《墉城集仙录》Vol. 4

She then ordered a minister in her retinue to give Miaoxiang the two sections of the Dao De Jing and a Pill for Preserving Youthful Beauty, a Daoist legendary elixir said to help preserve one’s appearance, and departed. Over the following year, she appeared at Huangting Temple three to five times. Ten years later, Miaoxiang ascended to immortality in broad daylight. Because this mountain was where Shun cultivated the Dao, the place came to be known as Yingdao County in Daozhou.

Chenggong Zhiqiong

Xian Chao, courtesy name Yiqi, served as an assistant official in the Jibei Commandery of the state of Wei. One night during the Jiaping era, while lodging alone, he dreamed that a divine maiden came to meet him. The maiden came from the place where she had cultivated the Dao, and so it was called Yingdao County in Daozhou.

Chenggong Zhiqiong

Xian Chao, courtesy name Yiqi, served as an assistant official in the commandery administration of Ji Bei in Wei. One night during the Jiaping era, he was lodging alone when he dreamed that a divine maiden came to keep him company. She said she was a Jade Maiden from Heaven, from Dong Commandery, surnamed Chenggong and named Zhiqiong. She had lost her parents at a young age. The Lord of Heaven took pity on her loneliness and lack of support, and sent her down to marry.

When Xian Chao saw her in his dream, he was deeply moved and felt that her beauty surpassed that of ordinary people by far. After waking, he still admired and longed for her intensely, and had similar dreams for three or four nights in succession. One morning, Chenggong Zhiqiong appeared clearly before him. She rode in a curtained carriage and was accompanied by eight serving women. Her clothes of fine silk were splendid, and her appearance and bearing were like those of a flying immortal. She said she was already seventy years old, though she looked only fifteen or sixteen.

In the carriage were white, gleaming vessels of colored glass, including a pot and wine cups. The dining utensils, food, and wine were all extraordinary. She ate and drank with Xian Chao, then told him, “I am a Jade Maiden from Heaven, and I have been ordered to marry below, so I have come to keep you company. The bond between us was formed in a previous life; we are destined to become husband and wife. I cannot bring you any special benefit, nor will I cause you harm. But you will often be able to ride in a light, comfortable carriage and on fine horses, and enjoy rare delicacies and exquisite dishes. You will have silk and plain woven cloth in abundance, with nothing lacking. I am a divine being and cannot bear children for you. Nor am I jealous or opposed to the ordinary course of taking a wife and establishing a household.”

So the two became husband and wife. Chenggong Zhiqiong gave Xian Chao a poem whose general meaning was: “An immortal drifts down to the human world; among clouds and stones, her presence reaches high. The finest lingzhi need no nourishment; deep De (Virtue) aligns with the turn of fate. An immortal’s descent is no illusion: she comes in keeping with the moment to offer aid. Accept me, and your five clans will be honored; defy me, and calamity will follow.” The original poem is more than two hundred characters long and is not reproduced here in full.

She also wrote a seven-volume Book of Changes, with hexagram images and the tuan—the explanations of the hexagrams—as its organizing principle. Its text discussed the underlying principles and could also be used to divine good or ill fortune.

He also wrote a seven-scroll work on the Changes. It included hexagram images and focused chiefly on the tuan—texts explaining the meaning of the hexagrams. The work discussed principles and could also be used to divine good and ill fortune, much like Yang Xiong’s Taixuan and Xue’s Zhongjing. Chao fully grasped its intent and used it to forecast good and ill fortune.

Seven or eight years later, after his parents arranged a marriage for him, Zhiqiong began visiting him by day at set times and coming and going at night as well. She left at dawn, and moved so swiftly that she seemed to fly. Only Chao could see her; no one else could. Whenever Chao was about to go out, Zhiqiong would already have a carriage waiting outside the gate. A journey of a hundred li took less than two hours, and a thousand li took less than half a day.

Later, Chao became an assistant official in the household of the King of Jibei. When Wen Qin rebelled and Emperor Ming of Wei led an eastern campaign, the princes were moved to the palace at Ye, and the household officials relocated west with the prince who supervised the state. Their lodgings in Ye were cramped: four officials shared a small room, while Chao alone slept in a separate place. Zhiqiong often came and went, and the men sharing the room gradually began to suspect that something unusual was happening. She could conceal her form, but not her voice; the fragrance about her also filled the entire room, arousing her colleagues’ suspicions.

Later, Chao was ordered to travel to the capital on official business. Zhiqiong entered the marketplace empty-handed, yet gave him five boxes of pale-red silk and five bolts of brilliantly colored, exceptionally lustrous fabric, none of which could be bought in the markets of Ye. The officials sharing Chao’s room asked where he had obtained these things. Chao was frank by nature and poor at choosing his words, so he told them the whole truth. They reported the matter to the prince supervising the state. He questioned Chao in detail, but, concerned that such strange events might truly exist in the world, did not punish him.

One night, Zhiqiong returned and asked to leave. “I am an immortal. Though I have been with you, I did not wish others to know. But you are frank by nature and cannot keep a secret; now my origins have been completely exposed, and I can no longer come to you. We have been close for many years, and our affection runs deep. How could we part so suddenly without sorrow? But circumstances leave us no choice. Let us each take care of ourselves and persevere.”

He ordered his attendants to bring wine and food to entertain Chao. Then he opened a chest, took out a woven skirt, an upper garment, and underclothes, and gave them to Chao, along with a poem. He clasped Chao’s arm in farewell, weeping without end. Then he solemnly climbed into the carriage and sped away. Chao was grief-stricken and troubled for days, nearly falling ill.

Five years after she left, Chao was sent by the commandery office to Luoyang. As he reached the foot of Yushan in Jibei, he was traveling west along the road when, in the distance at a crossroads, he saw a carriage that seemed to belong to Zhiqiong, the immortal woman. He drove after it, and on looking closely saw that it was indeed her. They lifted the carriage curtain and met, sorrow and joy surging together in their hearts. Zhiqiong handed him the reins so he could ride with her. Together they went to Luoyang and resumed their former relationship. Even during the Taikang era, they continued to see one another, though no longer every day. On the third day of the third month, the fifth day of the fifth month, the seventh day of the seventh month, the ninth day of the ninth month, and on the first and fifteenth of each month, she would come to visit, usually staying one night before leaving.

Zhang Maoxian wrote a “Rhapsody on the Divine Maiden” about this. In its preface he said: “Many people in the world speak of immortals, but no one has ever offered an account that can be verified. The meeting between Xianshi and the divine maiden, however, is relatively credible and supported by evidence. During the Ganlu era, people traveling between the Yellow River and the Ji River and the capital often spoke of this affair. At first, I always took it to be the work of ghosts and spirits. Later, when I went to the eastern region, I heard many people discuss it, and people in different places told the same story. Still, I thought that ordinary people enjoyed spreading false and strange tales, so I dismissed it as hearsay and made no close inquiry.

