《消搖墟經》

In this mortal world, people are often trapped in worldly snares, like flies scrambling for food or ants rushing about in toil. Even those ancient seekers of noble virtue were like birds with clipped wings or horses harnessed to carriage shafts, rarely attaining true freedom. Who can truly transcend material attachments like a cicada shedding its shell or a phoenix soaring to the heavens?

Reflecting on those ancient adepts who attained immortality through cultivation: they absorbed the essence of rainbow-hued clouds (yunying), ingested mineral elixirs (shisui), danced gracefully upon purple phoenixes, and roamed freely astride blue oxen. With a single staff of goosefoot wood, they traversed three thousand miles of misty waters; clad in half a robe of coarse cloth, they visited all twelve grotto-heavens (sacred Daoist abodes). This must be the state of "carefree wandering" Zhuangzi described.

By nature I shun social engagements and keep distant from worldly turmoil, yet harbor profound fascination for the pursuit of immortality and the Dao. Hong Zicheng, a disciple of the Dao from Xindu, once brought me his compiled "Records of Immortals" seeking a preface. As I perused its pages, azure mists and purple vapors seemed to interweave before my eyes, as if I were personally visiting those celestial mountains beyond the seas and meeting with hosts of transcendents—the experience was so elevating it nearly transported me beyond mortality. This book creates an immortal realm within the mundane world. Though attaining immortality requires innate spiritual roots and karmic connection to the Dao, those who merely imitate external practices without grasping the essence will never truly realize the Dao.

Amid worldly toils, occasionally lighting incense, sipping tea, and leafing through this volume brings refreshment like quenching fire with ice. Should I one day escape this mortal cage and ascend to the immortal realms, this book may well become my ladder to transcendence. Appended is the "Register of Carefree Abodes" listing forty-six renowned immortals including Laozi, the Lord King of the East (ruler of male transcendents), the Queen Mother of the West (ruler of female transcendents), and Chisongzi (master of rains).

This scripture primarily documents numerous important deities and figures in Daoism, along with the legendary deeds of Laozi (Lord Lao the Most High).

First, it enumerates sixteen renowned Daoist figures: Immortal Maiden He, Elder Zhang Guo, Wang Zhi, Huang Yeren, Tao Hongjing, Sima the Perfected, Pei Hang, Sun Simiao, Tan Qiao, Xu Xuanping, Master Xuanzhen, Xuanyuan Ji, Chen Xiyi, Lei Yinweng, Ma Ziran, Zhang Ziyang, Li Biti, Guiyuanzi, Bai Yuchan, Chen Niwan, Mo Yueding, Ma Danyang, and Zhang Sanfeng.

The text focuses on recounting the origins and exploits of Laozi (Lord Lao the Most High): Laozi is an incarnation of Lord Lao the Most High. During the Yangjia era of the Shang dynasty, his primordial spirit transformed into primordial Qi (vital energy) and entered the womb of the Mysterious Jade Maiden. After eighty-one years of gestation, at the mao hour (5-7 AM) on the fifteenth day of the second lunar month in the Gengchen year of King Wuding's reign, he was born in Quren Village, Laixiang, Ku County of the Chu State. Emerging from his mother's left armpit, he pointed at a plum tree (李 li) at birth and declared, "This shall be my surname." Laozi was born with white hair, a yellowish complexion, elongated ears, square eyes, a prominent nose bridge, three perforations in each ear, a beautiful beard, a broad forehead, sparse teeth, a square mouth, his feet treading the "Three-Five" (a Daoist term referring to the Three Powers and Five Phases), and holding the "Ten Characters" (possibly referring to ten types of script or talismans). His full name was Li Er, courtesy name Boyang, styled Laozi, also known as Lao Dan.

During King Wen of Zhou's reign, Laozi served as the Archivist (keeper of records), and was promoted to Pillar Historian (court chronicler) under King Wu of Zhou. Later, he traveled westward to various states to teach sentient beings. Returning to Zhou during King Kang's reign, he resumed his position as Pillar Historian. In the twenty-third year of King Zhao's reign, he passed through Hangu Pass riding a green ox, where the guardian Yin Xi recognized him and sought the true Dao. Two years later, he reunited with Yin Xi at the Green Goat Market in Shu, and together they journeyed west. By King Mu's reign, he had returned to the Central Plains. In the seventeenth year of King Jing's reign, Confucius consulted Laozi, afterward marveling that Laozi was as unfathomable as a dragon. In the ninth year of King Nan's reign, Laozi departed through San Pass and ascended to Kunlun Mountain.

During the Qin dynasty, Laozi manifested as the Elder by the River (Heshanggong), transmitting Daoist methods to Anqi Sheng by the riverside. In Emperor Wen of Han's time, he took the name Guangchengzi. When Emperor Wen sent messengers to seek his counsel, he declared: "The Dao is noble—it cannot be sought from afar." The emperor was compelled to visit in person. Laozi told Emperor Wen: "Under heaven there are four great things, and the ruler is but one among them. Though you are the Son of Heaven, you remain my subject—you cannot compel my submission."

The Scripture of the Celestial Abodes records the deeds of two important deities: the Eastern King (Dong Wang Gong) and the Queen Mother of the West (Xi Wang Mu).

Dong Wang Gong, originally named Ni with the courtesy name Junming, manifested in the Azure Abode above the Eastern Sea before the formation of heaven and earth, when all things were yet to emerge. His nature was pure and aligned with Wuwei (non-action). He assists in the creative transformations of the cosmos, governing the Yang and harmonious Qi (vital energy) of the East. All men who attain the Dao and become immortals fall under his jurisdiction. On every Ding-Mao day (in the celestial calendar), he ascends a high terrace to observe ascending immortals, who are categorized into nine grades. Before ascending to the Nine Heavens, they must first pay respects to the Grand Duke (Tai Gong), then seek an audience with the Golden Mother (Xi Wang Mu) to complete the ritual. A Han Dynasty children's rhyme goes: "Dressed in blue skirts, they ascend the Heavenly Gate, bow to the Golden Mother, and greet the Wooden Lord." Zhang Liang (Zifang) recognized this as referring to the Jade Attendants of Dong Wang Gong.

Xi Wang Mu, also known as the Golden Mother of the Tortoise Terrace, was born from the Supreme Western Qi in the Yi River region. Her surname was Gou, given name Hui, and courtesy name Wanling. Together with Dong Wang Gong, she regulates the Yin and Yang energies, overseeing the transformations of heaven and earth. All women who attain immortality are under her governance. She resides in the Langfeng Garden of Mount Kunlun, where a nine-tiered jade tower stands, with the Jade Pool to its left and the Emerald Waters to its right. King Mu of the Zhou Dynasty once journeyed westward with his eight legendary steeds, presenting white jade and dark jade tablets to pay homage to her. Xi Wang Mu hosted a banquet at the Jade Pool and sang to him: "White clouds drift across the sky, revealing distant peaks. The road is long, mountains and rivers bar the way. May you live forever, that we may meet again."

These two deities—one governing Yang, the other Yin—jointly sustain the cosmic order. Transcending time and space, they appear and vanish unpredictably, manifesting in infinite forms to guide sentient beings. The scripture emphasizes that the true Dao is eternal, existing before the world’s creation and continuing to teach beyond the bounds of time.

In the first year of the Yuanfeng era (110 BCE) of Emperor Wu of Han, the Queen Mother of the West (Xiwangmu) descended into the palace and presented the emperor with seven flat peaches. When Emperor Wu sought to keep the pits to plant them, the Queen Mother said: "These peaches are not of the mortal realm—they bear fruit only once every three thousand years." At that moment, Dongfang Shuo was peeping through the window, and the Queen Mother pointed at him, remarking: "This child has already stolen my peaches twice before." That same day, she commanded her attendants—Dong Shuangcheng to play the Yunhe flute, Wang Zideng to pluck the eight-jade chimes, Xu Feiqiong to strike the Lingxu reed pipes, and An Faxing to sing the Xuanling celestial melody—all performing together to celebrate Emperor Wu's longevity.

Chisongzi (Red Pine Master) was the Rain Master during the era of Shennong (the Divine Farmer). Cultivating his primordial spirit (Yuanshen) and ingesting primal qi, he could enter water without getting wet and walk through fire without burning. He often dwelled in the stone chamber of the Queen Mother of the West on Mount Kunlun, moving freely with the wind and rain. The youngest daughter of Emperor Yan followed him in cultivation and also attained immortality. By the time of Emperor Gaoxin, Chisongzi still served as Rain Master, occasionally wandering the mortal world.

Guangchengzi was a lofty sage of the Yellow Emperor’s era, who secluded himself in a stone chamber on Mount Kongtong. When the Yellow Emperor visited to seek the most profound teachings of the Dao, Guangchengzi replied: "The highest Dao is subtle and unfathomable, profound beyond measure. To reach its ultimate state, one must preserve a state of undifferentiated chaos. See nothing, hear nothing, guard the spirit in stillness, and the body will naturally become upright. Maintain purity and tranquility—do not exhaust the body, do not dissipate essence (Jing), and do not burden the mind with ceaseless thought. Only then can one attain longevity. Be cautious in preserving the spirit within and cutting off external disturbances, for excessive cleverness brings ruin. I hold fast to the Dao of pure unity, abiding in harmony, and thus I have lived twelve hundred years without aging."

Qingwugong (Green Crow Lord) was a disciple of Pengzu. After receiving instruction from an enlightened master, he grasped the true essence of immortal cultivation and entered Huayin Mountain to practice the Dao for 471 years. Eventually, he ingested the golden elixir (Jindan) and ascended to immortality.

Pengzu, originally named Qian Keng, was a descendant of Emperor Zhuanxu. By the late Shang dynasty, he was already over seven hundred years old yet showed no signs of aging. Tranquil by nature, he mastered the arts of life-nourishing and daoyin (guiding qi), frequently consuming crystal, mica, and deer antler to maintain his youthful appearance. When King Mu of Zhou heard of him, he invited Pengzu to serve as a high official, but Pengzu claimed illness and avoided governance. King Mu then sent his court maiden in a curtained carriage to seek Pengzu’s teachings. After she learned his essential methods and transmitted them to the king, King Mu tested them with success. Realizing this, Pengzu departed, and none knew his whereabouts. Over seventy years later, a disciple reportedly saw him in the western lands of the Flowing Sands.

Iron Crutch Li (Tieguai Xiansheng), surnamed Li, was originally a man of imposing stature. He began seeking the Dao in his youth and later cultivated in mountain caves.

Laozi (Lord Lao) and Master Wanqiu once descended to a mountain Daoist temple to transmit the Daoist teachings. One day, Master Wanqiu was to meet Lord Lao at Mount Hua. Before departing, he instructed his disciples: "My physical body will remain here. If my shen (spirit) does not return after seven days of wandering, you may cremate my body." Later, a disciple had to return home early due to his mother's illness and cremated the master's body on the sixth day. On the seventh day, Master Wanqiu indeed returned, only to find his original form destroyed. With no physical vessel to inhabit, his spirit had to take refuge in the corpse of a starved beggar to revive, which is why he later appeared disfigured and lame, no longer retaining his original dignified appearance.

Wangzi Qiao was the crown prince of King Ling of Zhou, named Ji, renowned for playing the sheng mouth organ and imitating phoenix calls. He often wandered between the Yi and Luo rivers until the Daoist priest Fuqiugong guided him to Mount Song for over thirty years of cultivation. One day he told Bai Liang: "Inform my family to wait for me atop Mount Gou on the seventh day of the seventh month." On that day, he indeed descended the mountaintop astride a white crane, watched from afar by the crowd who couldn't approach. After bowing to the mortal world, he lingered several days before departing. Later, people built a shrine for him at Mount Gou's base.

Yin Xi, styled Gongwen, was born in Tianshui, Gansu. His mother dreamed of purple clouds encircling the sky before his birth, and lotuses sprouted spontaneously from the earth when he was born. Growing up with piercing eyes, arms extending past his knees, and celestial bearing, he studied ancient texts from youth, cultivated noble virtue, disregarded worldly formalities, and often sacrificed himself to help others. During King Kang of Zhou's reign as a senior official, he observed purple qi moving westward through celestial phenomena, recognizing a sage would pass Hangu Pass. He requested appointment as the pass officer and instructed guard Sun Jing: "Should you see anyone with extraordinary appearance or unusual attire, detain them." In the seventh month of King Zhao of Zhou's twenty-third year, Laozi arrived riding a white carriage drawn by a black ox. When reported, Yin Xi exclaimed excitedly: "I shall finally meet the sage!" Donning court robes, he knelt in welcome, imploring Laozi to stay. Laozi declined: "I'm but a poor old man from east of the pass, going west to gather firewood. Why detain me?" Yin Xi kowtowed: "I knew the sage would come west to transmit the Dao. Please tarry awhile." Laozi replied: "I heard ancient Master Gu (referring to the Buddha) dwells in western India. I journey to seek the Dao, merely passing through. Why insist on my stay?"

Yin Xi (disciple of Laozi) joyfully exclaimed: "I behold your divine and transcendent demeanor, knowing you are the most exalted being from the celestial realm. What could possibly draw you to journey through these remote borderlands?" Laozi replied: "How did you discern this?" Yin Xi explained: "Last October, the Tianli star moved westward past the Pleiades. At the beginning of this month, warm winds blew thrice from the east, and the vital Qi (energy) between heaven and earth flowed westward in forms resembling coiling dragons and serpents. These are all signs of a sage's imminent arrival."

Laozi smiled approvingly and said: "Excellent. You have recognized me, just as I long foresaw your spiritual capacity." Yin Xi bowed reverently and inquired: "May I ask the honored name of the sage?" Laozi responded: "My true appellation is beyond mortal comprehension—countless kalpas (aeons) couldn't suffice to explain it. In this manifestation, I am called Li, styled Boyang, known as Lao Dan." Thereupon, Yin Xi prepared an altar in his official residence and formally performed the rites of discipleship. Laozi remained at Hangu Pass for over a hundred days, imparting to him the complete methods of both internal (Neidan) and external (Waidan) cultivation.

