《北游记》

During the reign of Emperor Yang of the Sui dynasty, the Jade Emperor issued an edict to hold a banquet at the Doushuai Palace in the Thirty-Three Heavens. He summoned the Celestial Lords Fu, Zhang, Xu, Li, and Ge, along with the other Celestial Lords. They arrived in turn and, after paying their respects, the Jade Emperor said, “I have occupied the imperial throne for five hundred kalpas, laboring day and night. Looking carefully at my own heavenly realm, I find it is not even one ten-thousandth as good as the Western realm. I have summoned you today to find a way to open a road to the West, escape the kalpas, and hear the Buddha expound the Dharma. If we can achieve this, I will have nothing left to worry about. But I cannot make the journey myself, so I hope you will devise a plan for me. If it succeeds, the credit will be yours.”

The perfected lords replied, “A mortal must cultivate the Way and become an immortal over seven lifetimes, never breaking the precepts, to become someone like Your Majesty. To cultivate the Way in the world for nine lifetimes, one must first break the precepts before turning toward the West. Your Majesty originally cultivated the immortal Way, so how could you enter the Western realm? To escape birth and death, you must leave ordinary life and become a renunciant; only then might you become a Buddha. Otherwise, it cannot be done.”

Hearing this, the Jade Emperor could not help sighing deeply, and began to consider being reborn in the human world. Suddenly, he saw across from him a tree of golden flowers, shining brightly, with what seemed to be golden blossoms opening among its branches. He asked, “What is that sparkling, captivating light ahead?”

Celestial Lord Ge stepped forward and reported, “It is nothing other than a tree of golden flowers in the home of Celestial Lord Liu, beyond the nine heavens of the Southern Xun Palace. It is called the Heaven-Reaching Tree. It can gather all kinds of treasures; now the light of those treasures is rising, which is why its golden radiance shines so brightly.”

On hearing this, the Jade Emperor immediately summoned the Southern Fire Virtue Lord and ordered him to go to Celestial Lord Liu’s home and request the Heaven-Reaching Tree. The officials withdrew from the court. After thanking the Jade Emperor, the stellar lords departed and went straight to Celestial Lord Liu’s home in the Southern Xun Palace to ask for the tree.

Liu Tianjun was sitting at home when a messenger suddenly arrived. He invited him to sit down and asked, “Honored messenger, what brings you here?”

The messenger replied, “During a banquet, the august ruler suddenly saw a precious tree at your residence, shining with light. He took a great liking to it and ordered me to build a residence there and take the tree away.”

Liu Tianjun said, “If the august ruler wants this tree, how could I dare disobey? But the tree has been passed down in my family for generations, and seven treasures often emerge from within it. If it is moved, I fear the seven treasures will be lost, the tree will cease to shine, and it may even stop producing treasures. Then the tree will be of no use. Please report this to the Jade Emperor, so that moving it does not end up destroying the treasure.”

After hearing this, the messenger took his leave and returned to report what had happened to the Jade Emperor. When the Jade Emperor heard the account, he was furious. “I am the ruler of the celestial realm, yet I am surpassed by a wondrous tree in Liu Tianjun’s home, one that produces seven treasures and shines brilliantly!”

He then asked his ministers, “How can I enjoy this tree whenever I wish?” They answered, “Only the descendants of Liu Tianjun’s family can tend and enjoy this tree.”

On hearing this, the Jade Emperor suddenly sighed. “If only I could become one of his descendants and enjoy this treasure. Then I would be completely content.” The ministers were shocked. Stepping forward, they reported, “A sage cannot speak carelessly. Since Your Majesty has said this, you must change your status and be reborn through reincarnation.”

The Jade Emperor thought only of the tree that reached to Heaven, and gave no thought to the hardships of descending into the world through birth. He agreed: “Let it be as you say. But once I have left, who will govern the Heavenly Court?”

The ministers replied, “Your Majesty has three souls. You can appoint one of them to take form and be born into the world.” When the Jade Emperor heard that one of his souls would have to be sent down for rebirth, tears fell from his eyes. The ministers added, “Since Your Majesty has said this yourself, how can you go back on your word? Without trust, one cannot establish oneself. Please issue the decree at once.”

The Jade Emperor asked, “If I appoint one soul to take form and be born today, when will it be able to return?” The ministers replied, “When its merit is complete, it can resume its former status.”

The Jade Emperor had no choice but to appoint one soul to take form. Each minister released a ray of golden light, sending that soul to be reborn in Liu Tianjun’s household. What happened afterward will be told another time.

While Liu Tianjun, a divine general of the heavenly realm, and Princess Honglian were enjoying the garden behind their home, they suddenly saw a beam of golden light descend from the sky. Accompanying it were the Four Heavenly Kings, the Eight Great Vajras, and nine azure dragons. They carried a golden tray bearing an infant and brought it into the garden.

The princess asked Liu Tianjun, “What is this?” He replied, “Perhaps someone of noble standing has met with misfortune and is about to be reborn. We, as husband and wife, should pay our respects.” The princess followed her husband’s words. She lit some fine incense, and together they bowed in reverence. The golden light slowly drew closer and entered the princess’s arms. Overjoyed, Liu Tianjun bowed toward the sky in gratitude.

Before a month had passed, Princess Honglian was pregnant. When she told Liu Tianjun, he said happily, “Now that you are with child, the baby in your womb must be someone of great distinction.” Time flew by, and a year passed in the blink of an eye. On the ninth day of the ninth month in the third year of the Yuanhuang era, the room filled with an unusual fragrance. The princess was suddenly overcome by severe labor pains and gave birth to a boy. Clouds and mist gathered from all directions, obscuring the surroundings. A maid came out to tell Liu Tianjun the happy news. He was delighted and named the child Liu Changsheng.

Time passed swiftly, and another three years went by. One day, Liu Changsheng asked his parents, “Does our family have any treasures?”

Three years later, Changsheng asked his parents one day, “Does our family have any treasures?” They replied, “In our garden there is a Heaven-Reaching Tree, a miraculous treasure tree so tall that it seems to reach into the clouds. It shines with brilliant rays and sends up purple Qi, and it can produce seven kinds of treasure. Several years ago, the Jade Emperor took a liking to it and came in person to ask for it, but we did not give it to him.” Changsheng said, “Since we have such a treasure, I would like to see it.” Liu Tianjun did not stop him and took him to the garden. Once inside, Changsheng saw the tree: its light pierced the sky, and purple dew rose into the clouds. Delighted, he began burning incense beneath it each day and making offerings to the Heaven-Reaching Tree.

The tree was in fact the dwelling place of the Tathagatas of Many Treasures, Victorious Treasure, Wondrous Form, Universal Victory, Free from Defilement, King of Nectar, and Immeasurable Life. These seven Tathagatas—a Buddhist honorific—were the reason the tree displayed such miraculous auspicious signs. When they saw that the Jade Emperor had been reborn here and was offering them such reverent worship, they felt unworthy of accepting it. After conferring, they departed.

One day, Changsheng returned to the garden to make offerings and found that the tree’s bark and leaves had nearly withered. Not a trace of light remained. Greatly alarmed, he watched it closely for a long time, then said to himself, “Yesterday, there were still treasures in the tree. Why have they all disappeared today? There must be a reason. I’ll come back tomorrow and see whether they are still here.” With that, he left the garden.

The Seven Jewel Tathagatas (the seven Tathagatas) did not know why the Jade Emperor had come there. Seeing how diligently he made offerings to them morning and night, they discussed the matter and went together to the Hall of the Three Pure Ones, where they asked the Three Pure Ones (the three supreme deities revered in Daoism) about the Jade Emperor’s purpose.

When they arrived at the hall, everyone paid their respects. Then the seven Tathagatas said, “The seven of us have lived here for hundreds of kalpas—that is, an immensely long time, in Buddhist terminology. We do not know why the Jade Emperor was born in this place and makes offerings to us so sincerely every day. We dare not accept them, so we left the Tree That Reaches the Heavens and came especially to this sacred hall to ask: What, exactly, has brought the Jade Emperor here?”

The Three Pure Ones sighed. “If I did not tell you, you truly would not know. One day, the Jade Emperor was hosting a banquet for his ministers. He saw a golden light shining across from him, but did not know that it was the radiance manifested by the seven of you. He asked about it, and his ministers reported that it came from the Tree That Reaches the Heavens in Lord Liu’s household. Seeing the precious light blaze from the tree, the Jade Emperor grew greedy. He sent people to take it, but they failed. Then he asked his ministers, ‘I like this tree very much. Since I cannot simply take it, how can I get it?’ They replied, ‘You can get the tree only by becoming one of his descendants.’ Even then, the Jade Emperor could not let the matter go. He suddenly sighed, ‘If I could be born as one of his descendants and enjoy this tree, I would be content.’

“The ministers were astonished to hear this and petitioned for the Jade Emperor to be born there. With no choice, he separated off one of his souls, formed it into a body, and was born into Lord Liu’s household. The Jade Emperor you see now makes such lavish offerings to you because his former greed remains unresolved. Having entered the mortal world through greed, his sacred heart may be cut off from the Dao, making it difficult for him to return to the celestial realm. Even if that does not happen, his admiration for you could still lead to trouble and bring harm to you. The seven of you can send one of your number in the form of a Daoist to urge him to cultivate. Send another in Daoist form to keep watch beneath the Tree That Reaches the Heavens. When Changshengruo comes to make offerings, he will see that the tree has withered and lost its radiance, and will surely be angry. If he sees you beside it, he will accuse you of stealing its treasures and causing it to wither. When he comes to hold you to account, reveal your spiritual powers and guide him toward cultivation.”

After hearing this, the seven Tathagatas bowed farewell to the Three Pure Ones. One of them took the form of a Daoist and deliberately went to sit beneath the tree in the Liu family’s courtyard.

On the first day, Changsheng went to the rear garden and saw that the tree was close to withering. The precious radiance that had shone from it had vanished completely, and he felt deeply troubled. The next day, he returned to the garden and found the tree gradually drying up, without the slightest gleam. His anger grew. Suddenly, he saw a Daoist standing behind the tree. He went up, seized him, and demanded, “I’ve been wondering why this tree was dying and why the treasure had disappeared. So it was you, you wild Daoist, who stole it!”

The Daoist said nothing, only giving a faint, cold smile. Enraged, Changsheng took him into the hall for questioning. The Daoist still only smiled. When Changsheng saw that he would not answer, he beat him wildly with a stick. The stick broke, but the Daoist did not cry out in pain. Changsheng then struck him with a knife, which broke too. At once, the Daoist transformed into a golden light and rose into the sky. Greatly alarmed, Changsheng bowed toward the heavens and said, “I was blind and failed to recognize an immortal. I have offended your sacred person. Please forgive my transgression.”

The immortal replied, “I am no one else. I am the Seven Treasures Body that dwells within the tree in your home, and I often manifest the Seven Treasures from within it.” Changsheng asked, “Why did you use this tree to shine with light?” The immortal said, “There are seven of us brothers. Because the heavenly palace had no treasures, we borrowed the tree as our form and displayed our radiance across the Thirty-Three Heavens, the thirty-three levels of the heavens in Daoist belief, thereby demonstrating our spiritual powers.” Changsheng asked, “Why are you leaving now?” The Tathagatas replied, “In the past, the heavenly palace had no treasures, so we brothers displayed our spiritual powers. Now the palace has many treasures, and our powers are no longer valued. That is why we are leaving.”

Changsheng said, “Since the heavenly palace is rich in treasures, I hope you Tathagatas will take me with you.” They replied, “To reach the Heart of Heaven, the center of the heavens or an immortal realm, you must leave behind family ties and romantic attachments. If you still cling to them, you will find it difficult to make the journey.” Changsheng said, “If you venerable immortals do not disdain me, I will go and bid farewell to my parents, then ask you to take me there.” The Tathagatas agreed.

