4 ZHONG AND LÜ APPEAR ON GOLD SPRINKLE BRIDGE

The Three Isles of Penglai are my home;

I don’t care about the hubbub in this world of dust.

When the time is ripe, there are revealed to me

Ten thousand miles of misty clouds.

Green bamboo casts its shade on jasper grasses and extraordinary petals.

Suddenly,

I am completely free of cares,

And in my grotto appears the white deer with a flower in its mouth.

After Mme. Dou spoke to Xiangzi that day, he had no choice but to obey her and escort Luying back home.

Several months seemed to pass very quickly. Tuizhi traveled to the capital to sit for the metropolitan examination, which he passed with distinction. As his first assignment he was sent as an investigating censor to Sichuan. Not even two years later, he was promoted to Vice Minister of Justice and moved to Chang’an together with Mme. Dou, Xiangzi, and Luying.

One day on his way back home from court, he walked across Gold Sprinkle Bridge. At the eastern side of the bridge he saw a Daoist of fierce appearance, with a leopard-like head and ferocious eyes, a back like a tiger’s, a torso like a bear’s, a dark complexion, and a full beard. His hair was parted in a yin-yang fashion, and he wore a gown of black silk. In his hands he held a steel flute. By the looks of him, he was strong and energetic enough to lift a heavy bronze tripod or smash a bridge. Surely he would surpass even such heroes as Wu Yun and Zhang Fei.

At the west side of the bridge there sat another Daoist, this one of refined appearance. His brows were clear, his eyes graceful, his hair cut back at the temples, his complexion light as if powdered, his lips red as if painted. On his head he had a Nine Yang cloth and he wore a yellow gown trimmed with crane feathers. One might have mistaken him for Zhang Liang, who helped establish the great Han dynasty, or for Zhuge Liang, who supported the imperial Liu family of the Han.

Lighthearted and in good spirits, and intrigued by these unusual figures, Tuizhi approached them and asked the first, “You, Sir, at the east side of the bridge—where do you come from and where do you live? Why did you leave the family to cultivate yourself?”

“You and I are of the same rank, but not of the same dynasty,” the Daoist replied.

“What do you mean by that?”

“You are a Vice Minister of Justice under the Tang dynasty. I was a great general under the Han dynasty, commanding the military forces on the strategic roads and residing in the office of the high command. Aren’t we then of the same rank, but of different dynasties?” the Daoist said.

“If you exerted yourself for the imperial family, conquering new lands, and doing your duties to the nation according to your oath of fealty, then why did you abandon your family to cultivate yourself, and dress up in this manner?” Tuizhi asked.

“You don’t understand,” the Daoist said. “I had no choice but to withdraw to a faraway place, because my ruler did harm to three worthies.”

“Which three worthies did he harm?” asked Tuizhi.

“Han Xin, the king of Sanqi; Peng Yue, the king of Daliang; and Ying Bu, the king of Jinjiang. These three worthies slept in their saddles and quenched their thirst with the blood off their swords. During the day they repaired the board path along the cliff; in the dark they crossed the river at Chencang. At Nine Mile Mountain they drove Tian Heng into the sea; at the Black River Ford they compelled Xiang Yu to commit suicide. They helped the first Han emperor to snatch the empire from Chu and Qin, but later they suffered deaths worse than pigs and dogs. For this reason I resigned my duties and withdrew into reclusion in the Zhongnan Mountains, where I studied the Dao with the Imperial Lord of Eastern Florescence until I gained entry to the ranks of the immortals. I am Zhongli Quan of the Han dynasty and hail originally from Renqiu County in Hejian Prefecture.”

Turning to the other Daoist, Tuizhi asked, “You, Sir, at the west side of the bridge—where do you come from and where do you live? Would you be of the same rank as Master Zhongli?”

“I am a scholar of the present dynasty and hail from Xia County in Hezhong Prefecture,” the second Daoist said. “In my time I have studied row upon row of books. My writings excelled those of my contemporaries, and my ambition soared high. Then one day, as I was traveling with Li Ziying to the capital to sit for the examinations, I met my future teacher Zhongli under a weeping willow at the Yellow Flower Store, ten miles outside the city of Handan. He tried again and again to deliver me, but I was unwilling to change my mind. So he transformed a coarse rush mat into the underworld, complete with the Ten Great Yama Kings, who placed my numinous perfect nature inside a bottle gourd. It was only when I awoke from this dream that I realized that being an official was not the final aim, and that riches would not last long. Thereupon I abandoned Confucianism and cultivated myself until I achieved my proper rewards. I am Master Two Mouths.” Here is a poem to illustrate his words:

In the morning I roam over the azure sea, in the evening over Cangwu.