At that time, Laozi's carriage driver Xu Jia had originally been hired with a daily wage of one hundred coins. By their arrival at Hangu Pass, the accumulated debt had reached seven million three hundred thousand coins. Seeing Laozi preparing for distant travels, Xu Jia urgently demanded payment. Laozi told him: "When I return from the Western Regions, I shall repay you in gold." Later, Laozi deliberately conjured an alluring maiden from auspicious grass to tempt Xu Jia while he tended oxen. Seduced by the vision, Xu Jia sought intimacy, thereby breaking their prior agreement. Instead, he complained to the border official about the unpaid wages.

Laozi addressed Xu Jia: "Having followed me for over two hundred years, you should have died long ago. It was my Supreme Mystery Life Talisman (Fulu) that sustained your existence. Instead of gratitude, you bring accusations?" As these words were spoken, the spiritual talisman flew from Xu Jia's mouth, and he instantly turned into bleached bones. Yin Xi immediately kowtowed pleading for mercy. Only when Laozi reinserted the talisman did Xu Jia revive. Yin Xi then repaid the wages and sent him away.

Later, Laozi told Yin Xi: "The Ancient Master was my emanation, previously manifesting in Tianzhu (ancient India). Now I shall return to the realm of primordial nothingness." When Yin Xi begged to accompany him, Laozi said: "I roam beyond heaven and earth, wandering freely through profound and subtle dimensions where directions and boundaries dissolve. How could you follow?" Yin Xi steadfastly vowed to follow through fire and water.

This passage recounts the encounter between Guan Yinxi (a disciple of Laozi) and the deified Laozi known as Lord Lao (the supreme deity of Daoism). Lord Lao informed Guan Yinxi that although his bone structure showed affinity with the Dao, his cultivation period remained too brief to teach others. Thereupon, Lord Lao transmitted the Daode Jing to him, arranging to meet again after a thousand days at the Green Goat Market in Shu region. With these words, Lord Lao ascended on clouds, leaving behind multicolored auspicious light.

Guan Yinxi devoted himself to Daoist practice and composed nine treatises (later compiled as the Book of Master Guan). After three years, he journeyed to Shu in search of the Green Goat Market, only to discover Lord Lao had emanated from the Taiwei Palace (celestial abode) to be reborn in the Li household. The sage had arranged for a blue dragon to transform into a green-golden goat accompanying the infant. One day when the goat wandered off and was retrieved by a servant boy, Guan Yinxi happened upon them. Brought to the house, he witnessed the infant suddenly manifesting a sixteen-foot golden body (divine form), seated on a lotus throne with haloed head, proclaiming himself Lord Lao's reincarnation.

Lord Lao explained that Guan Yinxi had been left behind earlier because his cultivation remained incomplete, but now seeing his attainment (evidenced by spiritual radiance and enrollment in the immortal registry), he formally conferred upon him the immortal title "Master Wenshi," ranking among the Supreme Perfected Beings (highest celestial class). The ceremony was witnessed jointly by the Five August Emperors (high-ranking celestial deities) and the Four Polar Guardians (directional protector spirits). This narrative illustrates the Daoist principle of "predestined master-disciple relationships," demonstrating how such encounters follow karmic patterns from past existences.

The Twenty-Four Heavenly Kings command eighty thousand celestial beings. Only when practitioners attain this realm can they soar through the skies and ride divine dragons across the heavens.

Li Babai, originally named Li Zhen, was a native of Shu and resided at Wulonggang in Junyang. Having lived through the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, he reached the age of eight hundred and could travel eight hundred li in a single day—hence his nickname, "Li Babai" (Li Eight-Hundred). He alternated between seclusion in the mountains and dwelling in bustling cities. Later, he cultivated in a stone chamber on Hualin Mountain, refined the Golden Elixir (Jindan), and returned to Shu. During the reign of King Mu of Zhou, he lived on Jintang Mountain. People of Shu saw him across generations, revering him as the True Lord of Ziyang.

Ding Lingwei, originally from Liaodong, studied the Dao on Lingxu Mountain. Later, he transformed into a crane and flew back to his homeland, perching atop a marble pillar and singing:

"There once was a bird named Ding Lingwei,

Who left home a thousand years ago, now returning to see.

The city walls remain, but the people are no more—

Why not learn immortality and forsake the grave’s cold floor?"

(Here, the poetic form conveys the immortal’s insight into the transience of mortal life, urging people to seek the Dao.)

Guiguzi, a figure of the Spring and Autumn period, bore the surname Wang and given name Xu. He attained the Dao while gathering herbs on Yunmeng Mountain, preserving his youthful appearance eternally and dwelling in the Ghost Valley of Qingxi. Su Qin and Zhang Yi once studied under him for three years. At their parting, Guiguzi admonished them:

"You seek fame and glory,

Yet spring blossoms wither by autumn’s story.

You cling to fleeting honors like morning dew,

Disdaining enduring cultivation’s view.

You forsake eternal life like Qiao and Song,

Yet prize hollow renown—how wrong!"

(Here, Guiguzi laments his disciples’ pursuit of worldly success over spiritual immortality.) After living for centuries among mortals, he vanished without a trace, leaving behind the two-volume Guiguzi for posterity.

The tale of Liu Yue dates to the Zhou dynasty. While cultivating on Nanzhang Mountain, a certain Master Kuangxu was often visited by a youth of extraordinary speech. Puzzled, the master inquired of his origins. The youth introduced himself as Liu Yue, dwelling to the left of the mountain, where a two-zhang-high stone stood—knocking on it would summon him. When the master did so, the stone split open, revealing twin gates, and a young maidservant emerged to greet him. After dozens of steps, two figures in blue robes bearing vermillion tally-staffs led the way. Gradually, towers and pavilions came into view, resplendent in gold and jade, teeming with rare birds, beasts, and exotic flora. A True One (Zhenren) wearing a jade crown, adorned with crimson ribbons and a sword, came forth to welcome him, wishing to host the master permanently. The True One told him:

"Your Yin Virtue (Yin De) is still insufficient."

(Here, the implication is that cultivation requires the accumulation of merit.)

The story of the Old Man of Mount Tai goes like this: No one knew his real name. When Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was touring the east, he saw an old man hoeing fields by the roadside. Though appearing to be in his fifties, the man had a childlike rosy complexion and several feet of white light radiating above his head. Intrigued, the emperor approached to inquire. The old man replied: "When I was eighty-five, I had grown so frail that death seemed imminent—my hair turned completely white and my teeth all fell out. Then I met a Daoist priest who taught me methods of grain avoidance (bigu), herbal consumption, and water-based nourishment. He also gave me a 'Divine Pillow' containing thirty-two medicinal herbs—twenty-four corresponding to the solar terms and eight representing the winds from all directions. Following these practices, I miraculously rejuvenated: my white hair turned black again, lost teeth regrew, and now I can walk three hundred li daily. In truth, I'm now one hundred and eighty years old." Emperor Wu greatly admired this longevity prescription and rewarded him with gold, silver, and silks. Later, the old man retreated into Mount Tai as a recluse, returning to his village every five to ten years, until he completely disappeared after living over three hundred years.

Bai Shisheng was a disciple of the Daoist immortal Zhonghuang Zhangren, already over two thousand years old during Pengzu's era. Rather than pursuing celestial ascension, he focused solely on longevity. Though knowing the Golden Elixir (jinye) was the supreme elixir, his poverty initially prevented him from obtaining it—he spent over a decade raising pigs and sheep to accumulate ten thousand gold coins before purchasing the ingredients. He often boiled white stones as food (hence his name "White Stone Eater"), later settling on Baishi Mountain. Alternating between eating provisions and practicing grain avoidance, he could walk three to four hundred li daily while maintaining the appearance of a thirty-year-old. When asked why he refused celestial ascension, he answered: "Heaven may not necessarily be happier than the human world."

An Qisheng came from Fuxiang in Langya, Shandong, often selling herbs by the seashore where people revered him as "Lord of a Thousand Years." Qin Shi Huang once summoned him, and after three days and nights of profound conversation, bestowed tens of thousands in gold and silver. Later, An Qisheng left a letter and a pair of red jade slippers at Fuxiang Pavilion, stating: "Seek me beneath Penglai Mountain after a thousand years." Though the emperor repeatedly dispatched envoys by sea, storms always prevented their reaching Penglai. Eventually, ten memorial shrines were built at Fuxiang Pavilion and along the coast in his honor.

Dongfang Shuo, styled Manqian, once left home for an entire year before returning. His elder brother asked, "You've been away a whole year—what comfort do you bring me?" Dongfang Shuo replied, "I journeyed to the Purple Mud Sea [a legendary immortal realm], where the violet waters stained my robes, so I went to the Yu Abyss [where the sun sets] to wash them. I departed at dawn and returned by noon—how could it have been a full year?"

During Emperor Wu of Han's reign, Dongfang Shuo submitted a memorial stating: "I lost my parents young and was raised by my elder brother and his wife. Now twenty-two years old, I stand nine chi three cun tall. My speech flows like linked pearls, my teeth align like seashells. I possess the courage of ancient warrior Meng Ben, the agility of Qing Ji, the integrity of Bao Shuya, and the trustworthiness of Wei Sheng. Such a man as I is fit to serve as the Son of Heaven's minister." His words lacked humility, brimming with self-praise, yet Emperor Wu found him remarkable, first assigning him to await orders at the Public Carriage Office before transferring him to the Golden Horse Gate.

When the emperor bestowed food upon him, he would tuck leftover meat into his sleeves, staining his robes. For silk gifts, he carried them away on a shoulder pole. Frequently, he used imperial rewards to marry young women in Chang'an, abandoning each after a year to wed anew. People mocked him, but Dongfang Shuo said, "This is my way of recluse within the court." Drunk, he often sat singing: "Drifting through the mundane world, one finds refuge even in palace halls—why retreat to mountain huts?"

Nearing death, he told colleagues: "None under heaven truly know me—only Grandee Wu understands." After Dongfang Shuo's passing, Emperor Wu summoned Grandee Wu, who claimed ignorance. The emperor asked, "What are your talents?" The grandee replied, "I excel in celestial phenomena and calendrics." Asked if all stars remained in position, he answered, "All except the Year Star [Jupiter], which vanished forty years but has now reappeared." Emperor Wu sighed heavenward: "Dongfang Shuo served me eighteen years, yet I never knew he was the Year Star incarnate," lamenting deeply.

Zhongli Quan hailed from Yantai, later renaming himself Jue, styled Jidao, with the Daoist epithets Wangyangzi and Master Cloudhouse. His father held hereditary nobility in Yunzhong. At his birth, strange light several zhang high filled the chamber, startling attendants. He bore extraordinary features: perfectly rounded skull, broad forehead, thick ears, long brows, deep-set eyes, prominent nose bridge, square mouth, wide cheeks, crimson lips, and arms as long as a three-year-old's. Silent for seven days after birth, he suddenly leapt up declaring: "I've roamed the Purple Mansion's immortal realm—my name's recorded in the Jade Capital's registers."

As an adult, he became a Han dynasty general, leading campaigns against the Tuyuhun.

Fan Shili found himself alone on horseback, lost in a mountain valley after a military defeat. By nightfall, he strayed into a dense forest where he encountered a foreign monk from the Western Regions. The monk had wild, unkempt hair with strands hanging over his forehead, dressed in robes woven from grass. Leading Fan for several miles, they arrived at a village where the monk said, "This is where the immortal Lord Donghua (the Eastern Florescence Emperor, a Daoist deity) attained the Dao. The general may rest here." With a bow, the monk departed.

Zhongli Quan (later known as one of the Eight Immortals) dared not disturb the villagers. After a long while, he heard someone remark, "This must be that talkative blue-eyed foreigner's doing." Then an elder clad in white deerskin and leaning on a green cane called out, "Could our visitor be General Zhongli Quan of the Han dynasty? Why not stay with the mountain monk?" Startled, Zhongli realized he had met an extraordinary being. Having narrowly escaped danger, he was suddenly filled with the desire to cultivate the Dao and begged the elder for methods to transcend the mortal world. The elder then imparted to him the True Formula of Longevity, the techniques of Golden Elixir (Jindan) refinement, and the Green Dragon Sword Method. When Zhongli took his leave and turned back, the village had vanished without a trace. Later, he encountered the Perfected Huayang, from whom he learned the secrets of the Great Unity Crucible (Taiyi Dao Gui) and the Inner Alchemy (Neidan) of Fire Talismans. Wandering to Zoucheng in Shandong, he ultimately attained immortality atop the Purple-Gold Four Luminaries Peak of Mount Kongtong.

Ma Chengzi, a native of Fufeng during the Qin dynasty, was naturally indifferent to worldly glory. He often lamented, "Life is as fleeting as lightning—why cling to this dusty realm?" Abandoning his home to pursue the Dao, he practiced cultivation in a stone chamber on Mount Heming in Sichuan for over twenty years. Later, an extraordinary being bestowed upon him a divine elixir, saying, "Inner Alchemy (Neidan) relies on breath, while Outer Alchemy (Waidan) relies on medicine. By taking this, you shall become immortal." With that, the figure departed. Following these teachings, Ma Chengzi eventually ascended in broad daylight.

Huang An, a native of Daijun, was said to have lived for over ten thousand years yet retained the appearance of a child. He regularly consumed cinnabar, which turned his entire body red, and he wore no clothes, always seated upon a divine turtle. The turtle was two feet wide, and when asked how long he had been riding it, Huang An replied, "This turtle extends its head only once every three thousand years. Since I began nurturing it, I have witnessed this five times." He carried the turtle on his back wherever he walked. Emperor Wu of the Han, hearing of his marvels, often discussed the Dao of immortality with him, treating him as a teacher. During the imperial Fengshan sacrifices at Mount Tai, Huang An was summoned alongside four other "immortal officials"—Dong Ye, Li Ke, Meng Qi, and Guo Qiong—to ride in the imperial carriage. After Emperor Wu's death, Huang An disappeared without a trace.

(Note: The original text on Liu Chan is missing; this supplements common folklore.) Liu Chan, better known as Liu Haichan of the Eight Immortals, was originally a chancellor of the Yan state during the Five Dynasties. After being enlightened by Zhongli Quan, he renounced his wealth to pursue the Dao. His most iconic image depicts him playing with a golden toad, symbolizing prosperity, making him a beloved folk deity of fortune.

