---
title: "消搖墟經 – English Interpretation | Daozang"
url: "https://daozang.app/en/text/KR5h0034/"
canonical: "https://daozang.app/en/text/KR5h0034/"
lang: "en"
source: "Kanripo 漢籍リポジトリ（京都大学）"
license: "CC BY-SA 4.0"
---

# 《消搖墟經》

Xu Daozang 續道藏 · 2 volumes · 24,672 characters

## Vol. 1

消摇墟經卷第一槐一夫人生墮落世網彼蠅爭蟻逐輩無論已即古稱長心𨓜節亦徃徃鍜羽羈足若轅駒檻烏然夫誰能蟬蛻鳳舉而消摇物外也者緬惟羽客仙翁吸雲英餐石髓駕紫鳳以翩韆馭青牛而遊遨一條藜杖泛雲水之三千半片枘衣訪洞天之十二蒙莊氏所稱消摇遊者意在斯乎予性寡諧謝絶一切世氛獨紫芝白石有夙癖焉洪生自誠氏新都弟子也一日携仙紀一編徵言於予予披閱之青霞紫氣暎發左右宛若遊海上而揖羣眞令人飄然欲仙眞欲界丹丘塵世蓬島也雖仙有靈根道有夙契得皮忘髓終非升舉向上事顧塵勞絫劫中定喘拭眯㸐名香啜苦茗時一露盥玩之不猶吞火而飲之以氷哉他日倘𨓜樊籠而步碧虚請執是以作玉杵或不謂無因云消摇墟目

列仙姓氏

老子　　東王公

西王母　　赤松子

廣成子　　青烏公

彭祖　　鐵拐先生

王子喬　　尹喜

李八百　　丁令威

鬼谷子　　劉越

太上老父　白石生

安期生　　東方朔

鍾離權　　馬成子

劉海蟾　　黄安

劉晨　　浮丘伯

魏伯陽　　張道陵

梅福　　蕭史

費長房　　黄初平

藍采和　　麻衣子

麻姑　　吕純陽

孫登　　左慈

韓湘子　　曹國舅

許眞君　　葛仙翁

**Interpretation**

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).

何仙姑　　張果老

王質　黄野人

陶弘景　司馬眞人

裴航　孫思邈

譚峭　許宣平

玄眞子　軒轅集

陳希夷　雷隱翁

馬自然　張紫陽

李鼻涕　歸元子

白玉蟾　陳泥丸

莫月鼎　馬丹陽

張三丰

老君老子者太上老君也累世化身而未有誕生之迹迨商陽甲時分神化氣始寄胎玄妙玉女八十一年暨武丁庚辰二月十五日卯時降誕於楚之苦縣瀨鄉曲仁里從母左腋而生於李𣗳下指𣗳曰此吾姓也生時白首面黄長耳矩目鼻純骨雙柱耳有三漏門美鬚廣顙踈齒方口足蹈三五手把十文姓李名耳字伯陽號曰老子又號曰老聃周文王爲西伯召爲守藏史武王時遷爲柱下史乃遊西極大秦竺乾等國號古先生化導其國康王時還歸于周復爲柱下史昭王二十三年駕青牛車過函谷關度關令尹喜知之求得其道二十五年降於蜀青羊肆會尹喜同度流沙胡域至穆王時復還中夏敬王十七年孔子問道於老聃退而有猶龍之嘆赧王九年復出散關飛昇崑崙秦時降浹河之濱號河上公授道安期生漢文帝時號廣成子文帝遣使詔問之公曰道尊德貴非可遥問帝即命駕詣之帝曰域中有四大王居一也子雖有道猶朕民也不能屈何乃高乎朕足使

**Interpretation**

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."

貧賤富貴公乃拊掌坐躍冉冉在虚空中如雲之昇去地百餘丈而止於玄虚良久俛答曰今上不至天中不類人下不居地何民之有陛下焉能令富貴貧賤乎帝悟方下輦禮謝授帝道德二經蓋無世不岀先塵劫而行化後無極而常存隱顯莫測變化無窮普度天人莫可具述云

東王公東王公諱倪字君明天下未有民物時鍾化而生於碧海之上蒼靈之墟道性凝寂湛體無爲賛迪玄功育化萬物主陽和之氣理於東方亦號東王公凡上天下地男子登仙得道者悉所掌焉嘗以丁卯日登臺觀望轉劫昇天之仙凡有九品然始昇之時先拜太公後謁金母受事既畢方得昇九天入三清禮太上而觀元始漢初有群兒戲謡於道曰着青裙上天門揖金母拜木公時人莫之知唯子房徃拜焉乃語人曰此東王公玉童

西王母西王母即龜臺金母也得西華至妙之氣化生於伊川姓緱諱回字婉姈配位西方與東王公共理二氣調成天地陶鈞萬品凡上天下地女子之登仙者咸所隸焉居崑崙之圃閬風之苑玉樓玄臺九層左帶瑶池右環翠水女五華林媚蘭青娥瑶姬玉巵周穆王八駿西巡乃執白圭玄璧謁見王母復觴母于瑶池之上母爲王謡曰白雲在天山林自出道里悠遠山川間之將子無死尚能復求後

**Interpretation**

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.

漢元封元年降武帝殿進蟠桃七枚於帝欲欲留核母曰此桃非世間所有三千年一實耳偶東方朔於牖開窺之母指曰此兒已二偷吾桃矣是日命侍女董雙成吹雲和之笛王子登彈八琅之璈許飛瓊鼓靈虚之簧安法興歌玄靈之曲爲武帝壽焉

赤松子赤松子神農時雨師煉神服氣能入水不濡入火不焚至崑崙山常止西王母石室中隨風雨上下炎帝少女追之亦得仙俱去高辛時爲雨師間遊人間

廣成子廣成子軒轅時人隱居崆峒山石室中黄帝造焉問以至道之要答曰至道之精窈窈冥冥至道之極昏昏默默無視無聽抱神以靜形將自正必靜必清毋勞爾形毋摇爾精毋俾爾思慮營營乃可長生愼内閉外多智多敗我守其一而處其和故千二百年未嘗衰老

青烏公青烏公彭祖弟子也受明師指示審眞仙妙理乃入華陰山中學道積四百七十一崴後服金液而昇天

彭祖彭祖錢鏗帝顓頊玄孫至殷末世年已七百餘歲而不衰好恬靜善於補導之術并服水晶雲母麋角常有少容穆王聞之以爲大夫稱疾不與政事采女乘輜軿徃問道於彭祖具受諸要因以教王王試爲之有驗彭祖知之乃去不知所徃其后七十餘年門人於流沙西見之

鐵拐先生鐵拐先生姓李質本魁梧早歲聞道修眞巖

**Interpretation**

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.

穴時李老君與宛丘先生嘗降山齋誨以道教一日先生將赴老君之約於華山囑其徒曰吾魄在此儻游魂七日而不返若甫可化吾魄也徒以母疾迅歸六日化之先生至七日果歸失魄無依乃附一餓莩之尸而起故形跛惡非其質矣

王子喬王子喬周靈王太子晋也好吹笙作鳳鳴遊伊洛之間道人浮丘公接晋上嵩高山三十餘年後見栢良謂曰可告我家七月七日待我於緱山頭至期果乘白鶴駐山頭可望不可到俯首謝時人數日方去後立祠緱氏山下

尹喜尹喜字公文天水人初母氏嘗晝寢夢天下絳霄流繞其身及喜生時陸地自生蓮花及長眼有日精姿形長雅垂臂下膝堂堂有天人之貌少好學墳索隱德行仁不修俗禮損身濟物不求聞達周康王時爲大夫仰觀乾象見東方有紫氣西邁知有聖人當度關而西乃求爲函谷關令預敕關吏孫景曰若有形容殊俗車服異常者勿聽過時昭王二十三年七月老君果乘白輿駕青牛欲度關關吏入白喜喜曰今我得見聖人矣即具朝服出迎跪伏邀之曰願暫留神駕老君謝曰吾貧賤老叟居在關東田在關西今暫徃取薪何故見留喜復稽首曰久知大聖當來西遊暴露有日願少憩神駕老君曰聞開道竺乾有古先生是以身就道經歷子關何過留耶

**Interpretation**

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?"

喜曰觀大聖神姿超絶乃天上至尊邊夷何足徃觀老君曰子何所見而知喜曰去冬十月天理星西行過昂自今月朔融風三至東方眞氣狀如龍蛇而西變此大聖人之徵老君乃怡然咲曰善哉子之知吾吾亦已知子矣喜再拜曰敢問大聖姓字老君曰吾姓字渺渺從劫至劫非可盡說吾今姓李字伯陽號曰老聃喜於是就官舍設座供養行弟子禮老君乃爲喜留關下百餘日盡傳以内外修煉之法時老君之御者徐甲少賃於老君約日顧百錢至關時當七百三千萬錢甲見老君去官遠適亟來索錢老君謂曰吾徃西海諸國還當以黄金什直償爾甲如約及至問遂青牛於野老君欲試之乃以吉祥草化爲一美女行至牧牛之所能以言戲甲甲惑之欲問遂負前約乃詣關令訟老君索傭錢老君謂甲曰汝隨我二百餘年汝久應死吾以太玄生符與汝所以得至今日汝何不念此而乃訟吾言訖符自口中飛出甲自成一白骨喜乃爲甲叩頭請赦其罪以賜更生老君復以太玄生符投之甲即立生喜乃以錢償甲而禮遣之一日老君謂喜曰古先生者即吾之身嘗化乎竺乾今將返神還乎無名吾今逝矣喜叩首請侍行老君曰吾遊乎天地之表嬉乎玄冥之間四維八極上下無邊子欲隨吾烏可得焉喜曰入火赴淵下地上

**Interpretation**

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.