“Later I met Liu, a senior official in Jibei. He was perceptive and trustworthy. He had seen Yiqi with his own eyes, heard him recount what had happened, read his writings, and seen the garments he had received as gifts. These things could not have been fabricated out of thin air by someone of Yiqi’s modest talent and learning. I also asked people close to Yiqi who knew about the matter. They said, ‘When the divine maiden came, everyone smelled a fragrance and heard voices.’”

This shows clearly that what Yiqi experienced was not an ordinary affair, but a dream brought on by lascivious delusion. Later, people saw that Yiqi was remarkably strong: he once crossed a vast marsh in a heavy rain without getting wet. This made them even more perplexed. When demons and spirits draw near, people often grow weak and thin, and fall ill. Yet Yiqi remained unharmed, feasting and drinking with divine beings, sharing their bed and lodging, and indulging in every desire. Is that not strange?

Pang Nü

From childhood, Pang Nü ate nothing. She often yearned for a realm of stillness and emptiness, and would say, “I ought to ascend to Heaven; I do not wish to remain among the people of this world.” Her parents assumed she was only speaking in play.

Pang Nü did not eat from childhood. She often longed for a life of stillness and emptiness, and would say, “One day I will ascend to Heaven. I do not wish to remain in the human world.” Her parents assumed she was only joking.

Once, as she passed the foot of Dongwu Mountain, she suddenly saw immortals flying through the air from south to north, covering nearly a thousand li. Pang Nü immediately stood upright and did not dare continue on her way. When the immortals reached the mountain summit, they did not disperse. Instead, they conjured a golden city, jade towers, and splendid palaces across the mountaintop. One immortal descended the mountain, radiating five-colored light. He came before Pang Nü and summoned her into the palace.

The assembled immortals stood in ordered ranks, their bearing solemn and dignified. They said to her, “You have the aptitude to cultivate the Dao and attain true realization. In the future, you should become a High True One, an immortal of elevated rank. The Most High, an honorific for the supreme deity in Daoism, has commanded me to transmit to you the Five Chapters of the True Writings of the Scarlet Book of Numinous Treasure, a text from the Numinous Treasure scriptures. Cultivate according to its methods, and the day of your ascent will come. In the past, the imperial consort A Qiu Zeng also followed these methods and later attained the rank of a High True One. How could you fail to cultivate diligently?”

After Pang Nü received the true writings, the assembled immortals vanished. Ten years later, she ascended to Heaven in broad daylight. The place where she had encountered the Heavenly True Ones, the immortals, was Dongwu Mountain, known today as Gengchu Hua.

Later, the Daoist Zhang Fang also lived on this mountain, dwelling and cultivating in a stone chamber. A red tiger often appeared outside the chamber, but Zhang Fang was not afraid. He later attained the Dao and ascended to Heaven as well. Pang Nü’s name is written as “Feng Nü” in another version. (From Taiping Guangji, juan 61)

○ Bao Nü

Bao Nu was from Hanzhong, a descendant of the Lord of Bao, and so took “Bao” as her surname. She lived between the Han and Mian Rivers. From childhood, she loved the Daoist arts and was quiet and detached in temperament, with little interest in worldly affairs.

When she came of age, she was washing silk by the Jin River. One day, clouds and rain arose suddenly and the sky grew dark. She seemed to have been touched by a spiritual force, and later became pregnant. Her parents reproached her. She grew sorrowful and ill, and as she lay dying, she said to her mother, “After I die, I hope you will send me to be buried on the Western Mountain in an ox cart.” With that, she passed away.

Her parents placed her in the cart, but before they could harness the ox, it began moving on its own. It crossed the Mian and Han Rivers, passed over the rushing waters, and went straight up to the summit of Pingyuan Mountain at the mouth of the Jin River. Pingyuan was the place where the Jin River’s spirit took human form. The family hurried after it and saw five-colored auspicious clouds spread overhead like a canopy. Heavenly music rang through the air, while banners and ceremonial standards clustered before and behind. They witnessed Bao Nu ascend to Heaven. When they looked into the cart, only an empty coffin remained.

The local people built a shrine to honor her. Their prayers for relief during droughts and floods were always answered. Even now, two wheel ruts remain on the summit of the mountain at the mouth of the Jin River. Later, Chen Shi’an also attained the Dao on this mountain and ascended to Heaven in broad daylight.

Li Zhenduo

Li Zhenduo was the younger sister of the immortal Li Tuo. Li Tuo practiced the Dao beneath Longqiao Peak on Jintang Mountain in Shu. People in Shu had seen him across generations; judging from the span of his visits, he had been there for more than eight hundred years, so they called him “Li Eight Hundred.”

It is said that Li Tuo first came to Qixuan Mountain in Guanghan during the reign of King Mu of Zhou and practiced the Dao after refining the Nine Blossoms Elixir. He then wandered among the Five Sacred Mountains and the Ten Grottoes for more than two hundred years. At sea, he met Lord Feiyang, who taught him the Way of Water and Wood. Returning to the mountain, Li Tuo continued refining medicines and at last completed an elixir. Several hundred years later, he would hide himself or appear, moving between marketplaces and the imperial court. Eventually, he climbed Longqiao Peak again and refined the Nine-Cauldron Golden Elixir. Eight hundred years had passed by the time it was complete.

Li Tuo practiced the Dao on this mountain three times, so people called it “Three Studies Mountain,” or “Worthy Mountain.” Since he was known as “Li Eight Hundred,” he tested his elixir on the mountain rocks. When he smeared it on a cliff face, the hard stone turned into lustrous, translucent jade. The place where he tested the elixir can still be seen. Whenever someone chips away at the rock, thunder and wind arise and the weather changes.

Li Zhenduo followed her brother in practicing the Dao and lived around Mianzhu, where traces of her presence remain to this day. She sometimes traveled near Fushan, a place now called “Zhenduo’s Transformation.” This was the ancient “Fushan Transformation”; it is said to have risen and floated up after receiving water, like Difei Mountain.

From a young age, Li Zhenduo showed the makings of an immortal and devoted herself to studying the mysteries of the Dao. Li Eight Hundred passed on to her the cultivation formula known as “Returning to the Origin in Silent Stillness.” She practiced it for several hundred years, yet still looked about twenty. Her expression was solemn and dignified, and her bearing was upright and striking, quite unlike that of a frail woman. Those who saw her did not dare look directly at her.

Later, the Most High Lord Lao and the Three Masters of the Mysterious Past descended and guided Li Zhenduo, teaching her the Way of Ascension. She ascended bodily into the heavens in daylight even before Li Eight Hundred did. Beside her dwelling was a pool whose water remained red throughout the year. It is said that in ancient times immortals used the spring there to refine cinnabar. Fushan is also called Mount Wan’an, and on the mountain is a well known as the “Two Masters’ Well.” Legend says that drinking its water can cure illness. Because Zhenduo cultivated there, the place came to bear her name: “Zhenduo’s Transformation.”

