Original Text
In Wenden County there was a scholar named Zhou, who from childhood studied alongside another scholar named Cheng, and thus they formed a friendship that disregarded differences in social standing. Cheng's family was very poor, and he relied on Zhou's support throughout the year. In terms of age, Zhou was older, so Cheng addressed Zhou's wife as sister-in-law. At every seasonal festival, Cheng would visit Zhou's home to pay his respects, and they were as intimate as one family. Later, Zhou's wife died suddenly after childbirth from a severe illness, and Zhou remarried a woman named Wang. Because Wang was young, Cheng had never paid his respects to her. One day, Wang's younger brother came to visit his sister, and Zhou set up a feast in the inner chamber to entertain him. At that moment, Cheng happened to arrive, and the servant announced his presence. Zhou asked the servant to invite him in to join the feast. Cheng did not enter but took his leave and departed. Zhou moved the feast to the main hall and pursued Cheng to bring him back. Just as the two had settled down, someone reported that a servant from the rural estate had been severely flogged by order of the county magistrate.
The full account of the matter was this: the Huang family, one of whose members served as an official in the Ministry of Personnel, had a herdsman who drove cattle to trample upon the fields of a young scholar named Zhou, leading to a quarrel and abusive exchange between the servants of the two households. The Huang servant ran back and reported to his master, whereupon the Huang family seized Zhou's servant and delivered him to the magistrate's office, resulting in the servant being subjected to a flogging. Upon learning the cause of the incident, Zhou flew into a rage and exclaimed, "How dare that Huang household slave behave thus! The elders of the Huang family once served under my grandfather, and now, having suddenly gained some power, they look down upon others as if no one else existed!" Filled with fury, he leaped up and was about to go confront the Huangs. Cheng Sheng quickly restrained him and advised, "In this violent and unjust world, right and wrong are often confounded. Moreover, most of those who now hold official posts are no better than bandits who do not wield swords." Zhou would not listen, but Cheng Sheng pleaded with him repeatedly, even shedding tears in his entreaty, until Zhou finally desisted and stayed his steps. Yet the anger in his heart remained unquenched, and he tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep. At dawn, he said to his family, "The Huangs' oppression of me makes them my enemies, and that I shall set aside for now. But the magistrate is an official appointed by the imperial court, not by some powerful family; even if there were a dispute, he ought to hear both sides. How could he act like a dog, biting at the mere whistle of its master? I shall now submit a petition demanding punishment for the Huang servant, and we shall see how he handles it." His family members urged him on, and thus Zhou made up his mind. He wrote a plaint and presented it to the magistrate, who, upon seeing the document, tore it to pieces and cast it to the ground. In great indignation, Zhou spoke words that offended the magistrate. The magistrate, enraged and humiliated, ordered him arrested and thrown into prison.
After the hour of Chen on that day, Cheng Sheng went to visit Zhou Sheng's home, only to learn that Zhou Sheng had gone into the city to lodge a complaint and argue his case. He hurriedly pursued him into the city to dissuade him, but Zhou Sheng had already been thrown into prison. Cheng Sheng was so distressed that he beat his chest and stamped his feet, yet for the moment he could think of no plan. At this time, the county had captured three pirates, and the magistrate, colluding with the Huang family, used money to bribe them, instructing them to falsely accuse Zhou Sheng of being their accomplice. The magistrate, based on their confessions, reported to the higher authorities to strip Zhou Sheng of his scholar's title and subjected him to brutal torture. Cheng Sheng entered the prison to visit him, and the two faced each other in bitter sorrow, discussing the possibility of appealing directly to the imperial court. Zhou Sheng said, "I am confined in this prison like a bird trapped in a cage; though I have a younger brother, he can only bring me prison meals." Cheng Sheng resolutely volunteered, saying, "This is my duty. If one does not rescue a friend in peril, what use is friendship?" With that, he set off. By the time Zhou Sheng's brother came to give him travel money, he had already been gone for a long while. Cheng Sheng arrived in the capital but could find no way to present his appeal. One day, hearing that the emperor was about to go hunting, he hid in the forest in advance. Soon, the imperial carriage passed by, and Cheng Sheng rushed out, prostrated himself, knocked his head on the ground, and cried out in grievance, sobbing bitterly. The emperor accepted his petition and sent it by post, ordering it to be handed over to the Shandong governor for trial and then reported back. By then, over ten months had passed since Zhou Sheng was imprisoned; in the county, he had already been beaten into confessing under torture and sentenced to death. When the governor received the imperial decree, he was greatly startled and summoned the case files for personal review. Upon hearing this news, the Huang family was also terrified and plotted to kill Zhou Sheng to silence him. They bribed the prison guards to withhold food and drink from Zhou Sheng; when his brother came to deliver meals, he was turned away at the gate. Cheng Sheng again cried out in grievance at the governor's yamen, thereby securing a hearing for Zhou Sheng's case, but by then Zhou Sheng was too weak from hunger to move. The governor, enraged, ordered the prison guard beaten to death with clubs. The Huang family, in extreme fear, hastily produced several thousand taels of silver and bribed influential people to plead for leniency, thereby managing to escape implication and avoid being impeached. The magistrate, however, was convicted of corruption and abuse of power and sentenced to exile. After Zhou Sheng was released and returned home, he treated Cheng Sheng with even greater trust and intimacy.
