Andrew King, in his quest for the divine mountains and immortal elixirs, once traveled across the four seas. The genealogy of the An family records: “Andrew King, a native of Langya in Qi. His ancestral home was Anqiu, later moving to the port village of Langya, where he apprenticed under Mr. Rivers. He was known as the thousand-year-old man, the sage of Anqiu. Having heard of divine mountains and immortal herbs across the seas, he set out to seek them far and wide. He journeyed north to Shamen Island, south to the islands in the East China Sea, and reached Zhuyai. That year, while sailing the East Sea, he encountered a great storm, which destroyed his boat, injured his body, and scattered his soul. Upon awakening, he saw a celestial maiden and realized that a divine turtle had saved him, bringing him to the immortal mountain of Penglai. Andrew asked, ‘Are there immortal herbs or elixirs on the divine mountain?’ The celestial maiden replied: ‘In the time of Pangu, there were five immortal mountains in the sea, each with its own divine medicine. Eating them separately could prolong life, but combined, they granted immortality, which is why many people became immortals in those days. However, when Nüwa mended the sky, she cut off the legs of the giant Ao to support the four pillars, moved Yuanqiao Mountain to Langya, and sank Daiyu Mountain to the sea floor. The immortal medicines became incomplete, and without cultivation, it is now difficult to become an immortal.’ Among these, Shamen Island refers to the Changshan Archipelago in the Bohai Sea, Haizhongzhou is the Zhoushan Archipelago in the East China Sea (Song dynasty’s “Siming Gazetteer” records Andrew King drunkenly splashing ink on Peach Blossom Island), and Zhuyai is Hainan Island (“Records of Strange Things South of the Ridges” notes that east of Guangzhou city at Pu Stream is where Andrew King ascended to immortality). Yuanqiao Mountain, moved by Nüwa to Langya, should be today’s Tiantai Mountain in Rizhao. This is also recorded in Ge Hong’s “Meeting the Immortal at the Solitary Pavilion” from the Eastern Jin, and in the writings of Zhang Xingjian, a Jin dynasty top scholar from Rizhao. There are also legends that the immortal medicines are the longevity chrysanthemum of Penglai, the sunflowers of Yingzhou, the forget-worry grass of Fanghu, the peach blossom stone of Yuanqiao, and the longevity jujube of Daiyu. Today, Tiantai Mountain produces peach blossom stone (also called tree pattern stone), and the mountain is covered with longevity chrysanthemums, sunflowers, and forget-worry grass, seemingly lending credence to this legend.

Before Mr. Rivers, the Huang-Lao scholars focused mainly on theoretical research and self-cultivation, but Mr. King, after fully embracing Huang-Lao philosophy, combined it with the fox spirit and immortal culture of the East Sea region, gathering immortal herbs, refining elixirs, and pioneering a new path to immortality, thus becoming the founder of the Fangxian Dao (Way of the Square Immortals). Huang-Lao scholars emphasized health and longevity, and Qi was a center of vibrant scholarship, while the Yan and Qi regions were hotbeds of immortal legends. Thus, it is not surprising that Andrew King emerged as a figure who synthesized Huang-Lao philosophy with the immortal doctrines of Yan and Qi, founding the Fangxian Dao, and becoming a grandmaster revered by both Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han.