Li Eight Hundred later ascended bodily into the heavens in daylight from Xianju Mountain in Shifang, on the eighth day of the third month.

Lu Miaodian was a Daoist woman of Mount Jiuyi. From childhood, she was quick-witted and perceptive, and of noble character. She ate no meat or fish and drank no wine.

When she was in her teens, she said to her mother, “Morning and evening, I find the smell of food foul. It often makes my nose and head ache, and I hope I can stop eating altogether.” Her whole family felt great pity for her, and she learned the methods of absorbing Qi and taking medicines.

After living at home for ten years, she was often unhappy. She said to her mother, “However long a person lives, their life amounts to no more than 120 years, while sorrow and joy wear down the body and mind day after day. And as a woman, must I bury my true nature and blend into worldly life?”

A Daoist passed by her home and taught her the Great Cavern Yellow Court Scripture, an important Daoist classic. He told her, “The Yellow Court Scripture is a book of gold from the palace of the Great Emperor of Fusang. Recite it ten thousand times, and you can become an immortal. The key is to cultivate diligently, with focused intent and without growing weary. The scripture says: ‘Recite it ten thousand times, and you may ascend to the Three Heavens; a thousand calamities will vanish and a hundred illnesses will be cured. You will have no fear of tigers, wolves, or other dangers, and you can delay aging and extend your life.’”

When Miaodian lived alone in the mountains, each time she recited the scripture, she felt as though ten people were with her, and so she was no longer afraid. Why was this? It is said that the scripture can summon the gods within the body, making the spirit and Qi clear and upright. When the spirit and Qi are upright, outside evils cannot intrude; when the gods gather, fear has no way to take hold. With the body intact, the spirit and Qi gathered, the breath upright, and the mind tranquil, one can see a thousand miles away, and nothing subtle remains hidden. Yet people often do not know these principles; even if they know them, they may not practice them; even if they practice, they may not devote themselves wholeheartedly; and even if they do, they may not persevere. To give up halfway is to abandon all the work already done. This brings not only punishment under the mysterious regulations, the Daoist precepts, but also continued passage through birth and death and the suffering of unending karmic retribution.”

Miaodian followed these teachings. After receiving the scripture, she entered Mount Jiuyi and lived alone among its rocky crags, cultivating herself in stillness. She endured repeated trials by demonic obstacles, yet remained steadfast and unyielding. After more than ten years of cultivation, a divine being said to her, “This mountain is where the Great Shun governed; it is the chief office of Heaven and Earth and the ancestral mountain of the Nine Provinces. In ancient times, adepts built three mountain shelters here, places where people could find refuge and cultivate in stillness. They served to shelter the body and maintain purity and quiet, but over the years they gradually fell into ruin. I will rebuild them for you now, so that you may rest in comfort and follow your nature.”

Another ten years passed, and a perfected immortal appeared and gave her a spiritual elixir. Lu Miaodian then ascended to Heaven in broad daylight.

At first, when Miaodian lived in the mountain, there was no water on its summit. A divine being therefore transformed a stone basin, about three feet wide and four feet long, in which there was always an inexhaustible supply of water. The divine being also brought her a large iron mortar, though Miaodian did not know what it was for. These objects still remain on the mountain. On the stones of the immortal altar, the footprints of the immortals are still clearly visible, along with an ancient mirror and a bell: the mirror is about three feet across, and the bell is shaped like an upside-down crescent moon. These were all gifts from the divine being and relics left behind when Miaodian ascended to Heaven. They are now kept at Wuwei Monastery.

Lady Li Shan, the old woman of Mount Li, was of unknown birth and era. Li Quan was devoted to the way of the immortals. He often traveled among famous mountains, collecting widely the arts and methods of cultivation. In a stone chamber at Tiger’s-Mouth Crag on Mount Song, he found an original copy of the Huangdi Yinfu Jing (Yellow Emperor’s Scripture of the Hidden Tally), written on silk and sealed away with great care. A note read: “On the seventh day of the seventh month in the second year of Zhenjun of Great Wei, the Daoist Kou Qianzhi hid this in a famous mountain.” The scripture said it should be passed on to someone of kindred purpose, until the scroll itself rotted away. Li Quan copied it and studied it thousands of times, but in the end still failed to understand its meaning.

Later, Li Quan entered the Qin region and came to the foot of Mount Li, where he met an old woman. She wore her hair coiled atop her head, with the rest hanging to one side. Her clothes were worn and patched, and she leaned on a staff. Her bearing was quite extraordinary. Seeing a fire left by the roadside burning a tree, she remarked to herself, “Fire is born from wood; when calamity breaks out, it must overcome and cause harm.” That is, fire arises from wood, and once disaster takes hold, it will surely exert its force and bring damage.

Li Quan was astonished. He stepped forward and asked, “That is a secret passage from the Huangdi Yinfu Jing. How did you, an old woman, come to say it?” She replied, “I received this scripture three Great Cycles and six rounds of the sexagenary cycle ago. One Great Cycle is 180 years; six Great Cycles make 1,080 years. Young man, how did you come to know this passage?”

Li Quan immediately bowed and explained in detail how he had obtained the scripture, then asked her to explain its profound principles. The old woman told him to stand upright and face the light so she could examine his features. She said, “Anyone who receives this scripture must be entered in the registers of the immortals and possess the bone structure suited to cultivating immortality. Only then may they hear the Dao’s profound and subtle teachings and open the Mysterious Gate, the passage into the secrets of the Dao. Otherwise, this may instead bring calamity upon them. Young man, your cheekbones align with the Gate of Life, and your Life Wheel is level with the Moon Horn. Your Qi and blood have not yet waned, and your spirit is neither weak nor distorted. You are virtuous in nature, devoted to the Dao, courageous, and eager to learn. You are indeed my disciple. Yet when you are forty-five, you will face a great calamity.”

She then took out a talisman written in cinnabar, threaded it onto the top of her staff, and told Li Quan to kneel and swallow it, saying, “May Heaven and Earth protect you!”

She then invited him to sit and explained the meaning of the Yinfu Jing: “The Yinfu Jing is a scripture kept secret by the Shangqing school and revered by the Xuantai tradition. Used to govern a state, it can bring peace to all under Heaven; used to cultivate oneself, it can enable one to attain the Dao. It is not merely a method for plotting strategy and defeating one’s enemies. It is also a crucial key to the Great Dao. How could it be an ordinary book of the human world?

