Mr. Hongya is also known as “Mr. Hongya” or “Mr. Hong,” that is, Qingcheng Zhenren. The Zhenhao says: “Mr. Hongya is now Qingcheng Zhenren, and his tomb is in Wuwei.” According to legend, he was the music official of Emperor Xuanyuan, named Linglun, who later cultivated the Dao and became immortal. The Mu Shi Chun Qiu · Gu Yue (Mu Shi Spring and Autumn · Ancient Music) says that he once made music for the Yellow Emperor. So he walked from the west of Daxia to the foot of Kunlun Mountain, distinguished the twelve notes according to the calls and chirps of the phoenix, and later cast twelve bells to harmonize the five notes and perform Ying Shao. The Lie Xian Quan Zhuan (Complete Biography of the Immortals) says that he became an immortal after cultivating the Dao, and was respectfully called “Mr. Hongya”. It also says that he was already 3,000 years old during the reign of Emperor Yao, and was still alive during the Han Dynasty. He often played chess with the immortal Wei Shuqing at the top of Zhongnan Mountain to while away the time. In the poem “A Visit to the Immortals” by the Jin Dynasty poet Guo Pu, it is said: “He gave a left wave to Fu Qiu's sleeve, and a right pat to Hong Ya's shoulder.” He hoped to share longevity with the immortals. Later, he lived on Mount Hua, and after the immortal Wei Shuqing attained immortality by taking mica, he played with him on the summit of Mount Hua. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty once sent an emissary, Liang Bo, and Wei Dushi (Wei Shuqing's son) to find Wei Shuqing. When they arrived at Mount Hua, they saw Wei Shuqing playing chess with the immortals Hongya, Xu You, Chao Fu, Tai Xuan Gong, Fei Huang Zi, Wang Zi Jin and Xue Jiao at the foot of the steep cliffs. Ban Gu's “Xijing Han” from the Eastern Han Dynasty says that he often wore clothes made of delicate feathers.
During the Han Dynasty, it was generally believed that Mr. Hongya was one of the immortals with a higher status. According to Liang Tao Hongjing's “Zhenhao”, he later lived in Qingcheng Mountain, Sichuan, and was the “Qingcheng Dongzhen”. After taking the flowers of the Langqi tree, he ascended to immortality and left. Tao Hongjing's “Zhenling Weiye Map” listed him as the “Qingcheng Zhenren”, and later Taoism has been called him this way.
There is also a legend about Mr. Hongya, which says that he once lived in seclusion on Xishan in Yuzhang County. This mountain is also known as “Fulongshan” and “Sanyuan Mountain”. Since Mr. Hongya once lived on this mountain, it is also called “Hongyashan”. In the ninth year (589) of Emperor Wen of Sui's Kaihuang period (581-601), Yuzhang County was also renamed Hongzhou for this reason. There is an alchemy well on the mountain, also known as “Hongjing”. There is an ancient altar above the well, where Mr. Hongya used to refine elixirs and pray during times of drought. When a red snake appears in the well, it means heavy rain is coming. One li north of the well, on the gravel, there are five mortars, each about two feet in diameter and height, and red in color, where Mr. Hongya pounded and refined the elixir. The “Complete Library of Ancient and Modern Books” says that after his elixir was ready, he rode on a donkey with a snow spirit and rose into the clouds from among the maple trees. Later, it was said that when he plucked a hair from the Luo's tail, it would snow heavily for one zhang. Two li to the south of the alchemy well is Luan Hill, where Hongya took a ride on the Luanfeng. There was originally a Taoist temple called Luan Mountain Temple next to Luan Hill, but it is now in ruins.

 洪崖先生又称“洪涯先生”、“洪先生”，即青城真人，《真诰》云：“洪崖先生，今为青城真人，墓在武威。”相传为轩辕黄帝的乐官，名伶伦，后来修道成仙。《目氏春秋·古乐》称其曾为黄帝作律，于是他从大夏之西走到昆仑山脚下，根据凤凰的叫鸣区别了十二律，后铸十二钟，以和五音，以施英韶。《列仙全传》则称其修道成仙，被尊称为“洪崖先生”，并称帝尧时已经有三千岁，汉朝时仍在，尝与仙人卫叔卿在终南山巅下棋遣兴。晋人郭璞《游仙诗》中说：“左揖浮丘袖，右拍洪崖肩。”希望能与仙人共享长寿。后居华山，仙人卫叔卿服食云母得道成仙后，其与之在华山之巅戏游。汉武帝曾派使者梁伯与卫度世(卫叔叔卿之子)寻找卫叔卿。二人来到华山，见卫叔卿与陡峭的山崖下与洪崖先生、许由、巢父、太玄公、飞黄子、王子晋、薛窖诸仙下棋遣兴。东汉班固《西京喊》称其常身披纤丽羽毛之衣。
汉时一般认为洪崖先生是众仙真中地位较高的一位。梁陶弘景《真诰》记载，他后来居四川青城山，为“青城洞真”，服食琅玡树花之后，登仙而去。陶弘景《真灵位业图》中列为“青城真人”，后道教一直以此称其。
关于洪崖先生还有一种传说，称其曾隐居于豫章郡境内的西山。此山又称“伏龙山”、“散原山”。因洪崖先生曾居此山，故又“称洪崖山”。隋文帝开皇(581—601年)九年(589年)还因此改豫章郡为洪州。山上有一炼丹井，又称“洪井”。井上方有古坛，洪崖先生曾于此炼丹，岁旱之时，在此祈祷。井内即有红蛇浮出水面，即到天阵大雨。井北一里之外的沙石上，有五只春臼，直径、高度皆二尺许，色如丹砂，是洪崖先生捣研丹药之处。《古今图书集成》称其丹成之后，连跨自驴雪精从枫树丛中升云而去。后来人们传说他的自驴精拔毛一根，天即大雪达一丈。在炼丹井的南面二里的地方还有鸾冈，是洪崖先生乘鸾凤休自的地方。鸾冈旁边原来还有一所道观，名“鸾山观”，今已荒废。