《三洞群仙錄》Vol. 4

The fourth volume of the Records of the Immortals from the Three Caverns recounts the deeds of several accomplished Daoist masters:

On Mount Heng, there was a Daoist who never revealed his name. When asked for his surname, he would only reply "He," and when asked for his given name, he would again say "He." Thus, people called him Master He-He. When questioned why he did not verbally instruct later generations, he responded: "Those who know do not speak; those who do not know speak recklessly. Who can truly penetrate the profound mystery of primordial chaos (referring to the pre-cosmic Dao) and comprehend the principles of nature?" Later, he entered the mountains leaning on his wooden staff, with tigers and leopards following him. Master Sima praised him as a "sage of abundant virtue who concealed his brilliance." Eventually, he achieved liberation from the corpse (one of the Daoist methods of transcendence) amid thunderclaps, his physical form vanishing without a trace.

Master Pu-Pu declared his surname to be Pu and secluded himself in the Yellow Earth Mountain of Guangzhou for over thirty years. He regularly consumed Apricot Elixir (a type of alchemical medicine) and made his living selling herbs. When Wang Bian encountered him and received the secret formula for the Apricot Elixir, the master immediately ascended to heaven on a cloud. Prefect Li Xiuguang considered this an ill omen and attempted to arrest Master Pu-Pu when he reappeared. The master retorted: "Even the immortal maidens Magu and Lord Mao sought my guidance on the Dao—how dare you call me a demon?" Suddenly, dragons and tigers appeared as his protectors, and the master ascended amid thunder and lightning, leaving Li Xiuguang to repent. Emperor Xuanzong of Tang later ordered the construction of a temple at the site to commemorate him.

The Daoist Hou Kai, styled Faguang, cultivated the Dao during the Zhengshi era of the Wei dynasty, mastering secret astronomical arts. He practiced the "Three Ascensions Technique" (a cultivation method) in the secluded Cold Valley, regularly reciting the Scripture of the Great Cavern and the Esoteric Writings of the Three Sovereigns (Daoist classics). His dwelling was shaded by three pine trees beside a clear spring, creating an atmosphere of serene purity—hence he named his residence "Three Pines Hermitage."

The mother of Perfected Lord Su Dan lived over a hundred years before passing away without illness. On the day of her burial, auspicious purple clouds enveloped Ox Spleen Mountain east of the commandery.

This passage records several Daoist immortal tales, which I'll explain one by one:

The first story tells of Su Jun (a Daoist practitioner) returning to his hometown to observe mourning for his mother. A white horse was tied in the woods when people suddenly heard weeping from the mountain ridge - all agreed it was Su Jun returning to fulfill his filial duties. When villagers rushed to see, they found miraculous signs at the mourning site before his thatched hut: the ground had leveled itself automatically, two bamboo stalks swayed without wind, and the area remained spotless year-round. After three years, the weeping ceased and the white horse disappeared.

Next is the Tang Dynasty tale of practitioner Chen Xiufu. While living in seclusion at Baocheng appearing as an ordinary farmer, he secretly possessed extraordinary arts. When some youths sought to learn from him, he suddenly "died" with his corpse rapidly decomposing, frightening them away. Later when official Hu Fang became his disciple, Chen demonstrated his powers before parting: after casually digging with a hoe where Hu had left money for wine, he unearthed gold and silver, remarking: "Worldly wealth can indeed be obtained thus, but human fortune has limits - one must not be greedy."

The third story concerns filial son Yang Yongbo. While mourning at his parents' graves, he moved Heaven so profoundly that an immortal gave him a pint of white stones which, when planted, grew into countless beautiful jades. Later at sea he encountered immortals who declared his filial piety had touched the divine, foretelling his future ascension. True enough, within years he and his wife achieved immortality, their dwelling place becoming known as "Jade Field Lane."

Lastly is Song Dynasty recluse Luo Daocheng's anecdote. Visiting Mount Tai, he told official Guo Jifu he came from Chenzhou, having thoroughly explored the sacred mountain before soon returning south - subtle hints of his realized Daoist attainment.

