《雲笈七籤》Vol. 112

Yunji Qiqian, Volume 112

Compiled and submitted by his subject Zhang Junfang, Gentleman for Attendance of the Song dynasty, Vice Director of the Department of Expenditure in the Ministry of Revenue, Collator in the Jixian Academy, granted the crimson fish-bag, and permitted to wear purple.

Biographies of Immortals and Their Auspicious Encounters

Ji Zonglao

Ji Zonglao was a Daoist priest from Yuzhang (in present-day Nanchang, Jiangxi). He traveled among famous mountains, sought out masters, and studied in many places, yet for a long time gained nothing.

In the second year of Dazhong, the wuchen year (848), he met a Daoist at a village temple in Shuzhou. The man's clothes were worn and shabby; braving wind and snow, he hurried in to seek lodging. Ji Zonglao arranged for him to stay in a Daoist chamber.

After nightfall there were no lamps or candles in the room, and outside the snow was falling heavily. Ji Zonglao suddenly saw light shining from within and looked through the crack in the door: though there was clearly no lamp or candle, the room was as bright as day. He saw the Daoist take bedding, curtains, cushions, mattresses, and all sorts of utensils and furnishings from a small gourd, everything complete.

Ji Zonglao knew the man was no ordinary person and knocked to ask for an audience. The Daoist did not respond and went on sleeping; before long the light also went out. Ji Zonglao then sat outside the door and kept watch all night, hoping to see him at daybreak. When day broke, he pushed open the door, only to find that the Daoist had disappeared.

Ji Zonglao deeply reproached himself for failing to seize the opportunity, and he traveled all over the world, continuing to search for that Daoist.

Ye Qianshao

Ye Qianshao was from Xinzhou (in present-day Shangrao, Jiangxi). When he was young, he went up the mountain to gather firewood and, caught in the rain, took shelter under a large tree. Suddenly he saw the Thunder Duke caught between branches, struggling but unable to fly away. After the branches were split by lightning, they closed up again. Ye Qianshao found stones, inserted them between the branches, and pried the branches open; only then did the Thunder Duke get free.

The Thunder Duke thanked him shamefacedly and said, "Tomorrow you may come here again." The next day Ye Qianshao came to the tree as agreed, and the Thunder Duke also came. He handed him a scroll of talismanic writings written in ink and said, "Act according to this scroll, and you will be able to summon thunder and rain, eliminate illness and suffering, establish merit, and aid the people. We are five brothers; just call 'Lei Da' or 'Lei Er,' and they will immediately answer and come. Lei Wu is fierce and impetuous; unless it is a crisis, do not call him."

From then on, when Ye Qianshao practiced talismans and prayed for rain, it was often very efficacious. Once he got drunk in the city of Jizhou; the prefect had him arrested and interrogated, and wanted to humiliate him. Ye Qianshao stood below the steps and loudly called out once, "Lei Wang." At that time there was a drought and the sunlight was fierce; immediately a peal of thunder crashed, and everyone was shaken so that they staggered.

The prefect stepped down from the steps, treated him with courtesy, and asked him to pray for rain. In less than two days, a heavy rain fell, with abundant water. Because of this, the matter spread far and near. Ye Qianshao later traveled to Huazhou, where it had already been raining for several days, and the Yellow River...

The official Fan Qianshao was exhausted by flood control, so much so that he had no time for sleep or food. He made a talisman from a piece of iron, two chi long, and set it upright on the riverbank. The river water surged up, heaping into mounds like earth, and flowed down along the river channel, yet it dared not cross beyond the talisman; people were thus spared from being swept down and drowned. Even today, this talisman is still transmitted. When people came seeking a talisman because of illness, he did not choose brush or ink but simply wrote it out and gave it to them, and the talismans were mostly effective. Such deeds are often seen in the Jiangsu-Zhejiang region. Fan Qianshao often went traveling, liked eating meat and fish, did not cultivate the Dao (the Way), and later no one knew where he had gone.

Yu Manchuan

Yu Manchuan was a music official in Chengdu. There was a shortage of water near his residence, and an old man long carried water to supply several neighboring households.

On the third day of the third month, Yu Manchuan went to Tongzhen Abbey, a Daoist temple on Xueshe Mountain, to attend the Silkworm Market. On the way he met the old water seller and spoke with him. The old man said he lived nearby and took him along to stroll through the Silkworm Market. After they had finished, the old man invited Yu Manchuan to his home. The two entered a path through alders and bamboo and followed the canals for more than ten li before they saw a residence. Inside, halls and pavilions stood in rows, voices were bustling, and divine images and paintings were enshrined, making it just like a Daoist temple. The old man led Yu Manchuan to the kitchen, where there were also many people. Later the old man disappeared; when Yu Manchuan asked others, he learned that this was in fact a kitchen manifested by Ge Gui, a Daoist figure. The others also said that only the next day would the Silkworm Market hold a Great Zhaijiao (purification ritual), a large-scale ritual sacrifice. But in the blink of an eye, three days had already passed. From then on, the old water seller never appeared again.

The Jinshi Wang Rui

The jinshi (presented scholar) Wang Rui was a man widely read in the classics and histories. He was diligent and painstaking, exploring problems the ancients had not yet clarified and discovering insights that earlier Confucians had not attained. He wrote the Zhiguzi in thirty scrolls; he could correct the strengths and weaknesses in the Six Classics and the errors and omissions in historical works. Some of his chapters and interpretations were even more brilliant than those of the ancients with outstanding insight and profound discernment.

Wang Rui took pleasure in wine and was unrestrained by worldly conventions; beyond the inspiration of wine, he often discussed philosophical principles with others and delved into literary phrasing. His criticisms of the ancients were as blunt as those of Liu Lan.

However, he absorbed wind and dew and swallowed the mist and clouds of the mountains, which accumulated into an illness; for years he often suffered from cold and could never recover. While traveling through the Yan region, he met a man leaning on a cherry-wood staff and wearing a palm-bark hat. The man had a crane-like face and an air of lofty antiquity, unlike ordinary people; his name was Xidao. Xidao smiled and asked him, “Young man, are you beset by three kinds of delusion? Why have you become so thin and weak?” Wang Rui replied that this was not so. Xidao said, “Your illness can be cured. Although I have already shi wu (a term from the original whose meaning is unclear), I still have a furnace…” The original text breaks off here.

As for the efficacy of elixir refining, is there any illness it cannot cure? Rui entrusted himself to his master, fasted and purified himself for three days by the Zhang River, and the master then transmitted the secrets of elixir refining to him, saying: “Wood essence is the heavenly hun-soul; golden liquid is the earthly po-soul. When the two Qi of Kan and Li circulate, neither slackness nor urgency may be excessive; Metal and Wood each have their fixed measure, and only when Qin and Jin join is it fitting. In the near term, results come in sixty days; in the far term, in three years.” He also sang: “The earthly po subtly enters the heavenly hun, and the two Qi of Yin and Yang conjoin; Yang Qi unfolds and Yin Qi nourishes, and the afflictions of spirits and ghosts are extinguished. A thousand songs and ten thousand praises still do not fully express it. From ancient times to the present, sun and moon alternate. Take the elixir and regulate yourself accordingly, and after one full celestial circuit, illness will improve.”

Later, Rui withdrew from the world, feigned madness, and mingled with ordinary society. At the age of eighty, he died on the road at Pengshan, and those who knew him buried him. Before long, he appeared again in Chengdu and often resided in Lewen County. At that time fierce beasts roamed in packs and caused great harm, yet Rui, drunk, would sleep exposed in the grass and wild woods without the least fear. He too was one who shed his mortal body like a cicada’s molt and attained the Dao.

Wang Congqi

Wang Congqi was a eunuch. When the Prince of Shu first governed the Qiong, Shu, Li, and Ya region and served as jiedushi of the Yongping Army, Wang Congqi served as supervising-army judge. Later, when the Prince of Shu took Chengdu, the post of jiedushi was abolished and changed to that of commandery governor. Wang Congqi lived as a guest in Shu for more than ten years; he was poor but delighted in doing good, and he had no fixed residence.

In the Qiong market he met an old man. The old man eyed him sidelong and said, “You are about to face a great calamity and will nearly lose your life.” Then from his bosom he took a small gourd and gave him fourteen grains of cinnabar, saying, “Take these elixir grains; after ten days you will grow a beard—do not be surprised. In this way you may avoid the disaster.” After Wang Congqi had taken the medicine for three or five days, he indeed grew a beard.

More than a month later, the emperor issued an edict to execute the eunuchs, and Wang Congqi was among those to be killed. Someone urged him to flee, but he replied, “How can one evade the command of ruler and father?” So he bowed his head and went forward to be bound. The governor pitied him and submitted a petition requesting pardon; the Prince of Shu specially ordered his release. When people looked at his appearance again, they found that he no longer looked like a eunuch.

Linghu Xuan

Linghu Xuan was the son of Linghu Xun, governor of Yuhang. He esteemed the mysterious Dao and did not seek fame or official position; in a private residence in Kaihua he built a quiet chamber for himself. Every three or five days he would open the quiet chamber once, burn incense, and sit quietly for a whole day before coming out.

At that time immortals descended, bringing wondrous smoke and fragrance, and people often saw or smelled them in the courtyard. Linghu Xuan said that when he entered stillness, a green-clad youth led him to a high mountain at the center of the heavenly realm, where he had audience with Lord Lao. He also saw the conferral of the title “Great Dharma Master of the Central Origin” upon Celestial Master Zhang (Tianshi), succeeding the Perfected Person Yin in office.

Perfected Yin (Yin Xi) and the Three Heavens (Santian, the three deities in Daoism) discussed merits and faults before Taishang (the Supreme Lord). Taishang said: “The various Hu peoples disturbed the Central Plains and gradually encroached upon Huaxia, yet this could not be stopped—this was Perfected Yin’s fault. Reestablishing the twenty-four Hua (Daoist diocesan organizations) to separately govern humans, ghosts, marshes, and sentient beings—this was Zhang Daoling’s merit.

