A murky world stretched in every direction. When heaven and earth first opened, a boundless sea came into being. Legend had it that a Sea Goddess lived in its waters, protecting every herdsman who went out to fish. Murky mist hung over the surface of the sea. Where the sea met the land, there was a stretch of earth inhabited by various tribes. The people cultivated their fields with ancient wooden tools and hunted with weapons ground from stone. The herdsmen wove coarse hemp into simple clothes to cover themselves. They lived very primitive lives. In one of the tribes stood a Daoist temple, where an old white-haired Taoist and several of his disciples lived. One day
