In the deep mountain Taoist temple, which was surrounded by mist and like a paradise isolated from the world, there lived an old Taoist priest with an otherworldly and ethereal bearing. His religious name was Xuanfeng. He had spent his whole life in quiet cultivation, staying away from the hustle and bustle and disturbances of the mortal world. He devoted himself to studying Taoist doctrines, comprehending the mysteries of heaven and earth and nature, cultivating his moral character and body, hoping to achieve the extraordinary realm of unity with heaven and earth.

Old Taoist Xuanfeng had a thin face, but it exuded an air of firmness and serenity. His eyes were as deep as secluded pools, as if he could see through the rise and fall and reincarnation of all things in the world. His silver hair was neatly tied up at the back of his head. Although his Taoist robe was simple, it was clean and tidy. As he walked, his sleeves flapped gracefully, and every gesture and movement showed the unrestrained and indifferent elegance of Taoism. Over the years, with his profound Taoist attainments, he had prayed for blessings, eliminated disasters, answered questions and solved doubts for the surrounding people. He was highly respected and had left countless good karma in this area of mountains and waters.

However, time spares no one. Even a cultivator could hardly resist the invasion of illness. One day, after getting up in the morning and chanting scriptures, Old Taoist Xuanfeng suddenly felt dizzy and his body became weak and limp. He actually fell to the ground. His disciples were panic-stricken and hurriedly helped him back to his bed. Since then, the old Taoist had been lying sick in bed. This illness was like a dark cloud hanging over, plunging the whole Taoist temple into a state of anxiety.

The disciples rushed around, visiting all the famous doctors in the surrounding areas and bringing back one batch of good medicine after another. But no matter how they decocted and took the medicine, Old Taoist Xuanfeng's condition never improved. Instead, it became even more serious. His face was as pale as paper, his breath was weak, and his once lively eyes had lost their luster. He could only lie on the bed all day long, enduring the torture of the illness.

Just when everyone was feeling desperate, Old Taoist Xuanfeng didn't give up. With his tenacious will, during the intervals when he was conscious, he searched hard in his mind for a possible turning point. One day, he suddenly remembered an ancient Taoist scripture handed down from his ancestors. He had carefully treasured this scripture in the secret chamber of the Taoist temple and rarely showed it to others on ordinary days. It was said that the scripture recorded many mysterious Taoist spells and magic weapons. Perhaps he could find a way to cure himself.

With the help of his disciples, Old Taoist Xuanfeng managed to reach the secret chamber with difficulty. He tremblingly opened the dusty wooden box and took out the scripture. The pages of the scripture were yellowish, emitting a simple and ancient charm. The handwriting on it was vigorous, but also somewhat mysterious. The old Taoist carefully turned the pages one by one. Beads of sweat as big as beans rolled down from his forehead and dripped onto the pages, wetting a patch.

Finally, all his efforts paid off. He found four charms of different colors and painted with strange patterns in the interlayer of the scripture. They represented the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter respectively. These four charms were made of special materials. The spring charm was like tender green new leaves, full of vigorous vitality; the summer charm was like a fiery red sun, emitting intense energy; the autumn charm was like golden rice grains, containing the richness of harvest; the winter charm was like pure white snowflakes, bringing quiet tranquility. On the charms, complex and mysterious runes were drawn with cinnabar. Each rune seemed to be telling an ancient story and was closely connected with the seasonal changes and the mutual generation and restriction of the five elements in heaven and earth.

A glimmer of hope flashed in Old Taoist Xuanfeng's eyes. He knew deeply that this might be his last straw to clutch at. With the help of his disciples, he solemnly pasted the four charms on the wall in front of his bed. The spring charm was placed in the east, symbolizing vigorous growth and awakening the yang qi in the body; the summer charm was in the south, using its intense power to dispel the cold, damp and gloomy qi in the body; the autumn charm was in the west, relying on the richness of harvest to nourish the internal organs; the winter charm was in the north, using its quiet and tranquil state to harmonize the fatigue and restlessness of the body and mind.

Miraculously, since the charms were pasted, changes seemed to gradually occur in Old Taoist Xuanfeng's sickroom. The originally gloomy room, which was filled with the smell of medicine, began to let in wisps of faint light. It seemed that a fresh breath was flowing in the air, dispersing some of the dullness. The old Taoist lay quietly on the bed, closing his eyes and concentrating, feeling the mysterious power emitted by the charms.

At first, he only felt a warm current slowly rising from the soles of his feet, like the warm sun in spring, gently warming his limbs and bones, and dispelling the cold and illness in his body. Immediately afterwards, an intense energy converged in his abdomen, like the raging fire in summer, burning the turbid qi in his body, and gradually restoring some strength to his originally weak and powerless body. As time went by, a mellow nourishing power like the rich fruits in autumn spread from his chest to his whole body. It seemed that his internal organs had received a timely rain, becoming smoother and his complexion also began to improve. Finally, a quiet and peaceful breath like the snowflakes in winter gently fell, calming the anxiety in his heart and the restlessness brought by the illness, making his state of mind clearer and more ethereal.

Under the protection of the four-season charms, Old Taoist Xuanfeng's condition miraculously improved gradually. His complexion gradually became ruddy, his breath became more stable and powerful, and he was able to sit up slowly. He could even walk a few steps with the help of his disciples. The whole Taoist temple was in an uproar. The disciples were overjoyed at their master's recovery and were even more amazed at the magical four-season charms.

After his body had fully recovered, Old Taoist Xuanfeng summoned his disciples in front of him and earnestly told them the mystery of the four-season charms: "Disciples, these four-season charms were created by our Taoist predecessors based on the laws of heaven and earth and nature and the theory of the mutual generation and restriction of the five elements in the human body. The human body is like a small world, closely related to the changes of the four seasons and the operation of the five elements. Spring gives birth, summer makes things grow, autumn harvests and winter stores. The four-season charms conform to the laws of nature and act on the internal organs of the human body respectively, harmonizing yin and yang, dredging qi and blood, and expelling pathogenic factors, thus ensuring good health and peace throughout the four seasons. This is the exquisite embodiment of the Taoist thought of conforming to nature and the unity of heaven and earth. You must keep it in mind."

After hearing this, the disciples nodded one after another, having a deeper understanding of the profoundness of Taoism. Since then, they studied and practiced Taoist doctrines more diligently, hoping to inherit the wisdom of Taoism and use what they had learned to help more people. And the legendary experience of Old Taoist Xuanfeng also quietly spread among the surrounding villages and Taoist temples, making more people know about the magical life-saving method of the Taoist "four-season charms" and the great power of conforming to nature and protecting life behind it.

As the years passed slowly, Old Taoist Xuanfeng still devoted himself to cultivation in the Taoist temple. He often meditated in front of the four four-season charms, grateful for the kindness left by the Taoist predecessors. Whenever believers came to seek the Tao and ask for medical advice, he would tell the story of the four-season charms in a vivid way, advising people to revere nature, cherish life, cultivate their moral character and body, and follow the way of heaven and earth, so that life could bloom in the embrace of nature. And those four four-season charms also became the treasures of the Taoist temple, being carefully kept and passed down from generation to generation, continuing to write the legendary chapter of Taoism protecting life and conforming to nature.