“These two matters should each be verified by ascending a high terrace, calming the mind in meditation, and testing them according to the great Dao.” Thereupon Taishang ordered Perfected Yin to ascend a precious lotus terrace and sit upright in silence. Before long, the surroundings grew dim. Taishang then ordered Zhang Daoling to ascend the terrace. After Zhang Daoling had sat for a long time, various wondrous colors and radiances appeared on the terrace, all kinds of transformations occurred, and the Qi of the heavens and the human realm communicated with each other.

From then on, Zhang Daoling replaced Perfected Yin and became Yuanzhong Fashi (Dharma Master Yuanzhong). In the yiwei year, I heard someone expound Linghu’s account; in the dingyou year, I met a Daoist surnamed Zhang in Mengyang, Xichuan. He said that the Celestial Master (Tianshi; Zhang Daoling) descended to transmit Daoist teachings, and people far and near reverenced him. I also heard him speak of the Celestial Master’s descent to teach: after the Celestial Master was promoted, he had recently assumed the position of Yuanzhong Fashi. The matters Linghu spoke of—the tally contracts, the reckoning of merits, and the ascent to the terrace—were exactly the same as what the Daoist Zhang said. These profound Daoist teachings are deep and unfathomable, hard to investigate in detail; I merely record this extraordinary matter.

Li Quan

Li Quan, style name Daguanzi, lived on Mount Shaoshi and was fond of the way of immortals and transcendents. He often traveled among famous mountains and extensively collected esoteric arts (fangshu). Later, at Tiger’s Mouth Cliff on Mount Song, he obtained the Yellow Emperor’s Yinfu Benjing (Original Scripture of the Hidden Talisman) and the Su Shu (Book of Plainness). The books were bound on red-lacquered rods and sealed in a jade box. An inscription read: “On the seventh day of the seventh month in the second year of Zhenjun of the Great Wei, the Shangqing (Supreme Clarity) Daoist Kou Qianzhi stored these books in a famous mountain, leaving them for destined fellow followers of the Dao to read and transmit.”

The books were already badly worn. Li Quan copied and recited them several thousand times but still did not understand their meaning. He then went to the Qin region. At the foot of Mount Li, he met an old woman. Her hair was done up in a topknot coiled on her head, with the remainder hanging half down; her clothes were worn, and she leaned on a staff, presenting a very strange appearance.

By the roadside the old woman saw a fire left by someone burning a tree, and said to herself: “Fire is born from wood; when calamity breaks out, it must be subdued and extinguished.” Li Quan asked in astonishment, “How do you know the words in the Yellow Emperor’s Yinfu?” The old woman said, “I have understood this talismanic book for three primes and six cycles of the jiazi (a long period in the Daoist calendar). Young man, where did you get it?”

Li Quan bowed his head and paid respects, then recounted in detail how he had obtained the book. The old woman said, “Young man, your cheekbones run straight to the Gate of Life, and your fate wheel is level with the sun corner; your Qi and blood are abundant, and your mind is upright. You possess virtuous worth, delight in the Daoist teachings, are brave and eager for knowledge—truly you are my disciple.”

However, when he reached the age of forty-five, Li Quan was to encounter a great calamity. Thereupon the immortal took out a cinnabar-written Fulu (talismans and registers), threaded it onto the top of a staff, had Li Quan kneel and swallow it, and said, “May Heaven and Earth protect you.”

Afterward, he sat on a stone and explained the meaning of the Yinfu Jing (Scripture of the Hidden Talisman) to Li Quan: “The Yinfu Jing consists of three hundred characters: one hundred clarify the Dao (the Way), one hundred clarify method, and one hundred clarify technique. The upper chapter discusses the Dao of the immortals embracing the One; the middle chapter discusses the method of enriching the state and bringing peace to the people; the lower chapter discusses the technique of strengthening the army and overcoming the enemy. These principles all arise from inner reflection and also accord with external human affairs. Its subtle points cannot be fully fathomed even by measuring them against the Huangting Jing (Scripture of the Yellow Court) and the Bajing Jing (Scripture of the Eight Radiances); its essential purport cannot be exhausted in words even by reading all scriptures, biographies, works of the various masters, and histories. Even with exceptional intelligence and ingenuity, Sun Wu, Wu Qi, Han Xin, and Bai Qi would not be enough to call it wondrous. Those who have not attained the Dao must not be allowed to hear this scripture.

“Those with De (Virtue/Power) who apply it will attain the great Dao; gentlemen who apply it will master the methods; ordinary people who apply it will instead invite disaster. This is because people’s insight and endowments differ. If one wishes to transmit the scripture to like-minded people, one must first fast and purify oneself, and only then transmit it to them. Those with a lineage of transmission may serve as teachers; those without such a lineage may only be disciples. One must not value someone because they are rich and noble, nor slight someone because they are poor and lowly. Those who violate this will have their lifespan reduced by twenty ji—a measure of lifespan in Daoist context.

“On one’s benming day—the particular day determined according to one’s birth date—reciting it seven times can increase mental capacity and prolong life. Every year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, copy out one scroll and hide it in a stone cave in a famous mountain; this too can add to one’s lifespan.”

After a long while, the mother said, “It is almost dark; I have wheat meal, let us eat together.” She took a gourd from her sleeve and told Li Quan to fetch water from the valley. Once the gourd was filled with water, it suddenly weighed more than a hundred jin; Li Quan could not control it, and the gourd sank into the spring. When he returned, the mother had already disappeared, leaving only several sheng of wheat meal. Li Quan ate the wheat meal, and from then on he no longer ate ordinary food.

During the Kaiyuan era, Li Quan served as Deputy Military Commissioner of Jiangling and Vice Censor-in-Chief. He had the talent of a commander, wrote ten scrolls of the Taibai Yin Jing, and also authored ten scrolls of the Zhongtai Zhi. At the time he was sidelined by Li Linfu, and his official career was not prominent. Later he resolved to enter famous mountains in search of Daoist arts, and after that his whereabouts became unknown.

Liu Yanguang

Liu Yanguang was a native of Jianbi Granary in Jinling and had once held a yamen post in western Zhejiang. The Jiedushi Tang Ruoshan was fond of Daoist arts; he and his younger brother Tang Ruoshui had both encountered immortals and learned essential Daoist techniques from them. During the Kaiyuan era, Emperor Ming of Tang especially favored and trusted them, granting them tallies and credentials and having them garrison western Zhejiang. After more than a year, Tang Ruoshan resigned his office, set out to sea by boat, and left a memorial behind in the cabin...

Song Wencai

The military commissioner reported the matter to the court, and the emperor sent Ruoshui to the immortal mountains in the Jiang and Ling regions to search for him, but no one ever knew where he had gone.

Ten years later, Yanguang was ordered on a mission to Yangzhou and met Ruoshan in the fish market. Ruoshan was carrying fish goods for trade; recognizing Yanguang, he invited him to his home. The lane where Ruoshan lived was narrow and overgrown with weeds, with only a dew-wet grassy path barely passable. Once through the door, however, the interior gradually opened out, paved with bricks, and the flowers and trees, terraces and pavilions were arranged most beautifully—quite unlike anything in the human world.

When Ruoshan heard that Yanguang still owed money to the government and that his family was already utterly impoverished, he showed compassion. Then he told Yanguang to prepare pig iron and charcoal in the inn where he was staying. That night, Tang came to the inn, put the charcoal and pig iron into a roaring fire, and then left. He said to Yanguang, “If your descendants in later generations encounter a person who has attained the Dao in the immortal mountains, they should not again become petty officials; they are only suited to preserve purity and live in seclusion in mountains, forests, fields, and gardens.”

He also said, “Of these three portions of gold, one is to repay the official debt, and the other two are to buy property and support the family estate. Do not eat precious foods, lest you diminish your fortune and blessings; do not wear gorgeous clothes, lest you diminish your allotted blessings. Secretly doing good, helping others, and relieving urgent distress are what cultivation of the Dao values most. The Wondrous Scripture of the Supreme Grade of Salvation in Five Thousand Characters should be read often and diligently practiced.”

After Yanguang obtained the gold, he repaid the official debt as instructed and managed to establish a family estate. His descendants lived for generations around the mountain streams and stone cliffs and enjoyed lifespans of eighty or ninety years. His grandson Songnian later entered the Dao and went to Tiantai to cultivate.

Song Wencai

Song Wencai was from Pengshan County in Meizhou. At first, he and several fellow villagers went sightseeing on Mount Emei and had already reached the summit. By chance, he lost the headscarf and shoes he had brought with him, so he stopped to look for them and gradually fell behind his companions. He saw an old man leading him slowly forward; the road before him became a broad, level highway, lined on both sides with rare flowers and strange trees. After walking a few hundred paces, they came to a palace complex: jade steps, splendid halls, cloud-wreathed towers, and rosy-lit chambers—sights the world had never seen.

The old man led him up onto the E Terrace. Looking out, the many peaks were arrayed across the earth like chess pieces; there were Daoist priests playing chess, green-clad youths gathering herbs, clear streams winding around rocks, and immortal cranes flying in the sky. Wencai asked in surprise, “What place is this?”

The old man replied, “Among the famous mountains there are small cave-heavens, thirty-six in all. This is the Emei Cave-Heaven, where true immortals dwell; it ranks twenty-third among the thirty-six cave-heavens.”

Just as he was about to invite Wencai to sit down, someone called his name repeatedly. The old man said, “Your companions are looking for you; it is not fitting to stay long. Come again another time.” Then he instructed an attendant boy to lead Wencai to the gate and let him rejoin his companions.

When he looked back again, the immortal palace was nowhere to be found. His companion said, “We have already been separated for half a month. Every day I came here looking for you, and only today did I finally see you.” Wencai then told in detail the strange things he had encountered.

