| | 左慈: |
左慈者，字元放，庐江人也。少明五经，兼通星纬，见汉祚将尽，天下乱起，乃叹曰：“值此衰运，官高者危，财多者死，当世荣华不足贪也。”乃学道术，尤明六甲，能役使鬼神，坐致行厨。精思于天柱山中，得石室内九丹金液经，能变化万端，不可胜纪。 |
| | Zuo Ci, courtesy name Yuanfang, was a native of Lujiang. At a young age, he mastered the Five Classics and also had knowledge of astronomy. Seeing that the Han dynasty's mandate was about to end and chaos arising throughout the land, he sighed and said, "In such an era of decline, those in high office are in danger, and those with great wealth face death; thus, worldly honors and luxuries are not worth coveting." He then studied the Daoist arts, especially mastering the Six Jia techniques. He was able to command ghosts and gods, summoning food and drink as if by magic. He devoted himself to deep contemplation in the mountains of Tianzhu, where he obtained the Classic of Jiudan Jinye within a stone chamber. He was capable of countless transformations and wonders too numerous to record.
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| | 左慈: |
曹公闻而召之，闭一室中，使人守视，断其谷食，日与二升水，期年乃出之，颜色如故。曹公曰：“吾自谓天下无不食之人。”曹公乃欲从学道。慈曰：“学道当得清净无为，非尊者所宜。”曹公怒，乃谋杀之，慈已知之，求乞骸骨，曹公曰：“何忽去耳？”慈曰：“公欲杀慈，慈故求去耳。”曹公曰：“无有此意，君欲高尚其志者，亦不久留也。”乃为设酒。慈曰：“今当远适，愿乞分杯饮酒。”公曰：“善。”是时天寒，温酒尚未热，慈解剑以搅酒，须臾剑都尽，如人磨墨状。初，曹公闻慈求分杯饮酒，谓慈当使公先饮，以余与慈耳，而慈拔簪以画杯酒，酒即中断，分为两向。慈即饮其半，送半与公，公不喜之，未即为饮，慈乞自饮之，饮毕，以杯掷屋栋，杯悬著栋动摇，似飞鸟之俯仰，若欲落而不落，一座莫不瞩目视杯。既而已失慈矣，寻问之，慈已还所住处。曹公遂益欲杀慈。乃勅内外收捕慈，慈走群羊中，追者视慈入群羊中，而奄忽失之，疑其化为羊也，然不能分别之。捕吏乃语羊曰：“人主意欲得见先生，暂还无苦。”于是群羊中有一大者，跪而言。吏乃相谓曰：“此跪羊慈也。”复欲擒之，羊无大小悉长跪，追者亦不知慈所在，乃止。 |
| | Cao Gong heard of him and summoned him, locking him in a room and assigning guards to watch over him. They cut off his food supply, giving him only two sheng of water per day. After one year, they released him, but his appearance remained unchanged as before. Cao Gong said, "I always thought there was no one in the world who could live without food." Cao Gong then wished to follow him and learn the Dao. Ci said, "To study the Dao one must attain tranquility and non-action; it is not suitable for someone of high status." Cao Gong became angry and plotted to kill him, but Ci had already foreseen this. He requested permission to retire from the world, saying he wished to return his bones to the earth. Cao Gong asked, "Why suddenly wish to leave?" Ci said, "You, sir, intend to kill me; therefore, I am requesting to depart." Cao Gong said, "I have no such intention. If you wish to pursue a lofty and reclusive path, I will not keep you here for long." He then prepared wine for him. Ci said, "I am about to travel far away; I humbly request a share of the cup to drink with you." The lord said, "Very well." At that time, the weather was cold and the warmed wine had not yet become hot. Ci removed his sword to stir the wine; in a moment, the sword had completely dissolved, just like ink being ground by a person. Initially, when Cao Gong heard that Ci requested to share the cup for drinking, he thought that Ci would have him drink first and then give the remainder to Ci. However, Ci took out a hairpin and drew across the wine in the cup; immediately, the wine split down the middle into two separate portions. Ci then drank his half and presented the other half to Cao Gong. The lord was displeased and did not immediately drink it. Ci requested permission to drink it himself, finished drinking, and then threw the cup toward the eaves of the hall. The cup became suspended on the beam, swaying gently like a bird bowing its head up and down, as if about to fall but never actually doing so. Everyone present could not help but gaze intently at the cup. Afterward, Ci had already vanished; when they inquired about him, they found that he had returned to his residence. Cao Gong then became even more determined to kill Ci. He then ordered the interior and exterior forces to arrest Ci. Ci ran into a flock of sheep, and those pursuing him saw him enter among them; suddenly he vanished. They suspected that he had transformed into a sheep but could not distinguish which one he was. The arresting officers then addressed the sheep, saying, "His Majesty wishes to see Master Ci; please return briefly without any hardship." At this, one large sheep in the flock knelt and spoke. The officers then said to each other, "This kneeling sheep is Ci." They tried again to capture him, but all the sheep, regardless of size, knelt down. The pursuers could not determine where Ci was and thus gave up.
