《三洞群仙錄》Vol. 15

Heshang Gong was a Daoist recluse who lived by the Yellow River, his true name unknown. Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty admired the Dao De Jing (Classic of the Way and Virtue) and sent envoys with unresolved questions to consult him. Heshang Gong replied, "The Great Dao is sacred—it cannot be inquired about from afar." The emperor then personally visited by carriage, alighting to pay respects and seek guidance. Heshang Gong advised him: "Always take the people's hearts as your own heart."

While living as a hermit on Mount Song, the scholar Ren Sheng once encountered a yellow-robed figure holding a ledger of life and death who came to seize him at night. After traveling dozens of miles, they suddenly met a grand procession featuring a woman riding in a jade-green carriage. The yellow-robed attendant hastily pulled Ren Sheng aside to hide by a wall. The woman inquired who he was and, after reviewing the ledger, declared, "Since we've met, it must be fate." Dipping her brush, she added three years to his lifespan. Ren Sheng indeed lived three more years before passing. This woman was none other than the highest-ranking San Su Yuanjun (Three Primordial Ladies of Purity).

Zhang Zixiang (courtesy name Linbo), a master of classical texts and former magistrate of Luoyang, later retreated with his wife to Mount Longhu to cultivate the Dao. He could expel his Neidan (internal elixir) to play with in his hands or place it in a vessel, its radiance piercing through rooftops. After living over a century, his coffin was found empty at death.

During the Five Dynasties, the Jiangnan Daoist Tan Zixiao excelled in ritual arts—conducting Zhaijiao (purification rites), pacing the stars in Bugang (cosmic dance), and exorcising spirits. While dwelling at Lushan’s Qiyin Cave, monks building a riverside pavilion found their path blocked by a massive boulder. Tan traced sigils, chanted incantations, sprayed water, and directed laborers to strike with hammers—whereupon the rock shattered instantly, leaving the ground perfectly level.

The legend of Hou Yi’s elixir of immortality—stolen by his wife Chang’e, who then ascended to the moon—and the tale of Jiang Fei (goddess of the Han River) gifting her jade pendant both illustrate that adepts must safeguard Dan (elixirs) and ritual implements, never revealing them lightly.

The Records of the Assembled Immortals recounts an encounter by the riverside where two celestial maidens appeared adorned in resplendent robes, each wearing ten enormous pearls the size of Jingzhou hen eggs. When Zheng Jiaofu met and spoke with them, he requested their ornaments. The maidens unfastened the pearls and gave them to him, but after Zheng had walked only a few dozen steps, both the pearls and the maidens vanished without a trace. Similarly, the Han Poetry Inner Commentary records Zheng Jiaofu preparing to journey south to the state of Chu when he encountered two pearl-adorned maidens beneath the Han Terrace. Though they granted his request for their ornaments, the moment he departed, both the maidens and the pearls disappeared.

The Chronicles of Mount Wuyi describes how on the fifteenth day of the eighth month in the second year of Qin Shi Huang’s reign, Lord Wuyi (the mountain deity) hosted a grand banquet atop Manting Peak for the local people. Over a thousand men and women were seated on either side, their cushions woven with crimson clouds and violet mists. Celestial music played as Peng Zhao sang of mortal partings: "Rare are the meetings between heaven and earth; the sun sets as birds return to their nests. A hundred years pass in a blink, yet desires remain unfulfilled. The celestial palace lies within reach, yet none may follow." As the song ended, colored clouds gathered, and the people bid farewell to the immortals. When they turned back to look, the mountaintop stood empty.

The Biographies of Eminent Daoists records how Xue Jichang cultivated the Dao on Mount Hengshan, delving deeply into its truths. Emperor Xuanzong of Tang once summoned him to the palace to discuss the Dao, and his profound explanations earned imperial admiration. One day, he suddenly told his disciples, "Tonight, the immortals gather atop Zhurong Peak, and I have been summoned." With that, he ascended into the sky.

