In the Northern Song Dynasty, Chen Zhuo's ancestor had been digging valleys in the Wudang Mountains for more than twenty years, and Lü Dongbin often played with him

In the early days of the Northern Song Dynasty, there was a legendary figure, he was the Taoist priest Chen Zhuo (tuán), who was often called Chen Zhuo's ancestor. Chen Zhuo had been in the Wudang Mountains for more than 20 years, and later moved to the Yuntai Temple of Mount Hua, where he died in the Zhang Chao Valley under the Lotus Peak. Chen Xuanjing channeled the methods of Neidan and Waidan, and lived for more than a hundred years.

According to the "History of Song", Chen Zhuo, zi Tu Nan, was a native of Zhenyuan County, Bozhou. (Zhenyuan County, present-day Luyi County, Henan, was named Zhenyuan County because it was the birthplace of Lao Tzu and the birthplace of Daozhen.) When Chen Zhuo was four or five years old, playing in the water on the bank of the whirlpool, an old woman suddenly appeared, pulled open her clothes to feed Chen Zhuo, and since then Chen Zhuo has become more and more intelligent. When Chen Zhuo grew up, he had a superb memory, read the classics of history, could memorize it word for word at a glance, and was good at composing poetry, which was quite famous.

At that time, the Tang Dynasty had collapsed, and China entered the Period of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, which was a world of great chaos that lasted for more than fifty years, and wars were the theme of this era. Chen Xuankong had talent and learning, but he failed to pass the entrance examination, so he abandoned his fame and fortune and became intoxicated with the mountains and rivers.

Zi Yue: "If there is a way in the world, it is seen, and if there is no way, it is hidden." "In the chaotic world, some people with both moral integrity and ability have gone into seclusion in the mountains because they cannot see a bright future. Chen Zhuo once met Sun Junfang and Zhangpi, two hermits, who were noble people. The two hermits said to Chen Zhuo, "The Nine Chambers Rock of Wudang Mountain can be reclusive. So Chen Xuan gladly went to wudang mountain to live in seclusion.

In the Wudang Mountains, Chen Xuan took qi (the art of breathing and tuna) to break the valley (not eating five grains), drank only a few drinks a day, and lived for more than twenty years. Later, Chen Xuan moved to the Yuntai Temple of Mount Hua and lived in seclusion in the Stone Room of Mount Shaohua. Chen Zhuo practiced sleep skills, and he could sleep for more than a hundred days at a time.

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Later In the Later Zhou Dynasty, Zhou Shizong Chai Rong was fond of alchemy, and someone recommended Chen Zhuo, so Chai Rong ordered huazhou officials to send Chen Zhuo to the palace. Chai Rong left Chen Zhuo to live in the palace for more than a month, and calmly asked Chen Zhuo for alchemy. Chen Zhuo responded: "Your Majesty is the lord of the four seas, and it should be the concept of making the country stable and peaceful, how can we pay attention to alchemy?" Chai Rong did not rebuke Chen Zhuo, but instead appointed Chen Zhuo as the counselor, but Chen Zhuo refused to accept it. Chai Rong knew that Chen Zhuo had no other Daoist skills, so he put Chen Zhuo back and ordered the governor of the prefecture to comfort Chen Zhuo every year.

During the reign of Emperor Taizong of Song, Chen Xuan entered the capital to meet him and was treated favorably by Emperor Taizong of Song. Emperor Taizong of Song said to Prime Minister Song Qi and others: "Chen Xuan is good at his own and does not tend to be inflamed and possessive, and he is exactly the so-called outsider. Chen Zhuo had been living in Mount Hua for more than forty years, and estimated that his age was nearly 100 years old. He told him that he had experienced the chaos of five generations, but fortunately the world was now at peace, so he came to see him. I had spoken to him, and what he said was desirable. ”

