《三洞群仙錄》Vol. 12

The twelfth scroll of the Records of the Immortals from the Three Caverns (Sandong Qunxian Lu) contains two immortal legends:

The first tells of He Hou. During Emperor Yao's reign, He Hou lived in seclusion on Mount Cangwu. When Emperor Shun made his southern tour, he stayed at He's residence. At that time, the Five Thearchs (Wudi) came to pay homage to Shun, informing him the time had come for his celestial ascension. The next day, the Five Thearchs descended to receive him, and Shun rose to immortality in broad daylight. Before departing, the deities gave He Hou a gourd of immortal elixir to mix with wine. He Hou's entire household of over three hundred people drank this wine, yet it never depleted. Later, when they sprinkled the remaining wine on their house, the entire residence ascended to heaven. He Hou was enfeoffed as the Great Ultimate Perfected Being (Taiji Zhenren). To this day, He Hou's temple still stands on Mount Jiuyi beside Shun's temple.

The second story concerns Tang dynasty painter Wu Daozi. Having mastered divine arts, his painting skills became supernatural. When Emperor Taizong of Tang heard of this, he summoned Wu to court and commanded him to paint landscapes on a white wall several zhang high. Wu had the wall covered with curtains, splashed ink upon it, then concealed it again. Later when the emperor was invited to view the painting, a complete landscape appeared - forests, flowers, human dwellings, birds and beasts. As the emperor gazed, he noticed a small cave beneath a cliff. Wu explained immortals often dwelled there and knocking would elicit response. When he rapped the wall, the cave door indeed opened revealing an attendant boy. Wu invited the emperor to enter but when he hesitated, the portal closed. Wu Daozi was never seen again.

Two additional anecdotes follow: When Zhangqiu Jianqiong governed Sichuan, he noticed four men in gauze hats carrying knotgrass staffs who regularly drank several dou of wine yet always repaid their massive debts in full - later revealed as incarnations of the Great White Wine Star (Taibai Jiuxing). Another fragment mentions Zhang Lu (founder of the Five Pecks of Rice movement) being called "Rice Bandit," though the text here is incomplete.

(Note: Taiji Zhenren is a high Daoist immortal title; the Five Thearchs refer to five celestial emperors; Mount Jiuyi in Hunan is traditionally Shun's burial site; Wu Daozi was revered as "Sage of Painting"; Taibai Jiuxing is the deity governing wine)

Celestial Master Zhang Lu (grandson of Daoism's founder Zhang Daoling), styled Gongqi, once served as governor of Hanzhong and Nanzheng commanderies. His Daoist healing rituals always brought immediate recovery, charging only one hu of rice per treatment, thus accumulating vast grain stores over time. When Cao Cao, Prince of Wei, came to power and labeled them "Rice Bandits," sending troops to suppress them, disciples panicked as enemies approached. Zhang Lu drew a raging river on the ground with his writing tablet to block the advance. When attackers switched to naval assault, he sketched nine towering mountain peaks in the air piercing the clouds. Cao Cao, upon hearing this, sent envoys to apologize, appointing him Inspector of Liangyi Province, General Who Pacifies the South, and Marquis Within the Passes. Zhang later ascended to immortality.

Another account: In the bingchen year of Xining era (1076), Jiaozhi bandits attacked Yongzhou, slaughtering official Tang Zizheng's entire household. This Tang scholar from Guizhou had earlier sought a servant while traveling to the capital in Quanzhou, coincidentally meeting a former attendant from Yuanzhou days. The servant carried heavy loads with unnatural speed—outpacing horses—so Tang dismissed him fearing escape. Astonishingly, the man traversed 2,700 li from Quanzhou to Tangzhou that same day, leaving a noon message at a courier station: "For Guizhou Scholar Tang to collect." Over a month later when Tang arrived, he found a letter signed "Returning-to-Truth Master" containing prophetic verses: "Intent on wealth and rank you strive, / Yet miss the path where immortals thrive"—foretelling calamity in the bingchen (Dragon) year. Investigation revealed the messenger was that very servant, and Tang's murder occurred in the predicted bingchen year.

