose personal name was Shenfu, was from Zhongyang in Fengyi. He once studied Daoist arts under Lord Jun of Hongnong. He learned how to consume jade medicines and also practiced techniques such as Dunjia, concealment, and pacing the stars of the Dipper. When he was over a hundred, he often talked with visitors. They could hear his voice but could not see his form. Later, he entered the Western Mountain and never came out again.

Gui Zi’s original name is unknown. He once served as governor of Xuzhou. He suffered from leprosy for more than ten years, and none of the many doctors who treated him could cure it, so he devoted himself to contemplating the Dao. He later met Lord Yu, who told him to resign from office and serve as his attendant. Gui Zi tended horses for three years without ever losing heart. Lord Yu gave him elixirs and one hundred and fifty volumes of books. After he hung up his clothes, the leprosy on his body was cured. He lived to the age of one hundred and ninety, and his complexion remained like a child’s. He once sold medicine in Chengdu, then returned to the Western Mountain and never came out again.

The Traditions of Divine Transcendents records: Wang Yuan, whose courtesy name was Fangping, had attained the Dao and once stayed in the household of Grand Commandant Chen Jiu for more than thirty years. One day, he entrusted his body to another and departed from the human world, like a cicada shedding its shell. Later, he traveled east toward Mount Kuocang. When he passed by the home of Cai Jing at Xumen, he learned that Cai Jing had Cai, Zixuan, Shijuan…

The Traditions of the Immortals records: Wang Yuan, whose courtesy name was Fangping, stayed for more than thirty years in the home of Grand Commandant Chen Jiu after attaining the Dao. Later, he suddenly shed his mortal body as a cicada sheds its shell. He then went east into Mount Kuocang. Passing by the home of Cai Jing at Xumen, he recognized that Cai Jing had the destined affinity to become an immortal, so he told him the essential methods for cultivating the Dao before departing. Cai Jing later shed his mortal body as well.

Ten years later, Wang Yuan returned to Cai Jing’s home. On the seventh day of the seventh month, as Lord Wang arrived, celestial music sounded. A procession accompanied him, with feathered ornaments and canopies, while cloud chariots parted the clouds and came into view. After Lord Wang had taken his seat, he sent someone to invite Magu, a female immortal. When Magu arrived, the two immortals each laid out a banquet. They set out golden plates and jade cups, and the dishes were mostly various kinds of flowers, whose fragrance filled the room and its surroundings. Everyone shared dried meat. Wang Yuan said it was the flesh of a qilin.

Magu said that since she had begun serving the immortals, she had witnessed the Eastern Sea turn into mulberry fields three times. Just now, as she passed Penglai, the sea had become half as shallow again. She wondered whether that place might someday turn into land as well. When the wine was finished, Wang Yuan ordered a messenger to go to Yuhang and ask the Mother for wine. The messenger returned carrying a jar containing about five dou. Magu’s fingernails were like a crow’s claws. Wang Yuan thought to himself, “They would be perfect for scratching my back.” Just then, he heard the sound of a whip swishing through the air and struck Cai Jing on the back with it.

The Traditions of Lord Su says that Lord Su, whose courtesy name was Zixuan, first became a disciple of Qin Gao and later studied under Master Qiu. Master Qiu passed on to him a method for taking pine resin, saying that he himself had taken it for 2,700 years. Afterward, Lord Su became a disciple of Juanzi, learning the art of subduing the corpse worms—spirit insects believed in Daoism to harm the body and hinder cultivation. He practiced the Way of the Three Ones and mastered the essential methods for guarding the Nine Palaces of the Niwan, the inner cultivation palaces in the head. On the sixth day of the third month in the second year of the Shenjue era of Emperor Yuan of Han, he rode clouds and drove a dragon westward and northward, ascending to Heaven. He became a High Minister of Xuanzhou, a senior office in the realm of immortals. Juanzi was the man who once cut open a fish’s belly and found writing inside it.

The three Mao brothers, and the two Xu father-and-son pairs.

The Yin Jue of Ascending to Truth records that Lord Mao of Great Mao, whose courtesy name was Shushen, went to Mount Heng at the age of eighteen to study the Dao and became a disciple of Lord Wang of Xicheng. He traveled to Guishan and obtained the Nine-Turn Elixir of Returning to the Origin, an immortal elixir refined many times. During the reign of Emperor Yuan of Han, an immortal official descended and bestowed on him the Jade Emperor’s Nine Honors. He was invested as Perfected Man of Great Origin, Supreme Worthy of the Eastern Peak, and Lord in Charge of Destiny for Wu and Yue. He cultivated and governed at Red-City Grotto on Mount Tiantai.

His younger brother, whose courtesy name was Jiwei, took the Taiji Nine-Turn Elixir and became Lord of the Registers of Destiny for Wu and Yue. Another younger brother, whose courtesy name was Sihe, studied the same teachings as Lord Mao of Middle Mao. He became Lord Who Preserves Life for the Three Offices, and was invested with authority over mountains, rivers, and water sources, as well as responsibility for monitoring the growth of lingzhi mushrooms and medicinal herbs.

Xu Mu, courtesy name Xuanyi, served in the Jin dynasty as Chief Clerk of the Guard. The Primordial Lady of Southern Marchmount sent Yang Jun to transmit to him the various Shangqing teachings and methods of cultivation. After attaining the Dao, he became Immortal Marquis of the Left Minister and a Perfected Man of Shangqing. His son, named Hui and styled Daoxiang, also received scriptures and teachings from Yang Jun. After attaining the Dao, he became Attendant of the Emperor’s Dawn Court and a Perfected Man of Shangqing.

Mao Meng Rides a Dragon; Xiao Zhen Drives a Tiger

The Traditions of Daoist Learning records that Mao Meng, courtesy name Chucheng, was the great-grandfather of the Three Mao Lords. He became a disciple of Master Guigu. In the thirty-first year of Qin Shi Huang’s reign, he rode the clouds and mounted a dragon on Mount Hua, ascending to heaven in broad daylight.

Xiao Lianzhen went to Mount Yi to study the Dao. At forty, he ate only cypress leaves and gathered various flowers to make into pills; he also boiled and consumed mulberry leaves, huangjing root, and other plants. By the age of eighty, his white hair had turned black again, and the teeth he had lost had grown back. He often recited the Huangting Jing, a Daoist scripture. Whenever a tiger crouched in front of his bed, and he was about to rise, he would first drive it away with a staff, making it walk ahead of him like a dog.

Feng Chang encountered Peng; Master Peng, Du

The Biography of the Louguan Lineage records: Feng Chang, courtesy name Yanshou, was appointed by King Xuan of Zhou to serve as a scribe beneath the pillars, an official in charge of classical texts. At the age of forty-one, he left office to pursue the Dao, recited the Five Thousand Words (Daode Jing), and took asparagus root. Later, while living on Mount Zhongnan, he saw Perfected Peng descend to a Daoist chamber riding a white tiger. He received from him the Hidden Book of the Most High. During the reign of King Ping of Zhou, Feng Chang ascended to Heaven and became a Perfected One of the Western Peak.

Peng Zong, courtesy name Faxian, became a disciple of Lord Du at the age of twenty and studied the Dao of the Elixir. He recited the Five Thousand Words and took asparagus root. While living on Mount Zhongnan, he saw Perfected Peng descend to a Daoist chamber riding a white tiger and received the Hidden Book of the Most High. During the reign of King Ping of Zhou, Peng Zong ascended to Heaven and became a Perfected One of the Western Peak.

