Fountain, I think if Buddhists claimed to be 800, it's probably a fallacy. There's a difference between the Taoist practice of Qi where the concentration is focused on the physical and mental and the Buddhists who are primarily concerned with the spiritual. Dead Qi Gong masters, as described in the book, are still able to heal people of disease in much the same way as Catholic saints, when the are petitioned to do so. And many dead Qi Gong masters do not suffer physical corruption after death. This concept of the power of Qi and immortality fascinates me. I can only wonder what kills these men? The author doesn't mention it, but if that hurdle could be overcome, Qi might proove a useful tool in achieving physical immortality.
Taoism and Buddhism are intrinsically linked. Their culture historically bound. At some historical point Buddhism did branch out into different teachings but essentially taoism co-evolved with Buddhism, just as did certain martial arts practices, such as tai chi chuan.When I say 'Buddhist monk' I do not necessarily imply those concerned primarily with the spiritual. I mean a wide array of things. Shaolin monks are a good example of this co-factor.
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