The story of Cihang Daoren

Cihang Daoren cultivated in the Luojia Cave on Mount Putuo, one of the Twelve Golden Immortals under Yuanshi Tianzun. After Wen Zhong set out the Ten Absolutes outside Western Qi, she came at the order of Yuxu Palace to the reed pavilion and waited with her fellows.

Dong Quan held the Wind Howl Formation; at one wave of his black banner three winds of earth, water and fire rolled out of it carrying ten thousand blades. Lingbao Dafashi wrote to Du’e Zhenren to borrow the Wind-Stilling Pearl, and Randeng gave it to Cihang.

Fang Bi entered the Wind Howl Formation first and died; Cihang then went in through the gate holding the Wind-Stilling Pearl. Dong Quan waved his banner on the platform, but the black wind had barely risen when it stopped under the pearl’s light, and the blades in it could not fall.

Cihang raised the pure crystal vase into the air and had the yellow-scarfed strongmen turn it base up and mouth down. A stream of black vapour came down out of the vase and drew Dong Quan inside.

When Cihang came out and emptied the vase, Dong Quan’s body had already turned to fluid, and the Wind Howl Formation was broken with him.

In the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation, Cihang and the other eleven Golden Immortals were all taken by the Hunyuan Golden Dipper. After Laozi and Yuanshi broke the formation she woke with the rest; when Wen Zhong was driven back, Randeng kept her at Western Qi to help Jiang Ziya.

In the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation, Jinguang Xian held the Four Symbols station. Cihang entered it at Yuanshi’s order with the Three-Treasure Jade Ruyi, showed a three-headed six-armed dharma-body inside, and hid the changes of the four symbols behind her auspicious cloud and the willow’s haze.

When Jinguang Xian turned to leave, Cihang raised the Three-Treasure Jade Ruyi and had the yellow-scarfed strongmen carry him to the reed pavilion.

Nanji Xianweng worked a spell and struck him, and Jinguang Xian showed his true shape as a golden-haired hou. Yuanshi gave it to Cihang for a mount.

When Jinling Shengmu fought inside the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation with her jade ruyi, Cihang closed on her again with Wenshu and Puxian; all three showed their dharma-bodies and fought until Jinling Shengmu’s crown fell and her hair came loose.

Randeng then struck Jinling Shengmu down with the Sea-Stilling Pearls. As the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation was broken piece by piece, Cihang stayed on the ground with the Chan immortals.

Cihang was not entered on the Investiture List. In the passage where the three great ones take the lion, the elephant and the hou, Investiture of the Gods links Cihang with the later Guanyin of the Buddhist canon, and the book itself says nothing beyond that.