Governor Wu of Kiangsi, a distinguished member of the Han Lin

Academy, had four sons all scholars like himself, but the youngest,

Wu Lien, unaccountably conceived an aversion for the holy sage,

Confucius, and spent his time immersed in the histories of immortals.

      Shocked by such impiety, the Governor first remonstrated several

times and finally struck his son; whereat the boy, having bowed at

his father's feet, walked out of the house never to return. Some days

later, the garments he had been wearing were found on the shore of

the P'o-Yang Lake. It appeared to be one of those cases all too

comon in Confucian society - suicide by a son unable to bear the

remorse occasioned by being reprimanded for unfilial conduct.

      Several years later a rumour spread that in the Wu-I Mountains

was sometimes seen a young immortal who marvellously resembled

the missing Wu Lien. Concealing his joy, Governor Wu ordered his

most trusted subordinate to gallop off and investigate. This Lo Chu

arrived in the vicinity of Wu-I with a military escort, but was told by

some villagers: 'He is shy and elusive. Sir, and detests soldiers. Go in

company with armed men and you will not get a glimpse of him.'

      In those days, the Wu-I range was well wooded. Lo Chu wan-

dered for days without coming upon the youth he sought. One day,

however, while stooping to drink from a mountain stream, he ob-

served a rainbow mist rising from among the tumbled black rocks

whence the stream welled forth. Filled with awe, he climbed to

investigate and came suddenly upon - his master's son! But was he

so ? Though the likeness was striking, this youth wore an expression

so full of self-assurance and his eyes shone so brilliantly with the light

of transcendent wisdom that it was impossible to sustain his gaze,

added to this was the extraordinary effect produced by the rays which,

streaming from his person, formed a nimbus like those rainbow mists

that hang above a plunging torrent when sunbeams play upon the

spray. He was at once lovely to behold and yet so awe-inspiring that

Lo Chu had to turn away his eyes and was tempted to turn and flee.

      The Immortal, though poised for instant flight, had allowed him to

approach and now suddenly broke into a radiant smile. 'Uncle Lo,

how good of you to come! I did not expect you so soon. As my

parents and brothers are well and youngest sister's malady is not

serious, my father might have spared you such a fatiguing journey.'

Here was a new wonder! The youth, instead of inquiring anxiously

about his family, spoke as though he were the one to have just arrived

from Nan-Ch'ang. It was now that he seemed to become conscious of

his nimbus, for he blushingly withdrew the rays. Together they

walked through the trees to his dwelling, a grotto with a smooth

stone floor whereon were arranged a pile of blankets, a tea-stove,

several books and a very few household necessities, of which only

the books had the air of having been recently in use. Through the

wide sunlit entrance, brightly plumaged birds and gorgeous butter-

flies flew in and out, but were too respectful to deface the floor with

the usual droppings. It was spotless. Sitting still to encourage these

creatures to perch on him, the Immortal briefly related his story.

      On leaving home, he had left behind seeming evidence of suicide,

knowing that his father would rather believe him dead than think of

him as a 'Taoist beggar-man'. The fame of the Crystal Spring Im-

mortal had brought him hastening to the Wu-I mountains and he had

enrolled among the great man's disciples. 'Last year, on the night of

the summer equinox, my Master ascended to the clouds, leaving us

to disperse, but not before favouring me with such precious know-

ledge that I have attained in a few months what took him a lifetime

of effort. Forgive my seeming to boast, for it is better that you know

the whole.'

      To all Lo Chu's entreaties that he return to Nan-Ch'ang the youth

returned a smiling refusal. Rather, he persuaded the secretary to

remain for a while to enjoy the 'real sights of the mountain'; and,

whereas hitherto Lo had seen naught but wild scenery and a wood-

man's cottage or a hermitage or two, he now beheld wonder upon

wonder. In many a hidden grotto or cavern dwelt shining creatures

in whose very existence he had never quite believed. In one they

found a pair of glorious phoenixes with plumage so dazzling that the

long tail-feathers looked like streamers of coloured flame. In another

they disturbed a brood of new-born dragons, as yet no more than

two feet long from whisker to tail, their skin an unlovely pink where

the scarlet scales had still to form. More often these hidden nooks

were inhabited by ch'i-lin (Chinese unicorns) or shih-tzu (long-

haired lion-like creatures) with gleaming, varicoloured coats - sky-

blue, jade-green, crimson, pink or yellow. 'Why did I glimpse none

of these creatures when I was wandering about on my own ?' in-

quired Lo. 'They are shy. Uncle, and hide themselves from the eyes

of mortals. You would not wish to see those baby dragons chained

in a rich man's garden or placed in a gourmet's cooking-pot ?'



