Wang Yuanchi, a Taoist priest, was originally from Langya. His father, Wang Tuanxuan, was the assassin of Yangzhou. His mother was the daughter of Ding Chao, a minister of the Ministry of Navigation. His mother once dreamed of colorful clouds and spiritual phoenixes gathering in her body, and became pregnant. She also heard a voice in her belly. The monk Baoguang said to Wang Tuanxuan, “After the birth of this son of yours, he will become a respected divine master.”
Wang Yuanchi grew up smart and resourceful and read a lot of books. He entered Maoshan at first, studied under Tao Hongjing, and inherited Taoist teachings from Tao Hongjing. When Emperor Yang of Sui became the king of Jin, he built a jade altar and invited Wang Yuanchi to be the altar master, and sent Prince Xiang and Liu Gu Yan to invite him. Wang Yuanchi came to see Emperor Yang. He made his hair and beard turn white in a moment, and Emperor Yang was afraid of him and sent him back. Soon he was back to his old self.
When the Tang Emperor Gaozu had not yet become emperor, Wang Yuanchi had secretly stated the auspicious signs that he should become emperor. In the middle of Wude’s year, King Li Shimin of Qin and his staff member Fang Xuanling came to see Wang Yuanchi dressed as ordinary people. When Wang Yuanchi greeted them, he said to them, “There is a sage among you two, probably the King of Qin, right?” Tang Taizong then told him the truth. Wang Yuanchi said, “You want to be the Prince of Peace, and I hope you love yourself.” After Emperor Tang Taizong ascended the throne, he wanted to make him a big official, but he firmly refused and asked to return to the mountain.
In the ninth year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong of Tang asked him to build a Taiping Temple on Mao Mountain in Runzhou, while fourteen people became his disciples, and Emperor Taizong of Tang wrote to him personally to comfort him and encourage him. Later he said to his disciple Pan Shizheng, “I have seen the articles of merit and demerit of immortals, because I mistakenly hurt a child’s lip when I was a child and could not ascend to heaven as an immortal in broad daylight, and now I have been enlisted as the governor of Shaomu Mountain and will leave soon.” The next day, he washed his hair and body, changed his clothes and hat, burned incense and died at the age of one hundred and twenty-six, posthumously named “Mr. Shengxuan”.
(Source: Taiping Guangji)
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