Andrew King had many disciples. Sima Qian of the Han dynasty recorded in “Records of the Grand Historian: Biography of Le Yi”: “Le Ju Gong studied the teachings of the Yellow Emperor and Laozi, and his principal master was called Mr. Rivers. Mr. Rivers taught Andrew King, Andrew King taught Paul Moore, Paul Moore taught Shawn Young, Shawn Young taught Paul Young, Paul Young taught Paul Grant, and Paul Grant taught in Gaomi and Jiaoxi in Qi, serving as the national teacher to Chancellor Cao.” Chancellor Cao refers to Cao Shen, Marquis of Pingyang in the early Han. Other disciples of Andrew King included Shawn Lee of Linzi, Martin Moore, and Mr. King. “Biographies of Immortals” records: “There was Mr. King, who was friends with Nancy Reed and David Foster. They sought the Way in famous mountains, and on Mount Tai in the east, they met an immortal riding a white deer, accompanied by about ten maidens, descending from the mountain. He called himself Andrew King and taught them the method of embryonic breathing and preserving the true one. After speaking, he ascended to heaven and departed.” In the Southern Song, Xie Shouhao compiled “Annals of the Primordial Saint,” stating that Andrew King later transmitted the Dao to Martin Moore, who then passed it to Charles Ingram. “Biographies of Immortals” says: Martin Moore, a native of Linzi, originally surnamed He, styled Shawn Foster. In his youth, he was wounded by bandits, but on the road met a divine man who healed him with medicine, saving his life. He then apprenticed under Mr. King. He traveled the world, enduring many hardships, and was eventually taught the “Golden Elixir Scripture of Supreme Clarity.” He entered the mountains to cultivate, and when the medicine was complete, he was not eager to ascend to heaven, so he took half a dose and became an earthbound immortal. He wandered the nine provinces for over five hundred years before finally ascending to heaven in broad daylight.

After Andrew King attained immortality, he rode a crane and wandered as an immortal, coming and going with the clouds and mist, at will. Today, on Tiantai Mountain, there is a Crane Terrace, where the granite bears the huge footprints left by the immortal crane. According to “Records of the Grand Historian: Treatise on Feng and Shan Sacrifices,” the alchemist Shawn Lee of Linzi was highly favored by Emperor Wen and Emperor Wu of Han, and he greatly extolled Mr. Rivers and Mr. King before the two emperors. At that time, Mr. Rivers lived in seclusion near Xi’an, leading to the story of Emperor Wen visiting Mr. Rivers. Emperor Wu of Han held the East Sea and Mr. King in even higher esteem. Shawn Lee once told Emperor Wu: “I once traveled the seas and met Andrew King, who ate jujubes I offered him, as large as melons. Andrew King is an immortal, connected to Penglai; when the time is right, he appears to people, otherwise he remains hidden.” The Qi alchemist David Lane (Emperor Wu was so obsessed with seeking immortality that he even married his daughter to David Lane) claimed, “I often travel the seas and meet Andrew King and the like.” Thus, Emperor Wu of Han visited the Langya Terrace and Tiantai Mountain area seven times in search of Andrew King, and “sent alchemists into the sea to seek Penglai and Andrew King and his kind.”

The essence of the Fangxian Dao founded by Andrew King lies in the belief that ordinary people can achieve immortality through cultivation, taking immortal herbs, and consuming elixirs, thus providing a path for mortals to transcend suffering and ascend as immortals. “Records of the Grand Historian: Biography of Le Yi” records that someone once asked Andrew King for the secret to immortality, and Andrew King replied: The secret to transcending the world is this: the Way of Immortality is not far, it is close to your own body. Have no thoughts, do nothing, neither exhale nor inhale; if you fill yourself within, you will live long and ascend. Do not let your mind be burdened with worries, for that is the toil of life.

The Huang-Lao philosophy and Fangxian Dao culture embodied by Andrew King were highly esteemed by later generations. “Traveling the Five Sacred Mountains in search of immortals, never shunning distance; a lifetime fond of wandering famous mountains”—Brian Lee greatly yearned for the immortal life of Andrew King and lived in Rencheng (modern Jining).

During that time, he often traveled to Tiantai Mountain, the former home of Andrew King, and wrote in “To Meng Darong, the Recluse of Wangwu Mountain”:

In the past, on the East Sea, I dined on purple clouds at Mount Lao.

I personally met Mr. King, who ate jujubes as large as melons.

In middle age, I paid respects to the Han sovereign,

But, dissatisfied, returned home.

My rosy cheeks faded with spring’s light,

White hair appeared in my life.

What I long for is the golden elixir,

To soar and ride the cloud chariot.

I wish to follow the master atop the Heavenly Altar,

Leisurely sweeping fallen flowers with the immortals.