Then there's Yang Bochou, master of the Zhouyi (Classic of Changes), who reclused on Mount Hua. When scholar He Tuo consulted him on Yi studies, Yang replied: "In Mount Hua's Golden Heaven Cavern, I received Fu Xi's direct transmission—principles connecting to the Dao's origin, revealing all creation's mysteries. How could vulgar Yi learning compare?"

Worldly scholars often discuss the path of immortality, but do they truly comprehend its mysteries?

When Immortal Master Ge (Ge Xuan, patriarch of the Lingbao Daoist tradition) traveled by boat, his disciples discovered over a dozen ritual talismans (fulu, Daoist ceremonial documents for exorcism and blessings) in his chest. When asked to demonstrate their power, Ge cast one talisman into the water—it floated downstream. A second talisman miraculously moved upstream against the current. The third talisman remained suspended midstream until the other two converged upon it, where all three became motionless—revealing the profound ability of fulu to command natural forces.

The Records of Kuaiji preserves the story of Zheng Hong: while gathering firewood at Shedi Mountain, he found an arrow left by an immortal. Returning it, he recognized the owner as a divine being. Complaining about the inconvenient winds for transporting firewood along the Ruoye Stream, Zheng wished for "southern winds at dawn and northern winds at dusk"—a request the immortal granted. To this day, the stream maintains this wind pattern, known locally as "Lord Zheng’s Breeze."

Dai Yang, a Jin dynasty occultist, experienced a five-day deathlike trance at age twelve. Upon awakening, he claimed to have served as a wine steward in the underworld, receiving talismans that allowed him to visit celestial mountains. Later, an elder predicted his future enlightenment. Though physically unremarkable as an adult, he mastered wind divination (an ancient practice of forecasting through atmospheric observations).

Li A, a Shu region Daoist, begged daily in Chengdu, distributing all alms to the poor. His nightly disappearances remained unexplained until his final departure, when he announced his summons to Kunlun Mountain.

Even Eastern Han Grand Commandant Liu Kuan (renowned for his magnanimity) demonstrated transcendent compassion: after sending a servant to buy wine, he intervened when the drunken attendant faced humiliation, fearing the man might commit suicide—proving that true adepts often conceal their holiness within ordinary existence.

When this man cursed others as "beasts" or "brutes," the insults were truly excessive, so I feared he might suffer retribution and die. Someone wanted to test his temperament and deliberately arranged for a maid to spill meat broth on his court robes while he was attending court. Though the maid frantically tried to clean up, he remained unperturbed, merely asking gently, "Did the hot soup burn your hand?" His magnanimity and forbearance were such that the world revered him as a virtuous elder of great moral stature.

The Chapter on Revealing the Subtle records: Xia Qi, King Wen of Zhou, Duke Shao of Shao, and Wu Jizha—these four figures were enfeoffed as the Duke of Eastern Radiance (Dongming Gong). These four dukes later ascended to immortality and became overseers of ghostly affairs in the four directions.

Li Ying once encountered a divine maiden in the palace of the flood dragon (Jiaolong) and was gifted a bolt of white silk, said to be woven in the dragon’s abode. Later, a foreign merchant offered three million in gold for it, explaining that it was woven from the fine whiskers beneath a dragon’s chin and required thirty minor kalpas (an immense Buddhist unit of time) to complete a single weave.

