《雲笈七籤》Vol. 113

Scholar Ren lived in seclusion on Mount Song, devoting himself to study, single-minded and tranquil in disposition. One night he smelled a strange fragrance and suddenly heard someone outside the curtain say, “It is fated that I become your companion, and so I have come especially.” Scholar Ren sensed that the visitor was no ordinary person and firmly refused to let her in. But the woman lifted the curtain and entered. She was about twenty years old, with a dignified bearing and a beauty rarely seen in the world; beside her were two maidservants dressed in blue. After a long while, she turned to the maids and said, “Go to the young gentleman’s books and fetch a sheet of paper, and bring a brush and inkstone as well.” Then she wrote a poem as a gift:

“My name is inscribed in the immortal registers of Shangqing (the celestial realm in Daoism); because I was banished to descend, I have wandered the Five Peaks. Seeing that you are unencumbered by worldly ties, I have come especially to urge you to study the way of the immortals.”

She also said, “I will come again in three days.” With that, she left.

When Scholar Ren read the poem and saw how elegant the handwriting was, he became even more suspicious that she was some kind of anomaly. Three days later, the woman indeed came again. Scholar Ren’s refusal of her intentions only grew firmer. The woman said, “I am not a mountain sprite or tree demon; my name is listed in the immortal registers of Shangqing. Because our fates are joined, I have temporarily been banished to the human world, and so I came to seek a companion for myself. I saw that you are detached and quiet, and I was willing to wait upon you. This would not only bring you blessings and avert disaster, but I also wished for you wealth and long life. Now you remain deluded and do not awaken—this is likely due to thin fate.” She then gave him another poem:

“Ge Hong also had a wife, and the Queen Mother also had a husband; even immortals form wondrous companions—what do you think, gentleman?”

The scholar did not respond, but merely ignored her as though he were facing a wall. The woman gave him yet another poem:

“Ruan Lang remains deluded and does not awaken; why should I pour out my heart again? Tomorrow the spring colors on the sea mountains will be just right, and I shall ride a painted boat back.”

After a long sigh, she walked out the door, took several dozen steps east, and her figure flickered as she rose into the air. When she was more than a hundred zhang above the ground, she could still be faintly seen among the clouds. Those who saw these three poems all concluded that she was an immortal, and they only lamented that Scholar Ren had missed this chance encounter.

Several months later, Scholar Ren fell ill. He saw two men dressed in yellow holding official documents come to arrest him, saying, “Your lifespan has ended.” Then they took him away. After they had gone more than ten li, he suddenly saw an unbroken procession of ceremonial guards and banners. A woman was riding in an emerald carriage, accompanied by dozens of attendants. The two yellow-clad men hurriedly made way and hid by the wall. When the woman saw them coming, she asked, “Who are these people?” The original text breaks off here.

That woman smiled and said, “This is the man from Mount Song whose studies have brought him an ill fate.” She told the yellow-robed messenger to bring the document and said, “Your allotted lifespan has already ended. Now that we have met, I cannot be entirely without compassion.” So she asked for a brush, amended the document, and granted him three more years of life.

The man bowed in thanks again. The two messengers said, “Sansu Yuanjun (a Daoist deity) is a noble deity among the immortal officials. Since she has already given the order, we must naturally return and report.” The messengers escorted him back to his old dwelling, saw him lying on the bed, and pushed him from behind; only then did he wake. Afterward he sighed in remorse for many days, and three years later he indeed died.

Luo Gongyuan

On the night of the fifteenth day of the eighth month, Luo Gongyuan accompanied Emperor Ming of Tang (Minghuang) in the palace to admire the moon. Luo Gongyuan asked, “Does Your Majesty wish to go and see the Moon Palace?” Minghuang said yes. Luo Gongyuan then threw his staff into the air, and the staff transformed into a great bridge, its surface like silver. He led Minghuang onto the bridge and walked more than ten li. The bridge dazzled the eyes with light and pierced them with cold, and at last they came to a great city.

Luo Gongyuan said, “This is the Moon Palace.” Minghuang saw hundreds of immortal maidens wearing white silk and rainbow garments, dancing in a broad courtyard. Minghuang asked the name of the tune, and the maidens answered, “Nichang Yuyi.” Minghuang secretly memorized the melody, but soon the cold became unbearable, so he stepped back onto the silver bridge to return. Looking back, the silver bridge disappeared with their footsteps.

The next day, Minghuang summoned the court musicians and, following the melody he had memorized, composed the “Nichang Yuyi Qu,” and this piece was later handed down in the world.

Minghuang wanted Luo Gongyuan to transmit the art of invisibility, but Luo Gongyuan kept it secret and would not speak of it. Minghuang grew angry, selected ten skilled archers and hid them beside a wall, then summoned Luo Gongyuan for a talk. They all released arrows at once, and Luo Gongyuan fell to the ground dead. Minghuang ordered him buried within the palace.

