《庚道集》Vol. 9

The Ninefold Refinement Method for the Great Elixir transmitted by the Jade Cauldron Perfected Being of Western Shu consists of three crucial stages:

First Refinement Method:

Take ten taels of premium cinnabar, crush it with red peony root, and boil in sour rice vinegar for five shichen (ancient time units). After boiling, mix evenly with grass-ash powder and honey (ensuring it doesn't become overly moist), then layer the processed cinnabar. Seal it in an airtight vessel and calcine over gentle fire for seven days. Upon cooling, open the furnace, remove the grass-ash to extract the cinnabar, then boil again with lilac daphne and sour vinegar for three shichen. If the cinnabar no longer emits flames, it becomes the "matrix" (foundation material for alchemy) for cinnabar cultivation. Should residual fiery qi remain, alternate layers of the cinnabar with ten taels of mountain-marsh gen mineral beads, compact the vessel's upper layer with subdued salt (processed salt) for sealing, then calcine in an ash pool for another seven days to produce the preliminary elixir.

Second Refinement Method:

Using the first-refined cinnabar as matrix, take five taels of identically processed cinnabar ground into powder, mix with three qian of "gold-in-water" fine powder (essence of silver) and genuine rock honey to form cakes. Wrap in silk cloth, then seal tightly with three taels of silver foil. Cultivate within the original matrix for seven days. If the extracted cinnabar retains its original color, it becomes suitable for advanced elixir refinement. When heated, this cinnabar manifests precious radiance capable of bodily transformation; when dissolved in water, it crystallizes. Here "gold-in-water" refers to the essential substance of silver.

Third Refinement Method:

Use first-refined cinnabar as outer matrix, and fashion mountain-marsh gen into a perforated vessel as inner matrix. Place two taels of cinnabar and mercury inside the inner matrix, then seal within the outer matrix for seven-day cultivation. Upon opening, if the mercury has solidified, add another two taels and repeat the seven-day process until crystallization occurs. Repeat until accumulating over ten taels of crystals, then perform the "Jade Pool Purification": layer equal parts of borax, saltpeter, sal ammoniac, green salt, and alum powder as base, place the crystals atop, and wash with a mixture of paper mulberry sap and rice vinegar. Slowly evaporate over fire, briefly calcine while sealed, then cool before final extraction.

Note: "Fu shi" denotes one shichen (two hours); "Jade Pool" (Huachi) is the Daoist term for purification vessels. The entire process emphasizes precise sealing, fire control, and material proportions.

This passage explains the "bathing method" (muyu fa) and the nine refinement cycles in Daoist alchemy. The bathing method refers to cleansing alchemical ingredients with medicinal solutions, while the nine cycles represent repeated purification processes.

Bathing Method Procedure:

Grind one liang each of gromwell (紫草), goldthread (黄药子), fangji root (汉防己), and bletilla tuber (白芨) into powder. Boil with three bowls of water into a concentrated decoction, then filter out the residue. Place the alchemical "sprouts" (芽子, a raw material) into the decoction and boil several times. After washing, dry them in a pan over low heat, then leave outdoors overnight.

Fourth Refinement Cycle:

Pound the bathed sprouts to form a vessel (匱), place them in a silver container with five liang of mercury extracted from cinnabar, and seal for three days. Upon opening, the mercury will solidify. Add another three liang of cinnabar mercury, reseal for three days, yielding white crystals (白玉笋). Repeat this process over ten times to obtain precious crystalline formations.

Fifth Refinement Cycle:

Use the white crystals as a vessel, mixing with two liang of realgar and two liang of cinnabar mercury. Grind into powder, then cultivate in the alchemical chamber for three days. Sequentially add one liang of mercury each time until reaching ten liang total, cultivating for 28 days. The resulting powder becomes light as dust, impervious to water and fire. At noon, scattering a pinch into the air transforms it into ascending snowflakes.

Sixth Refinement Cycle:

Using the previous powder (明窗尘, "window dust") as a vessel, blend with four liang of gold powder and half a jin of cinnabar mercury. After grinding, cultivate for 49 days until fully transmuted into gold powder.

Seventh Refinement Cycle:

Employ the gold powder as a vessel, combining with four liang of cinnabar and half a jin of cinnabar mercury. After 49 days of cultivation, it fully transforms into violet-gold powder.

Eighth Refinement Cycle:

With the violet-gold powder as a vessel, mix eight liang of cinnabar mercury and four liang of realgar. Following 49 days of cultivation, violet-refined gold powder (紫磨金粉) is obtained. Form sesame-sized pills using paper mulberry juice—two pills can transmute one jin of mercury into refined violet gold.

Ninth Refinement Cycle:

Using the previously refined violet-gold elixir (紫金还丹), melt one jin of raw iron into molten metal. Adding one pill triggers a resonant transformation into violet gold.