Peng Zong, courtesy name Faxian, became a disciple of Lord Du at the age of twenty. Lord Du taught him the elixir scripture known as the Five Thousand Words and the Way of the Female One, a method of Daoist cultivation. His practice soon showed results: several divine lamps would often hover in the air, illuminating his room. He could combine three days and nights of breathing into a single breath, and recite the Five Thousand Words twice in one breath. At the age of one hundred and fifty, during the reign of King Li of Zhou, he ascended to Heaven and became a Perfected One of Great Clarity.

Lord Du, personal name Chong and courtesy name Xuanyi, heard that Perfected Yin had attained the Dao and moved into his former residence. He practiced there for more than twenty years. His cultivation brought Perfected Zhan to his sleeping chamber, where he received an immortal prescription. After preparing and taking it, Lord Du’s body shone with the luster of jade. At the age of one hundred and twenty, during the reign of King Mu of Zhou, he ascended to Heaven and became a Perfected One of the Supreme Ultimate.

Wang Tan rises to Heaven on clouds; Zhou Liang dances with birds.

Wang Tan, courtesy name Yangbo, was called a recluse by Emperor Wen of Han, meaning one who had withdrawn from worldly life. At the time… (the passage continues with “At the time…”)

After preparing and taking the immortal prescription, Lord Du’s body shone with the luster of jade. At the age of one hundred and twenty, during the reign of King Mu of Zhou, he ascended to Heaven and became a Perfected One of the Supreme Ultimate.

Wang Tan rises to Heaven on clouds; Zhou Liang dances with birds.

Wang Tan, whose courtesy name was Yangbo, was called a reclusive worthy by Emperor Wen of Han. He was thirty-six years old at the time and often recited the “Five Thousand Words,” that is, the Dao De Jing. He frequently gave money and silk to people suffering from hunger and cold, leaving his goods beside main roads so that those in need could take them freely. Everyone who benefited in this way received his kindness.

The Perfected Zhao, an immortal who had attained the Dao, was moved by Wang Tan’s good deeds. He took the form of a madman and begged from him for many years. Wang Tan never grew tired or slack in his generosity. Taking pity on him, the Perfected Zhao taught him wondrous arts. Later, on Mount Zhongnan, Wang Tan met the Immortal Maiden of Great Mystery and received the art of concealing his presence and changing his form. From then on, it was said, he could shine alongside the sun and moon and transform unpredictably like clouds and rosy mists.

An old friend heard that Wang Tan was skilled in transformation and asked him to perform a trick. Wang Tan first turned into a tree, and his friend struck it with an axe. He then became a stone, which his friend tried to burn with fire. When he became waves and flowing water, his friend tried to block him with earth. When he became fire, his friend doused him with water. When he became a crow, his friend trapped him under a net. When he became a fierce tiger, his friend struck at him with a blade. Finally, Wang Tan turned into a dead man, and his friend fled in terror. After running several miles, the friend saw Wang Tan again, unharmed as before, and bowed to him in thanks. Wang Tan then transformed into a drifting cloud and rose high into the sky; his whereabouts could no longer be traced.

Zhou Liang, whose courtesy name was Taiyi, was born after his mother had carried him for fifteen months. At nineteen, he stood eight feet tall. He became a disciple of Yao Tan and studied the arts of attaining the Dao. Wang Ziqiao, the legendary immortal, invited him to play the zither and flute together and travel through the lands around the Yi and Luo Rivers. Their music rang clear as gold and jade striking one another, drawing birds of every kind to dance along. Zhou Liang lived to the age of one hundred and ninety and ascended to Heaven in the time of King Lie of Zhou.

Magu of the Eastern Sea, the Old Mother of Yuhang

Related accounts appear in the sections “Wang Yuan” and “Cai Jing.”

Ge Xian and the Lingbao tradition; Lord Wang and the Shangqing tradition

The Scripture of Numinous Treasure says that Ge Xiangong, whose name was Xuan, devoted himself to quiet cultivation of the Dao on Mount Tiantai at the age of eighteen. Three Perfected Beings descended in response and transmitted to him the various Numinous Treasure scriptures, along with the Golden Register and Yellow Register methods of purification ritual. The three ritual masters invited to preside over purification rites today are the same three Perfected Beings who descended with the scriptures in those days.

The Scripture of Highest Clarity says that Lord Wang’s name was Xiang and his courtesy name was Zideng. His father, Wang Kai, was one of the Three Elders in the Han imperial court. At the age of thirty-one, Wang Xiang entered Mount Hua to study the Dao. The Perfected Being of Western Liang descended in response and taught him the method of preparing and consuming green essence rice, a Daoist regimen for nourishing life. Later, he entered Mount Xicheng and became a disciple of Lord Wang, the Total Perfected. He studied the various Highest Clarity methods and eventually attained the Dao, becoming the Perfected Being of Clear Emptiness.

At the age of thirty-one, the Celestial Lord entered Mount Hua to study the Dao. The Perfected Being of Western Liang descended in response and taught him the method of preparing and consuming green essence rice. Later, he entered Mount Xicheng and became a disciple of Lord Wang, the Total Perfected. He studied the various Highest Clarity methods and, after attaining the Dao, became the Perfected Being of Clear Emptiness.

Celestial Master Zhengyi and Yu Ji’s Great Peace

The Scripture of Orthodox Unity says that Celestial Master Zhang, whose name was Daoling, studied the Dao on Mount Heming in Shu. At the time, humans and ghosts mingled throughout Shu, and calamities and illnesses occurred constantly. The Most High Lord Lao descended in response to Zhang Daoling and transmitted the Zhengyi Covenant Power methods, which were used to distinguish humans from ghosts. He also established the Twenty-Four Dioceses, the administrative districts and cultivation centers of the Zhengyi tradition. To this day, local people remain under their protection. The Altar for Restraining Ghosts still stands.

The Traditions of Divine Immortals says that Yu Ji was from Beihai. He had suffered from scab disease for many years, and none of the many medicines he tried could cure him. Later, he saw an old man selling medicine in the marketplace. The man’s surname was Bo and his given name was He, so Yu Ji went to him for treatment. The old man gave him two scrolls of plain writing and said, “These books can do more than cure illness; they can also enable people to live forever.” After accepting them, Yu Ji learned that they were called the Scripture of Great Peace. He practiced according to its methods, and his illness was cured. Later, he lectured on the scripture from a peak in Diaotai Township, Shangyu, and compiled it into 170 volumes. Mount Great Peace and Dry Creek still remain in the area.

Wang Chang of the Nine Cauldrons and Zhao Sheng’s Seven Tests

The Traditions of Divine Immortals says that Wang Chang was an inner-chamber disciple of Celestial Master Zhang. The Celestial Master once said to his assembled disciples: “You…”

The Shenxian Zhuan records that Wang Chang was a close disciple of Celestial Master Zhang (a disciple permitted to study near the master and receive core teachings). Celestial Master Zhang told his disciples, “The worldly habits in you have not yet been cast off. The essentials for refining the elixir in the Nine Tripods can be transmitted only to Wang Chang.” Later, Zhao Sheng also asked to become his disciple. Celestial Master Zhang tested him with seven trials, and he passed them all, so he too was admitted as a close disciple. Later, Wang Chang and Zhao Sheng ascended together to the Taiqing Heaven, one of the higher celestial realms in Daoism.

Shaojun Transforms and Departs; Boda’s Elixir Is Complete

The Shenxian Zhuan records that Li Shaojun heard that Emperor Wu of Han admired the arts of the Dao, so he went to visit him. In secret, he refined a divine elixir. When it was ready, he said to Emperor Wu, “Your Majesty cannot give up extravagance or keep away from sensual pleasures, and you continue to wage war and kill. You are also unable to restrain your anger and joy. Beyond ten thousand li, there are the souls of those who died in battle and cannot return; in the markets and at court, blood flows from executions. Under such conditions, the divine elixir cannot be completed.” Afterward, Li Shaojun claimed to be ill and died. Emperor Wu regretted that he had not done all he could to keep him.

