华先生讳佗字符化。性好恬淡。喜味方书。多游名山幽洞。往往有所遇。一日因酒息于公宜山古洞前。忽
闻人论疗病之法。先生讶其异。潜逼洞窃听。须臾有人云。华生在迩。术可付焉。复有一人曰。道生性贪。不
悯生灵。安得付也。先生不觉愈骇。跃入洞。见二老人。衣木皮。顶草冠。先生躬趋左右而拜曰。适闻贤者论
方术。遂乃忘归。况济人之道素所好为。所恨者未遇一法。可以施验。徒自不足耳。愿贤者少察愚诚。乞与
开悟。终身不负恩。首坐先生云。术亦不惜。恐异日与子为累。若无高下。无贫富。无贵贱。不务财贿。不惮劳
苦。矜老恤幼为急。然后可脱子祸。先生再拜谢曰。贤圣之语一一不敢忘。俱能从之。二老笑指东洞云。石
床上有一书函。子自取之。速出吾居。勿示俗流。宜秘密之。先生时得书。回首已不见老人。先生慑怯离洞。
忽然不见。云奔雨泻。石洞摧塌。既览其方论多奇怪。从兹施试效无不存神。先生未六旬。果为魏所戮。老
人之言预有斯验。余乃先生外孙也。因吊先生寝室。梦先生引余坐。语中藏经真活人法也。子可取之。勿
传非人。余觉惊怖不定。遂讨先生旧物。获石函一具。开之。得书一帙。乃中藏经也。予性拙于用。复授次子
思。因以志其实。甲寅秋九月序。（此序赵写本所无。似是后人伪作。姑附存之。）
Mr. Hua, whose given name was Tuo and courtesy name Yuanhua, had a nature that was tranquil and indifferent to fame and wealth. He enjoyed studying medical texts and prescriptions. He often traveled through famous mountains and secluded caves, where he frequently gained insights.
One day, while resting in front of an ancient cave on Gongyi Mountain after drinking wine, he suddenly heard people discussing methods for treating diseases. Mr. Hua was surprised by the unusual sound and stealthily approached the cave to eavesdrop. After a short while, someone said, "Hua Sheng is nearby; his medical skills can be passed on." Another person replied, "Daosheng [referring to Hua Tuo] has a greedy nature and does not pity living beings; how can they be passed on?" Hearing this, Mr. Hua became even more alarmed and leaped into the cave. There he saw two elderly men wearing clothes made of tree bark and hats woven from straw. Mr. Hua respectfully bowed before them and said, "I just heard the sages discussing medical prescriptions and techniques, so much so that I forgot to return home. Moreover, the way of saving people is something I have always loved and practiced. My only regret is that I have not encountered a method that can be applied and verified for efficacy, leaving me feeling inadequate. I hope the sages will consider my sincerity and grant me enlightenment. I will never fail to repay your kindness for the rest of my life."
The elder seated at the head said to Mr. Hua, "We do not begrudge passing on these skills, but we fear they may become a burden to you in the future. If you can treat all people without distinction of status, wealth, or nobility, if you do not seek material gain, if you are not afraid of hardship and toil, and if you prioritize compassion for the elderly and care for the young, then you may avoid disaster." Mr. Hua bowed again in gratitude and said, "I will not forget a single word of the sages' teachings and will abide by them all." The two elders smiled and pointed to the eastern cave, saying, "There is a book case on the stone bed. Take it yourself. Leave our dwelling quickly and do not show it to worldly people; keep it secret." When Mr. Hua obtained the book and looked back, the elders had vanished. Trembling with fear, he left the cave, but suddenly found himself alone amidst rushing clouds and pouring rain, as the stone cave collapsed.
Upon reviewing the prescriptions and theories, which were mostly strange and extraordinary, he subsequently applied them with such proficiency that every treatment yielded effective results. Before reaching sixty years of age, he was indeed executed by the state of Wei, fulfilling the prophecy of the old man. I am Mr. Hua's maternal grandson. While mourning in his former residence, I dreamed that he invited me to sit and said, "This is the true method of saving lives contained in the *Zhongzang Jing* (Classic of the Inner Organs). You should take it, but do not transmit it to unworthy persons." Upon waking, I was terrified and unsettled. I searched for Mr. Hua's old belongings and found a stone case. Opening it, I discovered a scroll, which was indeed the *Zhongzang Jing*. As I am naturally clumsy in utilizing this text, I passed it on to my second son, Si. Thus, I record the truth of these events. Preface written in the ninth month of autumn in the Jiayin year. (This preface is absent from the Zhao manuscript version and appears to be a later forgery; it is included here for preservation.)