More than a month later, a palace envoy returning from Shu, after completing his report, said, “When I reached Luogu, I saw Luo Gongyuan. He asked me to convey his regards to Your Majesty, and specially said that he was in Chengdu gazing from afar at Your Majesty’s carriage.” Minghuang was greatly startled and asked what baggage he had with him when traveling. The envoy answered, “He was barefoot and carried only one shoe.”

Minghuang ordered the coffin opened to inspect it, and saw only a straw sandal in the coffin, with more than ten arrow holes in it.

When An Lushan attacked and entered the capital and Minghuang fled to Shu, someone calling himself “Wei Siyan” asked for an audience, but when he was summoned in, the man had disappeared. Minghuang then realized that “Wei Siyan” was probably Luo Gongyuan’s courtesy name. He regretted and sighed for many days.

Luo Fangyuan

Luo Fangyuan was from Jiangxia. The prefect Chunzhi held a banquet, and the people who came to watch were as numerous as at a market. There was a man in white more than a zhang tall, with a very strange appearance, and the gatekeepers all found him odd. Suddenly a child passed by and scolded him, saying, “Why have you left your original place and frightened the people of the government office…” (The original text ends here.)

The man gathered up his clothes and ran. The officials brought the child to the place where the banquet was being held and reported the matter in detail. The prefect asked his name, and the child replied, “My surname is Luo, my given name Fangyuan. I have loved the Dao since childhood. Just now I saw the dragon that guards the river enter the prefectural city, so I came to watch the excitement. Someone shouted at me and told me to go back.” The prefect did not believe him and said, “How can you be so absurd? If there really is a dragon, make it show its true form for me to see.”

Fangyuan said, “Please give it a try.” Thereupon he dug a small pit by the river, one zhang deep and one zhang wide, eight or nine chi from the bank, and diverted river water to fill it. The prefect, his subordinate officials, and the people of the commandery all came to watch. Soon a white fish five or six cun long entered the pit with the flowing water, tumbling and leaping, and gradually grew larger. Then bluish smoke like white silk rose; in moments black vapor filled the sky, thunder and lightning flashed, and wind and rain came violently. Only after a long while did the wind and rain stop. Then a dragon appeared in the middle of the river, its body joined with the cloud vapor, white light illuminating the whole river surface; only after the time it takes to eat a meal did the dragon vanish.

The prefect wrote a memorial about the matter and reported it. At that time Tang Minghuang was attentive to matters of immortals, and he summoned Fangyuan that same day. The emperor was just playing chess with Zhang Guolao and Ye Fashan. When the two saw Fangyuan, they laughed heartily and said, “What skill could a country child have?” Each took several chess pieces and said to Fangyuan, “Is there anything here?” Fangyuan answered, “No.” They opened their hands; indeed there was nothing in them, yet all the pieces had gone into Fangyuan’s hands. The emperor was greatly astonished. After this, he repeatedly tested Fangyuan’s arts, and all were wondrous as if aided by spirits.

Li Shiji

In the first year of the Huichang era, when Censor Li Shiji was serving as Observation Commissioner of eastern Zhejiang, a merchant encountered wind and waves and drifted to an unknown place. More than a month later, he arrived at a great mountain. Auspicious clouds encircled it, and wondrous flowers and rare trees were all unlike anything seen in the human world. Someone came forward at the mountain’s edge and asked how he had come there. The merchant told him in detail what had happened. The man then told him to move his boat to the shore.

After the merchant came ashore, the man said, “You must go pay your respects to the Celestial Master (Tianshi).” Then he led him to a place that looked like a grand Daoist temple complex. After entering, he saw a Daoist priest whose eyebrows and temple hair were completely white, attended by more than ten attendants. The Daoist priest sat in the great hall and invited the merchant to come forward and speak with him, saying, “You are a man of the Central Plains. You have an affinity with this place, which is why you were able to come here. This is Mount Penglai.”

The Daoist priest then had his attendants take the merchant on a tour of the palace. Jade terraces and emerald trees dazzled the eye, and each of the dozens of courtyards had its own name. When they reached one courtyard, its gate was tightly locked. Looking through the gate, they saw that the hall was filled with fresh flowers, with tables and cushions arranged, and incense burning below the steps. The merchant asked, “Whose courtyard is this?” The other replied, “This is Bai Letian’s courtyard. Letian…”

He would only learn of it later in China, so he secretly wrote the matter down, then took his leave and returned. After several dozen days he reached the region of Yue, told the whole matter to Commissioner Li, and recorded it in detail for report. Commissioner Li had already left the dusty world and no longer clung to official rank or worldly life; those benighted and ignorant people naturally could not hear of this, and how could they know that he was not a banished immortal?