The Zhengao records that Mao Boda, Lou Daogong, Xie Zhijian, and Zhang Zhaoqi refined a divine elixir together. When it was complete, Mao Boda took it first and died; Lou Daogong took it next and also died. Seeing this, Xie Zhijian and Zhang Zhaoqi abandoned the elixir and left. When they looked back, they saw Mao and Lou walking on the mountain, and were astonished and grieved. Mao and Lou told them a formula for taking poria. Xie and Zhang followed the formula and both lived for several hundred years, but they did not ascend to heaven and become immortals.

Lord Gui Raises Horses; Yin Gui Repels Weapons

The Shenxian Zhuan (Traditions of Divine Transcendents) records that Lord Gui once served as governor of Xuzhou, but suddenly contracted leprosy, which the doctors could not cure. Hearing that Gan Ji had attained the Dao, he went to visit him with several hundred attendants. Gan Ji said, “If you want to recover, you must dismiss all your attendants and stay here to tend the horses.” Lord Gui therefore resigned from office and stayed to tend the horses for three years. During that time, no one treated his illness, and he did not know whether it had been cured. Later, Gan Ji taught him Daoist arts. Lord Gui lived to the age of 190, then became an immortal and departed.

Yin Gui, courtesy name Gongdu, took the flowers of yellow essence year after year, three he each day. People in successive generations had seen him, and by their reckoning he had already lived for a thousand years. During the Yongkang era of the Jin dynasty, he passed through Luoyang and spent the night at a family’s home. The next morning, he told his host, “Next year there will be widespread warfare, and more than half the people will die. I will give you a pill; carry it with you and you will escape disaster.” The following year, the Rebellion of the Prince of Zhao indeed broke out. Tens of thousands died, and only this host survived.

Guo Wen Probes a Tiger; Lou Feng Turns Back Bandits

Guo Wen of the Eastern Jin, courtesy name Wenju, lived in seclusion on Mount Dapi in Yuhang. Once, a tiger came before him and opened its mouth wide. Guo Wen realized that something was stuck in its throat, so he put his hand into the tiger’s mouth and pulled out a bone.

The Shenxian Zhuan records that Lou Feng studied under Jiqiuzi and took Shiguiying and Zhongyue Shihuang. He lived to the age of 300. He was especially skilled in jinshu, the Daoist arts of using incantations and techniques to subdue harmful spirits or control things. One day, he encountered a group of merchants on the road surrounded by several hundred bandits. He said to the bandits, “Disperse at once, or I will kill you.” They ignored him and shot arrows at the merchants. Lou Feng ordered the arrows to stop, and they fell back, striking the bandits instead. In an instant, a fierce wind uprooted trees, sand and stones flew, and the sky grew suddenly dark. The bandits all fell to the ground, their hands bound behind their backs, and could only beg for mercy. Lou Feng then ordered the heavenly troops to spare them, and the bandits went away.

Kong An Had Resolve; Fan Li Changed His Name

The Shenxian Zhuan records that Kong An regularly practiced xingqi, a method of cultivation involving regulated breathing and the circulation of Qi, and took lead cinnabar. He lived to the age of 300, yet still looked like a young boy. He once told his disciples, “In the past, I made my living by fishing along the seashore.”

Kong An was devoted to seeking the Dao, so Fan Li changed his name and lived in seclusion. According to the Traditions of Immortals, Kong An often practiced breathing exercises and took lead elixir. He lived to the age of three hundred, yet still looked like a child. He once told his disciples, “I once followed a fisherman who lived by the sea and practiced the Dao. He was actually Fan Li of the state of Yue. Fan Li changed his name many times. Taking pity on my determination to seek the Dao, he passed on five secret prescriptions to me, enabling me to transcend the mundane world and live forever.”

Li Gen’s pupils were square, and Zi Huang’s teeth grew back. According to the Traditions of Immortals, Li Gen, whose courtesy name was Ziyuan, was known to people across generations, yet never showed signs of age. Wu Taiwen of Shouchun became his disciple and learned how to refine gold and silver. Li Gen could also transform himself, move in and out of water and fire, and make food and utensils come to him on their own. Wu Taiwen often said that the pupils of both Li Gen’s eyes were square. The Immortal’s Scripture says that Li Gen lived for eight hundred years. When Chen Zihuang was over seventy, his hair had turned white and his teeth had fallen out. He followed a prescription and took medicines made from plants, while abstaining from grain for three years. His hair turned completely black, and his teeth grew back. He later lived to the age of two hundred and thirty, then became an immortal and departed.

Lou Jing had many concubines, while Yan Qing made his living burning charcoal. Lou Jing was a gentleman-in-attendance to Emperor Wen of Han. He followed Zhang Jun in learning the Dao and obtained a prescription for taking Yunmu Zhuying Pills. After taking them, he lived to the age of one hundred and thirty, yet looked like a man of thirty. He passed the method for making the pills to Wang Gongzi. Wang Gongzi took them at the age of seventy. He was said to have eighty concubines, fathered twenty sons, could walk three hundred li and drink one dou of wine each day, and lived to the age of two hundred.

Yan Qing was from Kuaiji. His family was poor, and he spent year after year in the mountains burning charcoal. One day, he suddenly encountered an immortal, who said, “Your bone structure is suited to becoming an immortal.” The immortal then gave him a scroll of plain silk writing and instructed him to keep it in a clean vessel and place it somewhere high. He also taught Yan Qing how to take stone marrow. After Yan Qing followed these instructions, he often heard the voices of more than ten people attending to him nearby. Whenever he took a boat to carry charcoal out of the mountains, spirits would guide the boat; others saw only the boat moving on its own. Later, Yan Qing abstained from grain, entered Mount Xiaohuo, and departed.

Chang Zai took a wife, while Zhongfu changed his appearance.

Li Changzai was from Shu. He had studied the Dao since he was young. People had seen him from one generation to the next; by their reckoning, he was already four hundred years old, yet he showed no signs of aging. He often married, then left after having children. More than thirty years after one departure, people saw him again on Mount Difei and learned that he had married once more. After having a child, he suddenly left again more than seventy years later. Some time afterward, people saw him again at the foot of Mount Hushou. As before, he married and had a child.

Li Zhongfu was from Fengyi. He had once taken Master Wang as his teacher, consumed water jade—a kind of jade-like elixir in Daoist tradition—and practiced Dunjia, a Daoist art of divination also used to conceal oneself. He could make his body disappear from sight. He lived to the age of three hundred, yet his appearance grew younger and more vigorous. At times, he remained invisible for a hundred days; at other times, for a whole year. When he sat face-to-face with people and ate with them, they could hear his voice but could not see him.

A man who knew him lived five hundred li away and made his living by setting nets to catch birds. One day, his net caught a large crow. On closer inspection, it turned out to be Li Zhongfu. After living among ordinary people for three hundred years, Li Zhongfu entered the Western Marchmount and became an immortal.

Bo He, courtesy name Zhongli, took Master Dong as his teacher and learned breath circulation, fasting from the five grains, and consuming wood. Later, he went to Mount Xicheng and became a disciple of Lord Wang. Lord Wang told him, “The secrets of the Great Dao cannot be learned all at once. I must go to Yingzhou for a while. Stay here in this stone chamber and gaze closely at the walls. In time, writing will naturally appear. Read it once you see it, and you will attain the Dao.”