天灰身没命願隨大仙老君曰汝雖骨相合道然受道日淺安得行化諸國也於是復以道德五千言授之期曰千日之外可尋吾於屬青羊之肆也言訖身坐雲華冉冉昇空光燭館舍五色玄黄良久乃殁喜目斷雲霄涕泣扳戀名之曰西昇經喜乃屏絶人事自著書九篇號關尹子至丁巳歲即徃西屬尋訪青羊之肆老君以甲寅年昇天至乙卯歲復從太微宫分身降生於蜀國太官李氏之家已先敕青龍化生爲羊色如青金常在所生嬰兒之側愛玩無斁忽一日失羊童子尋覓得於市肆喜至蜀徧問居人無青肆者忽見童子牽羊因問此誰家羊牽欲何徃童子答曰我家夫人生一兒愛玩此羊失來兩日兒啼不止今卻尋得欲還家喜即囑曰願爲告夫人之子云尹喜至矣童子入告兒即賑衣而起曰令喜前來喜既入其家庭宇忽然高大湧出蓮花之座兒化數丈白金之身光明如日項有圓光坐於蓮花座上舉家驚怪兒曰吾老君也太微是宅眞一爲身主客相因何乃怪耶喜將慰無量稽首言曰不謂復奉天顔老君曰吾向留子者以子初受經訣未克成功是以待子於此今子保形煉色已造眞妙心結紫絡面有神光金名表於玄圃玉扎繫於紫房也即命五老上帝四極鑑眞授喜玉册金文號文始先生位爲無上眞人居

**Interpretation**

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.

二十四天王之上統領八萬仙士自此方得飛騰虚空參得龍駕

李八百李八百蜀人名眞居筠陽五龍岡歷夏商周年八百歲動行則八百里時人因號爲李八百或隱山林或居廛市又修煉於華林山石室丹成還蜀中周穆王時居金堂山蜀人歷代見之號紫陽眞君

丁令威丁令威本遼東人學道於靈虚山後化鶴歸集華表而吟曰有鳥有鳥丁令威去家千歲今未歸城郭如故人民非何不學仙塚纍纍

鬼谷子鬼谷子春秋時人姓王名詡嘗入雲夢山採藥得道顔如少童居青溪之鬼谷蘇秦張儀徃問道三年辭去子遺之書曰二足下功名赫赫但春華至秋不得久茂今二子好朝露之榮忽長久之功輕喬松之永延貴一旦之浮爵夫女愛不極席男歡不畢輪痛哉鬼谷處人間數百歲後不知所之有餘符鬼谷子二書行於世

劉越劉越周時有匡先生名續修於南嶂山時有一少年數來相訪言論奇偉先生異之問曰睹子風猷有日矣僣問鄉邦姓字答曰姓劉名越居在山之左山下有石高二丈許叩之即當相延先生如其語訪之叩石石忽自開雙户洞啓一小鬟迎先生行數十步繼有二青衣絳節前導漸見臺榭參差金碧掩映珍珍禽奇獸草木殊異眞人冠玉冠朱綬劔佩來迎先生意欲留居之眞人謂先生曰子陰

**Interpretation**

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.)

功未滿後會可期他日相從未晩也飲玉酒三爵延齡保命湯一啜而出先生返顧所叩之石宛然如初他日復叩無所應矣

太山老父太山老父者莫知其姓名漢武帝東巡狩見老父鋤于道間狀如五十許人而面若童子頭上白光高數尺恠而問之老父答曰臣年八十五時衰老垂死頭白齒落有道士教臣絶穀服木飲水并作神枕枕中有三十二物其二十四物以象二十四氣其八物以應八風臣導行之轉老爲少髮白更黑齒落更生日行三百里臣今年八十矣武帝愛其方賜之金帛老父後入太山中或十年五年一還鄉里三百餘年乃不復還也

白石生白石生中黄丈人弟子彭祖時已二千餘歲不愛飛昇但以長生爲貴而已以金液爲上藥家貧不能得養猪牧羊十數年致富萬金乃買藥服之嘗煑白石爲糧因就白石山居遂號白石生亦時食脯亦時辟穀曰能行三四百里顔色如三十許人或問何以不愛飛昇答曰天上未必樂於人間也

安期生安期生瑯琊阜鄉人賣藥海邊時人皆呼千歲公秦始皇請見與語三夜賜金帛數萬出於阜鄉亭皆置去留書并赤玉舄一量爲報曰後千歲求我於蓬萊山下始皇遣使者數輩入海求之未至蓬萊山輒遇風波而還乃立祠阜鄉亭並海邊十處

東方朔

**Interpretation**

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.

東方朔字曼倩嘗出經年兄曰汝經年一歸何以慰我對曰朔暫之紫泥海有紫水污衣乃過虞淵湔洗朝發中還何云經年漢武帝時上書曰臣朔少失父母長養兄嫂今年二十二長九尺三寸口若懸珠齒若編貝勇若孟賁捷若慶忌廉若鮑叔信若尾生若此可以爲天子臣矣臣朔冒死再拜以聞朔文辭不遜高自稱譽上偉之令待詔公車又遷待詔金馬門賜之食於前食盡懷其餘肉衣盡汙數賜縑帛擔楬而去嘗用所賜錢帛取少婦於長安中一歲即棄去更取所賜物盡填之女子人皆笑之朔曰如朔所謂避世於朝廷間者時酒酣據地歌曰陸沉於俗宫殿可以避世全身何必深山之中蒿廬之下朔將死謂同舍郎曰天下人無能知朔知朔者惟大伍公耳朔亡後武帝召大伍公問之答以不知帝曰公何所能曰頗善星曆帝問諸星具在度否曰諸星皆在獨不見歲星四十年今復見耳帝仰天嘆曰東方朔在朕傍十八年而不知爲歲星因慘然不樂

鍾離權鍾離權燕臺人後改名覺字寂道號王陽子又號雲房先生父爲列侯宦雲中誕生眞人時異光數丈侍衛皆驚眞人頂圓額廣耳厚眉長目深鼻聳口方頰大唇臉如丹乳遠臂長如三歲兒晝夜不聲第七日躍然而言曰身遊紫府名書玉京及壯仕漢爲大將征吐

**Interpretation**

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.

蕃失利獨騎奔逃山谷迷路夜入深林遇一胡僧蓬頭拂額體掛草衣引行數里見一村莊曰此東華先生成道處將軍可以歇息矣揖别而去眞人未敢驚動莊中良久聞人語云此必碧眼胡人饒舌也一老人披白鹿裘扶青藜杖抗聲前曰來者非漢大將軍鍾離權耶汝何不寄宿山僧之所眞人聞而大驚知爲異人是時方脫虎狼之穴遽有鸞鶴之思乃回心向道哀求度世之方於是老人授長生眞訣及金丹火候青龍劍法眞人辭去回顧莊居不見其處後再遇華陽眞人傳以太乙刀圭火符内丹雲游至魯居鄒城入崆峒於紫金四皓峯居之得玉匣秘訣遂仙去

馬成子馬成子秦扶風人性喜恬退不樂紛榮嘗自嘆曰人生若流電爾奈何久戀麈寰中於是棄家訪道入蜀之鶴鳴山石室中修煉二十餘年後遇異人授以神丹曰氣爲内丹藥爲外丹子得此服之當列爲一仙矣言訖而去成子遵其術行之遂白日昇天

黄安黄安代群人年萬歲餘貌若童子常服硃砂舉身皆赤不著衣坐一神龜龜廣二尺時人問安坐龜幾年曰三千歲乃一出頭我得龜以來已五出頭矣行則負龜而趨漢武帝聞其異乃與論虚無神仙之事帝每屈禮焉及封泰山詔董謁李克孟岐郭瓊黄安五人同輦謂之仙臣帝崩後不知所之

劉海蟾

**Interpretation**

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.

劉玄英號海蟾子明經事燕主劉守光爲相雅喜性命欽崇黄老一日忽有道人自稱正陽子來謁海蟾邀坐堂上待以賓禮道人爲演清靜無爲之宗金液還丹之要既竟乃索雞卵十枚金錢十文以一文置之几上累十卵於金錢若浮圖之狀海蟾警異之曰危哉道人曰人居榮禄之場履憂患之地其危殆甚復盡以其錢劈破擲之遂辭去海蟾繇此大悟遂解印辭朝易服從道遁迹終南山下丹成尸解有白氣自頂門出化鶴冲天

浮丘伯浮丘伯姓李隱居嵩山服黄精二十年髮自返黑齒落更生久之道成白日飛升嘗作原道歌云虎伏龍亦藏龍藏先伏虎但畢河車功不用提防拒諸子學飛仙狂迷不得住左右得君臣四物相念護乾坤法象成自有眞人顧

劉晨劉晨剡縣人漢永平中與阮肇入天台採藥路迷不得返經十三日饑渴甚望山上有桃實共取食之下山取澗水飲見一杯流出中有胡麻飯焉二人喜曰此近人家矣遂度山出一大溪溪邊有二女色甚美顧笑曰劉阮二郎捉杯來耶劉阮異之二女懽然如舊曰來何晩耶即邀還家南壁東壁各有羅帷絳帳命侍女具饌有胡麻飯山羊脯甚甘美食畢行酒俄有羣女待桃笑曰賀汝婿來酒酣作樂夜半各就一帳宿婉熊殊絶至十日求

**Interpretation**

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."