The Continued Biographies of Immortals recounts how Sun Simiao, upon seeing someone kill a snake, took off his own robe to ransom the creature, applied medicine to its wounds, and released it. Months later, he was suddenly invited to a grand palace, where a figure in crimson robes thanked him, saying, "Previously, you saved my child." Sun Simiao quietly inquired about the place and was told by an attendant that it was the Water Mansion of Jingyang (a dragon palace). The Dragon King hosted him with a feast and asked what he desired. Sun Simiao replied, "I cultivate the Dao in the mountains and have no worldly desires." The Dragon King then gifted him thirty medicinal prescriptions from the dragon palace. Sun Simiao later used these formulas to save countless lives, eventually compiling them into the Thousand Gold Prescriptions, which have been passed down through the ages. When Emperor Gaozong of Tang heard of his fame and sought to appoint him as Remonstrance Official, Sun Simiao declined. In the end, he achieved liberation from the corpse (shijie, a Daoist term for ascension by leaving behind one’s physical form) and is now revered as the Perfected Lord Sun (Sun Zhenren).

The Biographies of Divine Immortals records that Huang Luzi, whose surname was Ge and given name Qi, could heal patients from a thousand miles away merely by receiving their names. He lived to 280 years of age, could reverse the flow of rivers, lift a thousand jin (a traditional unit of weight), run as swiftly as a galloping horse, and had a halo of five-colored Qi above his head. During droughts, he would summon dragons from deep pools to bring rain. Later, he ascended to heaven astride a dragon, bidding farewell to his kin and never returning.

The Comprehensive Records of Immortals states that Zhao Bing, styled Gong’e, was a native of Dongyang. Once, while traveling far, he encountered an old friend and transformed flowing river water into wine and peeled mulberry bark into rice, ensuring all were well-fed and drunk. Another time, needing to cross a river, he sought a boat from the shore, but the boatman refused.

This passage records the miraculous deeds of several ancient Daoist practitioners:

Ruan Qiu (a Daoist priest) once spread his garments upon the water's surface and sat upon them, summoning fierce winds to churn the currents as he crossed the river without getting the slightest bit wet—onlookers considered this a divine miracle. This Ruan Qiu was a Daoist from Mushan Mountain who wore leather garments with his hair unbound, had ears six or seven inches long, and was completely toothless, yet could walk four to five hundred li in a single day. He sustained himself by growing scallions and selling medicinal herbs on the mountain, maintaining this lifestyle for over a hundred years while people remained ignorant of his origins. Only when Zhu Huang revealed his true nature did everyone realize he was an immortal, but by the time they went searching for him again, he had already vanished.

Another practitioner named Wen Bin was originally a straw sandal seller from Taiqiu. One day he abandoned his wife to enter the mountains, sustaining himself solely on chrysanthemums and never returning. Years later when his wife went searching, she found Wen Bin looking younger than before, still refusing to descend. Wen Bin said, "So you too delight in cultivating the Dao," and instructed his wife to also consume chrysanthemums while regulating her Qi (vital energy)—ultimately both husband and wife attained immortality.

Xie Fu (courtesy name Qingxu), a Jin Dynasty recluse, secluded himself on Taibai Mountain for over a decade, repeatedly refusing imperial summons to serve in government. When the moon's path approached the Shaowei Star (also called the Hermit Star), astrologers interpreted this as foretelling disaster for recluses. Xie Fu indeed later passed away, prompting people of Kuaiji to jest with those from Wu about this omen.

The Jade Pot Pure Tales records that Li Zhi once composed a "Rhapsody on the Kang Constellation." In its preface he recounted: In his youth when frequently ill, during the Gengyin year he dreamed of arriving at a resplendent Daoist palace with golden roofs and jade tiles. There he saw a golden dragon coiled upon a jeweled dais, beside which a green-haired Daoist priest informed him this was the Palace of Kang (one of the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions), urging him to hasten his obeisance. Later when Emperor Taizong of Song established Zhenzong as crown prince, he specifically selected two great Confucians—Li Zhi and Li Kang—as imperial tutors, precisely fulfilling the Kang Palace dream's prophetic omen. Emperor Taizong instructed the crown prince to treat these venerable scholars with utmost respect, believing they could assist in stabilizing the nation's foundation.

This passage recounts several legendary stories of Daoist immortals:

The first tells of Wang Qiong, who possessed mystical arts enabling him to paint turtles on tiles. After drawing the turtle shell pattern on a tile and keeping it in his robe for a while, he could place it on the ground where it would transform into a living turtle that crawled around the courtyard. After several days, the turtle would revert to its original tile form.

