《黃帝九鼎神丹經訣》Vol. 4

The path to cultivating longevity fundamentally lies in refining the Golden Elixir (Jindan). Merely consuming herbal medicines may delay death but cannot lead to immortality. Some practitioners take medicines without understanding the arts of the bedchamber (ancient sexual cultivation techniques), ultimately failing to achieve extended life.

Wearing divine talismans (Fulu) or practicing "guarding the One" (a meditation method focusing on internal Qi) may prevent illnesses and ward off wind-dampness, but these methods prove insufficient against malevolent spirits, mountain demons, or water creatures. Those who enter mountains for cultivation without proper methods risk encounters with mountain deities, wild beasts, or venomous snakes—all life-threatening dangers.

The arts of the bedchamber, as methods for harmonizing Yin-Yang, can at best cure minor ailments and regulate deficiencies, but cannot eliminate calamities or prolong life significantly. The folk tale claiming the Yellow Emperor ascended by coupling with 1,200 women is a misconception. Historical records show he achieved immortality only after refining the Nine-Cauldron Divine Elixir at Dinghu Lake in Mount Jing. While he indeed had many consorts, this wasn't the root cause of his transcendence.

Longevity seekers who consume hundreds of tonics or feast on sacrificial meats gain little without understanding essential bedroom techniques. Indulgence without restraint depletes life's foundational essence (Jing). Like fire and water—which can both nurture and destroy—the key lies in proper application.

Since ancient times, refining divine elixirs required sacred mountains. The Yellow Emperor obtained alchemical scriptures at Mount Wangwu, sought the great Dao (Dao) at Mount Kongtong, and finally achieved ascension after completing the Nine-Cycle Golden Elixir at Mount Jing. During the Eastern Han, the adept Zuo Ci (styled Yuanfang) received golden elixir scriptures through divine revelation at Mount Tianzhu. Forced south by wartime chaos, he transmitted the "Nine-Cauldron Elixir Classic" to Ge Xuan (Immortal Lord Ge), who passed it to Zheng Yin (Master Zheng). Impoverished Zheng Yin couldn't afford materials, but his disciple Ge Hong (Baopuzi) later inherited and expanded these alchemical secrets.

Ge Hong, the disciple of Master Zheng Yin (a founding patriarch of Daoism), diligently trained under his teacher for many years. Eventually, Zheng Yin erected an altar at Maji Mountain, where, after conducting a covenant ceremony, he transmitted to Ge Hong the Scripture of the Nine-Cauldron Divine Elixir (Jiuding Shendan Jing) along with the complete oral instructions. These teachings were passed down exclusively through oral transmission, with no written records.

For over two decades after receiving this authentic transmission, Ge Hong lived in such poverty that he could not even accumulate a single sack of grain. Yet he never forgot the warning that Zheng Yin had relayed from his own teacher, Zuo Ci: "Small mountains are unsuitable for refining the Golden Elixir (Jindan)." Such mountains lack the presence of true deities and are instead inhabited by thousand-year-old tree spirits and bloodthirsty demons. These malevolent entities not only fail to assist in spiritual cultivation but actively harm alchemists.

Even if practitioners maintain strict purification and use Daoist techniques (daoshu) for protection, demons can still sabotage the elixir. Just as skilled physicians in the secular world avoid letting chickens, dogs, women, or children observe when compounding medicinal ointments—lest the remedy lose its potency—or as dyed silks fade when seen by ill-intentioned people, how much more precarious is the refinement of an immortality elixir? Ancient Daoists always chose sacred mountains like the Five Peaks (Mount Hua, Mount Tai, Mount Huo, Mount Heng, and Mount Song) or Mount Zhongnan for alchemy. These holy sites not only have terrestrial immortals (dixian) guarding them and grow auspicious lingzhi mushrooms but also provide refuge from natural disasters. When a true Daoist enters these mountains to refine elixirs, the mountain deities naturally offer their assistance.

The mysteries of Heaven, Earth, and the interplay of Yin-Yang (Yin-Yang) are indeed difficult to fully comprehend. Yet even the Yellow Emperor (Huangdi) and generations of court historians firmly believed in them. Ancient texts record that selecting auspicious dates (zeri) for important activities has been a long-standing tradition. Emperors appointed Grand Historians (Taishi) specifically to oversee rituals and choose favorable timings. For ordinary people to dismiss such considerations would be narrow-minded.

Whether large or small, all mountains have their resident spirits. When entering the mountains for cultivation, one must choose an auspicious time and never act recklessly.

This scripture discusses the taboos and date selection methods for entering deep mountains to practice cultivation or gather medicinal herbs. Ancient practitioners believed mountains were fraught with various dangers—sudden illnesses, frightening encounters, injuries, strange sounds, unusual phenomena, bizarre lights and shadows, or even supernatural occurrences like trees breaking without cause or rocks falling spontaneously. These could lead to mental confusion, falling into ravines, or attacks by wild beasts and venomous snakes. Therefore, mountain entry required careful timing.