My sleeves hold my sword Green Snake, which I wield with fierce courage.

Though three times drunk in Yueyang, people did not recognize me.

Singing in a clear voice, I flew across Lake Dongting.¹

“Judging by your words, the two of you truly surpass Confucius and Mencius in literary talent, and Sun Wu in military skill,” Tuizhi said. “Such a combination of the civil and the military is rare indeed! My family has favored learning for many generations. I would like to invite you to my humble house for a vegetarian meal. What do you say?”

“Having received your undeserved affection, naturally we should go to your house to pay our respects, but how could we dare accept a meal?” Master Zhong said.

Taking Master Lü’s hand, Tuizhi said, “Let’s walk to my home together, shall we?”

“You are an important magistrate, while we are just rustics from the mountain wilderness. It would not be seemly for us to walk in a group. Please walk ahead and we will follow,” Master Lü replied.

“You wouldn’t stand me up, would you?” Tuizhi asked.

“We wouldn’t dare to deceive you,” Master Lü assured him.

Indeed, Tuizhi had been home just a short while when the two masters arrived. He came down the stairs to welcome them, and they sat down to drink tea.

Suddenly Xiangzi walked by in front of them; noticing the two masters, he bowed.

“Who is this?” Master Zhong asked. “He looks like a person who might be a hindrance and source of misfortune to his parents.”

“This is my son,” Tuizhi answered.

“If it is your son, then I apologize for my ill-considered words,” Master Zhong said.

“In fact he is my nephew,” said Tuizhi. “He is called Han Xiangzi. At the age of three he lost his father, and at seven his mother. Since then it has fallen to me to raise him.”

“This boy has the destiny of a high minister to three successive emperors, and the talent of seven generations of top examination graduates,” Master Lü said. “If he doesn’t bring the whole family celestial emoluments, at the least everyone within nine generations will ascend to Heaven. With him, there will be no need to worry about fame and riches.”

“There is, however, one problem,” Master Zhong added. “Right now, this child’s destiny moves in the ‘tomb store’ field, and as a result he meets with many adversities. Only at the age of sixteen will he escape from it. You should hire a good teacher to take charge of his education and to arouse his spirits so that he won’t stray from the right path.”

“I intended to do just that, but I have not yet been able to find a qualified person,” Tuizhi said. “May I ask you two gentlemen, what is it we call ‘Nature’?”

“‘Nature’ is the nature of beings, such as the ox having two horns and the horse four hooves,” Master Zhong answered.

“What is a ‘human being’?” pursued Tuizhi.

Master Lü replied, “A human being is the one who puts a ring through an ox’s nose and who slings a saddle round a horse’s middle. Not to use human concerns to destroy one’s Heaven-endowed nature, not to destroy one’s destiny willfully, not to harm one’s perfection by desires, to maintain one’s endowments diligently and not lose them—this is what I call being in harmony with one’s perfected nature.”²

“Having been honored by your inquiries, I in turn would like to ask for your instruction,” Master Zhong requested.

“Please do,” Tuizhi replied.

“Heaven, Earth, and Humanity are called the Three Powers,” Master Zhong continued. “Heaven and Earth remain unchanged throughout the eons, while humans live between Heaven and Earth, combining yin and yang, cultivating their nature, and establishing their destiny. Now, some live to an old age like Peng Keng, while others die young like Yan Hui, or even as infants. Why are there these differences in life span?”

Tuizhi thought deeply for some time, but in the end remained silent and could not give an answer. Master Lü said, “Everyone can be as long-lived as Heaven and Earth, people are just not aware of it.”

“Shun and Yu taught that the mind of humans is restless and its affinity for the Dao is small,”³ Tuizhi said. “Can humans be without such a fickle mind?”

“The Sword Path is dangerous, yet even more people walk it at night than during the day,” Master Lü said.

“Can humans have a constant mind that holds fast to the Dao?” Tuizhi asked.

“Gold dust may be precious, but still it is harmful when caught in the eyes,” Master Lü returned.

“How can I have a constant mind by being mindless?” Tuizhi asked.

“One who once suffered from snow and frost will be startled by willow blossoms falling to the ground,” was Master Zhong’s reply.

