Lijia Dao (李家道, Way of the Li Family) was one of the oldest schools of religious Daoism[broken anchor] and was popular throughout South China during the Six Dynasties (220-589).

Mainstream Daoist schools denounced the Way of the Li Family as heterodox, particularly for its charlatan healers who claimed extraordinary longevity.

They occur in a context (chapter 9, Daoyi 道意The Meaning of "the Way") where Ge argued against many ancient customs of Chinese folk religion, including shamanism and sacrifices.

The first contrasts heterodox yaodao (妖道, "demonic cults") that sacrificed animals to gods believed to enjoy their blood with the Daoist Lijia dao (李家道) that prepared profligate chu "Kitchen" communal banquets.

The first passage about the Lijia dao praises the Daoist school for not practicing blood sacrifice but blames it for holding extravagant communal feasts.

There are more than a hundred bogus Ways (yaodao 妖道) that rely on slaughtering living things and feeding their blood [to ghosts and spirits].

[11] It was the northern emigration and the establishment of the Eastern Jin that made it socially respectable for the southern aristocracy to take up the Way of the Celestial Master and make it their own.

"[5] The second Baopuzi passage describes the founder of the Lijia dao, the diviner Li A who came from the western state of Shu (Sichuan Province).

[12]James R. Ware translates yaodao as "ways for dealing with demons", fushi as "good-luck food", and Babaisui gong as "Sir Eight Hundred".

People "flocked to his door in droves", and Li Kuan had almost a thousand disciples, whom he instructed in simple practices such as using holy water and magic amulets, daoyin calisthenics, and xingqi (行氣, "breath circulation"), but not the esoteric techniques of bigu fasting and Daoist alchemical elixirs necessary for achieving longevity and xian transcendence.

Ge Hong said he was "personally acquainted with many" witnesses who attended his healing rituals, and they were "unanimous in saying that he was weak with old age and emaciated", was frail and toothless, had bad eyesight and hearing, and becoming senile.

Li Kuan contracted the epidemic disease, and announced that he would enter his lu (廬, "hut, Daoist meditation room") in order to fast and purify himself, whereupon he died.

Ge concludes by explaining, I have taken the trouble to discuss Li Kuan at length because his pupils are maintaining his tradition, their teachings filling the land south of the Yangtze.

Normally, roughly a thousand persons, not realizing that Li Kuan's methods are too shallow to be followed, do accept and observe them in the hope of attaining [Daoist transcendence].

[14] The subsequent Baopuzi context gives several stories about yinsi (淫祀, "excessive cults") worshipping popular but illegitimate gods, borrowed word-for-word from the 195 Fengsu Tongyi.

Zhang Zhu (張助) was a farmer from Runan Commandery (present-day Henan) who found a plum pit while working in his field, decided to plant it at home later, and placed it in the hollow of a mulberry tree, but forgot to take it with him.

This had been going on for several years when Zhang Zhu returned from his travels, saw the busy shrine and exclaimed "This is only the plum tree I placed here long ago.

The Baopuzi also mentions Gu Qiang as a Daoist herbology practitioner who appeared to be a healthy eighty-year-old and faults him for pretending to be thousands of years old.

The early Celestial Master community collected donations of rice from its practitioners and fed the needy; Li A begged in the Chengdu marketplace and gave all the proceeds to the poor.

Most of Li Babai's account centers around testing his future disciple Tang Gongfang (唐公房) to determine if he was worthy of teaching.

When Li pretended to be sick and near death, Tang hired a doctor and spent "several hundred thousand" pieces of cash trying to heal his servant, who had "disgusting sores [that] oozed blood and pus, and no one could bear to go near him."

"His body resembled congealed fat [ningzhi 凝脂 "smooth, soft, and creamy skin"] and he bore no trace of illness".

Li then instructed Tang, his wife, and the three maidservants to bathe in the remaining liquor, "they all reverted to youth, their countenances perfect and pleasing."

In the region between Zhongzhou (中州) and Jianye (建鄴), he healed the sick with ghostly methods (guidao 鬼道) and invested people with official appointments.

dizi 弟子) Li Hong (李弘), who assembled followers on Mount Xin (灊山), proclaimed: "According to a prophecy I shall be King (yingchan dang wang 應讖當王).

[24] The Northern Wei court's Celestial Master Kou Qianzhi wrote the 415 Laojun yinsong jiejing (老君音誦誡經),[25] that denounced diviners who called themselves Li and abused the people.