Changsheng went at once to the rear hall to bid his parents farewell, preparing to travel to the Thirty-Three Heavens. Celestial Master Liu and Princess Red Lotus pleaded with him to stay, but could not persuade him. Just then, within the Ninefold Heavens, a dark cloud suddenly drew near. A fierce wind sprang up and carried Changsheng out of the palace in its arms. When the cloud dispersed, Celestial Master Liu and his wife found that their child was gone, and they burst into tears.

The Tathagatas brought Changsheng out of the palace and led him to the Hall of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing) to pay his respects. They then told the Three Pure Ones what had happened. After Changsheng had greeted them, the Three Pure Ones invited him to rise and take a seat, then asked whether he knew who they were. Changsheng said he had never met them and did not recognize the venerable immortals. The Three Pure Ones smiled and asked whether he knew who he had been in a former life. Changsheng replied that he truly did not know and begged them to tell him. If he had a destined connection with the immortals, he said, he would remember it forever.

The Three Pure Ones told Changsheng to go to the rear hall and look into the Mirror of Heaven, a precious mirror that revealed one’s origins, to see who he was. When he looked, he saw the Jade Emperor reflected in it. Astonished, he came out and asked, “The mirror shows the Jade Emperor. Was I originally the Jade Emperor?” The Three Pure Ones confirmed that he was.

Changsheng then asked why, if he had been the Jade Emperor, he had left the ninefold heavens and been reborn beyond the heavens. The Three Pure Ones explained that Changsheng was a wisp of the Jade Emperor’s soul. In his previous life, he had seen the Seven Treasures Tree of Celestial Master Liu shining and had grown greedy for it. He had been willing to leave his immortal body to pursue the tree, and so had fallen beyond the ninefold heavens to satisfy that greed.

Changsheng asked how he could regain his true, original identity. The Three Pure Ones said it would not be difficult, but he would have to pursue cultivation with discipline and devote himself to learning the Dao before he could return to his origin. Changsheng asked where he should cultivate, since he was now in Heaven. The Three Pure Ones replied that there was no hardship in the celestial realm; if he wanted to regain his former state, he would have to go down to the mortal world and undergo trials. Changsheng worried about how an immortal embryo could be born into the human world. The Three Pure Ones said that if he was willing to cultivate diligently, they could use their powers to send him to Mount Penglai in the Middle Realm, the greatest mountain under Heaven. Changsheng then asked who would provide him with food and drink. They said that when he was hungry, he could eat green pine needles, and when thirsty, drink from clear springs.

Changsheng said that if cultivation could restore his original form, he was willing to follow their instructions. The Three Pure Ones took a branch of the Ruyi Flower from a sleeve and told Changsheng to close his eyes. Then one of them struck him with the flower, sending him to Mount Penglai in the Middle Realm.

One day, King Cheng’an of the Kingdom of Goge issued an edict summoning the civil officials Zhang Ming and Li Tao, along with the military officers Liu Feihu and Zheng Zheng and the rest of his officials. He ordered bows and arrows prepared, then set out with them for a tour and hunt on Mount Penglai. The officials accepted the edict, made ready, and accompanied the king.

Meanwhile, ever since Changsheng had been banished by the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), the three highest deities revered in Daoism, he had built a thatched hut on Mount Penglai and devoted himself to cultivation. He staved off hunger with green pine needles and quenched his thirst with spring water. Daring not to leave at will, he had practiced in the mountains for twenty years.

One day, as Changsheng sat in meditation, the king’s troops drove the mountain beasts before them, and the animals fled to his hut. Some knelt, some bowed their heads, and others cried out. Their faces showed terror and misery, as though they were begging Changsheng to save them. Though he had not seen the king chasing them, he understood that they had come to seek refuge. “Have you come here because disaster has befallen you, and you want me to save you?” he asked. The beasts nodded and cried out. Changsheng told them to hide behind his hut, and they hurried there at once.

Before long, King Cheng’an and his officials arrived. The king asked Changsheng whether he had seen the beasts. Changsheng sat upright and gave no answer. The king asked again, but he remained silent. Furious, the king ordered his soldiers to cut off Changsheng’s limbs. Changsheng only smiled faintly and still said nothing. The king, beside himself with rage, demanded, “Do you dare mock me because I cannot cut off your head?” He then ordered the soldiers to hack Changsheng to pieces.

In an instant, clouds and mist filled the sky. When they cleared, Changsheng had returned to his original form, his body whole as before. Astonished, the king clasped his hands and bowed. He said that, being merely mortal, he had failed to recognize a celestial immortal, and begged Changsheng to forgive his offense. He then invited Changsheng to return with him to court, declaring that he was willing to dismiss his officials and follow Changsheng into the mountains to cultivate.

Changsheng sighed. “Your Majesty was already an immortal. Why, then, seek the Dao?” The king pleaded with him repeatedly, intent on renouncing the world and devoting himself to cultivation. Changsheng picked up a brush and wrote a poem for the king. The king read:

“Since entering Penglai, twenty years have passed;

I have eaten green pine when hungry and drunk spring water when thirsty.

From my hut I saw you from afar:

Your Majesty, too, came from an immortal source.”

The poem means: I have spent twenty years cultivating on Mount Penglai, eating green pine to stave off hunger and drinking spring water to quench my thirst. From within my thatched hut, I saw you from afar; Your Majesty, too, came from an immortal lineage.

After reading the poem, the king bowed again and said, “The celestial immortal’s poem says that I too once belonged among the immortals. Now I have lost my original nature. I beg the celestial immortal to show great compassion, return with me to court, and guide me out of my delusion.” Changsheng replied, “Since Your Majesty has resolved to leave the household and cultivate the Dao, I am willing to return to court with you.” The king was overjoyed and accompanied Changsheng back to the palace with his civil and military officials. The officials dispersed, while the king and Patriarch Changsheng held a vegetarian banquet at Jinglegong Palace.

The empress, Princess Yutang, heard that the king had welcomed a celestial immortal of extraordinary bearing. She left the palace to pay her respects to the patriarch. Seeing his dignified appearance and refined features, she felt attracted to him and joked, “The celestial immortal is so handsome. If the crown prince I give birth to tomorrow is just as handsome, I will be entirely content.” On hearing this, Patriarch Changsheng was greatly alarmed. He answered in verse: “The Dao must be cultivated in the human world; it rests above all on keeping the precepts. If a palace lady asks me to do what is improper, she will have no further chance in this life to seek the Dao from me.”

Here, “observing the precepts” refers to Daoist practitioners keeping the precepts and governing their words and actions. In his poem, the patriarch makes clear that the palace lady’s jest does not sway him.

As soon as the Patriarch finished speaking, his guardian deity appeared, standing in midair. Hearing the Patriarch’s poem say that he would return, the deity supposed that the Patriarch had not yet shed his worldly desires. He therefore transformed himself into a palace maid and descended from the sky into the palace to enlighten him.

The maid stood before the Patriarch’s altar and asked, “Who do you think I am?” The Patriarch replied, “You are a palace maid.” The maid said, “You still don’t know? I am your guardian deity, Zhu Li.” The Patriarch asked, “Why have you taken the form of a palace maid and come here?” Zhu Li replied, “From midair, I heard the poem you wrote to the Empress. In it, you swore that you would return. Since ancient times, sages have never made promises lightly. A careless promise leads one into the cycle of rebirth. You must marry the Empress and fulfill the vow in your poem before you can return to the realm of the Buddha.”

The Patriarch burst into tears. The maid then rose into the sky and departed. The Patriarch wept himself into an illness and died less than seven days later. When King Cheng’an heard the news, he wept bitterly, prepared a coffin and burial casket, and laid the Patriarch to rest on Purple Gold Mountain.

Less than seven days later, the principal Empress learned that the Patriarch had died. Overcome with grief, she too died. The King wept bitterly, prepared a coffin and burial casket, and buried the Empress on Purple Gold Mountain. He then made Consort Deng the new Empress.

The Patriarch transformed into a streak of golden light and entered Consort Deng’s womb. In the year jiǎwǔ, on the eighteenth day of the eleventh month, at noon, Consort Deng gave birth to the Patriarch. He was handsome and dignified in appearance. King Cheng’an was delighted and named him Xuanming.

After the empress died, she was reborn into a wealthy family surnamed Li. At her birth, fragrance filled the house, so she was named Xiangniang, “Fragrant Maiden.” The Patriarch, then a crown prince, married in the third year of the Dading reign and chose Xiangniang as his empress.

One day, the king was holding court when an envoy arrived from the western frontier kingdom of Xifan, sent by its ruler, Gelitian’er. The envoy brought a bronze drum twelve inches thick and conveyed his ruler’s message: “There is no fixed order of precedence among the kingdoms; their relative strength must be determined. My ruler has sent this bronze drum. If someone in your kingdom can shoot through it, your kingdom will be regarded as superior. If no one can, it will be regarded as inferior and must pay tribute to our kingdom every year.”

The king was furious and issued a decree offering rewards: whoever could shoot through the bronze drum would be promoted and ennobled. Liu Feihu, a general who guarded the kingdom, claimed he had the strength of ten thousand men and unmatched power in both arms, and volunteered for the challenge. The king was delighted and awarded him three cups of imperial wine. Liu Feihu hung the drum in the palace hall, drew his bow, and loosed an arrow. It pierced only half an inch into the drum. Ashamed, he knelt with his face to the steps, and the king was deeply troubled.

The Crown Prince Xuanming, a figure in Daoist mythology, was only seven years old at the time. Hearing what had happened in the palace, he went before the king and said, “No one else can shoot through this drum, but I can.” The king replied, “This foreign drum is twelve inches thick, and even the mighty general who guards the kingdom could not pierce it. You are only seven years old. How could you have such strength?”

The Crown Prince said, “No matter how many men they have, Father, you need only remain at ease. Watch me shoot with your own eyes, and you’ll see.” The king was delighted to hear this.

The Crown Prince hung a foreign drum—the kind brought by envoys from abroad—high above the ground on the Golden Hall, a hundred paces away. He drew his bow with his left hand and set an arrow with his right, then called over the foreign envoy and asked, “If I pierce this drum with a single arrow, what will you do?”

The envoy replied, “Each year we pay tribute to your country. If you fail to pierce it, then your country will pay tribute to ours.”

The Crown Prince shouted, “If I pierce the drum, your head will fall too.” The envoy thought the Crown Prince had no chance of hitting it, and gave a faint, scornful smile. The Crown Prince finished speaking, took aim, and shot at the bronze drum. The arrow drove straight into it, disappearing completely, fletching and all, and pierced through the drum. The generals and soldiers cheered as one, and the king was overjoyed. The Crown Prince then ordered the envoy beheaded and his head displayed.

He next called over the foreign soldiers and said, “I ought to cut off your heads as well. But I’ll spare your lives and let you return. Tell your king to come and pay tribute at once, so our country need not send troops to punish him.”

Terrified, the foreign soldiers fled with their hands over their heads. The king held a banquet and entertained all his ministers. What happened afterward will be told in the next installment.

King Geli Tian’er of the Western Fan domain ascended the throne hall. On his left stood the civil officials Mao Dahai and Li Yiyun; on his right stood the generals Jian Kaipo Wushu and Shunqing. After the assembled officials had paid their respects, the court messenger reported, “The Fan soldiers have returned with a report.” The king ordered them brought into the hall. They reported that the Crown Prince of the Geguo Kingdom had shot through the bronze drum and killed the envoy. The king flew into a rage and immediately ordered fifty thousand troops to set out, with Mao Dahai in command, Jian Kaipo Wushu as vanguard, and Shunqing as deputy general. He bestowed three cups of imperial wine on each of them. After thanking him for his favor, they left the court and led their troops straight toward the Geguo Kingdom.

