1. Zuo Ci, courtesy name Yuanfang, was a Chinese philosopher.
23 Facts About Zuo Ci
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Zuo Ci was a legendary personage of the late Eastern Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period of China.
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Zuo Ci learned his magic and path to longevity from the Taoist sage Feng Heng, and eventually passed his arts to Ge Xuan.
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Zuo Ci was learned in the Confucian classics and in astrology.
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The Shenxian zhuan says Zuo Ci was expert in fenshen multilocation, divination, the power of summoning the xingchu "traveling kitchen", and the practice of alchemy.
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At some time before 200, the local warlord Sun Ce, who was a strict Confucian, wanted to kill Zuo Ci and chased him on horseback.
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Later, Zuo Ci went to Cao Cao who granted him a pension to continue practicing his magic.
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Zuo Ci performed a number of magical feats at Cao Cao's court, such as catching an exotic fish from an empty copper pan and teleporting far away to buy ginger.
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On one occasion, Zuo Ci fed an entire court assembly with food and wine.
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However, Cao Cao soon discovered that Zuo had used his magic to empty every wine shop in the region to achieve this.
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When someone reported that Zuo Ci had been seen in the market, everyone in the market suddenly took on Zuo's exact appearance.
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Cao Cao and his men went there, only to realize that Zuo Ci was concealed among a flock of sheep.
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Zuo Ci eventually retired from the world to practise his arts in the mountains.
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Zuo Ci wielded amazing Taoist power and was described as a psychic.
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Zuo Ci offered Cao Cao the books if Cao himself became a disciple of Taoism.
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Zuo Ci openly mocked Cao Cao in court and Cao had him arrested; the guards beat Zuo cruelly, but the Taoist then fell asleep and slept soundly through the night.
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When Zuo Ci appeared at Cao Cao's banquet, Cao tested him by asking to get, among other things, a dragon's liver, a peony, and perch from the Song River.
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Zuo Ci accomplished everything, which drew further suspicion from Cao Cao.
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Zuo Ci then offered a cup of wine to Cao Cao, who said that Zuo should taste first.
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Zuo Ci took a stick and divided the wine in half, and drank one half.
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Cao Cao sent his general Xu Chu to capture Zuo Ci, Xu saw Zuo walking among a flock of sheep and slew the flock, thinking Zuo had become a sheep; when Xu had left the shepherd boy who had been tending the flock heard one of the sheep's heads telling him to place the heads next to the bodies to bring them back to life, the boy did this and the sheep returned to life.
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Cao Cao fainted due to shock, the winds died down, and Zuo Ci disappeared along with the corpses.
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Zuo Ci is featured as a playable character in Koei's Dynasty Warriors and Warriors Orochi video game series.