Jie Yan’s Invisibility: Mysterious Daoist and His Vanishing Act

Explore the enigmatic tale of Jie Yan, a Daoist master with the power of invisibility, and his encounters with Sun Quan in ancient China.

Jie Yan, of unknown origin, resided in Fangshan County of Jian’an. He studied the Daoist arts of Xuan Yi Wu Wei under his teacher, the Daoist master Baiyang Gong Du. He possessed the ability to transform and become invisible. Once, he traveled to Donghai County and, upon his return, temporarily stayed in Moling, where he had interactions with the ruler of Wu, Sun Quan. Sun Quan invited Jie Yan to stay and even built a palace for him. Within a single day, Sun Quan sent messengers multiple times to inquire about Jie Yan’s well-being. At times, Jie Yan would transform into a child, while at other times, he would appear as an old man. He neither ate nor drank and refused any gifts or offerings. Sun Quan sought to learn his magical arts, but due to the presence of numerous concubines in Sun Quan’s palace, Jie Yan refrained from teaching him for several months. This angered Sun Quan, who ordered Jie Yan to be bound and shot with arrows by his soldiers. However, when the arrows were shot, the ropes that bound Jie Yan remained, but Jie Yan himself had disappeared without a trace.

《介琰隐形》

介琰者，不知何许人也。住建安方山，从其师白羊公杜受玄一无为之道。能变化隐形。尝往来东海，暂过秣陵，与吴主相闻。吴主留琰，乃为琰架宫庙。一日之中，数遣人往问起居。琰或为童子，或为老翁，无所食啖，不受饷遗。吴主欲学其术，琰以吴主多内御，积月不教。吴主怒，敕缚琰，着甲士引弩射之。弩发，而绳缚犹存，不知琰之所之。