The King of Geguo was already sixty-one years old. Seeing that the Crown Prince was capable, he held a great banquet for his ministers and ceded the throne to him. After bowing repeatedly, the Crown Prince ascended the throne at the age of thirteen and adopted the era name Dingda. The ministers came to pay their respects, and the new king held a celebratory banquet. Ruler and ministers shared in a time of peace.

Less than three months later, one day the Crown Prince was holding court when the messenger reported, “Mao Dahai, commanding fifty thousand Fan troops sent by Geli Tian’er of the Western Fan domain, has invaded our territory.” The Crown Prince was furious. He ordered Zhao Shineng, the general responsible for his protection, to lead the army, with Ma Mengming as vanguard and Li Shiji as deputy general, and sent them out to meet the enemy. Zhao Shineng took his leave of the court and led the troops to set up camp below Jian Pass.

At dawn the next day, the two armies formed their lines. The Fan general Wushu rode out to fight, and the southern army’s vanguard, Ma Mengming, came forward to meet him. After they fought, Ma Mengming was soundly defeated and retreated within the pass. The following day, Zhao Shineng personally led the main force out of the pass to face the enemy, while the Fan general Mao Dahai also led his troops into battle. From morning until afternoon, the southern army still could not match the Fan forces. It retreated behind the pass, shut the gates tight, and dared not come out to fight again.

Zhao Shineng sent someone to submit a report to King Dingda. When the king received it, he was enraged and wanted to lead the campaign in person. His ministers tried to dissuade him. “If I do not go into battle myself,” King Dingda said, “what other choice do I have?” The ministers replied, “There is no suitable commander at court yet. We ask Your Majesty to post a proclamation. If it brings forth a great general, why should we fear that the Fan army cannot be driven back?” King Dingda accepted their advice and immediately posted the royal proclamation. What happened next in the campaign? Hear the explanation in the next installment.

Venerable Miaole saw the Jade Emperor’s incarnation reborn in the Kingdom of Goge as its king. He thought, “If I do not go and awaken him, guiding him in cultivation, he may damage his Golden Body, and it will be difficult to restore it.” With that, Venerable Miaole transformed himself into a Daoist on a cloud and descended to the mortal realm. He arrived before the Five Phoenix Tower and took down the recruitment notice.

The next day, King Ding held court to attend to state affairs. The official who presented memorials reported that a Daoist had taken down the notice and had come to seek an audience. King Ding ordered him brought into the hall. After the Daoist had paid his respects, the king asked, “You took down my notice and came to see me. Tell me what abilities you have that would let you drive back the enemy.” The Daoist replied, “Though my abilities are limited, I once received instruction from an extraordinary master. I can command flying sand and rolling stones, summon wind and rain, and drive back the enemy with ease. One battle will suffice: I will defeat them as wind lays the grass flat.”

The king was delighted. He asked the Daoist how many soldiers he would take into battle. “Not a single one,” the Daoist said. The king replied, “The enemy has dozens of generals and fifty thousand soldiers. You say you need no troops and will go alone. I fear you will be outnumbered.” The Daoist answered, “Your Majesty need not worry. I have my own way.” The king was greatly pleased.

After leaving court, the Daoist went straight to Jiaojian Pass and met Zhao Shineng. At dawn the next day, the enemy came once more to challenge them beneath the pass. A young soldier rode in to report that the enemy had surrounded the pass and was hurling insults as they called for battle. The Daoist took leave of the generals, let his hair fall loose atop the gate tower, and raised a Seven Stars Sword. He then lifted a bowl of clear water, chanted an incantation, and ordered the gate opened.

In an instant, the sky darkened. Flying sand and rolling stones swept down from above and rushed straight toward the north. From the pass, the Daoist gave the signal. Seeing this, the Southern army charged out through the gate to join the fight. The enemy had no time to evade. They fell into chaos, their heads battered and broken, and almost none survived. The fifty thousand enemy soldiers had no chance to escape; in the end, their bodies lay across the battlefield.

A later scholar, reading this passage, expressed his amazement in verse: “Flying sand rose, and rocks blotted out the sky; mighty troops cried out in agony and scattered in confusion. When the clouds and mist cleared, not a sound came from the enemy generals—only corpses strewn across the battlefield.”

The Celestial Worthy of Wondrous Bliss displayed his magic arts, sending sand flying and stones tumbling. In the blink of an eye, he had slain fifty thousand foreign soldiers, leaving not one alive. He led his companions back to the court. King Ding took his seat in the hall, and the official who presented memorials reported, “The Daoist has returned victorious.” King Ding was delighted and summoned the Daoist into the hall. After the Daoist had paid his respects, the king said, “Without you, I could not have held on to my realm. I appoint you a first-rank court official and honor you as the State Preceptor.”

The Daoist replied, “I do not wish to serve as an official.” King Ding said again, “Without you, I could not have held on to my realm. I appoint you a first-rank court official and honor you as the State Preceptor.” The Daoist still replied, “I do not wish to serve as an official.” King Ding asked, “If you do not want office, do you perhaps want gold, silver, precious treasures, and beautiful women?” The Daoist said, “I want none of those things.” The king asked, “Then what do you want?” The Daoist answered, “Now that I have pacified the foreign lands, I wish to go to Mount Zhongnan and see my master. After more than ten years have passed, I will return to accept your reward.” King Ding had no choice but to comply. He issued an order for the civil and military officials to escort the Daoist to the palace gate. The Daoist took his leave and departed.

Time passed unnoticed, and the days and months went by. The Jade Emperor took human form as the king of the Kingdom of Geke. He had enjoyed a peaceful realm for ten years and had a son. One day, as the Celestial Worthy of Wondrous Bliss sat in meditation in the heavenly palace, he saw that the king of Geke was gradually losing his original nature. He thought, “Ten years ago, I helped Jinque drive back the enemy. Now I want to help Jinque regain his original nature as well. Since he had no son, I had no chance to guide him toward liberation. Now that he has a son, if I do not guide him soon, I fear it may harm his Golden Body.”

With that, the Celestial Worthy of Wondrous Bliss descended to the human world and entered the palace to pay the king a visit. The king asked, “Have you come this time hoping to become an official?” Standing below the golden steps, the Daoist said:

“I have often heard that Emperor Wu of Han and the First Emperor of Qin both loved the arts of the immortals, yet neither ever met an immortal to guide the way. Even if you have the chance to hear the Great Dao, you will still remain confused if you do not reflect on it carefully.”

O king, although you have already heard of the Dao, you remain confused and unwilling to think it through carefully. Quickly bid farewell to affection and family ties, so that you do not become ensnared in impermanence and change.

The king was greatly startled. “Who are you?” he asked.

The Daoist replied, “I am from the heavenly realm.”

“Why have you come here?”

“I have come for you.”

“What will you do for me?”

“I see that you have long been attached to wealth and status, with no thought of turning back. I hear that you have already installed a crown prince, and that before long you will leave this world. I cannot bear to watch this happen, so I have come especially to point you toward a path that will free you from death: abandon family ties, affection, and a life of wealth; let go of your desires, and you can escape death.”

The king said, “If such a path truly exists, no kindness could be greater than this. I beg you, Master, to teach it to me clearly.”

The Daoist said, “If you sincerely wish to leave home and become a Daoist, you can leave the palace now and take me as your teacher.”

The king descended the steps and bowed to the Daoist. The Daoist remained seated calmly and did not rise. “I will go ahead,” he said. “Do not break your promise. Come quickly.” With that, he left the court. The king rose and escorted him out.

When the king returned to the hall, the civil and military ministers all knelt at the foot of the steps and pleaded, “Matters of the netherworld are difficult to verify. How can Your Majesty believe the Daoist’s words and give up this vast kingdom?”

The king heard them as though the wind were passing by his ears; not a word sank in. He immediately ordered that the crown prince be summoned to court and take the throne. The prince wept and tried to stop his father. Hearing the news, everyone in the palace came forward and urged the king in every possible way, but he would not listen. The king resolved to leave home and become a Daoist, and the prince had no choice but to ascend the throne.

The women of the palace each went their own way. The king, the queen, and the prince were all reluctant to part. The king composed a poem:

“How can I bear to leave these brocaded lands? How hard it is to let go of my wife and children, and all our love. Yet I still fear that even the slightest delay will bring impermanence upon me. Only by severing the bonds of this world can I avoid losing my way.”

After the king finished writing, the queen and crown prince lingered, unable to bear parting from him. His resolve was firm. Though he cherished his wife and son deeply, he would not stay for their sake. Fearing that if he delayed, death might suddenly overtake him, he resolved to sever his worldly ties lest he lose heart in his practice.

After the king finished writing, the queen and crown prince still could not bear to part from him. His heart was like iron and stone; he shed not a single tear, intent only on leaving home to pursue cultivation. The civil and military officials and the crown prince escorted him from the court, accompanying him for thirty li. Crown Prince Siyin was so grief-stricken that he burst into tears. The king said to him, “My child, do not weep. Your father has made up his mind to leave; no one can make him stay, so there is no need to say more. You need only put the state first and filial duty above all else. Do not let the people suffer because of you.” With that, he parted from the crown prince and went on his way.

The crown prince was so overcome with grief that he fainted. The officials helped him onto a horse and escorted him back to the court to assume the throne. His reign era was named the First Year of Kaoming. After ascending the throne, he ordered a general amnesty throughout the realm, and the assembled ministers bowed to congratulate him. The king left the palace and went to Mount Penglai to pursue cultivation.

After bidding farewell to his ministers, the empress, and the crown prince, the king set out alone and walked for a day. As evening fell, he suddenly saw a Daoist priest approaching and bowed to him. The priest said, “You have come. The matter is settled.” The king asked, “Master, this disciple is wholly intent on leaving the household life. What remains unsettled?” The priest replied, “You are a king, and your country is prosperous, yet now you wish to leave it.” The king answered, “Master, I seek the Dao with all my heart. How could I still think of returning to my homeland to enjoy its comforts?” The priest said again, “Life in the mountains is hard: cold and hunger await you.” The king replied, “This disciple seeks his master with all his heart. How could he fear cold and hardship?” Smiling, the priest said, “Since you truly wish to leave the household life, come with me into Mount Penglai.”

The king respectfully agreed and followed the priest to Mount Penglai. Before his eyes, peach blossoms glowed pink and willows shone green; distant green peaks looked graceful and lovely. He heard cranes calling and apes crying, while the scenery seemed like an immortal realm. Young cypresses stood in rows like a screen, clouds and mist wound through the mountains, and unusual flowers grew everywhere. Waterfalls streamed across the rocky slopes—a sight rarely seen in ten thousand years.

In truth, the Celestial Worthy Miaole had taken the form of a Daoist priest and led the king into Mount Penglai. There he built a thatched hut and taught the king the scriptures and the Dao, day and night. One day, to test the king’s skill in still sitting and cultivation, the Celestial Worthy worried that he had not yet let go of worldly attachments. So he devised a plan and said, “I would like to eat a peach. Go down the mountain, buy one, and offer it to me.” The king respectfully agreed and at once left the mountain to buy a peach.

The Venerable Miaoletian (a Daoist deity) saw the king coming down from the mountain to buy peaches. With a turn of his body, he transformed into a beautiful young woman and went to the street to sell peaches.

Seeing the woman approach with peaches in her hands, the king went up to ask the price. She said, “This peach tree bears only one peach, so I’m asking a thousand taels of gold for it.” The king laughed and said, “Even if a tree bears only one peach, it isn’t worth a thousand taels of gold.”