還苦留半年氣候草木常似春百鳥啼呴歸思更勿二女曰罪根未滅使若等圭此遂指示還路及歸鄉邑零落已七世矣再徃女家尋覓不獲晉太康八年失二人所在

魏伯陽魏伯陽吴人性好道術不樂仕自乃入山作神丹時三弟子丹兩弟子心不盡誠丹成試之曰金丹雖成當先試之大犬無患方可服若犬死不可服也伯陽即以丹與犬食之犬即死伯陽曰作丹未成無乃未得神眀意耶服之恐復如犬奈何弟子曰先生服之不伯陽曰吾皆違世路委家干此不得仙吾亦恥歸死與生同吾當服之伯陽服丹入口即死一弟子曰師非凡人也服丹而死得無有意乎亦服之入口亦死二弟子乃相謂曰作丹求長生爾今服丹即死不如不服乃共出山爲伯陽及死弟子求殯具伯陽即起將煉成妙丹納死弟子及犬口中須臾皆活於是將服丹弟子姓虞者同犬仙去逢入山伐薪人作手書寄謝二弟子嘗作叅同契凡二卷其說似解周易其實假借爻象以寓作丹之㫖

張道陵張道陵字輔漢子房八世孫身長九尺二寸龐眉廣顙朱頂緑睛隆準方頤目有三角伏犀貫頂垂手過膝龍蹲虎步望之儼然漢光武建武十年生於天目山母初夢大人自北魁星中降至地以蘅薇香授之既覺滿室異香經月不散感而有孕及生日黄雲籠室紫

**Interpretation**

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.

氣盈庭室中光氣如日月七歲通道德經河洛圖緝之書皆極其奥舉賢良方正身雖仕而志在修煉入蜀愛蜀中溪嶺深秀遂隱於鶴鳴山弟子有王長者習天文通黄老相與煉龍虎大丹三年丹成眞人年六十餘餌之若三十許人與王長入北嵩山遇繡衣使者告曰中峯石室藏上三皇内文黄帝九鼎太清丹經得而修之乃昇天也於是眞人齋戒七日入石室跫然有聲掘地取之果得丹書精思修煉能分形散影每泛舟池中誦經堂上隱几對客杖藜行吟一時並起人皆莫測西城房陵間有白虎神好飲人血每歲其鄉殺人祭之眞人召其神戒之遂滅又梓州有大蛇時吐毒霧行人中毒輙死眞人以法禁之不復爲害順帝壬午歲正月十五夜眞人在鶴鳴山夢覺惟聞鑾佩珊珊天樂隱隱瞪目東瞻見紫雲中素車一乘車中一神人容若氷玉神光照人不可正視車前一人勅眞人曰子勿驚怖即太上老君也眞人禮拜老君曰近蜀中有六大鬼神枉暴生民深可痛惜子其代吾治之以福生靈則子功無量而名録丹臺矣乃授以正一盟威秘籙三清衆經九百三十卷符籙丹竈秘訣七十二卷雌雄劔二把都功印一枚且曰與子千日爲期後會閬苑眞人乃叩頭領訖日味秘文按法遵修時有八部鬼帥各領鬼兵動億萬數周

**Interpretation**

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.

行人間暴殺萬民枉夭無數眞人奉老君誥命佩盟威秘籙徃青城山置琉璃高座左供大道元始天尊右置三十六部眞經立十絶靈幡周匝法席鳴鍾扣磬布龍虎神兵衆鬼即挾兵刃矢石來害眞人眞人舉手一指化爲一大蓮花拒之鬼衆復持火千餘炬來眞人舉手一指鬼反自燒遥謂眞人曰師自住峨嵋山何爲來侵奪我居處眞人曰汝等殘害衆生所以來伐汝擯之西方不毛之地奉老君命也自今速當遠避勿復行病人間如違即當詄戮無留種鬼王不服次日復會六大魔王率鬼兵百萬環攻眞人乃以丹筆一畫衆鬼盡死惟六魔王仆地不能起扣頭求生眞人不顧復以丹筆一裁此山遂分爲二六魔王欲度不能始大聲哀求願徃西方娑羅國居止焉眞人乃許之倒筆再畫六魔群鬼悉起眞人命王長肩一大石爲橋度之眞人猶欲服其心謂之曰試與爾各盡法力六魔曰惟命眞人投身入火即足履青蓮而出鬼帥投火爲火所燒眞人入水乘黄龍而出鬼帥入水爲水所溺眞人以身入石透石而出鬼帥投石纔入一寸眞人呪神符一道左手指之鬼斃右手指之復生鬼帥左右指無生無死鬼帥化八大虎犇攫而來眞人化一獅子逐之鬼帥化八大龍欲來擒師眞人化金翅鳥啄龍目睛鬼帥作五色雲昏暗天地

**Interpretation**

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.

眞人化五色日炎光輝灼雲即流散鬼帥變化技窮眞人乃化一大石可重萬餘斤以藕絲懸之鬼帥營上令二鼠爭齧其絲欲墮鬼帥同聲哀告再不虐害生民眞人遂命六大鬼王歸於北酆八部鬼帥竄於西域鬼衆猶躊蹰不去眞人乃口勅神符一道飛上層霄須臾風雨雷電刀兵畢至群鬼滅影而遁眞人至蒼溪縣雲臺山謂王長曰此山乃吾成功飛騰之地也遂卜居修九還七返之功一日復聆鸞珮天樂之音眞人整衣叩伏見老君千乘萬騎來集雲際徘徊不下眞人再拜老君乃命使者告曰子之功業合得九眞上仙吾昔使子入蜀但區别人鬼以布清凈之化而子殺鬼過多又擅興風雨役使鬼神陰景翳晝殺氣穢空殊非大道好生之意上帝正責子過所以吾不得近子也子且退居勤行修謝吾待子於無何有鄉上清八景宫中言訖聖駕昇去眞人遂依告文與王長遷鶴鳴山謂弟子趙昇曰彼處有妖當徃除之及至值十二神女笑迎於山前因問曰此地有醎泉何在神女曰前大湫是毒龍處之眞人遂書一符化爲金翅鳥向湫上盤旋毒龍驚舍湫而去遂得鹹泉後居民煑之有鹽十二神女各出一玉環來獻曰妾等願事箕箒眞人受其環以手緝之十二環合而爲一謂曰吾投此環于井中能得之者應吾夙命也神

**Interpretation**

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."

女競解衣入井爭取玉環眞人遂掩之盟曰令作井神無得復出彼方之民至今不罹神女之害而獲鹹井之利眞人重修二十年乃復領趙昇王長徃鶴鳴山一日午時忽見一人黑幘絹衣佩劍捧一王函進曰奉上清眞符召眞人遊閬苑須臾有黑龍駕一紫轝玉女二人引眞人登車旋踵至闕群仙禮謁良久忽二青童朱衣絳節前導曰老君至矣乃相與騰空而上至一殿金堦玉砌或謂眞人曰將朝太上元始天尊也眞人整衣趍進殿上移時殿上勅青童諭眞人以正一盟威之法使世世宣布爲人間天師勸度未悟仍密諭飛昇之期眞人受命乃復還鶴鳴山桓帝永壽元年正月七日五更初長昇見空中老君駕龍輿命眞人乘白鶴同徃成都重演正一盟威之㫖說北斗南斗經畢老君復去眞人欲留其神跡乃於雲臺西北半崖間舉身躍入石壁中自崖頂而出其山因成二洞九月九日在巴西赤城渠亭山中上帝遣使者持玉册授眞人正一眞人之號諭以行當飛昇眞人乃以盟威都功等諸品秘籙斬邪二劍玉册玉印以授其長子衡日謂長昇曰尚有餘丹二子可分餌之今日當隨吾上昇矣亭午群仙儀從畢至天樂擁道於雲臺峯白日昇天時眞人年一百二十三歲也

蕭史蕭史得道好吹簫奉穆公以女弄玉妻之遂

**Interpretation**

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.

教弄玉吹簫作鳳鳴有鳳來止其屋公爲作鳳臺后弄玉乘鳳蕭史乘龍其昇天去

梅福梅福字子眞壽春人仕漢爲南昌尉見王莽專政嘆曰生爲我酷形爲我辱知爲我毒身爲我桎梏遂棄家求仙遍遊雁蕩南閩諸山至仙霞山遇空同仙君授以内外丹法謂福曰汝縁在飛鴻山福遂徃結庵修煉丹成復遠壽春一日紫霧浮空金童玉女捧詔控鸞下福拜詔辭家乘鸞而去人見福於宋元豐間封壽春眞人

黄初平黄初平晉丹谿人年十五收羊遇道士引至金華山石室中四十餘年其兄初起尋之不獲後遇道士善卜起問之曰金華山中有一牧羊兒初起即徃見初平問羊安在曰在山東徃視之但見白石磊磊初平叱之石皆成羊初起亦亦棄妻子學道後亦成仙

費長房費長房汝南人曾爲市掾有老翁賣藥于市懸一壺於肆頭及市罷輙跳入壺中市人莫之見惟長房於樓上睹之異焉因徃再拜翁曰子明日更來長房旦日果徃翁乃與俱入壺中但見玉堂廠麗㫖酒甘肴盈衍其中共飲畢而出翁囑不可與人言後乃就長房樓上曰我仙人也以過見責人間我今去子寧能相隨乎樓下有少酒與卿爲别長房使十人扛之猶不能舉翁笑而以一指提上視器如有一升許而二人飲之終日不盡長房心

**Interpretation**

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.

欲求道而念家人爲憂翁知乃斷一青竹使懸之舍後家人見之長房也以爲縊死大小驚號遂殯殮之長房立其傍而衆莫之見於是隨翁入山踐荆棘於群虎之中留使獨處長房亦不恐又卧長房於空室以朽索縣心斤石於其上衆蛇競來齧索欲斷長房亦不移翁還撫之曰子可教也復使食糞糞中有三蟲臭穢特甚長房意惡之翁曰子幾得道恨於此不成奈何長房辭歸翁與一竹杖曰□此任所之頃刻至矣至當以杖投葛陂中長房乘杖須臾來歸自謂去家適經旬日而已十餘年矣即以杖投陂顧視則龍也家人請其死久驚訝不信長房曰徃日所葬竹杖耳乃發塚剖棺杖猶存焉遂能醫療衆病鞭笞百鬼又嘗食客而使使至宋市鮓須臾還乃飯桓景嘗學于長房一日謂景曰九月九日汝家有大灾可作絳囊盛茱萸繫臂上登高山飲菊花酒禍可消景如其言舉家登山夕還見牛羊鷄犬皆暴死焉

藍采和藍采和不知何許人常衣破𧟋衫六銙黑木腰帶闊三寸餘一脚着靴一脚跣足夏則衫内加絮冬嘗卧雪中氣出加□每於城市乞索持大拍板長三尺餘醉而踏歌老少皆隨看之似狂非狂歌詞率爾而作皆神仙意人莫之測得錢則用繩穿拖之而行或散失亦不顧或贈貧者或與酒遂周遊天下人有洎

**Interpretation**

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.