Liu Jing

Liu Jing of Pengcheng traveled to Mount Jinhua, seeking out Perfected beings and the Dao. When he reached the mountainside, the scenery before him seemed extraordinary: the mountains, streams, plants, and trees were lush and beautiful, and a tall gate tower and pavilions rose into the clouds. After he entered the gate, the ponds to the left and right were clear to the bottom; the trees were fine, their branches drooping low and neatly arranged. The vines were soft, and the fruits they bore were like pears, giving off a striking fragrance.

Liu Jing looked around and saw no one. He picked some fruit and put it in his sleeve. Before he had time to eat it, several small dogs suddenly came rushing out, barking wildly at him and vying to pounce and bite him. Liu Jing hastily fended them off and looked around, but could find no tiles or stones to throw. He had no choice but to take the fruit from his bosom and throw it at the dogs. Once the fruit was gone, the dogs also left.

When he turned back to look, the palace from before had disappeared; before him there remained only overgrown mountain forests and secluded valleys. A monk named Xiu was on good terms with Liu Jing and often told others this story.

Peng Qiu

Peng Qiu, courtesy name Bojian, was from Beihai. During the Taishi era of the Jin, he entered Mount Yunü, west of Beiqiu, to gather firewood. Suddenly he smelled an unusual fragrance and followed the wind to seek its source. The mountain opened out before him, revealing palaces and towers with a deep and extensive layout. Peng Qiu entered the gate and peeked inside, where he saw five jade trees. Going farther, he saw four immortal maidens playing a board game in the hall. When they saw Peng Qiu, they all stood up in surprise and said, “Peng Jun, how did you come to be here?”

Peng Qiu replied, “I came following the fragrance.” After he said this, they went on playing the board game as before. One of the younger immortal maidens climbed a tower and played the qin, joking, “Yuanhui, why are you the only one going upstairs?” Peng Qiu stood beneath the tree and felt hungry, so he used his tongue to lick the dew dripping from the leaves.

Before long, an immortal maiden arrived riding a crane and said to them, “Yuhua, why have you let this mortal stay here? The Queen Mother has already ordered Wang Fangping to inspect the immortal chambers; he should be made to leave quickly.” Peng Qiu was afraid and walked out the gate. When he looked back, the palace had suddenly vanished.

By the time he returned home, it was already the Jianping era. The village houses where he had formerly lived had all become graves. After this, he traveled throughout famous mountains seeking Daoist arts and never returned.

Wang Kejiao

Wang Kejiao was from Kunshan in Suzhou. He had originally been a farmer and ordinarily did not understand Daoist arts. From the time he was a few years old, five-colored rays of light would flash in his eyes; at night, this light appeared even more clearly in a dark room…

This radiance could illuminate objects. Someone said to a close relative, “This is an illness; when the light is exhausted, his eyes will go blind.” His parents, not understanding the matter, found a quack doctor to treat him with moxibustion, and as a result the light vanished completely.

In the eleventh month of the tenth year of Xiantong (869), Kejiao was returning home from the market. Passing by the river, he saw a great boat moored there, adorned with gold and color, pearls and kingfisher feathers; music was played aboard, and people were enjoying themselves. Kejiao stood watching, and the boat came in to the bank. A boy in blue-green clothes inside the boat led him aboard. He saw more than ten people wearing high crowns and feathered robes, their garments brilliantly patterned like clouds and sunset glow, mountains and rivers, each holding a musical instrument.

One of them sang, “Third Uncle Wang wishes to see you.” Kejiao did not know who “Third Uncle Wang” was. One of those beside him said, “His immortal bones were once injured by fire; he should not drink wine. If he goes ten years without eating, he will be able to attain the Dao.” That man gave Kejiao a chestnut and told him to eat it. Kejiao ate half and kept the other half in his hand. Then the company played music and drank wine, and the boy led him off the boat again.

As soon as he stepped onto the bank, he suddenly felt as if waking from a dream; his feet had just touched the ground when he fell beneath the rocks beside a waterfall on Mount Tiantai. From the riverside to Mount Tiantai, in the blink of an eye, there was already a distance of a thousand li. Yuan Cong, Prefect of Taizhou, suspected fraud and sent official documents to verify his native place and village. It was found that from Kejiao’s disappearance to his appearance on Mount Tiantai, thirty days had already passed.

From then on, Kejiao stopped eating, yet his complexion was clear, moist, and radiant. Yuan Cong bestowed a feathered robe on him and had him reside in the Ziji Palace. Wang Feng, Censor-in-Chief for Surveillance in Yuezhou, submitted a memorial saying: “At first he seemed to wander in spirit through Heaven and hear a piece of the Xiaoshao; in an instant he seemed to wake from a dream and find that thirty days had already passed in the human world. Although it was said that he would attain the Dao after ten years, I fear he might also fly away one morning.” The emperor issued an edict saying: “The deeds of immortals are all recorded in the classics; these numinous marvels are worthy of praise. On careful examination, he is indeed no ordinary mortal. Moreover, he dwells in a famous mountain, where the circumstances of past and present are no different; how far away, then, are Penglai and Yingzhou? Hand him over to the officials of this circuit to care for him properly, and let him dwell in peace and cultivate in seclusion.”

Thereupon the authorities allowed Kejiao to travel and rest as he pleased. For several years he continued to move about in the region south of the Yangtze.

Chen Jian

Chen Jian was a petty clerk in Jinhua County, Wuzhou. One day he came very early to the county office; the city gate had not yet opened, so he waited nearby. Suddenly he encountered a Daoist priest walking very quickly. Chen Jian glanced at him and, without realizing it, began to follow him. After walking three to five li, they arrived at a Daoist abbey; its halls rose high, and a great mountain stood beside it. The Daoist led Chen Jian into a room. Inside were a desk, writing brush, ink, and other items; on the desk lay yellow silk…

He took out a scroll and more than ten sheets of paper and gave them to the man, saying, “You have a talent for writing. Copy these out for me.”

The man opened the scroll and looked at the beginning: it was entirely in ancient seal script. He had never known seal characters, nor had he studied seal calligraphy, so he was greatly troubled. But the Daoist priest had already left, and he had no room to decline, so he tried to copy it according to the original. Unexpectedly, it was very easy to write, and in half a day he had finished copying it.

The Daoist priest brought him a cup of broth and said, “This is Jinhua divine liquid; it cannot be obtained casually. Whoever drinks it will have no end to his lifespan.” The man found the taste exceptionally sweet and delicious. After thanking him for his labor, the Daoist priest sent him away, saying, “When times are hard in the world, come back here again.”

This place was the Jinhua Grotto-Heaven, a wonderland in Daoist belief. After the man went out the door, he felt as if waking from a dream, and found that three days had already passed outside. He returned home and practiced seal script; the characters he wrote were especially vigorous and powerful. After that, he no longer ate or drank.

At that time the governor Xian Zifang was preparing to receive the registers (shou lu—receiving the Fulu conferred by the Daoist teaching and becoming a Daoist liturgical officiant), and he was astonished by this affair. He considered it an auspicious sign sent down by immortals, and wrote an endorsement on the county document: “I am just about to transmit the secret registers, and such an auspicious sign has appeared. It is clearly a ladder to awakening to the Dao, and it also accords with the omen of being able to attain truehood.” Not long afterward, the man again entered Jinhua Mountain and departed from there; occasionally he would still return to the prefecture.

The Jinting Guest

During the Xiantong era, the Jinting Guest set out from the Jinting road by the Shan Creek, crossed mountain forests and ridge paths, and prepared to go to Mingzhou. After walking twenty or thirty li, he suddenly lost his way and could only hurry along. It was getting late, and he did not know where he might find lodging, when he met a Daoist priest carrying a hoe and asked him the way.

The Daoist priest said, “There are no homes nearby, nor any place where you can lodge. If you do not mind my humble place, you may stay at my home.” The Daoist priest led him to his house; he saw only a secluded mountain path and a silent valley. He rested for a while under the eaves, and the Daoist priest cooked some wild vegetables and medicinal herbs for him to eat.

Then someone knocked at the door, and a boy came in and reported, “Yinyun Abbey asks the master to come tomorrow to eat the vegetarian feast.” At dawn the Daoist priest prepared to go out and instructed the boy to take good care of the guest. The Jinting Guest then asked how many years ago Yinyun Abbey had been built and how far it was from there. The boy answered, “That abbey has existed since ancient times, and it is five hundred li from here. It is often hidden in the clouds, so people of the world cannot see it; that is why it is called Yinyun, Hidden Cloud, Abbey.”

The Jinting Guest said in surprise, “Five hundred li is so far—when will the master be able to return?” The boy replied, “The master needs only a moment to go and come back.” Before long, the Daoist priest indeed returned, and wanted to keep the Jinting Guest for some time. But the Jinting Guest was homesick and earnestly took his leave. The Daoist priest then told the boy to lead him back to the original road.

After walking two or three li, the Jinting Guest could no longer find the place where he had stayed. Later, when he asked about the date, he learned that three or four years had already passed. Soon afterward he went to look for that place again, but no one knew where it was.

Pei Shen served as Sima of Tongzhou. An elder cousin of his father’s generation was traveling from Luoyang to Zhengzhou. One evening, Pei Shen heard groans by the roadside, so he dismounted and parted the weeds to search. He found a sick crane with drooping wings and lowered beak; its wing had a wound that had festered and lost its feathers. Hearing its mournful cries, he felt great pity.

Suddenly an old man in white clothes, leaning on a staff, came up and said to him, “Young gentleman, how is it that you know to pity this crane? If human blood were smeared on the wound, it would surely be able to fly.” Pei Shen had a strong Daoist nature and a noble, unrestrained temperament. He immediately said, “I am willing to prick my arm and take blood; that is not difficult.” The old man said, “Your intention is good, but it must be the blood of someone who has been born human for three consecutive lifetimes for it to work. In your former life, you were not human. Only Hu Lusheng of Luoyang has been human for three consecutive lifetimes. If this journey of yours is not prompted by urgent business, could you not return to Luoyang to look for him?”

After hearing this, Pei Shen returned to Luoyang to find Hu Lusheng. He told him the matter in detail, bowed to him, and made his request. Hu Lusheng showed no reluctance. He took out a small stone box only about two fingers in size, pricked his arm with a needle, and let blood drip like milk until the box was full. He gave it to Pei Shen and said, “No need to say more.”

