kitsune stories 1

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Kitsune Stories:

A Past-Life Debt

Crossed OutJiang Ting, a cloth peddler, had a spotted dog that followed him everywhere. One day he

happened to be walking alone when an old man accosted him. I dont know you, Jiang

said. Why do you stop me? The old man knelt and kowtowed, then replied, I am a

fox. In my past life I killed you. Because of this, in three days you will send your dog tobreak my throat with its teeth. I cannot escape, for this has been predetermined in the

underworld. However, it occurs to me that it has been over a hundred years since I have

killed you. I have degenerated into a fox, and you have been reborn as a man. You canget no benefits by chasing and killing a fox. In addition, you do not remember how you

were killed in your past life, so you will not get any pleasure out of killing a fox. I am

willing to give my daughter to you if you spare my life. Will you accept my offer?

I dare not let a fox into my house, Jiang responded, nor will I take a girl against herwill. I am willing to spare you, but who can guarantee that my dog will never attack

you? The old man replied, You only have to write a note saying you agree to overlook

the past-life debt owed to you by so-and-so. After I show the note to the god of theunderworld, the dog will not bite me anymore. As long as a victim agrees to forget past

grievances, the gods will not raise any objection. Jiang happened to have some paper and

a writing brush with him to keep accounts, so he wrote a note there and then. The old mantook the note and went away in jubilation.

Seven or eight years afterward, Jiang, out on a trading ship, was crossing a big river whena storm rose. In the critical moment the sail could not be lowered, so that the boat was

about to be overturned in the violent wind. Just then a man was seen climbing swiftly upthe mast, broke the rope, and leapt onto the sail, riding it down to the deck. From a

distance, Jiang seemed to recognize the old fox he had met before, but in the twinkling of

an eye the old man was gone.

On hearing this story, everyone praises the fox for returning the favor he had received, butI have a different opinion. How could to fox, who was unable to save his own life, have

gone a thousand li to rescue someone else? The gods must have increased Jiang Tings

lease on life to reward to reward him for sparing the old fox, who was then dispatched to

come to his rescue.

A Peasant WomanSaves a Fox

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One evening the two dogs kept at a peasant's house suddenly started barking fiercely, but

there was no one in sight when the wife went out to take a look. Then she heard a voice

coming from the roof, "I can't go down because of your ferocious dogs. A run-away maidhas hid herself in your stove. Please take the trouble to drive her out by smoke." When

the startled woman went back into the room, she heard sobbing in the stove and asked that

it was and why it had come. "My name is Luyun," came the answer in a whisper. "I was ahouse maid of that fox. As I could not bear his flogging, I've run away so that I can live a

few more days. Please take pity on me." The peasant woman happened to be a Buddhist

believer who often practiced abstinence from meat. Moved by pity, she went out andshouted to the rooftop, "She is too afraid to come out, and I can't bring myself to smoke

her. Please have mercy and let her go if her offense is not too serious." The voice on the

roof shot back, "I just bought her for two thousand coins. How can I let her go for

nothing?" "Can I buy her for two thousand coins then?" asked the peasant woman. "Allright," the fox on the roof said after a pause. The peasant woman took the money and

threw it to the rooftop, then went inside to knock on the stove. "Come out, Luyun. I have

paid your master for your freedom." "Thank you for saving my life," said the voice in the

stove. "From now on I will put myself at your service." "How can humans employ a fox-maid?" responded the peasant woman. "You'd better take leave. Take care to conceal

yourself, or the children would be scared." Then she saw a black creature dash out of thestove and vanish in the twinkling of the eye. After that, the peasant woman never spent a

New Year's Day without hearing a voice outside the window, "Luyun has come to kowtow

to you!"

FOX THIEFby Pu Songling

A family in Nanyang, Henan, with the surname E knew there was a fox spirit in their

home as the familys jewelry and other objects were often stolen. If the family did notallow it to do what it liked, it would simply make more trouble.

Mr. E had a grandson named Ji who burned incense to pray to the fox spirit not to maketrouble, but his efforts were in vain. He also begged the fox spirit not to stay at his

grandfathers home and invited it to his home, but still the fox spirit refused him. People

laughed at him, but Ji reasoned: Foxes are very fickle, so they must have some humannature. I would like to guide them and make them behave better. Every few days, he

would pray in Es house. Though there were no visible results, the fox spirit did stop

making trouble whenever Ji came. So Mr. E often asked Ji to stay for the night. At night, Ji

looked at the sky and more sincerely invited the fox spirit to come and meet him.One day Ji sat alone in his study. Suddenly the door opened on its own. Ji stood up in

the proper way of greeting a visitor and said: Is that you, Brother Fox? His question wasmet by silence. Another night, the door opened again. Ji said: If you are here, BrotherFox, why dont you come out since I have invited you so many times? Again there was

only silence, but the money Ji had put on the desk was no longer there in the morning. In

the evening, Ji put more money on the desk. At midnight, there was a sound from the bednet. Ji asked: Are you here now> I have prepared some money for you. I am not rich but

not tight-fisted either. If you need money, please tell me straight forward. Why do you

have to steal it? Still some of the money disappeared. Ji left the remaining money in the

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same place, but for several days, it stayed where it was. Ji had cooked a chicken to be used

to entertain some guests and it disappeared. In the evening, Ji put out some wine, but the

fox spirit did not show up and take it. The E house was still troubled by thefts. Ji wentthere to pray again, saying: I have prepared some money for you, but you did not take it. I

have prepared some wine for you and you didnt drink it. My grandfather is old and weak.