There are three main methods for selecting auspicious dates: First, choose days in the four seasons when the Five Phases (Wuxing) generate each other (known as "Wangxiang" days where celestial stems and earthly branches mutually nourish). Second, consult Dunjia divination (an ancient prognosticative art) to calculate favorable hours. Third, pick the most auspicious days and hours within the month. If urgent circumstances prevent waiting for an ideal date, one must at least avoid the specific monthly taboos.

Each cardinal mountain has corresponding forbidden years and months: Eastern mountains (Dongyue) prohibit entry during Jia-Yi or Yin-Mao years, or the first and second lunar months; Southern mountains (Nanyue) forbid entry during Bing-Ding or Ji-Wu years, or the fourth and fifth months; Central mountains (Zhongyue) prohibit entry during Wu-Ji or Chen-Xu-Chou-Wei years, or the last month of each season; Western mountains (Xiyue) forbid entry during Geng-Xin or Shen-You years, or the seventh and eighth months; Northern mountains (Beiyue) prohibit entry during Ren-Gui or Hai-Zi years, or the tenth and eleventh months.

The Lingbao Jing further records four special day types: "Bao days" (when celestial stems generate earthly branches, e.g., Jia-Wu days) and "Yi days" (when earthly branches generate celestial stems, e.g., Ren-Shen days) are auspicious; "Zhi days" (when stems overcome branches, e.g., Wu-Zi days) and "Fa days" (when branches overcome stems, e.g., Jia-Shen days) are inauspicious. The most ideal mountain entry time falls during the "Kai" or "Chu" periods (two propitious time segments in ancient chronology) on a Jia-Zi day.

This scripture primarily discusses the taboos to observe and methods for warding off mountain spirits when entering deep mountains for cultivation or herb gathering.

It first mentions selecting auspicious days and hours for mountain entry: the Jiazi, Jiawu, and Jiayin days are considered highly favorable, as spiritual practice undertaken during these periods yields greater results. The text specifically warns against entering mountains during inauspicious days of long months (30-day months) and short months (29-day months), stating that violating these prohibitions would not only endanger practitioners but expose ordinary people to threats like tigers, wolves, and venomous creatures.

The scripture then transmits a protective mantra for mountain entry—the nine-character phrase "lín bīng dǒu zhě jiē chén liè qián xíng" (临兵斗者皆陈列前行). Constant silent recitation of this incantation is believed to ward off evil influences. It also enumerates specific forbidden days each month, such as the Wu day in the first lunar month or the Hai day in the second month, when mountain entry should be avoided.

The latter section details various mountain spirits one might encounter and corresponding countermeasures:

• Red, one-legged spirits called "Hui" (辉)
• Nine-inch tall entities wearing leather garments and bamboo hats named "Jin Jie" (金洁)
• Five-colored dragon-shaped beings with red horns known as "Fei Long" (飞龙)
• Talking ancient trees called "Yun Yang" (云阳)
• Luminescent tree spirits appearing at night
• Copper and iron spirits taking foreigner forms
• Century-old tree spirits manifesting nocturnally
• Mountain and river spirits termed "Ji" (激)
• Giant snake spirits wearing hats called "Ji Xiang" (计乡)

The text emphasizes that knowing these spirits' true names and addressing them correctly ensures protection. Special methods are also provided for encountering invisible mountain officials who persistently call out to travelers. These contents reflect ancient Daoist practitioners' observations of natural environments and their wisdom in interacting with supernatural forces.

This scripture describes various spirits and creatures one may encounter while practicing alchemy in the mountains, along with corresponding methods to dispel them. Ancient practitioners believed that animal spirits appearing at specific celestial stems would assume deceptive titles to confuse practitioners:

When encountering a tiger spirit calling itself "Yu Official" or a wolf claiming to be "Lord of the Road," one should pierce them with reed spears. On mao days (associated with the rabbit), rabbit spirits may pose as "Elderly Sage," elk spirits impersonate "Eastern King Father," while deer spirits falsely claim to be "Western Queen Mother"—all venerable titles of ancient immortals.

On chen days (dragon-associated), dragon spirits may declare themselves "Master of Rain," fish spirits as "River Earl," and crab spirits as "Gutless Nobleman." On si days (snake-associated), snake spirits pretend to be "Solitary Ruler" while turtle spirits call themselves "Seasonal Lord." Other creatures like horse spirits, ancient tree spirits, or goat spirits appearing on different days also adopt false titles—a horse spirit might claim to be "Three Dukes," an ancient tree spirit masquerades as "Transcendent Being."

The text particularly emphasizes how these spirits' appropriation of immortal titles disrupts alchemical practice. Since antiquity, true immortals like the Western Queen Mother attained the Dao in mountains, while these imposters' false claims can ruin elixir refinement. Thus practitioners must master identification and banishment techniques.

Later passages detail specific ritual methods like throwing white stones or waving cogongrass for expulsion, along with accompanying talismanic scripts (Daoist fu sigils for exorcism). These verified techniques proved genuinely effective, hence the scripture's latter volumes systematically record these talismanic methods for practitioners' reference.