The second story describes how Huang Zhenjun (personal name Renxian, courtesy name Ziting), upon receiving the Jade Emperor's summons to ascend as an immortal, found his two younger brothers still hunting. Ziting rushed to call them, but they replied: "We are by nature fond of pleasure and unfit for immortality. While we wish our whole family could ascend together, we're not yet ready to leave the mortal world - besides, we haven't caught enough deer in our hunt." Seeing their persistent delusions, Ziting taught them the methods for becoming terrestrial immortals (dixian), then transformed grass into deer to dispel their worldly attachments. The brothers later became recluses in the Western Mountains.

The third account tells of Wang Guanxiang (daughter of King Ling) who practiced cultivation with her elder brother Wang Qiao in the mountains for thirty-nine years before attaining the Dao. She was appointed Purple-Blue Palace Consort and put in charge of Eastern Palace affairs.

The fourth narrative concerns Xu Ying (elder brother of Chief Clerk Xu), who devoted himself to Daoist practice and received teachings on "the Way of Unbinding" from Wang Shilong. Practicing rejuvenation techniques and consuming jade elixirs, within two or three years his complexion became radiant and youthful. However, due to innate constitutional limitations, he couldn't reach higher realms and was ultimately recommended by the Director of Fate to become a terrestrial immortal.

The fifth story recounts how Zhou Zhenjun (personal name Guang, courtesy name Huichang) learned exorcism techniques in Sichuan. Hearing of Xu Zhenjun's reputation for curing illnesses with talismans (fulu) in Jingyang, he traveled specifically to become his disciple, eventually ascending to immortality alongside his master.

The sixth tale describes Liu Gen, who abandoned his official post during Emperor Wu of Han's reign to practice Daoism in a stone chamber on Mount Song. Later at Huayin Mountain, he encountered an immortal riding a white deer chariot, accompanied by over ten attendants and flanked by jade maidens.

The Register of the Immortal Multitudes from the Three Caverns records several stories of Daoist practitioners:

The first account tells of a man who encountered the immortal Han Zhong (a legendary Daoist transcendent) seeking guidance. Han Zhong explained the different levels of cultivation: The highest path involves ingesting elixirs like the Nine-Cycle Reverted Elixir or the Great Unity Golden Liquor, which enable immediate ascension to immortality. The middle path employs substances like mica and realgar—though these cannot induce instantaneous flight, they grant power to command spirits and achieve transformative longevity. The most basic method uses common herbs that merely heal illness and nourish life, unable to confer immortality.

The second narrative recounts the story of impoverished scholar Li Zhen. A Daoist named Zhang Qiwu frequently lodged at his home. Though the priest often behaved drunkenly and improperly, Li Zhen consistently treated him with respect. At parting, the Daoist offered to teach him alchemical gold-making techniques (huangbai shu), but Li Zhen declined, believing his virtue insufficient to receive such gifts. Moved by his integrity, the priest drew a hairpin across the ground, leapt into the resulting chasm, and vanished.

The third passage documents the cultivation journey of Zhang Hao during the Eastern Han dynasty's Yongchu era. Selected as a Daoist priest at twenty, he was tested by the adept Feng Heng: first with terrifying illusions of abyssal whales, then with temptations of beauty and wealth. Recognizing his steadfast resolve, Feng transmitted scriptures like the Purple Texts of Azure Radiance and Upper Scripture of Golden Roots, along with elixirs, admonishing him that "diligent practice leads to attainment, while negligence brings loss." Zhang Hao later refined elixirs at Mount Chicheng, achieving immortality by the Taichu era of Cao-Wei.

Finally, the text mentions that in 364 CE (Xingning era of Eastern Jin), Lady Ziwei (a Daoist immortal) and Consort An (another female transcendent) descended together to visit a Yang-family practitioner—implying that immortals may descend to instruct predestined individuals, though the original record remains brief.

