Wu Guang was a native of the Xia dynasty. He had ears seven cun long, loved playing the qin, and consumed leeks and garlic roots as medicine. Yin Tang was about to attack Jie, and thus consulted Guang for counsel. Guang said, "That is not my concern." Tang asked, "Who then can be entrusted with this?" He replied, "I do not know." Tang asked, "What about Yi Yin?" He said, "He is strong-willed and can endure disgrace; I know nothing else about him." After Tang had defeated Jie, he offered the throne to Guang, saying, "The wise plan it, the valiant accomplish it, and the benevolent rule over it — this is the ancient way of the Dao. Why then do you not assume it?" Guang declined, saying, "To depose one's superior is unrighteous; to kill people is inhumane. For others to face the danger while I enjoy its benefits is not upright. I have heard that one who does not accept office when it is unjust, and does not assume a position in an age without virtue, how much less should I endure such honor? I cannot bear to see this for long." He then carried stones and drowned himself in the Liao River, after which he concealed himself. More than four hundred years later, during the reign of Wu Ding, he reappeared. Wu Ding wanted to appoint him as prime minister, but he refused. When Wu Ding did not treat him with courtesy, Guang threw himself off Fu Liang Mountain and later traveled to Shangfu Mountain.

Wu Guang practiced benevolence, consumed elixirs, and cultivated his true nature. He wandered in the realm beyond the mundane, walking alone on the path of balance. Though Wu Ding was highly esteemed, he refused to accept office or become a subject. Carrying stones and drowning himself, he emptied his body of worldly existence.