The woman said, “If you won’t pay a thousand taels, then, as a widow, I’ll give the peach to you because you look so distinguished—and make you my husband. What do you say?” The king replied, “I am a Daoist priest who has left home.” The woman said, “Leaving the religious life to start a family has been common since ancient times. My household is quite wealthy, with a fortune of a thousand gold pieces. If you don’t mind, there’ll be more than enough for you to enjoy. If you stubbornly refuse, you may regret it one day.”

The king gave no answer. He took his leave of the woman and went out through the gates of the four cities in search of red peaches, but could find none anywhere. Later, he saw the woman approaching again with peaches in her hands. She told him, “Don’t let this opportunity pass you by. It may be hard to find another.” The king remained silent. The woman said again, “If you truly won’t agree to marry me in this life, you can at least agree to be bound to me in the next. Then I’ll give you the peach.”

The king thought, “Who knows whether we’ll meet in the next life? There’s no harm in agreeing. If I refuse, I won’t get the peach—and how will I explain that to my master when I return?” So he said to the woman, “I can agree to it in the next life, but I truly cannot comply in this one.” The woman smiled and said, “Since you’ve agreed to the next life, the peach is yours. You must keep your word.”

The king took the peach, overjoyed. He thought to himself, “If I had not agreed to form a bond with her in a future life, how could I possibly have obtained this peach?” Then he returned to the mountain, went to see his master, and offered the peach to the Celestial Worthy.

The Celestial Worthy resumed his original appearance, took the peach, and asked, “You went down the mountain to buy a peach. Why did you break your precepts?” The king was startled. “Master, what do you mean? I made no mistake at all while I was away. How could I have done anything that broke the precepts?” The Celestial Worthy smiled and asked, “Did you promise a woman that you would form a bond with her in a future life?”

The king replied, “I dare not hide anything from you, Master. I went down the mountain to buy a peach, but I could find none anywhere. Only one woman was holding a peach and offering it for sale. When I asked to buy it, she said she would not sell unless I agreed to become her husband. I was unwilling, so she said, ‘If you will not agree in this life, then promise to form a fated bond with me in a future life—that bond from a past life carried forward—and I will give you the peach as well.’ At the time, if I had not agreed, I could not have taken the peach back to you. I had no choice but to promise something for a future life. Those were merely words spoken under duress, not a sincere promise. They were plainly a lie, so how could they count as breaking a precept?”

The Celestial Worthy smiled again and said, “You are mistaken. Since ancient times, words once spoken have been hard to take back. How can you casually dismiss them as lies? Since you promised that woman you would form a bond with her in a future life, all your cultivation up to now has gone to waste, and you must be reborn as an ordinary person.”

The king burst into tears. “Is there no way to be spared this?” he asked. The Celestial Worthy said, “The rules for those who study the Dao are strict, and Heaven and Earth are impartial. How could you be spared? You must be reborn and cultivate again before you can attain the Dao.”

The king kowtowed and asked, “If I cannot escape this calamity, I beg you, Master, in your compassion, to let me be reborn in a place without the bonds of love and affection, so that I may soon attain the Dao of the immortals.”

The Celestial Worthy said, “Where could there be a place entirely free of the bonds of love and affection? You already have good roots; it was only that one thought of yours went astray before, so I must have you reborn. If you enter the womb and are born again, in your next life you will surely enter a family that practices goodness and accumulates De. You need not worry.”

The king asked, “Master, where will you have me reborn?”

The Celestial Worthy said, “With my wisdom-eye, I have seen that the king of the Western Dawn Kingdom has practiced goodness for three generations in a row. He has no heirs and is now holding a purification ritual to pray for descendants. I will have you reborn there.”

Hearing this, the king wept bitterly, refused food for seven days, and died. The Celestial Worthy cast his body into the sea to be eaten by fish and crabs, thereby fulfilling his wish to relinquish his fleshly body. Then the Celestial Worthy summoned and sent on his Three Hun and Seven Po—the traditional elements said to make up a person’s soul—so that he could be reborn in the Western Dawn Kingdom. What happened next will be told in the next installment.

For the second time, the Celestial Worthy went to pay his respects to the Jade Emperor.

Li Tianfu, the king of Xixia, had no son even at the age of forty. One day, he summoned the civil and military officials to court and asked, “I am already forty, and still have no son to inherit the throne. What should I do?” The civil officials Peng Liang, Peng Li, and Zhou Shirong, along with the military officials Guo Chun, Yue Riji, and others, replied, “We have heard that when people pray for an heir, only a Xu Tian ritual is effective. We ask Your Majesty to fast sincerely, establish an altar, and pray. Perhaps Heaven will grant you a son.”

The king followed their advice. He ordered Meng Ying, commander of the palace guards, to build an altar and choose an auspicious day for the ritual. When the day arrived, Empress Mo Shanxuan and the king personally ascended the altar to offer incense. The Celestial Worthy saw this with his wisdom eye and sent the Three Hun and Seven Po souls into the empress’s womb. A month after the ritual ended, the empress indeed became pregnant, and the king was delighted. He held a banquet for all his officials.

Time passed quickly. Empress Mo Shanxuan had been pregnant for three years and sixty days, yet had still not given birth. One day, after returning to court, the king flew into a rage. He ordered the empress brought out of the palace and demanded, “Since ancient times, pregnant women have given birth after ten months. You have been pregnant for so long and still have not delivered. Surely what you carry is not a proper child. I suspect as much, and I want to kill you.”

The empress was horrified. She replied, “Ever since Your Majesty established the altar and performed the ritual, I have been blessed with Your Majesty’s favor and became pregnant. How could this be an improper child? Please allow me to return to the palace for three days. If I still have not given birth after three days, I am willing to take my own life and face Your Majesty.” The king’s anger subsided, and he granted her request.

Back in the palace, the empress wept and sighed, “I have never harbored any other thoughts. I do not know what sins I committed in a former life. In this life I married a man of such high standing, yet at forty I still had no son. At last I conceived this unusual child, only to lose my life because of it!” Before she could finish, she suddenly heard someone calling from within her womb: “Mother, do not grieve.”

I was originally a good person sent to be born. If the king becomes angry, my mother can tell him: “In the past, the Most High Lord Lao once remained in his mother’s womb for eighty-three years.” After hearing this, the queen said, “Although there is an old account of the Most High Lord Lao being in his mother’s womb, you are now a good person sent to be born. Your father refuses to believe it and has given me only three days. Even if you are a good person, if you still do not come into the world, your father will kill me after three days. That would make you unfilial.”

The child replied from within the womb, “Mother, do not worry. I will leave your womb tonight at the hour of the Dog; I only fear I may startle you.” The queen said, “Come into the world quickly. Even if I lose my life because of it, I will have no complaint.” As soon as she had spoken, a faint pain stirred in the queen’s belly, and the sounds of labor came in waves. The palace maids hurried to attend her.

At the end of the hour of the Rooster, as the hour of the Dog began, the Patriarch left the womb. It was the hour of the Dog on the third day of the third month in the first year of Zixue. At his birth, light shone brilliantly, and a strange fragrance filled the room. The palace maids came to look and saw that the child was a boy. They went out to report this to the king. The king traveled by carriage to the palace and ordered them to bring the Crown Prince out for him to see. A palace maid carried the Crown Prince out, and the king saw with his own eyes that the child had a dignified appearance. His heart filled with joy.

The next morning, the king held court and laid out a grand feast for his ministers. They congratulated the king, who was delighted, and he named the Crown Prince “Prince Xuanhuang.” Afterward, the ministers withdrew.

Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, the King of Xixia had enjoyed another fifteen years of peace. One day, the king held court. After his ministers had paid their respects, he said, “I am fifty-eight this year and have grown old. I no longer care to manage state affairs. The crown prince has now grown up, and everyone has seen his filial virtue. He is fit to rule the kingdom. I will now pass the throne to Crown Prince Xuanhuang. What do you think?”

The civil and military officials bowed to the ground and replied, “Our king is benevolent, and the crown prince is filial. What could be wrong with passing the throne to him?” The king was very pleased. He immediately summoned the crown prince to the hall. When the prince entered and bowed to the king, the king placed the royal seal, a symbol of sovereign authority, in his hands. The prince bowed twenty-four times, then knelt to receive the jade seal. The king withdrew to the retirement palace, and the prince ascended the throne. He proclaimed a general amnesty throughout the realm and held a banquet for the ministers.

The prince ordered the selection of thirty-six palace consorts and seventy-two concubines, meaning that women were chosen in great numbers for the inner palace. Xuanhuang had ascended the throne at fifteen and ruled for fifteen years, during which the kingdom remained at peace. Empress Fan, the principal empress, bore him a son named Jichang, who was then twelve years old, clever and quick-witted.

Thirty years later, the Heavenly Venerable Miaole worried that the Patriarch, unable to put an end to his greed, would lose his true nature. When he saw from the clouds that the king was about to visit the Patriarch, he rode a cloud down to the outskirts of the city in the Kingdom of Xixia, hoping to change the Patriarch’s mind.

From afar, the Heavenly Venerable saw the king’s carriage approaching. He transformed himself into a Daoist and sat motionless by the roadside, like a clay statue of the Buddha. The officials at the head of the procession ordered him to move aside, but he did not respond. They returned and reported this to the king. “He isn’t afraid of me,” said the king. “Could he be a man of spiritual attainment?” He continued on. When they reached the Daoist, he was still motionless. Seeing his dignified features, the king decided he did not look like a bad person. He ordered his attendants to halt the carriage, stepped down, and bowed to the Daoist. Only then did the Daoist rise and return the bow.

“Master, why are you sitting in the road without saying a word?” asked the king. “There must be a reason.” The Daoist replied, “I have no other reason. I saw that Your Majesty was taking the wrong road and wanted to warn you that you had lost your way.” The king said, “The officials ahead of me are guiding the way. How could I be lost? Why should I need you to show me the way?” The Daoist answered, “The officials can make sure you follow the right road in this life, in the human world. I have come to show you the road you will take after death, in the underworld and in your next life.”

“From what you say, you can show the way in the next life. Are you an immortal?” asked the king. The Daoist replied, “I am only a recluse in the mountains.” The king asked, “How do you know about the next life?” The Daoist said, “Understand this life, and you can infer what comes next. Know that joy at its height turns to sorrow, and that every meeting ends in parting. You can infer not only what lies in the next life, but even what will happen a hundred lifetimes from now.”

“What do you mean by that?” asked the king. The Daoist then quoted a poem by Emperor Wu of Liang: “Fame and profit are like flowers floating on water and gulls upon its surface; wine, sex, wealth, and anger are ropes that bind us. The carefree days before us pass all too easily. In the end, after many years, nothing remains but a withered skeleton.”

After hearing this, the king said, “Since you know the way to transcend life and death, return to my court and tell me the origins of my past lives.” Hearing this, the Daoist deliberately put on a look of alarm and, weeping, replied, “Your servant left home to become a Daoist at the age of ten. I am now forty-five, and have practiced with care all this time, never daring to harbor wrongful thoughts. I would never dare enter the gates of hell.”

The king flew into a rage and ordered Han Tong, commander of the guard before the throne, to execute the Daoist. The Daoist remained calm and said, “It would make no difference if you killed this poor Daoist. But first, ask my lord what you yourself were reborn from.” The king said, “I do not know. Do you?” The Daoist replied, “How could this poor Daoist not know?” The king said, “You claim to know what will happen across a hundred lifetimes. What proof do you have? Clearly, you made that up to save your life.” The Daoist laughed aloud. “How could I have no proof? I can stake my life on it.” The king asked, “What can prove it?” The Daoist said, “Have someone bring a basin of water. You need only look into it to see.”

