A cultivation fantasy novel about the principle that all living beings are the Dao, written by Chong Qing, a disciple of the Longmen Sect whose birth name is Haoran.
As a boy, Haoran is struck by a plague and loses both his parents and his childhood sweetheart. On a frigid night in a ruined temple in a lonely village, he is fortunate enough to receive guidance from Xuan Zhenzi of Longmen Mountain and sets out on the path of cultivation. After nine years of grueling practice, he tempers his body and masters the Daoist teachings at Longmen Temple. He learns the arts of swordsmanship and talismans, and, while going down the mountain to save the people, comes to understand the true meaning of suffering for oneself to benefit others.
Over the next century, Chong Qing travels the mortal world with the Book of the Living Dao and a white fox at his side. He journeys through the peach groves of Jiangnan, the snowy plains beyond the northern frontier, the shores of the East Sea, and the snowbound plateau. He frees spirits from their obsessions, treats the sick and suffering, and protects the peace of countless communities, never taking credit. Once his work is done, he simply walks away. From a dark-haired youth to a white-haired Daoist, his heart remains clear, until at last he becomes a gentle breeze and merges with the mountains and rivers of the world. Time passes. Three hundred years later, the bells of Longmen Mountain still ring out, and the peach blossoms at Guiyun Cottage bloom year after year. Tales of the True Immortal Chong Qing are passed down from generation to generation. And whenever the spring breeze sweeps across the world, a bright-eyed young Daoist appears, carrying a basket of herbs and wearing the short sword Pure Heart, following in the footsteps of his predecessors and keeping the belief that all living beings are the Dao alive forever.