After this lawsuit, Cheng Sheng had seen through the ways of the world, his heart as dead as ashes, and he went to invite Zhou Sheng to retire together into the deep mountains. Zhou Sheng, doted on his young wife, laughed at Cheng Sheng for being pedantic. Cheng Sheng said nothing more, but his resolve to leave was firm. After this parting, Cheng Sheng did not come to Zhou's house for several days. Zhou Sheng sent someone to his home to inquire, and Cheng's family was just wondering if Cheng Sheng was staying at Zhou's house. When neither place could find Cheng Sheng, everyone became alarmed. Zhou Sheng understood the reason in his heart and sent people to search for his traces, but Buddhist temples, Taoist monasteries, deep mountains, and remote valleys were almost all searched, yet still no news was found. Zhou Sheng could only regularly send silver and clothes to comfort Cheng Sheng's son.
After another eight or nine years, Cheng Sheng suddenly returned on his own, wearing a Taoist crown and robe, appearing as a thorough Taoist priest. Zhou Sheng was overjoyed and, grasping his arm, asked, "Where have you been that I searched everywhere for you?" Cheng Sheng replied with a smile, "I am like a solitary cloud or a wild crane, drifting about without a fixed abode. Fortunately, since our parting, my health has remained robust." Zhou Sheng immediately ordered his servants to set out wine and food, and the two chatted about old times after their long separation. Zhou Sheng wanted Cheng Sheng to change out of his Taoist attire, but Cheng Sheng only smiled and said nothing. Zhou Sheng said, "You are too foolish! How can you abandon your wife and children like casting off worn-out shoes?" Cheng Sheng smiled again and replied, "It is not so. The human world abandons me; how could I abandon anyone?" When Zhou Sheng asked about his dwelling place, Cheng Sheng replied that he lived at the Shangqing Palace on Mount Lao. That night, they slept with their feet touching, and Zhou Sheng dreamed that Cheng Sheng, naked, lay pressing on his chest, making it hard for him to breathe. He asked in surprise why Cheng Sheng did this, but Cheng Sheng gave no answer. Zhou Sheng started awake, called out to Cheng Sheng but received no response, and sitting up, felt the bed empty—Cheng Sheng had vanished. After sitting still for a while, Zhou Sheng realized he was lying in Cheng Sheng's bed. He marveled to himself, "I was not drunk last night; how could my mind be so disordered?" He then called for his servants. When they came with a lamp, they saw clearly that the person sitting there was Cheng Sheng. Zhou Sheng had originally had a thick beard, but now, stroking his chin, he found it sparse with only a few hairs. He took a mirror and looked at himself, then cried out in alarm, "Cheng Sheng is here, so where am I?" After a moment, he suddenly understood that Cheng Sheng was using his magical arts to urge him to retire from the world. Zhou Sheng wanted to return to his own chamber, but his younger brother, seeing that his appearance was completely different from the original Zhou Sheng, barred his way. Zhou Sheng had no way to explain himself and ordered a servant to prepare a horse to go together in search of Cheng Sheng.
After several days of travel, they entered the Laoshan Mountains. The horse galloped swiftly, and the servant could not keep pace. Zhou Sheng reined in his horse and halted beneath a tree to rest, where he observed many Taoist priests coming and going. Among them, one priest fixed his gaze upon Zhou Sheng, who then approached to inquire about Cheng Sheng's whereabouts. The priest smiled and said, "I have heard that name; he seems to be at the Shangqing Palace." With that, he walked away directly. Zhou Sheng watched him depart, noting that after he had gone about the distance of an arrow's flight, he spoke with another man, but again left after only a few words. The man who had spoken with the priest gradually drew near, and upon closer look, Zhou Sheng recognized him as a fellow scholar from his hometown. The man, startled, asked, "We have not seen each other for years; others say you are studying the Way in the famous mountains—are you still roaming the mortal world?" Zhou Sheng realized the man mistook him for Cheng Sheng, so he recounted the strange affair once more. The scholar exclaimed in surprise, "I just encountered him moments ago and thought he was you, Zhou Sheng! He left not long ago; perhaps he has not gone far." Zhou Sheng, equally astonished, said, "How strange! How could I fail to recognize my own face when meeting it face to face?" By then, the servant had arrived, and Zhou Sheng urgently spurred his horse forward to pursue the Taoist priest, but there was no trace of him at all. After chasing for a while, Zhou Sheng looked around and saw only the vast, boundless mountain wilderness, stretching endlessly, and he suddenly felt lost, uncertain whether to advance or retreat. Pondering that he had no home to return to, he resolved to pursue the matter to the very end. However, the terrain grew increasingly treacherous, and he could no longer ride his horse; so he handed the horse to his servant, bidding him to return, and proceeded alone on foot.