Bo He focused his mind on the stone walls. In the first year, he saw nothing. In the second, he seemed to glimpse writing. By the third year, he could finally make out the texts clearly: the Central Scripture of Great Clarity, the Formulas for Divine Elixirs, the Writings of the Three Sovereigns, and the Five Diagrams, among others. He recited them and committed them to memory. When Lord Wang returned, he said, “You have completed your training.” Bo He then refined a divine elixir and took half a dose, which enabled him to live a long life. With the other half, he refined five thousand jin of gold, which he used to help the poor and sick.

Zhao Qu, courtesy name Zirong, contracted leprosy and was close to death. Fearing they would catch the disease, his family brought food to a stone chamber deep in the mountains and left him there. Zhao Qu wept day and night. After more than a hundred days, three people suddenly entered the chamber. He wept and begged them for help. The divine beings gave him five dou each of pine nuts and pine resin, telling him, “Take these, and not only will your illness be cured, you will also gain long life.” Zhao Qu took them and recovered, then continued consuming them. Two years later, the stone chamber shone as brightly at night as in broad daylight. As he slept, he saw two beautiful women, each three cun tall, on his face. By the third year, they had grown to ordinary human size and often kept him company. He also frequently heard the sound of zithers and lutes. After three hundred years, he entered Mount Huo, became an immortal, and departed.

Gan Shi was skilled in breath circulation, ate no food, and took tiandong (a medicinal herb). He lived among people for 186 years, then entered Mount Wangwu, became an immortal, and departed.

Huang Jing, courtesy name Boyan, studied the Dao on Mount Huo. He visualized a red star blazing like a flame in his head, then circulating throughout his body. More than two hundred years later, he became an immortal and departed.

Elder Chen lived on Mount Zhuyu for six hundred years. In each of the four seasons—spring, summer, autumn, and winter—he held sacrificial rites, yet neither ate nor drank, and practiced no special cultivation. When someone fell ill, he gave the sick person water used in the rites to drink, and they all recovered.

Guan Song was highly gifted in literature and wrote more than two hundred volumes of Daoist books. After taking mica, he cultivated himself into an Earth Immortal. Later, he entered Mount Zhuyu and became an immortal.

Zhou Taibin was gifted in many arts and skilled at playing the zither. He once taught Mi Changsheng and Sun Guangtian to play with a single string, yet produce all eight tones—a truly wondrous skill. The two attained the Dao and became immortals; they now serve as Left Ministers at Penglai.

When he was young, Master Fu loved Daoist arts. He once entered a stone chamber on Mount Jiao and practiced there for seven years. He met the Venerable Lord Muji, who gave him a wooden drill and told him to bore through a stone about five feet thick. “Once you have drilled through the stone, you will attain the Dao,” he said. Master Fu then drilled day and night without stopping. After forty-seven years, he finally pierced the stone. He thereby obtained the Golden Elixir and ascended to become a Perfected One of Mount Heng.

Boyi was at Kunlun; Guangxin was at Xiaobai.

The Zhengao records: Zhuang Bowei had been fond of Daoist arts since childhood. At sunset, he would often sit facing northwest, close his eyes, and visualize Mount Kunlun. He kept this up for twenty-one years, practicing ingestion and cultivation while continuing to visualize. Ten years later, at last he saw the immortals of Kunlun with his eyes closed. One of them passed on to him the method for refining Golden Elixir liquid, and through this he attained the Dao.

During the Wei dynasty, Zhao Guangxin lived on Mount Xiaobai in Shan. Every day he went to the city of Chang’an to sell medicine and save lives, returning to Mount Xiaobai at dusk. People of the time said that he left Mount Xiaobai in the morning and returned to Chang’an by evening.

The Dengzhen Yinjue records: Zhao Guangxin received a method of breathing practice, cultivating through regulated breathing and drawing in Qi, and held fast to the Dao within the Mystery. After seventy-eight years of practice, he compounded the Nine Blossoms Elixir and took one dose. Then Taiyi, a revered Daoist deity, sent a cloud chariot to receive him, and he ascended to the Eastern Florescence Palace.

Xuanbin Takes Plant Essences; Chengbo Masters the Whistle

The Zhengao records: Zhang Xuanbin became a disciple of Master Kuai of the Western River and learned the art of ingesting medicines made from plants. Later, he met the perfected immortal Fan Ziming and received the Dao of transformation and concealment, the arts of becoming invisible, changing form, and hiding one’s traces. He once lived on Mount Tianzhu; now he has come to Huachang Grotto, where he serves as the Earl in Charge of Prohibitions, overseeing rainfall.

Zhao Chengbo was skilled at whistling. Sometimes his voice sounded like all the birds calling at once; sometimes like a fierce wind sweeping through the trees. At times clouds swirled above his head; at others, thick mist gathered and the wind hissed, or fine rain fell in a gentle haze. He now lives in a grotto, overseeing the Five Zhi and the Golden Jade Herbs, the numinous mushrooms, immortal plants, and elixirs of gold and jade in Daoist lore.

Shiwen Receives Jujubes; Wang Qiao Takes Flight on a Crow

The Louguan Zhuan records: The Daoist master Tian was named Shiwen. He entered the Dao at nineteen, became a disciple of Lord Wei, and studied the scriptures and methods of the Three Caverns. He also practiced breathing exercises, drawing in and swallowing rosy mists, and ingested white wood. On each Gengshen day, one of the days in the sexagenary cycle, he would often carry incense as he climbed the mountain to pay homage.

The Traditions of Louguan records: The Daoist Master Tian was named Shiwen. He entered the Dao at nineteen, took Master Wei as his teacher, and received the scriptures and methods of the Three Caverns (the Daoist Three Caverns canon and related techniques). He practiced Qi circulation, consumed the Qi of clouds and rosy mists, and also took white wood. On every Gengshen day, he would carry incense up a mountain to pay his respects. Once, during a Zhaijiao (purification ritual), several dates fell from the sky, each about two inches long and exceptionally sweet. When Master Tian was seventy-five, banners and fresh flowers came from the sky to welcome him. He then passed away and went to the Hall of Blessings in the Southern Palace.

Wang Qiao of the Han dynasty was an immortal who concealed his identity and served as county magistrate of Ye. At night he would go to the immortals’ palace for a gathering, then return at dawn to attend to government affairs; no one knew. One day, an attendant in the hall saw two wild ducks fly inside and struck them down with a broom handle, only to discover that they were Wang Qiao’s shoes. According to legend, Wang Qiao could transform his shoes into a pair of wild ducks and fly in them.

Ziyang’s Peach Bark, Gaoqiu’s Golden Elixir

The True Words says: Huang Ziyang studied the Dao on Mount Fuluo for more than ninety years, eating only peach bark and drinking yellow liquid that flowed from the stone. Later, he met Sima Jizhu, received immortal methods from him, and ultimately attained the Dao.

Gaoqiuzi entered Mount Lujing to study the Dao for five hundred and twenty years. He read only Daoist scriptures written on yellow silk, took medicines made from plants, and prepared the Hong Elixir; thus he became an earth-dwelling immortal. Two hundred years later, after taking Golden Elixir once, he ascended to the Great Clarity and became a Perfected One of Mount Zhong.

Lai Laizi’s Red Spring, Luoxia’s Night Fungus

The Biographies of the Immortals says: Kenlaizi became an immortal after drinking from a red spring; Lord Luoxia became an immortal after taking the Red Crow’s Night-Luminous Fungus, a legendary sacred mushroom.

Zhang Chang’s Asparagus Root, Feimeng’s Four Seasons Powder

Zhang Chang became an immortal and departed after taking asparagus root; Feimengzi, too, attained immortality after taking Four Seasons Powder, a medicinal formula.