The same text also recounts the story of Du Guangting (courtesy name Binsheng). One day, he informed his disciples that he had dreamed of the Jade Emperor appointing him as the mountain deity of Min’e, with an immortal palace already prepared for him on Mount Qingcheng. He predicted his imminent departure from the mortal world. Du kept a white hound named "Barking Cloud," whose paws he anointed with sesame oil and wrapped in cloth, claiming this allowed it to travel ten thousand li in a day. When the celestial palace was complete, he donned his ritual robes, bid farewell to his disciples, and passed away in seated meditation. The chamber filled with an extraordinary fragrance, and his faithful hound, too, howled mournfully before dying.

(Note: "Zhurong" refers to the main peak of Mount Hengshan, a sacred Daoist site; "Min’e" denotes the Min Mountains and Mount Emei; "Qingcheng" is Mount Qingcheng, another revered Daoist mountain.)

The Extensive Records document that Wan You cultivated in the uninhabited deep mountains of Qiannan (present-day southern Guizhou), only venturing into town to sell herbs every twenty or thirty years. When King Wang Jian of Shu invited him to the palace and treated him with the highest honors, inquiring about what elixirs he consumed, Wan You kept it secret: "I am no immortal, nor do I rely on elixirs. I simply maintain inner purity, nurture my primordial Qi (vital energy), act with benevolence, and minimize faults." Asked about his age, he replied: "I only recall the ancient eras when the Yelang King ruled Shu and Cancong established his capital at Pixian. Each time I emerge, I see only the alternation of sun and moon, the blooming and withering of flowers—I long ceased counting the years." Later, he firmly declined to stay and returned to the mountains, leaving Wang Jian weeping in vain. When questioned about future events, he remained silent. After his departure, people discovered an inscription on the wall of his quarters: "Beware lest the green pig's foot be disturbed, for once moved, unquenchable flames will rise; the fierce beast must not bear two yellows, or in that year, the heavens shall not weep." The wise could not decipher it. In the year Yihai (the "green pig" refers to the heavenly stem Yi and earthly branch Hai), Wang Jian launched an eastern campaign, igniting war just as predicted; three years later, in the Wuyin year (Yin symbolizes the tiger, a fierce beast, and the stem-branch's elemental correspondence is earth, whose color is yellow—hence "two yellows"), Wang Jian passed away, fulfilling the prophecy with uncanny precision.

The Biographies of Immortals records that Huan Kai, styled Qingyuan, followed Tao Hongjing in cultivation at Huayang Temple on Maoshan for over a decade. Upright and cautious by nature, he appeared idle in his daily silence. One day, two azure-clad immortal youths descended on white cranes. Tao Hongjing assumed they had come for him, but the youths said: "The Supreme Venerable Sovereign (Taishang Laojun) summons Master Huan." Recalling no disciple surnamed Huan, Tao eventually discovered it was the kitchen fire-tender Huan Kai. Pressed for an explanation, Huan revealed: "I have secretly practiced the 'Way of Silent Audience' (a method of cultivating Shen/spirit through stillness) for nine years." In the end, he ascended to heaven in celestial robes astride a white crane.

The Gleaned Records of Immortal Biographies recounts that Liu Hao, a lifelong Daoist devotee, cultivated with such piety that even in his eighties, he remained free of illness—a fact his villagers attributed to spiritual practice. One day, he suddenly informed his family: "Last night, I received a celestial edict appointing me overseer of immortal feasts at the Nine Immortals' Treasure Grotto. I must depart in a hundred days." When the time came, he indeed passed without ailment, his chamber suffused with an unearthly fragrance that lingered for days.

The Register of the Immortals from the Three Caverns records miraculous deeds of several Daoist transcendents:

Liu Rong could transform flour into turtles and eggs. By smearing flour on a cup and reciting incantations, he could produce a living turtle that could be cooked and eaten. After consuming the meat, he would chant over the turtle shell, which would revert to its original form as a cup. He could also hold flour in his mouth and spit out dozens of eggs—when boiled, each yolk contained traces of flour. More remarkably, he could chant over plain water to transform it into fine wine that could intoxicate drinkers.

Zhang Guolao (one of the Eight Immortals) often rode a white donkey that could travel hundreds of miles daily. During rest periods, he would fold the donkey like paper and store it in his headscarf box; when ready to ride again, a spray of saliva would restore the donkey to its original form.