Pei Shen returned to the crane. The old man said happily, “Truly a man who keeps his word.” He then smeared all the blood on the crane’s wound, saying that this was to form a karmic connection with it. After a while, the old man said to Pei Shen, “My dwelling is not far from here; you may stop there for a while.” Pei Shen sensed that the old man was extraordinary, so he respectfully addressed him as “Zhangren” (an honorific for an elder) and followed him several li to an estate. There were bamboo fences and thatched cottages, and the courtyard and buildings were rough and disorderly.

Pei Shen was very thirsty and asked the old man for tea. The old man pointed to an earthen niche and said, “There is some liquid inside; you may drink it.” Pei Shen saw in the niche an apricot kernel as large as a bamboo hat, filled with a white liquid. He lifted it with effort and drank; it tasted like almond paste, and after drinking he was no longer hungry or thirsty.

Pei Shen bowed in thanks to the old man and was willing to stay as his servant. The old man said, “You have only a modest official post in the world; it is impossible for you to live here for long. That worthy uncle of yours has indeed attained something of the Dao. He and I are friends and often travel about together; you simply did not know it. Now I have a letter that I entrust to you to deliver to him.” The old man wrapped up a bundle about the size of a soup bowl and instructed Pei Shen not to peek.

By this time, feathers had already grown over the crane’s wound. The old man also said to Pei Shen, “You have just drunk that liquid. After you return, you will mourn your nine kindred; you need only abstain from wine and sex.”

Pei Shen returned to Luoyang. He once thought of secretly opening the bundle, but saw a red snake poke its head out from each of the four corners, so he stopped. When his uncle opened the bundle, he saw that inside was something like dried barley.

... After the meal he therefore entered Wangwu Mountain, and from then on no one knew where he had gone. Pei Shou lived to be ninety.

Quan Tongxiu

During the Yuanhe reign of Emperor Xianzong of Tang, Quan Tongxiu sat for the jinshi examination but failed, and so he wandered about among the rivers and lakes. He fell ill and was poor and hard-pressed; a villager was hired to look after him, and this had gone on for a year.

While ill, the scholar wanted to drink sweet bean soup and told the villager to go buy licorice. The villager merely prepared the pot and the fire, but did not go for the licorice. Quan Tongxiu thought him lazy and meant to scold him, but before he could open his mouth he saw the villager break off a small twig, rub it between his hands a few times, and hold it near the fire; the twig then became licorice. The villager next took coarse sand, rubbed it, and actually made a bowl of sweet bean soup, no different from the real thing. The scholar was astonished.

After his illness had slightly improved, Quan Tongxiu said to the villager, “I have been poor and ill for a long time. Now that I am recovered, I plan to go elsewhere. I would like to buy some wine and meat and give a meal to the elders of the village, and also ask them for a little traveling money, but I have no money to arrange it.”

The villager then cut down a withered mulberry tree, piled the wood chips into several baskets, set them on plates, and sprinkled them with water. All the wood chips turned into beef. He also drew several bottles of water, and the water became wine. The village elders all came to the feast and ate their fill and drank themselves drunk. Quan Tongxiu thereby received thirty bolts of fine silk and thirty strings of cash.

Only then did the scholar apologize to the villager in shame, saying, “To meet a man of the Dao like you is truly rare. Now I wish to be your servant and take you as my teacher.” The villager said, “When I was young I committed a fault and was banished to the human world, reduced to a commoner. By rights I ought to serve you, scholar; this period was originally limited. Please do not ask to change the usual order; let me finish this matter.”

Although Quan Tongxiu agreed, whenever he called on him to do something he felt uneasy. The villager then took his leave, and by the way explained that the length of a person’s life and whether one is thwarted or eminent are each fixed by destiny. He also said that there was nothing among the ten thousand things that could not be transformed, except that the red chopsticks in the mud and the efficacy of the medicine used after hair has fallen out could not be changed. Having said this, he departed, and no one knew where he went.

Master Pan of Caoqiao

At Fuye Abbey in Caoqiao, Hangzhou, there was a Master Pan. His family was wealthy, and he was open-minded and generous, often receiving guests and doing good to help others.

One day a young man came to visit. His appearance was delicate and handsome, unlike that of ordinary people. He said to Master Pan, “I have long heard that you are of lofty virtue and often rescue people in distress. I very much wish to stay for two months in the Zhongyuan Studio by the bamboo path behind your Daoist abbey, in order to avoid disaster. If you are willing to consent, please do not worry that I will be a burden, and do not trouble yourself about my food; just give me two sheng of wine, and it will be enough to sustain me for sixty days.”

Although Master Pan did not know the young man’s background, when he heard that he sought refuge from disaster, he gladly agreed.

The youth whom he had allowed to stay then hid in the thatched hut, and no one questioned or searched for him. He neither ate nor drank; after sixty days, when the period was complete, he again bowed and expressed his thanks. Calmly he asked him, “Has the honored Master ever received and transmitted Fulu (talismans and registers)?” Pan replied, “The ritual registers I have received have already reached the grade of the Dongxuan Middle Alliance; I have merely not dared to cultivate higher methods further.”

The youth said, “The grade the Master has received is already very high. Nevertheless, I once received the Zhengyi Jiuzhou Sheling Lu (Register of the Earth-God Commands of the Nine Provinces, a type of Daoist register), and I am willing to presume to transmit it to the Master in repayment of your kindness.” Thereupon he burned incense before the image of the Heavenly Worthy and transmitted the titles of the Jiuzhou Sheling and the divine offices of spirit officers, generals, and officials. When he casually summoned them, soldiers and mounts immediately arrived. After the ritual was complete, he instructed these divine soldiers: “After this transmission, you must follow the honored Master and protect him; whenever he summons you, respond as you have now.” Then the soldiers vanished.

He also said to Pan, “You may set up a couch in the central hall as an altar, burn incense on the table, and sit quietly in reverence. Within and beyond the Nine Provinces, there is nothing—whether auspicious or inauspicious, great or small—that you will not be able to know. But do not offend the spirits with meat dishes or blood-tainted things; if you violate this, you will surely be punished in the unseen. If you can maintain purity and guard it carefully, you may attain long life and become an immortal.” Having said this, he vanished, and no one knew where he had gone.

Pan then set up a couch in the central hall and sat quietly at the table. Before long, he knew one by one all matters within the four seas, great and small. After about ten days of this, the spirit officers continually relayed reports, and the voices became very noisy. Pan suddenly became angry and said, “I am an idle man; why must I be told everything happening in distant places?” He sternly warned the spirit officers not to report again. The spirit officers replied, “This is our duty, and it should not be neglected. The more you forbid us, the more reports there are.” Pan restrained them repeatedly to no avail, so he ate meat and garlic, hoping thereby to drive them away. After three or five days, the reporting voices gradually receded, and the spirit officers came no more.

After a night had passed, the youth came again and said, “I rashly transmitted the true secret and have already been punished. The Master has offended the pure true spirits and by rights should also undergo interrogation in the underworld. But thinking of your former kindness in taking me in, I cannot bear to watch you sink into ruin, so I will transmit another method to you, enabling you broadly to perform hidden deeds of virtue and to relieve those suffering from illness and hardship, thereby redeeming your former fault; otherwise, you will fall into the dark underworld hells.”

Ever since Pan had eaten meat, he already knew he had committed a fault. Hearing the youth say this, he became deeply worried and afraid. The youth then took rice crumbs and kneaded them into a human figure four or five inches long, placed it in a wall niche, and transmitted two Yuzi talismans to Pan, warning him: “When common people come seeking help because of illness or hardship, you should ask…”

The youth told Pan: “You must let people know that the root of calamity is naturally so. Use my talismans (Fulu) to save them; do not take money. Be sure to accumulate merit to redeem transgressions. As long as you practice diligently without slackening, I will come again after ten years.” From then on, Pan used cinnabar-written talismanic seals (zhuzhuan) to avert disaster and cure illness for people, and those who came seeking help were as numerous as at a market. More than ten years later, the youth indeed came again, stayed for over a month, often spoke of the various heavens and matters beyond the world, and then took his leave. After another year or so, Pan died without illness, and people suspected that he had attained the Dao of shijie (corpse liberation, by which the cultivator leaves the physical frame behind and becomes immortal).

Lu Jun

Chancellor Lu Jun passed the jinshi examination and, after the policy response, was appointed a Gentleman of the Department of State Affairs. Later, because of illness, he requested a provincial post and was appointed Prefect of Junzhou. After arriving, his illness worsened, his body became emaciated, and he feared seeing people. He often stayed alone in a study on the back hill of the prefectural office to cultivate his nature. His attendants were all sent far away, and without being summoned no one dared approach.

One day, a man in shabby clothes suddenly climbed over the wall and entered. Lu Jun questioned him, and the man said his surname was Wang and that he came from the mountains. Lu Jun smiled and said, “Then you are Wang Shanren. What instructions do you have for me?” Wang Shanren said, “Your position is noble, and your office reaches the utmost among subjects, but your lifespan is not long, and a calamitous fate is entangling you. That is why you have contracted this long-standing illness that will not heal. I have come to save you.”

There was no water in the mountain study. Lu Jun wanted to call someone to fetch tea, but Wang Shanren stopped him. He soaked his sash in well water, took out a pill of elixir, wrung the water from the sash, and gave it to Lu Jun together with the elixir pill to swallow. He also agreed, “After five days your illness will be cured, and you will be healthier than usual. Three years from now there will be a great calamity. I hope you will accumulate more hidden merit, keeping in mind saving people and cherishing all things. At that time I will come to see you again, in early summer.”

After this, Lu Jun’s illness improved, and within ten days he had completely recovered. The next year he left office and returned to the capital, serving as Salt and Iron Judge. In the fourth month of summer, by the road at the east gate of Wuben Ward, he suddenly saw Wang Shanren. The mountain man immediately came to the Lu residence to meet him and said, “Your second threshold this year originally carried an extremely severe calamity, but because last year in the prefecture you redressed unjust cases and saved three lives, the calamity has already subsided. Only within this month will you feel slightly unwell for three to five days; it can no longer trap you, so do not worry.”