兒童時見之者及班白見之顔狀如故後於濠梁酒樓上飲酒聞有笙簫聲忽然乘鷦而上擲下靴衫腰帶拍板冉冉而去

麻衣子麻衣子姓李名和生而紺髮美姿稍長厭世穢腐遂入終南山忽遇一道者授以道秘戒之曰南陽之間湍水之陽有山靈堂岩洞其旁神開汝鄉汝則徃之可以翕神于蒼茫麻衣徃求之遇樵者導其處居洞中十有九年晋義熙間大旱居民張奭率衆請雨麻衣以無術答之請者不輟是夕有少年十二人謂麻衣曰若再請但許之麻衣恠而諾之翌日果大雨十二人復來拜曰吾屬龍也上帝以師道業成令輔師行化耳劉宋大明初年百有一歲儼坐而尸解

麻姑麻姑仙人王方平之妹漢桓帝時方平降蔡經之家曰汝當得度世故來教汝但汝氣少肉多未能即上天當作尸解乃告以要言而去經後忽身發熱如火三日肉消骨直入室以被自覆忽然失其所在視其被中但有形如蛇蛻後十餘年忽還家語家人曰七月十日王君復來當作酒數百斛以待其日方平果著遠游冠乘五龍車前后麾節旌旗導衛如大將軍侍從既至從官皆隱經父兄叅畢方平乃遣人迎麻姑少頃麻姑至經舉家見之年可十八許頂中作髻餘髮散垂至腰錦衣綉裳光彩耀目坐定自進行厨擗麟脯器

**Interpretation**

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.

皆金玉時經婦新産麻姑見之乃曰噫且止勿前索少許米來擲地皆成丹砂方平笑曰麻姑猶作少年戲也姑云接侍以來東海三爲桑田蓬萊水又淺矣方平亦曰聖人皆言海中將復揚塵也麻姑手似鳥爪蔡經私念背痒時得此爪搔之佳方平即知乃鞭經背曰麻姑神人也汝謂其爪可搔背痒耶方平去麻姑亦

**Interpretation**

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.

辭去

## Vol. 2

消揺墟經卷第二𠱑槐二

吕純陽吕巖字洞賓唐蒲州永樂縣人號純陽子初母就蓐時異香滿室天樂浮空一白鶴自天而下飛入帳中不見生而金形木質鶴頂龜背鳳眼朝天雙眉入鬢少聰明日記萬言矢口成文身長八尺二寸狀類張子房二十不娶始在襁褓馬祖見曰此兒骨相不凡自是風塵物外他時遇廬則居見鍾則扣留心記取後遊廬山遇火龍眞人傳天遁劍法唐會昌中兩舉進士不第時年六十四歲遊長安酒肆見一羽士青巾白袍偶書絶句於壁曰坐卧常携酒一壺不教雙眼識星都乾坤許太無名姓踈散人間一丈夫洞賓訝其狀貌奇古詩意飄逸因揖問姓氏羽士曰吾雲房先生也居在終南鶴嶺子能從遊乎洞賓未應雲房因與同憩肆中雲房自爲執炊洞賓忽就枕昏睡夢以舉子赴京狀元及第始自郎署擢臺諫翰苑秘閣及諸清要無不備歷兩娶富貴家女生子婚嫁蚤畢幾四十年又獨相十年權勢薰炙偶被重罪籍没家資分散妻孥流于嶺表一身孑然立馬風雪中方興浩嘆恍然夢覺炊尚未熟雲房笑吟曰黄梁猶未熟一夢到華胥洞賓驚曰先生知我夢耶雲房曰子適來之夢升沉萬態榮悴千端五十年間一瞬耳得不足喜喪不足悲世有大覺而後知人世一大夢也洞賓感悟遂

**Interpretation**

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.

拜雲房求度世術雲房試之曰子骨節尚未完欲求度世須更數世可也翩然别去洞賓即棄儒歸隱雲房自是十試洞賓第一試洞寳自外遠歸忽見家人皆病死洞賓心無悔恨但厚備葬具而己須臾死者皆起無恙第二試洞賓鬻貨於巿議定其值市者翻然止酬其眞之半洞賓無所爭委貨而去第三試洞寳元日出門遇丐者倚門求施洞賓即與錢物而丐者索取不厭且加詳詈洞賓惟再三笑謝第四試洞賓牧羊山中遇一餓虎奔逐羣羊洞賓獨以身當之虎廼釋去第五試洞賓居山中草舍讀書一女容華絶世光艶照人自言歸寧迷路借此少憩既而調弄百端洞賓竟不爲動第六試洞賓一日郊出及歸則家貲爲盗刼盡洞賓了無愠色躬耕自給忽鋤下見金數十片速掩之一無所取第七試洞賓遇賣銅器者巿之以歸皆金也即訪賣主還之第八試有風狂道士陌上市藥自言服者立死再世得道洞賓買之道士曰子速備後事可也輙服無恙第九試春潦泛溢洞寳與衆共涉至中流風濤掀湧衆皆危懼洞賓端坐不動第十試洞賓獨坐一室忽見奇形怪狀鬼魁無數有欲擊者有欲殺者洞賓絶無所懼忽聞空中一叱聲鬼神皆不復見一人撫掌大笑而下即雲房也曰吾十試子皆無所動得道必矣吾今授子黄白之

**Interpretation**

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.

術濟世利物使三千功滿八百行圓方來度子洞賓曰所作庚辛有變異乎曰三千年後還本質耳洞賓愀然曰誤三千年後人不願爲也雲房笑曰子推心如此三千八百悉在是矣乃携洞賓至鶴嶺悉傳以上眞秘訣又以靈寳畢法及靈丹數粒示洞賓授受間有二仙捧金簡寳符語雲房曰上帝詔汝爲九天金闕選仙雲房謂洞賓曰吾赴帝召汝好住人間修功立德他時亦當如我洞賓再拜曰巖之志異於先生必須度盡天下衆生方願上昇也於是雲房乘雲冉冉而去洞賓既得雲房之道兼火龍眞人天遁劍法始遊江淮試靈劔遂除蛟害隱顯變化四百餘年常遊湘覃岳鄂及兩浙汴譙間人莫知識自稱回道人宋政和中宫中有祟白晝見形盗金寳妃嬪上精齋虔禱奏詞凡六十日晝寢見東華門外有一道士碧蓮冠紫鶴𣰉手持水晶如意揖上曰臣奉上帝命來治此祟即召一金甲丈夫捉祟劈而啗之且盡上問丈夫何人道士曰此仍陛下所封祟寧眞君關羽也上勉勞再四因問張飛何在羽曰張飛爲臣累劫世世作男子身今已爲陛下生於相州岳家矣上問道士姓名道士曰臣姓陽四月十四日生夢覺録之知其爲洞賓也自是宫禁帖然遂詔天下有洞賓香火處皆正妙通眞人之號其神通妙用不能盡述後岳穆

**Interpretation**

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.

武父果夢張飛託世故以飛命名云

孫登孫登字公和於汲郡北山上窟中住夏則編草爲裳冬則披髮自覆善長嘯好讀易鼓一絃琴性無喜怒嵇康從之遊三年問其所圖終不答將别謂曰先生竟無言乎登曰子識火乎火生而有光而不用其光果然在於用光人生而有才而不用其才果然在於用才故用光在乎得薪所以保其耀用才在乎識眞所以全其年康又請學琴登不教之曰子才多識寡難免于今之世矣後康果遭吕安事在獄爲詩自責云昔慚下惠今愧孫登登竟白日昇天

左慈左慈字元放廬江人於天柱山中精思學道得石室中丹經尤明六甲能使鬼神坐致行厨變化萬象曹操召見閉一室斷穀期年出之顔色如故操嘗宴賓曰今日高會所少松江鱸耳慈因求銅盆貯水以竿鈎之即得鱸操曰恨無蜀薑慈曰易得操恐近取即曰前使買錦可報增二十段慈曰諾乃擲盃空中化鶴而去須臾袖中出薑後買錦者回果云是日得報增錦操出郊從者百許慈爲齎酒一升脯一斤手自斟酌百官莫不醉鮑操怪之行視諸壚悉亡其酒脯矣操惡其怪因收慈欲殺之慈乃郤入壁中霍然不知所在或見於市捕之而巿人皆變形與慈同莫辨誰是或逢慈於陽城山頭因復逐之遂奔入羊

**Interpretation**

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.

群操知不可得乃令使告之曰不復相殺本試君術耳忽有一老羝屈前兩膝人立而言曰遽如許使欲取之而群羊數百皆變爲羝竝人立云遽如許亦莫知取焉

韓湘子韓湘子字清夫韓文公猶子也落魄不覊遇純陽先生因從游登桃𣗳墮死而尸觧來見文公文公勉之學湘曰湘之學與公異因作詩見志曰青山雲水窟此地是吾家子夜餐瓊使寅晨咀絳霞琴彈碧王調爐煉白珠砂寳鼎存金虎芝田養白鴉一瓢藏造化三尺斬妖邪觧造逡巡酒能開頃刻花有人能學我同其看仙葩公覽曰子豈能奪造化耶公即爲開樽果成佳醖復聚土無何開碧花一朵花間擁出金字一聯云雲横秦嶺家何在雪擁藍關馬不前公讀之不解其意湘曰他日自驗未幾公以極諫佛骨事謫官潮州途中遇雪俄有一人冒雪而來乃湘也曰公能憶花間句乎公詢其地即藍關嗟嘆久之曰吾爲汝足此詩即韓集中一封朝奉九重天云云遂與湘宿藍關傳舍公方信湘之不誣也湘辭去出藥一瓢與公曰服一粒可以禦瘴公愴然湘曰公不久即西不惟無恙且當復用公曰此後復有相見之期乎湘曰前期未可知也

曹國舅曹國舅宋太后弟也因其弟每不法殺人深以爲耻遂隱跡山巖精思玄理野服葛巾經

**Interpretation**

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.