These stories collectively embody core Daoist cultivation principles: Immortals test practitioners' spiritual constitution before imparting true teachings; cultivation methods have hierarchical efficacy yet all require perseverance; and moral virtue forms the essential foundation for Daoist practice.

In the abode of the Perfected Purple Tenuity (a high-ranking Daoist immortal), it was announced that an esteemed guest would visit Lady An today. This divine maiden, daughter of Lady Li, once cultivated the Daoist methods of the Shangqing (Highest Clarity) tradition at Tortoise Mountain. After achieving mastery in her practice, she received the register of immortality from the Most High Lord Lao (Taishang Laojun) and was conferred the title of Perfected Consort of Nine Splendors, granted the surname An. She now freely roams the celestial realm of Great Clarity (Taiqing, one of the Three Pure Realms).

The Baopuzi records that Sun Deng was an extraordinary man—without family ties, he dwelled perpetually in mountain caves, wearing only a single layer of clothing in winter and warming himself with his own long hair when cold. The Zhen'gao (Declarations of the Perfected) further notes that Sun Deng could produce the eight musical tones (ancient timbres of eight instruments) from a single zither string, truly a man of rare abilities. Daoist practitioners often use palm-fiber whisks as ritual implements.

The Maoting Ji recounts how Yong Fazhi perpetually venerated a stone statue of the Most High Lord Lao while reciting the Celestial Peng Incantation (a Daoist exorcism mantra). One night, he dreamed of a divine being taking a palm-fiber whisk from before the statue and presenting it to him, saying: "When you encounter the sick, gently sweep them with this." Upon awakening, the whisk proved miraculously effective—patients would recover immediately upon being brushed. Contemporary ballads praised him: "When Master Yong sweeps, the blind see; when he whisks, the lame walk," and seekers of healing came in endless streams.

The Dantai Xinlu describes how Xuanyuan Ji lived in seclusion on Mount Luofu, calling himself the Elder of Luofu. Legends claim he lived for centuries. Each time he entered the mountains to gather herbs, dragons and tigers would follow as his protectors. This master could divide his form and vanish without trace, often healing people with a ritual headscarf (a type of Daoist cloth implement)—a single gentle stroke would cure ailments. He later disappeared without a trace.

The Shenxian Zhuan tells of Liu Chen and Ruan Zhao who became lost while gathering herbs on Mount Tiantai. While fording a stream, they encountered two stunningly beautiful women who invited them home to enjoy fine wine, sesame rice, and mountain goat meat. After dwelling in the mountains for over half a year, they returned to find seven centuries had passed in the human world. The Chuanqi records that during the Yuanhe era, Yuan Che and Liu Shi lived on Mount Heng. When sailing to Hepu, they were caught in a typhoon and drifted to a deserted island. Ashore, they met two immortal maidens with double-coiled hair who introduced them to the Lady of the Southern Seas (a sea deity). Smiling, the Lady remarked: "Long ago there were Liu and Ruan's celestial encounter—now we have Yuan and Liu's miraculous fate. Is this not heaven's will?" She then commanded the immortal maidens to escort them back to the human world.

Someone presented a jade flask inscribed with a poem: "Riding a leaf-like boat, coming and going on the bridge of a hundred flowers. If you gently tap this jade vessel in the mortal realm, the mandarin ducks will understand your heart." Suddenly, a bridge several hundred paces long appeared, its railings adorned with exotic blossoms. After crossing to Hepu, the two travelers turned back to find the bridge vanished. On their return to Mount Heng, they lightly tapped the flask and indeed heard mandarin ducks speak: "Should you desire food and drink, continue forward and you shall find it." Suddenly, abundant meals appeared by the roadside, satisfying their hunger. Later, they met an elder (Grand Ultimate [Taiji] Master). Showing him the flask, the elder exclaimed, "This is my jade vessel for storing celestial elixir, lost for ages." The two subsequently followed the master to dwell on Zhurong Peak, presumably attaining the Dao and ascending as immortals.