Key Notes:

• The cinnabar mercury must be extracted from premium cinnabar.
• Realgar requires special processing (飞英火, "flying spark fire").
• Fire regulation is critical: use two liang of mature fire during the Mao (卯, 5–7 AM) and You (酉, 5–7 PM) periods, maintaining flames three inches from the vessel.

This scripture records the detailed first seven stages of the Ninefold Transformation of Numinous Cinnabar alchemy method transmitted by Immortal Elder Ge (Ge Hong, the renowned Eastern Jin dynasty Daoist alchemist). This is an esoteric technique for transforming minerals like mercury and sulfur through multiple refining processes into "numinous cinnabar" (a Daoist alchemical term referring to the produced elixir).

First Transformation: Take eight taels of mercury and two taels of sulfur, stir-fry them until forming a bluish-gold substance, then immerse in water. Sublimate in a fire cauldron, chop into chunks, then add minerals like saltpeter, sal ammoniac, and green vitriol, mixed with herbs like yellow yam and thunder balls. Simmer continuously in rice vinegar for three days and nights, then boil in aged leaf juice for two days. Finally, place in a cinnabar container with sustained heating until the color turns white—only then is it complete. If whitening doesn't occur, continue refining for seven more days.

Second Transformation: Grind sixteen taels of the "True Dead Numinous Cinnabar" from the first stage into powder, mixing with four taels of fresh numinous cinnabar. Coat with a honey-like mixture of sulfur and chalcanthite, then roll in numinous cinnabar powder. Nourish in a sealed container for seven days before final high-temperature refinement into treasure.

Third Transformation: Use the second-stage numinous cinnabar to directly transform "danyang" (an alchemical term for certain raw materials)—every two qian can transform one tael of red substance into white. Pour the product into a trough covered with wet paper; if it appears snow-white, the numinous cinnabar's quality is verified.

Fourth Transformation: Simply continue nurturing mother cinnabar in the previous container, following the same method—after seven days, the treasure will be perfected.

Fifth Transformation: Using sixteen taels of second-stage numinous cinnabar as the container, nurture four taels of cinnabar, each piece wrapped in gold foil for twenty-one days. Separately prepare and boil dry medicinal materials like salt essence and stone gall, then smelt together with the nurtured cinnabar and "geng" (possibly referring to metal) to ultimately yield two taels of superior geng metal.

Sixth Transformation: Mix the cinnabar nurtured in the numinous cinnabar container with two taels each of orpiment and realgar, nurturing in a sealed vessel for forty-nine days. Form into pills with yellow wax—each pill can transform one tael of mountain/marsh metal into geng metal.

Seventh Transformation: Use a fully perfected numinous cinnabar container to nurture sixteen taels of numinous cinnabar (subsequent steps are incomplete in the original text).

This passage documents specific operational procedures in Daoist alchemical practices, primarily describing methods for refining elixirs and gold using substances like mercury, sulfur, and cinnabar through particular techniques.

Fourth Transformation Method: Place four taels of mercury in a sealed vessel and cultivate for seven days. Upon opening, precious material will be obtained. After complete reaction within the vessel, the substance is removed and calcined to form treasure. Prolonged cultivation produces crystalline formations resembling jade trees.

Eighth Transformation Method: Take twenty-four taels of the previously refined Cold Forest Jade Tree powder, mix with twelve taels of cinnabar and one catty of raw sulfur, then grind uniformly. Place in a vessel to cultivate for seven days. After removal, add four taels of mercury and cultivate over gentle fire for twenty-one days until the substance turns yellow. Calcination then yields genuine gold.

Ninth Transformation Method: Must be performed on an auspicious day. Place the numinous cinnabar from the eighth transformation into a vessel, controlling the fire intensity starting with one tael on the first day, two taels on the second, increasing daily until the fifteenth day. From the sixteenth day, reduce fire intensity by one tael daily for one month. After three additional years of cultivation, the Great Elixir is achieved. This elixir can transmute mercury into gold, and when ingested with honey and frankincense decoction, enables human ascension to immortality. Even chickens and dogs consuming it instantly transform into phoenixes and dragons.

Master Ge Hong's Saltpeter Secret Method: Take unlimited saltpeter, mix with fresh rehmannia juice and rapeseed juice, then boil. Place in a special vessel (Phoenix Womb) lined with Kunlun paper about one grain of rice thick, covered with talcum powder and sealed with mica slices and White Tiger lid. Calcinate with balanced fire to reveal five-colored patterns. This saltpeter excels in cultivating numinous cinnabar and cinnabar powder, surpassing other vessels, earning names like "Solar Treasury" or "Pure Yang Treasury."

Separation and Treasure Revelation Method: Crush eight taels of calcined saltpeter into coarse powder for cultivating various medicinal and metallic substances in vessels. Specific techniques include:

• Two taels of cinnabar wrapped in silver foil, then enveloped in Kunlun paper, cultivated in vessel with half-catty fire for three days—the silver foil remains intact for transmuting mercury into treasure.
• Two taels of realgar wrapped in gold foil, similarly cultivated with six-tael fire for five days—transmutes silver into pure gold.
• Two taels of orpiment cultivated likewise—transmutes silver into seventy-percent gold.
• Two taels of Yang Hou first wrapped in Kunlun paper, then treated with talcum powder mixed in rice vinegar.