旬不食一日遇鍾離純陽二仙問曰聞子修飬所飬何物對曰養道曰道何在舅指天曰天何在舅指心二仙笑謂曰心即天天即道子親見本來面目矣遂授以還眞秘術引入仙班

許眞君許遜字敬之號眞君南昌人吴赤鳥二年母夢金鳳銜珠墜於掌上翫而吞之因是有娠而生眞君少小踈通與物無忤嘗從獵射一塵鹿中之而斃鹿母皇顧䑛之因感悟折棄亐矢尅意爲學博通經史尤嗜神仙修煉之術聞西安吴猛得丁義神方乃徃師之悉受其秘日以修煉爲事時買一鐵燈檠因夜然燈見漆剥處有光視之金也明日訪售主還之晉武帝太康元年舉孝廉辟爲旌陽縣令吏民悅服歲饑民無以輸眞君乃以靈丹點瓦礫成金令人潜瘞於縣圃一日藉民之未輸者使服力於圃民鋤地得金用以輸納遂悉安堵又歲大疫死者十七八眞君以所得神方極治之他郡病民相繼而至於是標竹於郭外置符水於其中使就竹下飲之皆瘥久之知晉室將亂乃棄官東歸嘗憇於栢林有女童五人各持寳劔來獻眞君異而受之既而偕至眞君之家惟日擊劔自娱眞君知其劔仙也卒獲神劔之用既而大吴君遊於丹陽黄堂聞諶姆多道術遂同徃叩以道妙姆曰昔孝悌王下降曲阜蘭公家謂蘭公曰後晉代當有神仙許遜傳吾此道留下金丹

**Interpretation**

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.

寳經銅符鐵劵扣吾掌之以俟子積有年矣今當授子乃擇日登壇出孝悌王諸秘悉傳之眞君方心期每歲必來謁姆姆即覺之曰子勿來吾即還帝鄉矣因取香茅一根南望擲之曰子歸茅落處立吾祠歲秋一至足矣二君還覓訪飛茅之迹遂建祠宇每歲仲秋之三日必朝謁焉初眞君徃訪飛茅偶憇眞靖見鄉民盛烹宰以祀神且相戒曰祭不腆則神怒降禍眞君曰怪崇敢爾乃召風雷伐之拔其林木明日告其里人曰妖社已驅毋用祭也又見人苦遠汲乃以杖刺社前涸澤出泉以濟之雖旱不竭渡小蜀江感江干主人朱氏迎接甚勤乃戲畫一松於其壁其家因之得利加倍後江漲潰堤巿舍俱漂惟松壁不壞眞君徃西安縣行過一小廟廟神迎告曰此有蛟害民知仙君來逃徃鄂渚矣眞君至鄂堵路逢三老人指曰蛟伏前橋下眞君至橋仗劍叱之妖蛟驚奔入大江匿于深淵乃勅吏兵□出遂誅之時海昏之上繚有巨蛇據山爲穴吐氣成雲亘四十里人畜在其氣中者俱被吞吸人爲民害眞君聞之乃其弟子遂前至蛇所仗劔布炁蛇懼入穴乃飛符召海昏社伯驅之蛇始入穴舉首高十餘丈目若火炬吐毒衝天眞君嘯命風雷呼指神兵以攝伏之使不得動乃飛步踏其首以劍劈其顙弟子施岑甘戟等引兵揮之蛇

**Interpretation**

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.

腹裂有小蛇自腹中出長數丈甘君欲斬之眞君曰彼未爲害不可妄誅一千二百五十餘年後爲民害吾當復出誅之以吾壇前植栢爲驗其枝指壇掃地是其時也只預識云吾仙去後一千二百四十年間豫章之境五陵之内當出地仙八百人此時小蛇若爲害彼八百人自當誅之蛇子遂得入江眞君曰大蛇雖滅蛟精未誅恐其俟隙潰郡城吾歸郡乎乃與甘施二君歸郡周覽城邑遇一少年通謁自稱姓愼禮貌勤恪應對敏給遽告眞君謂弟子曰適來者非人即老校故來見試也迹其所之乃在郡城江滸化黃牛卧沙磧之上眞君剪紙化黑牛徃鬬之令施岑潜持劍徃俟其鬥酣即揮之施君一揮中其左股牛奔入城南眞至長沙化爲人入賈玉似君之家先是蛟精嘗暮玉之美女化爲一美少年謁之玉愛其才乃妻以女居數載生二子常以春夏之交孑然而出至秋則乘巨艦重載而歸蓋乘春夏大水覆舟所獲也是秋空還紿玉云財貨爲盗所刼且傷左股玉求醫療之眞君即爲醫士謁玉玉喜召壻出蛟精覺懼不敢出眞君隨至其堂厲聲叱曰江湖蛟精害物不淺吾尋蹤至此豈容復蔵速出蛟精計窮遂見本形蛇蜒堂下爲吏兵所誅眞君以法水噀其二子亦皆爲小蛟併誅之眞君謂玉曰蛟精所居其下深不踰尺皆

**Interpretation**

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.

洪波九可速徙居玉乃還高原其地果䧟爲淵眞君復還豫章而蛟之餘黨甚盛慮眞君誅之皆化爲人詭言曰僕家長安積世崇善遠聞賢師許君有神劍願聞其功弟子語之曰吾師神劍指天天裂指地地折萬邪不敢當神聖之寳也蛟黨曰亦有不能傷者于弟子戲之曰惟不能傷冬瓜葫蘆爾蛟黨以壹誠然盡化爲葫蘆冬瓜浮泛滿江眞君知不蛟黨所化以劍授施岑履水斬之悉無唯武由是水妖屏迹城邑無虞明帝太寧二年大將軍王敦舉兵内向次慈湖眞君與吴君同徃謁敦異說止之時郭璞在幕府固璞與俱見敦喜延之飲而問曰子夢一木破天君等以爲何如眞君曰非佳兆也吴君曰木上破天未字也公宜未可妄動敦色變令璞筮之璞曰無成敦怒令武士擒璞斬之眞君乃舉杯擲地化爲白鵠飛繞梁棟敦一舉目己失二君所在後敦敗二君還至金陵欲買舟至豫章而舟人告以乏刺舟者眞君曰爾但瞑目安坐切勿胡視吾自爲汝駕之默召二龍挾舟而行舟漸凌空俄過廬山頂至紫霄峯金闕洞舟人拜求濟度眞君教以服餌靈草遂得辟穀不死隱於此山二君各乘一龍以歸舊隱數十年間不復以時事關意惟精修至道孝武寧康二年眞君二百三十六歲八月朔旦有二仙自天而下云奉玉皇命授眞

**Interpretation**

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.

人以九州都仙太史高明大使之職並告以冲舉之日遂乘雲車而去是月望日遥聞天樂之音祥雲冉冉羽蓋龍車從宫兵衛仙童玉女前後導從乃揖眞君昇龍車眞君與其父族侍從盱烈與其母部侍從仙眷四十二口同時白日拔宅昇天雞犬亦隨百里之内異香芬馥經月不散

葛仙公葛玄字孝先丹陽句容人號曰葛仙公從左慈受丹液仙經嘗與客食言及變化之事客曰願先生作一事爲戲玄曰君得無促促欲有所見乎乃嗽口中飯盡成大蛒數百集客身有間玄張口蜂皆飛入嚼之是舊飯也能指石人使行指蝦蟆及諸昆蟲燕雀之屬歌舞絃節皆如人狀或宴客冬設生瓜棗夏致氷雪無人傳杯杯自至前如酒不盡杯不去也晋武帝召問曰百姓思雨可致乎玄曰易耳乃書符著社中俄項大雨偶行遇一神廟凡過一礼百步下車否則有警仙公乃命車直投輙大風驟起塵埃蔽天仙公怒曰小邪敢爾乃書一符令徒者投廟中廟屋自焚過武康見一人家病作請巫祀妖邪邪附巫者與仙公飲仙公故不飲而妖邪出語不遜仙公厲聲叱曰奸鬼敢爾敕五伯拽妖邪頭附柱鞭背出血流地妖邪伏罪乃止過華陰見一士人溺于蛇精仙公化作一田夫驅黄犢而耕因說士人曰汝婦蛇精也前後啖人不

**Interpretation**

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.

計其數士人不之信乃引士人看古井井中白骨盈積士人恐遂教士人容窺其跡士人乃窺之果蛇也仙公禁而斬之即以一符與士人服即瀉下蚯蚓蝦蟆之類無數遂得全生嘗在荆門軍紫益山修煉值天寒大凍仙公跣足衣衫𧟋縷時有屈家二女偶見憐之夤夜促成雙履次日獻之仙公已去但存爐灰尚温二女撥灰得丹一粒姊妹分而服之自後神氣冲冲不饑不渴時人咸謂得仙矣嘗從吴王各船行至三江口過風船多漂没仙公船亦不知所在吴主嘆曰葛仙公有道何不能免此踰宿忽見仙公水上步來既至尚有酒態謝曰昨伍子胥强邀留飮是以淹屈陛下嘗于西峯石壁上石臼之中搗藥遺墜一粟許有飛禽遇而食之遂得不死至今月白風清之夜其禽猶作丁當杵臼之聲名曰搗藥鳥仙人琴高聞仙公得道自東海跨雙鯉來訪仙公與之酣飲既醉高四白雲間酒醒雙鯉化爲石矣仙公贈以雙鶴跨之而還石至今存嘗有客從仙公泛舟見囊中有十數符客曰此符驗可見不仙公即取一符投水中逐水而下客曰常人投之亦然仙公復取一符投之逆水而上客曰異矣仙公復取一符投之即不上不下須臾上符下符會于中流良久收之又于水濱見鬻大魚者謂魚主曰欲假此魚到河伯魚者曰已死矣曰

**Interpretation**

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.

