The Taoist then said, “I am the immortal Lü Dongbin of the Zhongnan Mountains. Looking across the waters, Cao saw that the ferry boat was still anchored to the southern bank. He felt his legs leave the ground, and when he opened his eyes, he found himself on the northern bank of the river. The Taoist waved his whisk, and Cao closed his eyes. He immediately knelt down and exclaimed, “I, your disciple, would not dare to do so!” He then tossed the gold plaque into the river. Why, then, did you flaunt your gold plaque and use your authority to get your own way?” he thundered.Ĭao looked closely at the Taoist, and saw that he was no ordinary mortal. “You say you want to learn the Tao and become an immortal. The Taoist puffed his chest, stared hard at Cao, and pointed his jade whisk at Cao’s nose. That is, everyone except for a wandering Taoist. Immediately, all the people on the boat threw themselves on the ground and shouted, “Long live Emperor Renzong!” The plaque had a formidable effect on everyone present. So he instead presented a gold plaque that the emperor had gifted to him, which read, “Wherever Cao Guojiu goes, it is equivalent to the Emperor making the trip.” He tried to board a ferry boat that would take him across the river, but the boatman asked Cao to pay him beforehand.įeeling his pockets, Cao realised that he had forgotten to bring any money. He set forth on a journey to the Zhongnan Mountains (周南山), the holy dwelling of Taoists immortals.Ĭao travelled until he reached the southern banks of the Yellow River. Cao tried valiantly to reform his younger brother and atone for his brother’s misdeeds, but his recalcitrant younger brother refused to change for the better.Īshamed and disillusioned, Cao gave up his official career and decided to seek the Tao. He was the younger brother of Empress Cao, the wife of Emperor Renzong (宋仁宗) of the Song dynasty.Ĭao had a younger brother named Cao Jingzhi (曹景植), who exploited his royal title by abusing others and engaging in corruption. Traditionally regarded as the Chinese deity of acting and theatre, Cao began his life as a mortal in the royal family. The Eight Immortals are a group of legendary Taoist deities in Chinese mythology, and the last to join the pantheon was Cao Guojiu.
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