Alchemical Verses of the Reverted Elixir 龙虎还丹歌诀

Originally attributed to "True Lord Li," this work likely dates from the Five Dynasties period or the Northern Song Dynasty. The Comprehensive Records of Literature·Bibliographic Survey catalogs "True Lord Li’s Ballads of the Reverted Elixir, one scroll," which appears to refer to this text.

The surviving version, comprising one scroll, is included in the Taixuan Section of The Daozang. The text consists of ten poems titled "Wang Jiangnan·Dragon-Tiger Secrets," ten poems titled "Pusa Man·Reverted Elixir Secrets," and an appended "Commentary on Qin Yuan Chun."

The first two sets of ballads focus on External Alchemy, clarifying key essentials such as the foundation of the Golden Elixir, medicinal ingredients, cauldrons (refining vessels), water and fire (energy sources), cultivation precepts, secret formulas, and efficacy. They assert that the origin of the Golden Elixir is "true lead," embodying the innate primal Qi, corresponding to the northern water element, and referring to cinnabar contained within lead. Elixir refining uses metal and water as the primary medium—also known as Dragon-Tiger or Kan-Li (trigrams representing water and fire), i.e., true water and true fire. When metal and water converge, "fire is sought within water, and water flows from fire." The cauldron takes the central palace of Wu-Ji Earth as its "city wall," while the fire control principles follow the Twelve Waxing-Waning Trigrams: advancing fire in spring and summer, and retreating fire in autumn and winter. Once the elixir is formed, consuming it grants immortality and ascension to celestial realms. Its theories are roughly consistent with those of the Zhouyi Cantong Qi (Commentaries on the Changes of the Zhou Dynasty, Uniting the Three).

The "Qin Yuan Chun" ballad is traditionally attributed to Lü Dongbin, with commentary appended herein. The commentary primarily interprets the text through trigram theory, also identifying the innate primal Qi as true lead—aligning with External Alchemy doctrines. However, the commentary states that the "foundation of the elixir lies within the human body," which essentially belongs to Internal Alchemy. It frequently cites "as True Lord said," suggesting it was compiled by disciples of True Lord Li and appended to their master’s alchemical ballads.