Here is the exhaustive biography of the figure known in Koei games as Master Lao (南華老仙 / 南华老仙, Nán Huá Lǎo Xiān), the mysterious “Old Immortal from the South” who appears in Romance of the Three Kingdoms and is expanded in the Dynasty Warriors / Warriors Orochi series.
Contents
Romance of the Three Kingdoms Portrayal
In Chapter 1 of the novel an unnamed elderly hermit encounters Zhang Jue (Zhang Jiao) in a cave after Zhang and his brothers have failed the imperial examinations. The old man presents Zhang Jue with three volumes of the Taiping Jing (Scripture of Great Peace), declaring that the books contain the Way of Heaven and that if Zhang masters them he can become the teacher of emperors and save the world. When asked his name he replies only that he is “an old immortal from the southern lands” (南華老仙) and then vanishes. The gift of the scriptures becomes the foundation of Zhang Jue’s Way of Peace and the subsequent Yellow Turban Rebellion.
Later folk tradition (notably the second collection of Slapping the Table in Amazement) identifies this hermit with the immortal form of Zhuang Zhou (Zhuangzi). Koei’s English localizations combine the associations with both Laozi and Zhuangzi under the name “Master Lao.”
Role in Koei Games
In the games Master Lao is treated as a Mystic / immortal figure. He appears as an invincible tester in Dynasty Warriors 5: Xtreme Legends, challenging Zhang Jiao, Pang Tong and Zuo Ci with conjured soldiers, elemental hazards and phantom versions of famous warlords before bestowing the Way of Peace scriptures. He also features in later titles (Dynasty Warriors Vol. 2, Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends, Warriors Orochi series) as a mystical officer or temporary ally of the Mystic forces, sometimes under the constellation name Aquila.
Family, Friends and Enemies
Family: None recorded (immortal / fictional figure).
Principal recipient of his gift: Zhang Jue (Zhang Jiao).
Associated tradition: identified in folklore with Zhuangzi; named in Koei after both Laozi and Zhuangzi.
Master Lao (南華老仙) — Literary Timeline
c. 180s AD — Gift of the Taiping Jing
Encounter with Zhang Jue
Appears as an unnamed southern immortal, gives Zhang Jue the three volumes of the Taiping Jing, instructs him to study them diligently so that he may save the world, then vanishes. This act directly inspires the founding of the Way of Peace and the Yellow Turban Rebellion.
Historical Note
The “Old Immortal from the South” is a purely literary creation of Romance of the Three Kingdoms (and later folk elaboration). No historical individual by this title exists. The novel uses the brief, mysterious encounter to provide a supernatural origin for the Taiping Jing and Zhang Jue’s doctrines. Later tradition linked the figure to Zhuangzi; Koei further associated him with Laozi under the English name “Master Lao,” turning a one-scene literary device into a recurring Mystic-character archetype in the games.
Key Relationships
Family
- Li Zong (李宗, Lý Tông): Son (according to the Shiji). General in the State of Wei.
Friends
- Kong Qiu (Confucius) (孔丘, Khổng Tử): Revered philosopher who visited Laozi to inquire about ancient rituals and propriety (问礼于老子), famously praising Laozi as an ungraspable “Dragon.”
- Yin Xi (Yinxi) (尹喜, Doãn Hỉ): Guardian of the Hangu Pass who requested Laozi to write down his wisdom before departing to the west, resulting in the sacred Daoist text Tao Te Ching (道德经).
Enemies
- No information
Others
- Zhuangzi (庄周, Trang Chu): Successor of Daoist thought who expanded Laozi’s philosophy of non-action and harmony with nature.
In Novel
Chapter 1
- Master Lao (老子, Nam Hoa Lão Tiên): The immortal sage from Mount Hua who bestowed the three-volume Essential Art of Great Peace (Taiping Yaoshu) upon Zhang Jiao (张角, Trương Giác), commanding him to practice benevolence and save humanity while warning of divine retribution should he harbor treacherous intent.
In History
Summary
- Master Lao (老子, Nam Hoa Lão Tiên), traditionally identified as Laozi, is described in the Shiji as a native of Chu named Li Er who served as Keeper of the Archives of the Zhou court. He became the foundational figure associated with Daoist thought.
Historical Record
- Master Lao (老子, Nam Hoa Lão Tiên) is traditionally credited with composing the Daodejing after leaving the Zhou court. The Shiji records traditions about his departure through the Hangu Pass and states that his later whereabouts were unknown. The title “Nanhua Xianren” (南华老仙) is a later legendary designation and should not be treated as Laozi’s securely established historical title.
Gallery
