attained immortality. But in the last moment you failed me. Now it is
too late. Now I can begin brewing my elixir of life once more from the
beginning and you will remain a mere mortal man!"

Du Dsi Tschun saw that the oven had burst, and that instead of the
philosopher's stone it held only a lump of iron. The ancient man cast
aside his garments and chopped it up with a magic knife. Du Dsi Tschun
took leave of him and returned to Yangdschou, where he lived in great
affluence. In his old age he regretted that he had not completed his
task. He once more went to the mountain to look for the ancient. But
the ancient had vanished without leaving a trace.

Note: The "pieces of copper" are the ancient Chinese
copper coins, with a hole in the middle, usually hung on
strings to the number of 500 or 1000. Money had a
greater purchasing value in ancient China, however, than
in the China of to-day. The "Persian Bazaar": During the
reign of the Tang dynasty China maintained an active
intercourse with the West, traces of which are at
present being investigated in Central Asia. At that time
Persian bazaars were no novelty in the city of Si-An-Fu,
then the capital. "Herb-oven": a tripod kettle used for
brewing the elixir of life, with which the fairies,
dragon and tiger (both the last-mentioned
star-incarnations) are connected. In order to prepare
the elixir the master must have absolute endurance. It
is for this reason that he had placed Du Dsi Tschun in
his debt by means of kindness. The yellow cap which the
master wears is connected with the teachings of the
Yellow Ancient (comp. w. No. 15). The "prince of the
nether world," Yan Wang, or Yan Lo Wang, is the Indian
god Yama. There are in all ten princes of the nether
world, of whom the fifth is the highest and most feared.
"Obstinacy," literally; his real offense is reticence,
or the keeping secret of a thing. This quality belongs
to the Yin, the dark or feminine principle, and
determines Du Dsi Tschun's reappearance on earth as a
woman. "Purple flames rose wildly from the oven": Though
Du Dsi Tschun had overcome his other emotions, so that
fear and terror did not affect him, love, and love in
its highest form, mother-love, still remained in him.
This love created the flames which threatened to destroy
the building. The highest point in Taoism--as in