Blessed by Virtue
Li Yu lived in Jiangyang County, Guangling Town, during the Tang Dynasty (618 AD - 907 AD). He was a particularly mild and prudent man from a family that had been selling grain in town for generations. When he was 15, his father went on a trip and put him in charge of the family business.When customers came, he would surrender his scale and let them weigh the grain for themselves. In addition, he did not even charge his customers the market price and would settle for a small profit from the sale as long as it was sufficient to support his parents.
Ironically, the Li family became well-to-do over time. Curious, his father asked him how he did it. Li Yu told his father the way he handled the business.
The father was touched by the son's story. "When I was in business, I knew that people in this trade had always tried to make extra profits by playing tricks with weighing devices of different sizes," said the father. "They used the small weight to sell out and the big one to buy in. Although government officials would come to check and calibrate their weighing instruments every spring and fall, the cheating went on all the same. I have always used the same weighing instrument, and thought, I am being fair to everyone all the time. However, compared to you, I feel dwarfed. Despite the way you are doing business, you still manage to earn enough food and clothing for the family. The heavens are really helping you, aren’t they?"
Li Yu was still selling grains when he reached 80. The prime minister at the time, who was appointed as the governor in the region south of Huaihe River, happened to have the same name – Li Yu. Out of humility and respect, the Li Yu who was in grain business changed his name to Li Kuan. When Prime Minister Li Yu took his office, he did many good things for the people, such as building roads and assisting the poor. One night he had a dream in which he went into a vast cave. He was dazzled by what he saw: the spring was in full swing with flowers blossoming in profusion and birds flying through colorful clouds. On the stone wall of one of the pavilions were engraved two golden Chinese characters--Li Yu. Elated, Prime Minister Li Yu thought to himself that this blessing is a result of his contributions to society during his term of office; he will definitely become an immortal in the future. As he was enjoying the moment, two fairies emerged. Li Yu asked them what this place was. To which, they replied, "This is Sunny Cave Heaven." They also told him that the name engraved on the wall was not his name. Astonished, Li Yu asked whose name it was then. One of the fairies said, "This person is a Jiangyang County resident."
Upon his return, Li Yu set about finding this resident, also named Li Yu. After much work, he learned that Li Kuan of Jiangyang County was the man he was looking for. He also learned that this Li Kuan was a cultivator who had studied some cultivation methods at age 60. Li Yu condescended to visit Li Kuan at his home, hoping he could learn some Taoist techniques from him. Instead of imparting any Taoist techniques to Li Yu, Li Kuan told him at great length about how he had sold grain to his customers. After hearing Li Kuan's story, Li Yu marveled, "You've done something everyday people find hard to do. I haven't done as much as you in creating virtue." Li Yu paused for a moment and then went on, "Now I know that true justice exists in the human world. If one can accumulate virtue, even though he is poor for the moment, the gods will still protect him and add his name to the list of immortals. Thus, the world's people will learn a lesson from it." At Li Yu's repeated requests, Li Kuan taught him some methods of cultivating truthfulness and nurturing human character.
Li Kuan was still healthy when he was over 100. One day he told his children and grandchildren, "I've been in this world for so long and have become of no use to you, though I am cultivating myself every day." Not long afterwards, he passed away in the middle of the night. Three days later, the family heard his coffin crack, and when they came close and looked, they found Li Kuan's clothes remained the way they had been, but his body was gone. What happened was that Li Kuan had become an immortal and left the human world. Probably he had gone to the Sunny Cave Heaven where Prime Minister Li Yu had dreamed of going.
积德福报
李玨，唐朝广陵江阳县人氏。他家世代住在城里，以贩卖粮食为业。李玨性情端庄谨慎，同一般人不一样。他十五岁时，父亲外出，将贩卖粮食的事托付给了李玨。
有人来买粮时，李玨便把升和斗都交给买者，让他们自己来称量，而且并不按当时粮食的贵贱来计价，一斗粮只赚两文钱的利，用来赡养父母。
日子久了，李玨家的衣食却很丰足。他的父亲感到奇怪，问他原因，李玨便把自己如何买卖粮食的情况全部如实的告诉了父亲。
父亲说：“我做粮食生意的时候，同行中都是用升斗出入，出的时候用小斗，入的时候用大斗，用来赚取厚利。虽然官吏每年春秋都检查较正升斗，但是始终不能制止这种弊病。我只是用同一个升和斗买卖，长久以来，自以为没有什么偏差了。你现在能够这样做，我不如你啊。即使这样，你还是能够衣食丰足，这难道是有神明的帮助吗？”
李玨八十岁了，仍以此为业。当时，与其同一姓名的宰相李玨出任淮南节度使，以卖粮为生的李玨为避讳，便改名叫了李宽。宰相李玨到任后，修路施舍，做了很多善事。有一天夜里，在梦中来到了一个洞府中，只见景色正春，烟花烂漫，翔鸾舞鹤，彩云瑞霞，楼阁连延，在石壁上有晶莹闪光的“李玨”二个大金字。李玨看了非常高兴，认为这是自己做官司期间，有功德于天下的福报，自己将来必定会成为仙人。正在他想的高兴之际，有二个仙童出来了，李玨问他们这是什么地方，仙童说这是华阳洞天，并告诉他古壁上的这个名字并不是指他。李玨很吃惊，问如果不是自己那会是谁呢？仙童说：“此人只是江阳县的百姓。”
李玨回去后，在江阳县内多方打探寻访，费尽周折终于打听到江阳县的李宽原名就是李玨，而且他是位修炼人，六十岁时曾跟人学过些修炼之法。于是李玨便虔诚恭敬的前去拜访求教，希望能学到李宽的道术。李宽告诉他自己并没有什么高深的道术，只是把自己是如何的买卖粮食详细告诉了李玨。李玨听后，慨叹道：“这是平常人很难做到的，我积的德真的不如你啊！。”又说：“我这才知道，人世间的什么事全都有报应。一个人如果能够积德，即使贫贱，神明也会护佑他，而且会名列仙籍，以警示鼓励世人。”在李玨的再三恳求下，李宽又教了他一些修真养性的方法。
李宽后来活到一百多岁，身体仍非常轻快健康。有一天，他告诉子孙说：“我活在世上很多年了，虽然修真养性，但还是对你们没有好处。”在一天夜里，安然而逝。三天后，人们听到其棺材有裂开的声音，打开一看，李宽身上的衣带并没有解开，但人却凭空消失了。原来李宽已经尸解成仙了，想必是到宰相李玨向往的神仙洞府中去了吧。