Li Shaojun of Qi, hearing of Emperor Wu of Han's fondness for immortal arts, sought audience through extraordinary techniques. He claimed cinnabar could be transmuted into gold, consuming which enabled celestial ascent. When recognizing a bronze vessel from Duke Wei of Qi's era in the imperial court, Emperor Wu verified its inscription and realized Shaojun was centuries old, yet his radiant skin and youthful features resembled a child's.

Zhao Qu (courtesy name Zirong), afflicted with mortal illness, retreated to mountains hoping to feed himself to beasts, but encountered an extraordinary man who taught him dietary cultivation methods. Cured and physically rejuvenated, he lived 170 years with youthful countenance. In sleep, two maidens would emerge from his nostrils while celestial music sounded in his ears. Dwelling among mortals over 300 years, he maintained childlike appearance.

Li Zhenduo, sister to immortal Li Tuo, cultivated with her brother for a century until he transmitted the essential method of worshipping the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning [Yuanshi Tianzun]. Though centenarian, she appeared twenty, later receiving flying ascent techniques from Lord Lao's [Laojun] descent. Her cultivation site "Zhenduo Zhi" remains in Shu.

Taoist Ren Keju, still simple-minded at forty, carried his satchel to follow master Dao Rong. Touched by his sincerity, Dao Rong imparted the "Zhenyuan Strategy" and "Lingbao Formula," instructing: "After eighteen years..."

This passage recounts several marvelous tales related to Daoist cultivation practices:

The first story describes how practitioners, through fasting (zhaijiao) and visualizing the Big Dipper constellation (Doukui), could foresee fortunes and misfortunes. However, it emphasizes that such abilities must not be casually disclosed to others, lest it invite calamity; nor should they be used to pursue fame and wealth, as this would nullify their efficacy.

The second tale concerns the Tang Dynasty figure Li Bi. As a child, his body was so light he could stand on a folding screen. A mystic predicted he would ascend to immortality at fifteen. Fearing his departure, his parents splashed him with garlic juice (considered in Daoism to break spiritual powers). In adulthood, he practiced grain avoidance (bigu) techniques until his bones emitted crystalline sounds, earning him the nickname "Lockbone Immortal." His poetry expressed the inner conflict between celestial ascension and worldly attachments.

The third narrative tells of Jiang Shumao, Marquis of Baling in the Qin Dynasty, who cultivated fruit trees and pungent vegetables (wuxin cai) at the foot of Mount Juqu (a sacred Daoist mountain). He sold these to purchase cinnabar for alchemical preparations. To this day, his planted leeks remain on the mountain, and the local place name "Jiangba" commemorates him.

The fourth recounts the legend of Liu Yi's message delivery: Scholar Liu Yi encountered the abused daughter of the Dongting Dragon King and helped deliver her letter. Following instructions, he struck a large orange tree by the lake thrice, whereupon armored guards escorted him to the underwater palace. The Dragon Lord hosted a grand feast and bestowed treasures upon departure.

Finally, the passage references the Nanhua Zhenjing (the Zhuangzi), which records Confucius wandering in the Black Canopy Forest and resting at the Apricot Altar. These stories collectively embody Daoist ideals of reclusive cultivation, compassionate service, and interactions between humans and transcendents.

This scripture recounts several stories of Daoist immortals:

The first scene depicts Confucius playing the zither on an altar when a white-haired, disheveled fisherman (representing a recluse) disembarks from his boat, listening attentively with his left hand resting on his knee and right hand supporting his chin. This illustrates Daoism's veneration for enlightened hermits.

Next is the tale of Zhang Xie from Wuling: A diligent scholar since childhood, he often practiced at Taoyuan Temple hoping to encounter immortals. During the Qianfu era, while participating in a zhaijiao (Daoist purification ritual), he prayed with utmost sincerity when suddenly a crystal vial descended from heaven containing sweet celestial water. Upon drinking it, he immediately ascended to immortality.