Lu Feng was a miraculous carpenter. When a county magistrate sent officers to arrest him for repairing over twenty dilapidated houses, he instead dragged the officers to drink until they collapsed in drunken stupor. The next morning, as the anxious officers pressed him, Lu Feng calmly declared the repairs already completed—village children soon arrived reporting that the houses had been mysteriously restored overnight as if by wind and rain.

Xi Leshan appeared during heavy snowfall in Chang'an, volunteering at a cart workshop. Claiming extraordinary speed in crafting wheel spokes, he demanded three hundred coins as payment. From dawn till before midnight, he produced a hundred spokes. After receiving three thousand coins, he distributed all to the poor before vanishing when the snow ceased.

The Zhuangzi mentions Liezi (Lie Yukou) riding the wind in effortless flight, roaming freely for fifteen days before returning. Though he transcended walking, he still relied on wind. True Dao attainment means harmonizing with cosmic patterns—mastering the six qi (vital energies) of yin-yang, wind, rain, darkness and light—to achieve ultimate liberation.

Du Zisheng (styled Keyun) claimed origins from Duling, though none knew his background. These stories exemplify the Daoist ideal of transcendents wielding boundless transformations while dwelling in carefree spiritual freedom.

The Register of Immortals from the Three Caverns records remarkable deeds of extraordinary individuals:

There was a longevity adept who could drink three dou of wine without inebriation, excelled at writing characters on sand, and slept atop snow for two or three days in winter. When people assumed he had frozen to death and brushed away the snow, he would slowly rise, shake off the accumulated snow, and walk about as if just awakening from drunkenness. During Du Ruxiu's tenure as governor of Suzhou in the Tang dynasty, hearing of this "Keyun" Daoist residing in the city, he invited him to the prefectural office, addressing him reverently as "Daoist Elder" (Daoweng) to the astonishment of subordinates. Du explained that forty years prior, when his father governed Western Shu, this same Daoist had been their family friend - yet the man's appearance and clothing remained completely unchanged. Later, the Daoist traveled to the Hangzhou and Yuezhou regions.

The legendary tale of Kuafu chasing the sun: Ancient texts describe Kuafu with two yellow snakes hanging from his ears, who overestimated his strength in pursuing the sun's shadow. Reaching the Valley of Yu, parched with thirst, he drained the Wei River yet remained unquenched. While heading north toward the Great Marsh for more water, he perished from thirst midway. His staff, saturated with corpse oils, transformed into the sprawling thousand-mile Peach Forest (Denglin).

Li Bai's moon-catching episode: Du Fu later recounted how Li Bai, lodging by an autumn-clear riverbank, saw the moon's reflection and declared he would enter the water to catch it. When no corpse was found afterward, people deemed it "water liberation" (shuijie) - the special dissolution method of transcendents.

Ye Fashan's (courtesy name Yuandao) marvelous encounter: This Daoist from Mount Kuocang was born after his mother dreamed of swallowing a shooting star and carried him for fifteen months. At seven, he drowned in a river yet returned three years later, claiming an immortal youth (Qingtong) had taken him to drink celestial dew (yunjiang) and pay respects to Lord Lao (Taishang Laojun), hence the delay.

During an herb-gathering expedition with Ji Kang (Ji Shuye), Wang Lie (courtesy name Changxiu) heard thunderclaps on Mount Taihang, witnessing the mountain split open to reveal flowing azure stone marrow (legendary elixir). After partaking of it, when Wang led Ji Kang back, the mountain had already resealed. Immortal scriptures record this stone marrow appears once every five centuries - consuming it grants longevity.

Finally mentioned are Shen Bin, who failed imperial examinations thrice, and Dong Wei, who persisted in cultivation despite wearing hundred-patched rags (baijie).

