Old Man Guibai

Old Man GUI Bai was from Hezhou (now Hechuan County, Sichuan Province). His surname was Li, a given name, and he was an extraordinary figure in Wudang during the mid-Qing Dynasty. According to the "Jinli Xinbian - Yiren Chapter" written by the Qing Dynasty scholar Zhang Bangshen, in the 31st year of the Qianlong reign (1766 AD), Zhang Bangshen, a native of Sichuan, went to Henan to take up his post and stayed at a hostel on the bookstore Street in Kaifeng. One day, a guest knocked on the door and claimed to be a fellow townsman of Zhang Bangshen. Zhang Qingqi entered and saw that he was no more than forty years old. When asked where he was going in Sichuan, the guest said, "My family originally lived in Hezhou and later moved to Chengdu." It has been over seventy years since I left Chengdu. "I am the younger brother of General Zhenyuan Li Biantou." " Zhang Bangshen thought the visitor's words were absurd, for he knew that Li Biantou was indeed from Sichuan but a meritorious military general in the early Qing Dynasty, having died nearly a hundred years after the 31st year of the Qianlong reign. So he playfully asked the visitor how old he was, what his occupation was and what he was here for. The visitor replied, "I am now 135 years old. I have devoted my entire life to spiritual cultivation and have mostly resided in Mount Song, Wudang Mountain and Wuyi Mountain." In recent years, he has made a living by saving lives and helping people, and has been more involved in the application of medicine in the river Luo region. I have come to visit you today because I know your roots in the Tao and we are from the same hometown. I am willing to offer you elixirs to guide you in your cultivation of the Tao. After hearing what the visitor said, Zhang Bangshen found it even more bizarre and suspected that he was a charterer. So he politely sent him away. The guest said before leaving, "Since you are unwilling to accept my elixir, thinking of my fellow townsman, I am sorry to take the liberty to offer you a word: Although being an official is good, one must be brave enough to retire at the right time." Having said that, he turned his sleeve long. Zhang Bangshen didn't think so either. More than ten years later, a friend of Zhang Bangshen came to Henan from Beijing to visit him. During casual conversation, the friend mentioned that he had met a strange person in the capital who was highly skilled in Taoism. At that time, there was a severe drought in the capital. A famous Taoist priest named Zhengyi from Jiangxi went south to pray for rain, but it was almost unsuccessful. This extraordinary person came forward and recommended himself. The imperial court granted him permission to set up an altar to pray for rain, and he succeeded in one fell favor. When asked about his given name and surname, what he said was exactly the same as what Zhang Bangshen had seen with his guests in the past. Zhang Bangshen then became interested and asked about the strange person's physical features. To his surprise, they were no different from what he had seen before. A friend said again that after Yiren finished praying for rain, the emperor bestowed many rewards, but he accepted none of them. So, the emperor bestowed upon him the title "Old Man of Guibai" to express his praise. A friend also mentioned that when the old man GUI Bai was in the capital, he was also good at catching wild horses. At that time in the capital, the horse market was very lively every autumn, and incidents of wild horses causing trouble often occurred. Whenever encountering such perilous situations, the horse dealers would always invite the old man Guibai to subdue them. Any galloping horse, as long as it encounters the old man Guibai, will surely be able to catch and ride it, and it can freely navigate through slopes and ravines. He often makes the viewers' hearts race with fear, and everyone can't help but hold their breath for him. In the end, the wild horse will surely be exhausted and lie on the ground obediently to be tamed. After listening to his friend's introduction, Zhang Bangshen realized that the guest he had seen before was indeed an extraordinary person. He was filled with remorse for his lack of recognition and missing the opportunity. He had been an upright and honest official in Henan. After this incident, he suddenly recalled the admonition given by the old man GUI Bai. Not long after, he resigned from his post and returned to his hometown on the grounds that his mother was ill.