This passage documents specific operational procedures in Daoist alchemical practice, divided into two main sections. The first part details processing methods for various minerals, while the latter section meticulously describes the first five refinement cycles of the "Ninefold Revolving and Sixteen Transformations Numinous Cinnabar Elixir."

The initial segment explains treatment methods for several alchemical materials: Orpiment (realgar) wrapped and shade-dried overnight, then placed in a furnace with six liang of fire for three days, transforms into vermilion; Calomel (mercurous chloride) wrapped first in silver foil then with Kunlun paper, when nurtured with four liang of fire for three days, becomes hardened; Arsenic wrapped in Kunlun paper requires one day of fire nurturing; Chalcanthite (copper sulfate) wrapped in gold foil transforms into reddish-gold after three days with six liang of fire. These processed materials could transmute base metals—turning copper into silver or silver into gold.

The latter portion details the first five stages of refining the "Ninefold Numinous Cinnabar": The first cycle requires half a catty of imported sulfur, boiled seven times with horse-hoof herb and saxifrage before combining with mercury. After melting the sulfur, mercury is stir-fried into a sandy texture, ground, then placed in the alchemical cauldron for three days and nights under five jin of fire. The second cycle involves stir-frying the first-cycle product with additional sulfur, applying varying fire intensities over three days. Cycles three through five follow similar procedures with gradually decreasing sulfur quantities (from one liang to seven and a half qian) and progressively reduced fire intensity, each maintaining three-day refinement periods.

These operations demand precise control of firing duration and intensity, with repeated refinement gradually purifying the elixir. The term "fu time" refers to repeated boiling cycles of medicinal materials, while "fire striking" denotes refinement under specific heat intensities. The entire process demonstrates the Daoist alchemical tradition's extreme attention to procedural minutiae, reflecting its meticulous pursuit of perfection.

This passage meticulously documents the "Ninefold Cycled Numinous Cinnabar" refinement method in Daoist alchemy, representing a crucial technique in Waidan (external alchemy) practice. The entire process involves multiple stages requiring precise control of firing temperatures and material proportions.

The refinement begins with sixth-cycle cinnabar: take fifth-cycle cinnabar, add half an ounce of sulfur, stir-fry the mixture, then place it in a crucible. Apply five jin of firing intensity for one day, followed by one jin for another day, concluding with half jin for a final day. For the seventh cycle, grind the sixth-cycle cinnabar and combine with one ounce of freshly extracted cinnabar. After thorough grinding and stir-frying, place in the crucible—first applying three jin of fire for one day, then one jin, and finally half jin. The eighth cycle follows the same procedure with another ounce of fresh cinnabar, maintaining the same firing sequence as the sixth cycle.

The ninth cycle demands special care: place the previously refined cinnabar together with silver beads (made by melting one jin of pure silver) into a sealed vessel. Bury this in an ash bed and apply three liang of gentle fire for seven days. After retrieval, perform the "ablution" (purification washing), then use this refined cinnabar to cultivate new cinnabar—said to produce infinite transformations. The text describes this cinnabar's marvelous effects: when a single pellet is struck against crane's crest red (a poison), even skilled archers firing all day cannot hit their mark, hence its name "Numinous Cinnabar." Used medicinally, its effects sweep through like wind scattering clouds, reputedly capable of reviving the dead and restoring youth.

The subsequent passage details mercury's dual transformation process. The first transformation requires three liang each of green vitriol, blue vitriol, and white alum, two liang each of green salt and white salt, plus one liang of saltpeter—all ground together and boiled in one peck of rice vinegar for three days as purification. Sulfur must be boiled for three days with horse-hoof incense and houttuynia herb. Melt two liang of this prepared sulfur with eight liang of mercury in an iron pan, stir-frying until sandy, then place in the crucible—five jin fire for one day, two jin for another day, half jin for the final day. After retrieval, form into blocks, boil in pine-yellow ash liquid for one day and night, wash clean, then wrap in honey-coated silver foil. Place this in a silver-bead container for seven days of gentle firing with daily increasing intensity.

The second transformation involves dividing the Ninefold Great Elixir Mother (primary medicinal base) into small pieces—laying half at the bottom, placing newly cultivated numinous cinnabar atop, then covering with the remaining elixir mother. Seal and incubate in the ash bed for seven days with firing intensity gradually increasing from two to five liang. Repeat this cultivation process seven times to obtain fourteen liang of "elixir head" (primary medicinal compound), concluding the refinement by boiling with morning-born herb for one final day.