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

Shen Bin, styled Ziwen, showed an affinity for the ways of immortals from childhood. In his youth, he attempted the imperial examinations three times, each occasion marked by extraordinary encounters. Before his first attempt, he dreamed of entering a celestial palace where golden peaches ripened unpicked, phoenixes beat their wings, and a divine dragon turned away in fear from a golden whip. Prior to his second examination, he again dreamed of the Queen Mother of the West (Xiwangmu) hosting a banquet in her jade tower, where the sun and moon moved sluggishly while the mulberry fields were about to transform into the blue sea. During his third attempt, his poetic composition so impressed the chief examiner that another candidate, Liu Xiang, was exceptionally admitted in his stead. Later, while traveling through southern regions, Shen Bin himself attained the Dao (the Way) and became an accomplished adept.

Another recluse, Dong Wei, lived in the White Society of Luoyang, wearing a "hundred-knot robe" patched together from fabric scraps.

The practitioner Yuan Zi came from a scholarly family. The Daoist priest Nie Shidao, having heard that the Perfected Mei and Vice-Minister Xiao had retired to Mount Yusi, journeyed there to seek them. In the mountains, he met a man calling himself "the Wanderer," who revealed that although immediate ascension to immortality wasn't possible, his name was already recorded in the jade registers (yuji) of the immortals, ensuring his future capacity to aid the world and deliver humanity.

In his youth, Yuan Zi once traveled to Qingxi in Fuzhou, where a Confucian scholar informed him that five or six Daoist priests lived there in secret retreat. Later, when Yuan Zi brought fine wine as an offering, he indeed encountered these reclusive practitioners.

(Note: The "jade registers" refer to the Daoist roster of immortals; "ascension" denotes achieving immortality through the Dao; "aiding the world and delivering humanity" represents a central aim of Daoist cultivation.)

This passage records several miraculous stories about Daoist immortals.

The first tells of Master Yuan: During a gathering of Daoist priests and Confucian scholars, a scholar introduced Master Yuan to meet them. The priests changed countenance upon seeing him and became angry with the scholar. The scholar explained that Master Yuan sincerely sought the Dao and was also a learned man. After long observation, the priests' anger subsided, remarking that Master Yuan resembled the meditating monk from Western Hua Mountain who had left forty-seven years prior. When asked, Master Yuan's age indeed matched forty-seven years. The priests clapped, declaring his fortune had arrived. Later, Master Yuan indeed became prime minister.

The second recounts Zuo Ci's story: Zuo Ci of Wei was skilled in transformation arts. When visiting Eastern Wu, he called upon Xu Duo in Dantu. A gatekeeper falsely claimed his master wasn't home. Knowing the deception, Zuo Ci left. The gatekeeper then saw an ox walking atop a poplar tree - vanishing when he climbed up, reappearing when he descended. Cart wheels suddenly sprouted thorns that couldn't be cut or moved. Terrified, the gatekeeper informed Xu Duo, who exclaimed, "This is Zuo Ci! How dare you deceive him?" Servants scattered to find Zuo Ci and kowtowed in apology. Only then did Zuo Ci relent, restoring normality.

The third describes Chengdu portraitist Xu: A painter excelled at portraits. One day, a shabbily dressed pauper requested a portrait. Laughing, the painter asked why he wanted such a haggard likeness. The man opened his bag, producing yellow Daoist robes, a deerskin cap, and white jade hairpin. Changing clothes and wiping his face, he transformed into a radiant immortal with childlike complexion and crane-white hair. Realizing a deity had descended, the painter obeyed the immortal's instruction to sell portraits at his shop for strictly 1,000 coins each. Later, buyers recognized the image as Perfected Zhu of Lingquan, creating great demand. Greed made Xu charge 2,000 coins, until the immortal warned him in a dream that exceeding his destined fortune would shorten his life. Waking with a crooked neck, he became known ever after as "Crooked-Head Xu."

Finally, it mentions Jie Zitui's reclusive anonymity and Zhao Chengzi's (possibly referring to Zhao Jianzi) deeds as historical allusions.

During his years of exile, Duke Wen of Jin (Chong'er) once saw a yellow sparrow perch on his gate, which he took as an auspicious omen. Though wandering in foreign lands for over a decade, he never abandoned his resolve to restore his state. Later, when returning to Jieshan Mountain, a recluse named Bozi would frequently summon the loyal minister Jie Zitui, saying: "The time has come to depart." Jie Zitui subsequently followed Bozi into seclusion. Despite Duke Wen's lavish offers of jade and silks to recruit him, Jie Zitui steadfastly refused to leave his mountain retreat.