The next day, the mountain man had two servants take ten thousand cash to Gouji Slope and distribute it to the poor and sick. After that the mountain man left again, and before departing he instructed that on the fifth day of the fifth month in the twenty-third year, at noon, a Daoist priest should be sent to the designated place.

He arranged for Lord Wang to wait at the mountaintop at the appointed time, saying that someone in the Han River region would transmit elixir pills, and that he must not miss the opportunity. From then on, Lord Wang’s official career went smoothly; he held a series of prestigious and important posts, was promoted repeatedly, and became highly distinguished. Later, he was appointed garrison commander of Hannan, and by the following year he was already forty-three.

On the appointed day, he ordered the Daoist Niu Zhiwei to ascend to the summit of Mount Wanshan at noon on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. The mountain man was indeed there. He gave Niu Zhiwei two Golden Elixir (Jindan) pills to swallow and said, “You have the disposition for cultivation, but you have not yet accumulated enough hidden virtue; therefore you have not yet reached the rank of cultivation. You must still cultivate diligently.” Then he handed ten Golden Elixir pills to Lord Wang and said, “You are due to enjoy a long life; do not slacken in cultivation. When the span of this life is exhausted, you will return to Peng Palace.” He bowed to Niu Zhiwei in farewell and suddenly vanished.

Later, Niu Zhiwei lived to over eighty, yet his appearance remained like that of a man in his thirties. Lord Lu lived only to ninety; even in old age his hearing and sight remained sharp and his vitality did not decline. After he died, the room was filled with an unusual fragrance.

Wang Zizhi

Wang Zizhi, courtesy name Xianmiao, claimed to be a native of Goushi in Henan. For years he traveled around the capital, Luoyang. According to local elders, whenever they had seen him over the past fifty years, he always looked about forty, and no one knew his true age. He liked to nurture Qi and was also fond of wine.

Thus, when Gong Chongying, prefect of Puzhou and a native of Langya, first took office, Wang Zizhi came to Ziji Palace. Gong Chongying treated him very generously; hearing that he loved wine, he sent him two jars of wine every other day.

One day, as Wang Zizhi was going out, he met a woodcutter carrying firewood at the palace gate. The man’s appearance was extraordinary, and Wang found him very unusual. Wang Zizhi bought the woodcutter’s firewood and paid him a generous price. The woodcutter took the money and left without any refusal. Wang sent someone to follow him and find out where he went; they saw the woodcutter go straight into a tavern and drink away all the money before returning.

A few days later, the woodcutter came again and said to Wang Zizhi, “This wine is indeed good, but it still cannot compare with the wine brewed by the Shi family of Xie County. I have just come from there; my only regret is that I had no companion just now and could not drink my fill.” Wang Zizhi then stepped down from the steps, took his hand, led him to sit by the fire, and asked, “Can you get hold of the Shi family’s wine?”

The woodcutter nodded, drew a talisman with a cinnabar brush, and placed it on the fire. Before the smoke had cleared, a boy appeared beside the woodcutter. The woodcutter instructed him, “Take the Venerable Master’s servant and these two wine jars to the Shi family to fetch wine. I will wait here and drink my fill with the Venerable Master.”

It was already late, and the city gates had closed. The boy said to Wang Zizhi’s servant…

Someone said, “You can close your eyes and lean your head against that person.” Thereupon Zizhi and that wine pot went out together through the crack in the door.

At the si hour, they reached Xie County, bought wine, and returned; then they drank freely with Zizhi. The wine was sweet and mellow, with a strong fragrance, and no wine in the world could compare with it. At midnight the woodcutter said to Zizhi, “You are already drunk. Shall I call a guest to drink with you?” Zizhi said, “Yes.”

The woodcutter wrote another vermilion talisman (Fulu, a Daoist talisman written in cinnabar) and placed it on the fire. In an instant the room overflowed with rare fragrance, and a dignified man appeared: his temples and eyebrows were elegant, he wore a purple robe, and he held a hu tablet. After bowing, he sat down. The woodcutter said, “Please sit.” The man raised his cup and drank freely; cup followed cup, and the two pots of wine were soon almost empty.

The woodcutter heated an iron chopstick until it was red and branded it onto the purple-robed man’s body, saying, “You may go.” By then the east was already brightening. Everyone then took leave. The woodcutter next said to Zizhi, “Do you know the man from just now? In a little while you can go to the River Deity Temple and look.” After seeing the woodcutter off, Zizhi went to the temple and discovered that the one who had drunk with them the previous night was precisely the deity of the temple. The mark left by the iron chopstick was indeed plainly visible.

Zhao Jun was then serving as a Langzhong in the secretariat and had personally verified this matter. Su Shui, a collator in the Hongwen Hall, had also lived in the Zhongtiao Mountains area and was thoroughly familiar with the whole affair. Later, Zizhi met the Woodcutter Immortal again; the immortal transmitted to him another secret formula for cultivation, and he ultimately became an earth immortal (dixian, in Daoism an immortal who lives among humans).

Zheng Youxuan

Zheng Youxuan was the son of a distinguished family and lived in Chang’an. When he was young, he studied under a teacher together with the child of the neighboring Lüqiu family. Youxuan was proud and unrestrained by nature, considered himself of noble birth, and often mocked and insulted the Lüqiu child, saying, “You are of low birth, yet you study together with me. Though I do not say it, do you not feel ashamed in your heart?” The Lüqiu child remained silent, looking ashamed. After more than a year, he died.

Another ten years passed, and Zheng Youxuan passed the Mingjing examination, placing among the top, and was appointed Canjun of Shu Prefecture. After taking up office, the commandery governor ordered him to temporarily act as Defender of Tangxing County. He had a colleague named Qiu Sheng, the son of a great merchant, who had just turned twenty and whose family wealth was counted in the tens of thousands. Qiu Sheng daily banqueted and amused himself with Youxuan; Youxuan repeatedly accepted Qiu Sheng’s money, but because Qiu Sheng was not of gentry stock, he never treated him with courtesy.

One day, Youxuan held a banquet for guests, but Qiu Sheng was not invited. As the feast was nearing its end, a friend said to Youxuan, “Qiu Sheng holds office in the same place as you, yet you give a banquet and do not invite him—has he committed some fault?” Youxuan felt ashamed and summoned Qiu Sheng. When Qiu Sheng arrived, Youxuan poured wine for him. Qiu Sheng declined, saying he could not drink a full cup, and firmly refused to drain it. Youxuan angrily cursed him: “You vulgar marketplace fellow…”

“Country folk like that know only how to scramble for petty profit—how could they be fit to overstep their station and hold office? Besides, I am willing to keep company with you; you should count yourself lucky. How dare you decline this cup of wine?”

Hearing this, Qiu Sheng withdrew in shame, resigned his office, and shut himself indoors. A little over a month later, he fell ill and died.

The next year, Youxuan was dismissed from office and took lodgings in Mengyang. He had always been fond of the Huang-Lao Dao (the teachings of the Yellow Emperor and Laozi revered by Daoists). Hearing that on Mount Shu there was a Daoist priest surnamed Wu, also named Youxuan, he greatly admired his reputation and went to visit him, offering to become his disciple. Wu Youxuan kept him on, but for nearly ten years taught him nothing. Later, Wu Youxuan gradually grew cold toward him, so he took his leave and returned.

After that, Youxuan set out for Chang’an and stopped at an inn in Baocheng. There was a boy of about ten there, handsome and quick-witted. When Youxuan spoke with him, he found his replies swift and full of unexpected turns, and was greatly astonished.

The boy said to Youxuan, “I have known you for many years. Do you remember?”

Youxuan said, “I have forgotten.”

The boy said, “In a former life my surname was Lüqiu, and I lived in Chang’an. I once studied together with you. But you treated me as an alien and reviled me. Later, when you served as county defender for the son of the Qiu family, I again lived in the same place and gave you much property, asking for your help; yet you called me a common townsman. Why were you so arrogant? Because you relied on your birth into an official family, you bullied others—is that in accord with the Dao?

“I am a Taiqing Zhenren (a perfected immortal revered in Daoism). Because the Lord on High saw that you had the temperament for cultivating the Dao, he had me be reborn into the human world to befriend you and prepare to transmit to you the secret of becoming an immortal. But you were frivolous and arrogant, and in the end you failed to obtain this Dao. Alas, how pitiable!”

As soon as the words were spoken, the boy suddenly vanished. Only then did Youxuan realize the faults he had committed. He was ashamed, and in the end died because of it.

The Curly-Bearded Guest

The Curly-Bearded Guest was a Daoist brother (a fellow adherent so addressed within Daoist circles); his name is unknown.

In the last years of Emperor Yang of Sui, the Minister of Works Yang Su remained in charge of Chang’an. After the emperor went to Jiangdu, Yang Su wielded great power, was arrogant and exalted, and looked down on everyone. Li Jing, the Duke of Wei, then brought his luggage to call on Yang Su, and so had the chance to see the Red Whisk courtesan standing in attendance beside Yang Su. Her surname was Zhang, and she was the eldest. She saw that Yang Su would soon fall, so she left him and fled with Li Jing.

Li Jing and the Red Whisk courtesan left Chang’an together, intending to go to Taiyuan. While they were resting and unharnessing their horses at an inn in Lingshi, they met the Curly-Bearded Guest. He was of medium build, with red curly whiskers; wearing worn-out clothes, he came riding a lean horse. He threw his cloth bag on the ground, took up a pillow, and lay down slantwise, watching the Zhang courtesan comb her hair. Her long hair reached the ground as she stood by the bed combing it.

Seeing the Curly-Bearded Guest stare at her like that, Li Jing was furious, but he did not yet erupt; he only kept glancing at him out of the corner of his eye.