Hanzi’s Love of Dogs, Muyun’s Child

The Biographies of the Immortals says: Hanzi was from Shu and loved dogs. A dog ran into a mountain cave…

The Biographies of the Immortals records: Hanzi was from Shu and enjoyed raising dogs. One day, his dog ran into a mountain cave, and Hanzi followed. They traveled for more than ten days, covering several hundred li, and at last emerged from the mountaintop. There they saw terraces and halls, government offices, and dense stands of green pines. An immortal scribe, an official who managed documents in the realm of the immortals, and some guards gave Hanzi a letter containing talismanic writing and asked him to deliver it to Lord Qiao, the magistrate of Chengdu. When Lord Qiao opened the letter, he found it filled with fish eggs and raised them in a pond. A year later, all the eggs had turned into dragons. Hanzi continued to travel with his dog between the immortal realm and the human world. After more than a hundred years, he went up the mountain and never returned.

Muyü’s mother often helped women give birth. Once, while a woman was in labor, she saw Muyü’s mother and burst out laughing. From then on, each night Muyü’s mother dreamed of a man wearing a tall hat and a white headcloth, guarding the child. He said, “This is the Lord of Destiny, who governs people’s lifespans and fates. He will make your son Muyü an immortal.” In time, she did indeed give birth to a son, whom she named Muyü. One night, a carriage and horses suddenly arrived to fetch him, and he departed with them to become an immortal.

Ma Yue Receives a Divine Visitation; Hou Kai Serves His Master

The Record of the Louguan Temple records: The Daoist master Ma was named Jian, with the courtesy name Yue. He had once studied under Lord Sun, learning the Five Talismans of True Script, the great characters of the Three Sovereigns, and other esoteric Daoist talismanic texts. He could summon various spirits and subdue demons and malign beings; his magical arts often took effect at once.

One day, a heavenly spirit suddenly descended and said to him, “Through your past accumulation of merit, your name has already been entered in the registers of immortals. Why continue praying and making petitions, or putting spirits to work?” Ma then hid away his secret arts and devoted himself to guarding the One, concentrating his spirit, and entering stillness. When he was ninety-eight, white clouds suddenly came flying from the northwest and entered his sleeping chamber. His disciples went to look, but saw only the clouds rising southward and gradually disappearing into the distance. They did not know where they had gone.

The Daoist master Hou was named Kai, with the courtesy name Faxian. At fourteen, he became a disciple of Chen Baochi and studied the true secrets of the Dao. Chen Baochi told him, “You carry scriptures and magical arts within you; you should enter the mountains to cultivate. Do not let the opportunity pass.” Hou Kai replied, “Although entering the mountains may lead to the marvelous methods of cultivation, leaving my master would be a grave failing. I wish to serve you always.” It was not until he was fifty-two that he began to complete his cultivation. In response, a numinous spring welled up with sweet liquid, and unusual trees were enveloped in mist. At eighty-six, he departed to become an immortal.

The Mother First; Birds Gather; Chen Baochi Follows the Tiger

The female master Mu was named Shixian. At eleven, she became a disciple of Master Niu and studied the Dao. Worthy men inside and outside the court admired her virtue. After receiving offerings from her followers, she would often quietly seek out impoverished elders and give them money and goods, without revealing her name. In winter, she also often cleared a plot of land one mu in size, scattered grain across it, and fed the birds. Flocks of birds would fly in and gather in the courtyard.

Chen, whose courtesy name was Baochi, was skilled at playing the qin and at go by the age of twenty-one. He first studied the Dao under Master Wang, then went to Huayin and became a disciple of Master Lu Jingzhen, learning the mysterious and hidden Dao. During his morning prostrations, a white tiger would always follow tamely at his side as he came and went. Later, a group of tigers would come and strike trees to warn evildoers; even when fierce tigers appeared, they would strike trees as a warning. People at the time called that tree the “Tiger-Warning Tree.”

Liang Chen, whose courtesy name was Kaocheng, became a disciple of Master Zheng and studied the Dao at seventeen. As he walked, he kept his eyes on the ground, afraid of stepping on and harming living things. If a bird or beast blocked his way, he would always leave the road to go around it. At the age of seventy-seven, he suddenly saw clouds enveloping the woods, then leapt into them and departed.

Sun Che, whose courtesy name was Zhongxuan, became a disciple of Master Wang at eighteen. At times he slept inside a hollow tree; at other times he sat alone in a quiet room, using kudzu vines to weave a mat. When people came to ask him about their affairs, he could judge good or ill fortune simply by studying their expressions, without needing to hear what they had to say. At seventy, he suddenly told his disciples, “I must go out for a while.” Then he brushed off his robe and left; no one knew where he went. His fellow cultivators missed him, so they placed his kudzu mat in a quiet room. People often heard voices speaking beside it. When his friends heard of this, they also received a share of the mat.

Master Wang, whose courtesy name was Daoyi, devoted himself to cultivation. His thoughts and spirit rose beyond the world of dust, while his mind remained centered beneath the Pillar of the Elixir Field. He rebuilt a Daoist monastery and opened the Gate of the Mysterious Way. Through his sincere devotion to the Dao, he repeatedly received efficacious responses.

Heavenly grain descended upon the land of Lu, and the storehouses filled of their own accord. Whatever was taken out was replenished, and the supply was never exhausted. Master Wang often gave these provisions to others and used them to build up merit. The poor and sick, both near and far, all benefited from his generosity.

When he was sixty-three, a white deer suddenly entered his courtyard one day, appearing and disappearing from sight. After this, he transformed and became an immortal.

Yin Tong, whose courtesy name was Lingjian, became a disciple of Master Ma at the age of twenty-six and received the Daoist teachings. He took huangjing and tiandong, and also consumed realgar pills. People of every kind admired his virtue and came to visit; carriages and horses arrived one after another. Daoists and laypeople alike respected his lofty character, and visitors never ceased. Those who had benefited from him repaid him with generous gifts, but Yin Tong used them all to build up merit and relieve the hungry and cold. He never kept anything for himself. He became an immortal at the age of one hundred and one, and divine lamps often illuminated his room.

The Immortal Chen of Penglai and Qihui of Mount Taibai

The Record of Daoist Learning states: “Immortal Chen was an immortal of Penglai. He took such substances as cimu stone, yin zhe tong, and qianniu er. Twelve disciples learned his methods of cultivation, and in the end they all became immortals and departed.”

The Record of the Louguan Monastery states: “Master Qi was named Hui, with the courtesy name Pingding. When Emperor Gaozu of Tang pacified the realm in the early years of his reign, Qi and eighty Daoist priests rendered service to the state. He was therefore granted the title of Grand Master of Splendid Happiness with Gold and Purple Insignia, while the other Daoists received official ranks marked by silver and blue-green. Later, Master Qi performed a jiao ritual for the state. Yellow clouds appeared above the altar and mingled with the incense smoke; then two white deer called out and departed. He said to his disciples, ‘The immortal scriptures say that anyone who wishes to become an immortal must enter Mount Taibai.’ He then climbed Mount Taibai with his disciples, intent on transcending the world of dust and seeking the Dao of immortality.”

Pearls Strung Together from the Garden of Immortals, juan 2

Written by Wang Songnian, a Daoist of Mount Tiantai

How wondrous is Boshan; how sorrowful is his niece

(A passage of praise in the original, expressing wonder at Boshan and sorrow for his niece.)

Marvelous indeed, Bo Shan; how sad, his niece.

The Biographies of Immortals records that Bo Shanfu entered Mount Hua, devoted himself to cultivation, and took medicinal substances, thereby attaining long life and never aging. Later, he returned to his hometown and found his niece old and often ill, so he gave her medicine. After taking it, she regained her youth at the age of seventy, her face like peach blossoms.