亦可以丹書紙納魚口中投於水躍然而去如此神異不能盡述後仙去

何仙姑何仙姑廣州增城縣何泰女也生而頂有六毫年十四五夢神人教曰食雲母粉當輕身不死因餌之遂誓不嫁常徃來山谷其行如飛每朝去暮則持山果歸遺其母後漸辟穀武后遺使召赴闕中路復失去景龍中白日昇仙天寳九載見于麻姑壇立五色雲中大曆中又現身于廣州小石樓

張果張果隱於恒州中條山徃來汾𣈆間得長生秘術常乘一白驢日行數萬里休息時折疊之其厚如紙置于巾箱中乘則以水噀之復成驢唐太宗高宗徴之下起武后召之出山佯死於妬女廟前時方炎暑須臾臭爛生蟲於是則天信其死矣後有人於恒州山中復見之開元二十三年明皇詔通事舍人裴晤馳驛於恒州迎之果至東京於集賢院安置備加禮敬帝問神仙不答善息氣累日不食數飲酒上賜之酒辭曰小臣飲不過二升有一弟子可飲一斗明皇喜令召之俄頃一小道士自殿簷飛下年可十五六美姿容步趣閑雅明皇命坐果曰弟子當侍直明皇愈喜賜酒飲及一小斗果辭曰不可更賜過度明皇因逼賜之醉酒從頂上湧出冠衝落地忽化爲金榼上及嬪御皆驚笑視之失道士矣但金榼在地驗之乃集賢院中榼也榼僅貯

**Interpretation**

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.

一斗酒帝謂高力士曰吾聞飲堇而無苦者奇士也時天寒因取以飲果三進頽然曰非佳酒也乃寢頃視齒焦縮顧在右取如意擊墮之蔵帶中出藥傳之良久齒復出粲然如玉上狩咸陽獲一大鹿將令大官烹之果曰此仙鹿也已滿千歲昔漢武帝元狩五年臣曾侍從畋于上林獲此鹿乃放之上曰鹿多矣時遷代變豈常存乎果曰武帝放之時以銅牌誌於左角下遂命驗之果有銅牌二寸許但文字凋落耳上問葉法善曰果何人也答曰臣知之然臣言之即死故不敢言若陛下能免冠跣足救臣臣方敢言上許之法善曰混沌初分白蝙蝠精言未絶七竅流血僵仆於地上遽詣果所免冠跣足自稱其罪果徐曰此兒多口過不罰之恐泄天地之機耳上復哀懇久之果以水噀其面法善即時復生帝益重之詔圖形集賢院號通玄先生果屢陳老病乞歸恒州天寳初明皇遺使徴果果聞輒卒弟子葬之後發棺但空棺而已帝立棲霞觀祀之

黃野人黄野人葛洪弟子洪棲山煉丹野人常隨之洪既仙去留丹于羅浮山柱石之間野人得一粒服之爲地行仙後有人遊羅浮宿石巖間中夜見一人無衣而紺毛覆體意必仙也乃再拜問道其人了不顧但長笑數聲聲振林木復歌曰雲來萬嶺動雲去天一色長笑兩

**Interpretation**

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."

三聲空山秋月白其人歸道其形容即野人也

司馬眞人司馬承慎字子微事潘師正傳辟穀導引之術遍遊名山唐睿宗迎至京帝問其術對曰爲道日損損之又損以至於無爲帝曰治身則爾治國若何對曰身猶國也游心爲淡合氣於漠與物自然而無容私焉則天下治帝嘆詠曰廣成子之言何以加此辭歸天台廬蔵用指終南山曰此中大有佳處何必天台對日以僕觀之是仕宦之捷徑爾廬初隱終南後登庸聞言硃有慚色開元中文靖天師與承禎赴千秋節齋直長生殿中夜行道畢隔雲屏各就枕微聞若小兒誦經聲聲玲玲如金玉天師乃褰裳躡步聽之見承禎額上有一小日如錢光耀一席逼而視之乃水禎腦中之聲也天師還謂其徒曰黄庭經云泥丸九眞皆有房方圓一寸處此中先生之謂乎一日謂弟子日吾令爲東華君所召必須徃俄頃化去如蟬脫弟子葬其衣冠焉時年八十有九有修眞秘㫖之志論等書行於世

王質王質晋衢州人入山伐木至石室山見石室中有數老人圍棊質置斧觀之老人以物如棗核與質令含咽其汁便不覺饑渴且告云汝來己久可還質取斧柯已盡爛矣質亟歸家已數百年親舊無復存者復入山得道人(徃徃/見之)陶弘景陶弘景字道明秣陵人初母夢青龍自懷而

**Interpretation**

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.

出已而有娠生而幼有異操十歲見葛洪神仙傳晝夜研尋謂人日仰青雲睹白日不覺爲遠矣及長身長七尺七寸神儀明秀朗目踈眉耳各有七十餘毛出外二寸許右膝有數十黑子作七星文讀書萬卷善琴棋工草隸弱冠齊高帝作相引爲諸王侍讀雖在朱門閉影不交外物惟以披閱爲務永明十年脫朝服掛神武門上表辭禄詔許之乃止于句容之茅山立館號曰華陽隱居徧歷名山尋訪仙藥每經澗谷必坐□其間吟詠盤桓不能己沈約爲東陽守高其志節累書邀之竟不至弘景爲人員通謙謹出處冥會心如明鏡遇物便了永元初架三層樓弘景處其上與物遂絶惟一家僮得至其所元善騎射晩皆不爲雅聽吹笙而己特愛松風庭院皆植松每聞其響欣然爲樂有時獨游泉石望見者咸以爲仙人及梁武禪代弘景援引圖讖數處皆成梁字令弟子進之武帝恩禮愈篤及得神符秘訣以爲神丹可成而苦無藥物帝給黄金朱砂等物乃合飛丹色如霜雪服之體輕帝服亦驗益敬重之屢加禮聘並不就惟晝兩牛一牛散放水草之間一牛著金籠頭有人執袍以策驅之武帝笑曰此人欲學曳尾之龜豈可復致國家每有大事無不咨之時謂山中宰相年逾八十無異壯容後簡文帝臨南徐州欽其風素退居後堂召

**Interpretation**

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.

之弘景葛巾進見與談數日而去帝甚爲敬異其弟子桓闓得道將昇天弘景問曰某行教修道勤亦至矣得非有過尚淹延在世我乃托闓探之闓昇天後還謂弘景曰師之陰功極著但所修本草多用□虫水蛭之類功雖及人亦傷命物以此一紀後方解形拂世爲蓬萊都水監耳弘景復以草木之藥可代物命者著别行本草三卷以贖其過一日無疾自知應逝逆尅亡日仍作告逝詩大同二年卒時年八十五顏色不變屈伸如常香氣累日氤氲滿山

裴航裴航唐長慶中書生因下第遊千鄂渚謁故舊崔相國相國贈錢二十萬遂挈歸于京因傭巨舟載於襄漢聞同載有樊夫人國色也航無由睹面因侍婢裊烟而達詩一章曰向爲胡越猶懷想况遇天仙隔錦屏儻若玉京朝會去願隨鸞鶴入青冥數日後夫人亦使裊烟答詩一章云一飯瓊漿百感生玄霜搗盡見雲英藍橋便是神仙窟何必崎嶇上玉京航覽之空愧佩而已然亦不能洞達詩之㫖意及抵襄漢夫人使婢挈粧奩不辭而去航遍求訪竟無蹤兆後經藍橋驛因渴甚下道求飮見茅屋三四間有老嫗緝麻其下航揖嫗求漿嫗咄曰雲英携一甌漿來郎君飲航憶夫人詩有雲英之句正訝之俄葦簿之下雙手如玉捧出瓷甌航接飲之不啻玉液

**Interpretation**

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.

也因還甌遽揭簿見一女子光彩照人航愛慕不已因白嫗曰某僕馬甚乏願少憇於此嫗曰任郎君自便耳良久告嫗曰向睹小娘子艶麗驚人姿容耀世所以躊蹰而不能去願納厚禮而娶之可乎嫗曰老病只有此孫女昨有神仙與靈藥一刀圭但須玉杵臼檮之百日方可就吞若欲娶此女者須得玉杵臼其餘金帛吾無用處耳航拜謝曰願以百日爲期必携杵臼至幸無復許人嫗曰如約航至京遍訪玉杵臼忽遇一貨玉翁曰近有一玉杵臼非二百緍不可得航乃傾囊兼賣僕馬方及其值輙步驟獨携而抵藍橋嫗見大笑曰世間有如此信士乎遂許以爲婚女亦微笑曰雖然更爲擣藥百日方議婚好嫗於襟帶間解藥付航航即擣之每夜獨聞搗藥聲航窺之見玉兔持杵而舂百日足嫗持藥而吞之曰吾當入洞而告姻戚爲裴郎具幃帳遂挈女入山謂航曰但少留此逡巡車馬隸人迎航見一大第連雲朱扉晃日仙童侍女引航入帳就禮訖航拜嫗不任感荷及引見諸姻戚皆神仙中人一女仙鬟髻霓衣云是妻之姊航拜訖女仙曰裴郎不意鄂渚同舟而抵襄漢乎航愧謝左右曰是小娘子之姊雲翹夫人劉綱仙君之妻也已列高眞爲玉皇之女史嫗遂將航夫妻入玉峯洞中瓊樓珠室而居之餌以絳雪瓊英之丹體漸

**Interpretation**

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.