This scripture recounts the legendary stories of three Daoist figures:

Liu Xuanying (Daoist name Haichanzi) was originally the prime minister of Yan State, well-versed in Confucian classics. While devoted to Huang-Lao philosophy, he one day received a visit from a Daoist who called himself "Zhengyangzi." After explaining the principles of clarity-quietness and wuwei (non-action), along with essential techniques for Golden Elixir cultivation, the Daoist performed a startling demonstration by stacking ten eggs with ten coins between them—symbolizing the perils of officialdom. This revelation prompted Liu to resign and pursue Daoist practice, ultimately achieving immortality through cultivation on Zhongnan Mountain. At his death, white qi (vital energy) emanated from his head, transforming into a crane that carried him skyward.

Fuqiubo (surname Li) secluded himself on Songshan Mountain for twenty years, regularly consuming Polygonatum root (a medicinal herb). His white hair turned black again, his teeth regrew, and he eventually ascended to immortality in broad daylight. He composed the "Song of Original Dao" elucidating cultivation essentials: practice should resemble the mutual subduing of dragon and tiger; after completing neidan (internal alchemy) circulation (the River Chariot work), attainment comes naturally without forced vigilance. He emphasized that only through yin-yang harmony (represented by the sovereign-minister and four substances) could one manifest the cosmic patterns, with true guardians naturally appearing.

Liu Chen of Eastern Han Dynasty's Shan County entered Tiantai Mountain with Ruan Zhao to gather herbs but lost their way. Starving, they discovered mountain peaches and a stream floating with sesame rice, where they encountered two celestial maidens who hosted them lavishly. The maidens prepared sumptuous sesame rice and mountain goat meat, while other immortals congratulated them as bridegrooms. After ten joyous days together, the men grew homesick—only to return and discover seven generations had passed. This story exemplifies the Daoist temporal perspective where "seven days in the mountains equal millennia in the mundane world."

Wei Boyang was a native of Wu who was naturally inclined toward the Daoist cultivation arts and disdained official positions. He retreated alone into the mountains to refine the elixir of immortality (xian dan). At the time, he brought along three disciples, two of whom lacked sincere devotion. When the golden elixir (jindan) was completed, he declared: "Though the elixir is made, we must first test it. If given to a dog without harm, humans may consume it; if the dog dies, it must not be taken." Upon ingestion, the dog immediately perished. Wei Boyang mused: "Could it be the elixir lacks divine approval? Should I take it, I fear meeting the same fate." One disciple challenged: "Would you dare, Master?" He replied: "I abandoned family and career seeking immortality—to return alive in failure would bring shame." Consuming the elixir, he instantly died. The sincere disciple, recognizing his master's extraordinary nature, followed suit and died. The remaining two, witnessing this, concluded that seeking longevity had instead brought death, and chose to return home to arrange funerary rites. Once they departed, Wei Boyang revived, administering the true elixir to the deceased disciple and dog, restoring them to life. Ultimately, he ascended to immortality with the loyal disciple Yu and the dog. En route, encountering a woodcutter, he entrusted a message of gratitude for the departed disciples. Wei Boyang authored the Zhouyi Cantong Qi in two volumes—ostensibly explicating the Book of Changes (Zhouyi), but actually employing hexagrams to conceal alchemical secrets (neidan).

Zhang Daoling, styled Fuhan, was the eighth-generation descendant of Zhang Liang. Towering at nine chi two cun (approx. 2.13m), he possessed bushy eyebrows, a broad forehead, reddish scalp, emerald eyes, a prominent nose bridge, square jaw, triangular eyes, and an occipital bone extending like a hidden rhinoceros horn to his crown. His arms reached below his knees, and he walked with dragon-tiger majesty. Born in 34 CE during Emperor Guangwu's reign at Tianmu Mountain, his mother dreamed of a celestial being descending from the Great Bear constellation, presenting fragrant herbs (hengwei). Upon waking, an extraordinary fragrance filled their chambers for months—the conception omen. His birth was attended by yellow clouds enveloping the house and purple qi (ziqi) permeating the courtyard.

This scripture recounts the cultivation story of Zhang Daoling, the founder of Daoism, revered as the "Zhenren" (Perfected Being). At just seven years old, he could comprehend the profound principles of the Daode Jing (Classic of the Way and Virtue) and the Hetu-Luoshu (ancient mystical diagrams). Though he once held official positions, his heart was devoted to spiritual practice, eventually leading him to seclusion at Heming Mountain in Sichuan.

Together with his disciple Wang Chang, he refined the "Longhu Dan" (Dragon-Tiger Elixir), a crucial alchemical substance in Daoism. After three years, the elixir was completed. When the sixty-year-old Zhang Daoling consumed it, his appearance rejuvenated to that of a thirty-year-old. Later, at Northern Songshan Mountain, he encountered celestial beings who guided him to secret scriptures including the Sanhuang Neiwen (Inner Writings of the Three Sovereigns), Huangdi Jiuding (Yellow Emperor's Nine Tripods), and Taiqing Danjing (Classic of the Great Clarity Elixir). Through further cultivation, he attained supernatural abilities such as bilocation and transformation—simultaneously reciting scriptures on a boat, receiving guests in his hall, and composing poetry while leaning on his staff—defying ordinary comprehension.

His legendary deeds of protecting the people include: ending the sacrificial practice of the Western City's White Tiger Spirit, which demanded human blood, and using Daoist arts to subdue a giant serpent terrorizing Zizhou. During the reign of Emperor Shun of Han, on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Zhang Daoling dreamed of Taishang Laojun (the Supreme Venerable Lord, highest deity in Daoism) descending on purple clouds at Heming Mountain. Laojun bestowed upon him the Zhengyi Mengwei Milu (Secret Registers of Orthodox Unity Covenant Authority, core texts of the Celestial Master tradition), numerous scriptures, paired swords, and the Dugong Seal (a vital ritual implement of the Celestial Master tradition), commanding him to subdue the Six Great Demon-Gods of Shu. Laojun promised to meet again after a thousand days, whereupon Zhang Daoling began his cultivation according to the esoteric methods. At that time, eight demon marshals led countless ghostly soldiers in wreaking havoc upon the human realm.

This scripture recounts the story of a Daoist perfected one (a realized master) who, commanded by Lord Lao (the deified Laozi), journeyed to Mount Qingcheng to subdue demonic forces. The master arranged the ritual altar with precision: at the center stood a towering crystal throne, to the left was enshrined the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (supreme deity of Daoism), to the right were placed the thirty-six sacred scriptures, surrounded by ten divine banners of ultimate power. Bells and chimes resonated while dragon-tiger spirit warriors stood guard.

The demon hordes first attacked with weapons and stone projectiles, but the master merely traced his finger in the air, conjuring giant lotus blossoms that blocked their assault. When the demons advanced with thousands of torches, the master's magic turned the flames back upon them. The Demon King demanded why this intruder from Mount Emei dared invade their territory, to which the master rebuked them for harming innocent people, declaring his divine mandate from Lord Lao to banish them to the western wastelands.

The next day, six great demon kings led a million ghost soldiers in siege. With a single stroke of his cinnabar brush, the master felled the entire horde, forcing the six kings to kneel in surrender. Splitting the mountain asunder, the master imprisoned them until the demons finally pleaded to be relocated to the western paradise of Shaluo (a Buddhist pure land). Though granting their request by painting a bridge for their passage, the master remained resolved to fully subjugate them.

Their magical contest unfolded thus: The master walked through flames unharmed, standing atop blue lotuses while the demon commanders burned; he rode a golden dragon through floods that drowned his foes; he passed effortlessly through stone where demons could penetrate but an inch; his divine talismans held power over life and death, a feat the demons couldn't replicate. When the demon commander transformed into eight ferocious tigers, the master became a lion to drive them off; when the demons took dragon form, he manifested as a golden-winged garuda to peck their eyes; when they summoned five-colored clouds to blot out heaven, the celestial battle of powers reached its climax.

This narrative embodies the Daoist principle of "using righteousness to dispel evil," demonstrating how the master's Laozi-bestowed powers and moral authority conquer malign forces. Rich in Daoist magical imagination, it features characteristic practices like the cinnabar brush (magic writing instrument), divine talismans, and transformative abilities—all hallmarks of Daoist ritual technology.

The Perfected One (a realized Daoist master) manifested five-colored radiance that neutralized the ghost commanders' demonic arts, causing the dark mists to dissipate. Seeing the ghost leaders at their wits' end, the Perfected One then transformed into a massive boulder weighing ten thousand jin, suspended above the ghost camp by a single lotus root fiber while two mice gnawed at the thread. The terrified ghost commanders collectively pleaded for mercy, vowing to cease harming the people.

Thereupon, the Perfected One commanded the Six Great Ghost Kings to return to Northern Fengdu (the underworld capital) while the Eight Divisions of Ghost Commanders fled toward the western regions. When lingering spirits refused to depart, the master recited a divine incantation that soared into the clouds. Immediately, wind, rain, thunder and lightning descended as celestial soldiers materialized, scattering the remaining ghosts without a trace.

Arriving at Mount Yuntai in Cangxi County, the Perfected One told his disciple Wang Chang: "This mountain shall be where I attain complete realization and ascend to immortality." He settled here to practice the "Nine Returns and Seven Reversions" (Neidan internal alchemy techniques). One day, celestial music suddenly filled the air. As the master straightened his robes and bowed, Lord Laozi (the deified Laozi) appeared amid heavenly hosts hovering on clouds. The Daoist patriarch sent an emissary declaring: "You were destined to join the Ninefold Celestial Immortals, but your demon-subduing campaign in Shu involved excessive bloodshed. Summoning storms and commanding spirits also violated the Dao's virtue of nurturing life. The Jade Emperor demands accountability, so I cannot yet guide your ascent. Continue cultivating with repentant heart—I shall await you at the Eight Scenes Palace in Shangqing." With these words, the divine entourage departed.

The Perfected One subsequently relocated with Wang Chang to Crane-Cry Mountain, where he instructed disciple Zhao Sheng: "Malevolent forces dwell yonder—we must pacify them." Upon arrival, twelve mountain goddesses greeted them. After learning the location of a venomous dragon infesting the local salt spring, the master drew a talisman (Fulu) that transformed into a golden-winged phoenix to drive away the serpent, enabling villagers to harvest salt again. When the goddesses offered jade rings in tribute, the Perfected One fused twelve rings into one and cast it into a well, declaring: "Whoever retrieves this ring shares karmic affinity with my past incarnations."

The female immortals vied to disrobe and leap into the well to seize the jade ring, whereupon the Perfected Zhang Daoling (founder of Daoism) sealed the well and established a covenant: he would make them well deities, forever confined within. From then on, the local people were no longer harassed by these female immortals and instead could benefit from the salt well. After twenty more years of cultivation, the Perfected One returned to Crane Cry Mountain with his disciples Zhao Sheng and Wang Chang.

At midday one day, an envoy suddenly appeared wearing a black headscarf and silk robes, bearing a sword and holding a jade case. He announced: "By decree of the Shangqing Palace (the highest Daoist celestial realm), I bring this true talisman to invite the Perfected One to visit the paradise of Langyuan." In an instant, a black dragon arrived pulling a purple carriage, and two jade maidens guided the Perfected One aboard. In the blink of an eye, they reached the celestial palace. The assembled immortals paid their respects for a long while when suddenly two immortal youths in red robes arrived holding vermilion tally-staffs and proclaimed: "The Most High Lord Lao has arrived." Everyone then ascended together to a palace with golden steps and jade walls, where someone informed the Perfected One: "You are to have an audience with the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning."

The Celestial Worthy commanded an immortal youth to transmit to the Perfected One the "Methods of the Orthodox Unity Covenant with Powers," appointing him as Celestial Master (Tianshi) for generations to come to guide humanity, while secretly revealing his ascension date. After receiving this mandate, the Perfected One returned to Crane Cry Mountain. On the seventh day of the first lunar month in the first year of the Yongshou era (155 CE) of Emperor Huan of Han, during the fifth watch before dawn, Zhao Sheng and Wang Chang saw the Most High Lord Lao descend in a dragon-drawn chariot, commanding the Perfected One to mount a white crane and accompany him to Chengdu. After the Perfected One again expounded the essentials of the Orthodox Unity Covenant and explained the Scripture of the Northern Dipper and Scripture of the Southern Dipper, Lord Lao departed.

To leave behind a divine trace, the Perfected One leaped from the mid-cliff of Cloud Terrace Mountain into a stone wall—only to emerge from the mountaintop, leaving two caverns in the rock. On the ninth day of the ninth month at Red Wall Pavilion Mountain in Baxi, the Heavenly Emperor sent an envoy bearing a jade register to confer upon the Perfected One the title "Zhengyi Perfected One," foretelling his imminent ascension. The Perfected One transmitted the secret talismans and registers of the Covenant Powers, the demon-slaying twin swords, and the jade registers and seals to his eldest son Zhang Heng. To Zhao Sheng and Wang Chang, he said: "Two immortal elixir pills remain—partake of them today and ascend with me." At noon, amidst celestial music, the Perfected One and his two disciples achieved daylight ascension from Cloud Terrace Peak at the age of 123.

(Xiao Shi Chapter) Xiao Shi cultivated the Dao and excelled at playing the vertical bamboo flute. Duke Mu of Qin married his daughter Nongyu to him.

This scripture recounts the legendary stories of four ancient cultivators who attained immortality:

The tale of Nongyu and Xiaoshi: Nongyu excelled at playing the xiao flute to imitate phoenix calls, which attracted actual phoenixes to perch on her rooftop. Duke Mu of Qin constructed the Phoenix Terrace in her honor. Later, Nongyu ascended to immortality riding a phoenix while Xiaoshi flew away on a dragon.

Mei Fu's path to immortality: As a county official during the Han dynasty, Mei Fu grew disillusioned with Wang Mang's usurpation of power and lamented worldly constraints. He abandoned his official post to seek the Dao, traveling through Mount Yandang and southern Fujian. At Mount Xianxia, he met the immortal Kongtong who taught him Neidan (internal alchemy) techniques. The immortal revealed his destined connection with Mount Feihong, where Mei Fu built a thatched hut for cultivation. After perfecting the Golden Elixir, he returned to Shouchun. One day, immortal youths arrived on phoenix-like luan birds to escort him. People reportedly saw him again during the Song dynasty, when he was honored as the "Immortal of Shouchun."