These stories collectively embody core Daoist principles like "filial piety moves Heaven and Earth" and "the Dao follows naturalness." Through ordinary people gaining supernatural abilities via sincere cultivation, they illustrate how devout practice can touch the divine and ultimately lead to immortality.

This passage records the legendary deeds of several Daoist immortals:

A fangshi (Daoist adept) composed verses describing his journey to seek out spiritual landscapes, where he beheld jade-green mountains layered like autumn hues. From the summit of Mount Taiping, he gazed upon dragon-like ridges connecting over ten provinces. In matching verse, he described his wanderings as free as drifting clouds, finding summer valleys cooler than autumn, where apes and birds still lingered in their old haunts while he turned toward coastal regions. A certain Jifu (possibly a name) marveled at these poems and sent the adept to his residence, where the latter left another poem: "My white mule carries me swift as clouds,/ A leisurely man leaves verses wherever he roams./ To know my name and origins,/ Seek the stone beneath Chenyang Mountain." Later, people discovered the White Mule True Lord Temple in Chenzhou, where legend tells of an immortal who ascended to heaven astride a white mule, with hoofprints still visible on the stone cliffs.

The Western Mountain Records document Xu the True Lord (Xu Xun, styled Jingzhi), whose ancestral home was in Xuchang before moving to Yuzhang. Gifted with exceptional intelligence and dignified appearance, he enjoyed hunting in youth. Once when he shot a fawn, its mother desperately licked the wound but couldn't save it. This epiphany made Xu destroy his bow and devote himself to study. By twenty, he mastered classics, music, astronomy, geography, and the arts of Five Phases divination, becoming deeply drawn to Daoist cultivation until his entire family achieved celestial ascension.

The Book of Later Han records Liao Fu (known as Master Northern Wall), who dedicated himself to transcendental practice. Proficient in classics and particularly skilled in astrological calculations and wind-angle divination (an ancient astrological method), he repeatedly declined official summons, earning his reclusive title.

The Tang Dynasty Records of Recluses describe Wang Ji (styled Eastern Hillock), who resigned as county magistrate to return home. Owning fertile riverside fields, he admired the longevity methods of the hermit Zhongchang Zixian and built a thatched cottage nearby, spending days playing the zither and drinking in contentment.

The Biographies of Divine Immortals recount Dong Feng (styled Junyi), who lived reclusively on Mount Lu. He healed without payment, asking only that seriously cured patients plant five apricot trees and mildly ill ones plant one. Within years, a ten-thousand-tree apricot grove formed, attracting flocks of birds. Another anecdote tells of Dongfang Shuo (styled Manqian) stealing the Queen Mother of the West's celestial peaches.

The land below the mountain lay barren, as if deliberately cleared of all vegetation. When the apricot trees bore fruit, someone announced to the crowd: "Those wishing to buy apricots need not report—simply exchange one measure of grain for one measure of fruit." Once, a man tried to take more apricots while giving less grain, but a tiger immediately roared and chased him away. The grain collected was used to aid the poor and supply travelers, with three hundred hu (an ancient unit of measure) expended annually and still leaving a surplus. Later, this man ascended directly to immortality.

The Hanwu Neizhuan records that Emperor Wu of Han once encountered a woman in green robes who informed him: "On the seventh day of the seventh month, the Queen Mother of the West (Xiwangmu, the highest-ranking female immortal in Daoism) will arrive." Dongfang Shuo explained that this was the Jade Maiden of the Purple Orchid Chamber, a messenger under the Queen Mother’s command. On that day, Emperor Wu dressed in ceremonial robes and waited. At night, celestial music was heard, and the Queen Mother descended in a purple cloud chariot drawn by a nine-colored dragon, accompanied by immortals each ten feet tall. The Queen Mother laid out seven immortal peaches in the hall, which the emperor found extraordinarily delicious after tasting. She remarked: "These peaches bear fruit only once every three thousand years—and Dongfang Shuo has already stolen them three times."