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| | 左慈: |
后有知慈处者以告曹公，公遣吏收之，得慈。慈非不得隐，故欲令人知其神化耳。于是受执入狱，狱吏欲考讯之，户中有一慈，户外亦有一慈，不知孰是。曹公闻而愈恶之，使引出市杀之。须臾，有七慈相似，官收得六慈，失一慈。有顷，六慈皆失，寻又见慈走入市，乃闭市四门而索之，或不识者问慈形貌何似，传言慈眇一目，青葛巾单衣，见有似此人者便收之。及尔一市中人皆眇一目，葛巾单衣，竟不能分。曹公令所在普逐之，如见便杀。 |
| | Later, someone who knew where Ci was went to inform Cao Gong, who then sent officials to arrest him and captured Ci. Ci was not unable to remain hidden; he deliberately wished for people to know of his supernatural transformations. He was then taken into custody and placed in prison. The jailer wished to interrogate him, but there was a Ci inside the cell and another outside; he could not tell which one was the real Ci. Cao Gong heard about this and became even more resentful, ordering him to be taken out to the marketplace for execution. In a moment, there were seven Cis who looked alike; officials captured six of them but lost one Ci. After a while, all six Cis disappeared. Soon afterward, they saw Ci running into the marketplace and immediately closed all four gates to search for him. Some who did not recognize him asked what Ci looked like; it was said that Ci had one blind eye, wore a blue gaijin robe and a simple tunic, so whenever someone resembling this description appeared, they were arrested. As a result, all the people in the marketplace had one blind eye and wore blue gaijin robes and simple tunics; they could not be distinguished. Cao Gong ordered that he be pursued everywhere, instructing that if anyone resembling Ci was seen, they were to be killed immediately.
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| | 左慈: |
后有人见慈，便断其头以献曹公，公大喜，及至视之，乃一束茅耳。有从荆州来者，见慈在荆州，荆州牧刘表以为惑众，复欲杀慈，慈竟已知，表出耀兵，乃欲见其道术，乃徐去诣表，说‘有薄礼愿以饷军’。表曰：“道人单侨，吾军人众，非道人所能饷也。”慈重道之，表使人取之。有酒一器，脯一束，而十余人共舁之不起，慈乃自取之，以一刀削脯投地，请百人运酒及脯，以赐兵士，人各酒三杯，脯一片，食之如常酒脯味，凡万余人皆周足，而器中酒如故，脯亦不减。座中又有宾客数十人，皆得大醉。表乃大惊，无复害慈之意。 |
| | Later, someone claimed to have seen Ci and cut off a head to present it to Cao Gong. Cao Gong was greatly pleased; but when he examined it, it turned out to be merely a bundle of dried grass. Someone who had come from Jingzhou reported seeing Ci in Jingzhou. Liu Biao, the governor of Jingzhou, considered him a source of deception and wished to kill him. However, Ci already knew about this. When Liu Biao paraded his troops outside the city and wanted to see Ci's Daoist skills, Ci calmly went to visit him, saying, "I have a small gift I wish to offer to your army." Liu Biao said, "A Daoist in simple clothes cannot possibly provide a gift for my large army." Ci insisted on offering the gift. Liu Biao then had someone fetch it. There was one vessel of wine and a bundle of dried meat. More than ten men tried to carry it but could not lift it. Ci then took it himself, used a knife to cut the meat and threw it on the ground, requesting that a hundred people distribute the wine and meat among the soldiers. Each soldier received three cups of wine and one piece of meat. The taste was just like ordinary wine and dried meat. Altogether, more than ten thousand soldiers were served, yet the amount in the vessel remained unchanged; neither the wine nor the meat had diminished. There were also dozens of guests present at the gathering, and they all became very drunk. Liu Biao was greatly astonished and no longer had any intention of harming Ci.