Yuan Zi

Lord Yuan’s name was Yuan Zi. Before he became prominent, he lived in the region of Fu and Ying prefectures. Mount Qingxi in Fu Prefecture was unmatched in the beauty of its scenery. One day, taking advantage of clear weather, Lord Yuan climbed the mountain to wander. After he had gone several li, the path gradually became deep and secluded, with almost no trace of human presence. He met a man dressed in Confucian attire who made his living selling medicine; the man had built a thatched hut at the foot of the mountain.

Lord Yuan found conversation with him very congenial and stayed overnight at his house. Lord Yuan said, “The landscape here is extraordinary; it must be a place where immortals live.” The scholar said, “There are five or six Daoist priests, people who have transcended the world. They come once every few days, but I do not know where they live. Although I know them well, they refuse to explain in detail.”

Lord Yuan asked, “May I come to visit them?” The scholar said, “They do not like strangers, but they are very fond of wine. All you need do is bring a jar of good wine, and perhaps you will be able to see them.”

Lord Yuan took his leave and went back. Later he prepared a jar of good wine and brought it with him. After he had stayed several nights, the five men indeed arrived. They wore cloth garments and fur, gauze caps, carried rough staffs, and wore straw sandals. After the two sides met and exchanged greetings, they laughed heartily and went together to the clear stream, where they sat on stones washing their feet, chatting, laughing, and sporting. The scholar set out mats and brought out wine to entertain them.

When the five saw the wine, they were delighted and asked, “Where did this wine come from?” Each of them drank three to five cups. The scholar said, “It was not I who obtained it. A guest brought it to pay a special visit to you immortal brothers.” With that he led Lord Yuan out, and Yuan bowed to the five in order.

The five looked at one another, and their expressions changed. They regretted having drunk the wine and reproached the scholar: “You should not have brought an outsider to disturb us.” The scholar said, “This man truly has the aspiration to seek the Dao, and he is also a scholar. What harm is there in letting him meet you all at leisure?” Their anger gradually subsided. Seeing that Lord Yuan was very humble, they now and then chatted and laughed with him. One of them pointed at Yuan and said, “Sit.” Yuan bowed twice before taking his seat.

After a while, when the drinking was at its height, the five looked at Lord Yuan and said to one another, “This man resembles the monk who practiced seated meditation at Mount Xihua.” They fell silent for a long time. One of them said, “It is indeed he.” Then he counted on his fingers and calculated, saying, “It has been forty-seven years since this monk left that place.” They asked Lord Yuan his age, and it was exactly forty-seven. They clapped their hands and said, “We ought to seek an official post for him; his fortune and rank have now arrived.”

Then they shook hands with Lord Yuan in farewell, crossed mountain caves and passed over ridges, clinging to vines and leaping forward, their bodies light as if flying; in the blink of an eye they had vanished.

That gentleman later did indeed pass the imperial examination as a jinshi, became chancellor, and governed the Western Shu region.

Mr. Wang of the Waterways Bureau

During the Dali reign period, there was a Mr. Wang, a vice director of the Waterways Bureau. He was deeply devoted to Daoist arts. Though he belonged to the ranks of court officials, he delighted in befriending commoner fangshi—men without official rank who made their living by esoteric arts—and he associated with them every day.

One day, several friends in the Dao were chatting and laughing with Mr. Wang in the hall. Just then, old Pei, who was in charge of cleaning the latrines, came past along the road carrying waste, quite close to the hall. Mr. Wang’s wife told the attendants to stop him. Then she pressed her ear to the wall and eavesdropped on the friends in the Dao speaking; she could not help secretly laughing. Mr. Wang’s servants all found this strange.

After a while, old Pei finished his duties. Mr. Wang was just about to go to the latrine and met him outside the door. Old Pei straightened his clothes as though he had something to say, and said, “Sir, you are very fond of Daoist arts.”

Mr. Wang asked in surprise, “How does the old gentleman know? Could it be that you understand its profound mysteries?”

Old Pei replied, “I have carefully observed you and know that you are indeed very fond of the Dao. But you have not yet met anyone who truly understands the Dao. Those several men in the hall just now are all mediocre people; they only use clever words to confuse you and seek your wine and food.”

Mr. Wang found his words very strange. But his wife scolded, “You are a dignified court official, yet you associate with a man who does dirty work!” She had old Pei driven away. Old Pei smiled and took his leave.

Mr. Wang urged him to stay and said politely, “Old gentleman, please come visit again in a few days.” Mr. Wang fasted, bathed, and cleaned the room. Old Pei came wearing a coarse cloth robe and leaning on a staff, with the bearing of a recluse. Mr. Wang invited him to sit, and during their conversation offered him tea and wine.

Old Pei said, “Sir, you are not truly fond of the Dao; you are only fond of the arts of refining elixirs. A test with furnace fire will make this clear. Take an iron box weighing two jin, split it into two halves, and put it in the fire. Soon the iron pieces will be red-hot. Old Pei untied a corner of his cloth shirt, took out two pills smaller than millet grains, crushed them, sprinkled them on the iron box, and heated it again. After the time it takes to eat a meal, old Pei said, ‘It is done.’”