The king ordered Han Tong to bring a basin of water. The Daoist asked the king to look into it. The king saw an immortal speaking to the Jade Emperor. The Daoist asked what he had seen, and the king replied, “Nothing else—only an immortal speaking to the Jade Emperor.” The Daoist asked him to look again. This time the king saw an ox plowing in a field. The Daoist asked what he saw now, and the king replied, “Only an ox plowing in a field.” The Daoist asked, “Does Your Majesty understand?” The king said, “I do not.” The Daoist explained, “The Jade Emperor is the transformation of one of Your Majesty’s souls; that immortal is the state Your Majesty may attain through cultivation in this life. If Your Majesty does not cultivate in this life, you will become an ox in the next. What has appeared shows Your Majesty’s forms across three lives: the past, the present, and the future.”

After hearing this, the king suspected that the Daoist had used demonic arts to deceive him into cultivating. He therefore issued an order for Han Tong to step forward and execute the Daoist. As Han Tong approached, the Daoist blew a breath that sent him tumbling to the ground, then rode a cloud up into the sky. Seeing the Daoist ascend, the king regretted his actions, but it was too late. He knelt toward the sky and begged the Daoist to forgive his earlier offense.

Smiling in midair, the Daoist chanted, “Who does not wish for wealth and rank? Who would choose poverty? When poor, one may cultivate and thereby turn toward wealth and rank; when wealthy and lost to one’s true nature, one will in the end fall into hardship. When peace and ease reach their height, they must turn to adversity; when adversity reaches its height, peace and ease will return. However high one’s position, one cannot escape death; when joy reaches its height, sorrow will appear. Livestock were once looked down upon by people, yet after death a person may find themselves among the livestock. If the king does not leave his place of pleasure, he will inevitably fall to the fate of an ox. Reborn as livestock in this way, one will pass through countless kalpas and find it difficult to return to the right path.”

The king was deeply shaken by what he heard. Prostrating himself on the ground, he said, “I am willing to take refuge in the immortal master and leave my kingdom to cultivate. Where should I go?”

The Daoist replied from the air, “If you sincerely wish to follow the Dao and the Buddha’s path, go to Vulture Peak as soon as you can.”

The king respectfully agreed. Sitting down in the Qinghua Pavilion, he said to his ministers, “I now intend to relinquish the throne and leave home to cultivate at Vulture Peak. You need not accompany me. Return to court and install my crown prince, Jichang, as ruler. Give the state your wholehearted support.”

The ministers prostrated themselves and pleaded with him: “There are many people in the world who cultivate. How could an ordinary person become an immortal? Besides, Your Majesty is a ruler who loves the people as his own children. How could you suffer the karmic consequence of being reborn as an animal? This must be sorcery. Please consider it carefully, lest you regret it later.”

The king said, “My decision to go is final. Your words cannot turn me back. Even if I die, I will not return to the kingdom, so do not say anything more.”

The ministers could only obey his command. They then requested permission to send several hundred people to escort him, so they could set their minds at ease. The king smiled and said, “While I was in the kingdom, I knew I still had this body. Now that I am leaving home, I will no longer concern myself with it. Why would I need an escort? Say no more.”

The ministers had no choice but to watch the king depart. Only when he was no longer in sight did they return to court.

The king went into the mountains alone. The Venerable Celestial of Wondrous Joy, a revered Daoist deity, was already seated beneath a rock face. When the king saw the Celestial, he bowed and said, “Please guide me, your lost disciple.” The Celestial replied, “You have come. Stand to one side and listen to me teach the Dao.” He first explained humanity’s original nature, the transformations of Yin-Yang, and the principles of hell and reincarnation. He then described methods of self-cultivation, such as ascetic practice and sitting in oblivion. The king bowed low in gratitude.

The Celestial continued, “You may face Heaven and receive the precepts.” The king knelt before him. The Venerable Celestial of Wondrous Joy bestowed the Five Precepts, Daoist commandments, on the king and expounded the scriptures and the Dao. Then the Celestial rode a cloud up to Heaven, leaving the king alone in the mountains to cultivate, living on green pine needles and quenching his thirst with mountain springs.

When the ministers returned to court, they reported to the empress and the crown prince how they had encountered a Daoist who traveled through the air and how the king had entered Spirit Vulture Mountain. On hearing this, the empress and crown prince wept bitterly. They immediately wanted to prepare carriages and set out together to find the king. The ministers advised them, “The realm cannot go even a single day without a ruler. If Your Majesty wishes to search for the king, you must first enthrone the crown prince. Only after forty-nine days may you leave the court to search for him.”

The empress followed their advice, enthroned the crown prince Jichang as king, changed the reign title to Sixiang, granted a general amnesty throughout the realm, and held a banquet for the ministers. After forty-nine days, the empress ordered the crown prince to visit his father at Spirit Vulture Mountain. The crown prince ordered three carriages prepared: one for himself, one for the empress dowager, and one left empty, ready to bring the king home. He also ordered officials of every rank to carry incense and burn it along the way. He sent Li Tong and Wu Jin, commanders of the royal guard, to escort them with three thousand palace guards as they traveled together to Spirit Vulture Mountain.

The procession set out in orderly fashion, accompanied all along the way by the music of flutes, pipes, drums, and gongs. When they reached the foot of Spirit Vulture Mountain, they searched the whole mountain but could not find the king. Later, they came to a place surrounded on all sides by green pines, where cranes danced to the left and gibbons called to the right. There stood a sheer rock face more than eight zhang high, with a stone platform inside. The king sat there on a rush cushion, so emaciated that he was little more than skin and bones, scarcely recognizable as a human being.

The empress and crown prince went forward. Seeing the king, they embraced him and wept bitterly, and the ministers were deeply saddened as well. They knelt and pleaded with the king to return, but he sat silently without saying a word. Suddenly the wind rose and clouds gathered, and the people opposite could no longer be seen. A violent gust swept the king away, carrying him off to an unknown place. When the clouds and mist cleared, the empress and crown prince discovered that the king had vanished. The crown prince burst into grief-stricken sobs.

The ministers came forward and urged them, “The clouds and mist have enveloped us because Heaven intends to separate the king from his family. We do not know where he has gone, so finding him will be exceedingly difficult. Your Highness and Your Majesty should return to court first and post notices everywhere. If anyone knows where the king is, you can discuss what to do then. Without a lead, there is no way to begin the search. However deeply you grieve, it will do no good.” The crown prince heeded their advice and had no choice but to accompany his mother back to court. What happens next in the story will be told in the next installment.

The king practiced under the guidance of the Celestial Worthy of Wondrous Joy. For three years he devoted himself to arduous cultivation, eating pine nuts when hungry and drinking clear water when thirsty. At the end of the three years, the Celestial Worthy came to ask him, “Do you still know what worldly affairs, life and death, and your own body are?” The king answered each time, “I do not know.” Seeing that he was no longer attached to worldly matters or his own physical form, and that distracting thoughts had faded from his mind, the Celestial Worthy said, “Your cultivation is complete.”

The king asked what it meant to have completed his cultivation. The Celestial Worthy explained that he had reached the state of “ashen mind”: his heart was no longer stirred by worldly desires. The Celestial Worthy then bestowed five auspicious clouds on him and took him up to the central heavens to pay his respects to the Jade Emperor.

The king first went to the Pavilion of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing) to pay his respects to them, and they congratulated him. At court the next morning, the Three Pure Ones reported to the Jade Emperor: “The Celestial Worthy of Wondrous Joy has taken a disciple. The king of the Western Xia Kingdom has cultivated the Dao and attained the Way, and has come to pay his respects.” The Jade Emperor ordered that the king be summoned into the hall.

After the king had bowed, the Jade Emperor asked the assembled immortals what office should be bestowed on him. They replied that the king was an incarnation of one of the Jade Emperor’s souls, so the appointment was for the Jade Emperor to decide. Surprised by their answer, the Jade Emperor told the king to raise his head. Seeing his handsome appearance, he was pleased and appointed him the “Celestial Worthy of the Golden Gate, Incarnate Tamer of Demons.” He ordered a residence built for him, the Nine Heavens Qianruan Palace, and placed him in charge of this heavenly palace and thirty-six heavenly generals. He also bestowed on him a black dragon robe, a Seven-Star Sword, a Seven-Treasure Crown, and an embroidered throne, granting him permission to sit and travel alongside the Jade Emperor. After the king gave thanks for the favor, the Jade Emperor held a banquet in celebration, and the immortals dispersed from court.

The next day, the Lord of Heaven came to the Palace of the Sun and sat with the Patriarch on an embroidered stool before they entered the palace together. The king thanked the Lord of Heaven for his grace. The Jade Emperor laid out a grand banquet in celebration. Once the court audience had ended, the matter was set aside for the time being.

The following day, the Lord of Heaven came to the Palace of the Sun again, and Deng Hua came out to welcome the Patriarch. The Lord of Heaven noticed that not one of the thirty-six heavenly generals was present, and asked Deng Hua, “The Jade Emperor appointed me to command the thirty-six heavenly generals here. Why can I not see a single one of them?” Deng Hua reported, “It was originally one of the Jade Emperor’s soul manifestations who commanded them here. That manifestation became greedy and fell into the mortal world. With no one in charge here, the heavenly generals have all descended to the mortal world as well.” The Patriarch said, “In that case, I should go pay my respects to the Jade Emperor tomorrow.” The matter was set aside for the time being.

On the second morning, the Jade Emperor held court. The Patriarch memorialized: "Your Majesty appointed me to command the thirty-six heavenly generals of the Palace of the Sun, but when I took up my post, there was no one in charge there, for they had all descended to the mortal world. I beg Your Majesty to decide the matter." Hearing this, the Jade Emperor asked his ministers how it should be handled. The ministers replied, "Since the Palace of the Sun is under the Patriarch's control, and the heavenly generals have already descended, the Patriarch should be sent to the human world to bring them back to Heaven." The Jade Emperor accepted this proposal and ordered the Patriarch to descend and recall the generals.

The Patriarch thanked the Emperor and withdrew from court, deeply troubled, for he did not know where the generals had gone. He thought that it would be best to seek counsel from his teacher, the Heavenly Venerable Miaole. He went to the Palace of Tusita, where he found the Venerable seated in meditation on the ritual platform. The Patriarch approached and bowed. The Venerable asked, "What brings you here?" The Patriarch said, "I was ordered to command the thirty-six heavenly generals of the Palace of the Sun, but when I took up my post, I did not find a single one of them. After I reported this to the Jade Emperor, he commanded me to descend and bring them back. But I do not know where they have gone, so I have come to ask my teacher for guidance."

The Venerable said, "If I did not tell you, you would have no way of knowing. Your forty-two years of calamity have not yet ended, and that is why you have encountered this matter. These generals cannot be recalled this time either. They must be reborn into the human world and undergo all its hardships before they can enter the realm of ultimate bliss." The Patriarch asked, "Where will they be born?" The Venerable replied, "At present, the King of the Kingdom of Jingluo has no son, and Queen Shansheng has been burning incense at night, praying to Heaven for a child. You shall transform into a streak of golden light and enter the queen's womb. When you have grown up and your cultivation is complete, you may return to Heaven and enjoy its blessings."

Having heard this, the Patriarch had no choice but to take leave of his teacher. He transformed into a streak of golden light, drifted away, and flew into the Kingdom of Jingluo.

Lady Shanshsheng, the Empress, was dozing off while burning the evening incense in the imperial garden. At that very moment, a golden light flew into her abdomen. The Empress dreamed that she had swallowed the red sun, and upon waking she found herself pregnant. Ten months later, at noon on the third day of the third month of the twenty-fifth year of the Kaikuang era, she gave birth to a crown prince. The prince was born from her left rib, and the Empress for a time ceased breathing. The Venerable of Wondrous Joy (Miaole Tianzun, a revered deity of the Daoist pantheon) chanted an incantation and breathed into the Empress's left side, whereupon she gradually revived and regained consciousness.