The Baopuzi recounts how Bo Xianfu, a Daoist practitioner, cultivated on Mount Hua for over two hundred years without eating, yet his hair remained jet-black. He transmitted his longevity techniques to a woman with a radiant complexion. One day, an elderly man with white hair arrived, and the woman struck him with a bamboo rod. When others expressed shock, she explained: "This is my son. He refused to learn Xianfu’s longevity arts and aged like this—he deserves the beating."

The Tang-era Tang Ji records a monk on Mount Nanyue encountering a green-furred creature at night. After the monk declared his pure practice, the creature revealed itself as Yao Hong (a historical figure from the Eastern Jin dynasty), who had faked his death to escape and later secluded himself in a blessed land, surviving solely on cypress leaves—which caused his body to grow fur.

The Jixian Lu describes a gathering of immortals: The Queen Mother of the West, accompanied by the Three Primes (Sanyuan) and other perfected beings, descended upon the Palace of Pristine Emptiness. In the crimson celestial hall, the Queen Mother struck a rhythm (a type of instrument) while Wang Zideng (an immortal) played the jade ao (an ancient instrument), performing divine music together.

This scripture recounts the deeds of several Daoist immortals, presented in several sections:

When the Queen Mother of the West (Xiwangmu, the foremost female immortal in Daoism) gathered with the Immortal Lord Wang, they each had their attendant maidens perform celestial music. Some played the eight-jade ao (a jade instrument), others blew on the Cloud Harmony flutes, some struck the numinous void reeds, while others chanted the Mysterious Spirit Immortal Songs. The Queen Mother herself kept time by beating a rhythm, their divine music resounding through the nine heavens.

The text then relates the story of Xu Mi (styled Sixuan), seventh-generation descendant of the famous Jin dynasty Daoist Xu Xun. A man of vast learning who served as magistrate of Yuyao and later as a court secretary, Xu secretly practiced the immortal arts. Celestial beings frequently descended to instruct him, including a True Consort (female immortal) who transmitted sacred texts to him, saying: "The jade liquors, qiong nectar, immortal fruits and divine pears—these treasures of the immortal realm are reserved only for Daoist Xu who cultivates in the mountains, not for Secretary Xu who serves in the human bureaucracy."

Next comes the account of Tao Hongjing, the renowned Southern Dynasties Daoist. At thirty-seven, he abandoned official life, quoting Confucius to express his determination to retire and cultivate the Dao. Hanging his official robes at the Divine Tiger Gate, he donned Daoist garb and withdrew to Maoshan (the Huayang Grotto-Heaven). Though Emperor Wu of Liang repeatedly summoned him, he refused to leave the mountains, yet the court often consulted him on important matters, earning him the title "Mountain Chancellor."

The text concludes with stories of two women who attained immortality. Wang Fajin showed early devotion to the Dao as a child and was escorted to heaven by immortal youths, where the Celestial Emperor bestowed upon her the Scripture of Repentance Rituals (Xiezui Ke) to bring back for worldly salvation, before she ascended in broad daylight during the Tianbao era. Wang Fengxian, as a girl, encountered azure-robed immortal youths at play who revealed they were celestial beings, and she too later achieved immortality through cultivation.

This passage records the legendary stories of several Daoist immortals:

First is Xie Yuanyi (also known as Pot Master), one of Confucius's three thousand disciples. He often hung an empty pot in the marketplace selling medicine, and after sunset would shrink himself into the pot—only Fei Changfang, watching from upstairs, witnessed this. Fei became his disciple, and the Pot Master taught him the magical art of shrinking into vessels. Upon entering the pot, Fei found a magnificent celestial realm with jade palaces and golden towers, attended by jade boys and maidens. The Pot Master transmitted to Fei the arts of exorcising ghosts and healing diseases, and gave him a bamboo staff. When Fei rode the staff home and, following instructions, threw it into the Gepi Pond, the staff immediately transformed into a flying dragon and departed.