After walking for a while, Zhou Sheng saw from afar a young Daoist acolyte sitting alone, so he approached to ask for directions and told him that he was searching for Cheng Sheng. The acolyte claimed to be a disciple of Master Cheng, and then took Zhou Sheng's provisions and clothing upon his own back, guiding him onward together. The two traveled under the stars and through the dew, braving the wind and sleeping in the open, covering a great distance. It was not until the third day that they arrived, yet this was not the Shangqing Temple spoken of in the mortal world. Though it was already the middle of the tenth month, mountain flowers still bloomed along the path, showing no sign of early winter. The acolyte entered the gate to announce a visitor, and Cheng Sheng immediately came out to greet him; only then did Zhou Sheng recognize his own form. They clasped hands and entered the chamber, drinking wine and conversing together. They saw birds adorned with feathers of wondrous, iridescent colors, so tame that they showed no fear of humans, their calls as melodious as reed pipes, often flying before their seats to sing. Zhou Sheng was deeply astonished in his heart. Yet he still clung to thoughts of the mortal world, having no desire to linger long. On the floor lay two rush mats; Cheng Sheng pulled Zhou Sheng to sit cross-legged upon them together. When the second watch of the night had passed, Zhou Sheng's mind ceased to dwell on anything, sinking into a profound stillness, and suddenly it seemed he dozed off; he felt his body had once again exchanged with Cheng Sheng's. Still somewhat doubtful, he touched his own chin—the thick beard was already as it had been before.
After daybreak, Zhou insisted again on returning home, but Cheng firmly detained him. After three days, Cheng finally said, "Please rest a little, then I will send you back early." As soon as Zhou's eyelids closed, he heard Cheng calling him, "Your luggage is ready." He rose and followed Cheng on the road, which was entirely different from the path they had taken before. Before long, the rooftops of his own dwelling came into view in the distance. Cheng sat by the roadside waiting, letting Zhou go back alone. Zhou tried to drag him home, but Cheng refused, so Zhou had to walk slowly to his doorstep. He knocked several times but no one answered; just as he was about to climb over the wall, he felt his body as light as a leaf, and with a light leap he was over the wall. Crossing several walls in this manner, Zhou finally reached his bedroom. The lamp was still lit, and his wife Wang had not yet slept; he heard her murmuring and talking with someone. Zhou licked the window paper and peeked through, only to see his wife drinking from the same cup with a servant, in a lewd manner. His heart blazed with fury, and he wanted to trap them both in the room, but feared he could not handle them alone. So he quietly turned back, opened the gate, and ran straight to Cheng, telling him and asking for help. Cheng readily went with him, straight into the inner bedroom. Zhou picked up a stone and smashed the door; chaos erupted inside, but the more urgently they pounded, the more firmly the door was barred from within. Then Cheng used his sword to pry it open, and the door split as if torn apart. Zhou rushed in; the servant tried to escape through the window, but Cheng blocked him outside, cutting off one of his arms with a single stroke. Zhou seized his wife and interrogated her under torture, learning that she had been having an affair with the servant since the year he was imprisoned. Zhou borrowed Cheng's sword, cut off her head, and hung her entrails on a tree in the courtyard. Then he followed Cheng out, returning along the same mountain path. At that moment, Zhou suddenly awoke, finding himself still lying in bed. He exclaimed in astonishment, "What a bizarre dream—frightening and alarming!" Cheng smiled and said, "What you took for a dream, brother, is reality; what you take for reality, you mistake for a dream." Zhou asked in shock what he meant. Cheng then showed him the sword, on which the blood was still fresh. Zhou was terrified and heartbroken, yet suspected it was an illusion conjured by Cheng's magic. Knowing his thoughts, Cheng packed his bags and sent him back.
