Lü Dongbin is a legendary Chinese scholar and poet who lived during the Tang dynasty whose lifetime supposedly spanned two hundred and twenty years.

Lü Dongbin is usually portrayed as a scholarly, clever man with a genuine desire to help people obtain wisdom/enlightenment and to learn the Tao.

He dreamed that he took the imperial exam and excelled, and thus was awarded a prestigious office and soon promoted to the position of vice minister (侍郎 shìláng).

The characters from his dream were actually played by Zhongli Quan in order to make him realize that one should not put too much importance on transient glory and success.

In volume 82 of Song dynasty scholar Li Fang's Extensive Records of the Taiping Era, an earlier version of the story, Lü Dongbin was replaced by Student Lu (盧生 Lú Shēng), and Zhongli Quan by Elder Lü (呂翁 Lǚ Wēng).

But Lü was not too fond of the secret and instead changed his formula for inner peace and benefits more human beings; many until today practiced such path to immortals.

According to the official history of the Song dynasty (宋史), Lü was seen several times visiting the house of Chen Tuan (陳摶), who was believed to be the first person to present to the public the Taijitu.

One day, Xiaotian Quan fell into the mortal realm as punishment and was captured by humans and sold at a dog meat shop.

that the original proverb should actually be "狗咬呂洞賓，不識好人心," stemming from a story about the friendship between the Dog and Lü Dongbin, who both did for the other great favors, each of which seemed like a disservice initially, signifying the importance of having faith in one's friends.

[citation needed] According to Richard Wilhelm, Lü was the founder of the School of the Golden Elixir of Life (Jin Dan Jiao), and originator of the material presented in the book Tai Yi Jin Hua Zong Zhi (太一金華宗旨), or "The Secret of the Golden Flower".

Lü Dongbin replied to his teacher that he'll fly to heaven only after he enlightens all the sentient beings on earth (another story says all his relatives).

According to the book The Eight Immortals Achieving the Tao (八仙得道摶), in his previous incarnation, Lü Dongbin was a Taoist master and the teacher of Zhongli Quan.

[3] One of the most popular of Lü Dongbin's legends is his encounter with a prostitute named White Peony (Bai Mudan).

Unfortunately, Lu's immortal colleague Iron-Crutch Li and He Xiangu taught Mudan how to make him ejaculate by tickling his groin.

One day the immortal Lü Dongbin transforms himself into a handsome scholar and tries to advise the famous prostitute White Peony.

White Peony is very sorry about his condition and calls a doctor using her money (despite her pimp's grumbling, who incites her to throw the sick Lü to the road).

[9] Lü Dongbin Drunk at Yueyang Tower Three Times is a well-known Chinese Taoist tale often depicted in plays, novels, and other forms of art.

The story recounts that Lü Dongbin visited Yueyang Tower and met the willow spirit, who wanted to become a god but was trapped in a wooden body.

Lü Dongbin told the willow spirit to be reborn as a human, promising to return and help him after thirty years.

In the century after the 1840s, additional temples were founded which organized Fuji (planchette writing) seances, festivals for the birthdays of the gods, death rituals, and running schools, clinics, and disaster relief.