Next is the story of Wang Qiao (styled Zijin). After meeting the immortal Fuqiu Gong on Mount Gou, he attained the Dao and became an immortal. On the seventh day of the seventh month, he informed his friend Huan Liang that he would ascend to heaven. That very day, before the crowd, he discarded his mount and flew upward. Later, people discovered his horse had also flown away, and the place came to be called "Horse Worship Ravine."

Finally, there's Lü Shang (better known as Jiang Ziya). Exceptionally intelligent since childhood, he lived in seclusion in Liaodong for over twenty years to escape the tyranny of King Zhou of Shang. Later, he fished for three years at Panxi in Zhou territory without catching anything. When neighbors urged him to give up, he replied, "You wouldn't understand"—and eventually caught a fish containing military texts (some say the Jade Pendant) in its belly. When King Wen of Zhou dreamed of a sage and heard of Lü's wisdom, he invited him to assist the Zhou dynasty. After achieving his mission, Lü feigned death—when the coffin was opened, his body had vanished, leaving only the Jade Pendant (a Daoist ritual implement).

This scripture records the miraculous deeds of several Daoist immortals:

The story of Master Baishi: In ancient times, there was a Master Baishi who cultivated himself by consuming specially prepared white stones. This stone-boiling method was originally invented by a man named Shi Sheng. Master Baishi later became the Right Immortal Official of the Eastern Mansion (a celestial abode of Daoist immortals), overseeing the management of the Vast Benefit Southern Palace.

The account of Han Taihua: She was the wife of the famous Han dynasty general Li Guangli. Because Li Guangli had performed meritorious deeds for the people during his lifetime, he now receives spiritual guidance in the Southern Palace (an immortal dwelling).

Deng Ziyang's extraordinary experience: At Magu Mountain, he recited the Tianpeng Divine Incantation (an important Daoist mantra) day and night until he moved the golden-armored deities sent by the Northern Six Heavens. These deities bestowed upon him black talismans (fulu) inscribed with methods for divine arts, commanding spirits, and healing illnesses. Later, he indeed discovered these talismans in a stone chamber, and their application proved remarkably effective.

The immortalization story of Wang Lulian: As the daughter of immortal Wang Gang, she inherited her father's cultivation methods. Later at Luhun Mountain, she encountered the Great Unity Perfected Being (Taiyi Zhenren) who transmitted to her the "Method of Soaring Ascension" (a practice for achieving celestial flight), ultimately enabling her to ascend to immortality in broad daylight.

Guo Wenju's remarkable taming of a tiger: This Luoyang native lived in a mountain cave when a tiger came seeking his help. After removing a bone stuck in the tiger's mouth, the beast became docile and obedient, following him like a domestic dog. When the Jin emperor summoned him to inquire about this tiger-taming technique, he replied: Harmony between humans and animals requires no special arts—it depends solely on treating them with benevolent heart. Though the emperor admired his wisdom, Guo declined official position and eventually retreated to seclusion in Bieting Mountain.

Qu Jun was a native of Nan'an who lived in seclusion on Mount Pinggang during the Zhanghe era of the Eastern Han dynasty. The Yellow Emperor descended to personally transmit to him the "Way of Dragon Stepping" (a celestial art of riding cloud-dragons). Later, he entered Mount Emei to cultivate the "Art of Illuminated Reflection in the Cavern Chamber" (a Neidan/internal alchemy practice). When the time came for his celestial ascension, he bid farewell to relatives and friends before mounting a dragon and soaring skyward. To this day, Mount Pinggang retains place names like Dragon Cliff Mountain and Tethered Dragon Creek.

The story of Huang Shigong meeting Zhang Liang beneath the Yi Bridge: During the Western Han dynasty, Zhang Liang encountered an old man who deliberately dropped his shoe beneath the bridge, demanding the young scholar retrieve it and put it on his foot. Deeming the youth "worth teaching," the elder arranged to meet him again in five days. After subjecting Zhang Liang to three tests of sincerity, the old man finally transmitted to him The Grand Duke's Art of War, prophesying that thirteen years later he would manifest as a yellow stone at the foot of Gucheng Mountain. The Lady of Southern Peak remarked: "Sincerity determines gain or loss—Zhang Liang's threefold keeping of appointments demonstrated his unwavering heart in seeking the Dao."

