The Peng Xiao 彭晓

Peng Xiao (?–955) was a native of Yongkang in the Later Shu Dynasty of the Five Dynasties period (now Chongqing County, Sichuan Province). His original surname was Cheng; his courtesy name was Xiuchuan, and he styled himself Zhenyi Zi (Master of True Unity).

From a young age, he was well-versed in Confucian classics. After entering official service, Meng Chang, ruler of the Later Shu, promoted him to the position of Chaosan Lang (a mid-level honorary official rank in the Tang and Five Dynasties periods) and later appointed him as the magistrate of Jintang County in Hanzhou through successive promotions.

He had a keen interest in Taoist arts. Feeling disillusioned by the ups and downs of his official career, he formally registered as a Taoist priest at Mount Feihe. He and He Wuyun were close friends who shared a reclusive Taoist lifestyle (referred to as "friends of mist and vines" in classical Chinese, symbolizing companionship in seclusion). Later, he lived in seclusion on Mount Hua, where he encountered an extraordinary person (a Taoist adept) who taught him esoteric doctrines, greatly advancing his Taoist attainments.

As recorded in Shu Taowu (a historical record of the Later Shu Dynasty): "Peng Xiao was skilled in Taoist talismans. He often gave talismans (carried or drawn on iron fans) to people, and their illnesses would be cured immediately. He could let out a long whistle that sounded like the call of mythical birds (luan and feng, symbols of auspiciousness), and upon hearing it, flying birds would gather in flocks."

Meng Chang, the King of Shu, summoned him repeatedly to inquire about the way to attain longevity and prolonged life.

In the tenth year of the Guangzheng era (947), Peng Xiao wrote Annotations on the Zhouyi Cantongqi: Chapter-by-Chapter Explanations of True Meanings (Zhouyi Cantongqi Fenzhang Tongzhenyi), which elaborates on the core principles of the Cantongqi (a classic text on Taoist alchemy). He also authored other works, including Diagram of the Framework of Water and Fire (Shuihuo Kuangkuo Tu), Diagram of the Essential Essence of the Three and Five (Sanwu Zhijing Tu), and The Golden Key to the Internal Images of Elixir Refining (Huandan Neixiang Jinyaoshi).