Chinese Traditional Story: Where did Xu Fu go?

Hello everyone, the story I'm going to share today is where did Qifu go? Qifu was born in Langya of Qisting. He was a disciple of Guigouzi, a doyst, who was also known as master of ghost valley. Qifu was knowledgeable and well-versed in medicine, astronomy, navigation, and other fields of knowledge. He was always willing to help others and enjoyed high reputation among people living in coastal areas. In 219 BC, the 28th year of Emperor Qin Shi Huang's reign, Qifu wrote a letter to Emperor Qin saying that there are three sacred mountains in the sea where immortals live. It was said that immortality herbs could be found there, so Qin Shi Huang assigned Qifu to take 3,000 boys and girls on ships to search for it. How did this immortal herb come about? It is said that in Dayuan Kingdom in the western regions at that time, many people accidentally died and their bodies were left on the road. Some birds brought pieces of herbs and covered the dead people's face with it. The dead people immediately came back to life. The government reported this to Emperor Qin Shi Huang, who sent someone to bring the herb to the doyst Guigouzi or otherwise. Guigouzi replied that the herb was immortal herb from Zuzhou in the East China Sea, and one plant could save thousands lives. So Qin Shi Huang sent Qifu on his way to this very mountain to look for it. Yet, not long after Qifu had left, Qin Shi Huang died. Meanwhile, where did Qifu go with the children? When Jinno Shatoki was published by Japanese Ministry of State during the Southern Dynasties in 1339, it was clearly recorded that the destination of Qifu's eastward journey to seek immortal herbs was Japan. Qifu lived in seclusion in Jilin Mountain in his late years and called himself Old Man of the Northern Mountain. One day, he dreamed of crystal clear spring water gushing up from a mountain. The next day, he dug out hot spring. The water was pure and rich in various minerals. It has special effects on skin diseases and burns. Therefore, it was called Crane Spring and now is a famous tourist attraction in Japan. According to the complete biography of immortals, during the Kanyuan period of Tang Dynasty, the scholar suffered from a strange disease. Half of his body had become thin and black. Even the imperial doctor could not tell what the disease was. So the scholar said to his family, I am already so sick. I do not know how long I can live. I heard that there are immortals in the sea. So I might as well go and seek immortal prescriptions. Maybe they can cure my illness. His family could not keep him back. So they had to let him go to Zhengzhou with servants and food. After drifting on the sea for more than 10 days, the scholar and his servants came to an isolated island. They saw hundreds of people on the island who seemed to be worshipping someone. There was a woman washing herbs on the shore. The scholar asked her, Who are they? The woman pointed at a group of people and said, The white-haired old man sitting on that big bed over there is Mr. Xu. The scholar asked, Who is Mr. Xu? The woman said, Haven't you heard of Xu Fu who went to sea to seek immortality during Qin Shi Huang time? He is Xu Fu. After all worshippers had dispersed, the scholar approached to Xu Fu and told him about his illness while asking him for treatment. The next day, Xu Fu gave the scholar a few black pills. After taking them, he excreted several liters of black liquid and had soon completely recovered. Both of them asked Xu Fu to stay and help him. But Xu Fu said, You are a person with an official position in the world, and it's not appropriate for you to stay here. After a while, the east wind will take you back. You don't have to worry about the long distance. Xu Fu gave him a bag of yellow powder and said, This herbal medicine can cure all diseases. If you meet a sick person, let him drink a small spoonful of it, which will cure the disease. After the scholar returned home, he presented the herbal medicine to the palace, and the president of the Tang dynasty gave the medicine to the sick. And sure enough, once they took it, the disease was cured. It was recorded in Taiping extensive records that when Shen Xi of Shu state became immortal, the heavenly lord of Dao sent Xu Fu as an envoy to ride the white tiger Sherry. Together with other immortals came to pick up Shen Xi in the human world. Only then did people know that Xu Fu had achieved enlightenment and had become immortal. Thank you very much for listening to the story. More stories will be ready for you if you just subscribe it. Thank you again.