A Han-dynasty envoy saw a woman whipping an old man, who knelt and endured the blows. Finding this strange, the envoy went over to ask what was happening. The woman said, “This is my son. Long ago, his maternal uncle Bo Shanfu gave him medicine, but he refused to take it. Now he is old and cannot even walk as well as I can, so I beat him.” When the envoy asked her age, she replied, “I am one hundred and forty, and my son is already eighty-seven.”

Liu Gang sets a fire; Fan’s wife stops the rain.

Liu Gang was magistrate of Shangyu County. He and his wife, Lady Fan, had both achieved mastery in the Dao. Sitting together on a bed, Liu Gang performed a spell that made fire burn from the eastern side of the house. Lady Fan, in turn, performed a spell that brought rain down from the west, and the fire was eventually extinguished.

The Holy Mother escapes prison; Kong Yuan lives beside the water.

The Holy Mother of Dongling was Du’s wife. She learned Liu Gang’s arts and could make her body vanish instantly while sitting. Du did not believe she possessed this ability. Instead, he falsely accused her of having an affair and had her sent to the authorities’ prison. As soon as the Holy Mother entered the prison, she flew out through a window, rose into the clouds, and departed.

Kong Yuan regularly took pine resin, poria, and pine nuts. The older he grew, the younger and stronger his body seemed; he was already more than one hundred and seventy years old. Once, when people invited him to join them for wine, he planted his staff on the ground, stood upside down, and drank from his cup with his head lowered. No one else could do it. He also once cut into a bank beside the water and dug out a cave more than ten feet across, where he lived without food or drink, sometimes remaining inside for a month or two before emerging. Later, he entered the Western Peak to cultivate the Dao and eventually attained the Dao.

She Zheng’s penetrating gaze; Wang Lie’s stone marrow.

She Zheng, courtesy name Xuanzhen, was from Badong. When he spoke of events from the time of the First Emperor of Qin, it was as though he had witnessed them himself. He often kept his eyes closed, even while walking. His disciples followed him for decades and never saw him open his eyes. One disciple stubbornly pleaded with him to do so. She Zheng opened his eyes with a thunderous sound; light flashed from them like lightning, and the disciples were so frightened that they all fell prostrate on the ground. Li Baibai called him “the four-hundred-year-old child.”

Wang Lie, courtesy name Changxiu, was from Handan. He regularly took huangjing, a Daoist longevity herb, and also refined lead. He lived to the age of 238, yet still looked young, and climbed mountains as swiftly as if he were flying. In his youth, he had been a scholar and was friends with Ji Shuye—that is, Ji Kang, whose courtesy name was Shuye.

Wang Lie once entered the Taihang Mountains. Hearing the sound of the mountainside splitting apart, he went to investigate. He saw a fissure hundreds of feet wide, from which a blue, mudlike substance flowed out, resembling marrow. He gathered some and kneaded it; in moments it solidified into stone, shaped like freshly melted wax. It tasted like polished rice. The Immortals’ Scripture says: “A numinous mountain opens once every five hundred years. Within it is mountain marrow. Whoever obtains and takes it can live as long as Heaven and Earth.”

Jiao Xian kept company with firewood, while Sun Deng lived in a mountain cave.

Jiao Xian, whose courtesy name was Xiaoran, was from Hedong. He often ate white stones and shared them with others. Once boiled, the stones became soft like taro. Every day he chopped firewood and gave it away. Even in winter, he wore only a single layer of clothing. Once, the thatched hut where he lived caught fire, but he sat without moving. After the hut had burned down, his clothes were not even scorched. During a heavy snowfall, many houses collapsed under the weight of the snow. People went to look for him but could not find his hut. They joined forces to lift the hut and found him lying beneath the snow, breathing as steadily as if he were indoors. Jiao Xian sometimes appeared old and sometimes young. He lived for two hundred years. Later, he bade farewell to the people, and no one knew where he went.

Sun Deng lived in the mountains, where he dug a cave for shelter. He enjoyed playing the qin and reading the Book of Changes (Zhouyi). In both winter and summer, he wore only a single layer of clothing. When the weather was bitterly cold, he covered his body with his hair, which was more than ten feet long. At times he begged in the marketplace, then immediately gave the money he received to the poor. He once remarked of Ji Shuye (that is, Ji Kang): “His talents far surpass those of ordinary people, but his understanding of how to preserve himself is insufficient.” Sometimes he played music using just one string of his qin. Later, no one knew what became of him.

Ge You, Mount Suishan, Wang Zhen, and Mount Nüji

The Biographies of Immortals records: Ge You was a Qiang man who, during the reign of King Cheng of Zhou, enjoyed carving wooden sheep and selling them. One day, he rode a sheep into Shu and climbed Mount Suishan. The lords and nobles who followed him up the mountain never returned. It is said they all became immortals.

The Biographies of the Divine Immortals records: Wang Zhen, a native of Shangdang, had studied the Dao for thirty years by the age of seventy-nine. He looked young and handsome, and even walking at an easy pace, he could catch up with a galloping horse. When Emperor Wu of Wei met him, Wang Zhen appeared to be about thirty. He taught You Yuanjie the method of refining elixirs by steaming. People in his home district reckoned that Wang Zhen was already more than four hundred years old. Later, he left with three young concubines, climbing Mount Nüji.

Le Ba, who sprayed wine, and Yin, who bestowed gold

The Biographies of the Divine Immortals records: Le Ba was from Shu. When people saw him, he appeared to be about thirty. He taught You Yuanjie the method of refining elixirs by steaming. People in his home district reckoned that Wang Zhen was already more than four hundred years old. Later, he left with three young concubines, climbing Mount Nüji.

Le Ba, who sprayed wine, and Yin, who bestowed gold.

The Traditions of the Divine Immortals records: Le Ba was a native of Shu. The governor appointed him as a gongcao, an official who assisted with administrative affairs, and also took him as his teacher. When the governor asked him to display his arts, Le Ba sat upright and passed through a wall, then emerged on the other side. The governor sent people to find a tiger. When it returned, it had turned into Le Ba.

Later, Le Ba was appointed governor of Yuzhang. There was a local shrine whose deity could speak with people. After arriving, Le Ba investigated the origins of the shrine deity, who was worshipped as a god of the land and grain. The deity then departed for Qi, where he became a scholar. The local governor married his daughter to him, and they had a son. Le Ba went to Qi and cast a talisman at the scholar, who promptly turned into a wildcat.

Later, the imperial court summoned Le Ba to serve as a secretary in the Department of State Affairs. On the first day of the first lunar month, the emperor held a banquet, and the officials drank wine. Le Ba held a mouthful of wine, stood up, and sprayed it toward the southwest. He reported, “There is a fire in my hometown of Chengdu, so I am sending rain to put it out.” The emperor sent a courier to investigate. Chengdu reported that a fire had indeed broken out on the first day of the first month. At breakfast, rain had come from the northeast and extinguished the flames; every drop that fell smelled of wine.

Yin Changsheng was from Xinye. When he heard that Ma Mingsheng had attained the Dao, he took him as his teacher and served him for more than ten years with the deference of a servant. Ma Mingsheng then took him into Qingtian Mountain and taught him the art of refining the Taiping Elixir, a Daoist alchemical medicine. Once the elixir was complete, Yin Changsheng took half a dose and became one with the Way of Heaven. He used the remaining half to boil yellow earth and refine several thousand jin of gold, which he gave to the poor and sick throughout the land. He lived among people for 170 years, yet still looked like a young woman. He wrote nine chapters of the Elixir Classic and later ascended to Heaven in broad daylight.

Zixun rode a blue mule; Qin Gao rode a red carp.

Ji Zixun was from the land of Qi. No one knew what arts of the Dao he practiced. He was honest and humble in his dealings, and though he lived for more than two hundred years, his appearance showed no sign of age.