Zhang Shu looked carefully at her face. With one hand holding her hair and the other covering her body, the woman turned to look at herself. Zhang Shu told her not to be anxious or angry; after she had combed her hair and straightened her collar, she went forward and asked her surname. The person lying down replied, “My surname is Zhang.” Zhang Shu said, “My surname is also Zhang; it seems we are sisters.” She immediately bowed to Zhang Shu. Zhang Shu asked what rank she was among her siblings, and she said, “Third.” She then asked Zhang Shu’s rank, and Zhang Shu replied, “I am the eldest daughter.” She said happily, “How fortunate I am today to have met elder sister.” Then she called to Jing, saying, “Li Lang, come quickly and pay your respects to Third Sister.” Jing then bowed to her.

Everyone sat around together, cutting meat and eating. The guest fed the leftover meat to the donkey and said with a laugh, “Li Lang is a poor scholar; how could he attract such an extraordinary person?” He asked again, “Where do you plan to go?” Jing said, “To take refuge in Taiyuan.” The guest then had wine brought, and everyone drank together. The guest asked again, “Do you know of any remarkable person in Taiyuan?” Jing said, “The son of the provincial commander, about eighteen years old, surnamed Li.” The guest said, “It seems likely to be him, but I still must see him with my own eyes. Can Li Lang arrange for me to meet him?” Jing said, “My friend Liu Wenjing is very close to him and can certainly arrange a meeting.” The guest said, “Someone observed the omens and told me to come find him.” So the two sides agreed on a date to meet at Fenyang Bridge.

When the appointed day came, the guest indeed arrived. Jing said to Liu Wenjing, “I have a friend skilled in physiognomy who would like to see Young Master Li; please invite him here.” Liu Wenjing had always regarded this friend as extraordinary, and at that time he was planning to assist Li Shimin, so he immediately prepared wine and welcomed him.

Everyone met Taizong (Li Shimin). He was not dressed in formal official robes; he came only in coarse cloth clothes and a fur coat, his spirit high and his bearing far surpassing ordinary people. When the guest saw him, he said nothing, sat at the lowest seat, and his earlier air of confidence immediately sank away. After a few cups of wine, he called Jing aside and said, “This is the true Son of Heaven.” Jing told Liu Wenjing this, and Liu Wenjing was even more delighted.

After coming out, the curly-bearded man (the man with red curly beard) said, “From what I saw of him, he is eight or nine parts in ten exactly that sort of person. Still, we must let our Daoist brother see him as well.” So he arranged to meet Jing and his sister at a tavern east of the horse market in the capital. When they arrived, they went upstairs and saw the curly-bearded man drinking with a Daoist priest. Everyone sat around, and it was agreed that they would go to Taiyuan together with the Daoist brother.

When they reached Taiyuan, the Daoist brother played chess with Liu Wenjing; the curly-bearded man and Jing were also present, and Taizong arrived afterward. His radiance was striking; after making a long bow with hands clasped, he sat down. His spirit was clear and lively, and the whole gathering became animated because of him. Every glance of his shone brilliantly. As soon as the Daoist brother saw him, his expression turned sorrowful; he put down the chess piece and said, “This game is lost. To have lost the position here is truly strange; there is no way to save it now—what more can be said?” After the game ended, he came out and said to the curly-bearded man, “This world is not your world; you can go elsewhere to put your talents to use. Work hard, and do not take this matter to heart.”

After entering the capital, Qiu Ranke had his wife and younger sister meet Li Lang. His wife was also an extraordinary person. Wearing a gauze headcloth, coarse cloth garments, and a fur coat, Qiu Ranke arrived with a pellet bow, and everyone entered the central hall together. They set out music and dances and feasted and drank freely. There were more than thirty female musicians; even the households of princes and nobles might not have such a display—it was just like a gathering in a grotto-heaven (dongtian) immortal realm.

Before long, people carried in twenty beds, all covered with embroidered cloths. When the cloths were lifted, inside were account books and keys, recording and managing treasures and money. Qiu Ranke said, “I give all these things to you. I originally wished to seek an opportunity in the Central Plains to establish merit and achievement, perhaps enduring three to five years of war; these goods would have been used for that purpose, and they are nothing much. But now that the rightful master already exists, why should I do anything more? The Li clan of Taiyuan is a true heroic ruler. Within three to five years, the realm will be at peace. Li Lang’s wife is skilled at assisting him; without this worthy helpmeet, he could not assist an enlightened ruler. You must strive! Ten years after I leave, several thousand li to the southeast, an extraordinary event will occur; that will be the time for me to accomplish my enterprise. When you hear the news, you may secretly pour out wine to congratulate me.”

Having said this, he summoned more than a hundred household servants and had them come out to pay their respects to Li Lang, saying, “Li Lang and his wife are your masters.” Then he and his wife put on military attire and rode away. Li Jing did not know where they had gone. With help from this affair, Li Jing did his utmost to assist Emperor Wen in establishing the great enterprise.

During the Zhenguan era, the southeastern Yi memorialized that pirates had come in a thousand ships and led more than a hundred thousand troops into Buyeo, killed its ruler, made themselves king, and then brought the country into order. Li Jing knew that Qiu Ranke had accomplished his enterprise, returned home, and told his wife. His wife then poured wine toward the southeast to congratulate him. Thus one can know that the rise of a Zhenren (a person who has successfully cultivated the Dao and transcended the ordinary) is conferred by Heaven’s mandate—how could it be accomplished by mediocre people who hastily conceive intentions and attempt to create disorder?

Cui Xizhen

Cui Xizhen, a native of Kuaiji, on a day in severe winter saw an old man carrying firewood standing in the snow outside his gate. Early in the morning, when Cui Xizhen saw him, his face showed pity, and he bowed and invited him inside to ask about him. The old man took off his bamboo hat and spoke with him. Seeing that his appearance was unusual, Cui Xizhen asked his surname. The old man said, “My surname is Ge, and I am the third in my family.”

Cui Xizhen invited him to sit and said, “It is cold on this snowy day; shall I cook some barley soup cakes for you?” The old man said, “Barley receives the Qi of Heaven and Earth in all four seasons, and eating it benefits people. Do not add fermented black beans, because they are harmful to the middle palace (the internal organs).” Cui Xizhen thought what he said made sense and personally urged that the meal be prepared.

At that time, Cui Xizhen was just hanging up a piece of silk, intending to hire a painter to make a painting, but because of the cold and blocked roads, the painter had still not arrived. The silk hung by the wall. The old man took up the brush and ink from the table and painted a withered pine and a Daoist herb-gatherer…

A deer followed behind him. His brush moved swiftly, and the strokes he painted were archaic, elegant, and superb, as though they were not of this world. After eating, he thanked his host and left. Cui found the matter very strange, so he treasured the painting and carried it with him wherever he went.

Later, when Cui was traveling in the Huaihai region, he met a connoisseur of ancient paintings and asked him to look at it. The connoisseur said, “This was painted by Ge Sanlang, the son of Ge Zhichuan (Ge Hong).” In the early years of the Xiantong era, Cui entered Chang’an. At Ba Bridge he met a vegetable seller whose appearance closely resembled that of the old man, so he asked, “Are you by any chance Ge Sanlang?” The vegetable seller laughed and said, “No. Ge Sanlang was the son of Ge Zhichuan of the Jin dynasty; how could anyone in this world recognize him?” With that, he shouldered his vegetables and left, and no one knew where he went.

The Monk Huaiyi of Yue

The monk Huaiyi of Yue lived at Yunmen Temple. One predawn during the Xiantong era, just as he was about to go to the hall to burn incense, he suddenly saw a Daoist priest. The priest looked at him and said, “There is a wondrous place. Would you like to go and visit it?” Huaiyi agreed, and together they entered the mountains.

In the mountains the flowers and trees were lush, and the streams and rocks were clear and beautiful. In some places towering peaks rose into the clouds, with tall pines lining the path; in others, jade towers shut out the sun, and tiered city walls seemed to hang suspended in the air. The strange sights they saw along the way were too many to describe.

After a long while, Huaiyi felt hungry. The Daoist priest seemed to know already and said, “Here are immortal peaches. They bear fruit once every thousand years and can relieve hunger.” He handed Huaiyi a peach. It was as large as a vessel that could hold two sheng, and its fragrance and flavor were unlike anything in the human world. After Huaiyi finished eating, they continued on. Sometimes they walked on water without their clothes becoming wet; sometimes they soared through the air without the least obstruction; sometimes their bodies leaped up into the clouds; sometimes they waved their sleeves and flew through the sky. Looking up, they gazed at the sun and moon; looking down, they looked upon the Milky Way. Only after they had experienced all this did they return to their original place.

When Huaiyi returned to the temple, he realized that a whole year had already passed. From then on he no longer ate, and he wandered through the human world, telling his parents what had happened. Later he entered Daoist cultivation, visiting immortal mountains and seeking out wondrous and sacred places one after another. After he left, he never returned.

Wang Kuo

During the Xiantong era, the commoner Wang Kuo was traveling by boat from Jingzhu. On the way he encountered fierce winds on Dongting Lake, and the boat anchored at the foot of Jun Mountain. He and several others went ashore and followed a mountain path upward. Suddenly he smelled the fragrance of wine and asked his companions, but all of them said they smelled nothing. After a good while, the fragrance of wine grew stronger and stronger.

There was a cave in the cliff beside the path. Wang Kuo, puzzled, went inside. After walking more than ten paces into the cave, he found a flat stone on the ground, and in the stone was a hollow filled with wine. He scooped it up with his hands and drank. The wine was incomparably mellow and fine. After drinking about half a dou, he felt pleasantly tipsy. He sat down beside the hollow to rest, and only after he had sobered a little did he return to the boat and tell his companions what had happened. Everyone vied to go into the cave to look for it.

He could no longer see anything at all. From then on, he felt his body and mind full and joyful, free of illness; gradually he grew averse to the five grains, and later he entered the mountains to study the Dao. After he left, he saw in the Scripture of Immortals: “Mount Jun has heavenly wine; whoever drinks it can ascend into the immortal realms.” What he had encountered at that time was precisely this wine.