Then comes Wei Boyang's alchemical story: While refining elixirs with three disciples in the mountains, he doubted their resolve and first tested the pill on a dog. When the dog died after consuming it, Boyang declared, "Better to take the pill and die than fail immortality," then "died" himself after ingestion. Two frightened disciples fled, but the remaining disciple Yu insisted on taking the pill. When the others returned, they found Boyang and Disciple Yu resurrected as immortals, accompanied by the white test-dog.

Finally, the story of Huang Zunshi from Maoshan: During a lecture, an intruder suddenly berated him, saying "Gathering crowds to lecture in summer heat is inferior to solitary mountain cultivation." Only later did he realize this was an immortal demanding funds for cultivation. When the master procured a broken iron pot as requested, he understood this was an immortal testing his enlightenment.

These stories collectively demonstrate: Cultivation requires unwavering faith; seemingly perilous trials often conceal opportunities for immortality; and celestial beings frequently enlighten mortals through unexpected means.

This passage recounts several miraculous stories related to Daoism:

The first story tells of a man who dug a furnace in the ground to make fire for refining medicine. After adding a small amount of medicinal ingredients and stirring, he quickly produced silver. The master expressed his gratitude with a smile before disappearing out the door. Later, someone spotted him in the capital with a whip tucked at his waist, driving a mule at astonishing speed. People called him the "Mule Rider."

The second story takes place at Taiping Temple in Jiangzhou. The Daoist priest Hu Yongcong had been dismissed from his post due to blindness. One snowy day, he encountered a poor ink seller. Out of compassion, Hu frequently bought ink from him. One day, the ink seller bid farewell through the door, gifting him a small piece of ink said to cure illness. After grinding and consuming the ink, Hu's vision was miraculously restored. Because the seller had gestured with chopsticks near his mouth, resembling the character "Lü," people suspected he was Lü Dongbin, one of the Eight Immortals.

The third story concerns physician Shen Bin. On his deathbed, he told his son that his burial site was an auspicious feng shui location. After his death, the family discovered a stone coffin already prepared in the tomb, along with three exquisite blue stone lotus lamps and a stone tablet. The inscription predicted it would await Shen Bin's arrival.

The fourth story records the supernatural deeds of Yuan Qi from the Later Han dynasty. While serving as an official in Yangxian County, he could predict floods and droughts, claiming he would become a deity after death. He indeed passed away without illness, and during burial, his coffin mysteriously vanished amid wind and rain. Villagers later heard thousands of voices from Jingshan Mountain at night. At dawn, they found the coffin already placed there.

These stories exemplify Daoist accounts of alchemy, immortal manifestations, and foreknowledge of life and death—all reflecting the tradition's mystical dimensions.

This scripture records several miraculous accounts of Daoist immortals and extraordinary individuals:

The first recounts the legend of Jingnan Mountain (later renamed Jun Mountain, commonly called Bronze Coffin Mountain). It is said that when a certain prefect died, a bronze coffin descended from heaven to receive his remains—just as when the ancient immortal Wang Qiao served as magistrate of Ye County and a jade coffin descended from him. When people arrived at the scene, they found only a stone altar and stone mound, the coffin having mysteriously vanished.

The second account describes a female Daoist from Ziyun Temple in Puzhou during the Kaiyuan era of Tang Dynasty who could ride the wind in flight. When she appeared at the bell tower of Yuzhen Temple in Luoyang, crowds gathered to witness her, yet though officials had her beaten, she emerged completely unharmed. Later, she flew away during a windy day and was never seen again. This nun had long practiced bigu (a Daoist cultivation technique of abstaining from grains), making her body as light as a swallow.

The third story tells of the wondrous experiences of female Daoist Zhang Lianqiao from Huangmei County. At eight or nine years old, she saw lotuses emerging from a well, and later when she accidentally fell into the well, she found herself standing on the water's surface. After taking monastic vows at eighteen, she once witnessed coins and yellow medicine (immortal elixir) descending from heaven; upon swallowing them, her vital energy (Qi) multiplied.