Feng Heng (styled Junda) was an accomplished Daoist adept often seen riding a black ox while practicing medicine, earning him the nickname "Black Ox Daoist." Carrying bamboo medicine tubes, he would treat all patients—whether acquaintances or strangers—with herbs or acupuncture, often achieving immediate cures. When Emperor Wu of Wei inquired about longevity techniques, Feng advised: "Keep the body in constant motion yet moderate in eating. Exercise without exhaustion, fast without depletion. Reduce greasy foods, limit salty and sour flavors, diminish excessive thoughts, and restrain emotions. Withdraw from fame and fortune, moderate sexual activity. In spring and summer, let energy expand; in autumn and winter, conserve it. This approaches the way of nurturing life."

During Emperor Wu of Han's reign, the Shanglin Park presented dates as tribute. The emperor rapped his staff against the Weiyang Palace's balustrade and challenged Dongfang Shuo to guess the riddle: "Do you know what's in this box?" Dongfang replied: "Forty-nine dates from Shanglin Park." He explained: "Your summoning me (Shuo) represents the character 'shang' (上), rapping the balustrade is 'lin' (林), repeated calls signify 'zao' (枣, date, homophonous with '早'), and the two 'chi' sounds have seven strokes total—seven times seven makes forty-nine." The emperor laughed heartily and rewarded him with ten bolts of silk.

The Daoist Zhang Yuanhua (whose cultivation methods remain unspecified) once appeared in villagers' dreams to bid farewell before his distant journey—that very night he achieved yuhua (羽化, "feathered transformation," the Daoist term for an adept's transcendence). At dawn, villagers discovered an arm-sized hole atop his grave, recognizing it as evidence of his cicada-like molting and celestial ascent. Later, a merchant selling pomegranates at Heyin encountered a Daoist who identified himself as "Abbot Zhang of Rufen" and entrusted him with a letter and pomegranates for delivery to the North Pole Temple. Disciples recognized their master's handwriting, and when leading the merchant to the memorial hall, the latter was astonished to find the Daoist's portrait identical to the man he'd met.

When the Daoist Li Zhen dwelled in seclusion on Mount Hua, the local magnate Wang You would frequently host banquets for visitors from all directions, with fine wines and delicacies flowing endlessly—a subtle portrayal of the transcendent lifestyle cultivated by Daoist practitioners.

This Perfected Being (a Daoist adept who has attained cultivation) came to visit Li You carrying a qin zither and a medicine gourd. Li You invited him to stay at his residence. The Perfected Being said: "I've heard that a person's preferences reflect their aspirations—those skilled in political strategizing invariably harbor ambitions of persuasion, while masters of military tactics must possess intentions of conquest. That I carry a zither and medicine gourd—do you think there's no deeper meaning? The zither I bring because I know its music can evoke ancient simplicity, helping people return to their original pure nature and abandon restlessness; the medicine gourd I carry because I understand the world suffers many ailments, and I wish to alleviate suffering and preserve health. My zither isn't merely for self-cultivation, but to teach others; my medicine isn't just for personal care, but to aid all living beings. Though you may use surplus wealth to assist others, you remain fundamentally different from those who amass riches through unrighteous means. Compared to how ancient nobles treated worthy scholars, you still fall short. The key lies in distinguishing the worthy from the unworthy—only then can your reputation and position remain secure." Having spoken, he drank by himself until dawn, then suddenly took his leave. Li You secretly followed him and saw the Perfected Being transform into a great deer that galloped westward, disappearing without a trace.

The story of Zhang Zhihe (courtesy name Zitong) from the Tang Dynasty: When Yan Zhenqing served as governor of Huzhou, Zhang Zhihe came to visit. Seeing his boat was dilapidated, Yan wanted to replace it, but Zhihe insisted on making the boat his home, drifting between the Tiao and Zha streams. Li Deyu praised him thus: "In reclusion he enjoyed pure reputation, in service he transcended worldly concerns, neither destitute nor prominent, maintaining dignified ritual propriety throughout his life."