        Some of their visits were to immortals - sages clad in shimmering

robes, some of whom displayed an innocent vanity in the splendour

of their long silky beards. They were usually ready for a game of

wei ci or of elephant chess or prepared to exhibit their virtuosity

with flute or sheng (a mouth organ composed of varying lengths of

bamboo reed bound tightly together). However, not all of them

passed their days in idleness, but could be seen standing round a

steaming crucible in which lay some glowing substance that exuded

a mysteriously perfumed golden mist. Now and then they would

throw in small quantities of coloured powders and watch eagerly for

a result that never seemed to materialise, then they would laugh

softly and poke gentle fun at one another's ineptitude. None of these

immortals was seen to eat, much less answer a call of nature, 'No,

Uncle, you are wrong. They do require nourishment, but a drop of

honey or as much dew as you would find upon the petals of a single

flower is enough to last them for a month or so. There is one who still

has a craving for rice and shocks his friends by consuming as much as

four or five grains at a single meal, an unfortunate appetite that tends

to dim the lustre of his nimbus, but - ha-ha - he does not care.

Vanity about the brilliance of a nimbus, he says, is the sign of being

a newcomer to immortality. As a senior contemporary of Lord Lao,

he feels he has been immortal long enough to be allowed a certain

indulgence. Would you care to feast with some demons. Uncle?

They have excellent appetites and will drink with you cup for cup

until your legs give way.'



        'D-demons ?'



        'Why yes. You need not be afraid. Though treacherous beyond

imagining, they know better than to make trouble for my friends.'



        Lo Chu could hardly contain his impatience, reflecting on the

sensation he would cause in Nan-Ch'ang by relating the details of a

banquet attended by demons. The following dawn found them at the

top of a high peak, where the Immortal spent some time collecting

cosmic ch'i in a small leather bag he had brought for the purpose.

Back at the grotto, he recited some words over it and made several

magic gestures; then, unfastening it and holding it upside down, he

scattered its mind-created contents on the ground outside. There

tumbled forth from the narrow neck at least a dozen carcasses of

beef done to a turn and a vast number of richly stuffed chickens and

wild-fowl, to say nothing of that demon delicacy - enormous white

rats cooked in honey.



        As the sun went down, the guests began arriving. Most were

hideous beings with horrendous fangs and claws, lolling scarlet

tongues and grotesquely distended bellies, but at least they bore a

        vague resemblance to humans; whereas some others were just dark

shapes with no distinguishable features apart from a cavernous red

mouth in what, on other beings, would have been called the region

of the belly. A few were animal-headed or had several eyes; one

looked like an uncommonly pretty girl as far as her face was con-

cerned, but otherwise there was nothing of her but hanging entrails.

All behaved with reasonable decorum in the Immortal's presence, if

one made allowances for their manner of eating, which was to tear

the flesh apart, stuff great gobbets into their mouths, and pick up

the bones and crunch them to powder. By way of recompense for so

fine a feast, they gave an exhibition of demon dancing to the music

of clashing bones and such a moaning, wailing and shrieking as may

be heard when the wind howls among mountain caverns. What the

dance lacked in elegance was made up for by the dancers' prodigious

agility.

        On their last night together, the Immortal took Lo Chu to a

moon-viewing terrace and, fixing his eyes upon a brilliant star,

caused it to draw nearer and nearer to the world. Presently the

radiant orb was so close that they could wave and bow to a band of

immortals who were dancing in front of a lovely pavilion built of

pearl and coral cloud. One of them, a white-bearded sage, gazed at

them as he danced, lips wreathed in smiles. The youth bowed his

head to the ground in his direction, ordering Lo Chu to do the same

and whispering that this was his old teacher, the Crystal Spring

Immortal.

        In the morning, Lo begged with tears in his eyes to be allowed to

remain as the youth's disciple. 'No, no. Uncle. That would not do.

My father has lost a worthless son, but must not be troubled by the

loss of a valuable secretary. Here is a box containing a powder that

will instantly cure youngest sister's malady. And here is a book for

you. Uncle. Study it well and, when you reach retirement age, come

back again. You will have plenty of time in which to cultivate the

Way.'