“In ancient times, although violent and overbearing rebels troubled the realm, the Yellow Emperor was still able to appoint worthy and capable people, punish the violent, quell rebellions, and assist Shennong in governing the world. He campaigned for three years and fought a hundred battles, yet still achieved no success. So he purified himself through fasting, prayed to Heaven, admitted his faults, and sought Heaven’s mandate. The Ninefold Spirit Golden Mother, a Daoist goddess, sent the messenger Menghu to give the Yellow Emperor a jade talisman. Through it, he gained insight into Heaven’s will and expressed his sincerity, moving the Heavenly Emperor. The Heavenly Emperor then commanded the Dark Maiden, the goddess said to have taught military strategy to the Yellow Emperor, to impart the secrets of warfare, and bestowed on him the talismanic tokens of the Nine Heavens and Six Jia, used to summon divine troops and aid in battle. This book was thereby passed down to the world.

“The text contains a little over three hundred characters, with roughly a hundred explaining the Dao, a hundred explaining methods, and a hundred explaining techniques. The upper section speaks of immortals’ way of embracing the One; the middle section, of methods for enriching the state and bringing peace to the people; the lower section, of techniques for strengthening the army and securing victory. All of this comes from the secrets of Heaven and accords with the wisdom of the divine. In subtlety, even the Huangting Jing and the Bajing Jing cannot reveal its mysteries; in its essential principles, the Confucian classics, commentaries, philosophical works, and histories cannot compare with it; in strategic ingenuity, even Sun Wu, Wu Qi, Han Xin, and Bai Qi cannot surpass it.

“This book is also called the Book of the Yellow Emperor’s Heavenly Secrets. Only people of exceptional character may pass it on; it must not be given casually to others. Those with bodily impairments, the greedy or foolish, the arrogant or extravagant, and those given over to lust should not be allowed to hear it.”

Anyone who passes this scripture on to someone with a kindred aspiration should first observe a purification fast, then give the teaching. The person who holds the scripture is the master; the person who receives it is the disciple. Do not esteem someone because they are wealthy and powerful, or look down on them because they are poor and lowly. Anyone who breaks this precept will have twenty years taken from their lifespan. Copying one volume each year on the seventh day of the seventh month and storing it in a stone cave on a famous mountain can extend one’s life. On the day matching the Earthly Branch of one’s birth year, reciting it seven times can sharpen the mind, prolong life, and expel the Three Corpses—spirits said to dwell in the body and harm a person’s physical and mental well-being—and the Nine Worms, a general term in Daoist texts for creatures or disease-causing agents within the body. This scripture must be carefully guarded and passed on only to someone with a kindred aspiration.

A person of the Dao who reads it can grasp the Great Dao; a wise person who reads it can master its methods; an ordinary person who reads it will invite disaster. This is because people differ in their innate capacities and responsibilities. The scripture says, “When a noble person obtains it, they will hold fast to themselves; when a petty person obtains it, they will treat life lightly.” This is because the scripture reveals Heaven’s secrets. Those who reveal Heaven’s secrets will sink through three kalpas. How could this not serve as a warning?

When she had finished speaking, the old woman said to Quan, “The sun is already past its zenith. I have some wheat porridge; let us eat together.” She took a gourd from her sleeve and asked Quan to fetch water from the valley. Once the gourd was full, it suddenly weighed more than a hundred jin, and Quan could not hold it. The gourd sank into the spring. When Quan returned to the tree, he found the old woman gone. Only several liters of wheat porridge remained on the rock. He gazed sadly into the distance until evening, but never saw her again.

Quan ate the wheat porridge and from then on ate no other food. He began practicing grain abstention in pursuit of the Dao. Later, he annotated the Yinfu Jing, wrote the Twenty-Four Mechanisms, and authored the Taibai Yinjing, the Zhongtai Zhi, and the Kunwai Chunqiu. These works have been handed down to later generations. He later entered government service, becoming Deputy Military Commissioner of Jingnan and Prefect of Xianzhou.

Yang Zhengjian

Yang Zhengjian was the daughter of Yang Chong, a native of Tongyi County in Meizhou. She was clever and quick-witted from an early age.

Yang Zhengjian was the daughter of Yang Chong, a native of Tongyi County in Meizhou. She was clever from childhood, kindhearted, and fond of a quiet, simple life. When she came of age to marry, her parents betrothed her to Wang Sheng, a man from the same commandery. The Wang family was very wealthy and enjoyed entertaining guests.

One day, her parents-in-law invited friends and relatives to a gathering. They bought fish and asked Zhengjian to prepare fish slices. The guests were playing a board game in the main hall, and by afternoon the meal was still not ready. Feeling sorry for the fish, which were still alive, Zhengjian let them swim in a basin and could not bring herself to kill them. At dusk, her parents-in-law urged her to hurry and scolded her for taking so long to prepare the food. Afraid, Zhengjian fled to a nearby village and followed a country path for dozens of miles without feeling tired.

She noticed that the flowers and trees along the road were unlike those in the human world. Eventually she came to a mountain retreat where a Daoist nun lived. Zhengjian told her everything that had happened. “You have a compassionate heart that cherishes life,” said the nun. “You can be taught.” She let Zhengjian stay. The retreat was near Hua, the assistant magistrate of Pujian County.

There was no water at the retreat, so the nun often sent Zhengjian to fetch it from a mountain stream. The nun herself usually ate nothing, but to care for Zhengjian, she would often go down the mountain to find grain for her to eat. Several years passed this way. Zhengjian was respectful, careful, diligent, and responsible. She always observed the proper duties of a disciple and never grew slack.

One day, at the place where she fetched water, Zhengjian saw a lovely, fair-skinned child, just over a year old, who smiled happily whenever he saw anyone. Zhengjian picked him up and held him affectionately. Gradually this became a regular occurrence, and several times she returned late from fetching water. The nun grew curious and asked her why. Zhengjian told her the truth. “If you see that child again,” said the nun, “be sure to bring him here. I want to see him with my own eyes.”

A little over a month later, Zhengjian was fetching water when the child appeared again. She picked it up and carried it back. By the time she was nearly home, it had stiffened and looked like the root of a plant; it weighed several pounds. The female Daoist practitioner recognized it as fuling, a medicinal fungus, and told her to wash the steamer and prepare to steam it.

By then, the food in the mountains had run out. The female Daoist went down from the mountain to find provisions, leaving Zhengjian enough to eat for one day and three small bundles of firewood. She instructed her, “Once you’ve burned through these three bundles, you can turn off the heat beneath the steamer. Whatever you do, don’t open it to look!” The female Daoist expected to return that evening, but a fierce storm struck, the mountain streams swelled, and the roads were blocked. She was unable to return for ten days.

Zhengjian ate her provisions and grew desperately hungry. When she smelled the fragrance wafting from the steamer, she secretly ate what was inside, finishing it over the next few days. When the female Daoist returned and heard what had happened, she sighed. “Immortals truly each have their allotted fate. If the rain hadn’t washed out the road, how would you have eaten all the numinous medicine? My master often said, ‘In these mountains there is fuling shaped like a human being. Whoever eats it can ascend to Heaven in broad daylight.’ I have watched over it for twenty years. You happened upon it and ate it by chance—what a blessing to have attained the Dao!”

