Tales of the Taoist Immortals Read Online Free Page A

’IEH-KUAI L I except that he lived during the T’ang dynasty (618–906 CE ).

6
    A Faithful Nephew
    Han Hsiang
     

 
     
     
     

     

 
     
    Han Hsiang was the nephew of the great scholar Han Yü. Although learned in the classics and talented at poetry and music, Hsiang had no intentions of entering the government.
    While most young men of his age were busy studying for the civil service examinations, Han Hsiang was wandering around the mountains playing his flute and writing poetry. One time, while climbing up Mount Hua, Hsiang met the immortal Lü Tung-pin. Knowing the young poet was destined to become an immortal, Tung-pin taught Hsiang the arts of longevity and magic.
    In the capital, Hsiang’s uncle Han Yü was worried over his nephew’s lack of interest in the government. One day, he called Hsiang to him and said, “It is your duty to use your talent to serve the emperor. You should stop drifting around and start preparing for the imperial examinations.”
    Hsiang replied, “Our paths are different. You are destined to be famous in the realm of mortals and I am meant to escape the dust of the world.” He waved his hand and a flask of wine and two cups appeared on the table.
    “Let us drink together, for this is my last day in the capital,” Hsiang told his uncle. “Beware of those in power. If we meet again, it will be on a snowy night at the frontier.”
    At that time, Han Yü did not understand his nephew’s words.
    Several days after Hsiang had left the capital, Han Yü was arrested for criticizing the emperor’s decision to enshrine Buddhist relics in the capital. Despite pleas from several influential ministers, the emperor had Yü demoted. The foremost scholar of the imperial academy was ordered to serve as a supervisor of courier service in a small frontier town.
    Sadly, Han Yü made his way to the border. At Lan Pass, Yü was caught in a snowstorm. Night was falling and there was no shelter in sight. Just as he was giving up hope, Han Yü saw someone walking toward him. To his surprise, it was his nephew.
    Han Hsiang approached his uncle and said, “Do you remember the conversation we had on my last night in the capital?”
    Yü nodded. “I should have taken your advice and not criticized the emperor’s actions. But what has happened cannot be undone.”
    Hsiang led Yü to an inn and ordered wine, and uncle and nephew talked long into the night. The next morning, asHan Yü got ready to leave, Hsiang urged, “Uncle, do not despair. You will suffer hardships, but you will eventually be welcomed back to the capital.”
    Han Yü embraced his nephew and asked, “Will we meet again?”
    Hsiang replied, “That I do not know.”
    Han Yü spent several years at the frontier. Then, as Han Hsiang had predicted, an imperial messenger arrived to invite Yü back to the capital. “The charges against you have been dropped,” said the emissary. “You are to return and be promoted.”
    Han Yü returned to the capital to serve his emperor. He would eventually become one of the greatest poets, essayists, and scholars of China. Han Hsiang attained immortality, sought out his old friend Lü Tung-pin, and joined the company of the Eight Immortals.

     
    H AN H SIANG lived during the T’ang dynasty ( 618–906 CE ). His uncle, Han Yü, was one of the Eight Great Scholars of the T’ang and Sung dynasties.

7
    The Wandering Minstrel
    Lan T’sai-ho
     

 
     
     
     

     

 
     
    No one knows where Lan Ts’ai-ho came from. The legends say that he was always dressed in colorful rags, had flowers in his hair, and carried a three-foot-long branch that he used as a walking stick. Sometimes he would dress as a male and sometimes as a female. He wore only one shoe; the other foot was always bare. In summer he would stuff cotton and wool into his clothing; in winter he would lie naked on the ice and blow hot breath from his mouth.
    Ts’ai-ho had no home. He wandered around the towns and villages entertaining