The Declarations of the Perfected records Lord Mao's account: Li of Henei practiced the "Way of Guarding the One" (a Daoist meditation technique). Originally cultivating in Luoyang, he later moved to Huayang Grotto where he became responsible for examining and recording the good and evil deeds among the people.

The story of Celestial Master Zhang Daoling testing Zhao Sheng: The Celestial Master prophesied that a man would come from the east to inherit his "Great Essentials of the Nine Cauldrons" (essential Daoist methods). On the seventh day of the first lunar month, Zhao Sheng indeed arrived. Zhang Daoling devised seven trials: For the first test, Zhao Sheng waited outside the gate for over forty days, enduring disciples' insults while maintaining his vigil without shelter, never departing.

The account of Daoist Ma Xiang demonstrating mystical arts: When Daoist Ma traveled with disciples to Changxi County seeking lodging, their host jokingly claimed to have no beds, suggesting they sleep on the walls. That night, while the disciples slept on the floor, Ma Xiang inverted his body and slept suspended from the roof beam. When the host lit a lamp at midnight and saw this, he gasped in shock. Ma then demonstrated wall-penetration, only emerging after the frightened host profusely apologized.

The Daoist priest Ji Qiu-jun of Mount Tai received imperial rewards during Emperor Wu of Han's reign for his extraordinary Daoist arts—his white hair could turn black again, and his lost teeth could regrow. When Emperor Wu made his eastern tour to Mount Tai, Ji Qiu-jun greeted him wearing a ceremonial cap (zhangfu) and yellow robes while holding a qin (zither).

During the Five Dynasties period, Sun Mian, the governor of Xunyang, spotted a small boat appearing and disappearing along the riverbank. A fisherman was casting his line and rowing, letting out a clear, resonant whistle. When Sun Mian asked if he had caught any fish, the fisherman replied, "What I fish for isn't fish—how could there be any fish?" Intrigued, Sun Mian lifted his robes and waded through the water to approach him, urging, "I see you are a man of the Dao (the Way). Now that the realm is peaceful and orderly, why not leave the mountains to assist the court?" The fisherman called himself a wild man of the hills, ignorant of worldly affairs, and then sang: "With slender bamboo rod and deep river waters, / Happiest are those who forget each other in the lakes. / Bite the bait, and you swallow the hook— / Neither imitating Bo Yi nor following Liuxia Hui, / Only by forgetting worries is one truly free." Finishing his song, he rowed away.

Shan Daokai, a Jin Dynasty Daoist, cared little for food or clothing and feared neither hunger nor cold, preferring to live secluded in mountain forests. Mountain spirits and tree essences repeatedly tested him, but he remained unmoved. Later, he moved to Mount Luofu, dwelling alone in a thatched hut, transcending worldly concerns. After living over a hundred years, he achieved liberation from the corpse (shijie), a Daoist term for immortals who shed their physical form. Another recluse, Shi Tan, claimed to be from Beihai and wandered without a fixed home, owning no property and wearing tattered clothes. If given new garments, he would pass them to others. Whenever there was a funeral, he would invariably attend with his walking staff, arriving punctually regardless of distance or season. People found him utterly inscrutable, and he eventually disappeared without a trace.

Sima Chengzhen, a Tang Dynasty Daoist, excelled in seal script and created his own calligraphic style called "Golden Scissors Script." He secluded himself at Jade Empyrean Peak on Mount Tiantai under the Daoist name Baiyunzi (Master White Cloud). After Emperor Ruizong of Tang summoned him, court officials composed poems to see him off, compiling them into the anthology Record of White Cloud. During the Han Dynasty, Wu Zidu, the Commandant of Consorts and a son-in-law of the emperor, lived to 138 years old. When Emperor Wu encountered him on the Wei Bridge during a journey, he saw purple qi (vital energy) swirling above his head.