The two men slowly walked to the entrance of Zhou's village, and Cheng Sheng said, "That night before, when I waited for you with my sword in hand, was it not here? I loathe the foulness of the mortal world; pray allow me to wait for you here once more. If you have not returned by the afternoon, I shall depart on my own."
When Zhou Sheng arrived home, he saw the gate and courtyard desolate and cold, as if no one lived there. He then entered his younger brother's residence. As soon as his brother saw him, he burst into wailing tears, saying, "After you left, one night suddenly bandits broke in and killed your wife, gouging out her entrails before leaving—it was utterly cruel. To this day, the officials have searched everywhere but have not captured the murderer." Only then did Zhou Sheng feel as if waking from a dream, and he recounted the truth in detail to his brother, admonishing him not to pursue the matter further. His brother was stunned for a long time. Zhou Sheng then asked about his son. His brother had a nurse bring the child. Zhou Sheng said to his brother, "This child in swaddling clothes is the one through whom the Zhou family will carry on its lineage; you must care for him well. As for me, I am about to take leave of this world." With these words, Zhou Sheng rose and strode straight out the door. His brother, tears streaming, chased after him to detain him, but Zhou Sheng smiled and did not look back. When they reached the wilderness, Zhou Sheng saw Cheng Sheng waiting there, and they proceeded together. Zhou Sheng turned his head from afar and called out, "To be able to forbear in deeds is the greatest joy!" His brother wanted to say more, but with a flick of Cheng Sheng's wide sleeve, the two vanished instantly. His brother stood there disconsolately for a long while, then could only return home weeping.
Zhou Sheng's younger brother was simple-minded and slow-witted, not adept at managing servants or household affairs, and after a few years, the family grew increasingly impoverished. Zhou Sheng's son gradually came of age, yet there was no money to hire a tutor for him, so the younger brother had to teach him to read himself. One day, the younger brother came to the study in the morning and saw a letter lying on the table, tightly sealed, with the inscription "To be opened personally by my virtuous younger brother" on the envelope; upon close inspection, he recognized it as his elder brother's handwriting. Opening the envelope, he found it utterly empty inside, with nothing but a single fingernail, over two fingers in length. The younger brother was greatly puzzled. He placed the fingernail on the inkstone and went out to ask the servants where the letter had come from, but no one knew. When he returned to the study and looked again, the inkstone had turned into gleaming yellow gold. The younger brother was astounded, and then tested the fingernail on copper and iron, which likewise transformed into gold, and thus the Zhou family became immensely wealthy. The younger brother also gave a thousand taels of gold to Cheng Sheng's son, so the villagers all spread the tale that these two families possessed the art of alchemy.
Commentary
"The Tale of Becoming an Immortal" recounts the story of Cheng Sheng and his friend Zhou Sheng, who both renounce the worldly life to pursue the path of Daoist cultivation and transcendence.
Cheng Sheng's renunciation of the world originated from social issues, stemming from his despair over social justice; Zhou Sheng's renunciation arose from family problems, rooted in his despair over his wife's love. Cheng Sheng's renunciation was an act of his own volition, while Zhou Sheng's renunciation came about through Cheng Sheng's guidance and assistance. Yet that assistance bore a certain resemblance to the coercive recruitment into brotherhoods seen in "The Water Margin." The scene where Cheng Sheng and Zhou Sheng jointly killed Zhou Sheng's adulterous wife, "hanging her entrails on the trees in the courtyard," also closely mirrored the cruelty of Yang Xiong and Shi Xiu in "The Water Margin."
Originally, these were two distinct tales of renouncing the world, but Pu Songling skillfully wove them together. In terms of character logic, the narrative springs from the friendship between Cheng Sheng and Zhou Sheng. Cheng Sheng, having seen through the vanities of mortal existence, would not selfishly savor the fruits of enlightenment alone; he was determined to guide Zhou Sheng onto the same path. In terms of plot logic, between the two stories, Pu Songling inserted a transitional episode where Zhou Sheng transforms into the likeness of Cheng Sheng. This episode, on one hand, alludes to the classic tale of Zhuangzi dreaming of a butterfly, serving to awaken Zhou Sheng, and on the other hand, it links the two separate tales of renunciation. Thus, Dan Minglun commented: "The first part portrays a man of sincere and open-hearted loyalty, shining with true friendship; the latter part depicts the transformation of form to save a friend, with all the twists and turns of patient persuasion. The entire narrative thread runs without a single misstep."
Interestingly, since one has renounced worldly attachments by becoming a monk, one should have let go of all earthly concerns; yet the story concludes with the two men imparting the art of gold-making to their descendants, reflecting the deep-rooted Confucian ideology within Pu Songling's mind.