Barefoot Immortal

Personalities of Barefoot Immortal

In Journey to the West, the Barefoot Immortal is portrayed as an innocent and naive god. When the Monkey, annoyed at not being invited to the Peach Banquet, encounters the Barefoot Immortal on his way to the Green Jade Pool, he tricks him by claiming that all guests must first go to the Hall of Bright Lights for a rehearsal ordered by the Jade Emperor. Although the Barefoot Immortal finds this unusual and feels some doubt, he ultimately follows the instruction without further question.

The Monkey then transforms himself to resemble the Barefoot Immortal and proceeds to the Green Jade Pool, where he wreaks havoc on the banquet, angering the Jade Emperor. This episode illustrates the Barefoot Immortal's trusting and easily deceived nature. A separate legend from Shaxian, Fujian, tells of the Barefoot Immortal riding his cloud toward the Green Jade Pool when his foot struck the cliff of Qingyun Feng, causing him great pain and making his flight unsteady.

Concerned that ordinary people might also be hurt by the cliff, he borrowed a divine cattle from heaven to plow and smooth the mountain, removing the hazard. The Mountain God, afraid his mountain would be destroyed, placed a special insect on the Barefoot Immortal's path that made him fall asleep. In a dream, the Mountain God told him his mother was seriously ill and he should return to heaven immediately. Waking up worried, the Barefoot Immortal tied the god cattle to a tall pine tree and went back to heaven.

The Mountain God then asked Lei Gong and Dian Mu to kill the cattle with thunder and lightning, but the cattle's spells protected it. So the Mountain God borrowed a cymbal and a gong from a temple and struck the cattle on the head, killing it. When the Barefoot Immortal realized he had been fooled, he returned, but the cattle was dead. In anger, he placed the cymbal and gong on the mountain's peak, which became known as Cymbal and Gong Peak. The god cattle turned into a boulder that remains in Shaxian.

Old folk tales about Barefoot Immortal

A tale connects the Barefoot Immortal to Emperor Renzong of the Song dynasty. According to this story, the emperor was said to be the Barefoot Immortal, who had been ordered by the Jade Emperor to reincarnate into the human world. As a child, Renzong reportedly enjoyed going barefoot, and people of the time claimed he possessed a special ability to see things in heaven. These details helped spread the folk belief that he was the Barefoot Immortal.

Another legend concerns a district called Sikouzi, once a place of beautiful landscapes. A Demon Dragon invaded the area, bullying all living creatures, destroying the scenery, and leaving many homeless. The Barefoot Immortal had frequently visited Sikouzi with divine companions, including the Eight Immortals and the Seven Celestial Princesses, to enjoy its pleasant views. On one such visit, they were shocked to find the place transformed: a mountain had a serious flood on its south side, while the north side had become a bare field with no grass or plants.

They saw the Demon Dragon forcing a group of thin, worn-clothed people to build a rest place for him. Enraged, the Barefoot Immortal confronted the Demon Dragon, who was so scared he ran away. The other gods surrounded him, but the Demon Dragon used a spell to hide inside the mountain. The Barefoot Immortal kicked the mountain with his right leg, creating a wide fissure like a canyon, later named Yi Xiantian.

The Demon Dragon hid again, but the Barefoot Immortal kicked with his left leg, exposing him. Finally, the Demon Dragon was caught and his head was chopped off by Lü Dongbin.

Barefoot Immortal and Taoism

The Barefoot Immortal, known as Liu Cao, had a strong desire to learn Taoism. Inspired by a Taoist visitor, he begged to become the visitor's student but was refused and told to seek Lü Dongbin as his teacher. Liu Cao then studied under Lü Dongbin, learning meditation, internal alchemy, and sexual yoga. He later met another Taoist, Chen Xiyi, who taught him Qigong and spirit travel. Liu Cao is described as the only person to receive teachings from both Lü Dongbin and Chen Xiyi, and he combined their knowledge perfectly. He not only mastered Taoism but also passed it on to others, including Zhang Boduan. During the Song dynasty, Southern Complete Reality Taoism flourished with five great teachers; Liu Cao and his student Zhang Boduan were two of them.