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| | 左慈: |
慈数日委表东去入吴，吴有徐随者，亦有道术，居丹徒。慈过随门，门下有客车六七乘，客诈慈云：“徐公不在。”慈便即去。宿客见其牛皆在杨柳树杪行，适上树即不见，下即复见牛行树上，又车毂中皆生荆棘，长一尺，斫之不断，摇之不动。宿客大惧，入报徐公，说：“有一眇目老公至门，吾欺之，言公不在，此人去后，须臾使车牛皆如此，不知何意？”徐公曰：“咄咄，此是左公愚我，汝曹那得欺之，急追之！”诸客分布逐之，及慈，罗列叩头谢之，慈意解，即遣还去。及至，见车牛如故系在，车毂中无复荆木色。 |
| | Ci departed from Liu Biao after several days, heading east into Wu. In Wu there was a man named Xu Sui who also practiced Daoist arts and lived in Dantu. Ci passed by Xu Sui's gate, where there were six or seven carriages of guests outside. The guests lied to Ci and said, "Master Xu is not at home." Ci immediately left. The overnight guests saw that all the oxen were walking on the tips of willow trees. When they climbed up the tree, the oxen vanished; but when they came down, they could see the oxen moving along the branches again. Moreover, thorny brambles had grown inside the hubs of the carriages, reaching about a chi in length. Attempts to cut them failed, and shaking them did not make them move. The overnight guests were greatly frightened and went in to report to Master Xu, saying, "An old man with one blind eye came to the gate. We lied to him, telling him you were not at home. After this man left, shortly afterward he caused all our carts and oxen to become like this; we do not know what his intention is?" Master Xu said, "Ugh! This is Master Zuo playing a trick on me. How could you people dare to deceive him? Hurry and chase after him!" The guests dispersed to pursue him, eventually catching up with Ci. They lined up and kowtowed in apology. Ci's anger was appeased and he immediately sent them back on their way. When they arrived, they found the carts and oxen just as before, tied in place, with no more brambles inside the wheel hubs.
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| | 左慈: |
慈见吴先主孙权，权素知慈有道，颇礼重之。权侍臣谢送知曹公刘表皆忌慈惑众，复谮于权，欲使杀之。后出游，谓慈俱行，令慈行于马前，欲自后刺杀之。慈著木屐，持青竹杖，徐徐缓步行，常在马前百步，著鞭策马，操兵器逐之，终不能及。送知其有道，乃止。 |
| | Ci met Sun Quan, the first ruler of Wu. Sun Quan had long known that Ci was a Daoist and treated him with considerable courtesy and respect. Sun Quan's attendants, including Xie Song, knew that Cao Gong and Liu Biao had both resented Ci for deceiving the people. They slandered him to Sun Quan again, wishing to have him killed. Later, when going out on a tour, he invited Ci to accompany him, ordering Ci to walk ahead of the horse. He intended to stab and kill him from behind. Ci wore wooden clogs and carried a green bamboo staff, walking slowly and leisurely. He always remained one hundred paces ahead of the horse. Even when Sun Quan whipped his horse and wielded weapons to chase after him, he could never catch up. Xie Song realized that Ci possessed supernatural abilities and thus ceased the pursuit.
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| | 左慈: |
慈告葛仙公言：“当入霍山中合九转丹。”丹成，遂仙去矣。 |
| | Ci told Ge Xian Gong, "I should go into Huoshan Mountain to prepare the Nine Transmutations Elixir." When the elixir was completed, Ci ascended to immortality and vanished.
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