Huang Chuping's legend: At fifteen while tending sheep, Huang Chuping was taken by a Daoist priest to stone chambers on Mount Jinhua where he stayed for forty years. His brother Huang Chuqi searched in vain until a Daoist guided him to the mountain. When Chuping said the sheep were east of the mountain, Chuqi only saw white stones - until Chuping's command transformed them back into sheep. Inspired, Chuqi abandoned his family to cultivate the Dao, eventually achieving immortality.

Fei Changfang's marvelous encounter: While working at the marketplace, Fei noticed an old medicine seller who would jump into his hanging gourd after closing shop. The old man took him inside the gourd, revealing a magnificent palace with endless wine and delicacies. Later revealing his true identity as a banished immortal, the old man gifted Fei a small gourd of wine at parting - a vessel that never emptied no matter how much he drank.

This scripture recounts the miraculous stories of two Daoist immortals.

The first part tells of Fei Changfang's apprenticeship under Master Huzi (a Daoist immortal). To test Fei's resolve, Master Huzi devised a series of trials: first making his family believe he had hanged himself, then leaving him alone in a mountain filled with thorns and tigers, suspending a massive boulder over his head with a rotting rope, and even forcing him to eat feces containing three foul worms. After passing these trials, Master Huzi gifted him a bamboo staff as a flying tool. When Fei returned home, he discovered that over a decade had passed, and his family had long presumed him dead. Later, he used this staff (which was actually a dragon in disguise) to heal illnesses, exorcise ghosts, and travel vast distances in an instant. He also foresaw disaster befalling his disciple Huan Jing’s family and instructed them to wear dogwood sachets, climb to high ground, and drink chrysanthemum wine on the Double Ninth Festival to avert calamity.

The second part narrates the tale of Lan Caihe, one of the Eight Immortals. He behaved eccentrically, wearing tattered clothes—thick cotton robes in summer—and sleeping on snow in winter. Often begging in the city, he carried a three-foot-long clapper, singing and dancing while drunk, his improvised lyrics concealing celestial truths. He strung the coins he received on a rope and dragged them behind him, indifferent when they scattered, frequently giving them to the poor or buying wine as he wandered the world. Those who saw him could never discern when or how he had appeared.

The Story of Li He, the Hemp-Robed Master:

This man was born with deep blue-black hair and strikingly handsome features. As he grew older, disgusted by worldly filth, he retreated to Zhongnan Mountain to cultivate the Dao. There he encountered a Daoist priest who transmitted to him the secrets of cultivation, directing him to practice at the Lingtang Cave on the northern bank of the Tuan River in Nanyang. Guided by a woodcutter, the Hemp-Robed Master dwelled in this cave for nineteen years.

During the great drought of the Yixi era (405-418 CE) in the Eastern Jin dynasty, a villager named Zhang Shi led his community to beg for rain. Though initially declining by claiming no knowledge of rain-making rituals, that very night twelve youths appeared to inform him: "When next they request rain, you must consent." The following day, torrential rains came, and the twelve revealed themselves as dragon kings sent by the Jade Emperor to assist his cultivation. By the early Daming era (457-464 CE) of the Liu-Song dynasty, at age 101, the Hemp-Robed Master achieved ascension in seated meditation.

The Legend of Immortal Ma Gu:

This female immortal was the younger sister of the transcendent Wang Fangping. During Emperor Huan's reign (146-168 CE) of the Eastern Han, Wang descended to Cai Jing's household, revealing that Cai possessed the destiny for immortality but his physical form was too heavy for direct ascension—requiring "corpse liberation" (shijie, a Daoist method of shedding the mortal shell through apparent death). Cai Jing subsequently endured three days of feverish transformation until only his skeleton remained, his mortal form sloughed off like a serpent's molt. Over a decade later, he suddenly returned home, foretelling Wang Fangping's return on the seventh day of the seventh month.

On the appointed day, Wang arrived wearing his distant-wandering crown, riding a chariot drawn by five dragons with a procession rivaling imperial generals. After dismissing his retinue, Wang summoned Ma Gu. The Cai family beheld a maiden appearing no older than eighteen, her hair half-coiled and half-flowing, dressed in radiant brocades that illuminated the chamber. Upon taking her seat, she personally prepared a celestial feast in the kitchen.

This story records a conversation between the immortal Magu (a Daoist female immortal) and Wang Fangping. When Magu saw a woman who had just given birth, she immediately said, "Wait a moment!" She asked for some rice, scattered it on the ground, and it all turned into cinnabar (a material used in alchemy). Wang Fangping laughed and said, "Magu still enjoys playing these little tricks."

Magu replied, "Since I began serving you, the Eastern Sea has turned into mulberry fields three times, and the waters of Mount Penglai (the immortal mountain) have grown shallow again." Wang Fangping also remarked, "The sages all say that the sea will soon dry up and turn into flying dust."

At that moment, Magu's hands appeared like bird claws. A man named Cai Jing secretly thought, "If only I could use those claws to scratch my back when it itches." Wang Fangping immediately knew his thoughts and struck Cai Jing's back with a whip, saying, "Magu is an immortal—how dare you think of using her divine claws to scratch an itch?" Afterward, Wang Fangping departed, and Magu also took her leave.

This passage tells of the legendary origins and attainment of the Dao of Lü Dongbin, one of the Eight Immortals of Daoism—named Yan, courtesy name Dongbin, sobriquet Chunyangzi.

At Lü Dongbin’s birth there were strange omens: when his mother went into labor, the room filled with an extraordinary fragrance, celestial music sounded in the air, and a white crane descended from the sky, flew into the curtains, and vanished. From birth his appearance was extraordinary: he had golden skin, a tall and upright physique, a forehead like a crane’s, a back like a turtle’s, eyes upturned like a phoenix’s, and eyebrows that ran straight to his temples. He was exceptionally intelligent from childhood, could remember anything after a single glance, and was eloquent in speech. He stood eight chi two cun tall and looked remarkably like Zhang Liang, the strategist of the Han dynasty.

At twenty he still had not married. In childhood, the eminent monk Mazu—a famous Chan master of the Tang dynasty—had seen that his bone structure was extraordinary and predicted that he would become one who transcended the dusty world. He also instructed him to remember a destined opportunity: “When you encounter Lu, dwell there; when you see Zhong, knock.” Later, at Mount Lu, he met the Fire Dragon Zhenren (Perfected Person), who transmitted to him the “Heaven-Escaping Sword Technique.”

During the Huichang era of the Tang dynasty (841–846), at the age of sixty-four, Lü Dongbin failed the imperial examinations twice. One day in a Chang’an tavern he met a Daoist wearing a blue headscarf and white robe—Han Zhongli, styled Master Yunfang—who inscribed a poem on the wall expressing detachment from the mundane world. Attracted by his immortal bearing and Daoist bone, Lü Dongbin approached to ask for instruction. The Daoist said he lived at Crane Ridge in the Zhongnan Mountains and invited Lü Dongbin to travel with him.

While the two were resting in the tavern, Lü Dongbin had a yellow millet dream: he dreamed that he placed first in the imperial examination, that his official career flourished, that he held a series of important posts, married a wealthy family’s daughter, had a hall full of children and grandchildren, enjoyed forty years of glory, wealth, and honor, and even served as prime minister for ten years. In the end, however, he was charged with a crime and his household was confiscated; his wife and children were torn from him, and he stood alone in the wind and snow lamenting life. When he awoke, he found that the yellow millet on the stove was still not cooked.

Zhongli Quan used this to enlighten him: “The yellow millet is not yet cooked, and you have already finished a great dream. In the human world, honor and disgrace, gain and loss—fifty years are but a single instant. Gain is not enough for joy, loss is not enough for sorrow; only one who has awakened completely knows that life is a great dream.” Hearing these words, Lü Dongbin was instantly enlightened, and from then on he followed Zhongli Quan in cultivating the Dao. This story of “A Yellow Millet Dream” became a famous Daoist allusion of enlightenment.

This story recounts how Lü Dongbin (one of the Eight Immortals of Daoism) sought teachings on immortality from Zhongli Quan (styled Yunfang, a Daoist immortal).

Initially testing Lü Dongbin, Zhongli Quan said, "Your spiritual foundation is still insufficient. To seek immortality and the Dao, you must undergo several more cycles of rebirth." With these words, he departed in an ethereal manner. Lü Dongbin immediately abandoned his Confucian scholarly ambitions and retreated into seclusion to cultivate himself. Later, Zhongli Quan subjected Lü Dongbin to ten trials:

The first trial: Upon returning from a long journey, Lü found his entire family had died of illness. Without complaint, he gave them a proper burial—only for the deceased to miraculously revive. The second trial: While selling goods in the marketplace, a buyer reneged and paid only half the agreed price. Without protest, Lü left the goods and walked away. The third trial: On New Year’s Day, a beggar demanded money. Even after being cursed by the beggar after giving alms, Lü remained cheerful. The fourth trial: While herding sheep in the mountains, he encountered a starving tiger. He shielded the flock, yet the tiger left of its own accord.

The fifth trial: While studying in the mountains, a stunningly beautiful woman threw herself at him, yet he remained unmoved. The sixth trial: His home was ransacked by thieves, leaving him destitute. Without resentment, he farmed to survive—only to rebury gold he unearthed, refusing to take it. The seventh trial: Copperware he purchased turned to gold, which he promptly returned to the seller. The eighth trial: A deranged Daoist sold him a poison claiming "one bite brings death." Without hesitation, Lü swallowed it—and suffered no harm.

The ninth trial: Amid a catastrophic flood, he remained serenely seated while crossing turbulent waters with others. The tenth trial: Alone in meditation, he faced terrifying apparitions but showed no fear. Suddenly, Zhongli Quan appeared, laughing heartily: "You’ve passed all ten trials. Now I may teach you the alchemical art of turning stone to gold (the Huangbai techniques of Daoist inner alchemy)."

These trials tested Lü Dongbin’s resolve in facing temptations of life and death, wealth, desire, and terror—revealing his transcendent Daoist heart, unshaken by worldly distractions.

This passage recounts the story of Lü Dongbin (courtesy name Dongbin, sobriquet Chunyangzi, one of the Eight Immortals of Daoism) attaining enlightenment and becoming an immortal. Zhongli Quan (courtesy name Yunfang, leader of the Eight Immortals) sought to test Lü Dongbin's determination in cultivation by asking whether he would be willing to wait three thousand years to complete his spiritual merits. Lü Dongbin replied he couldn't bear to make the world wait so long. Recognizing his sincere heart, Zhongli Quan took him to Crane Ridge where he transmitted the highest secret teachings, bestowing upon him the Lingbao Bifa scripture and several immortal elixirs.

During the transmission, two celestial beings arrived holding golden tablets and precious talismans (fulu), announcing the Jade Emperor's decree appointing Zhongli Quan as "Immortal Selector of the Nine Heavens' Golden Palace." Zhongli Quan told Lü Dongbin he must depart for the celestial court, urging him to continue cultivating virtue in the human realm until achieving immortality. Lü Dongbin, however, declared his aspiration differed—he vowed to deliver all sentient beings before ascending.

After receiving Zhongli Quan's authentic transmission, Lü Dongbin further mastered the "Heavenly Evasion Sword Technique" from Fire Dragon True Man. He began wandering the Jianghuai region, using his spiritual sword to slay a flood dragon that plagued the people. For over four hundred years thereafter, he moved between visibility and concealment across Hunan, Hubei, and Zhejiang, calling himself "Huidaoren" (Returning Daoist), with few recognizing his true identity.

During Emperor Huizong's Zhenghe era (1111-1118 CE) of the Song Dynasty, ghosts haunted the imperial palace, with specters stealing gold and jewels in broad daylight. After sixty days of fasting rituals (zhaijiao), the emperor dreamed of a Daoist outside Donghua Gate wearing a blue lotus crown, purple crane-feather robe, and holding a crystal scepter. The Daoist claimed to be sent by the Jade Emperor to subdue demons, summoning a golden-armored deity who captured and devoured the ghost. When the emperor inquired, the Daoist revealed the deity was Guan Yu, posthumously honored as "Chongning True Lord." Asked about Zhang Fei's whereabouts, Guan Yu said he had reincarnated into the Yue family of Xiangzhou (hinting at the later Yue Fei).

Upon awakening, the emperor recorded the dream, realizing the Daoist was Lü Dongbin. The palace thereafter knew peace, and the emperor decreed all temples dedicated to Lü Dongbin be granted the honorific title "Marvelous Penetration True Man." Lü Dongbin's vast spiritual powers and deeds are beyond full recounting—he would later manifest connections with Yue Fei (Yue Mu) as well.

Wu Fu (possibly a man surnamed Wu) once dreamed that the Three Kingdoms general Zhang Fei was reincarnated, so he named his son "Fei."

The story of Sun Deng: Sun Deng, styled Gonghe, lived in a cave on Beishan Mountain in Ji Commandery. In summer, he wore garments woven from grass, while in winter, he let his hair hang loose to ward off the cold. He was skilled in changxiao (a special vocal technique), enjoyed studying the Book of Changes (Yijing), and played the single-stringed zither. His temperament was tranquil, never showing joy or anger. Ji Kang followed him as a student for three years, repeatedly asking about the purpose of life, but received no answer. At their parting, Ji Kang asked, "Does the master truly have no teachings for me?" Sun Deng replied, "Do you understand fire? Fire naturally emits light, but the key lies in how to use that light. People are born with talent, but the key lies in how to apply it. For fire to maintain its radiance, it needs fuel; for a person to preserve their life, they must recognize their true nature." Ji Kang then sought instruction in zither music, but Sun Deng refused, saying, "You have too much talent and too little wisdom—in this world, calamity is unavoidable." Later, Ji Kang was indeed implicated in the Lü An case and imprisoned. While in jail, he wrote a poem lamenting, "In the past, I was ashamed to fall short of Liu Xiahui (a virtuous scholar of the Spring and Autumn period); now, I am ashamed to be unworthy of Sun Deng." Ultimately, Sun Deng ascended to immortality in broad daylight.