This passage describes the alchemical process of refining the "Sevenfold Golden Elixir" in Daoist Waidan (external alchemy) practice, an advanced technique involving mineral-based elixir preparation. The entire process consists of seven stages, each with strict operational procedures:

The third stage processes freshly refined cinnabar. First, the mineral is ground into powder using an iron mortar, then wrapped in Kunlun paper (a special type of paper). The wrapped cinnabar is further enveloped in a paste made from several herbs (viola flowers, croton seeds, and castor bean flesh). After sealing, it's placed in the alchemical furnace and calcined overnight with medium fire (approximately 6 jin in modern weight). Upon cooling, the cinnabar develops a jade-like translucency. This material is then crushed for use in the next stage.

The fourth stage mixes the jade-like cinnabar flakes from the previous step with powdered frost, sal ammoniac, and borax in specific proportions. The cinnabar is coated with honey, rolled in this powder mixture, and rewrapped in Kunlun paper. Placed in a special "Sage's Unknowing Vessel" (a sealed container) and buried in an ash pool (thermal insulation device), it's nurtured with gentle fire (4 liang) for seven days until transforming into white treasure. This procedure must be repeated seven times for completion.

The fifth stage employs a crucible (alchemical vessel). The white material from the previous step is spread at the bottom, covered with 2 liang of mercury, then sealed and placed in the ash pool. Initially nurtured with 2-3 liang fire for seven days, the process involves opening the vessel to add another 2 liang of mercury, repeated four times over twenty-eight days. Subsequently, yin fire (gentle heat) is applied through four more cycles, each lasting twenty-eight days with increasing mercury and fire intensity.

The sixth stage yields precious "jade bamboo shoot" formations. Placed in a silver container over a furnace with 5 liang of yin fire, 5 liang of mercury is added every three days. Through repeated additions, these formations gradually develop into coral-red crystalline structures resembling jade trees or qiongzhi branches.

The seventh stage involves grinding 2 liang of jade bamboo shoots into fine powder. Half is placed in the crucible, followed by a mixture of realgar, orpiment, sulfur, and sal ammoniac (1 liang each), then topped with the remaining powder. After sealing, it's nurtured with 1 jin of yin fire for three days to produce golden lumps. Crushed and combined with 4 liang of this material plus 1 liang of cinnabar, then nurtured with 4 liang fire for seven days, it yields purple gold. A second refinement uses 2 liang of cinnabar with the same seven-day nurturing period.

The Eighth Transformation Method: Take the previously refined eight taels of cinnabar (mercury sulfide), combine with two taels of mercury, four taels of yin fire (gentle fire), and four taels of "four-direction fire" (fierce fire). Refine for seven days to obtain a treasure. Repeat the mercury infusion process every seven days in an endless cycle. However, practitioners must carefully gauge their own spiritual merit and capacity when performing this method.

The Ninth Transformation: Melt half a catty of sulfur in an iron cauldron, add two taels of mercury and stir-fry until black, then grind into powder. Seal it with the "three yellows powder" (realgar, orpiment, and arsenic yellow) obtained from the seventh transformation. First nourish with four taels of fire for three days, then increase to six taels of fire for four days. Finally, pour in four taels of mercury to produce superior mountain-marsh silver. This seven-day cycle repeats for forty-nine days to complete the process.

The Tenth Transformation: Grind the "elixir heads" obtained from the previous nine transformations into powder. Place five taels of mercury in an iron cauldron heated by half a catty of fire below. Sprinkle three qian of the elixir powder, cover with a bowl, and seal with wet paper. When cicada-like sounds are heard, cease the fire. After smelting, five taels of mountain-marsh treasure will be obtained.

The Eleventh Transformation: Take one tael of jade powder from the ninth transformation and mix with one tael of mercury from the tenth transformation, grinding them together. Melt one catty of "red silver" (copper) and add one tael of this medicinal powder to transform it into white-textured supreme treasure.

The Twelfth Transformation: Combine one tael of "three yellows" from the seventh transformation, one tael of cinnabar from the sixth transformation, and one tael of "mercury teeth" from the tenth transformation into a cake. Nourish in a cauldron for seven days. Then place five taels of mercury in an iron cauldron, add two qian of the previously refined "four divine medicines," and seal with a bowl. Heat with half a catty of fire. When cicada sounds emerge, increase the fire to smelt, producing superior purple-prosperity treasure.

The Thirteenth Transformation: Take five taels of mercury-sulfur from the ninth transformation, plus one tael each of premium realgar, orpiment, and borax. Grind and seal in a container. Nourish in a furnace for twenty-one days—two taels of fire by day, four taels by night. The resulting substance can transmute various metals and minerals into supreme treasures.

The Fourteenth Transformation: Use four taels of previously refined "three yellows" as a container to nourish two taels of premium cinnabar for twenty-one days. Begin with two taels of fire, increase to three, then four. Combine the refined cinnabar with the "three yellows," grind into pea-sized pills, and take with flowing pure water. Legend claims this extends life by a century, grants immortality, and enables swift movement.

The Fifteenth Transformation: Purify previously refined cinnabar into gold to cast a sacred cauldron. (This hints at alchemy's ultimate goal—transmuting base matter into gold for ritual implements.)