From then on, Zhengjian’s appearance became even more remarkable, and her body shone with light. Immortals often descended to her dwelling and spoke with her about the True Palaces and Heavenly Offices, the abodes of immortals in the celestial realms. A little over a year later, she ascended to Heaven in broad daylight, on the third day of the eleventh month of the ren-shen year, the twenty-first year of the Kaiyuan era (732).

Zhengjian once told her master, “After eating the numinous medicine, I should have become an immortal that very day. The reason I was delayed for a year was that, when I was young, I saw my parents sorting the tax coins to hand over to the government. I secretly kept two smooth, round coins to play with. By hoarding government money, I committed an offense and was sentenced to remain in the human world for one more year.”

The place where she ascended is now the site of the office of the assistant magistrate of Pujiang County, Qiongzhou. The place where she fetched water is still there. In former times, Wang Xing, assistant magistrate of Guanghan, also ascended to Heaven at this spot.

Dong Shangxian was the daughter of a family in Fangyi County, Suizhou. At seventeen, she was beautiful in appearance, ate and drank very little, and enjoyed a quiet, peaceful life. She had not left the secular world. The people of her village saw her striking beauty and noble character and said she seemed like an immortal, so they called her “Shangxian,” meaning “Immortal.”

One day, purple clouds suddenly descended, and heavenly music came with them into the courtyard of her home. Two young attendants in blue robes led her up to heaven. Her parents were simple and ignorant people; they wept and cried out without stopping. When Dong Shangxian had risen several dozen feet above the ground, she returned home, and the purple clouds and blue-robed attendants immediately vanished. A few months later, she ascended again as before. Her parents wept once more, and she did not come down for a long time. During the Kaiyuan era of the Tang dynasty, the emperor revered immortals. Hearing of the matter, he issued an edict summoning her to Chang’an. A little over a month later, she asked to return to her home village. The emperor granted her request and sent a palace envoy to escort her home. More than a hundred days later, she ascended again. Her parents began to weep, so she shed a skin-sheath resembling her own body and left it on the ground. Its clothing was still fastened with its knots, just like a cicada’s cast-off shell. Then she flew up and departed.

The local people sealed the skin-sheath with lacquer and preserved it. The emperor issued an edict establishing Shangxian Monastery and Tangxing Monastery at the place where she had lived. The two monasteries stood beside the Fu River, more than ten li north of the prefectural city.

Xie Ziran’s ancestral home was in Yanzhou, while her father, Xie Huan, lived in Nanchong, Guozhou. Because Xie Huan was devoted to his parents, he was recommended as a Filial and Incorrupt official and respected by people in his community. Early in the Jianzhong era, the governor Li Duan submitted a memorial recommending him for the post of Collator in the Palace Library. Later, he appointed him as an administrative aide. Her mother, née Xu, also came from a prominent local family.

Xie Ziran was naturally clever and ate no meat or fish from childhood. When she was seven, her mother sent her to study spiritual practice under the Buddhist nun Yuehui. After a year, she returned home because of illness. Her mother later sent her to study under another nun, Rilang. Ten months later, she asked to return home. She often spoke about Daoist matters, and her manner of speaking seemed lofty and unusual.

The Xie family lived below Dafang Mountain. An ancient image of Lord Lao stood at its summit. After Xie Ziran went there to pay her respects, she refused to come down. Her mother granted her wish and moved to the mountaintop with her. From then on, Xie Ziran often recited the Daode Jing and the Inner Chapters of the Yellow Court.

In the ninth month of the year she turned fourteen, while eating newly harvested rice, Xie Ziran said, “This is all maggots.” From then on, she stopped eating rice. She repeatedly boiled soapberry pods into a broth and drank it, then vomited and had diarrhea, becoming gravely ill as all the worms in her abdomen were expelled. Afterward, she felt light in body and clear in sight. The worms varied in size and shape, and were red, white, and other colors. She continued to eat cypress leaves, one sprig a day. After seven years, she stopped eating even those; after nine years, she stopped drinking water as well.

In the third month of the third year of the Zhenyuan era, Xie Ziran visited Cheng Taixu, a Daoist who practiced abstention from food, at Kaiyuan Abbey. She received the Five Thousand Words and the Purple Numinous Treasure Register, a Daoist talismanic register. In the fourth month of the sixth year of the Zhenyuan era, the governor Han Yi took office. Suspecting that her practice was a fraud, he had her brought to the eastern chamber of the north hall at the prefectural headquarters and confined her for several months. Later, Han Yi led officials and local residents in unlocking the door and releasing her. They found that her complexion and appearance were as usual, her voice clear, and her breathing unimpeded. Han Yi then had his daughter Mingshi become her disciple.

Earlier, Xie Ziran’s father, Xie Huan, had spent many years traveling away from home. When he returned and saw that his daughter was practicing the Dao, …

For many years, before this, his father, Huan, had traveled far and wide. When he returned and saw that Ziran cultivated the Dao without eating, he considered it a bizarre and heretical practice and said, “My family has revered Confucian learning for generations. Anything beyond the Five Constant Virtues—benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness—is not the way of the former kings. How could there be such a deluding, heretical art?” He then locked Ziran in the main hall for more than forty days. Ziran emerged all the fresher and more radiant, and only then was Huan astonished.

In the ninth month of the seventh year, Han Yi took Ziran to Dafang Mountain, established an altar, and asked Cheng Taixu to prepare the Three Caverns registers—the documents used in Daoist ordination. In the eleventh month, Ziran moved to the prefectural city. In the ninth year of the Zhenyuan era, Prefect Li Jian took office. Ziran told him, “Living in the city is inconvenient. I would like to live somewhere with springs, mountains, and rocks.” Li Jian therefore built a small house on Jinquan Mountain and arranged for Ziran to move there. On the mountain was a stone cave, with spring water flowing into its entrance. The water could be used for bathing and washing, purifying body and mind and cleansing away impure influences.

When Ziran had just settled in the mountain, a man of about forty appeared, claiming to be a mendicant monk, though his clothes and appearance did not resemble those of a monk. He said, “Hurry and pay your respects to the Perfected One.” Everyone in the household refused him, saying, “There is no Perfected One here.” The mendicant only smiled. The whole family bowed to him, but Ziran alone did not. They offered him two hundred coins, which he refused. Later, they gave him a hand towel, which he accepted, saying, “When we meet again, I will show you this towel.” In an instant, he had gone out the door and vanished.