The story of Zuo Ci: Zuo Ci, styled Yuanfang, was a native of Lujiang. He devoted himself to Daoist cultivation on Tianzhu Mountain, where he obtained alchemical texts in a cave. He mastered the Six Jia divine arts (Daoist magic), could command spirits and ghosts, conjure food and wine at will, and transform himself endlessly. Cao Cao summoned him and confined him in a sealed chamber without food for a year, yet when he emerged, his complexion was unchanged. Once, during a banquet, Cao Cao remarked, "Today’s feast lacks only the perch from Songjiang." Zuo Ci immediately requested a bronze basin filled with water, cast a fishing line, and instantly pulled out a perch. Cao Cao said it was a pity they had no ginger from Shu. Zuo Ci replied it was easily obtained. Fearing he would conjure it locally, Cao Cao deliberately mentioned that he had previously sent someone to Shu to buy brocade and should now order twenty more bolts. Zuo Ci agreed, then tossed his wine cup into the air, where it transformed into a white crane and flew away. Soon after, he produced ginger from his sleeve, and later, the envoy sent to Shu reported that he had indeed received the additional order that day. During an outing with officials, Zuo Ci used a single sheng of wine and a jin of meat to intoxicate the entire party. When Cao Cao investigated, he found the wine and meat in local taverns had vanished. Disgusted by his sorcery, Cao Cao sought to kill him, but Zuo Ci retreated into a wall and disappeared. Someone spotted him in the marketplace, but every passerby took on Zuo Ci’s appearance, making him impossible to identify. Later, he was seen on Yangcheng Mountain, but when pursued, he vanished among a flock of sheep.

This narrative recounts the legendary encounter between Han Xiangzi (one of the Daoist Eight Immortals) and Han Yu (the Tang Dynasty literary figure posthumously titled Duke Wen). Han Xiangzi deliberately used Daoist arts to tease Han Yu—first transforming a flock of sheep into bipedal rams that eluded capture, then feigning death through shijie (corpse liberation, a Neidan term referring to the immortal's spirit departing the physical form), only to reappear and demonstrate his mystical powers.

Han Xiangzi expressed his spiritual aspirations through poetry: "The green mountains and flowing clouds are my home, where I drink jade nectar by night and feast on morning mists at dawn. Playing the zither and refining elixirs, I nurture the golden tiger (symbolizing lead and mercury in alchemy) within the precious cauldron, while white crows (representing perfected elixirs) dwell in my immortal fields." He then performed miracles—instantly fermenting wine, making jade blossoms sprout from earth, with the prophetic verse "Clouds veil Qin peaks—where lies my home? Snow bars Lan Pass—my steed stands still" materializing within the petals.

When Han Yu was later exiled to Chaozhou for remonstrating against the Buddha's Bone Incident, he indeed met Han Xiangzi at snowbound Lan Pass, fulfilling the earlier prophecy. The immortal gifted him elixirs to ward off miasmic vapors and foretold his imminent recall to court, yet hinted at their eternal separation between immortal and mortal realms.

Another tale concerns Cao Guojiu (another of the Eight Immortals), originally a Song Dynasty imperial uncle. Ashamed of his brother's abuse of power in committing murder, he retreated to mountain forests, donning coarse robes to devote himself to Daoist practice. This exemplifies his cultivation journey—renouncing worldly splendor to pursue spiritual transcendence. Both stories illuminate how Daoist adepts employ wondrous manifestations to awaken worldly beings while embodying the pursuit of liberation beyond mundane existence.

This passage recounts the stories of two Daoist immortals. The first part describes how Zhongli Quan and Lü Dongbin (the Pure Yang Perfected Being) enlightened a cultivator:

A cultivator who had fasted for ten days encountered the two immortals Zhongli Quan and Lü Chunyang. The immortals asked him: "We hear you practice Dao cultivation—what exactly do you cultivate?" The cultivator replied: "I nurture the Dao (the Way)." They asked: "Where is the Dao?" He pointed to heaven. They continued: "Where is heaven?" He pointed to his own heart. The two immortals smiled and said: "The heart is heaven, heaven is the Dao—you've already glimpsed your original face." Thereupon they transmitted to him the secret method of returning to one's origin, guiding him to achieve immortality.

The second part narrates the legendary life of Xu Xun (Xu the Perfected Lord):

Xu Xun, styled Jingzhi, was from Nanchang. His mother dreamed of a golden phoenix dropping a luminous pearl into her palm; while playing with it, she accidentally swallowed the pearl and became pregnant. Even in childhood, Xu showed extraordinary wisdom. Once while hunting, he shot a fawn and witnessed the mother deer grieving as she licked her wounded offspring—this epiphany made him break his bow and arrows, vowing to cultivate the Dao. Well-versed in classics and history, he became particularly devoted to immortality arts, studying the Divine Methods of Ding Yi under his teacher Wu Meng from Xi'an, practicing day and night.

Once he purchased an iron lampstand which glowed at night where the lacquer had chipped—discovering it was actually gold, he returned it to the seller the next day. During Emperor Wu of Jin's reign, he served as magistrate of Jingyang County, using his arts to transform tiles into gold to relieve famine. When plague spread, he placed talisman-charged water (Fulu) in bamboo groves outside the city—all who drank it recovered.

Foreseeing the Jin dynasty's impending chaos, he resigned from office. Resting under cypress trees once, five maidens presented him with divine swords—these sword immortals later became his assistants. He also visited the adept Madame Chen with Wu Meng. She revealed: "Long ago, the King of Filial Piety prophesied that during the Jin era, Xu Xun would transmit the Great Dao of the Golden Elixir (Jindan)," confirming Xu as the heaven-ordained lineage holder.

This passage recounts several stories of the Daoist immortal Xu Xun (known as Perfected Lord Xu) subduing demons and vanquishing evil. After receiving secret Daoist teachings from the Filial and Fraternal King, Perfected Lord Xu began his mission to aid the world and deliver people from suffering.

The narrative begins with Perfected Lord Xu's mother foreseeing her imminent return to the celestial court. She plucked a fragrant cogongrass stalk and tossed it southward, instructing her son to later build a shrine where the grass landed. True to her words, Perfected Lord Xu and his companions eventually located the spot where the grass had fallen, erected a shrine there, and returned annually during the Mid-Autumn Festival to make offerings.

Several accounts follow of the Perfected Lord's demon-quelling exploits: Discovering villagers slaughtering livestock in excessive sacrifices to malevolent spirits, he summoned wind and thunder to demolish the evil shrine, instructing the people to cease such rituals. Witnessing locals struggling to fetch water, he struck his staff into a dried marsh, bringing forth a clear spring that never ran dry, even in drought. As gratitude to the Zhu family, he painted a pine tree on their wall—later, during a catastrophic flood, this was the only wall that remained standing.

The most dramatic tales involve his slaying of a flood dragon and a giant serpent. In Xi'an County, a temple deity warned of a flood dragon fleeing to Ezhou. Tracking it to a bridge, Perfected Lord Xu—guided by three elders—located the creature's hiding place and drove it into the great river with his sword. Later, hearing of a colossal serpent terrorizing Haihun County—a beast capable of spewing forty-mile-long venomous clouds to devour humans and livestock—he led disciples to confront it. First summoning the local earth god (a Daoist method called "flying talismans to command the Shebo"), when the serpent emerged from its cave with a head towering over a hundred feet high, Perfected Lord Xu employed Daoist arts to muster wind, thunder, and celestial soldiers to suppress the demon. Planting his foot on its head, he hacked with his sword while disciples like Shi Cen and Gan Ji joined the attack, ultimately eradicating the menace.

These stories exemplify the Daoist perfected being's (zhenren) use of Daoist methods to benefit humanity. The "flying talismans to command the earth god" demonstrates Daoist techniques for summoning local deities, while "whistling to command wind and thunder" reflects the perfected being's cultivation mastery over natural forces.

This scripture recounts the story of how the renowned Daoist immortal Xu Xun (Xu Zhenjun) subdued a flood dragon spirit:

Xu Zhenjun and his disciple Gan Shi encountered a bizarre phenomenon—a man's abdomen split open, revealing several zhang-long serpentine creatures. When Gan Shi sought to slay them, the True Lord intervened, explaining these serpents had yet to bring harm. He prophesied that if they were to plague the people in 1,250 years, he would reappear to destroy them. As proof, the True Lord planted a cypress tree before the altar, declaring its drooping branches would signal the prophecy's fulfillment.

Later, though a great serpent was vanquished, the jiao spirit (aquatic demon) still lurked, plotting to devastate the city. Upon returning to the commandery, the True Lord met a clever youth who introduced himself as "Shen." Recognizing the old jiao spirit in disguise, Xu Zhenjun tracked it to the riverbank, where it had transformed into a yellow ox resting on the sand. The True Lord then conjured a black ox from paper cuttings to engage it in combat, while secretly instructing his disciple Shi Cen to ambush the creature with a sword, wounding its left leg.

The injured jiao fled to Changsha, assuming human form to infiltrate the household of merchant Jia Yu. Years prior, the jiao had disguised itself as a handsome youth, bewitching Jia Yu, marrying his daughter, and siring two hybrid offspring. Each spring and summer, it would depart, returning in autumn laden with plundered goods—spoils from shipwrecks caused by floods. This time, empty-handed due to its injury, it lied about being robbed.

Disguised as a physician, the True Lord visited the household. The jiao, terrified, refused to show itself. Xu Zhenjun strode into the main hall and rebuked it sternly, forcing the creature to reveal its true form—coiled like a serpent beneath the hall—where it was slain by the True Lord's divine soldiers. The two hybrid offspring were also exposed and exterminated using talisman-infused water. Xu Zhenjun informed Jia Yu that beneath the jiao's lair, the water was barely a foot deep, concealing piles of bones—the remains of all those it had murdered over the years.

During the great flood, Xu Xun (revered in Daoism as Perfected Lord Xu) swiftly led the people to higher ground, after which their former settlement indeed collapsed into a lake. When the Perfected Lord returned to Yuzhang (present-day Nanchang), he discovered that remnants of the flood dragon's faction still held considerable power. These demonic creatures, fearing execution by the Perfected Lord, transformed into human form and deceitfully claimed, "Our ancestors have long dwelled in Chang'an, practicing virtue for generations. We have heard of Perfected Lord Xu's divine sword and wish to witness its power." His disciples boasted, "Our master's sword can split the heavens when pointed upward and cause the earth to collapse when pointed downward—no evil can withstand it." The dragon faction deliberately provoked them, asking, "Is there nothing it cannot cut?" To which the disciples jokingly replied, "Perhaps only winter melons and gourds are impervious."

Mistaking this jest for truth, the flood dragons transformed into winter melons and gourds, floating en masse upon the river. Recognizing their ruse, the Perfected Lord handed his sword to disciple Shi Cen, instructing him to tread the waves and slay the demons. True to his word, Shi Cen eradicated them all, bringing an end to the floods and restoring peace to the people.

In the second year of Emperor Ming of Jin's Tai'ning era (324 CE), when the rebel Wang Dun's army reached Cihu Lake, the Perfected Lord and his Daoist companion Wu Meng went to dissuade him. The famed fangshi (occultist-magician) Guo Pu was also in the military camp, and the three met with Wang Dun together. During the audience, Wang Dun mentioned dreaming of "a tree piercing the heavens." The Perfected Lord bluntly declared this an inauspicious omen, while Wu Meng interpreted: "'Tree piercing heaven' forms the character 'wei' (未), foretelling reckless action will fail." Enraged, Wang Dun ordered his guards to execute Guo Pu. Seizing the moment, the Perfected Lord transformed his wine cup into a white crane as a distraction, then vanished with Wu Meng under the cover of chaos.

After Wang Dun's eventual defeat, the two traveled to Jinling (modern Nanjing), intending to sail back to Yuzhang. When the boatman complained of lacking crew, the Perfected Lord instructed him to sit quietly with closed eyes, secretly summoning two dragons to steer the vessel. The boat soared through the air, passing over Mount Lu before alighting at Golden Gate Grotto on Purple Eminence Peak. There, the boatman knelt, begging for immortal guidance. The Perfected Lord bestowed upon him elixirs for cultivation, and the man eventually achieved transcendence through grain-abstention.

The Perfected Lord and Wu Meng each mounted a dragon and withdrew into seclusion, dedicating decades to Daoist practice. By the second year of Emperor Xiaowu's Ningkang era (374 CE), the 236-year-old Perfected Lord Xu beheld two celestial immortals descending at dawn on the first day of the eighth lunar month, bearing the Jade Emperor's decree to escort him to the heavens.

This passage records the miraculous deeds of two Daoist immortals.

The first part describes the ascension of Immortal Lord Xu (Xu Xun) in broad daylight. While serving as the Grand Historian of All Immortals of the Nine Provinces (a high-ranking Daoist celestial position), on the night of a full moon, celestial music descended from the heavens amidst auspicious clouds, revealing a dragon-drawn carriage with feathered canopies (the magnificent vehicle of immortals). Attended by jade maidens and immortal youths, Lord Xu was invited to board the carriage. Accompanied by forty-two family members from both his paternal and maternal households—including his disciple Xu Lie who brought his mother's relatives—their entire household ascended to immortality, even their chickens and dogs rising with them. A miraculous fragrance permeated the surrounding hundred li, lingering for a full month without dispersing.

The second part recounts the supernatural feats of Ge Xuan (Immortal Lord Ge). A native of Jurong in Danyang, he studied alchemy and immortal scriptures under Zuo Ci. During a banquet, he once performed magic: transforming chewed rice in his mouth into hundreds of flying insects that landed on guests, then swallowing them back into rice. He could make stone statues walk, command frogs, insects, and swallows to sing and dance like humans. In winter he conjured fresh melons, in summer summoned ice and snow, while wine cups flew unaided to guests' hands.

When Emperor Wu of Jin summoned him to inquire about rain-making methods, Ge Xuan drew a talisman (Fulu) and cast it into the earth god's temple—rain poured instantly. Passing another temple without alighting to pay respects, he provoked fierce winds; enraged, he burned the temple with a talisman. In Wukang, encountering a spirit-possessed shaman, he rebuked the demon and ordered underworld officers (the Five Bailiffs, yin-world enforcers) to drag it out and flog it until it bled and confessed. At Huayin, disguised as a farmer, he warned a scholar bewitched by a snake spirit, exposing his wife as a man-eating serpent.