The palace was at once enveloped in purple mist, and nine dragons spat out saliva to bathe the prince. When the bathing was complete, the Venerable of Wondrous Joy rode away into the sky with the dragons, and the palace returned to its former appearance. The palace maids reported the matter to the king, who was overjoyed and ordered that the prince be brought to him. Seeing that the child had handsome features and an extraordinary bone structure, the king was greatly delighted and named him "Crown Prince Xuanyuan."

Spring gave way to autumn, and time passed quickly. The Patriarch was reborn in the Kingdom of Jingluo. When he reached fourteen, the Lantern Festival arrived. The king was seated in the hall, and the crown prince asked for permission to leave the palace to see the lanterns. The king replied, "You are the crown prince of the Eastern Palace and should not go out at night to view lanterns." The prince answered, "I can dress as a commoner and will return as soon as I have seen them." The king agreed and ordered Commander Tang Bo and four eunuchs to escort the prince out of the palace to the market streets to view the lanterns.

Just after the prince passed the palace gate and had walked a short distance, he saw the streets ablaze with lights. The sounds of sheng (reed pipes), xiao (vertical flutes), and guan (wind instruments) filled the air, and songs rose on every side. Women in colorful garments were as lovely as celestial maidens, and the people drank and made merry together, celebrating the festival.

The prince and Tang Bo turned onto the South Street, where they saw several drunken men staggering about, so intoxicated that they had lost all awareness of themselves.

The Crown Prince and Tang Bo walked along South Street, where they saw several men drunk on wine, staggering about and senseless. Continuing to North Street, they found some men making merry at Meng Jie's house on the flower lane, where two of them quarreled over a courtesan and came to blows. At East Street they saw a man stealing another's money pouch. He was surrounded and beaten without pause, crying out to heaven in agony.

After witnessing all these scenes, the Prince suddenly sighed aloud: "How can one free oneself from wine, lust, wealth, and anger? If this cannot be achieved, why should I become a king?"

At that moment, Doumu Yuanjun (Dǒumǔ Yuánjūn), a revered deity of Daoism who had descended to the mortal world for the Lantern Festival, transformed into a Daoist priest in order to test people's hearts. Hearing the Prince's words, she stepped forward, bowed with clasped hands, and said: "This poor Daoist just heard you, sir, say that you wish to free yourself from wine, lust, wealth, and anger. Are you seeking a way to be released from them? I know one."

The Prince asked, "How might one be rid of them?" The priest replied, "This poor Daoist left behind parents, wife, and children, and lives by the flow of fate. Is this not being free of them?"

Before the priest had finished speaking, the commander Tang Bo, who stood nearby and heard the priest counsel the Prince in this way, gritted his teeth and wished to kill him. Seeing this, the priest rose on an auspicious cloud into the air and revealed his true form. "The Dao (the Way) has no root of its own; it must be sought through one's own effort," she said. "If one clings to wealth and rank, one will surely be blinded to one's original nature. I am no ordinary person. I am Doumu Yuanjun." The Prince gazed up at the sky and bowed in prostration, saying, "This disciple is willing to give up the kingdom and leave home to cultivate the Way." The priest replied, "I am leaving now. If you do not follow, there will be no place for you in the Heavenly Palace."

The Prince was greatly startled, and he and Tang Bo returned to the court. At daybreak the next day, when the king held audience, the Prince also came forward to report his encounter with the Daoist and to express his wish to renounce the throne and go off to cultivate the Way. The king said, "Demons and evil spirits are everywhere in the world now. How could a celestial immortal descend to deliver mortals? My son must not persist in such delusion. You do not enjoy the honor of the kingdom, yet you long for things so unrealistic? I will never permit your request."

The crown prince memorialized the king again, saying, "Tales of immortals have existed since ancient times, and the practice of cultivation has been handed down without interruption. How can one refuse to believe the true words and stray from the right Way (Dao)? Yet if a person should suddenly die one day, unable to enjoy the glory of the world, why should one covet things outside oneself? I will never permit your request." (This was the king's refusal of the prince's petition.)

The prince memorialized once more: "The legends of immortals have existed since ancient times, and the practice of cultivation has been passed down for a long time. How can one fail to believe the true words and lose the right Way (Dao)? Should impermanence (wuchang) come swiftly, how could one make up for past faults? I earnestly beg Father-King to permit me to leave the palace and become a monastic to cultivate the Dao. If my cultivation succeeds in the future, my nine kinds of kin (the entire clan of relatives) may also ascend together." When the king saw that the prince was set on becoming a monastic, he flew into a rage and ordered the Colonel of the Guard, Zheng Cai, to imprison the prince in the cold palace to suffer there until he changed his mind, at which point he would be pardoned. Zheng Cai promptly had the prince taken into the cold palace, and the king withdrew from court.

Once inside the cold palace, the prince pondered and sighed: "Without Yin-Yang, how could there be day and night? Without a heaven, how could there be a hell? If the figure I saw last night had been an evil spirit, I would not have given rise to the thought of urging myself to cultivate. There must be a deeper meaning in it. Earlier, the Daoist priest also said that it was Lady Doumu (Doumu Yuanjun), a revered Daoist deity often regarded as the mother of the stars. If the Lady truly was guiding me in cultivation, she would surely come to rescue me when she saw me imprisoned. Why not burn fine incense and pray by day, inviting the Lady to come here and point out the path of my cultivation?" Having resolved this, he lit the incense and prayed to the heavens.

Before the prayer was finished, the Lady appeared on the clouds and said, "Prince, now that your father has imprisoned you here, it will be hard for you to escape. It would be better to obey your father's command, give up cultivation, and find a way to get out of here as soon as you can."

The crown prince said, "Since I had the good fortune to meet my master, my resolve has never wavered. Even if I die, I will not obey my father's command. If he imprisons me here, I would rather die than go back on my word or submit to him."

The Perfected Lord (Yuanjun) said, "If you truly wish to leave home and cultivate the Dao, this is not a place for cultivation."

The prince asked, "If this place is not suitable for cultivation, how could I possibly escape to go elsewhere?"

The Perfected Lord said, "If you are willing to leave, there is a mountain called Wudang eighty-five li (Chinese miles) from the city, where cultivation is possible."

The prince asked, "How could I get there?"

The Perfected Lord said, "Close your eyes, and I will carry you away from this place."

The prince closed his eyes. The Perfected Lord rode a propitious cloud, cradled the prince, and left the cold palace, arriving at Wudang Mountain. There the green peaks rose faintly through the mist, stone cliffs towered overhead, willows were lush and green, and rare flowers gave off their fragrance. The surrounding scenery was like jade, truly a place shaped by the immortals.

After they reached the mountain, the prince bowed to the Perfected Lord as his teacher. From then on, the Perfected Lord expounded scripture and the teachings morning and evening, while the prince sat in stillness, practicing cultivation and nourishing his life.

Now let us turn back to the other thread. The next day, the king held court, and the lieutenant Zheng Cai reported, "The crown prince has disappeared." The king flew into a rage, had Zheng Cai executed, and was deeply troubled in his heart.

The ministers Zhao Quan, Sun Yue, Feng Yuan, Wang Long, Wang Rong, and others stepped forward from their ranks and submitted: "If Your Majesty wishes to recover the crown prince, you may issue a proclamation and have it posted everywhere. Whoever knows where the prince is and comes forward to report it shall be rewarded with a thousand taels of gold, and whoever brings the prince back may also be granted an official rank."

The king accepted this proposal and immediately ordered the proclamation posted. Suddenly, a woodcutter named Chen Chun, a man who made his living by gathering firewood, recalled that some days earlier he had seen a man follow a Daoist into Wudang Mountain. Hearing that the court was searching for the crown prince, and seeing the proclamation, he guessed that the man he had seen that day must have been the prince. He tore down the proclamation and went into the palace to report to the king.

The crown prince wound his hair into a Yin-Yang bun (Yinyang ji), a hairstyle commonly worn by Daoists.

One day, the king was holding court in the great hall when a minister reported: "Chen Chun, the woodcutter of Wudang Mountain who tore down the notice seeking the crown prince, has come to see Your Majesty."

The king ordered that Chen Chun be summoned into the hall. After Chen performed the customary salute, the king asked, "Since you tore down the notice and came to see me, have you seen the crown prince?"

Chen replied, "Some days ago, this commoner saw a man entering Wudang Mountain together with a Daoist priest. I thought that man might be the crown prince, so I came to report it."

The king said, "Since you saw two people go up the mountain, lead us to find them. I will immediately dispatch Commander Tang Bo and Captain Huang Zhong, who will lead five hundred soldiers clad in gold armor to accompany you. You will serve as our guide, and once you have found the crown prince and brought him back, I will reward you generously."

Chen Chun gave his thanks and withdrew, then set off for Wudang Mountain with Tang Bo and the others. After entering the mountains, they saw the crown prince sitting upright at the base of a cliff, his hair arranged in yinyang jiao ji (a horn-shaped topknot, a hairstyle commonly associated with Daoist figures). The company stepped forward, bowed, and called out "Long live the king!", but the crown prince said nothing and remained silent, seated in stillness.

Tang Bo ordered the soldiers in gold armor to approach and escort the prince back to court. At that very moment, the sky suddenly darkened and a fierce wind rose, sweeping in from the north with flying sand and rolling stones so thick that people could not make out one another even face to face. Stones and sand pelted down, and the gold-armored soldiers, terrified, covered their heads and ears and fled back to the capital together with Tang Bo and the others.

On the second day, the king held audience in the hall. Tang Bo, Chen Chun, and Huang Zhong entered and paid their respects. The king asked, "When you reached Wudang Mountain, did you see the crown prince come down from it after being mocked?"

Tang Bo replied, "Your servant reached Wudang Mountain and indeed saw the crown prince sitting beneath a cliff. I ordered the golden-armored guards to go forward and ask the prince to return to court, but the prince did not answer a single word. Suddenly sand and stones flew through the air, and we could not even see the people before us. We had no choice but to turn back and report to Your Majesty."

When the king had heard this, he said, "Since the crown prince is on Wudang Mountain, I will send Chen Chun again as the guiding official. Together with the civil and military ministers, he will lead three thousand of the Imperial Guard and prepare the ceremonial procession to welcome the prince back to court." The ministers thanked the king and withdrew from the hall.

On the second day, the ministers assembled, and with Chen Chun leading the way, they traveled all the way to Wudang Mountain to pay their respects to the crown prince. After they had made their bows, the prince asked, "You gentlemen have come a long way. What is your business?"

The ministers reported, "We have received the king's decree and have come specifically to welcome Your Highness back to the court."

The prince said, "If I had not yet left the state, returning would still be acceptable. But now that I have resolved to seek the Dao, how could I forget the Buddhist teachings and return to the secular world? Heaven and earth are impartial. If even a single thought in the mind is not pure and still, would one not bring fault upon oneself?"

The ministers again reported, "We have heard that when a son leaves home to study the Dao, he is first regarded as unfilial. Now Your Highness insists on not returning. The king is advanced in years, and there is no other heir to take the throne, so he worries day and night. If the king should face some calamity, who will wear mourning hemp, carry the staff, and see him to his grave? And who will then inherit the throne?"

"If it becomes a matter of public talk that the King has no son to succeed him, will it not be discussed openly by everyone? In that case, you would first earn a bad reputation before your thousand years of cultivating the Way have borne fruit. We ministers are all the King's subjects. How could we dare to conceal a fault, or to see it plainly and say nothing? We ask that Your Majesty consider this carefully."

