| | Cheng Wei, a Han Huangmenlang, was fond of alchemy. He married and learned the family secrets from his wife's family. Cheng often accompanied the emperor on outings but had no suitable clothes, and he was very worried. His wife said, "Please present two pieces of jian silk." The jian silk arrived without any prior arrangement. Cheng Wei tried to make gold according to the Zhenzhong Hongbao but failed. His wife then went to see him, and found Cheng fanning charcoal to burn a tube, which contained cinnabar. The wife said, "I want to test you with one thing." She took out a small amount of medicine from her pouch and added it. After a meal's time, when they opened the tube, it had already turned into silver. Cheng Wei was greatly surprised and said, "The secret is with you, yet you did not tell me earlier. Why?" His wife said, "One must obtain it through fate." Cheng then day and night tried to persuade her, selling his farmland and house to provide her with fine food and clothing, yet she still refused to tell him. Cheng then plotted with others to beat and punish her, but the wife always found out and told Cheng, "The Dao must be passed on to the right person; when one meets someone worthy, they will naturally teach them." "If it is not the right person, their mouth may agree but their heart does not; even if they are broken into pieces and dismembered, the Dao will still not be revealed." Cheng continued to pressure her relentlessly. In response, his wife went mad, ran around naked, smeared herself with mud, and eventually died.
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