Tuizhi said, “How can I be mindless by having a constant mind?”

“Don’t bother hanging up the old mirror. When the sky brightens, the rooster will crow by itself,” Master Zhong said.

“Is the conscious mind completely false?” Tuizhi then asked.

Master Lü said, “Without the spring wind the blossoms do not open, but once opened they are blown down by the same wind.”

“Is being without a conscious mind alone to be sought after?” was Tuizhi’s next question.

“When the light of the sun has not yet risen above the horizon, everyone awaits it with expectation, but once broad daylight is here, it is taken for granted,” Master Zhong answered.⁴

When Tuizhi saw how well the two masters could debate, he realized that they were eminently qualified to instruct Xiangzi. He said, “In my garden there is a hill called Sleeping Tiger Mountain. On this hill there is a hut arranged after the pattern of the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams, a peaceful and leisurely place. I would like to trouble you to take up residence there, one of you teaching him literary, the other military skills. If you can get my nephew to master both arts, he will be employed by the emperor, and my dearest wish will be fulfilled. What do you think?”

The two masters said, “We are just rustics from the mountain wilderness and really have no talents. Now that we are honored by your patronage, how could we not attend diligently to the young gentleman’s education? We would just request that you stick to your decision and that you don’t listen to slanderous words and seek fault with us.”

When the two masters had eaten their vegetarian meal, Tuizhi called Zhang Qian and Li Wan to guide them to the hut. Needless to say, he also ordered Xiangzi to study hard so as to give honor to his ancestors.

When Zhong and Lü reached the hut with Xiangzi, they passed the whole day without giving him a word of instruction, be it literary or military. Instead they sat cross-legged in silent meditation, their lips sealed and their eyes half closed. When Xiangzi saw them like this, he did not dare address them.

Another day passed like this, but looking in on them on the third day, he saw that Master Zhong was playing his flute as Master Lü sang a Daoist song:

“Alas, water and fire have no affection for each other;

If you fry in the fire of your desires, you will injure yourself.

So you must take care and be very cautious.

As yin and yang arise by themselves,

Build a foundation and refine your spirit.

Vanquish the dragon and subdue the tiger; don’t let them run wild.

Nourish your body,

Adjust your spirit, and circulate your pneuma.

Inside and outside must not interact,

Inside and outside must not interact.”

The song ended, they finally called to Xiangzi, “Master Han, come closer. We want to ask you some questions.”

Xiangzi bowed and stood before the two masters.

Master Zhong said, “Your uncle has employed us to instruct you, and naturally we will make every effort in this assignment. However, we do not know what you would like to study for: immortality, or success in the examinations?”

“May I ask what the outcome of studying for success in the examinations will be?” Xiangzi countered.

“If we teach you the classics as well as the books of military strategy, you can use this knowledge to protect the nation and pacify the people, to suppress the wicked and bring order where there is disorder,” Master Zhong said. “At some point you will meet your ruler, and you will be given a respectable official appointment. You will live in a magnificent mansion, wear light furs, and ride well-nourished horses. Soon you will give honor to your ancestors, have titles bestowed on your wife, and have privilege extended to your sons. Everyone will applaud you. This is what an official career would be like. However, once death catches up with you, everything you’ve done will have been futile and you will be left empty-handed.”

“What about immortality?” Xiangzi asked.

Master Lü said, “If you choose immortality, we will teach you how to build a foundation and refine yourself, as well as the secret formulas of the cyclical fire phases. You will learn how to spit out the impure and take in the pure, how to feed on clouds and swallow pneuma. You will ascend to Heaven in broad daylight and proceed to the immortality peach banquet. White hair will become black again; lost teeth will grow back. You will dwell together with sun and moon, and live forever without aging. These are the results of studying for immortality. The two are as different as sky and mud. Which one would you like to study?”

“I want to study immortality,” Xiangzi said.

“This practice is quite different from the civil arts,” the two masters told him. “If you are careless, you won’t succeed. If you lack perseverance, you won’t succeed. As the saying goes, ‘In exercising your will, do not let it be diverted; rather, concentrate your spirit.’”⁵ Here is a poem to provide an illustration:

Alas that ordinary mortals should ask me

About immortality peaches, clouds and mists and rosy hazes.

I do not speak lightly of the fire phase hidden behind the brow;

I do not boast of the golden lotus planted in my hand.

A three-foot flute to earn my keep,

A pot of good wine to make my living.