He told Mr. Wang to send a strong servant to pick up the iron box with tongs and throw it to the ground. After a moment, the iron box had actually turned into gold, with a color like a cockscomb. Mr. Wang bowed twice and thanked him.

Old Pei said, “This one liang of gold is worth three liang of ordinary gold. But you need not keep it, sir; take it and give it to the poor.” With that he took his leave, saying, “From now on, I will not come again.”

Mr. Wang asked, “I wish to visit the lofty dwelling of the Immortal Elder; may I go?”

Old Pei said, “You may. Come find me behind the large vegetable garden in the West Ward of Lanling.” The two then parted.

Mr. Wang changed his clothes and went. He did indeed find a small door. After he knocked, an old servant came out and asked, “Are you Mr. Wang?” Then he led him inside.

The main hall was very clean and new. Elder Pei came out in Daoist robes to welcome Mr. Wang, accompanied by more than ten beautiful maidservants. The tea, wine, and fruits were all rare and precious, and the clothing and vessels shone brightly. Toward evening, Mr. Wang took his leave, and Elder Pei saw him to the door. Ten days later, when Mr. Wang went again, Elder Pei’s residence had already been mortgaged to someone else, and Elder Pei’s whereabouts were unknown.

Cui Sheng

Cui Sheng, a presented scholar, often went to Qingshan for outings. Once, he removed the saddle and let the donkey loose; with no servant nearby to watch it, the donkey ran off. He could not catch it, and after walking about ten li, he came to a cave mouth. It was already dark, and the donkey ran straight into the cave. Cui Sheng was frightened and did not dare go forward; moreover, he was utterly exhausted, so he slept beneath a rock for the night. At dawn, faint light came from within the cave, so he went inside. After about ten li, he saw among the cliffs and valleys a golden city and red palace gates, guarded by men in armor carrying weapons.

Cui Sheng knew this was an immortal realm, so he said to the guard, “I am a mortal and wish to pay my respects to the immortal lord.” The guard hurried in to announce him. Soon Cui Sheng was summoned into the hall, where he saw a man residing there, dressed in feathered robes, over ten chi tall, with several hundred maidservants around him. Cui Sheng stepped forward and bowed; the man invited him to sit, spoke with him warmly, and kept him overnight. At the feast were fragrant, mellow wine and wondrous fruits.

The man said to Cui Sheng, “This is not a government office of the mortal world. Your donkey ran in here following you because I specially invited you. Since a woman is willing to marry you, this too was predetermined in the unseen.” Cui Sheng bowed again in thanks, and so took the woman as his wife.

A few days later, the man had an attendant bring a blue box, from which he took two pills of medicine and gave them to Cui Sheng to swallow. Cui Sheng felt his organs become clear and pure, as if his whole body had shed its old shell; his skin became translucent, like an infant’s. Thereafter, on the first and fifteenth of each month, the immortal lord and Cui Sheng rode cranes to attend court at Rui Palace (a celestial palace). After more than a month, Cui Sheng said, “My relatives are still in the mortal world; please permit me to return and settle matters. It is not that I am attached to anywhere else.” The immortal lord warned him, “Cui Lang, do not stay too long.” He then gave him a talisman, saying that if he encountered urgent calamity, he could use the talisman to hide his form, but he must absolutely not wander about the forbidden palace precincts.

At parting, the immortal lord gave him another talisman and said, “If you encounter an emergency, open it.” He then ordered someone to bring a donkey and handed it to Cui Sheng. When Cui Sheng reached the capital, he tried walking into other people’s houses, and the people could not see him. Later, he entered the palace, just as Jiannan was presenting Taizhen brocade, so he stole the precious brocades among them. The emperor said, “It is impossible for thieves to enter here; it must be some uncanny being causing trouble.” He then ordered Luo Gongyuan to perform a rite and used vermilion writing to detect the culprit. As a result, Cui Sheng was found behind the door of the bedchamber. Cui Sheng then wrote down the whole story from beginning to end.

If he did not believe it, he ordered Cui Sheng to be beaten to death with rods. Before the immortal elder departed, he gave the talisman to Yuan Gong and told him to hold it. Yuan Gong and the talisman bearer immediately collapsed unconscious and only woke after a long while. They reported to the emperor: “This man already dwells in the upper realm and cannot be killed. Even if we killed him, disaster would befall us, and it would bring no benefit to the state.”

The emperor then pardoned Cui Sheng, but still doubted that the matter was true. He sent several hundred men with weapons and ceremonial guards, along with ritual adepts, to escort Cui Sheng to the cave mouth. Once again the crowd saw a golden city and crimson palace towers—a symbol of the immortal realm. The immortal elder sat in the hall, with attendants arrayed in strict ranks. He came out and shouted: “Cui, if you had not obeyed my words, you would nearly have been destroyed.”