This passage describes the detailed procedures of Waidan (external alchemy), the Daoist practice of compounding elixirs to achieve immortality. The process requires two crucibles: a small inner vessel for holding medicinal ingredients and a larger iron outer container. Mineral substances like mica, azurite (a mineral pigment), quartz, fluorite, and minium are mixed with mulberry bark juice to form a paste, which is applied to coat the inner walls of the outer crucible, creating a "divine chamber" (a sealed alchemical space). The practitioner must then select an auspicious geomantic site to construct both a laboratory and an altar.

The alchemical operation consists of sixteen stages, fourteen of which require specific formulas. A mixture of three yellow mercurials (realgar, orpiment, and arsenic sulfide) weighing two jin and two liang, combined with three jin of cinnabar, must be ground uniformly and pounded thirty thousand times before being placed in the inner crucible. After sealing, this inner vessel is nested within the outer crucible, which is then completely sealed. All joints are sealed with "six-one mud" (a special sealing compound made from seven ingredients) before the assembly is placed in either an ash pit or a "heaven-earth furnace." Temperature control follows the "water above, fire below" method (with water in the upper section and heating from below): first applying five jin of firepower for one month, followed by three jin and then two jin of firepower for one month each, concluding with five jin of firepower for ten days—totaling one hundred days. After completion, the crucible must be buried underground for one year to dissipate toxic heat, then suspended in well water for another hundred days. The resulting substance is ground into powder and mixed with "sweet dew water" (morning dew or specially prepared water) to form pill-sized pellets resembling mung beans.

This elixir possesses miraculous properties: when fed to a chicken, one pellet transforms it into a phoenix that flies away; given to a dog, it becomes a dragon and soars. Before use, one must first make offerings to heaven, earth, and the Big Dipper, casting portions of the elixir into famous mountains and rivers—only the remainder may be consumed. Ordinary individuals must soak the pills in golden sweet dew juice for one month to remove residual toxicity, then pound them three times before ingestion. Practitioners may consume partial doses after completing each stage, but only by finishing all sixteen stages can the elixir's full effects be realized.

Two supplementary methods are also recorded: first, soaking silver foil in vinegar, sprinkling it with sulfur powder, then calcining it under water-plantain leaves to produce silver powder; second, a three-day purification process boiling cinnabar with sal ammoniac, sulfur, and borax in vinegar and rice water. The text emphasizes that cultivation requires perseverance and compassionate service to others—only those with profound virtue and fortune can succeed.

This scripture describes the concrete operational procedures of the "Three Sages Method" (also known as Minor Nine Cycles) in Daoist alchemy, detailing how to refine elixirs using cinnabar, sulfur, and mercury.

First, spread powdered silver at the bottom of the vessel and seal its mouth with clam-shell powder mixed with honey. After drying, place it in an ash pit. Fire regulation must be phased: initially use 1.5 taels of fire for three days, followed by 2 taels for seven days, then 3 taels for twenty days, and finally 40 taels for forty-nine days. Upon completion, extract and calcine until achieving "subdued fire" (indicating the medicinal substances no longer volatilize). To extract silver, one may refine it in a lead bath.

The second part specifies the formula of the "Three Sages Method": 10 taels of premium cinnabar, 1 tael of sulfur, and 1 tael of mercury. Grind these three ingredients to extreme fineness, pack them tightly into the vessel. Take 1 tael of freshly pounded shepherd's purse (Brassica campestris), mix with 1 qian of salt to form a paste, and apply it to the inner side of the vessel's lid. Externally, seal the vessel with a mixture of stone fat, sage's ignorance (a Daoist term for certain mineral substances), sacred vinegar, and charcoal ash.

Select an auspicious day to dig a pit 1.2 chi deep and wide. Purify the pit's interior and exterior with heated vinegar and charcoal ash before placing the vessel inside. Cover it with a finger-width layer of fine charcoal ash, then add another 5-inch layer of coarser charcoal ash. Fire regulation proceeds as follows: 1 jin of fire on the first day, 2 jin on the second, 3 jin on the third, and 1 ancient weight unit (approximately 15 jin) for a full day's calcination on the fourth. On the sixth day, extract and examine - successful elixirs will exhibit a blood-red, mirror-like surface.

Finally, it mentions taking 1 tael of chensha (premium cinnabar), grinding it extremely fine, wrapping it in paper, and placing it in the vessel following the aforementioned sealing and fire-regulation methods. This process should be repeated three to seven times. Upon the eighth extraction, after grinding, additional medicinal materials may be incorporated.

This passage documents specific procedures in Daoist alchemical practice, primarily describing how to refine elixirs (called "vermilion medicine") using multiple mineral ingredients, and methods for using these elixirs to transmute mercury into precious metals like gold and silver.