A local scholar was once going to the capital. High-ranking officials at court all wanted to meet Ji Zixun, so they asked the scholar to pass on their messages. Ji agreed to them all. The scholar returned from the capital after traveling a thousand li. On the appointed day, Ji Zixun appeared at the gates of twenty-three households at once. Each household said that he had indeed visited, and their accounts were exactly the same. The officials tried to keep him there, but he rode out beyond the city on a blue-gray mule. Someone pursued him on a fast horse, but remained half a li behind him the whole way.

The Traditions of Immortals records that Qin Gao was from the land of Zhao and was skilled at playing the qin. He had once served as a retainer to King Kang of Song. He practiced the methods of nourishing life associated with figures such as Juanzi and Peng Zu. More than two hundred years later, he arranged to meet his disciples in the waters of Zhuo Commandery. He then rode away to become an immortal on the back of a red carp.

Hu Gong sold medicine in the marketplace. Fei Changfang had once served as a market clerk, an official who managed its affairs.

The Traditions of Divine Immortals records: No one knew what Yi Gong’s original name was. When Fei Changfang, a native of Runan, served as a minor official overseeing market affairs, he often saw Yi Gong come to sell medicine. He charged the same price to everyone, rich or poor, and his medicine cured all kinds of illnesses. He gave away all the tens of thousands of coins he earned from selling it to help the poor and those suffering from the cold.

Yi Gong often hung an empty pot in front of his seat. After sunset, he would leap inside it. No one saw this happen except Fei Changfang, who watched from upstairs. Realizing Yi Gong was no ordinary person, Fei began sweeping and sprinkling water each day, bowing to him and bringing him food. Yi Gong accepted the food but never thanked him. This continued for a long time, and Fei never let up.

One day, Yi Gong suddenly said to him, “Come after dark.” Fei did as he was told. Yi Gong said, “When you see me leap into the pot, follow me inside.” Fei entered and saw five-colored towers and gates rising one above another. Inside, the sun and moon shone brightly, and there were many attendants. Yi Gong told him, “I am an immortal. I let you see me because you are worthy of instruction.”

Fei followed Yi Gong and studied with him, but he could not endure three trials. Yi Gong told him, “You cannot attain the Way of the immortals. I can only appoint you as an officiant.” He gave Fei a bamboo staff and sent him home. Fei returned as if flying through the air, then threw the staff into Ge Marsh. From then on, he drove away evil spirits for others and relieved disasters caused by floods and droughts; every request he made was answered.

Dong Feng brought Shi Xie back to life, and Liu Gen was able to see ghosts.

Dong Feng, whose courtesy name was Junyi, was from Houguan County. At the time, Shi Xie was serving as governor of Jiaozhou. He had been dead for three days when Dong Feng arrived in the south-central region and placed three pills of medicine in Shi Xie’s mouth. A short while later, Shi Xie came back to life.

Dong Feng, whose courtesy name was Junyi, was from Houguan County. At the time, Shi Xie served as governor of Jiaozhou. Three days after Shi Xie died, Dong Feng came to the southern region and placed three pills of medicine in his mouth. A short while later, Shi Xie came back to life, and within half a day he was able to sit up. He said that when he died, it felt like a dream: he saw dozens of men dressed in black take him through a great pearl gate and hand him over to a prison official. He was then led into a room whose exterior was sealed with earth, so that no light could be seen. Suddenly, he heard someone say, “The envoy of Taiyi—the Daoist deity—summons Shi Xie.” Next he heard the sound of digging. He was led outside and onto a carriage, and then he awoke. Dong Feng stayed for a year, pretending to be ill and giving the impression that he had died. Later he went to Mount Lu and planted tens of thousands of apricot trees. After living among people for a hundred years, he ascended to Heaven in broad daylight.

Liu Gen, whose courtesy name was Jun’an, was from Jingzhao. As a young man, he studied the Dao and went to practice in a stone chamber on Mount Song. Though he had no clothes in winter, green hair one or two feet long grew over his body. Later, when a certain Gao took office as governor of Yingchuan, a severe epidemic broke out in the region, killing more than half the population. The governor sent someone to ask Liu Gen how to dispel it. Liu Gen had them dig a hole in an open space in the direction of Tai Sui and bury cinnabar Fulu (talismans and registers) there. The epidemic soon subsided.

Later, Zhang, a local official, took office. He believed Liu Gen was a sorcerer and sent for him, intending to humiliate him in public. He asked Liu Gen, “You have Daoist arts. Can you make people see ghosts?” Liu Gen replied, “I can.” He then asked for a brush, inkstone, and memorial tablet—a wooden board used for writing memorials. After drawing a talisman, he struck the desk. At once, a metallic clang sounded from the desk. Then they heard four or five hundred people shouting for the way to be cleared as they escorted a carriage to the hall. Inside the carriage were Zhang’s parents. They rebuked their son for offending an immortal, saying that because of him they had suffered humiliation and confinement. After Zhang bowed his head and confessed his fault, the two suddenly vanished. Later, Liu Gen lived at Maogong Altar on Mount Dongting, where green hair covered his body.

Song Lun practiced the Six Jia arts; Du Chong practiced the Nine Flowers arts.

The Traditions of Mount Louguan records: Song Lun, whose courtesy name was Dexuan, began studying the Dao at the age of twenty-two, during the reign of King Li of Zhou. He recited the Five Thousand Words (another name for the Dao De Jing), took huangjing and white wood, and practiced for twenty years. In response to his cultivation, the Lord Lao appeared and taught him Daoist methods and talismans, including the Six Jia of Spiritual Flight and the Cinnabar Talisman of Plain Memorials. Following these methods, Song Lun could communicate with the spirits, and his efficacy was wondrous; nothing he said failed to come true. He could climb mountain crags and stride onward, traveling three thousand li in a day. Even across surging waters and rugged terrain, he needed neither ferry crossings nor roads. In his nineties, during the reign of King Jing, he ascended to immortality and became the official in charge beneath Mount Song.

Du Chong, whose courtesy name was Xuanyi, began studying the Dao and seeking truth at the age of twenty-five. He quieted his mind and guarded the One, a method of cultivation that concentrates the spirit single-mindedly. After more than twenty years of practice, the Perfected One Zhan appeared and taught him the Ninefold Radiance Cinnabar formula. Zhan told him, “Lord Lao and Perfected Yin have summoned the Great Thearch and the assembled immortals to Mount Bating in the Eastern Sea. Because the Earthly Office commended you, its disciple, for your diligence, I was ordered to pass this immortal formula on to you.” After Du Chong took the elixir, his body shone with a jade-like radiance. During the reign of King Mu of Zhou, at the age of one hundred and twenty, he received a written appointment and became a Perfected One of the Supreme Ultimate.

Dao Lian cherished palm leaves; Yao Tan treasured silver blossoms.

When Dao-lian, King of the Jurchens, was seven years old, he already knew to offer fragrant oil bought at the market to the gods. He ate sweet vegetables, kept a vegetarian diet, and wore no silk or brightly colored clothes. He received the Three Caverns scriptures, important texts of Daoism, and recited and studied them day and night. At first, he went to Long Mountain to build a Daoist temple called “Mysterious Radiance.” There were three altars there, where divine beings seemed to appear.

Later, a tree suddenly grew to the southeast of the altars. Its crown spread like a canopy, and its branches and leaves shaded one of the altars. Its five leaves grew in pairs, facing one another. No one at the time recognized the tree, so they called it “beiye.” A jade casket also descended onto the altar and shone with light. After Dao-lian had recited the scriptures ten thousand times, a cloud chariot came to welcome him. Thunder roared, fierce winds blew, and fragrance filled the air.