Yang the Physician

Yang the Physician was a eunuch whose personal name has been lost. At eighteen, he was seized by underworld officials; although he had no illness, he died. After one night passed, he revived.

He said: “I arrived in the underworld, where there were government offices and officials, no different from the human world. An underworld official brought out a record and showed it to me; I clearly saw my own name, and the record said I was to live only eighteen years. I did not open my mouth to plead. A man beside me begged on my behalf that I be allowed to live again, speaking with great earnestness. After a long while, the underworld official agreed to release me and sent that man to escort me several hundred paces.

“At parting, I thanked him for the great grace of saving me and restoring me to life, and asked what he wanted so that I might repay him. He said: ‘If anyone gives you a Mingsha bow (the original text does not explain its exact form), pass it on to me.’ Then he gave me over a hundred large copper coins. Before long I woke, my body restored as before, with no discomfort.

“From then on, I searched everywhere for a Mingsha bow, but could never find one. Someone then made miniature palaces and houses, burned them, and sent them to him. This happened several times.”

Yang the Physician was deeply devoted to alchemy and resolved to refine elixirs. He could produce a Returning Soul Elixir; when he encountered someone who had suddenly died of illness, he would grind one elixir pill into powder, pry open the dead person’s mouth, and pour it in, and the person would come back to life. He revived several people in this way.

There was a eunuch named Xiahou, to whom Yang the Physician gave five elixir pills to take. Soon afterward, Xiahou was seized by underworld officials to answer for his offenses. Xiahou reported that he had once taken one of Yang the Physician’s elixir pills. The underworld officials then released him back.

After Xiahou returned alive, he took the remaining four elixir pills. More than a year later, another man dressed in yellow came to seize him, saying that this time he had not been sent by the underworld offices, but that the Mount Tai authorities had sent someone to pursue and arrest him. Xiahou followed him to the foot of a high mountain, where there was a palace. When they reached the gate, two Daoist priests asked about his life’s experiences; he answered them one by one, then slowly reported: “I once took five elixir pills from Yang the Physician.” The Daoist priests immediately ordered him to go back.

Xiahou bowed and thanked them, saying: “Relying on the efficacy of the divine elixir, I have prolonged my lifespan. I wish to change my name to ‘Yannian’ [Prolonged Years]; may I?” The Daoist priests agreed. Thereafter, he changed his name to Yannian.

Yang the Physician knew firsthand that the elixir pills were truly efficacious, and he often used them to save people. His son Yang Xuan once returned to the capital from a county near the capital...

Before dawn he had walked more than twenty li and stopped to rest at a large estate. Suddenly he heard startled cries and weeping within the estate and asked what had happened. The master’s son had suddenly died. He untied his belt and took out a pill of elixir from inside; he had it ground up and poured into the man’s mouth. After a long while, the man actually came back to life.

Yang Wuchan was placid by nature. He resigned early from the official post he held, lived at leisure as he pleased, and devoted himself to studying the arts of gold and stone (techniques using minerals and metals). He had never been ill and lived to ninety-seven before dying. In his later years he met a man carrying a bow and asked what bow it was; the man said it was a “Mingsha Bow.” Inside the horn of the bow was sand that could flow. Yang Wuchan bought the bow and burned it as repayment to the person who had saved him years before. The Fanhun Dan Fang (Formula for Returning the Soul Elixir) that he saw said that this life-saving elixir had been transmitted by that rescuer. Yang Wuchan secretly practiced and refined this formula, and so afterward no one could learn his techniques.

Xue Feng

Xue Feng of Hedong served as prefect of Mianzhou during the Xiantong era. After more than a year, he dreamed that he entered a cave dwelling where many foods were set out, but no people were visible. He did not dare eat, so he went out the door. Someone told him, “This is the Heavenly Granary.” The next day he told the dream to guests and friends. Someone said that in Changming County within the prefecture there was Tiancang Cave (Heavenly Granary Cave), where food and drink grew naturally, and people traveling among the clouds and waters often found food to eat there.

Xue Feng then sent the Daoist Sun Lingfeng and accompanying officials to investigate. They entered the cave more than ten li and still had to carry torches; another ten li in, the cave gradually grew bright; after another three or five li, it suddenly opened out, and the scene was no different from the human world. The stone chambers in the cave were extremely broad, able to hold a thousand people; the ground was level, and stone beds were arranged there. On the beds were many kinds of food, all fresh, soft, sweet, and fragrant. Sun Lingfeng bowed and ate some, and also cut a portion from three or five places, intending to bring them back to Xue Feng as proof. But as soon as these things were taken out of the cave mouth, although their outward forms remained, they had all turned to stone.

On both sides of the cave were scattered flour and kneaded dough, along with piles of salt and fermented black beans, too many to count. Going another one or two li, there was a stream both swift, wide, and deep. Across the stream one could clearly see mountains, rivers, and houses on the far bank, but they did not dare cross and had to stop. Near the cliff slopes were footprints of coming and going, each two or three chi long, as if people really did walk there.

When Xue Feng heard this, he marveled that the place was numinous and wondrous, but he could not discover the reason. I have consulted the Dili Zhi (Treatise on Geography), which says that Mount Shaoshi has naturally growing five grains, sweet fruits, lingzhi, and immortal medicines. Crown Prince Jin of Zhou (the legendary crown prince of King Ling of Zhou, who later attained the Dao and became an immortal) once studied the Dao on Mount Shaoshi and became an immortal, leaving provisions sufficient for nine thousand years. Mount Shaoshi lies west of Mount Song.

From the eastern mountain corner, going up seventeen li, down forty li, then up ten li, one arrives at Shangdingsi; after another ten li, there is a large stone gate in the middle of the road, called Zhongdingsi. Continuing to the cliff top, below there is a stone chamber with water and much white quartz. In the chamber are naturally formed scriptures, and natural food and drink are also like this.

East of Tiantai Mountain there is a cave, over ten li deep, inhabited by people, with many stalls in the marketplace selling various foods. During the Qianfu era of the Tang, a wandering monk entered the cave. Passing through the market, he was very hungry and smelled the food, so he bought steamed cakes to eat. A companion monk practiced the ingestion of Qi (vital energy) and did not eat. After eating, the two walked another ten li and exited the cave, only to find they had arrived in Wuping County of Dengzhou. The monk who had eaten soon turned to stone.

From this we see that Wang Lie's stone marrow and Zhang Hua's dragon paste, even if one obtains and consumes them, must be accompanied by long accumulation of hidden merit and one must be born with immortal bones, before one can join the ranks of immortals. If ordinary people eat these things, they will certainly turn to stone.

The Shu Man

A man of Shu encountered several famished people from the Jin dynasty, about three to five. They carried wooden bows and bamboo arrows and entered White Deer Mountain to hunt for a living. Later they came upon a herd of deer, which scattered in alarm, and they pursued them separately. One of them saw a deer squeeze into a crevice between two cliffs just wide enough for one person, and followed it in. After about ten paces, he saw a town with dense houses and streets, very prosperous, but the deer had disappeared.

He walked slowly in the market and asked people, "Where is this?" They replied, "This is Little Chengdu, not a place ordinary people can reach; you should not stay long." So he left the cave, secretly noted the way back, and told the governor Liu Quan. Liu Quan sent people to go with him, but they could no longer find the original place.

Yu Zhongchong's Records of Yong and Jing states: A few li south of Xiyang County in Wuling there is a lone mountain, with steep and towering cliffs. On the summit there are scallions growing in neat beds; when people bow and pray, the scallions pull themselves out, and their taste is very delicious. At the top there is a pond, and fish and turtles come out to swim on the seventh day of the seventh month each year. In a stone chamber halfway up the mountain are stored several thousand scrolls of books, scriptures left by former Daoist priests.

During the Yuanjia era, a native entered the mountain to shoot deer and chased one into a stone cave. Beside the cave was a ladder; he climbed it and suddenly found himself in a bright, open place, as if in another world. After walking several dozen paces, he saw mulberry and fruit trees lush, field paths level and straight, and many pedestrians. The native fled in alarm, then cut bark to make marks, and with companions...

When he went back to look for it, he could no longer find that place. Gu Yewang said that among the famous mountains between heaven and earth there are many wondrous and extraordinary cave abodes; there is not merely one such place. Peach Blossom Spring and Tiantai both belong to this category.

Monk Wuxuan

Monk Wuxuan was from an unknown place. Although he wore monk’s robes, he secretly devoted himself single-mindedly to seeking the Dao. He traveled throughout the famous mountains of the Three Rivers, the Five Ridges, and the Qian and Chu regions. Whenever he encountered a cave abode, he would invariably go in to explore it.

When he entered Mount Emei, he heard that there were seventy-two caves there; accordingly, beyond Thunder Cave, he explored all the cliffs, stone chambers, and deep cavities, leaving none unvisited. Once, after he had rested for a long while beneath a great tree, an old man came up from below the mountain. After bowing to each other, they sat down. The old man asked where he was going, and Wuxuan told him in detail of his experiences searching for famous mountains and numinous caves.

The old man said, “Famous mountains and great rivers all have caves. If one does not know the name and origin of a cave, one must not rashly enter it. When visiting caves, one must consult the Dongting Ji and the Yuedu Jing (books recording cave abodes and famous mountains and rivers) to determine clearly what the cave is subordinate to, what it is called, and its exact mileage. Only after confirming that it is a place where immortals dwell and that it accords with the records in the books may one enter and visit it. Otherwise, one might mistakenly enter a Wind-and-Thunder Cave, a Ghost-and-Spirit Cave, a Hell Cave, or a Dragon-and-Snake Cave, endangering one’s life. One seeks benefit but instead invites harm—this is something to guard against with particular care.”

After hearing this, Wuxuan was alarmed for a long time. He thanked the old man for his guidance and asked, “Are the grotto-heavens of Mount Emei today definitely safe to visit?”