First, take one qian (approximately 3 grams) each of six ingredients—saltpeter, sal ammoniac, white alum, green salt, willow catkin alum, and borax—grind them into fine powder, mix thoroughly, and compact the mixture in a vessel. Then spread a layer of sulfur powder (one liang, about 30 grams) on top and seal the container. Apply controlled heating in specific stages: first nurture with four liang of fire for seven days, then with half a jin of fire for another seven days, and finally with one jin of fire for a further seven days. After cooling, remove the contents; the sulfur will float on top without blending with the medicine and should be carefully discarded.

Mix the refined powder with one liang of cinnabar, grind thoroughly, seal again, and refine once more with one scale-weight of fire. Upon completion, grind finely and divide into three portions:

The first portion is formed into one-qian-weight pills using red rice. Each pill can process ten liang of mercury. During operation, place the mercury in a crucible (gan pot), heat with half a jin of fire until slight smoke appears, then drop in the pill. The mercury will react vigorously. After the reaction subsides, increase the heat for final refinement, then pour into a pool to cool, yielding a product without loss.

The second portion is mixed with one liang each of orpiment and chalcanthite, refined similarly, then ground and divided into ten portions. Each one-qian portion can process ten liang of mercury, producing superior gold and silver.

The third portion incorporates one liang of calomel powder. After refinement, grind finely and divide into ten portions. Each one-qian portion can refine ten liang of "He" (possibly referring to a specific metal), yielding a treasured substance.

The concluding section mentions "fetal-emerging sprout fire-refined cinnabar" as another method: mix one liang of cinnabar with mercury and refine with controlled heat for three days and nights (three zui periods), transforming the mercury into jade-bamboo-shaped solids. Repeating this process yields increasingly hardened products.

These methods reflect ancient alchemists' attempts to transmute substances through chemical processes, involving complex fire control and ingredient ratios. It's important to note that these operations cannot genuinely transform mercury into gold or silver, but rather represent historical explorations of material transformations.

This passage describes specific operational procedures in ancient Daoist alchemy, focusing on the preparation of two elixirs: "Embryonic Liberation Sprout" (tuotai yazi) and "Celestial Yellow Sprout" (tianchan huangya).

The preparation of Embryonic Liberation Sprout requires four cycles of processing over twelve days. The method involves mixing five liang (approximately 250g) of embryonic liberation material with four liang of mercury, cultivating it under "peak fire" (a specific temperature level) for three double-hours (six hours), then placing it in a water cauldron (water bath vessel). Repeating this six times over eighteen days yields twenty-four liang of product that forms separate flaky masses called "Mother-Separated Sprout." This must then be soaked overnight in a "Flower Pool" solution before use. The Flower Pool formula includes sulfur, sal ammoniac, borax, green salt, and pure wine.

The process for Celestial Yellow Sprout is more complex: First, cinnabar, chalcanthite, and Chinese gallnut are ground into fine powder. The cinnabar is moistened with rice vinegar and coated with gold sand particles. After drying with rice vinegar and green salt, every liang of cinnabar is combined with three liang of finely powdered Embryonic Liberation Sprout, then sealed in a yellow crucible (huangmao furnace) and cultivated under specific fire conditions for seven double-hours. The resulting golden cinnabar is then mixed with five liang of mercury per liang, ground evenly, and sealed in a "divine chamber" (shenshi alchemical vessel) for final calcination. The product emerges as golden bamboo shoot-shaped crystals called "Celestial Yellow Sprout," also known as "White Horse Sprout" or "True Lead."

The text concludes with a method for preparing "Purple Gold White Snow": Two liang of purple powder are thoroughly mixed with one liang each of mercury and sulfur, then placed in the "Supreme Unity Celestial Palace" (taiyi tiangong vessel) and cultivated under two liang of peak fire for five double-hours. Remarkably, these elixirs can be reused indefinitely—adding mercury prevents their exhaustion.

This passage describes specific operational methods in ancient alchemical practices, primarily involving the reaction process between mercury and other minerals. The alchemist would refine one tael (about 37.5 grams) of mercury repeatedly using the previously described method, gradually increasing the quantity to ten taels. The resulting elixir exhibited a golden hue, with each qian (approximately 3 grams) capable of transmuting five taels of mercury into a purple-gold substance—an effect equivalent to that of superior-grade elixirs.

When a small amount of this elixir was scattered into the air, it transformed into snow-like flakes drifting about. Baking the elixir and shaping it into small spoon-like implements allowed it to neutralize poisons upon contact. Another method involved treating five taels of purple powder with rice vinegar to form a vessel. After drying, three taels of mercury were placed inside, sealed within a yellow clay crucible (huangmao, a ceramic vessel used in alchemy), and refined over fire for one full day and night.

A detailed formula included: one tael each of cinnabar, realgar, and orpiment, ground and mixed together, then covered with two taels of purple powder. The mixture was sealed and heated with two taels of firepower, alternating between the mao hour (5–7 AM) and the you hour (5–7 PM) for ten days. The resulting product was ground into powder, mixed with mulberry bark juice, and formed into mung bean-sized pills. Each pill could transmute five taels of mercury.

