Cultivating Immortality in Strange Tales: I Have a Painting of the Peach Blossom Spring

Heaven and earth hold strange energies. As they gather, they become demons; as they coalesce, they become spirits. The human heart has hidden cracks, where such forces take root and breed calamity, lurking within to wreak havoc. Thus, a solitary ghost need not harm the living, and the passionate may be more virtuous than the worldly. The mortal world is not without debts of injustice, but greed and anger bring misfortune upon oneself. In the world of Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, human hearts are as treacherous as the land of ghosts, and demons run rampant. Lu Zhixuan transmigrates and becomes a disciple at a remote Taoist temple. But his merciless master intends to refine him into a human pill. Fortunately, he awakens the Peach Blossom Spring painting passed down through his family in a previous life, allowing him to travel between two worlds. Following the Peach Blossom Spring of Wuling, he finds a benevolent master and cultivates the righteous teachings of the mystical sect. In the world of Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, he slays demons and vanquishes evil, ultimately attaining immortality. A poem by later generations says: In Peach Blossom Spring stands a Peach Blossom Temple; within the temple dwells a Peach Blossom Immortal. The immortal wields the Sword of Peace, slaying all evil to protect the mortal world. He seeks no feast in the celestial palaces, wishing only for peace throughout the land. Wherever his sword flashes, demonic miasma scatters, and the clouds clear over the vast rivers and mountains.