The “Record of the Louguan Temple” says: Yao Tan, whose courtesy name was Yuantai, was from Pingyang. At the age of nineteen, during the reign of King Ping, he began studying the Dao and lectured on the “Five Thousand Words,” another name for the “Classic of the Dao and Its Virtue.” Once, as a violent wind terrified people and rocks tumbled down the mountain, he stood before an opening in the mountainside without fear. He took refined pine resin, and later a divine being taught him the “Way of Returning the Body through Mysterious White” and the “Scripture of the Three Diagrams for Flying through the Gate of Heaven.” After practicing these methods, divine light appeared in his eyes; when he opened them, they shone like lightning. He lived to the age of two hundred and ten. In the fifth month of the Jian reign, the sky grew dark with wind and rain, and thunder and lightning filled the air. Silvery flower petals fell from the sky and covered the ground. Yao Tan received Daoist books as a reward and was granted the title “Perfected One of Mysterious Isles.”

Lü Shang Took Earth Marrow; Wang Zhu Took Divine Cinnabar

The “Biographies of Immortals” says: To escape the turmoil caused by King Zhou of Shang, Lü Shang secluded himself in Liaodong. Later, he traveled to Zhou and fished at Fan Creek. He often took immortal medicines such as marsh fungus and earth marrow. He died at the age of two hundred. When he was buried, his coffin contained no body, only six sections of the “Jade Bell.”

Wang Zhu climbed Mount Yan with a Daoist. The Daoist said that cinnabar could be found there, and that tens of thousands of jin could be gathered. When the local official learned of it, he sealed the cinnabar away. Yet it flew out like fire, and only then did the official allow them to collect it. Wang Zhu and the county magistrate Zhang Junming took the cinnabar together for three years and obtained divine cinnabar that could scatter like snow. After taking it for five years, they could fly, and ultimately they ascended together to become immortals.

The Biographies of Immortals records: Mr. Fuju often carried on his back the wooden frame used for polishing mirrors. At the markets in the state of Wu, he polished mirrors for people and charged only one coin. He would also ask customers whether they were ill, then take out purple pills and give them to those who were. Everyone who took one recovered. Over the years, more than ten thousand people were cured by his medicine, yet he never accepted payment. Only then did people realize that he was an immortal.

Later, Mr. Fuju climbed the sheer cliffs of Mount Wu. He hung medicines from the cliffside for people to take and told them, “I am returning to Peng Mountain to fetch divine water for you.” One day, water did indeed stream down from above the cliff. Many people drank it and recovered from their illnesses.

Fu Xian often lived in Ju and traveled along the coast. Once, he came upon three immortals playing with melons. They asked him to take several dozen yellow and white melons and told him to close his eyes. After a long while, he found himself on Mount Fangzhang, south of Mount Penglai. When he later returned to Ju, he often went to Mount Fangzhang to gather treasures and pearls, then sent them down from the air to sell. People had no idea how he traveled back and forth.

Zhuyao Gathers Birds; Xuansu Descends with Snakes

Mr. Zhuyao was from Luoyang and lived at the foot of Mount Bishi in Shixiang. He raised hawks for more than a hundred years. Each hawk had a name, and he had over a thousand of them. In the evening he shut them in a tower; by day he let them fly free. Whichever one he called would fly to him at once. He sold hawks and their young for a fortune, then left with all the money. Later, he climbed Mount Wu, where hundreds of white cranes and peacocks would often settle beside him.

Xuansu said he was from Hejian. He regularly took quartz and sold medicine at the market, charging one coin for seven pills. He claimed they could cure every kind of illness. When the king of Hejian fell ill, he took the medicine and passed more than ten snakes; his illness was cured. Some people said Xuansu cast no shadow. The king had him stand in the sunlight to check, and indeed no shadow appeared. The king gave him his daughter in marriage, but Xuansu left in the middle of the night. No one knew where he went after that.

Lu Tong Plants Fruit; Wenbin and the Chrysanthemum

These two lines are a chapter heading, linking Lu Tong with “planting fruit” and Wenbin with the chrysanthemum. The text that follows continues the account of Xuansu’s medicine and its healing powers: after taking it, the king of Hejian passed more than ten snakes and recovered. People also said Xuansu had no shadow; the king confirmed this in the sunlight and then gave him his daughter in marriage. Xuansu left in the middle of the night and disappeared without a trace.

Lu Tong Plants Fruit Trees in the Mountains; Wen Bin Takes Chrysanthemums

Lu Tong was the hermit Jieyu of the state of Chu. He enjoyed cultivating body and mind, eating peaches and the fruit he grew himself, and traveling among famous mountains throughout the land. For generations, people said they had seen him on Mount Emei in Shu. He lived for several hundred years and later disappeared without a trace.

Wen Bin was from Taiqiu Township and made his living selling shoes. He often married, then abandoned each wife after more than ten years. Later, he met a woman over ninety years old and told her to take chrysanthemums, Kochia seeds, mulberry mistletoe, and bitter orange seeds. She followed his advice, and her body regained the strength and vigor of youth.

Ziyang Climbs Mountains in Search of the Dao; Qingling Meets an Immortal and Receives a Formula

The “Biography of Perfected Ziyang, Lord Zhou” says: Lord Zhou’s courtesy name was Jitong, and he was the seventh-generation descendant of Zhou Bo. At sixteen, he became a disciple of Lord Su and studied Daoist methods. He later traveled throughout the land, climbing and exploring every famous mountain he encountered. Eventually, he attained the Dao and received scriptures. He was invested as Perfected Ziyang and took his place in the Highest Clarity (the exalted celestial realm revered in Daoism).

The “Biography of Perfected Qingling, Lord Pei” says: Lord Pei’s courtesy name was Xuanren. At twelve, he met the Daoist Zhi Ziyuan, who transmitted five essential formulas to him. Pei practiced according to the instructions. Five years later, he was able to behold the essence of the sun and moon, and the Five Planets descended into his chamber. He received scriptures and became Perfected Qingling, taking his place in the Highest Clarity.

Daoyu Receives Immortal Poems; Lord Yang Obtains an Immortal Date

The Zhen’gao (a Daoist text recording revelations bestowed by deities of the Shangqing tradition) says: Yang Quan, whose courtesy name was Daoyu, was visited by the immortal woman E Lü Hua. She gave him several poems, along with a towel made of cloth washed with fire and a golden jade tiaotuo (a ring-shaped bracelet ornament). E Lü Hua said that she was Luo Yu of the Jiuyi Mountains. Because of a transgression in a previous life, she had been banished to the human world, where she had already lived for nine hundred years.

Lord Yang’s personal name was Xi. He had once served as a retainer in the residence of the chancellor to Emperor Jianwen of Jin. He abandoned his office and went to Mount Mao to study the Dao. The Lady of Purple Tenuity, Jiuhua Anfei, descended and gave him poems and a date. In the twelfth year of the Taiyuan era, he rode clouds and dragons and ascended to heaven in broad daylight. He received scriptures and became Attendant of the Imperial Dawn and Senior Assistant Director of Fate in the Eastern Florescence. He governed the spirits and people of the Wu and Yue regions.

The Louguan zhuan records that Jiao Kuang, a Daoist priest of Wengshan, whose courtesy name was Dadu, was deeply respected by Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou and appointed his imperial preceptor. When he built a Daoist temple at Huayin, earth welled up among the mountain rocks, providing an inexhaustible supply of building material. He stored oil in a stone urn; whenever it was used up, the urn filled itself again. Whenever visitors came from outside, two blue-black birds often appeared to announce their arrival. Mountain spirits protected him, while fierce beasts stood guard before his gate.

The text also records a Master of the Dao named Zhang, whose courtesy name was Changwen. At the age of seven, he was already studying the Daode Jing (Scripture of the Dao and De).