These stories exemplify how Daoist immortals employed talismans, transformations, and other arts to aid the world, reflecting the Daoist practitioner's pursuit of daytime ascension as the ultimate spiritual ideal.

This story recounts the miraculous deeds of Daoist immortal Ge Xian Gong (Ge Xuan). When a scholar doubted his Daoist arts, Ge took him to see an ancient well filled with bones. Terrified, the scholar was instructed to observe carefully and indeed discovered a serpent demon causing havoc. Ge subdued the creature with talismanic incantations (fulu), slew it, then gave the scholar talisman-infused water to drink, which expelled countless worms and frogs from his body - thus saving his life.

While cultivating at Ziyi Mountain in Jingmen during bitter winter, Ge walked barefoot in tattered clothes. Moved by compassion, the Qu sisters secretly made him shoes overnight. When they delivered them at dawn, Ge had already departed, leaving only warm ashes in his furnace. Sifting through the ashes, they found an immortality elixir (xian dan). After sharing it, they became radiant with energy, free from hunger or thirst - people said they had attained immortality.

Accompanying the King of Wu on a voyage to Sanjiang Estuary, their ship sank in a storm. The king lamented that even Ge Xian Gong couldn't escape calamity - until the next day when Ge came striding across the water, explaining with wine-scented breath that Wu Zixu (the Spring and Autumn period general deified as river god) had insisted on drinking with him.

When pounding herbs at West Peak's cliff, some medicinal residue fell and was eaten by a bird, granting it eternal life. To this day on moonlit nights, people hear its "ding-dong" herb-pounding cries - they call it the "Medicine-Pounding Bird."

Hearing of Ge's enlightenment, the aquatic immortal Qin Gao rode two carp from the Eastern Sea to visit. After reveling in wine, Qin fell asleep on clouds and awoke to find his carp turned to stone. Ge gifted him two cranes as mounts instead - those stone carp remain visible today.

Most miraculously, when skeptics challenged his talismans (fulu), Ge demonstrated three in succession: the first floated downstream, the second upstream, the third made both halt mid-river. Later seeing dead fish at market, Ge claimed to "borrow" them to visit the River Earl (He Bo) - whereupon the fish revived and swam away.

The story of Immortal Maiden He (He Xiangu) goes like this: She was the daughter of He Tai from Zengcheng County in Guangzhou, born with six extraordinary strands of hair on her crown. At fourteen or fifteen, she dreamed of a deity who told her that consuming mica powder would make her body light as an immortal and grant longevity. From then on, she persistently took mica powder and vowed never to marry. She moved freely through mountain valleys with effortless speed, departing at dawn and returning at dusk, always bringing wild fruits home to her mother. Gradually, she cultivated herself to the point of abstaining from ordinary grains. When Empress Wu Zetian sent envoys to summon her to the palace, she mysteriously vanished en route. During the Jinglong era of Emperor Zhongzong of Tang, she ascended to immortality in broad daylight. In the ninth year of Tianbao under Emperor Xuanzong, witnesses saw her standing on colorful auspicious clouds above Magu Altar. Later, during the Dali era of Emperor Daizong, she reappeared at a small stone tower in Guangzhou.

Zhang Guolao's legend is even more marvelous: He lived as a recluse in the Zhongtiao Mountains of Hengzhou, often traveling through the Fen-Jin region while mastering the secrets of immortality. He frequently rode a white donkey that could cover tens of thousands of miles daily. When resting, he would fold the donkey like paper into his cloth case; to ride again, a spray of saliva would restore it. Emperors Taizong and Gaozong of Tang repeatedly summoned him without success. When Wu Zetian summoned him, he feigned death before the Jealous Maiden Temple. As it was midsummer, his corpse quickly rotted and bred maggots, convincing the empress of his demise. Later, he was spotted again in the Hengzhou mountains. In the 23rd year of Kaiyuan, Emperor Xuanzong sent Pei Wu to fetch him. Upon arriving in the Eastern Capital, Zhang stayed at the Jixian Academy, receiving imperial hospitality. When questioned about immortals, he remained silent but demonstrated his ability to abstain from food for days, drinking only wine. Offered wine by the emperor, he claimed a two-liter capacity while mentioning a disciple who could drink ten liters. Suddenly, a handsome young Daoist of fifteen or sixteen descended from the eaves—Zhang identified him as his disciple. After the youth consumed ten liters, Zhang warned against more, but the emperor insisted. The wine then erupted from the youth's crown, his hat transforming into a golden wine vessel upon hitting the ground as the disciple vanished. Investigation revealed this vessel—holding exactly ten liters—was actually from the Jixian Academy's collection.

This scripture recounts the miraculous deeds of two Daoist figures.

The first part tells the story of Elder Zhang Guo (referred to as "Guo"). When Emperor Xuanzong of Tang (called "the Emperor" in the text) heard that those who could drink poisoned wine without tasting bitterness were extraordinary men, he had Zhang Guo test this during cold weather. After drinking three cups consecutively, Zhang Guo declared it wasn't good wine and went to sleep. Upon waking to find his teeth blackened and fallen out, he applied medicine from his robe, and soon new teeth grew back white as jade. Later during a hunt in Xianyang, Zhang Guo recognized a captured deer as an immortal deer released during Emperor Wu of Han's reign, with a bronze tag beneath its antlers confirming this. When the Emperor asked Ye Fashan about Zhang Guo's identity, Ye warned that revealing it would kill him. Only after the Emperor promised protection did Ye disclose that Zhang Guo was the primordial White Bat Spirit from the creation of heaven and earth. Immediately after speaking, Ye collapsed bleeding from all facial orifices. The Emperor urgently begged Zhang Guo for forgiveness, who then revived Ye by spraying water on him. Zhang Guo later repeatedly requested to return to Hengzhou, passing away during the Tianbao era - yet when his coffin was opened, only an empty casket remained. The Emperor built the Qixia Temple to honor him.

The second part recounts Huang Yeren, a disciple of Ge Hong. After Ge Hong achieved immortality through alchemy at Mount Luofu, he left an elixir pill between stone pillars. Huang Yeren found and consumed it, becoming an earthly immortal. Later, a traveler lodging overnight at Mount Luofu saw a figure covered in dark green hair, mistaking him for an immortal and kneeling to seek the Dao. The figure paid no heed but laughed heartily, his mirth shaking the mountain forests, then sang: "When clouds come, ten thousand mountains tremble; when clouds depart, sky becomes one color."

In the empty solitude of the mountains, beneath the bright autumn moon, there lived a Daoist cultivator whose outward appearance resembled that of a simple mountain villager.

This was Sima Chengzhen (courtesy name Ziwei), who studied grain avoidance (a fasting practice) and daoyin (a health-preserving art similar to qigong) under Master Pan Shizheng, traveling through many famous peaks. Emperor Ruizong of Tang invited him to the capital and asked about the essentials of Daoist cultivation. Sima Chengzhen replied, "Cultivation means reducing a little each day, reducing further, until one attains the state of Wuwei (non-action)." The emperor asked, "This may apply to self-cultivation, but what about governing a nation?" He answered, "The body is like the state. Keep the mind tranquil, harmonize Qi (vital energy) with nature, follow the course of all things without selfish desires, and the world will naturally find peace." The emperor sighed and said, "Even the words of Guangchengzi (an immortal from the Yellow Emperor’s era) were no more profound than this." Later, Sima Chengzhen took his leave and returned to seclusion on Mount Tiantai.

The minister Lu Zangyong pointed to Mount Zhongnan and said, "The scenery here is excellent—why go to Mount Tiantai?" Sima Chengzhen replied, "To me, this place is merely a shortcut to officialdom." It turned out Lu had once secluded himself on Mount Zhongnan to gain fame before entering government service. Hearing this, Lu was deeply ashamed.

During the Kaiyuan era, Celestial Master Wenjing (a Daoist title) and Sima Chengzhen participated in the Zhaijiao (purification ritual) for the Qianqiu Festival at the Hall of Longevity. Late at night, after completing the ceremony, they rested behind a mica screen when they faintly heard a sound like a child reciting scriptures, crisp as the chime of jade and gold. Celestial Master Wenjing lifted his robe and tiptoed closer, discovering a coin-sized point of light on Sima Chengzhen’s forehead, illuminating the entire bed. Upon closer inspection, the sound seemed to emanate from his brain. The Celestial Master later told his disciples, "The Huangting Jing (Yellow Court Scripture) speaks of the Muddy Pellet Palace (upper Dantian) where nine true deities reside within a space of one square inch—this must be what it describes."

One day, Sima Chengzhen told his disciples, "The Sovereign Lord of Eastern Florescence has summoned me—I must go." With that, he passed away like a cicada shedding its shell at the age of eighty-nine. His disciples buried his robe and cap as a memorial. He left behind works such as Xiuzhen Mishi (Secret Principles of Cultivating Perfection) for later generations.

Another tale speaks of Wang Zhi, a man of the Jin Dynasty from Quzhou. Once, while gathering firewood in Stone Chamber Mountain, he saw several elders playing chess inside a cave. He set down his axe to watch, and one elder gave him something resembling a date pit to suck on. After swallowing its juice, he no longer felt hunger or thirst. The elder said, "You’ve been here long—it’s time to return." When Wang Zhi went to retrieve his axe, its handle had rotted away. Rushing home, he discovered centuries had passed, and none of his relatives remained. Later, he entered the mountains to cultivate the Dao and often encountered immortals.

There was also Tao Hongjing (courtesy name Daoming), a native of Moling. His mother once dreamed of a blue dragon entering her embrace before conceiving him.

This passage records the life of the renowned Southern Dynasties Daoist master Tao Hongjing. His birth was accompanied by extraordinary signs. At age ten, after reading Ge Hong's Biographies of Divine Immortals, he devoted himself day and night to studying the path of immortality, convinced that achieving transcendence was within reach.

As an adult, Tao stood seven chi seven cun tall (approx. 1.8m) with remarkable features—bright eyes, expansive eyebrows, and over seventy long hairs extending two cun beyond each ear. His right knee bore dozens of black moles arranged in the pattern of the Big Dipper. A polymath skilled in qin music, chess, calligraphy and painting, he was appointed by Emperor Gao of Qi as tutor to imperial princes at just twenty. Though moving in elite circles, he kept to himself, focusing solely on study.

In the tenth year of Yongming (492 CE), he hung his court robes on the Shenwu Gate and petitioned to resign from office. Granted permission, he established a Daoist temple on Mount Mao in Jurong, naming it "Huayang Hermitage." He traveled sacred mountains seeking miraculous herbs, pausing to compose poetry wherever landscapes enchanted him. When Governor Shen Yue of Dongyang repeatedly invited him by letter, Tao gracefully declined.

Humble and circumspect, Tao possessed mirror-like clarity of mind that pierced worldly affairs. During the Yongyuan era (499-501 CE), he built a three-story tower, dwelling in complete seclusion on the top floor attended by just one servant. Skilled in archery and horsemanship in youth, he later found joy only in sheng flute music and particularly loved pine winds—planting his courtyard with pines and delighting in their whispering. Sometimes wandering mountains alone, those who saw him mistook him for an immortal.

When Emperor Wu of Liang ascended the throne, Tao cited multiple prophecies containing the character "Liang" from apocryphal texts (tuchen), sending disciples to present them to the emperor—earning special favor. Later obtaining divine talismans (fulu) and secret methods, he lacked ingredients for elixir preparation until the emperor supplied gold, cinnabar and other materials. The resulting "Flying Elixir" shone like frost. After consumption brought bodily lightness, the emperor verified its efficacy through personal use, growing even more reverent. Repeated summons to court were all refused.

He once painted two oxen: one grazing freely, another driven with whip and golden halter. The emperor laughed upon seeing it: "This man wishes to be the turtle dragging its tail in the mud (symbolizing reclusive life)—how could we summon him to court?" Yet for every major state affair, his counsel was sought, earning him the nickname "Chancellor of the Mountains."

At over eighty, he retained the vigor of middle age. When Emperor Jianwen traveled to Southern Xuzhou, admiring Tao's demeanor, he specially received him in the rear hall.

Tao Hongjing, the renowned Daoist master of the Southern Dynasties, once wore a coarse hemp headscarf when attending an audience with Emperor Wu of Liang. After several days of profound conversation, he departed, leaving the emperor deeply impressed. When his disciple Huan Kai was about to attain the Dao and ascend to heaven, Tao asked him: "I have devoted myself wholeheartedly to cultivating the Great Dao—could there be some failing that keeps me bound to this earthly realm?" He entrusted Huan Kai to inquire about this after his ascension. Upon returning from the celestial realms, Huan Kai reported: "Master, your accumulated yin virtue (De) is profound. However, when compiling the Materia Medica, you employed too many living creatures like leeches. Though you saved human lives, you harmed other beings. Thus you must remain in the mortal world twelve more years before shedding your physical form. After death, you shall serve as Chief Water Supervisor of Penglai Paradise." Tao Hongjing then revised his Materia Medica into three volumes, replacing animal ingredients with herbal remedies to atone. Later, he passed away without illness at eighty-five, having foretold his death date and composed a farewell poem. His corpse remained lifelike with flexible joints, emitting extraordinary fragrance for days that perfumed the entire mountain.

Pei Hang was a Tang Dynasty scholar during the Changqing era. After failing the imperial examinations, he traveled to Ezhou and visited his old friend Chancellor Cui, who gifted him 200,000 coins for his return to the capital. Chartering a large boat along the Xianghan waterway, he heard of an extraordinary beauty aboard—Lady Fan—but couldn't meet her. Through her maid Niaoyan, he sent a poem: "Even foreign lands stir longing in my heart,/How much more this celestial beauty behind screens?/If granted passage to the Jade Capital's immortal gathering,/I'd follow phoenix cranes to azure heavens." Days later, she replied: "One chalice of jade nectar awakens countless feelings;/When dark frost is fully pounded, Yunying appears./The Blue Bridge was always an immortal abode—/Why labor seeking the Jade Capital afar?" Though ashamed, Pei couldn't decipher its meaning. At Xianghan, Lady Fan vanished with her cosmetics case, leaving no trace despite his frantic search.