The Crown Prince, moved to tears by the ministers' words, said: "That the King has no son to inherit the throne is something I have known for some time. I once asked my master, and he told me that my father will bear a son to inherit the throne within this year. Go back and tell my father not to worry, and return to the court. But since I have already left home, how could I go back to the court? You ministers and children owe loyalty to your ruler, and even that is not always matched by filial devotion. How much less should I, a renunciant, ignore the toil by which my parents raised me? If Heaven accords with human wishes and I attain the Way in the future, my parents will also be able to become Buddhas. If it does not go as I hope, that too is decreed by Heaven, and I cannot guarantee how the world will talk about it. Say no more. Return to the court quickly, serve your sovereign with loyalty, and fulfill the duties of a minister. If my mother's younger son is raised and succeeds to the throne in the future, you will also need to rely on yourselves to assist in governing the state."

Seeing that the Crown Prince would not return and was resolved to leave home, the ministers had no choice but to take their leave and set out for the court. What happened afterward, you will learn in the next chapter.

The Crown Prince Is Tricked and Led to the Foot of Wudang Mountain (the Crown Prince is subjected to a ruse and arrives at the foot of Wudang Mountain).

The King of Jingluo returned to court, and his ministers came back and knelt before the golden steps to report. "We went to Wudang Mountain and saw the Crown Prince. We spoke at length, urging him to return, but he took our words as lightly as the wind passing by his ears and would not come back to court. Seeing that his mind was set on leaving, we tried to persuade him by pointing out that Your Majesty has no heir. The Crown Prince said that he had heard from his master that the Queen was already with child, and that this year she would bear another prince to inherit the throne. We had no choice but to return and report this to Your Majesty."

Upon hearing this, the King sighed. "If he is determined not to return, there is no point in sending anyone to persuade him again. As for the claim that the Queen will bear another son, I cannot easily believe it. This is not your fault." He then granted the woodcutter who had brought the news the post of Xunjian (an official responsible for patrolling and keeping order in the locality), gave each of the ministers one jin of silver, and suspended court audiences for three days. The civil and military officials thanked the King and withdrew from court.

Time slipped away swiftly, and before long spring had given way to autumn. True to the prophecy, the Queen of Jingluo bore another prince. The King was overjoyed and named him Xuanxu. When Xuanxu grew up, he succeeded to the throne and became the King of Jingluo.

Meanwhile, the Patriarch (Zushi) had taken leave of the civil and military officials, returned to the court, and then retreated to Wudang Mountain to cultivate in quiet stillness. Twenty years had passed.

Behind Wudang there had once been a Holy Mother of the Mountain, a goddess who guarded the peak. She thought to herself: "The Heavenly Venerable (Tianzun) ordered me to remain behind the mountain, to accompany the Patriarch secretly in his cultivation and observe his conduct. I did not expect that since he entered the mountain, twenty years have passed, and he has never once broken his precepts. His cultivation merit is profound. Tonight I will transform into a beautiful woman and go to test him. If he is stirred by desire and unites with me, then my spiritual powers will be vast, and I may wander freely throughout the world."

Having decided this, she chanted a true incantation, shook her body, and became a woman whose beauty seemed like Xi Shi reborn, and like Guanyin descending upon the mountain. She walked with light, graceful steps, and approached the Patriarch's meditation platform with a tender air. Pretending to weep, she called out: "Master, for the sake of Heaven's favor, please save me."

The Patriarch was seated in meditation on the platform. Suddenly he heard the weeping growing closer, so he raised his head and looked. Seeing a woman, he was greatly astonished and asked: "Miss, why have you come here? Night is about to fall. Please leave quickly."

The woman replied: "My mother has fallen ill, and I went home to look after her, but I lost my way and came to this place. Fortunately, I have met you, Master. I beg you to show compassion and let me stay here for one night, so that I may find the road home tomorrow."

The Patriarch said: "This is a place of cultivation. Beneath the cliff there is only a single meditation couch. How could I let you stay here?"

"Besides, young lady, you are a woman. The ancients taught that men and women should keep their distance to avoid suspicion. Before dark, you should leave here, go down the mountain, find an inn to rest in, and return tomorrow. Would that not be better?"

The woman replied, "Though I am a woman, lodging at an inn would be inconvenient for me. Moreover, I have an old ailment, and whenever I catch a chill, my belly aches. The weather is cold today. Although it is not proper for me to stay here, I have already come. I beg you, Master, to show mercy. Loosen your sash and let me lean against your chest. If I can be free of this old pain for one night, I will always remember your kindness."

The Patriarch (Zushi) said, "Amitabha! How can you say such a thing? This poor Daoist has cultivated for twenty years. Not only have I never drawn close to a woman, but no man has ever shared my bed. I absolutely cannot agree to this."

Seeing that her attempt to tease the Patriarch had failed, the woman immediately put on a grieving look and cried out, "The pain in my belly is truly unbearable. Master, please save my life!"

The Patriarch appeared not to hear. The woman called out again, "Master, you are a renunciant. When someone meets calamity, you should help; when someone is in distress, you should rescue them. Why are renunciants so hard-hearted, as cold as iron and stone?"

After listening for a long while, and seeing how pitifully she cried out, the Patriarch asked, "When your belly hurt before, what did you do to cure it?"

The woman said, "At home, when the pain was mild, my husband would rub it with his hand and it would ease. When it was severe, he had to press his belly against mine for a while before it would subside. Now I am here with this pain, and my husband is not by my side, so no one can rub it for me. Master, please rub it for me. If I could see my mother once more, I would repay you with my death."

The Patriarch said, "I am a renunciant. To bring you close to my body is something I absolutely must not do."

The Patriarch said, "I am a man who left home to cultivate the Dao (the Way), and I truly cannot bring myself to draw near the body of a young woman." The woman cried out again, "Master, the old saying goes, 'Saving a single life surpasses building a six-story pagoda.' If you do not move away quickly, I shall die of this pain."

Seeing how pitifully she cried out, the Patriarch had no choice but to approach and rub her with his hands for a while. The woman cried out again, "The pain is severe, and mere rubbing cannot stop it. The old saying also goes, 'To save a person, one must save them to the end.' Master, please loosen your sash and join with me for a moment, and my pain will be cured." The Patriarch replied, "If it must be so, I would rather die than consent." Having said this, he strode out into the moonlight and sighed, "I have left my homeland to cultivate the Dao for more than twenty years, and I have never met anyone truly awakened to the Dao. Instead I am tormented by these entanglements. If this goes on, when will my cultivation bear fruit? It is better to leave this mountain and make other plans."

Having spoken, the Patriarch paid her no further heed, turned, and went down the mountain. Seeing that he had departed in anger, the woman was greatly alarmed, and thought to herself, "I have committed a fault. He has cultivated for more than twenty years, and the celestial scripture (tianshu) is about to descend, yet I have toyed with him. If he leaves like this, all his past cultivation will be wasted. If the Heavenly Venerable Miaole (Miaole Tianzun) should learn of this, what am I to do? Better to transform myself into an old woman, meet him on the road, awaken him, and bring him to change his mind, so as to make amends for my earlier error."

Having said this, she recited a true incantation (zhenyan), a magical spell, and transformed herself into an old woman. She turned a rotten piece of wood into an iron pestle, and riding on clouds she hurried ahead of the Patriarch, where she sat beside the road and ground the pestle back and forth on a stone.

The Patriarch came down the mountain in a rage. As he walked, he saw an old woman ahead of him grinding an iron pestle on a stone. He stopped to look closely, unable to tell what she was doing, and stepped forward to ask, "Grandmother, I see you grinding this iron pestle here. What is it for?"

The old woman replied, "My granddaughter asked me for an embroidery needle, and we have none at home. So I am grinding this iron pestle down into a needle for her." The Patriarch laughed and said, "When will an iron pestle ever be ground into a needle? Why waste your effort?" The old woman answered, "I know it will be hard to grind it down. But since I promised my granddaughter a needle, how could I give up halfway? As long as I keep grinding patiently, one day it will be done."

Hearing this, the Patriarch asked no more and continued on his way.

The Holy Mother of the mountain saw that this had not yet changed the Patriarch's mind. She transformed into an old man, rode a cloud to a place three li away, and began chiseling at a rock with a hammer in one hand and a chisel in the other. When the Patriarch reached that spot, he saw the old man chiseling and, not understanding his purpose, stepped forward to ask, "Old sir, what are you chiseling this rock for?"

The old man replied, "I have a few plots of dry farmland with no water to irrigate them, so I want to cut through this rock and dig a channel to bring water to my fields." The Patriarch laughed and asked, "When will you finish?" The old man said, "There is an old saying: if the will is firm, even stone can be pierced. I have been chiseling for more than a month. How could I let all that effort go to waste because of one remark from you? As long as I keep working, one day I will succeed. How could I give up halfway? I have thought it over carefully, and I will never abandon the work I have already done because of a single word from you."

The Patriarch listened in silence for a long while, then said to himself, "Since I came down the mountain, I have met two hard tasks in a row: grinding an iron pestle and chiseling rock. Both people said they would not abandon their efforts because of one remark. I left home to cultivate the Dao, yet I flew into a rage and came down the mountain over a woman. To abandon my cultivation like this is not as good as returning to the mountain to keep practicing and seeing what comes of it." Having thought this through, he turned back and resumed his cultivation in the mountains.

When the Mountain Holy Mother saw that the Patriarch had changed his mind and returned to the mountain, she was overjoyed. She resumed her original form and went back to hiding behind the mountain, as before.

The Heavenly Venerable saw from the clouds that the Patriarch's cultivation had matured and that he was gradually entering the path of the immortals (xiandao), yet one of his five viscera (wuzang) had still not been dealt with. The Venerable used his divine powers, chanted an incantation, and from the empty sky sent out two drowsy insects, which flew over and struck the Patriarch. The Patriarch immediately fell into a deep sleep and lost consciousness.

The Venerable summoned the Belly-Cutting Spirit, gave him a precious sword, and ordered him to split open the Patriarch's abdomen. The Belly-Cutting Spirit obeyed, loosened the Patriarch's sash, cut open the chest and belly, and took out the intestines. The Venerable told him to lay the intestines beneath a rock and cover them with stones. He then fetched a garment and placed it inside the abdomen to serve as a belly, used a flying ribbon to serve as the intestines, and sewed the wound shut with thread. After this, the Venerable took out a Pill of Returning the Soul (huanhun dan), a medicine that restores life, and placed it in the Patriarch's mouth. He dismissed the Belly-Cutting Spirit, and by reciting a true incantation (zhenyan), an incantation endowed with spiritual power, he soon brought the Patriarch back to consciousness.

When the Patriarch saw the Venerable at his side, he hurriedly rose and bowed, saying, "Your disciple failed to welcome you from afar, and I am truly guilty." The Venerable reproached him: "I told you not to sleep at night. Why did you fall asleep during the day?" The Patriarch replied, "Your disciple used to feel that my mind was clear and still, so I did not sleep by day or by night. I do not know why I suddenly grew drowsy today, and once I slept, I lost consciousness." The Venerable said, "You must not do this again." The Patriarch said, "From now on, your disciple will mend his ways."

The Venerable then said, "If you cultivate for a few more years, you will certainly take your place among the immortals. I bestow upon you a sword to carry at all times. When you encounter demons, you need only take up the sword to drive them away." After the Patriarch bowed in thanks, the Venerable rode off on the clouds. The Patriarch did not know that the Venerable had replaced his intestines, and he continued, as before, to cultivate day and night, sitting in meditation and practicing his inner work. Gradually he felt his body grow light and easy, and often a cloud of five-colored radiance enveloped his whole body. Birds and beasts came to pay homage from every direction, and by day and by night they listened as he expounded the scriptures and taught the Dharma.

In the mountains there was a child, who was in truth a bamboo-pole spirit (zhugan jing). Since the Patriarch came to cultivate here, the spirit listened to his teachings morning and evening, and gradually acquired a few supernatural powers (shentong).