Another recipe used four taels of "Four Spirits" (likely referring to four medicinal ingredients) as a base, covered with three taels of cinnabar, and refined with two taels of firepower for seven days and nights. The resulting mung bean-sized pills were said to possess life-restoring properties. Half a catty (about 300 grams) of purple powder and one catty of mercury were ground until fully integrated, sealed, and refined with four taels of firepower for one day and night—capable of transforming the "Five Metals" into treasures.

A mixture of one tael each of "Purple River Cart" (possibly a mineral) and cinnabar, combined with four taels of realgar, was ground and placed in an iron box, sealed, and refined with two taels of firepower alternating for forty-nine days. One additional tael of mercury was then added, ground, and refined with five taels of firepower for five days and nights. Subsequently, five taels of mercury were added each time, repeating the refining process until all the mercury was exhausted and transformed into a golden substance. This method was called the "Immortal’s Golden Grain Sowing the Jade Field Technique."

Finally, the text mentions placing one tael of "Purple River Cart" as a base, covering it with one tael of realgar, and refining it in a specially prepared vessel with two taels of firepower for three days and nights. The resulting realgar could then be used in subsequent procedures. These methods illustrate the intricate mineral transformation and purification techniques employed by ancient alchemists.

This passage documents specific operational methods from ancient Daoist alchemical practices, primarily concerning the chemical reactions between mercury and other metals. Here is a modern interpretation presented in steps:

Place half an ounce of refined material into an iron vessel, add ten ounces of mercury (Hg), and heat according to standard procedures. After the sizzling sound ceases, continue calcining over gentle heat for one full day-night cycle (twelve double-hours), gradually increasing the temperature until the mixture glows red-hot, ultimately forming a purple-gold substance.

Take four ounces of ziheche (a mineral substance) and mix with half a catty of mercury, grinding until no star-like particles remain. Seal this in an iron vessel and calcine with two ounces of fire intensity for forty-nine day-night cycles. After completion, grind into powder and continue calcining for one year, then mix with grain juice to form sesame-sized pills. Each such pill can transmute one catty of mercury into purple gold.

Combine five ounces of white gold sand with five ounces of mercury to form a sandy mixture, then cover with huangbaijinjing (a special mineral). Place in a yellow ceramic vessel and calcine with one-and-a-half ounces of fire intensity, alternating between mao hour (5-7 AM) and you hour (5-7 PM) for seven day-night cycles. The resulting substance, called "precious bamboo shoot," should be divided into two portions—one portion is recombined with mercury. Repeat this process nine times to obtain an elixir capable of transmuting the Five Metals (a general term for various metals).

The "precious bamboo shoot" requires repeated mercury infusion and cultivation. The specific fire regulation and furnace construction methods follow those used for nurturing dan tou (primary elixir). After ten infusions, the medicinal potency is exhausted and can be smelted into silver—this method is also called "the immortal's golden grain sown in jade fields technique."

Grind the sprout-like substance generated from "precious bamboo shoot" into powder, cover five ounces of cinnabar with it, and place in a yellow ceramic vessel. Calcinate with five ounces of fire intensity for five day-night cycles. After completion, extract the unchanged portions and mix with raw cinnabar in proportion. Grind and place in a special vessel called "Celestial Palace of the Great One," calcining with gentle heat for twenty-one day-night cycles. The resulting golden elixir is called "red stone cinnabar," particularly suited for making "bright window dust" (a high-grade elixir).

In the white tooth transformation method, melt eight ounces of gold in a special crucible (gan guo), adding small amounts of saltpeter for purification. Gradually add finely powdered white horse teeth (a mineral substance) to the molten gold until fully dissolved. After the solution clarifies, bury the crucible in ashes for complete cooling. Break it open to reveal natural stratification, yielding a substance called "yellow sprout."

Mix equal parts yellow sprout and cinnabar, grind thoroughly, and fill a crucible to seventy percent capacity. Seal with a ceramic lid (wa tuo zi), melt into liquid, then bury in ashes for complete cooling. When broken open, the subdued cinnabar (with altered properties) appears silvery-white. Cut into dice-sized pieces, wrap in silk, and suspend in a sand bowl. Boil for one day-night cycle in a decoction of three medicinal ingredients: green salt, naphtha, and sour pomegranate peel. Wash thoroughly with boiling water. Repeat this process forty-five times to remove medicinal odors, then dry to complete the preparation.

This passage describes several specialized methods for producing cinnabar (a key alchemical material) in ancient Daoist Waidan (external alchemy) practice, focusing on three distinct varieties: silver cinnabar, iron-colored cinnabar, and lychee-red iron cinnabar.

The silver cinnabar is made first: combine one jin of mercury with four liang of an unspecified material (the original text doesn't specify) and grind them until no particles remain visible. Seal the mixture in a yellow clay crucible (huangmao, a ceramic vessel used in alchemy). Once dried, place it in a bed of ashes layered with five jin of alternating raw and refined charcoal for firing. After the fire extinguishes and cools, the mercury will have fully transformed into cinnabar without any loss.