Later, passing Blue Bridge Post Station, Pei Hang sought water when thirsty. Before a thatched hut, an old woman spun hemp, calling out: "Yunying, bring some syrup!" Startled by the name from Lady Fan's poem, he saw jade hands extend through a curtain holding a porcelain bowl. The drink surpassed celestial dew in sweetness.

This story recounts Pei Hang's journey to attain immortality through Daoist cultivation. At Lanqiao Post Station, he encountered an elderly woman with her granddaughter and was captivated by the maiden's beauty, seeking her hand in marriage. The grandmother explained, "This child was bestowed spiritual medicine by the immortals, which requires pounding in a jade mortar for one hundred days before consumption. To marry her, you must first procure this jade mortar."

Pei Hang immediately vowed to find it within the hundred-day period. Returning to the capital, he exhausted all his wealth to purchase the mortar from an old jade peddler and rushed back to Lanqiao. Impressed by his integrity, the grandmother consented to the marriage but stipulated another hundred days of medicine pounding before the wedding.

Each night, Pei Hang heard the rhythmic pounding and secretly observed the Jade Rabbit (a celestial being in Daoist lore) assisting in the task. When the period concluded, the grandmother consumed the elixir and departed to notify relatives in their immortal abode. Soon, a celestial carriage arrived to escort Pei Hang to a resplendent palace where the wedding was held. Among the assembled immortals was a rainbow-gowned fairy—revealed to be Yunqiao Furen (Lady of Soaring Clouds), his wife's elder sister and spouse to Immortal Lord Liu Gang, who served as the Jade Emperor's archivist.

Ultimately, the grandmother led the couple to reside in a jeweled palace within the Jade Peak Cavern, where they ingested the Scarlet Snow and Qiongying Elixirs (alchemical preparations for transcendence), gradually undergoing physical transfiguration. The narrative exemplifies the Daoist principle that "sincere seekers shall attain the immortal bond," demonstrating how virtues like trustworthiness and perseverance lead to achieving the Dao and becoming transcendents.

This scripture records the deeds of two enlightened Daoist masters.

The first part recounts the story of an immortal named Lu Hang. Through dedicated cultivation, he attained the transcendent state of "azure-green hair signifying purity" (describing an immortal's extraordinary appearance) and "divine transformation at will," becoming a high-ranking celestial being. West of the Blue Bridge post station, he encountered his friend Lu Hao and recounted his path to enlightenment in detail, presenting him with ten catties of exquisite Lantian jade and a Purple Mansion Cloud Elixir (a precious Daoist alchemical pill). When Lu Hao sought guidance on cultivation essentials, Lu Hang quoted Laozi's teaching: "Empty the mind, fill the belly" (meaning to clear distracting thoughts and nourish primordial Qi). He explained: "When the human mind is filled with delusions while abdominal Jing (essence) leaks away, the relationship between emptiness and fullness becomes clear." With these words, he suddenly vanished.

The second part narrates the legendary tale of the Medicine King Sun Simiao. A native of Huayuan, he could recite a thousand words daily by age seven, earning the praise of Dugu Xin as a "holy child." In adulthood, he retreated to Mount Taibai to cultivate the Dao, mastering astronomy and medicine. Once, he saved an injured young snake, which later led to an invitation to the underwater palace of Jingyang—the snake turned out to be the Dragon King’s son. The Dragon King hosted a banquet in his honor and gifted him thirty extraordinary prescriptions from the dragon palace. Sun Simiao used these to save countless lives. He declined summons from both Emperor Wen of Sui and Emperor Taizong of Tang, living over a hundred years before peacefully passing away after ritual bathing and changing into fresh robes.

These stories exemplify the Daoist cultivation principle that helping others and accumulating hidden virtue (Yin De) leads to celestial affinity, as well as the enlightened masters' detachment from fame and fortune, embodying a life of carefree harmony.

This scripture records the miraculous deeds of three accomplished Daoist masters.

Sun Simiao (a renowned Tang dynasty physician and Daoist priest) dressed in formal attire before his passing and told his descendants, "I am departing for the land of Nothingness (a Daoist term referring to the ethereal realm of immortals)." With these words, he breathed his last, yet his body remained lifelike for over a month. When encoffined, only his empty robes were found inside. Later, when Emperor Xuanzong of Tang fled to Sichuan during wartime, he dreamed of Sun Simiao requesting realgar from Wudu. The emperor sent ten jin of the mineral to the summit of Mount Emei, where an envoy encountered a white-haired elder who instructed him to place the medicine on a large stone slab. Over a hundred characters of gratitude appeared on the stone, vanishing as soon as they were written, followed by a rising white mist—after which the old man disappeared. In Chengdu, a monk devoted to reciting the Lotus Sutra was once invited by a servant to chant scriptures in the mountains. There, he met a hermit with ears so long they touched his shoulders, who listened to the sutras while burning incense and served him a meal of wolfberry and chrysanthemum rice on a rattan tray with bamboo chopsticks. The copper coins the hermit gave him later turned to gold, and from then on, the monk felt light and vigorous.

Tan Qiao (a Daoist master of the Five Dynasties period), styled Jingsheng, was exceptionally intelligent from youth but wholly devoted to Daoism. He studied under a priest on Mount Song for over a decade, mastering the arts of bigu (a fasting technique to abstain from grains) and nourishing Qi. Often wandering in drunken ecstasy, he wore fur coats in summer and thin robes in winter, lying peacefully in the snow without discomfort. He chanted wild verses comparing the Yangtze River to a thread and the sky to a fan, and later succeeded in refining the elixir on Mount Heng, ascending to immortality after ingesting it.

Xu Xuanping (a Tang dynasty recluse) lived in seclusion on Mount Chengyang. Though he frequently gathered firewood to sell, his face never aged. He carried a wine gourd on his shoulder pole and leaned on a crooked bamboo staff, drunkenly chanting poems on his way home—verses celebrating the carefree life of "selling firewood to buy wine." These extraordinary figures demonstrated mystical feats such as shijie (ascension leaving only garments behind), transformation, and alchemical mastery, embodying the Daoist pursuit of transcending life and death.

This passage recounts the miraculous deeds of two Tang Dynasty Daoist practitioners.

The first part documents the story of the hermit Xuanping. For over thirty years he lived in seclusion on Southern Mountain, often aiding common people in times of crisis, yet few ever glimpsed his true appearance. The walls of his thatched cottage bore inscribed verses depicting his reclusive life—speaking of moonlit meditations in silent nights, drinking from mountain springs at dawn, keeping company with woodcutters and forest birds while losing track of passing years. The renowned Tang poet Li Bai once sought him in vain, leaving his own admiring poem on the cottage wall. Later, Xuanping retreated deeper into the mountains to avoid visitors. When wildfire consumed his abandoned cottage, all traces of him vanished. A century afterward, a maidservant from his descendant's household encountered him in the mountains. After eating an immortal peach he offered, she gained extraordinary abilities—her body becoming light and agile enough to fly.

The second part chronicles the life of Xuanzhenzi Zhang Zhihe. His mother dreamed of a maple tree growing from her womb before giving birth to him. During Emperor Suzong's reign, he passed the Mingjing examination (a Tang Dynasty civil service test) and was granted the name "Zhihe," serving as a Hanlin academician. After his parents' death, he abandoned officialdom to wander rivers and lakes, calling himself "the mist-and-clouds angler." He fished without bait, demonstrating his detachment from material gain; his ability to drink three dou (approximately 60 modern pounds) of wine without intoxication revealed his extraordinary cultivation attainments.

Both figures embody the Daoist recluse's transcendent attitude—living beyond worldly concerns in unfettered freedom—while representing the cultivation ideal of attaining supernatural abilities through practice. Elements like "yellow essence" (a medicinal herb) and "immortal peaches" carry symbolic significance in Daoist longevity practices.

The Scripture of the Carefree Abode records the wondrous deeds of two accomplished Daoist adepts.

The first was Zui Shouzhen, a Daoist practitioner who cultivated Qi (vital energy) to perfection. His body became impervious to cold—even in heavy snow, he felt no chill, and when he entered water, his robes never got wet. Often, after getting drunk, he would spread a mat on the water's surface and sit alone drinking, the mat floating like a small boat. Later, a crane descended from the clouds, and he mounted it, ascending to immortality.

The second was Xuanyuan Ji, a legendary immortal whose origins were unknown. It was said he had lived for centuries yet never aged. When he sat in a dark room, the light from his eyes could illuminate the space for several yards. While gathering herbs in the deep mountains, venomous dragons and fierce beasts followed him as protectors. When common households invited him to their purification rituals (Zhaijiao), even if hundreds of invitations came at once, he could divide his form and attend them all. Drinking with others, he would take a small flask from his sleeve—though it held only two liters, it never ran dry no matter how many guests drank from it all day, and he himself could consume a hundred liters without getting drunk. When encountering the sick, a gentle wave of his cloth towel was enough to heal them.

Emperor Xuanzong of Tang summoned him to inquire about the path to longevity. Xuanyuan Ji replied: "Abandon sensual desires, eat simple foods, maintain inner peace, and widely practice virtue (De). Then you will naturally align with the virtue of Heaven and Earth and shine like the sun and moon—let alone achieve immortality!" Later, the emperor tested him by covering a white magpie with a golden basin, but Xuanyuan Ji immediately revealed the trick, making the emperor laugh and admit it. A young palace maid mocked his plain attire, so with a slight display of magic, he turned her into a white-haired old woman, only restoring her after she tearfully begged.

He also demonstrated supernatural abilities, conjuring rare cardamom flowers and lychee blossoms not found in the capital. Taking an imperial jade cup, he covered it with a precious tray and produced a full plate of xiangzi fruit as an offering to the emperor. When asked how long the emperor would reign, he wrote "forty years," but the character for "ten" was written unusually high—hinting at only fourteen. Later, he bid farewell to return to the mountains. Along the way, he continuously drew money from his cloth sack to give alms, distributing hundreds of thousands of coins by the time he reached Jiangling. Before reaching the mountains, he suddenly vanished. Some later claimed to have seen him again in the South Sea.

This passage recounts the life of the renowned Northern Song recluse Chen Tuan (courtesy name Tunan, sobriquet Fuyaozi). Born in Zhenyuan, Bozhou, Chen experienced miraculous events from childhood—unable to speak until age four or five, he suddenly gained eloquence and extraordinary intelligence after a mysterious woman in blue robes nursed him by the Guo River.

As an adult, though widely read, he dismissed conventional scholarship as mere "name memorization." Distributing his wealth, he departed with only a stone cauldron to seek immortals like An Qisheng and Huang Shigong on Mount Tai. During the Later Liang and Later Tang periods, while many literati admired him, Chen avoided powerful circles. When Emperor Mingzong of Tang summoned him, he merely bowed without prostration and declined imperial gifts of palace maidens through poetry, subsequently retreating to Jiushi Cliff on Wudang Mountain for over twenty years of cultivation—practicing Daoist breath regulation (fuqi) and grain abstention (bigu) techniques.

During Later Zhou's Shizong reign, woodcutters discovered him in mountain seclusion, seemingly lifeless in prolonged slumber. Upon awakening, he laughingly complained of disturbed dreams. At Song Taizu's accession, he predicted the empire's impending stability. Though twice declining imperial summons, he eventually visited Emperor Taizong's court, where he famously slept for over a month at Jianlong Temple before departing with the honorific title "Master Xiyi" (Rare and Unfathomable). In later years, instructing disciples to carve a stone chamber at Zhangchao Valley on Mount Hua, Chen foresaw his impending ascension (yuhua, the Daoist term for an adept's transcendence). He passed away peacefully in seated meditation, left hand supporting his cheek—his body remaining incorrupt for seven days with residual warmth, while five-colored auspicious clouds lingered at the valley mouth for a full month.

This passage recounts several legendary stories about the renowned Daoist master Chen Tuan (known as Master Xiyi), a prominent figure during the Five Dynasties and early Song period who was revered as the "Sleeping Immortal." The narratives document his miraculous abilities of foresight and healing.

During wartime chaos, when Emperor Taizu of Song's mother was fleeing with her two sons carrying shoulder poles, Chen Tuan encountered them and composed poetry hinting that these brothers would one day become emperors. Later, seeing Zhao Pu (the future Song chancellor) seated above the Zhao brothers in a tavern, he immediately pointed out that Zhao Pu was merely a minor star in the Ziwei Enclosure (the celestial domain of the Emperor's star) and shouldn't presume higher status.

He prophesied to his disciple Zhong Fang: "You will meet an enlightened ruler and gain fame throughout the land, but regrettably, your reputation won't remain flawless—it will ultimately be tarnished by certain events." In his later years, Zhong Fang indeed compromised his integrity, fulfilling the prediction. On another occasion, Chen Tuan woke his guest Guo Hang at midnight, urging him to rush home just in time to save his critically ill mother with medicine Chen provided.

When Magistrate Wang Mu of Huayin asked where Chen Tuan lived, he smilingly responded with verse: "My home is atop Mount Hua's heights, / Riding morning winds when I come and go. / No golden locks secure my gates—/ White clouds greet my return." A visitor once saw him sleeping while a mysterious figure recorded his breathing sounds with black ink, calling it the "Hua Xu Tune of Primordial Chaos" (referring to Chen's profound meditative state during sleep).

Emperor Taizong of Song, hearing of Chen Tuan's physiognomy skills, sent him to inspect the crown prince (later Emperor Zhenzong) at the Southern Office. Chen turned back at the gate, explaining: "Even the servants here have the makings of generals and ministers—why bother examining the master?" This remark reportedly influenced Taizong's final decision on the succession. Chen transmitted his Yijing studies to Mu Xiu, which reached Shao Yong (Shao Kangjie) via Li Zhicai; his numerology passed through Zhong Fang and Xu Jian to Fan E—teachings that endure to this day.

The concluding mention of Lei Yinweng describes another extraordinary master who stood out in youth and repeatedly took imperial exams (hinting at his later Daoist pursuits). These stories illustrate the prescient powers and magical arts of Daoist adepts, as well as their profound influence on Song dynasty politics and scholarship.