清虛毛髮紺緑神化自在超爲上仙至太和中友人盧顥遇之於藍橋驛之西備說得道之事乃贈藍田美玉十斤紫府雲丹一粒顥稽顙請曰兄既得道乞一言惠教航曰老子云虛其心實其腹顥猶懵然復語之曰心多妄想腹漏精液虛實可知也言訖忽不見

孫思邈孫思邈華原人七歳日誦千言獨孤信見之曰聖童也顧器大難爲用耳及長好談老莊隱於太白山學道鍊氣飬神求度世之術洞曉天文精究醫藥務行陰德偶見牧童傷小蛇血出思邈脫衣贖而救之旬餘出遊見一白衣少年下馬拜謝曰吾弟蒙道者所救復邀思邈至家易以己馬偕行如飛至一城廓花木盛開金碧炳耀儼若王者居見一人袷帽絳衣侍從甚衆忻喜趨接謝曰深蒙厚恩故置兒子相迎因指一青衣小兒云前者此兒獨出爲牧堅所傷賴道者脫衣贖救得有今日乃令青衣小兒拜謝思邈始省昔日救蛇事潜問左右此爲何所對曰此涇陽水府也絳衣王者命設酒饌妓樂宴思邈思邈辭以辟穀服氣惟飮酒耳留連三日乃以輕銷金珠相贈思邈堅辭不受乃命其子取龍宫奇方三十首與思邈曰此可以助道者濟世救人思邈歸以是方歷試皆效乃編八千金方中隋文帝徴爲國子博士不就至唐太宗召始詣京師永徽三年已百餘歲一日沐浴

**Interpretation**

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.

衣冠端坐謂子孫曰吾今將遊無何有之鄉矣俄而氣絶月餘顔色不變及入棺唯空衣焉後皇幸蜀夢思邈乞武都雄黄即命中使齎十斤送於峨眉頂上見一人幅巾被褐鬚眉皓白指大盤石日可置藥於此召上有表録謝使視石上大書百餘字遂録之隨寫隨滅須臾白氣漫起因忽不見成都有一僧誦法華經甚專忽一日有僕人至云先生請師誦經經過烟嵐中入一山居先生野服杖藜兩耳垂肩焚香出聽誦經遂供僧以藤盤竹著秫飯一盂杞菊數甌僧食之美若甘露復贈錢一緍僕送出路口僧因問曰先生何姓曰姓孫曰何名僕於掌中手書思邈二字僧大駭視僕遽失不見視錢皆金錢也僧自此身輕無疾後莫知所之

譚峭譚峭字景升幼而聦敏文史涉目無遺獨好黄老仙傳一旦告父母出遊終南山師嵩山道士十餘年得辟穀養氣之術常醉遊夏則服烏裘冬則衣布衫或卧風雪中人謂已斃視之氣休休然頗似風狂每行吟曰線作長江扇作天靸鞋抛在海東邊蓬萊信道無多路只在譚生拄杖前後居南嶽煉丹丹成服之後遂仙去

許宣平許宣平新安歙縣人唐睿宗景雲中隱於城陽山南塢結庵以居不修服餌顏若四十許人時負薪賣於巿擔上常掛一花瓢携曲竹杖每醉吟騰騰以歸吟曰負薪朝出賣沾酒

**Interpretation**

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.

日西歸借問家何處穿雲入翠微徃來三十餘年或施人危急或救人疾苦士人多訪之不得見但見庵壁題詩曰隱居三十載築室南山巔靜夜翫明月閑朝飲碧泉樵人歌隴上谷鳥戲巖前樂矣不知老都忘甲子年天寳中李白知宣平爲仙於是遊新安訪之亦不得見乃題詩於庵壁曰我吟傳舍詩來訪仙人居烟嶺迷高迹雲林隔太虛窺庭但蕭索倚杖空躊躇應化遼天鶴歸當千歲餘宣平歸見壁詩乃自題曰一池荷葉衣無盡兩𤱔黄精食有餘又被人來尋討着移庵不免更深居其庵輙爲野火所燒莫知踪跡後百餘歲至懿宗咸通十二年許明恕婢入山採樵一日獨於南山中見一人坐石上食桃問婢曰汝許明恕家婢耶婢曰是曰我即明恕之祖宣平也汝歸爲我何明恕道我在此山中與汝一桃即食之不得將出山山神惜此桃且虎狼甚多也婢食之甚美湏臾而盡乃置婢隨樵人歸婢覺樵擔甚輊到家具言入山逢祖翁宣平明恕怒婢呼祖諱取杖擊之其婢隨杖身起不知所逝後有人入山見婢復童顏遍身衣樹皮行疾如飛入深林不見

玄眞子張志和字不同唐金華人母夢楓生腹上而生肅宗擢明經賜名志和命待韶翰林後親喪不復仕遨遊江湖自號煙霞釣徒又號玄眞子垂釣不設餌志不在魚也飲酒三斗不

**Interpretation**

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.

醉守眞養氣□雪不寒入水不濡每酒酣鋪席水上獨坐而酌席來去如舟俄有雲鶴旋後其止遂跨鶴而昇

軒轅集軒轅集不知何許人相傳數百歲顔色不老坐暗室目光長數丈每採藥於岩谷則毒龍猛獸隨之至爲衛護居常人家請齋者雖百處皆分身而若與人飮酒則袖出一壺纔容二升賓客滿座傾之彌日不竭自飮百升不醉遇病者以布巾拂之應手而愈宣宗召入問長生可致不答曰絶聲色薄滋味哀樂一致德施無偏自然與天地合德日月齊明况長生久視乎及退上以金盆覆白鵲令中使試之集曰皇帝安能更令老夫射覆乎盆下白鵲宜早放之上笑曰先生早知矣命坐御榻前令宫人侍茶湯集貌古而布素宫人有笑之者元鬢髮朱唇年方二八湏臾變爲老嫗鬢髮皤然因涕泣不已上令謝之即復故步京師素無荳蔻荔枝花上因語及頃刻二花並至枝葉如新時坐有相子集曰臣山中亦有味更佳上曰無縁得矣集乃取御前碧玉甌以寳盤覆之俄頃徹盤相子幾滿上食之嘆曰美無比又問曰朕得幾年天子集取筆書四十年但十字一起上笑曰朕安敢望四十年乎久之辭還山命中使送之每見其於一布囊内探錢施人比至江陵己施數十萬取之不竭未及至山忽亡所在不日南海

**Interpretation**

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.

奏先生己歸羅浮矣及宴駕只四十年也

陳希夷陳摶字圖南號扶揺子亳州眞源人初生不能言至四五歲戲渦水水濱有青衣媪引置懷中乳之即能言敏悟過人及長經史一覽無遺先生曰向所學但足記姓名而已吾將遊泰山與安期黃石輩論出世法安能與世脂韋汨没出入生死輪逈間哉乃盡散家業惟携一石鐺而去梁唐士大夫挹其清風得識其面而睹景星慶雲然先生皆莫與交唐明宗親爲手詔召之先生至長揖不拜明宗待之愈謹以宫女三人賜先生先生賦詩謝曰雪爲肌體玉爲腮多謝君王送得來處士不興巫峽夢空煩雲雨下陽臺遂遯去隱武當山九石巖服氣辟穀凡二十餘年復移居華山時年已七十餘矣常閉門卧累月不起周世宗顯德中有樵於山麓見遺骸生塵迫而視之乃先生也良久起曰睡酣奚爲擾我後世宗召見賜號白雲先生一日乘驢遊華陰聞宋太祖登極拍掌大笑曰天下自此定矣太祖召不至再召辭曰九重仙詔休教丹鳳㗸來一片野心己被白雲留住太宗初年始赴召惟求一靜室乃賜居於建隆觀扃扃熟𥧌月餘方起辭去賜號希夷先生一日遺門人鑿石室於張超谷既成先生徃造之曰吾其歸於此乎遂以左手支頤而終七日容色不變肢體尚温有五色雲封谷口彌月不

**Interpretation**

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.

散年一百一十八歲初兵紛時太祖之母挑太祖太宗於藍以避亂先生遇之即吟曰莫道當今無天子却將天子上檐挑又遇太祖太宗與趙普遊長安巿入酒肆普坐太祖太宗之右先生曰汝紫微垣一小星爾輙處上次可乎種放初從先生先生曰汝當逢明主名馳海内但惜天地間無完名子名將起必有物敗之可戒也放晩年竟喪清節皆如其言有郭沆者少居華陰嘗宿觀下中夜先生呼令速歸且與之俱徃一二里許有人號呼報其母卒先生因遺以藥使急去可救既至灌其藥遂甦華陰令王睦謂先生曰先生居溪巖寖止何室先生且笑且吟曰華山高處是吾宫出即凌空跨曉風臺榭不將金鎖閉來時自有白雲封一日有一客過訪先生適值其睡見傍有一異人聽其息聲以黑筆記之滿紙糊塗莫辨客怪而問之其人曰此先生華胥調混沌譜也先生嘗遇毛女毛女贈之詩詩云藥苗不滿笥又更上危顛回指歸去路相將入翠烟太宗聞先生善相人遣詣南衙見眞宗及門亟還問其故曰厮役皆將相也何必見王於是建儲之議遂定先生以易數授穆伯長穆授李挺之李授邵康節以象學授種放授廬江許堅堅授範諤至今糟粕猶存也

雷隱翁雷隱翁名本少磊落不群既長業進士再試

**Interpretation**

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.