After Cui Sheng bowed in thanks, he ascended to the cave gate. Those seeing him off wanted to follow him in, but the immortal elder drew a river on the ground with his staff, several zhang wide. Cui Sheng’s wife threw out a scarf, which transformed into a five-colored red bridge for him to walk across. As he stepped along it, the bridge disappeared behind him.

When he reached the cave mouth, Cui Sheng said to those seeing him off: “That is how it is; you may return now.” In a moment, clouds and mist closed in from all sides, so that people could not be seen even at close range; only the calls of luan birds and cranes and the music of flutes and pipes could be heard. The crowd gazed toward the cloudy mountains and saw only Cui Sheng departing. The emperor then knew that he truly was an immortal.

Master Huang

Master Huang of Mount Mao held a very high rank in the Fulu (talismans and registers; the ordination credentials and registers conferred by Daoism). He once built a Daoist temple before the mountain, erected a Hall of the Heavenly Worthy (Tianzun), set up an altar and lectured on the scriptures (jing), and solicited funds for the construction. At that time, several thousand people came to listen to his lectures.

One day, just as the audience had gathered, a man suddenly pushed open the door and shouted. He was stocky and dark, spoke coarsely, and had a donkey whip tucked at his waist, like a traveler accompanying a merchant caravan. He berated them: “You Daoist priests, in this hot weather, lure the crowd here to listen to lectures. You yourself do not go into the deep mountains to cultivate the Dao—how dare you preach recklessly?”

Master Huang could not discern his background, so he stopped lecturing and apologized to him humbly and politely. Everyone was afraid and dared not contradict the man. After a long while, his expression and tone softened, and he asked: “Are you gathered like this not in order to build the hall? How much money will be needed in total?”

The Master replied: “Five thousand strings of cash are needed.” The man said: “Just bring broken iron pots and all sorts of scrap iron.”

Master Huang suspected he was an extraordinary person, so he immediately had scrap iron collected from all over the temple, about eight hundred jin. The man dug a pit in the ground to make a furnace, put the iron in, and melted it. Then he took a gourd from his bosom, poured out two pills, put them into the molten iron, and stirred. After a while, he withdrew the fire, and the iron had already turned into silver. He said: “This silver is equivalent to ten thousand strings of cash. It is more than enough for what is needed to build the temple; please take the surplus to relieve the poor. If the amount obtained is not much, then let the matter drop.”

Master Huang and his disciples respectfully thanked him and asked him what he wanted…

After smiling and walking out the door, he disappeared. More than ten years later, Master Huang received an imperial summons and went to the capital. Suddenly, in the western market, he saw an old man riding a donkey, with a whip stuck on the donkey and a small bundle tied at his shoulder. The old man looked nothing like a Maoshan Daoist. Master Huang was about to step forward and salute him when the old man waved his hand and pointed at the donkey rider; then he kowtowed repeatedly. Master Huang merely bowed low. The old man had a head of white hair, yet he looked like a girl of fourteen or fifteen.

Lu Qi

The Chancellor Lu was named Lu Qi. When young, he was extremely poor and lived with an old market woman called Granny Ma in rented rooms in an abandoned mansion in the Eastern Capital. Granny Ma was also alone. Lu Qi once lay ill in bed for more than a month; Granny Ma took pity on him and often came to cook porridge for him. After he recovered, he was very grateful to her.

Some days later, one evening, Lu Qi returned from outside and saw a small golden ox-cart parked outside Granny Ma’s door. He was greatly surprised and secretly took note. He saw a girl of fourteen or fifteen, truly like an immortal. The next day he quietly went to Granny Ma. “Do you wish to marry, young gentleman?” she asked. “If you have this intention, I can seek a match for you.” Lu Qi said, “I am poor and lowly; how would I dare entertain such a thought?” Granny Ma said, “What obstacle is there?”

That night Granny Ma told Lu Qi, “The matter has already been settled. Please, young gentleman, fast and purify for three days and meet at an abandoned Daoist temple east of the city.” Lu Qi arrived there on time. He saw only old trees and wild grass; it had long been uninhabited. After a while, thunder and lightning came together, wind and rain suddenly rose, and the surroundings suddenly changed into towers, terraces, halls, and pavilions, with golden censers and jade curtains—a splendid scene. In an instant, a curtained carriage descended from the sky, and in it was the very woman he had seen before.

The woman met Lu Qi and said, “I have been commanded by the Lord on High to come to the human world and seek a spouse myself. You have the physiognomy of one who will become an immortal, so I sent Granny Ma to convey my intentions. Fast and purify for another seven days, and I will come to see you again.” The woman called Granny Ma over and gave her two pills of medicine. After a moment, thunder, lightning, and dark clouds suddenly rose; the woman vanished, and the old trees and wild grass returned as before. Granny Ma and Lu Qi went back together.

