Ancient Chinese Alchemy and Immortality Quests
Centenarians. The Young Sovereign once said: “Offerings can be made at the ancestral altar, and through these offerings, cinnabar and sand can be transformed into gold. When gold is fashioned into utensils for food and drink, longevity is enhanced. With increased longevity, one may encounter immortals from Penglai in the sea. Through the Enfeoffment Ceremony, one achieves immortality. Such was the Yellow Emperor.
Once, I traveled across the seas and encountered Anqi Sheng. Anqi Sheng offered me jujubes the size of melons. Anqi Sheng, an immortal from Penglai, possesses the ability to communicate with humans when conditions are right; otherwise, he remains hidden.”
As a result, the Emperor began personally worshipping at the ancestral altar and sent Fang Shi on an expedition to find Anqi Sheng and his ilk in the sea. Through the alchemical transformation of cinnabar and other medicinal ingredients into gold, many years passed, and the Young Sovereign died of illness. The Emperor considered his transformation a form of immortality, and thus he appointed Huang and Chui Shi to expand upon his methods. However, strange and eccentric Taoist scholars from the seas of Yan and Qi often arrived to speak of supernatural matters.
An obscure report by Hao Ren advocated worshipping Taiyi at Taiyi Fang, proclaiming: “The Celestial God is Taiyi, and Taiyi assists the Five Emperors. In ancient times, the Son of Heaven offered sacrifices to Taiyi at the southeastern outskirts of the capital every spring and autumn, offering a great sacrificial offering over seven days to open the eight channels of communication with the spirit world.”
Subsequently, the Son of Heaven commanded the Grand Priest to establish his altar at the southeastern outskirts of Chang’an City, perpetually worshipping in accordance with Hao Ren’s instructions. Thereafter, people wrote petitions stating: “In ancient times, the Son of Heaven offered sacrifices every three years: one to Heaven, one to Earth, and one to Taiyi.” The Son of Heaven consented and ordered the Grand Priest to lead the sacrifices at the Taiyi Fang altar according to their methods.
Years later, others stated: “In ancient times, the Son of Heaven always performed sacrifices in spring, offering a rooster and a broken mirror to Huangdi; sacrificed a sheep for the dark Yang; used a green male horse for traveling; sacrificed an ox for Taiyi and Gaoshan Mountain Lord; used dried fish for Wuyi Lord; and sacrificed a bull for the Yin-Yang Messenger.” The Temple Officials were instructed to follow their methods and sacrifice to Taiyi beside the Taiyi Fang altar.
Two years later, during the suburban Yong, a unicorn was captured, resembling a goat. The officials said, “Your Majesty, solemnly officiated the suburban sacrifice to heaven and earth. The Emperor sent a unicorn, which was said to be a qilin.”
Consequently, the Emperor recommended five ritual offerings and an additional bull to be cremated. He bestowed white gold upon the vassals as a sign of his favor, aligning the wind symbols to correspond to heaven. The King of Ji North viewed it as the Emperor’s imminent enfeoffment and wrote a tribute, presenting Mount Tai and its adjacent towns to the Emperor, who compensated other counties in exchange. The King of Changshan was found guilty and demoted; his younger brother, Zhending, was enfeoffed to continue the ancestral sacrifices, with Changshan becoming a county. Thus, all Five Sacred Mountains were within the Emperor’s jurisdiction.
The following year, the elderly man of Qi, presented his methods to the Emperor. The Emperor had a fondness for Lady Li, who died unexpectedly. The elderly man claimed that he had visited the Emperor’s residence under the guise of the lady and the ghost of the hearth. The Emperor, viewing it from behind the curtains, acknowledged him. He appointed the elderly man as General Wen Cheng and bestowed numerous rewards upon him, treating him with the utmost courtesy. General Wen Cheng said: “His Majesty wishes to communicate with the spirits, and the palace and attire should resemble the spirits. Without the presence of the spirits, how can they appear?”
He then created a painting of a cloud car and used it to ward off evil spirits every day. He also created the Ganquan Palace, a palace with terraces, painted with images of Heaven, Earth, and Taiyi, and placed sacrificial vessels to honor the heavenly spirits. After living there for over a year, his methods began to decline, and the spirits did not appear. He then received a silk book and fed it to a cow, not knowing its contents, which were very strange. The Emperor recognized his handwriting and asked him, discovering the book indeed belonged to him. Therefore, he executed General Wen Cheng and kept it hidden.
Later, he also created Bai Liang, bronze pillars, and Chenglu immortal palm trees. The following year, after General Wen Cheng’s death, the Emperor suffered severely at Dinghu Lake, with the witches and doctors being unable to help. Yue Shui, who sprouted roots, spoke of the witch in Shanggu, who became ill and was visited by ghosts. The Emperor arranged for a shrine at Ganquan when he fell ill and sent someone to ask the God Lord. The God Lord said, “Your Majesty, do not worry about illness. When your illness improves, you can visit Ganquan.” The Emperor recovered from his illness and then rose to the occasion, visiting Ganquan and recovering his health. A general amnesty was granted, and a Longevity Palace was established for the God Lord. The most honored God Lord was called Taiyi, and his assistants were Taijian and the like, all following him, and those who were not seen were heard, speaking like people. Sometimes they came and went; when they came, the wind was solemn. They lived in the palace and spoke during the day but often at night. The Emperor cleansed himself before entering.