Much later, around midday, a great snake appeared. Its girth was three feet, its body more than ten feet long, and two small white horns grew from its head. It rested its head on the doorway and breathed until its breath filled the room. Before long, clouds and mist rose all around. When the mist cleared, the great snake was gone. Ziran’s room was just large enough for a bed, with barely enough space for someone to pass around it. After the white snake left, more than ten small snakes often appeared beside the bed. Some were as thick as arms, others as thick as thighs; some were black, others white. At times they breathed out mist, at times they made sounds. They coiled around one another but never harmed one another.

There were also two tigers, which always stayed close to Ziran as they came and went. Whenever anyone visited, the tigers hid themselves from view. The household dog barked at them for eight years.

After moving to live within the city walls, she left the dog at Fang Mountain. After she attained immortality, the dog disappeared without a trace. Her room was called the “Chamber of Spontaneity.” Even her parents did not dare sit with her on the same bed. Whenever someone occasionally entered the room, strange events would often occur; from then on, people called it the “Chamber of the Immortal Maiden.”

She lived alone throughout the year and felt no fear even in remote mountain valleys. She said that she had once accidentally stepped on a snake’s back, and it felt as cold as ice. Tigers appeared before and behind her, giving off a strong, rank smell. She also said that eight celestial attendants were often by her side, along with two boys in blue robes and caps, and two divine guardians at the doorway. The walls were painted with deities holding long spears and great axes. Whenever she traveled or stopped somewhere, the celestial attendants and divine generals would drive threats away and protect her.

She also said that a mountain deity named Chen Shou had lived during the Wei and Jin periods. She spoke as well of the ranks of the perfected and the immortals, saying that the perfected stood above the immortals. She said she would be appointed an Eastern Pole Perfected One, a high-ranking figure in the Eastern realm of the immortals.

On the third day of the third month in the tenth year of the Zhenyuan era, she moved into the Jinquan Daoist retreat. That day the clouds were bright and the scene was extraordinary. She said, “On this day, the Perfected Ones of Heaven and the gathered immortals will assemble.” Deer often appeared in the woods at Jinquan and never shied away from people. No matter how many male or female visitors came, they were always gentle.

The next day, the High Immortal sent a white saddle adorned with jewels. The High Immortal said, “Give this to her; this place can be her home.” On the eighth day of the fifth month, the Golden Mother Primordial Sovereign—a title for the Queen Mother of the West—ordered the envoy Lu to descend. He stayed from the Hour of the Horse until the Hour of the Pig. On the twentieth day of the sixth month, she heard that an envoy had arrived; he stayed from the Hour of the Horse until the Hour of the Dog. On the first day of the seventh month, the two envoys Cui and Zhang came from the Hour of the Tiger until the Hour of the Horse. They spoke at length about the offices of the immortal realms, saying that those above enjoyed playing chess and had much music. Amid conversation and laughter, they often discussed the profound mysteries of the Great Dao.

He also said, “The hundreds and thousands of kinds of snakes and insects on this mountain were all driven westward. In the end, they guarded the mountain like dragons.” Two tigers, five qilin, and two blue luan often appeared in the Daoist sanctuary. Sometimes they were in front, sometimes behind; sometimes they flew, sometimes they cried out. The qilin resembled horses, had five-colored bodies, and bore horns on their heads. One was purple, with a white tail. It often walked in front, and when its tail was raised, it looked like a broom.

On the eleventh day of the seventh month, the high immortal Du Envoy descended to the stone altar and gave Ziran a talisman, about the size of a pill, which he had Ziran swallow. On the fifteenth, five incense burners could be lit on the altar and five inside the room. At the appointed hour, the Perfected Ones would often come.

At the fifth watch on the fifteenth, seven people dressed in blue arrived. One of them called himself “Zhonghua” and said, “The Supreme Perfect Ones will arrive at mealtime.” A little later, the Lu Envoy came and said, “The Golden Mother is coming.” Soon afterward, the Golden Mother descended into the courtyard, and Ziran bowed to her. She said, “We have been apart for two kalpas.” She personally arranged the tables and furnishings, and the table was filled with rare treasures. Then she invited Ziran to sit. The Lu Envoy had stood attending her for a long time, and he too was asked to sit. The Lu Envoy said, “I will go briefly to the Purple Pole Palace to see the Zhongyuan Daoist sanctuary.” Officials, clerks, and commoners were present at the time. A little later, the Lu Envoy returned and said, “This purification ritual was better than any held before.” When asked why, he replied, “This time, no nipple incense was burned. The Heavenly Perfect Ones dislike nipple incense; only blended incense should be burned.”

On the seventh day, the Cui Envoy and the Zhang Envoy arrived together and asked Ziran, “Can you go and live at Changlin?” Ziran replied, “I cannot.” The two seemed displeased. On the morning of the twenty-second, the Golden Mother descended again and said, “Because you refused to live at Changlin, you have been demoted by one rank. Changlin is an immortal palace.” At the hour of the Dog, the Golden Mother departed. Only then did the Cui Envoy say, “In the upper realm, the Golden Mother is the most revered.”

The Queen Mother of the West, a revered female immortal deity in Daoism, bestowed on Ziran a vessel of medicine. It was yellowish white in color and sweet in taste, as though naturally formed, and however much one took, it could never be used up. The Queen Mother then brought a set of clothes in interwoven colors such as vermilion and emerald green. The outer layer was plain, while the inner layer was patterned. The clothes were light and flowing, yet seemed impossible to grasp when held in the hand. She told Ziran to keep them for the time being, saying she would return to collect them later. She then brought a peach branch thicker than an arm, bearing thirty peaches. Each was emerald green and as large as a bowl. The Queen Mother said, “These are still considered small.”

That day, the Queen Mother of the West arrived riding a luan bird, while her attendants rode dragons or immortal cranes. Five-colored clouds drifted beneath them. She said, “We will pass over the prefectural city and go to meet the assembled immortals.” After they departed, they could still be seen among the clouds. That same day, the horse stables, the Kitchen Spear Gate, and other places in the prefectural city all reported, “A long rainbow entered the city.” The next day, Li Jian asked Ziran about it and confirmed that it had happened. The Purple Pole Palace, a Daoist temple, also reported seeing a rainbow enter, and people far and near had witnessed it.

On the ninth, tenth, and eleventh days of the eighth month, the assembled immortals came each day to deliver the Queen Mother of the West’s command. The following day, Li Jian asked Ziran again and learned of the matter. Some of the immortal messengers gave their surname as Cui, though their given names are unknown. They carried a tablet two chi wide and five chi long, marked with nine colors. Whenever the assembled immortals were about to arrive, the walls would shine as brightly as mirrors. The immortals each had a table and attendants of their own. Whenever Ziran let down his hair, yellow clouds would swirl around him. Seven people in yellow robes and caps also stood in attendance at his sides.

From the nineteenth day of the eighth month onward, Ziran recited the Huangting Jing (Yellow Court Scripture), a Daoist classic, ten times each day. As he recited, two boys stood beside him and made a copy after each recitation. When he had finished the tenth, one of the boys carried the record up to the upper realm.