The two fasted and purified for another seven days and dug the ground to plant the medicine. Before long vines grew out, and on them formed two gourds; the gourds gradually grew to about the size of a two-hu wine jar. Granny Ma split the gourds open with a knife. When the seven days were up, she and Lu Qi each sat inside a gourd, and she told Lu Qi to prepare three oiled garments. Wind and clouds suddenly surged; the two rose into the blue sky. In their ears they heard only the sound of waves as they gradually flew east. Granny Ma asked Lu Qi again, “Are you cold?” and told him to put on the oiled garment, as if...

Lord Lu walked through ice and snow and had himself dressed layer upon layer, until he had on three layers before he felt thoroughly warm. He asked Mother Ma, “How far is it from here to Luoyang?” Mother Ma said, “Already eighty thousand li.” Lord Lu then halted the gourd to rest, and at once saw a tower whose walls and enclosing walls were made of crystal. Several armored men bearing weapons stood guard there.

Mother Ma led Lord Lu inside to pay respects to a woman. She dwelt in the hall, attended by several hundred maidservants. The woman bade Lord Lu be seated and had wine and dishes set out; Mother Ma, holding her breath, stood behind the guards. The woman said to Lord Lu, “You, sir, are destined to be offered three things, and may choose one of them. You may remain long in this palace, with a lifespan that ends only with Heaven; you may become an earth immortal, dwelling constantly in the human world and sometimes able to come here; or you may descend to the human world and serve as chancellor of the Central Plains. Which would you choose?”

Lu replied, “To be able to stay here is truly my greatest wish.” The woman was delighted and said, “This is the Crystal Palace. I am Lady Taiyin (an immortal associated with the yin qi of the moon), and my immortal rank is already high. You will soon ascend to Heaven in broad daylight; only keep your resolve firm and do not change it, lest you implicate me.” She added that this still had to be reported to the Lord on High, then took blue paper, wrote out a memorial, and in the courtyard bowed and presented it.

After a while, a commotion came from the northeast, and word came that an envoy sent by the Lord on High had arrived. Lady Taiyin and the other immortals hurried down from the hall to receive him. Soon a ceremonial guard and incense banners led a red-robed youth to the foot of the steps. The red-robed youth read out the Lord on High’s decree: “Lady Taiyin has memorialized that Lu Qi wishes to remain in the Crystal Palace. How is this matter to be handled?”

Lord Lu did not answer. The lady urged him to reply quickly, but he remained silent. The lady and those beside her were very frightened; she hurried inside and fetched five bolts of jiaoxiao (fine silk said to be woven by merfolk) to bribe the envoy, hoping to delay him for a while. A moment later, the envoy asked again, “Does Lu Qi wish to remain in the Crystal Palace? To become an earth immortal? Or to serve as chancellor in the human world?”

Lord Lu answered loudly, “I wish to serve as chancellor in the human world!” The red-robed envoy departed quickly. Lady Taiyin’s expression changed drastically, and she ordered Mother Ma to lead him back at once. Lord Lu entered the gourd and still heard the sound of wind and rain; when he landed on the ground, he had returned to his old dwelling, where the bed and the dust were all still in their original places. It was already midnight, and the gourd and Mother Ma had both disappeared. Later, Lu Qi indeed became chancellor.

The Two Scholars Lu and Li

Formerly, two men, Lu and Li, lived in seclusion on Mount Taibai to study, and at the same time practiced tuna and daoyin (regulating the breath, moving qi, and stretching the body for health). One day, Li Sheng took his leave, saying, “I cannot reconcile myself to such an austere life; I want to roam the rivers and lakes and make my way in the world. Let us part here.” Later, Li Sheng became a minor official in an orange grove and lived in seclusion…

Li Sheng, because of a deficit and arrears owed to the government amounting to several thousand strings of cash, was detained in custody and unable to leave, growing poorer and more haggard by the day.

One time he happened to pass Ashi Bridge in Yangzhou and met a man wearing straw sandals and hemp clothes. Looking closely, he saw that it was actually Lu Sheng, the man formerly called “Second Uncle.” Li Sheng spoke with him and pitied his ragged clothing. Lu Sheng, however, cursed him loudly: “What is shameful about my poverty and low status? It is precisely because I do not value things outside the body that I have thrown myself into ordinary menial service. You yourself are still in debt and trapped in confinement—what face do you have to come see me?” Li Sheng hurriedly apologized. Second Uncle smiled and said, “My dwelling is not far. Tomorrow I will send a horse to fetch you.”