The fourth account documents Daoist Ye Qianshao (courtesy name Lu Cong) who could summon wind and rain. During droughts, burning incense and praying would bring rain; rubbing his foot on the ground could summon thunder. Once when he suddenly shouted reprimands in town, it was later confirmed he had extinguished a distant fire.

The final story concerns Wang Xiang. From childhood he aspired to seclude himself on Zhongnan Mountain. As an adult, he devoted himself to cultivating "sitting in oblivion and relinquishing illumination" (a Daoist meditation method of self-forgetting), eventually encountering the immortal Meng Xian (a figure from Daoist lore).

Xie Ziran cultivated the Dao in Guozhou, capable of prolonged fasting (bigu) without eating, often discussing the profound mysteries of Daoist teachings. The local prefect Han Yi initially suspected her of practicing deception and confined her in the government office for several months. Upon unlocking the door, he found her appearance unchanged and subsequently had his daughter become her disciple. Later, the Daoist priest Cheng Taixu established an altar on Dafang Mountain to transmit the Three Caverns scriptures (the Shangqing, Lingbao, and Dongshen traditions of Daoism), prompting Xie Ziran to relocate to the prefectural city. In the ninth year of the Zhenyuan era (793 CE), Prefect Li Jian built a Daoist temple for her on Jinquan Mountain. One day, she suddenly appeared at the government office to bid farewell and, that very day, ascended into the heavens amidst multicolored clouds witnessed by the public, with auspicious clouds covering the sky for miles around.

Wang Pingfu (younger brother of Wang Anshi), while on night duty at the Chongwen Academy, dreamed of being invited to an immortal palace above the sea. He saw the palace inscribed with the words "Lingzhi Palace" (Palace of Numinous Fungi) amidst celestial music. Someone across the water told him his time had not yet come, and he awoke precisely as the morning bell tolled in the palace. Later, he composed a poem recording this extraordinary dream: "On boundless waves, fallen leaves dance in flight / The immortal palace resounds with music, named Lingzhi. / What my brush records seems not of mortal sight— / The Changlegong bell shatters the dream's spell."

Peng Xiao (styled Zhenyi Zi) claimed descent from Peng Zu (Jian Keng). Though serving as a court official, he persistently practiced cultivation. As magistrate of Jintang County, he often rode a white ox through Changli Mountain, with white cranes accompanying him wherever he went. He authored a commentary on the Scripture of the Hidden Talisman (Yinfu Jing) and created the "Iron Fan Talisman" to heal illnesses and save lives.

Huang Guanfu came from a poor family but consistently offered cypress leaves as incense in worship.

There was a woman who subsisted solely on cypress leaves, abstaining from all grains. When she reached marriageable age, she suddenly told her parents, "There's something strange in the well before our gate." As her parents went to look, the well water began churning violently, and the young woman threw herself into its depths, remaining submerged for an unusually long time. When villagers finally retrieved her, they found instead an ancient statue of a Celestial Venerable (the highest Daoist deity) whose features perfectly mirrored the missing girl's, while the well water returned to stillness. The grieving family placed the wooden effigy by the roadside and returned home weeping. The mother would often visit the statue, consumed by longing.

Then one day, amid swirling clouds of many hues and celestial music, the maiden descended with three immortal companions into the family courtyard. Addressing her parents, she explained: "I am actually an immortal from Shangqing Heaven (one of the Three Pure Realms in Daoism), temporarily exiled to the mortal world for a minor transgression. Now that my term of banishment has ended, I must return to the celestial realms. Please do not grieve." She then warned them: "This year will bring a deadly plague claiming many lives. You must relocate to Yizhou (modern Sichuan region) to escape this calamitous year." After leaving several gold pieces, she ascended amidst the celestial entourage.

(This account weaves together several Daoist motifs: the concept of banished immortals (zhexian) undergoing earthly trials, the possibility of cultivation enabling celestial return, while simultaneously documenting historical responses to epidemic outbreaks.)