On the first day of the ninth month, the assembled immortals came again, bringing a peach as large as a dou measure. It was half green, half yellow, and half red. The Queen Mother of the West said, “There are many fruits of this kind in my home village. Cut off a slice and eat it; have the attendants put the rest away.”

On the fifth day of the ninth month, the Golden Mother—an honorific title for the Queen Mother of the West—came again. She held three talismans and told her to swallow them, cautioning her not to let them get wet. After taking them, she felt her body and mind grow clear and at ease. The Golden Mother said, “One more time, and I will not come again.”

The Golden Mother then pointed to an immortal standing nearby and said, “This is someone of your kind.” At dawn on the fifteenth, an immortal messenger arrived but did not give his name. He brought an edict from the Golden Mother and three talismans for her to swallow, along with six pieces of peach flesh for her to eat. She ate three pieces, and the messenger took the rest away. He did not depart until evening.

On the eleventh day of the tenth month, just as she was about to enter the quiet chamber, an immortal came to summon her. She rode a qilin up to Heaven. An immortal brought celestial robes to welcome her; the clothes she had been wearing remained on the rope bed. Later, she returned, changed back into her old clothes, and carried the celestial robes away on the back of a crane. The immortal said, “You rode a qilin on the way there and a crane on the way back.”

On the nineteenth, the immortal messenger Lu arrived in the morning, at the hour of Chen, and did not leave until the hour of Wei. Whenever an immortal messenger descended, tens of thousands of luan birds and cranes gathered, and all the immortals came as well. Those of highest rank rode luan birds, those next in rank rode qilins, and those below them rode dragons. Each wing of the luan birds and cranes was more than one zhang long.

Recently, a large bird landed in Chang’an, almost the size of a luan bird, but with different-colored feathers. It is said that this bird is called the “Heavenly Sparrow,” also known as the “Divine Sparrow.” Whenever it appears, the country will receive great blessings.

On the twenty-fifth, blood flowed from the pores of Manfeng’s skin, soaking her clothes. The blood formed horizontal patterns like the landscapes of Tongpei Mountain. She went to the stream to wash away the stains, but the patterns became even clearer. When viewed in sunlight, they were the color of gold; when touched by hand, they made a sound like metal.

On the twenty-sixth and twenty-seventh days, the Lady of Mount Tai (a female immortal associated with Mount Tai) came to urge her to bathe and wash with fragrant water. The fragrant water must not contain nipple incense, a kind of aromatic substance. She also said, “There are indeed divine beings in Heaven, but they are not spirits of the ghostly kind. In the upper realm, no one shaves their head; after attaining the Dao, all wear a crown. The standards for cultivating merit are the same. When eating during a purification fast, one must never taste the food beforehand. Above all, one must maintain cleanliness, and the same applies to the utensils. The gods in Heaven descend to inspect things on every fasting day and are deeply repelled by impurity. Not only will you fail to receive blessings, you will incur guilt as well.”

Li Jian and his wife often recited scriptures at a table. They read the outer sections first, then the inner sections; the inner sections were the text in The Account of Lady Wei. In general, those who devote themselves to reflection, teaching and study, and recitation can gain blessings, while those who act perfunctorily incur guilt. The consequences soon become apparent.

She naturally abstained from food for thirteen years. As she slept, day and night, marks suddenly appeared on her knees. They were smaller than official seals in the human world, and on each of their four sides seemed to be carved six ancient seal-script characters. They were white as jade. In the first month of this year, the marks moved to the inner sides of her knees. When she brought her knees together, the two marks aligned exactly, without the slightest discrepancy.

She also possessed supernatural powers. She could travel two thousand li in a day, and sometimes a thousand, without anyone else knowing. Even in a sealed room at midnight, there was nothing so minute that she could not see it clearly. She wore no silk or cotton clothing, did not go near a fire when cold, and did not fan herself when hot. When others asked about good or ill fortune, or what was right or wrong, nothing was beyond her knowledge.

She was grave and cautious, reserved and discreet, and never revealed things lightly; even her parents could not learn them. Because Li Jian revered the highest Dao, she gradually disclosed some of them, saying, “Heaven also wishes people in the world who follow the Dao to know these things, so that they may honor and make Daoist teachings known.” She also said that when bowing before a sacred image, four prostrations were more reverent, while three were less so.

She also lived at the Golden Spring Daoist sanctuary. Whenever she sat in meditation, deer would gather around her. She said, “If ordinary people can clean a room until it is pure and quiet, burn incense there, and recite the Yellow Court Scripture or the Scripture of the Dao and Its Virtue, whether once or seven times, this is better than giving away wealth or holding a vegetarian feast and doing good deeds. What matters in reciting scripture is wholehearted attention, not the number of repetitions. Those who serve the Dao and its teachings suffer a particularly great loss if they give up halfway; they would be better off never having studied them at all. So be sure to take care! Human life is supremely precious. Killing too many living beings shortens one’s life and brings an early death. The cycle of killing and karmic retribution has no end.”

Whenever she traveled, she often heard celestial music. Before it sounded, three songs called “Steps into the Void” (Buxu ci) were usually sung, most often the first, fifth, and eighth. After the songs were finished, the music began, first with an instrument called the “Cloud Ao,” round like a mirror and strung with strings.

The Dao should be transmitted only to people who are sincere and trustworthy. The Biography of Lady Wei gives a special warning against teaching it casually, saying that it should be passed on only in secret. Yet this, too, may not be quite in keeping with the proper measure. The effects of medicines can only help prolong life; if one hopes to ascend to heaven and ride the clouds, the key lies in cultivating the Dao, while taking medicine is merely an aid. Cultivating the Dao and taking medicine are separate matters.

Taking cypress leaves can enable one to abstain from grain. If Chinese arborvitae is hard to find in the mountains, the leaves of ordinary cypress may also be used, but do not gather leaves from trees near graves. Cypress growing on rocks is especially good. Dried cypress leaves are less effective for nourishing the body, so it is best to gather and eat them fresh: fresh leaves still contain their juices and are more likely to purify and benefit the body. In general, cypress leaves, poria, goji berries, and sesame may all help prolong life; one can try them and see.

Cultivation of the Dao should be pursued in quiet seclusion in the mountains and forests, not too close to a village. In a city, there is much meat and fish nearby, which can keep the numinous immortals from descending and runs counter to cultivation of the Dao. Use spring water when preparing medicines or drinking; well water should especially be avoided. One should also keep away from family and relatives, so that attachment does not suddenly arise and hinder one’s practice. Eating rice makes the body feel heavy.