The next morning, a servant indeed came leading a fine horse, saying that Second Uncle invited the young gentleman to come over. After Li Sheng mounted, the horse went fast as the wind. Leaving the city and heading south for several dozen li, he saw by the roadside a red-lacquered gate standing half open. Second Uncle came out wearing a star crown and a rosy-cloud cape—both splendid garments of Daoists or immortals—with a glowing complexion and dozens of attendant maids beside him, completely different from how he had looked beneath the bridge. Second Uncle invited Li Sheng into the main hall to a banquet. In the garden were famous flowers and rare trees, as if in an immortal’s residence, and during the feast various medicinal preparations were brought out one after another, all exceedingly rare and marvelous.

Toward evening, Second Uncle led Li Sheng to the North Pavilion to sit and drink, saying, “Just now I have sent for someone to accompany the wine; she is very skilled at playing the konghou (an ancient stringed instrument).” Before long, guided by red candles, a woman arrived. She was extremely beautiful, and the new melody she played was very moving. Li Sheng saw that on the konghou were ten characters written in red: “At the horizon one recognizes the returning boat; amid the clouds one distinguishes the river trees.” After the banquet, Second Uncle asked, “Would you be willing to enter into marriage with her? This woman comes from a distinguished family, and both her appearance and character are excellent.” Li Sheng said, “How would I dare harbor such extravagant hopes?” Second Uncle promised to arrange it for him.

Second Uncle also asked, “How much do you owe the government?” Li Sheng answered, “Two thousand strings.” Second Uncle then gave him a walking staff and said, “Take this to the Persian shop to collect the money. From now on you must study the Dao, and no longer defile yourself or fall into wrongdoing.” When it grew late, the servant again brought the same horse, and Second Uncle sent Li Sheng back, escorting him to the gate.

After returning, Li Sheng was filled with doubt and astonishment, thinking that Second Uncle was probably an immortal. He took the staff to the Persian shop. When the people there saw the staff, they asked how he had obtained it, and then paid out the money as instructed. Li Sheng was thus able to be released from custody and leave. Astonished and curious, he went once more to Second Uncle’s dwelling to express his thanks, but only a patch of wild grass and wasteland remained. He returned feeling lost and despondent.

That same year, Li Sheng went to Bianzhou, and Lu Changyuan, the marching army adjutant—a senior military aide—gave him his daughter in marriage. When they met after the wedding, the bride looked very much like the woman in the North Pavilion at Second Uncle’s house. She also brought out a konghou and played it; on the instrument there were still characters written in red. Li Sheng looked and saw that they were indeed the two lines beginning “At the horizon.”

The line of poetry that Scholar Li spoke of was said by a woman during a banquet in the pavilion of Second Uncle Lu south of Yangzhou city. The woman said, “I once dreamed that an immortal official in the clouds was pursuing me, just as you said.” Scholar Li was greatly astonished, and afterward he never met her again.

Li Shi

When Li Shi, a chancellor of the Tang dynasty, had not yet become prominent, he was very fond of Daoist arts. Once he was visiting Mount Song and heard someone groaning among the wild grass. Approaching, he saw that it was an injured crane. The crane spoke: “I was originally an immortal. I encountered a calamity, and a woodcutter injured one of my feet. The wound is about to fester; it must receive several ge of human blood before it can heal. You have the bones of an immortal, so I entrust myself to you.”

Li Shi opened his clothes and prepared to prick himself for blood to save it. But the crane said, “Among people in the world, few are like you; you are not yet a purely ordinary mortal.” As it spoke, it plucked out one of its eyelashes and gave it to Li Shi: “Take it to Luoyang, the Eastern Capital. If you use it to look at people, you can see what they really are.”

On the road Li Shi looked at himself with it and found that what appeared was actually a horse’s head. When he reached Luoyang, he met many people; after looking at them with the eyelash, he found that some appeared with the heads of dogs, pigs, donkeys, or horses—none with a complete human form. Later on a bridge he met an old man riding a donkey; only when he looked at him with the eyelash did he see that the other was human. Li Shi respectfully saluted and told the old man in detail about the sick crane. The old man gladly got down from the donkey and extended his arm to draw blood. Li Shi put the blood in a small bottle, carried it back, smeared it on the crane’s wound, and tore cloth from his clothing to bandage it.

The crane thanked him, saying, “You are a chancellor of Emperor Ming’s (Tang Xuanzong’s) reign. In the future you will rise with a light body and ascend as an immortal. We shall meet again before long. Whatever you do, do not lose your resolve.” Li Shi bowed to it. The crane then soared into the sky and flew away.

Registrar Li

Recently there was an expectant official, Registrar Li, who shortly after marrying went east through the pass. When he passed the Huayue Temple, he took his wife inside to pay respects to the Golden Heavenly King. Before his wife finished bowing, she suddenly fell to the ground unconscious; only the area over her heart was still faintly warm. Everyone carried her back to the inn, and Registrar Li hurried on horseback to Huayin County to find a doctor.