On a dragon I travel afar to the Three Isles,

In the quiet solitude of night, I play with the essences of the moon.

The two masters called to Xiangzi, “Disciple, what is the time now?”

“Masters, the drum has beaten the first watch,” Xiangzi replied.

“There are several grades of immortals—which one would you like to study for?” asked the two masters.

“At the prefectural Cultivated Talent examination, they distinguish first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth grades,” Xiangzi said. “How is it that there are also grades among the immortals?”

“It’s not that kind of grading,” Master Zhong answered. “Among the immortals we distinguish celestial, terrestrial, human, divine, and ghost immortals.”

“I would like to hear more about it,” said Xiangzi.

“Ghost immortals are those whose yin-spirit is most numinous and who have no form,” Master Zhong told him. “Human immortals are those who live in the human world without disease or aging. Terrestrial immortals are those who do not suffer thirst or hunger, are unaffected by heat or cold, roam the Three Isles, and live forever without dying. Divine immortals are those who fly across the sky and walk on the mists, journey through regions beyond this world, are here one moment and gone the next, and engage in countless transformations. Celestial immortals are those whose spirit and form are equally marvelous, who exist in harmonious perfection with the Dao, walk under sun and moon without throwing a shadow, go through metal and rock without hindrance, have many transformations, and are hard to grasp, whether hidden or manifest; they appear sometimes as old, sometimes as young. They are the most sacred and divine, unknowable to ghost immortals, unfathomable by milfoil and tortoise shell divination.”

Master Lü continued. “Those who cut off their desires, cultivate the embryonic breath, are willing to lead their spirit into samadhi, escape their body and are reborn, support the transformations of yin and yang, and live without decaying physically—they can become the lower-ranked ghost immortals. Those who have achieved the Dao by receiving the talismans and registers of the Orthodox One School, the marvelous methods of the Three Grottoes of the Supreme Clarity School, as well as sword techniques and the method of release from the corpse—they can become the middle-ranked human and terrestrial immortals. Those who refine the perfectly unified pneuma of Former Heaven, cultivate the great drug of the golden elixir, make the mercury dragon rise and the lead tiger descend, and congeal the grain-sized pearl—they are the highest-ranked divine and celestial immortals.”⁶

Xiangzi said, “I once heard an old saying, ‘If you are going to study immortality, then it must be celestial immortality; only the golden elixir is the most appropriate goal.’⁷ Thus I sincerely hope that you will transmit to me the Great Way of the Golden Elixir.”

“If you wish to begin the study of celestial immortality, you show the right ambition indeed,” the two masters returned. “However, we fear that you might go about it in a careless and haphazard manner and give up halfway, wasting our efforts at universal deliverance and cutting off your own future path of cultivating the school of perfection.”

“If you agree to teach me, how could I dare be remiss?”

“Sit down and we will tell you,” the two masters commanded. “Remember it well, and do not divulge any of it.”

Xiangzi remained standing reverently and listened. The two masters chanted to the tune “Five Watches of the Night”:

“At the first watch sit upright.

Slowly adjust the Dragon and the Tiger,

Have them suffuse and revolve through the Three Passes,

And penetrate the Niwan Road.

The Dragon coils round the Golden Tripod;

The Tiger blocks the Gate of the Yellow Court.

Once you master this practice,

Relax and cease your worries,

Relax and cease your worries.

“At the second watch,

When the drum strikes twice,

The true pneumata of yin and yang become marvelous.

Among the Three Passes above and below,

Do not let them go astray.

Once the Young Boy and the Lovely Maid reach the Yellow Matron,

Naturally they form a pair,

Naturally they form a pair.

“At the third watch,

The light of the moon illuminates qian and kun.

The roots and shoots for the production of the drug

Are found only on the Southwestern Path.

When Lead is encountered among the emerging lesser water,

Quickly gather it!⁸

The Dragon and Snake at the bottom of the sea

Will naturally come to coil around each other,

Will naturally come to coil around each other.

“At the fourth watch, yet more marvelous,

Kan and li must be inverted.

At dawn and dusk the Fire Phases harmonize with the Celestial Pivot.

The Child is in the Womb,

And a rosy light shines ten thousand fathoms high.

In this position is created the Mysterious Pearl.

This method is truly marvelous and subtle,

This method is truly marvelous and subtle.⁹

“At the fifth watch the sky lights up,

The golden rooster crows in its cage.

The weary youth claps his hands and laughs out loud.

Having fed the Ox, he may happily sleep a while.