The old man said, “I dare not say much about the affairs of immortals. You need only pay your respects to the cave master, and naturally you may ask him.” Wuxuan then asked who the cave master was. The old man said, “The cave master’s surname is Zhang. He is now at the entrance to the market in Jiazhou, making a living by slaughtering and selling meat. That middle-aged, stout man is he.” After saying this, the old man took his leave.

Wuxuan went to the market entrance to look for him, and Mr. Zhang was indeed there. Wuxuan told him what had just happened. Mr. Zhang said, “No need to say more.” He then instructed his wife to cook meat for Wuxuan and served him three plates of meat. Wuxuan declined, saying that he had not eaten meat for a very long time. Mr. Zhang said, “Visiting the mountains requires sufficient physical strength, so that one will not become hungry and exhausted; only then can one keep walking. If you do not eat this meat, you will have no way to reach that place.” Mr. Zhang urged him repeatedly, and Wuxuan also thought to himself, worried that this might be a test from the immortals, and did not dare disobey. He finished two plates of meat. The more he ate, the more greasy and full he felt; Mr. Zhang urged him several more times, but he truly could not eat any more.

After eating, Wuxuan asked to leave. Mr. Zhang bent down, picked up a piece of tile from the ground, and gave it to him, saying, “When you enter the mountains and reach the foot of the peak, when you come to a certain cave entrance, beside it there is a tall pine tree; beneath the tree there is a turn…” The original text breaks off here.

By the stream was a steep stone cliff, the cave abode where Tianzhen Huangren dwelled. If one knocked on the stone wall with a tile twenty or thirty times, the door would open; after entering, at every door one encountered, one knocked in the same way, and could reach the realm where immortals live.

Following the instructions, he went into the mountains and indeed found the cave abode; the scene was exactly as described. He knocked with a tile for a long time before the stone wall opened. Inside, the cave was high and spacious, the ground level and firm, so that even carts and horses could pass. On both sides were smooth, bright bluish stones, and from time to time springs hanging along the path flowed down to form channels. After walking more than ten li, he came upon another door; when he knocked, it opened again, and within it was even broader and more level.

Along the roadside he often saw heavenly flowers; seen from afar, the plants and flowers were unusually luxuriant, and many people were coming and going. Most were beautiful women, immortal youths, and jade maidens; sometimes he also saw immortal officials and Daoist priests with ceremonial escorts, carriages, and horses passing in an endless stream.

When he encountered yet another door, he knocked even harder, until the tile shattered, but the door would not open. After a long while, a sound like thunder came from within; thinking the mountain rocks were about to collapse, he turned and fled in alarm. After running thirty or fifty paces, he was already outside the cave door, and could no longer see the sights he had seen inside.

He then went back to look for the master of the cave, but more than a month had already passed; the butcher shop was still open as usual, while Zhang Sheng had been dead for over ten days. From then on, he resolved to live in seclusion in famous mountains, vowing to seek the Dao and become an immortal. Later he entered Mount Emei again, and his whereabouts became unknown.

Fei Guanqing

Fei Guanqing was a native of Chizhou. After passing the imperial examination as a jinshi, he prepared to return to his native place. He had long been acquainted with Chancellor Zheng Yuqing, and Zheng Yuqing was also on good terms with a certain Magistrate Liu of Qiupu County, so he asked Fei Guanqing to carry a letter for him.

Zheng Yuqing personally wrote a full page and handed it to Fei Guanqing, instructing him: “Magistrate Liu spent many years in the examination halls but never succeeded in obtaining a high rank. This is because his temperament is narrow and bluntly straightforward, and he does not cling to worldly conventions. He gave up high office and took only his present post. When you meet him, treat him well.”

Fei Guanqing insisted that Zheng Yuqing add a brief note at the end of the letter, writing a few lines of greeting and recommendation, so that Magistrate Liu would pay it a little more attention. Zheng Yuqing agreed, opened the letter, wrote several lines, and sealed it again.

When Fei Guanqing arrived in Qiupu, he first presented his calling card to Magistrate Liu. Magistrate Liu glanced at the card and casually laid it on the table, without giving it another look. Fei Guanqing stood respectfully waiting, but after a long time there was still no response. Suspecting that Magistrate Liu was unwilling to receive him, he gave the chancellor’s letter to the gatekeeper.

Magistrate Liu opened the letter and read it through, then slowly cursed: “What is the use of this letter from that old man Zheng?” With that, he tore the letter apart and threw it away. Fei Guanqing became even more frightened…

Fei Guanqing pushed open the door and entered, then stepped quickly forward to pay his respects. When Liu saw him, a look of pity suddenly came over his face; he bowed to him and invited him to sit and talk. It soon grew dark, and Liu urged Fei Guanqing to go find an inn. Fei Guanqing said, “It is already dark, and I am afraid I will not find a lodging. I cannot make it to an inn in time; I only ask to spread a mat under the eaves of the hall for the night and look for an inn tomorrow.”

He untied his pack, took out a felt mat, and spread it on the ground. Liu brushed off his clothes and went inside. After a long while he came out and said, “This is not a place for receiving guests. There is a small chamber where you may rest; your servants and horses may remain outside.” He then had those around him lead the servants and guards off to arrange a place for them, and led Fei Guanqing, who carried his felt mat, into a small chamber behind the hall and directly facing the main hall. The chamber door was immediately shut and locked tightly. Fei Guanqing did not understand what was going on, and had no choice but to lean against the couch and rest.

That night the moonlight was bright. Fei Guanqing peered out through the crack in the door and saw that all was silent. Liu himself took a broom and dustpan and carefully swept inside and outside the hall; the courtyard, covered corridors, steps, and walls—there was no place he omitted. Fei Guanqing found this strange, so he sat upright, held his breath, and stayed awake, secretly watching.

Near the second watch, a strange fragrance suddenly drifted in, by no means anything of the human world. After a long while, Liu, holding a ceremonial tablet, stood respectfully in the courtyard as if waiting for something. The fragrance grew stronger and stronger. Then he saw a group of immortals wearing cloud crowns and purple robes come riding on clouds; they were all eight or nine feet tall, with several dozen attendants. Liu hurriedly bowed again and knocked his head on the ground. One immortal walked straight into the hall, while Liu stood in attendance beside him.

Before long, mats, dishes, and rare fruits filled the hall, and the fragrance overflowed the chamber. When Fei Guanqing smelled it, he immediately felt his spirit clear and refreshed. Then music began and everyone drank; the immortal ordered Liu to set out a mat on the ground, and Liu also drank at the side as company. The melodies were all unlike anything of the human world.

The immortal suddenly asked, “Have you received a letter from Mr. Zheng?” Liu replied, “I have. In it he says all is well with him.” After a while, the immortal asked again, “Have you received Mr. Zheng’s letter?” Liu replied, “Senior Fei Guanqing has come from Chang’an and brought his letter.”

The immortal smiled and said, “Fei Guanqing, congratulations on passing the examination! Are you here now too?” Liu replied, “He is.” The immortal said, “For the moment I should not meet him. Give him a cup of wine, and only tell him to cultivate early, so that we may meet in the future.” The immortal then ordered Liu to pour a cup of wine and take it into the chamber.

Through the crack in the door Fei Guanqing saw Liu drink the wine himself, and then go down the steps and pour out the water from a basin. Fei Guanqing was puzzled and did not drink that cup of wine. At that moment the immortal suddenly stepped down from the steps, and with his attendants rode the clouds away. Liu bowed in farewell to them…

At parting, he wept until he choked. The immortal admonished him, saying: “When you see Zheng, if you can get him to cultivate, you will be able to meet me.” After the immortal left, he went into the pavilion and saw that the wine was still there. In surprise he said: “This wine is hard to encounter even in ten thousand kalpas. Why not drink it? After all that effort, we have gotten only a mouthful or two.” Liu then became friends with Guanqing in cultivating the Dao, and they lived together on Mount Jiuhua. Later, Guanqing was summoned to serve as Shiyi (a court remonstrance official), but in the end he did not take up the post. Chancellor Zheng died shortly afterward. Liu Fei kept this matter secret all along. As for where the immortal actually came from, no one knew.

Zheng Nanhai and the Woodcutter Elder Ren of Ziluo Mountain

When Zheng Nanhai was appointed chief administrator of the Liang-Song region, his younger cousin, the jinshi (presented scholar) Liu, was lodging in Ruzhou. In Ruzhou was Ziluo Mountain, a numinous realm where immortals dwell. Because his life as a lodger was impoverished, Liu planned to go to Liang-Song to seek help. On the way he entered several medicine shops and sat down in one of them. Just then a woodcutter leaned his load against the wall and also sat down. The shopkeeper repeatedly scolded him: “There is an official guest here; how can you be so rash and rude?” Liu straightened his robe and stood up. He said to the shopkeeper: “I am a man of leisure. The woodcutter must have come here with some request; perhaps he urgently needs medicine. We cannot let him leave like this.” Thereupon he respectfully asked the woodcutter to sit and asked what he needed.

The woodcutter said: “I ask only for a sheet of paper and brush and inkstone.” Liu fetched paper and brush from the shop and handed them to him. The woodcutter wielded the brush with ease, and when he had finished writing, he handed it to Liu. The letter read: “I hear you wish to go to Liang-Song. Liang-Song has lately suffered severe disasters; sooner or later you will be denounced. You wish to visit Mr. Zheng, but Mr. Zheng will meet with misfortune and be banished a thousand li away; the color of your clothes will also change. Written by Ren, woodcutter of Ziluo Mountain.”

After reading it Liu was greatly astonished, and felt that the handwriting was vigorous and unrestrained, far beyond that of ordinary people. While he was reading the letter, the woodcutter had already disappeared. More than a month later, Zheng Nanhai was indeed denounced, demoted, and sent a thousand li away; everything was as the letter had said. Liu then repaired and arranged a dwelling on Ziluo Mountain and made inquiries everywhere in search of the woodcutter, but never saw him again. People of the world regarded that letter as a treasure. When the Chao bandits attacked the capital, the letter too was lost.

Yunji Qiqian (Seven Slips from the Cloud Satchel), juan 112