Emperor Wu of Han once inquired of Dongfang Shuo (a renowned fangshi of the Western Han dynasty) about longevity techniques. Dongfang Shuo mentioned a man named Zidu who was skilled in the arts of the bedchamber (ancient health cultivation methods). The emperor dismissed his attendants to consult privately, to which Zidu replied: "At sixty-five, I suffered from chronic back pain and constant thirst. After practicing these methods, I could still father thirty-six children at seventy-three, with a physique as vigorous as a youth." Though the emperor never fully mastered these techniques, his lifespan was indeed extended.

Qin Gao, an ancient immortal, was often seen walking on water in the Jiangsu-Zhejiang region, earning him the name "Water Immortal." While refining elixirs in southern Zhejiang, he scattered cinnabar ashes into the river that transformed into small fish later called "Qin Gao fish." Eventually, he ascended to immortality astride a crimson carp.

Huang An, a soldier from Dai Commandery, perpetually sat upon a three-foot-wide turtle's back. When asked about the turtle's age, he explained: "This turtle's shell was already worn smooth when Fuxi taught humans to weave nets. It shuns sunlight and moonbeams, extending its head only once every three millennia—I've witnessed this five times."

While serving as magistrate of Wangwu County, Wang Yu recited the Huangting Jing (a key Daoist scripture) six thousand times yet failed to grasp its profundity. After resigning to practice grain avoidance and cultivation, he discovered a stone bed and ancient scriptures in a mountain cave. Kneeling in supplication, he was suddenly visited by an immortal calling himself "Perfected Lord Wang Taixu of the Eastern Extremity," who bestowed an annotated Huangting Jing and peach pits as large as pecks, saying: "Grind these to cure illness and prolong life." They agreed to meet again in twenty years.

In his later years, Shen Xie of Huzhou styled himself "Eastern Elder," famously brewing wine for guests. A visiting adept engaged him in days of revelry and Daoist discourse. Using pomegranate rind, the adept inscribed on the wall: "Western neighbors fret in wealth's distress / While Eastern Elder finds joy in less. Fine wine brewed for fellowship true / The Golden Elixir's in the heart—not the crucible." This verse revealed cultivation's essence lies in mental refinement rather than material pursuits.

This account narrates the extraordinary deeds of two Daoist practitioners.

First, there was Jiao Guang, a hermit of the Eastern Han dynasty. Dwelling in the mountains, he would often boil white stones as if they were taro and occasionally chop firewood to give to the poor. When the Cao Wei dynasty replaced the Han, he relocated to a riverside, building a thatched hut where he lived without even a mat, his body so grimy it seemed coated in mud and lacquer. Sometimes he would eat only once in several days and remained silent for long periods. Neither the young nor the old could say exactly how long he had lived. After lingering in the mortal world for over two hundred years, he vanished without a trace.

Next was Yang Yin, a Tang dynasty Daoist. He once cultivated himself on Mount Kuocang and later visited Ruan Lang Pavilion. On the cliff face, over thirty meters above the ground, were large seal-script characters purportedly inscribed by Ruan Zhao of the Han dynasty (though in reality, they were imitations by the Tang calligrapher Li Yangbing during his tenure as magistrate of Jinyun). One day, while admiring flowers and drinking wine with a Jinyun Daoist by the pavilion, Yang Yin suddenly collapsed and was carried home, remaining unconscious for seven days before awakening. He recounted that during his trance, he met the immortal Lingying Zhenren, clad in red robes with a blue headscarf, who invited him into a grotto-heaven paradise. There, he beheld wondrous sights—towers, terraces, and phoenix-like cranes. Lingying pointed to a flying blue "cloud mushroom" emerging from a stone crevice, saying that consuming it would grant immortality. After eating it, Yang Yin felt light as a swallow. Later, he secluded himself on Mount Weiyu.

The "cloud mushroom" mentioned here is a legendary Daoist elixir, resembling lingzhi but capable of flight—ingesting it was believed to enable ascension to immortality. Both practitioners attained transcendent abilities through extraordinary diets (white stones and cloud mushrooms), embodying the Daoist cultivation principle of "attaining immortality through dietary alchemy."