His task is fulfilled and his merit complete.

By itself a mandate in vermilion script will arrive,

By itself a mandate in vermilion script will arrive.”

Xiangzi listened and committed everything firmly to memory.

The two masters said, “Xiangzi, we have transmitted to you the secret of eternal life, but we fear that your uncle will hear of it and treat us with contempt.”

“Naturally, I’ll take responsibility for it. Don’t worry too much,” said Xiangzi.

They taught him for three nights in a row. On the fourth night the two masters again struck fisher drum and clapper and instructed Xiangzi with a lyric to the tune “Parasol Tree”:

“At the first watch,

Adjust spirit and pneuma.

The mind monkey and will horse must be firmly tied up.

Do not let them play around idly,

Play around idly.

Quietly refine the embryonic breath.

Open the Gate of Heaven, while the Door of Earth is closed.

Then you will penetrate the mysterious principles,

Penetrate the mysterious principles.

“At the second watch,

Throughout the universe

A ray of numinous light gradually penetrates.

Dragon and Tiger first unite in copulation,

First unite in copulation.

Guard the Three Passes so that none may leave,

So that none may leave.

“At the third watch,

The single yang moves,

And the Golden Tripod comes to join the Jade Tripod.

You refine True Mercury and Lead;

Wu and ji unite in Primordial Redness.

In the Tripod the Golden Flower reverberates,

The Golden Flower reverberates.

“At the fourth watch,

The moon stands in the sky,

A jade mirror suspended on high, reflecting every place equally.

Reflected in it you see the reddening of the Eastern Sea.

As you fetch water beyond the mountain, there is great noise,

There is great noise.

“At the fifth watch,

The clouds are gathered completely,

And the marvelous jade plays with the new moon.

Everywhere the jasper flowers form,

The jasper flowers form.

If the Fire Phase is withdrawn and augmented with the proper timing,

Red snow falls from the primordial mists.

Do not leak out the secrets of Heaven,

Leak out the secrets of Heaven.”

At daybreak the two masters said to Xiangzi, “We have taught you for several days how to cultivate and refine yourself. You must practice it diligently. Today your uncle is sure to chase us away.”

Xiangzi said, “Let my uncle scold and punish me, I have no regrets whatsoever. But with you gone, whom shall I rely upon for instruction?”

“This is how things are,” the two masters said. “A proverb says, ‘Husband and wife are originally birds of the same forest, but when disaster looms they each fly away in their own directions.’ How much more does this apply to masters and disciples? If only you remain firm of heart and will, we will of course come to deliver you.”

As they were speaking, one of Tuizhi’s servants came to summon Xiangzi.

Tuizhi asked Xiangzi, “Have you now memorized the civil and military classics that you have been studying for the last several days?”

“I do not dare keep you in the dark,” Xiangzi said. “What the two masters taught me was The Yellow Court Scripture. I didn’t study any civil or military classics.”

Angry and displeased, Tuizhi asked the servant on duty, “What did Xiangzi and the two masters practice over the past few days? What books did they lecture on?”

“The two Daoists taught Xiangzi to meditate at the first watch, and to ascend and fly at the second watch. The third and fourth watches they just struck the fisher drum and sang Daoist songs.”

When Tuizhi heard this, his heart suddenly seemed to erupt in angry flames, and his face swelled up all purple. Beating Xiangzi with a bamboo cane, he shouted, “When your father died, he entrusted you to me so that I might look after and educate you. His only wish was that you would grow up to give honor to your ancestors. Little did I know that you were so silly as to want to study Daoist cultivation. You are a disgrace to our family. Oh, this is killing me.”

Xiangzi said, “It was you who invited the two masters to instruct me. I didn’t seek them out myself. So why are you beating me?”

From the side Mme. Dou admonished Tuizhi over and over, saying, “He must have been lonely after his parents died so early. It is we who raised him, but maybe we should think the matter of his education through thoroughly. We don’t want people to gossip.”

Crying, Xiangzi said, “As I owe you my upbringing, from now on I won’t dare disobey your orders again.”

“Because my wife admonished me, I won’t beat you any more, beast,” Tuizhi said. “Get inside, diligently study the Documents and Histories, and stop pursuing that business of leaving the family.”

At the same time he ordered the servant on duty, “Go and call in those two Daoists. I am going to drive them out, and cut off the root of this problem. Then I won’t have to fear for Xiangzi’s education any longer.”

