70 THE EIGHT IMMORTALS OF THE TAOIST RELIGION 



was greatly affronted when he protested that what he studied 

 was in no wise different. 



One day he went out in quest of a master, and casually 

 met Lii Yen, whom he followed after renouncing his home- 

 folk. They came to the region where the genii's peach was 

 abundant. He fell down from the peach tree and expired; 

 but that very moment he ascended to the sky as an Immortal 

 without suffering material dissolution. 



Now he desired to make a proselyte of his former per- 

 secutor, his stern uncle, and to transmigrate him. Since- 

 he could not be moved by persuation, which Hsiang-tzu well 

 knew, he resorted to magic. It so happened that a drought 

 prevailed in the realm, and Wen-kung 2fc & , his uncle, was 

 ordered by the throne to invoke heaven to send down rain. 

 However, he failed and was on the point of forfeiting his 

 official rank. Hsiang-tzu was courteous enough to seize this 

 opportunity and in the person of a Taoist priest, he posted 

 a placard announcing that he had a store of rain and snow 

 for sale. The news was brought to the despairing 3t Q 

 who immediately sent him to invocate for rain. He ascended 

 the platform and performed his art. In a short while snow 

 began to fall. The cynical £ & suspected the effect, and 

 thought it was due to his own prayer. Whereupon the 

 Taoist said that the snow was uniformly three feet in thick- 

 ness which was found to be correct. This incident slightly 

 modified his intolerant spirit towards the Taoist practice. 



Some time later, Wen-kung celebrated his birthday. 

 Guests and relatives thronged the house, and were in high 

 jubilation, when Hsiang-tzu returned. He too, tendered 

 his congratulations. In order to show that his years of 

 wandering were not spent in vain, he produced some verses 

 in which he spoke of flowers blossoming instantaneously. 

 "What!" cried the dignified old man, "Can you produce 

 flowers in defiance of the laws of nature?" Thereupon 

 Hsiang-tzu took a little earth and put it under a basin, 

 and after a short interval he raised the basin, and disclosed 

 a flower with two buds, on the leaves of which was written in 

 gold characters, a couplet : 



"The clouds intercept (the way) on the Tsing mountain. 

 Where is your house? it il ^ KU %&% £ 



The snow blocks up the Lan Gate and the horse cannot 

 proceed" H $| H 1^ H ^ litf 



The couplet referred to Wen-kung 's exile, and to his 

 admonishing WL %Z for receiving Buddha's skeleton. But 

 Hsiang-tzu did not explain the meaning, saying, "You will 

 understand this by and by, it is not meet for me to divulge 

 the heavenly design." Later on when Wen-kung was on 