One day, the bamboo-pole spirit took the form of a woman and came up the small path from the west, weeping as she approached the Patriarch and begged him to save her life. The Patriarch asked, "Miss, why have you come to this place?"

The woman replied, "My husband is forcing me to remarry. I would not agree, so I fled through the back door, intending to return to my parents' home. I unexpectedly took the wrong road and ended up here. Night has fallen and a heavy rain is falling, and I have nowhere to shelter. I beg you, Master, to let me borrow a place to stay for one night. I will leave first thing in the morning."

The Patriarch said, "This meditation altar is a place for chanting scriptures and expounding the Dharma, so it would not be proper for me to agree to your request."

The woman would not listen to his refusal and insisted on entering the altar. The Patriarch, suspecting she might be a ghost or demon, raised his sword intending to strike her down. But when he looked closely, the woman before him had turned into a large bamboo pole, and only then did the Patriarch set his mind at ease.

One day, an eel spirit (a serpent that had cultivated itself into a spirit, here an eel) took the form of a woman in mourning clothes. Weeping, she came before the Patriarch's meditation platform and bowed her head in greeting. The Patriarch asked, "Where have you come from, young lady? Why do you bow to me?"

The woman replied, "My household once had six members, but a plague struck, and four of them died one after another. Now only one child remains, not yet three years old, and he too lies sick in bed with no one to turn to. I have heard that Master has recited scriptures, taught the Dharma, and cultivated himself in these mountains for more than forty years, and surely has attained the right Way. That is why I have come to beg for your help. I implore you, in your compassion, to come to my home and recite one volume of the true scripture. If you can save my child, I will never forget this kindness and will repay it in future lives."

Moved by pity, the Patriarch asked, "How far is your home from here?" She said, "Not far, only five li." He asked again, "How many households are there where you live?" She answered, "Only my family." The Patriarch said, "Since there is only your family, and I am a renunciant, I fear I cannot agree."

The woman said, "The old saying goes, 'Saving one life is better than building a seven-story pagoda' (a stupa, often used as a metaphor for doing good and accumulating merit). What could be wrong with that?" The Patriarch several times set out to go, but the woman remained weeping before the meditation platform and pleaded again and again. The Patriarch sat upright without moving, his eyes lowered. She wept from noon until evening, and the sky gradually grew dark.

The woman said, "Since the Master will not honor my home with a visit, and I have already waited here a long time, and the hour is late so I cannot return home, what am I to do?" The Patriarch replied, "Young lady, hurry back. You can still make it home."

She said, "Since the Master insists on not going, how would I dare to press you further? I know the main road below the mountain well. But now I have lost my way in these hills. I beg the Master to point me the way out of the mountain, and I will return on my own."

Hearing this, the Patriarch had no choice but to leave the meditation altar. He took up his sword and walked ahead to lead the woman down the mountain. Halfway down, she caught hold of his shoulder from behind and said, "My feet are aching and sore. Please, Master, help me walk a few steps." The Patriarch was greatly startled and answered, "This poor Daoist left home more than forty years ago and has never once touched another person. How could I support a young lady? Just walk slowly."

She said again, "The Master speaks reasonably. But my feet truly cannot carry me any farther. If you will not help me down the mountain, then perhaps you could accompany me back up to the altar and stay the night there, and tomorrow I will go home by myself." The Patriarch refused both options. She went on, "You will not help me down, and you will not come back with me. I see that the Master has an extraordinary bearing and a graceful, refined manner, and I have been stirred by a sudden longing. Grant me a moment of your desire, and then I will go home by myself. How is that?"

When he had heard all of this, the Patriarch said nothing. He turned and walked away. The woman then used her supernatural power (shentong) to overtake him and seized him by the arm. Invoking the "nailing-body" spell (dīngshēn fǎ), a technique that holds a person's body fixed so that he cannot escape, she said, "I have now cast aside all shame and come to you of my own accord, like fallen blossoms bearing their own intent. Why, then, are you like flowing water, without feeling, offering me no response at all?" Held fast by her, the Patriarch felt his body grow heavy and could not struggle free with a clear mind.

Patriarch Meng grabbed the woman and recited the incantation that fixes a body in place. "You have now displayed every ugly pose," he said. "You are like fallen blossoms that have feelings, but I am like flowing water without feeling, and I have no affection for you at all." The woman clung to the Patriarch and would not let go. He felt his body grow heavy and could not break free with a clear mind. Then he suddenly remembered the sword at his waist, drew it from its sheath at once, and the woman vanished. The Patriarch returned to normal, went back to his meditation platform, and never mentioned the matter again.

Meanwhile, the Celestial Venerable Miaole (Miaole Tianzun) was watching from the clouds. Each time he saw the Patriarch's mind and spirit remain calm and unmoved, his upright Qi appeared awe-inspiring. One day the Jade Emperor held court.

Miaole Tianzun memorialized the throne: "Your Majesty's single wisp of divine soul has now taken form and completed its cultivation anew. It is entirely free of mundane desires. Your Majesty should immediately dispatch divine generals to escort him to the Celestial Bureaus, the heavenly offices, so that he may take up his post." The Jade Emperor was greatly pleased and ordered the Dragons of the East (Azure), the South (Vermilion), the West (White), the North (Black), and the Center (Yellow) to escort Miaole Tianzun. He also commanded the Grand White Venus, Taibai Jinxing, to carry a seal inscribed with the four characters "Jade Void Preceptor Minister" (Yuxu Shixiang). Finally, he sent the Rolling-Curtain General Shi Gu, holding a banner, to descend to the mortal realm and welcome him. The assembled ministers bowed in thanks and left the court to set out.

One day the Patriarch was combing his hair on a rock when it suddenly occurred to him that his physical body was of no use. He grew disheartened and listless, stopped combing, flung his hair behind him, and sat lost in thought for a long time. He looked down over the edge of the rock, which fell more than ten zhang (roughly thirty meters). Just then he heard that the celestial writ (the edict of the Heavenly Emperor) had arrived, and five dragons lifted the Patriarch up. When he saw the edict, he knelt to receive it.

The edict was read aloud: "The ancients said that when someone makes a good vow, Heaven is certain to respond; good and evil each bring their own retribution, and Heaven and Earth never show partiality. I see that Xuanyuan has cultivated with devotion for more than forty years without a trace of delusive thought, and his sincerity is evident. He rightly deserves a place among the immortal ranks of the heavenly court. Now We send the five dragons to draw his carriage, the Venus Star to hold the seal, and Shigu to carry the banner, and We confer upon him the title Lord Chancellor of the Five Void Ministers, Northern Dark Heaven Supreme Emperor. He shall command thirty-six heavenly generals and eighty-two kinds of manifestations. On the ninth day of the ninth month and the fifteenth day of the twelfth month each year, he shall tour the world and examine good and evil. After his investiture he shall still reside in the Palace of the Sun and enjoy generous emoluments. Once he has received the precepts in the Western Heaven, nine generations of his family shall also be elevated." The Patriarch kowtowed in gratitude.

After hearing the edict and kowtowing in thanks, the Patriarch turned to wash and dress, only to find that his hair could no longer be bound up. He was astonished. The Wonderful Music Heavenly Venerable (Miaole Tianzun) said, "This disciple does not know the reason. Now that the celestial writ has come, your form has already changed. How could you comb your hair as you did before?" The Patriarch thanked the Heavenly Venerable, who then rode a cloud up into the heavens.

The next morning, when the Jade Emperor held court, the Wonderful Music Heavenly Venerable brought the Patriarch forward to pay his respects. The Jade Emperor asked, "Who is this?" The Heavenly Venerable replied, "This is Xuanyuan, whom I was sent by decree to Mount Wudang to bring before Your Majesty."

The Jade Emperor, upon reading the memorial, was greatly pleased. He personally descended the steps to help the Patriarch to his feet, presented him with a brocade cushion, invited him to sit beside him, and held a banquet to reward the assembled ministers. He then issued an edict sending the Patriarch on to the Palace of the Sun. The next day, the Patriarch arrived at the Palace of the Sun and took his seat in the seat of the Daogong. The gatekeeper reported that the Heavenly Venerables (Tianzun) had come to offer their congratulations, and the Patriarch invited them in to meet him. As they were conversing, he suddenly saw a resentful qi rising straight into the sky from the north. Greatly startled, the Patriarch asked the Heavenly Lords (Tianjun), "I have only just arrived in the Upper Realm. Why is there a resentful qi filling the heavens here, lingering for so long without dispersing?"

The Heavenly Lords replied, "The Supreme Emperor is not aware of this. This resentful qi comes from the Middle Realm, created by Emperor Yang of the Sui dynasty, who was dissolute, unrighteous, and indiscriminately slaughtered the innocent. That is why it has never dissipated." Before they had finished speaking, a demonic qi was seen rising in all four directions. The Patriarch asked again, "Now demonic qi has appeared as well. What is the cause of this?" The Heavenly Lords said, "The demonic qi was produced by the Supreme Emperor's generals, who have been causing disorder throughout the four quarters of the Middle Realm."

The Patriarch said, "Demonic qi and resentful qi both rise straight into the heavens. Neither is an auspicious omen for the Upper Realm, and they should not be allowed to remain for long. How should they be dealt with?" The Heavenly Lords said, "If a person of great spiritual power could be dispatched to the Middle Realm to completely remove these two qi, the merit would be immense, and the Three Realms would thereby be brought to peace." The Patriarch replied, "Since the demonic qi was caused by my own generals, how could I decline this task? Tomorrow I will petition the Jade Emperor in person and request to descend to the mortal world to clear away both qi completely. Would that not be a good thing?" The Heavenly Lords were all delighted. They took their leave and returned to their caves.

On the following day, the Jade Emperor held court. The Patriarch stepped forward from the ranks, his court boots striking the ground, and holding his xiangjian (the ceremonial tablet held by officials when audiencing the ruler), he memorialized: "Yesterday, your minister arrived at the Palace of the Sun and saw demonic qi and resentful qi rising straight into the sky from the Middle Realm. In my view, this is no auspicious sign for the Upper Realm, and it should be removed."

Someone reported: "The demonic qi is caused by my generals stirring up trouble across the four quarters of the Middle Realm (the human world). I am willing to descend to the mortal realm, subdue these generals, eliminate the evil and destroy the demons, and then return to pay my respects to Your Majesty."

Upon hearing this, the Five Emperors were greatly pleased. They immediately bestowed upon the Patriarch a Three-Platform Seven-Star Sword, a suit of golden chain armor, and five hundred pills of fire elixir, and they enfeoffed him as the True Warrior General of the North. They also presented him with three cups of imperial wine. After expressing his gratitude, the Patriarch left the court and went to the Temple of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing) to pay his respects. Once the greetings were complete, the Three Pure Ones asked him the reason for his visit, and the Patriarch recounted how he had petitioned the Jade Emperor to descend to the Middle Realm and subdue the demons.

The Three Pure Ones asked, "Who else is going with you?" The Patriarch replied, "This disciple is going alone, without any deputies, so I have come specially to ask how I should proceed." The Three Pure Ones said, "This is not difficult. In your past cultivation at Wudang, you left your entrails behind in a rock cave on the mountain. The belly transformed into a turtle demon, and the intestines transformed into a serpent demon, and now they are causing havoc in the Middle Realm. When you arrive in the human world, recruit these two monsters as your lieutenants, and you will succeed."

Having heard this, the Patriarch took leave of the Three Pure Ones, rode a cloud down the mountain, and chanted an incantation to transform himself into a Daoist priest.

The Patriarch Descends to Subdue the Two Monsters

As for the turtle demon and the serpent demon, one day they were wandering and sightseeing in the Water-Fire Cave. The serpent demon said to the turtle demon, "You and I were born at Wudang..."