When Song Qi and the others heard this, their hearts moved, so they calmly asked Chen Xuan, "Can Sir's quiet and inactive cultivation path teach people?" Chen Zhuo replied, "I, Chen Zhuo, am originally a man of the mountains and wilderness, and I am useless to the times, nor do I know the matter of alchemy and immortal cultivation and the principle of Tuna's health, and there is no magic that can be taught to people." If I make you ascend to immortality in the daytime, what good will it be to the world? Now the saint is extraordinary in appearance, knowledgeable from the past, deeply studying the art of governing the country, and is really a benevolent lord with a way! This is the time for you kings and lords to work together to prosper the nation, to educate the people, and to make the world stable and peaceful, and diligent cultivation is not as important as it is. ”

Song Qi and others praised this very much, so they told Song Taizong what Chen Zhuo said. Emperor Taizong of Song therefore respected Chen Xuan even more, so he issued an edict, named Chen Zhuo "Mr. Xiyi", and gave him a purple coat, leaving Chen Xuan in the palace, and also had Chen Xuan's hermit view of Yuntaiguan repaired. Song Taizong wrote poems and sang harmony with Chen Zhuo many times, and after a few months he released Chen Zhuo back into the mountains.

Chen Zhuo could know what was in his heart. The Taoist priest Jia Xiufu once came to visit Chen Xuan, saw the big scoop hanging on the wall, and wanted it in his heart but did not know how to open his mouth, so Chen Xuan said to Jia Xiufu, "You came here for nothing else, you just want my scoop." So Chen Xuan gave the big scoop to Jia Xiufu. Jia Xiufu was horrified, thinking that Chen Zhuo was a god man.

There was another person named Guo Xun, who once lived in Huayin County and stayed overnight in Yuntaiguan. Chen Xuan called out to Guo Xun in the middle of the night, telling him to return home quickly, but Guo Xun hesitated. Not long after, Chen Xuan said to Guo Xun again, "You don't have to go home." The next day, Guo Xun went home and learned that his mother suddenly suffered heartache in the middle of the night last night, almost died, and after a meal, her heart disease healed itself.

Li Qi, a hermit of Huayin, claimed to have been a Lang official during the first year of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, and had lived for hundreds of years, and few people had seen him. Lü Dongbin, a hermit in the Guanxi of the Tang Dynasty, had extraordinary sword skills, lived for more than a hundred years and looked like a teenager, his pace was brisk, he could walk hundreds of miles in an instant, and the world thought that the two of them were gods. Both Li Qi and Lü Dongbin came to Chen Zhuo's residence many times, and people were amazed by this.

Later, Chen Zhuo suddenly said to his disciple Jia Desheng, "You can carve a stone chamber in Zhang Chaogu, and I plan to rest in it." "Zhang Chao Valley is a valley northeast of Mount Maonu Peak, the Eastern Han Dynasty hermit Zhang Kai, the character Gongchao, once lived in seclusion in the valley, so this valley is named Zhang Chao Valley. According to legend, Zhang Kai had a Taoist technique, which could perform cloud and mist techniques, which could spread for five miles.

In the autumn and July of the following year, when the stone chamber in Zhang Chaogu was completed, Chen Zhuo wrote to Song Taizong: "The limit of the minister is approaching, and on the twenty-second day of this month, he will drive the crane west in the Zhang Chao Valley under the Lotus Peak. On that day, Chen Zhuo died indeed, and after seven days, he still had body temperature. At the same time, a five-colored cloud obscured the mouth of the cave, and it did not dissipate after a month.

Chen Zhuo loved to read the "I Ching", did not release the scrolls, called himself a shaker, and wrote the eighty-one chapters of the "Zhixuan Chapter", expounding the methods of guiding health care and refining Huan Dan. In addition, Chen Zhuo is the author of "The Fables of the Three Peaks", "Gao Yang Collection", "Diaotan Collection", and more than 600 poems.

In the Hidden Immortal Sect Dao lineage, the ancestor is Taishang Laojun Li Er, the second ancestor is Wen Shi Mr. Yin Xi, the third ancestor is Maizi Li He, the fourth ancestor is Mr. Xiyi Chen Xuan, the fifth ancestor is the Fire Dragon True Man, and the sixth ancestor is the Wudang Sect ancestor Zhang Sanfeng.

Reference: "Song Shi Hermit Biography"

Author: Eaves Rain Step Moss