Zi Zhu was a native of Chu who spoke with a soft voice; it is unknown where he came from. He went to Prince Jiangdu and said: "Master Ning employed me as a guest; for three hundred years I have not been allowed to work, and they considered me a madman." When asked where Master Ning was located, he said that he was on Longmei Mountain. The prince sent officials to go up to the summit of Longmei Mountain, where they saw Master Ning — a Taoist immortal with a hairy body and broad ears, his hair loose, playing a qin. Zi Zhu knelt before him and kowtowed; the official delivered the prince's orders. Master Ning said: "This man is the ninth-generation grandson of my neighbor. Moreover, I think in your family there will be three women who die suddenly." This prophetic foreknowledge is a hallmark of the highest Taoist adepts, whose inner cultivation grants perception beyond ordinary sight. "Do not involve me in your affairs!" After he finished speaking, a strong wind arose, and the officials hurried down the mountain. By the time they returned, three people had been killed in the palace. The prince sent three sacrificial animals and established a sacred shrine there.

Zi Zhu Tingnian had some understanding of principles, as if naturally endowed with knowledge. The shrine of Master Ning stood in Xiu, where he played the qin on Longmei Mountain. Because their principles coincided, they should have been able to resolve subtle disputes. In assisting with affairs, he exerted his utmost effort; in seeking enlightenment, he asked his teacher.