Ma Ziran (also known as Ma Xiang) was a man who devoted his life to studying Confucian classics and historical texts while excelling in literary composition. He often traveled with fellow Daoist practitioners, and on one occasion in Huzhou, after getting drunk and falling into the Zha River, he emerged a full day later with his clothes completely dry. He claimed Xiang Yu (the rebel leader of late Qin dynasty) had summoned him for a drinking session, and demonstrated numerous miraculous abilities—making river currents reverse, willow trees follow flowing water, and broken bridges reconnect spontaneously. When treating the sick, he never used medicine, simply tapping afflicted areas with his bamboo staff or producing thunderous sounds by blowing across its tip to effect cures. Any gifts of gratitude he received were distributed to the poor. Later, at Taiwang Mountain in Hangzhou, he composed poetry expressing Daoist cosmological themes—the primordial separation of heaven and earth, the transformations of sun and moon, the enduring mountains and rivers—while satirizing Emperor Qin Shi Huang's folly in attempting to command mountains and fill seas.

Visiting his elder brother's hometown, Ma found him absent and told his sister-in-law: "All I want upon returning is that eastern garden plot." After three days of waiting, he abruptly passed away. When the brother returned grieving, he remarked: "Having cultivated the Dao for decades, my brother came back this time to achieve feathered ascent." The following year after burial, court officials received reports of Daoist Ma Ziran's daylight ascension from Zitong County—upon opening the coffin, only a bamboo staff remained.

Zhang Boduan (styled Ziyang), a native of Tiantai, pursued diligent scholarship in youth. In later years, though having received teachings of the Hunyuan Dao methods, he found them incomplete and sought masters everywhere. During the second year of Xining reign (1069 CE) in Sichuan, he encountered immortal Liu Haichan and obtained the critical fire-phasing secrets of the Golden Elixir (Jindan) tradition, thereafter adopting the name Yongcheng with courtesy name Pingshu. At that time, there was a Buddhist monk thoroughly versed in the threefold training of precepts, meditation, and wisdom, capable of entering samadhi and projecting his spirit.

This passage recounts the out-of-body experiences of two Daoist practitioners, Zhang Ziyang and a Chan Buddhist monk, along with Zhang's transmission of teachings and his peaceful passing. It concludes with the marvelous tales of an extraordinary man named Li Bitian.

Zhang Ziyang once made an agreement with a Chan monk to travel outside their bodies through spirit excursion. Seated in meditation with eyes closed, they sent their shen (spirit) to Yangzhou to admire the qionghua flowers. The monk arrived first, circling the flowers three times. Zhang suggested plucking a blossom as proof of their journey. Upon awakening, the monk's hands were empty while Zhang produced the actual flower. When disciples asked why their spirit journeys yielded different results, Zhang explained: he practiced the Great Dao of the Golden Elixir (Neidan internal alchemy), cultivating both xing (nature) and ming (life), enabling his shen to coalesce and disperse freely, materializing as a "yang spirit." The monk only cultivated xing (mental cultivation) without ming (physical cultivation), resulting in an invisible "yin spirit" incapable of moving physical objects.

During Emperor Yingzong's reign in the Song Dynasty, Zhang visited Ma Mo (courtesy name Chuhou) in Hedong and entrusted him with his life's work, the Wuzhen Pian (Awakening to Reality), urging him to disseminate it widely. In the summer of 1082 CE, Zhang passed away peacefully in meditation at ninety-nine years old. His cremation yielded numerous qing-colored relic beads, some as large as foxnuts. Seven years later, witnesses reported encountering him on Wangwu Mountain, where he left poetic verses before departing.

The latter section describes the eccentric Li Bitian of the Song Dynasty. When medical seekers approached him in Xiuzhou, he would form pills from his nasal mucus and bodily grime that miraculously cured diseases. Once, when a host lamented having no wine for guests, Li laughingly pointed to a wine jar by the bed. From this empty vessel, he conjured fine liquor that intoxicated all present. The next day, when the host served from the same jar, its contents had transformed back to plain water.

Though the place was called "Pearl Spring," not a single drop of water flowed from its eye. One day, Master Guiyuan (also known as Erzhu Dong) bid farewell to his friend surnamed Liu, prophesying they would reunite in Zhenzhou on a specific date twenty years later. True to his words, on that very day, Liu passed away in Zhenzhou.

Originally named Erzhu Dong with the courtesy name Weitong, the master encountered an extraordinary man in his youth who imparted to him the "Return to Origin and Embrace the One" cultivation method (a Neidan practice of returning to primal simplicity and preserving primordial Qi). Hence, he adopted the name Guiyuanzi ("Master of Returning to Origin"). Initially dwelling in seclusion at Peng Mountain, he later traveled through Sichuan selling medicinal herbs, moving with the swiftness of a flying bird. Innkeepers often marveled at nightly noises from his room—peeking inside, they'd witness his body levitating from the bed until it touched the rafters.

When someone discovered a sparrow-egg-sized oddity among ancient bones and brought it to Erzhu Dong, he explained it resulted from ingesting divine elixirs without proper cultivation. When pure Yin Qi dissipates while Yang Qi remains unregulated, the elixir's energy congeals in the Dantian, forming such abnormalities.

During Wang Jian's siege of Chengdu in late Tang Dynasty, Erzhu Dong remained within the city walls. As defeat loomed and Wang threatened massacre, the master spread a mat to perform rituals, summoning a deity astride black clouds who thundered: "Harm my people, and calamity shall rebound upon you!" The terrified warlord prostrated in submission. True to this warning, Chengdu's citizens were spared when the city fell.

When selling his golden elixirs, Erzhu Dong priced one pellet at 120,000 coins. A prefect sought to purchase some, but the master declared: "A wealthy official like you must pay twelve million." Deeming this sorcerous deception, the prefect ordered him confined in a bamboo cage and sunk into the river. At Fuling's upper reaches, two fishermen hauled up the cage to find Erzhu Dong inside. "This must be an adept in deep samadhi [a profound meditative state]," they remarked, awakening him by striking a bronze bowl.

Rousing, the master asked: "How far to Tongliang? Is there a place called 'Three Capitals' nearby?" The fishermen replied: "We're from Baishi River—400 li from Tongliang, with Mount Pingdu's Xiandu Temple of Fengdu County eastward." Enlightenment dawned: "My master foretold immortality would come where 'three capitals meet white stones afloat'—this must be the place."

Ashore, he told the fishermen: "You seem cultivated—have you received the Dao's transmission?" They answered: "Long ago, an oceanic immortal taught us the 'Threefold Unity Principle' [cultivating the fusion of Jing, Qi, and Shen], and we've harmonized Yin-Yang for years." The trio then drank wine heartily, shared elixirs, and ascended amid lychee trees upon rosy clouds. (Postscript notes both fishermen also achieved immortality.)

This recounts the legendary deeds of three eminent Daoist masters:

The first is Bai Yuchan (original name Ge Changgeng). His mother named him after dreaming of a white jade toad. At twenty-two, after taking the imperial examinations, he secluded himself on Mount Wuyi, adopting the Daoist name "Dongqiongzi." He followed his master Chen Cuixu in cultivation for nine years before attaining the Dao. Typically disheveled and barefoot, dressed in tattered robes, he loved wine but was never seen intoxicated. Well-versed in Confucian classics, his speech flowed with literary grace. He once boasted: "Through all eternity, none with unkempt hair and bare feet like mine have lived solely on ingesting Qi (vital energy) and consuming rainbows [a Daoist practice]." He often pointed to the white clouds deep in Mount Wuyi, calling them his home. Carrying a Thunder Seal (a Daoist ritual implement), his ceremonial practices proved remarkably efficacious. While visiting West Lake in the capital, he once fell into the water only to be found floating drunkenly on the surface the next morning. When pursued by an assailant with a blade, a single shout from him made the weapon drop. During the Jiading era of the Song dynasty, he was summoned to the imperial palace but suddenly vanished, thereafter appearing unpredictably among famous mountains.

The second is Chen Niwan (original name Chen Nan, styled Cuixu). Originally a barrel-maker, he later received transmissions of the Great Unity Golden Elixir method and Thunder Magic. Able to cure illnesses by kneading mud with incantations, people called him "Chen the Mud Pill." Always wild-haired, he could cover four to five hundred li daily, his clothes ragged and body filthy, fond of meat and wine. In Cangwu Commandery, he once summoned rain by driving dragons from a pool with an iron whip, immediately bringing thunder and downpour. Crossing rivers, he could tread upon bamboo hats as if they were boats. Once murdered by bandits on the road and buried for three days, he revived. Arrested in Changsha and imprisoned, he returned after several nights. He could also transmute mercury into silver overnight. Eventually transmitting his Daoist arts to Bai Yuchan, he ultimately attained aquatic transcendence in Zhangzhou.

The third is Mo Yueding (given name Dongyi, courtesy name Qiyan). A native of Huzhou, he was born with refined, handsome features.

This passage records the miraculous deeds of two eminent Daoist masters.

The first part recounts the story of Master Yueding (the Thunder Master):

With jade-like skin and eyes radiating divine light, he studied the Five Thunder Method (Wuleifa) under Xu Wuji at Zhangren Temple on Mount Qingcheng. He could command spirits and ghosts, with every word and action perfectly aligned with the Dao. When summoned by Emperor Kublai Khan, he could summon thunderclaps by casually tossing a walnut and instantly invoke rainfall. Though the emperor bestowed upon him gold, silver, and silks, he distributed them all to the poor. Fond of wine, he would often roll his eyes skyward when drunk, at which moments dark winds would rise from his sleeves. Boating on West Lake, he could summon clouds to shade the sun; on Mid-Autumn nights, he waved away moon-obscuring clouds. He employed thunder magic to slay a cake-stealing monkey spirit and used fierce winds to return a woman abducted by demons to her home. At seventy-three, he foretold his own passing on the thirteenth day of the first lunar month the following year—indeed departing serenely amidst stormy winds and rain after composing a gatha, his face retaining a radiant, cinnabar-red glow.

The second part documents Ma Yu (Master Danyang):

A native of Ninghai, he was married to Immortal Maiden Sun. His mother dreamed of the female immortal Magu presenting her with an elixir (dan) during pregnancy, which she swallowed before giving birth to him. From childhood, he could recite celestial poetry. Physiognomist Li Wumeng, noting his extraordinary features—a forehead marked with three mountain creases and arms extending past his knees—declared him destined to become a great immortal. He later became the chief disciple of Wang Chongyang, founder of the Quanzhen (Complete Perfection) tradition, with his wife Sun Buer also among the "Seven Quanzhen Masters." His poetry described cultivation as "embracing the origin and guarding the One" (Baoyuan Shouyi—maintaining primordial Qi through single-minded concentration), chastising the lazy who refuse diligent practice.

Note: The "Five Thunder Method" mentioned is a crucial Daoist ritual technique for summoning thunder deities from five directions; "Yu Steps" (Yubu) refers to a star-stepping ritual gait; "embracing the origin and guarding the One" represents a foundational Neidan (internal alchemy) practice.

Master Wang Chongyang, founder of the Quanzhen (Complete Perfection) tradition, traveled from Zhongnan Mountain to visit Ma Yu (later known as Perfected Man Danyang), declaring they shared an immortal bond from past lives. While sharing melons, Wang began eating from the stem end. When Ma asked why, he replied, "Sweetness emerges from bitterness." Asked about his journey, Wang answered, "I've come a thousand miles specifically to support a drunken man"—prompting Ma to recall his own poetic line about "being steadied while intoxicated." Astonished, Ma took him as his teacher.

Wang wished to guide Ma westward for spiritual cultivation, but Ma initially clung to family wealth. After repeated awakenings, Ma finally distributed his property among his three sons and followed Wang to practice in the Misty Rainbow Cave of Kunlun Mountain. His wife Sun Bu'er (Immortal Maiden Sun) remained home, cultivating in a thatched hut for over twenty years. One day, Ma suddenly told disciples, "Today brings extraordinary joy," and began singing and dancing. Soon celestial music filled the air as Immortal Maiden Sun descended on clouds, attended by jade maidens and immortal youths. She whispered to Ma, "I'll await you at Penglai's immortal isle." At the second watch that night, amid raging storms, Ma passed peacefully with his head resting on his arm.

That same evening, Ma's spirit visited wine inspector Guo Fuzhong, requesting a brush to inscribe: "Sixty-one years unknown to the world / One clap of thunder / Returning with wind to the Great Void." Only when discovered later did people realize these manifestations were his yang-spirit (shen) projecting beyond the physical form.

Zhang Sanfeng, originally named Zhang Junbao, hailed from Yizhou, Liaodong. Born with extraordinary fragrance and peculiar features—a turtle's humped back, crane-like posture, enormous ears, round eyes, seven-foot stature, beard like halberds, and a topknot—he carried measuring tools while wearing the same tattered robe year-round. He could traverse a thousand li daily, sit motionless for ten days without blinking, consume a bushel of rice in one meal, or fast for months. After his apparent "death" at Baoji's Jintai Temple during the Yuan dynasty's fall, his coffin was found empty during burial. Later appearing in Sichuan, he cultivated beneath an ancient tree before Yuxu Palace on Wudang Mountain during the early Ming, where even wild beasts refrained from harming him. His prophecy—"This mountain shall flourish greatly"—was fulfilled when Emperor Yongle massively expanded Wudang's temples. Legends tell of his months-long fasts, thousand-li daily travels, and mysterious appearances and disappearances.

This passage recounts the deeds of a Daoist practitioner named "Da Xian." After dwelling in the mundane world for twenty-three years, he brushed his sleeves and departed, embarking on divine wanderings. The phrase "divine wanderings" (shen you) refers to the ability of an accomplished cultivator to leave the physical body in spirit form, freely roaming the four directions.

The term "Xiaoyao Xu" is the title of this scripture, where "xu" in Daoist terminology denotes a cultivation site or spiritual realm. "Huai zi er wei" represents the classification code used in the Daoist Canon (Daozang). Ancient Daoist collections employed the Thousand Character Classic ordering system, indicating this scripture's specific position within the taxonomic framework. This numbering method resembles modern library classification systems, assisting Daoist practitioners in quickly locating particular scriptures within the vast Daoist Canon.