即棄去默坐終日或誚其癡翁咲曰終不以吾癡易汝黠一日以術授其子遂出遊不返宋元祐間有朝士遊羅浮山見翁坐於𣗳下自吟一絶云徃徃來來三十年更無踪跡落人間功成行滿昇天去回首山頭月正圓

馬自然馬湘字自然獨好經史工文學嘗與道侣徧游方外至湖州醉墮霅溪經日而出衣不沾濕言爲項羽相召飲指溪水令逆流指栁樹令隨水走來去指橋令斷復續一切小術無所不爲人或有疾告者自然無藥但以竹拄杖打患處或以杖指之口吹杖頭作雷鳴便愈有以所帛謝者固讓不取强與之輙散與貧人登杭州泰望山作詩曰太一初分何處尋空留歷數變人心九天日月移朝暮萬里山川自古今風動水光吞遠徼兩添嵐氣没高林秦皇謾作驅山計滄海茫茫轉更深後歸省兄兄適出謂嫂曰特歸與兄分此宅我惟愛東園耳待兄三日不歸遽卒明日兄歸感慟曰弟學道多年是歸託化以絶望耳乃棺歙遂窆之東園明年東川奏梓潼縣道士馬自然曰白日上昇詔杭州發其棺只一竹杖而已

張紫陽張栢端天台人少好學晩傳混元之道而未備孜孜訪問徧歷四方宋熙寧二年遊蜀遇劉海蟾授金液還丹火候之訣乃改名用成字平叔號紫陽嘗有一僧修戒定慧能入定

**Interpretation**

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.

出神數百里間頃刻即到與紫陽雅志契合一日紫陽曰禪師今日能與遠遊乎僧曰可願同徃揚州觀瓊花紫陽於是與僧處一靜室相對瞑目跌坐出神紫陽至時僧以先至遶花三匝紫陽曰可折一花爲記少頃欠伸而覺紫陽曰禪師瓊花何在禪師神手皆空紫陽乃拈出瓊花與僧把翫弟子因問紫陽曰同一神遊何以有有無之異紫陽曰我金丹大道性命兼修是故聚則成形散則成氣所至之地眞神見形謂之陽神彼之所修欲速見功不復修命直修性宗故所至之地無復形影謂之陰神陰神不能動物也英宗治平中訪扶風馬默處厚於河東乃以所著悟眞篇授處厚曰平生所學盡在是矣願公流布此書當有因書而會意者元豐五年夏跌坐而化住世九十九歳弟子因火燒化得舍利千百大者如芡蕢色皆紺碧識者謂曰此道書所謂舍利耀金姿也後七年劉奉眞遇紫陽於王屋山留詩一張而去

李鼻涕李鼻涕宋紹聖初劉延仲寓秀州嘗有道人過門或從求藥則以鼻涕和垢膩爲丸與之病立効因自號李鼻涕延仲延之坐曰今日適無酒爲禮道人笑曰床頭珍珠泉一尊何不出以待客劉大慚呼童取尊道人曰不必取但將空尊來尊至索紙覆之少焉香溢於外成美酒矣坐者皆醉明日劉有他客出所

**Interpretation**

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.

謂珍珠泉者而尊中無涓滴矣一日詣劉别云後二十年某月某日當於眞州相見至期劉卒於眞州

歸元子爾朱洞字微通少遇異人傳還元抱一之道因自號歸元子初隱蓬山後賣藥蜀漢間行動如飛逆旅主人每夕怪其屋有聲因窺之見其身自榻而升觸棟而止或於枯骸中得物如雀卵持以問洞洞曰繇服神丹而不能修煉故純陰剥消無陽□俱獨就丹田成此耳唐末王建圍成都洞亦在城中城久不下建約城䧟日誅夷無噍類洞乃施席作法籠攝建與三軍皆得神人乘黑雲叱建曰敢有禍吾民者禍即反汝建等怖伏後入成都戒兵勿殺民不改肆洞賣丹藥每一粒要錢十二萬時有某太守欲買之曰太守金多非一百二十萬不可太守以爲移言惑衆命納之竹籠沉於江中至涪陵上流二漁人乘舟而漁舉網出之乃洞也漁曰此必異人入定乎扣銅缶寤之少頃洞開目問漁人曰此去銅梁幾何有三都乎漁人曰我白石江人此去銅梁四百里自是而東即豐都縣平都山仙都觀也洞曰吾師謂吾遇三都白石浮水乃仙去殆此地耶洞既登岸語二漁人曰視子類有道者亦有所傳乎二漁曰我昔從海上仙人得三一之㫖煉陽修陰亦有年矣洞於是索酒與劇飮取丹分餌之至荔枝園中三人昇雲而去(二漁人附)

**Interpretation**

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.)

白玉蟾葛長庚宋瓊人母以白玉蟾名之應夢也年二十二應童子科后隱居干武夷山號東瓊子事陳翠虛九年始得其道蓬頭跣足一衲弊甚喜飲酒未見其醉博洽儒書出言成章嘗自讃云千古蓬頭跣足一生服氣餐霞笑指武夷山下白雲深處吾家雷印常佩肘間祈禳則有異應時言休咎驚省聾俗嘗在京都遊西湖至暮墮水舟人驚尋不見達旦則玉蟾在水上猶醺然也一日有持刀追脅者玉蟾叱其人刀自墮而走玉蟾招之曰汝來勿驚以刀還之時稱玉幨入水不濡逢兵不害宋嘉定中詔徴赴闕對玉稱㫖命館太一宫一日不知所徃後每徃來名山神異莫測

陳泥丸陳楠字南木號翠虛博羅人以盤櫳篐桶爲生後得太一刀圭金丹法於毘陵禪師得景霄大雷琅書於黎姥山神人能以符分捻土愈病時人呼之爲陳泥丸時披髮日行四五百里鶉衣百結塵垢滿身善食大肉終日爛醉嘗之蒼梧遇郡禱旱翠虛執鐵鞭下潭驅龍湏臾雷雨交作過三山大義渡洪流舟不敢行翠虛浮笠而濟行欽管道中遇群盗拉殺之瘞三日盗散復甦遊長沙衝帥節執拘送邕州獄數夕又回長沙矣中夜坐或倉水銀越宿成白金以丹法授白玉蟾寧宗嘉定間於漳入水而觧去

莫月鼎莫月鼎諱洞一字起炎湖州人生而秀朗肌

**Interpretation**

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.

膚如玉雪雙曰有光射人入青城山丈人觀見徐無極受五雷之法於是月鼎自名雷師驅使鬼魅動與天合時嬉笑怒罵皆若有神物從之者无世祖召見時天色爽霽帝曰可聞雷否月鼎曰可即取胡桃擲地雷應聲而發元主爲之改容復命請雨立至元主大悅賜以金繒月鼎碎截之以濟寒窶者性愛酒無日不醉醉輙白眼望天陰飈翛翛起衣袖間嘗與客飲西湖舟中當赤日如火客請借片雲覆之月鼎笑拾果殻浮觴而項之雲自湖濱起翳于日下蕃釐觀道士中秋方會飮有雲蔽月久不解月鼎時遇觀中道士知其所爲急請赴筵月鼎以手指之雲散如洗賣餅師積餅於筐時被精怪竊去月鼎召雷轟雲中斬猢猻首于巿一人要婦半路爲白娶精所攝至門但空車焉月鼎禹步如有指麾狀狂風忽作飄婦還舍婦云適在北高峯何以忽然至此七十三歲一日屬其徒王繼華曰明年正月十三日將化於汝家及期風雷雷雨電交作索筆作偈書畢泊然而逝顔面如丹

馬鈺陽馬鈺寧海人孫仙姑其妻也號丹陽子母初孕時夢麻姑賜丹一粒吞之覺而分瑞時金太宗天會五年也兒時常誦乘雲駕鶴之詩李無夢見而奇之曰額有三山手垂過膝眞大仙之材孫君以女妻之生三子嘗題詩云抱元守一是工夫懶漢如今一也無終日㗸

**Interpretation**

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.

杯暢神思醉中却有那人扶衆皆不曉其意一日王重陽祖師自終南來訪之云宿有仙契既食瓜從蒂食起鈺問其故曰甘向苦中來又問從何方來曰不遠千里特來扶醉人鈺默念與前所作詩合異之遂師事焉重陽欲挽西遊鈺未能輒棄家業重陽多方點化鈺念始决遂以貲產付三子從居崑崙之煙霞洞孫仙姑在家結庵修煉二十餘年一日鈺謂門人曰今日當有非之喜輙歌舞自娱俄聞空中樂聲仰見仙姑乘雲而過仙童玉女旌節儀仗擁導前後俯而告鈺曰先歸蓬島待君也於是夜坐談將二鼓風雷大雨震動遂東首枕肱而逝是夜鈺扣酒監郭復中門索筆書頌云喪年六十一在世無人識烈雷吼一聲浩浩隨風逸以須人云師已逝矣方悟所見者皆其陽神也

張三丰張三丰遼東懿州人名居寳字玄玄生有異香龜形鶴骨大耳圓目身長七尺鬚髯如戟頂作一髻手持刀尺一笠一衲寒暑御之不飾邊幅人目爲張獵𤠐日行千里靜則暝目旬日所啖斗升輙盡或辟穀數月自若也元末居寳鷄金臺觀留頌辭世而逝上人楊斬山置棺殮訖臨窆發視之復生乃入蜀洪武初至太和山修煉結庵於玉虛宫庵前古木五株嘗栖其下久則猛獸不距鷙鳥不搏人益異之後入武當當語鄉人云兹山異日當

**Interpretation**

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.

大顯於時居二十三年拂神遊方而去消摇墟經第二卷下槐字

**Interpretation**

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.

二尾

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原文底本：Kanripo 漢籍リポジトリ（京都大学），CC BY-SA 4.0。  
Source text: Kanripo Chinese Classics Repository (Kyoto University), CC BY-SA 4.0.  
HTML version: https://daozang.app/en/text/KR5h0034/