The county magistrate said, “Immortal Master Ye is skilled in ritual arts. He has just received an imperial edict to perform the dragon-casting rite and pray for blessings; on his return he will pass this way, only one post-station away. Hurry to meet him.” Registrar Li rode off alone in pursuit; after about fifteen li he met Immortal Master Ye. He dismounted, prostrated himself, wept, respectfully saluted, and recounted what had happened.

The master said, “What kind of demon is this, to dare cause such mischief?” Then he hurried on ahead with Registrar Li and instructed his attendants, “Bring up the saddles and luggage quickly, and bring the red bowl, brush, and paper.” When they arrived at the lodging, they could already hear weeping. The master entered, looked, and said, “The matter is urgent. First bring ink, brush, and paper…”

After a while, he wrote the first talisman, burned incense, and sprinkled it with water. The talisman paper flew north, giving off a sound like a violent wind howling. A long time passed, and still there was no response. The immortal master wrote another talisman, whose sound was like thunder; after a moment, it too had no effect.

Before long, someone brought the sick woman in, carried on a saddle. The immortal master took out a vermilion brush and asked those around Lord Li to cook a little thin congee and wait for the patient to revive; then he drew a talisman with cinnabar, sprinkled water, and shouted loudly, his voice like a thunderbolt. After a moment, breath began to appear at the patient’s mouth and nose, and she opened her eyes. After a long while, she was able to speak and recounted what had happened:

“At my first audience with King Jin, King Jin said, ‘A fine lady.’ At my second audience, he said, ‘Keep her.’ Then the attendants helped me back to my lodging. Just now it had been three days; my relatives and friends had gathered and heard knocking at the door. The gatekeeper ran to report it, and King Jin said, ‘Why not drive her away?’ That was the first talisman. After that, there was suddenly a clamor outside the gate, and several gatekeepers whispered the situation to King Jin. King Jin said, ‘Send her away for the time being.’ That was the second talisman. Soon a red dragon flew in. King Jin gripped my throat; I had just managed to make a sound when he said, ‘Let her go.’ Then someone sent me out. That was the third talisman.”

Lord Li exhausted his wealth to thank the immortal master. From this it can be known that women cannot enter a numinous temple.

Lu Changshi

After Lu Changshi, Vice Director of the Palace Library, passed the jinshi examination, his temperament was quiet and detached; he did not care for high office or prominent position, and had not the slightest attachment to worldly gain. Later he abandoned his office and went to Dongluo. He said to those close to him, “If Minister Yu of Zhexi and I are indeed old friends, I will go visit him within ten days.” He also said, “In a former life I was a monk; the place where I sat in meditation is still in Kuaiji, and I intend to go there myself to seek the old traces.” His family found it strange: he was about to travel far, yet had made no preparations for a boat. Before ten days had passed, he died.

Duke Pei

When Duke Pei was young, a diviner said to him, “Your destiny belongs to the Lianzhen Star General of the Northern Dipper. You should regularly and reverently make offerings of clear wine and fresh fruit; in this way you will receive help from the unseen.” From then on Duke Pei never slackened. Later he became chancellor; as government affairs grew busy, he gradually forgot his former practice. Though in his heart he felt he had not done enough, he never mentioned it to others, and even his several sons did not know of it.

One day a Daoist came to Duke Pei’s residence and stayed overnight. In the middle of the night, the Daoist said to him, “You formerly reverently worshipped a heavenly deity; why did you stop halfway? If you continue to revere and support it without interruption, the heavenly deity will also respond and protect you.” Only then did Duke Pei realize that the Daoist was speaking of the Lianzhen Star, but he did not know that the deity had already manifested its power.

Later, when Duke Pei served as Jiedushi of Taiyuan, a family member fell ill, and he summoned a female shaman to examine the case. The shaman was plucking the huqin…

The shamaness suddenly fell to the ground; after a long while she sprang up and said, “Please relay this to Minister Pei for me: General Lianzhen has sent word that you are too heartless—that we are, in fact, complete strangers to one another.”

The general was very angry: why had the Minister not respectfully offered him thanks? Minister Pei was greatly alarmed. The shamaness said, “You should choose an auspicious day, fast and purify yourself and bathe in a quiet courtyard, burn incense, and set out wine and fruit. The general also wishes to manifest himself to the Minister on another day.”

When the day came, Minister Pei bathed and put on court robes, stood before the steps, and, facing southeast, poured a libation; he performed the double bow twice. He saw a divine general clad in golden armor, holding a long crimson halberd, more than three zhang tall, standing facing south. Minister Pei was so frightened that he sweated all over and prostrated himself on the ground, not daring to move. After a while the divine general disappeared. When he asked those around him, they all said they had seen nothing. From then on, Minister Pei venerated the general even more reverently than before.

Fasting and purification are the practice of cleansing body and mind and preparing sacrificial offerings before a ritual; in this text, “dianjiu” means pouring out wine as a sacrificial offering.

—From Yunji Qiqian, fascicle 113, part 1.