Generally speaking, eating rice tends to make the body grow heavier, while eating wheat tends to make it light and strong. Those who wish to abstain from grain and enter the mountains to cultivate should follow the appropriate methods, clearing from the body the “Three Worms” and “Corpse Demons”—impurities or malign forces that Daoism holds to harm the body and obstruct cultivation. In practicing breath cultivation, one should first regulate the breath and then hold it. When breathing is no longer restricted to entering and leaving through the mouth and nose, and the breath can circulate throughout the body and be directed at will, one can remain untouched by the disturbances of life and death.

In the ninth month of that year, heavy rain fell for several days. Ziran set out from Jinquan to visit Lord Cheng at South Mountain. He arrived in the mountains at dawn, yet neither his clothes nor his shoes had been wetted by the rain. Lord Cheng asked how this had happened. Ziran replied, “I left Jinquan only this morning.” Lord Cheng was greatly astonished.

On the ninth day of the eleventh month, Ziran went to the prefectural city to bid farewell to Li Jian. He said, “By the middle of the month, I shall have departed.” After that, he did not enter the quiet chamber again. On the twentieth day, during the hour of the Dragon, he ascended to Heaven in broad daylight at the Jinquan Daoist sanctuary, witnessed by thousands of men and women. His grandmother, Lady Zhou; his mother, Lady Xu; his younger sister, Zirou; and his disciple Li Sheng heard his parting words: “Cultivate diligently in the Supreme Dao.”

Soon, clouds of five colors stretched across the mountains and rivers. Music sounded from Heaven, and a wondrous fragrance lingered for a long time. He had removed all ten items of clothing and adornment he had been wearing, including his hairpin and cape, and left them on a small rope bed, still fastened just as before. The prefect Li Jian submitted a report to the throne, and the emperor issued an edict praising him.

Li Jian composed the “Stele of the Jinquan Daoist Sanctuary,” recounting the events from beginning to end, and later turned it into a biography. It says: “In Heaven there is a White Jade Hall where the Old Lord resides. The names of the perfected immortals are arranged high along the walls of its halls, like the records of notable names inscribed on walls in the human world.” At the time, beneath the names were annotations written in vermilion ink: “It is said that these were born into the human world and became emperors or chief ministers.”

Another account says that when Ziran ascended to Heaven, fifty-two characters appeared on the eastern wall inside the White Jade Hall: “Please tell the master and all your relatives to take care of themselves and not to grieve. You should diligently cultivate merit and virtue, cherish good intentions, nurture fields of merit, observe pure fasting, and contemplate the Dao. After a hundred kalpas, may you rely on the bonds of goodness and meet again soon in the realm of the Pure Source. Then you will naturally be reunited.” These characters remained there at the time.

Qi Xuanfu was the wife of a household in Jizhou. When she was three, she fell ill and died. As her parents wept in grief, a Daoist passed by their door and said, “This child can still be brought back to life.” He lifted her out and examined her, then said, “She is destined to become an immortal. Her breath had only just stopped.” He took a black Fulu from his belt and used it to revive her. After a long while, Qi Xuanfu came back to life. Her parents thanked the Daoist, who said, “I am the Perfected Lord of the Northern Marchmount, the deity of the Northern Marchmount. This girl may be named Xuanfu; in the future she will attain the Way of ascending to Heaven.” With that, he disappeared, and her family named her Xuanfu.

Later, she married. Her parents-in-law were strict and harsh, yet she served them with ever greater care. She often told other women, “I was able to be born human and to live in China—that is, the Central Plains—yet I was still born a woman. This too is one of life’s shortcomings. My parents died early, leaving only my parents-in-law worthy of respect. Even when beaten, I have no complaint.” At night, immortals came to her and taught her the use of sacred medicines. The scripture does not explain the specific methods of her cultivation. On the tenth day of the eighth month in the bingzi year of the Dazhong era, she ascended to Heaven.

The Daughter of the Wang Family

The daughter of the Wang family was the niece of Wang Huizhi. When her father followed his elder brother through the passes into the interior, Wang Huizhi was serving in the Hanlin Academy.

Zhou Yuanyou

Zhou Yuanyou was from Ancheng in Runan. Her father, Zhou Chang, once served as governor of Henan under the Han dynasty and accumulated many virtues through good deeds done in secret. From childhood, Yuanyou loved the arts of the Dao and took fuling (poria mushroom) for forty years without interruption. Later, she met Master Shi, who taught her the arts of transformation and concealment: methods for hiding the body and altering one’s traces. She then freed herself from her bodily form and departed.

The Jade Maiden of Great Mystery

The Jade Maiden of Great Mystery lived during the reign of Shaohao and resided on Longsong Mountain in Shu, where she cultivated the Way of long life. She met a hermit in the mountains, who transmitted to her the Eight Hidden Writings of Heaven and instructed her to study and wear them. He told her, “The essential principle of cultivating the Dao is to take Wuwei (non-action) as its foundation. The Eight Hidden Writings of Heaven are a scripture that truly embodies Wuwei. If you cultivate in accordance with them, the Dao will naturally be attained. The liquid of Langgan Quchen and the elixir of the Eight Precious Flowers, if refined and consumed, are secret formulas treasured by the Supreme Ultimate (Taiji). They can enable one to enter the imperial court, attend the Heavenly Emperor, and look down from on high upon the transformations of all things.” He also transmitted the Nine Blossoms formula to her. She once refined elixirs beside a river, where there is a spring of gold sand said to be a trace she left behind.

Xue Nüzhen

No one knows where Xue Nüzhen was from. During the turmoil that spread across the land in the Jin dynasty, many people withdrew to the mountains and forests and took medicinal substances to distance themselves from the world. She therefore lived at the Terrace for Seeking Truth on Mount Heng. When she went out, yellow birds, white apes, and leopards often followed her, but no one knew what Daoist arts she practiced.

Yu Jiang

Yu Jiang was a Hairy Woman who lived on Mount Hua and claimed to have lived during the Qin dynasty. At first, she tried eating pine needles; later, she no longer felt hunger or cold and lived in a rocky cave. She moved as swiftly as if flying. To this day, people call the place where she lived Hairy Woman Peak.

The Two Daughters of the River Goddess

The two daughters of the Lady of the River went out to enjoy themselves by the riverbank. They wore splendid clothes and adorned themselves with ten shining pearls, each as large as a pheasant’s egg. Zheng Jiaofu saw them and went over to speak with them, asking them for their pearls. The two women untied the pearls they wore and handed them to him. Zheng Jiaofu tucked the pearls into his robe and walked on for several dozen paces. When he looked back, both women had vanished.

The Inner Commentary to the Han Poems gives another version: Long ago, Zheng Jiaofu was setting out for Southern Chu. As he passed a high terrace beside the Han River, he met two women wearing pearls. The pearls were as large as eggs. Zheng Jiaofu said to them, “I hope you will bestow the pearls you wear upon me.” The two women untied their pearls and handed them to him. After Zheng Jiaofu continued on his way, the women suddenly disappeared, and the pearls vanished with them.