Guiguzi

Guiguzi is traditionally said to have been a transcendent recluse of the Warring States period who dwelled in the Ghost Valley (Guigu). His personal name was Wang Xu, and he possessed profound mastery over cosmology, mathematics, military science, diplomatic arts, and physiognomy. Renowned disciples such as Sun Bin, Pang Juan, Su Qin, and Zhang Yi are all traditionally believed to have studied under him; their mastery of vertical-and-horizontal alliance strategies profoundly shaped the political landscape of the Warring States era. The text Guiguzi stands as the canonical work of the Vertical and Horizontal Alliance School, while later generations of physiognomists, astrologers, and diviners also revere him as their founding master, praising his deep insight into human nature and his uncanny ability to foresee fortune and misfortune. The Shuilian Cave on Yunmeng Mountain is traditionally held to be the site where he taught; for centuries, literati and recluses have made pilgrimages there to pay homage, venerating him as the living embodiment of divine wisdom and strategic genius.