The man in a hemp robe and Daoist cap, with full cheeks and a thick beard, was Lu Song, Grand Libationer of the Way of the Celestial Masters in Pengcheng. Last February, in the East Hall of Taiji Hall in Jiankang's Taicheng, Lu Song had made a great show of performing his supposed immortal art, Walking Through Fire Without Burning, only for Chen Caozhi to cleverly expose it. Boiling oil had scalded both his hands until skin and flesh were mangled. His reputation in ruins, he had returned to Xuzhou in utter disgrace-
When the reigning emperor, Sima Yi, was still the Prince of Langya, he had studied the Male-Female Qi Harmonization Technique under Lu Song. Even after Lu Song had made a fool of himself in the East Hall of Taiji Hall, Sima Yi had failed to come to his senses. He had even ordered Lu Qin, the Prince of Langya's Friend, to go to Pengcheng and bestow money and silk on Lu Song as a gesture of consolation. Last month, he had gone further, inviting Lu Song back to the imperial palace in Jiankang to serve there, and granting him New Pavilion Mountain to rebuild his Daoist temple. Brimming with satisfaction, Lu Song had assumed the air of the leader of the Way of the Celestial Masters in Jiangdong-
As for his failed demonstration in the East Hall of Taiji Hall last year, Lu Song somewhat suspected that Chen Caozhi had secretly tampered with it. Chen Caozhi was Ge Hong's disciple and might also know the secret method of keeping boiling oil from burning, and they had exchanged hostile words beforehand. Thus, though Lu Song was far from certain, he still bore a grudge against Chen Caozhi and sought a way to repay him. Back in Xuzhou, he