Next, take twenty liang of this silver cinnabar, grind it finely, and arrange it in three layers: eight liang at the bottom, ten liang in the middle wrapped in silver powder, and twelve liang covering the top. Press tightly and seal. Nurture it with a gentle fire (four to five liang in intensity) for seven days, then apply a stronger flame (two to three jin) for final refinement. The resulting cinnabar can be stored indefinitely—its potency improves with time.

For iron-colored cinnabar: repeatedly refine ordinary cinnabar until it turns black and iron-like. This variety can transmute the "five metals" (copper, brass, black lead, pewter, and iron). The method involves stirring seven qian of iron-colored cinnabar into molten metal; upon cooling, the cinnabar rises to the surface while the metal transforms into snowflake-like mercury-silver.

Finally, lychee-red iron cinnabar requires large-grained cinnabar wrapped in Kunlun paper (a special paper) and treated with alum before mixing with iron-colored cinnabar and firing in a sealed vessel. The resulting red cinnabar is more stable but less potent. To create a reusable "immortality matrix" (shazi changsheng kui), combine one jin of this cinnabar with four liang of mercury and refine it again.

These methods emphasize the principle of "not a fraction lost" (fenhao buzhe)—complete material transformation without waste—reflecting Daoist alchemy’s pursuit of perfect material transmutation.

This passage describes specific operational procedures in ancient alchemical practices. First, prepare ten liang of cinnabar (a mineral commonly used in Daoist alchemy), divided into ten portions wrapped in palm leaves with added alum. Like morning-blooming evening-wilting petals, these are suspended in flowing water and boiled for a full day to create the "Longevity Vessel" (a type of alchemical container). Place eight liang of yellow clay (huangmou, yellow pottery clay used in alchemy) as the base, evenly arrange the cinnabar pellets, then cover with twelve liang of material for compact sealing. Apply four liang of controlled heat for seven days and nights, followed by three jin of intense firing until glowing red. After cooling, extract the cinnabar which will have undergone complete transformation.

Over time, the cinnabar undergoes gradual changes, with its composition shifting from a 2:8 ratio to 1:9. When the alchemical vessel turns yellow, this confirms the cinnabar's efficacy differs from ordinary minerals.

Another alchemical method is then described: take twenty liang of cinnabar, two liang each of realgar and orpiment, plus seven other ingredients including yellow alum, chalcanthite, and willow catkin alum, all finely ground and wrapped in thin silk. Separately, grind nine materials including realgar and brainstone, soak in rice vinegar for two days of boiling, then dry and place in a yellow clay vessel for sealing. Apply five jin of heat until flames extinguish, then after cooling, collect the light floating substance from the upper layer for grinding—this is used to nurture golden sand. This method resembles silver sand cultivation, and prolonged use allows complete cinnabar permeation to form the "Golden Elixir" (Jindan). All refining processes require boiling for one day in nine-flavor vinegar (vinegar prepared with nine ingredients).

Finally, a prescription for leprosy treatment called "Resonating Great Wind Pills" is recorded: over twenty medicinal ingredients including angelica root, scorpion, chaulmoogra, camphor, and mercury are made into firmiana seed-sized pills—ten pills for mild cases, twenty for severe. The formula specifically mentions using both raw and processed rhubarb, while musk dosage can be adjusted flexibly.

This passage documents a medicinal formula called "Returning to Wholeness Wind-Elixir" (Gui Quan Feng Nao), detailing its preparation methods and dietary restrictions during consumption. The primary ingredients include: water defense herb (a medicinal plant), five qian of fleeceflower root (Polygonum multiflorum), dried angelica dahurica (Bai Zhi), three fen of frankincense or atractylodes (Cang Zhu), licorice and aged tangerine peel, with a small amount of musk.

The preparation method involves grinding these ingredients into powder, mixing with glutinous rice paste, and forming pills the size of phoenix tree seeds. The dosage is twenty pills per intake, taken on an empty stomach with plain boiled water. During the treatment period, congee and plain rice are recommended as dietary staples.

Strict dietary prohibitions include: burnt food from pot bottoms, radish heads, yam, water chestnut (Eleocharis dulcis), jujubes, persimmons (with frost removed), cucumber, watermelon, winter melon, raw melon, lotus root, water caltrop, sugarcane, eggplant, sugar, white fish, sea fish, certain shellfish (possibly "yellow-white sea moon"), and agar seaweed. All other foods beyond these are also forbidden, as consumption may cause relapse of illness. Moderate consumption of good quality alcohol is permitted, but sexual activity must be abstained from.

This text reflects the stringent dietary regulations in ancient Daoist medical practice, which held that certain foods could counteract medicinal properties and impair efficacy. Many of the prohibited ingredients mentioned remain recognized contraindications in traditional Chinese herbal medicine today.