The servant went and called to the two Daoists, “Sirs, the master wants to see you.”

“Master Chunyang, that Chonghezi has forgotten his previous existence. He is calling us to chase us out the gate. Let’s go and see what he has to say,” Master Zhong said.

Following the servant, they arrived in front of Tuizhi, knocked their heads and said, “Our greetings to you, my lord Han.”

“Who would exchange courtesies with the likes of you? Haven’t you even a shred of human decency?” Tuizhi shouted angrily.

“You invited us to educate the young gentleman,” the two masters said. “How can you disregard the respect due to a teacher? Why don’t you treat us with courtesy?”

“I retained two men to instruct my nephew in the civil and military arts so that he would advance in his career,” Tuizhi said. “Why did you teach him all day long to strike the fisher drum and sing Daoist songs? How could that not be, as Confucius says in his Analects, ‘harming another man’s son’?¹⁰ Or do you claim that they are good men who sing these Daoist songs?”

“My lord, when did we ever teach him to sing Daoist songs?”

“My nephew has already confessed to it. Why are you two still denying it? Get out now and stop talking rubbish in my presence!”

“We ascetics follow our karmic affinity,” the two masters said. “If there is affinity, we stay; if not, we leave. What need is there to get upset?”

Then they called to the inner rooms, “Han Xiangzi, today we leave. If later you want to look for us, come to the Zhongnan Mountains, more than ten thousand miles away. We will await you there.”

Xiangzi came running out and said, “Do not leave, but teach me here. If you leave now, it will be difficult to meet again when I come to look for you.”

“Your uncle has already evicted us. What face have we left to remain in your household?”

“It is my heartfelt wish to go with you,” Xiangzi said.

With one hand Tuizhi pushed Xiangzi back, calling, “Zhang Qian and Li Wan, throw out these uncouth Daoists!”

“You, sir, have the upper hand,” the two masters said. “We will chant a little song for you to thank you for your undeserved affection, and then we shall leave.” The song was set to the tune “Buying Good Wine,” followed by “Clear River”:

“You think being an official is so desirable,

But we regard wealth and status as fleeting waves,

No match for our detached purity and torn robes.

We close our door in quietude,

And do not hanker after a nagging wife or an official’s gown.

Such quiet is preferable to the hubbub in the puppet theatre of the world,

While glory and fame clearly resemble auspicious snow in hot water.

Leisurely we accompany divine youths picking medicinal sprouts.

When melancholy, we play the jasper zither.

What we play are ancient tunes—

A crane crying in the Ninth Marsh.¹¹

We do not care if others laugh at us.”

Tuizhi shouted, “Get out! I don’t want to listen to this kind of talk.” The two masters chanted,

“One day you will be stripped of your office and disaster will be hard to escape.

At the Blue Pass the snow will pile up while you are on a long journey.

It is then that you shall finally realize the truth.”

Having finished chanting, they shook their sleeves and left. A poem says,

A great sleeve can cover the Three Worlds,

As its owner roams freely in the Nine Heavens.

A vulgar scholar has not the eyes to see;

He does not recognize an immortal from Great Veil Heaven.

When Tuizhi saw that the two masters had left, he led Xiangzi to the study hall and locked him into a side room. He ordered the servant on duty to keep careful watch and not to let him out to commit any more foolishness. A poem describes his view:

He bore a grudge against the two Daoists, who at first

With beautiful and cunning words deceived the boy.

Now he pulls up these weeds by the roots,

And casts down The Yellow Court Scripture.

Though locked up, Xiangzi did not harbor any resentful thoughts. He just cultivated himself with great earnestness, sat, and sang Daoist songs. By way of illustration, here is a lyric to the tune “Golden Oriole”:

Slowly he chants to himself,

Establishing profound merit,

Enduring suffering,

Passing the days and nights without sleeping deeply.

He tightly binds up the mind monkey,

Lets his pneuma revolve through the Three Passes,

And delves into The Yellow Court Scripture.

As he refines the Perfected Essence without the Elixir Measure,

The celestial principles give rise to each other naturally.

Suddenly he sees that ox charging,

Its nose reared towards Heaven,

Giving a loud roar.

Swaying and reeling, he cannot seize it.

Pull on that rope,

Do not let him run wild,

But make him follow you closely day and night.

Ox-herder,

In the realm of the Elixir field,

Make sure the grain blossoms.

Xiangzi diligently cultivated himself day and night, but if you don’t know what happened later, then look at the next chapter.