Please do not come to his place to make any more trouble. I shall prepare some small giftsand please help yourself to them tonight. Then he put some money, wine and some

chicken on the desk. Ji slept next to the gifts. For the whole night, there was not a single

sound, and the money and food were untouched. The fox spirit did not make any troubleafter that.

One evening when Ji reached home, he found a pot of wine on the desk in his study, a

plate of chicken and some money tied with a red string. He knew these were from the fox

spirit. The wine smelled good, but it was green. Ji was half drunk after he finished the potof wine. Then he was struck by a greedy idea and felt compelled to steal something. He

went outside and decided to go to the home of a rich family in the village. He climbed over

the wall into the courtyard. Though the wall was tall, Ji jumped over it easily, as if he had

a pair of wings. In the house, he took fur coats and gold objects, which he left at hisbedside in his study when he went to sleep. During the day, he took the stolen objects into

his bedroom. His wife was surprised to see them and asked him where he had got them. Hetold her the exciting story, but his wife was frightened, saying: Youve always been

honest and straightforward, how come you have become a thief? Ji was at ease and did

not find his behavior strange. He told her about his good relationship with the fox spirit. It

then dawned on his wife who said: The wine you drank must have poisons from the foxspirit! She remembered that cinnabar could help rid a person of such poisons. She

crushed some and put it in wine for Ji to dink. A little while later, Ji shouted suddenly:

How could I have stolen these things? His wife explained what had happened to himpatiently and Ji seemed at a loss as what to do. He heard the news about the rich man being

robbed. Everyone in the village knew the story. Ji had no appetite for food or drink. Hiswife worked out a plan and told him to throw the stolen objects into the rich familyscourtyard at night. Ji did according to his wifes suggestion and the situation calmed down

after the rich family found their stolen objects had been returned.

That year saw Ji finishing first in the imperial exams and winning a special reward for his

good behavior and morality. On the day the award was granted, a poster appeared on ahigh beam of a building in the government office announcing: Mr. Ji was a thief. He stole

a fur coat and golden objects form a rich family. How can he be regarded as a well-

behaved person? The beam was very tall and the poster could not have been put up by aman, even standing on his toes. This poster was taken down and shown to Ji, who was

surprised. He thought that apart from his wife nobody knew about this. Besides, no human

beings could enter the heavily guarded government office and put up the poster. Herealized it must be the doing of the fox spirit. He told the entire story. The government

encouraged him again by granting him another award for his honesty.

Ji thought he had never harmed the fox sprit, but the fox spirit often made trouble forhim. It must be the case that a lowly person intending to harm Ji was too ashamed to do it

himself and so he had to fox spirit do it for him.

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Playing a Trick on

OneselfA scholar of Dongcang prefecture was traveling one night in open country when he caughtsight of a magnificent mansion. This should be the site of a family grave, Dongwondered. Where did this house come from? Maybe it has been conjured up by foxes.

As he had read many stories about a young scholar meeting and marrying a lovely fox-

woman, he expected the same to happen to himself and he slowed his pace. After a whilea team of carriages came up from the west, the people all resplendently clad. A middle-

aged woman lifted the window curtain and pointed at the scholar, That is a nice young

man. We can invite him in. Stealing a glance into the carriage, the scholar wasoverjoyed to see a maiden as beautiful as a fairy seated at the back. The carriages drove

into the house, and then out came two maids to the scholar with the hosts invitation.

Convinced that he was meeting a host of foxes, the scholar entered without asking thehosts name. A sumptuous feast was laid out, but the host did not appear at once. Hisheart pounding with anticipation, the scholar waited anxiously for the moment to enter the

bridal room with the fox-maiden. In the evening the air was filled with the sound of gongs

and drums as well as wind instruments. Lifting the door curtain, an old man came in abowed to the scholar with clasped hands. The bridegroom has finally arrived. As a

scholar you must be familiar with the procedures of a wedding ceremony. My family is

honored to have you as the best man. The scholar was sorely disappointed on hearingthis. Since no one had promised to marry the maiden to him, he could find no excuse to

refuse to be the best man, especially after his carousing at the feast. After going through

the wedding procedures as fast as he could, he took his leave in low spirits. His family

was looking for him all over the place since he had failed to return for the night. When hedescribed what had happened to him indignantly, the listeners all burst out laughing. One

of them said, You cannot blame the foxes for playing a trick on you, for it was you who

played a trick on yourself!When Dong Qiuyuan finished his story, I told mine. A man named Li Erhun, who could

not make ends meet, left for the capital to make a living. When he met a young woman

riding a donkey along the way, he went up to her and tried to make her talk by teasing andjoking. The woman did not look offended but simply ignored him. The following day

they met again on the road. Throwing a bundle wrapped with a handkerchief, she called

back, I will stop in Guan County tonight. Li opened the bundle to find a few pieces ofjewelry inside. He had just run out of money to pay for his trip, so he took the jewelry to a

nearby pawnshop. It turned out that these had just been stolen from the shop. Tied up andflogged, Li had no choice but to plead guilty to the theft. At the end of the story, I

remarked that Li Erhun was indeed the victim of a hoax played by the fox. Dong Quiyuandisagreed. If he had not made passes at the young woman, would he have suffered such

consequences? I would still say he played the trick on himself.

Punished by a Fox for Making a

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Pass at His WifeThere was a merchant who was on good terms with a fox and often visited his house on

incitation. The house looked nothing out of the ordinary, but if the man turned to look after

walking out the gate, it would no longer be there. One evening the fox invited him home to

drink wine and had his wife fill the cups for them. She was exceedingly beautiful. A bitdrunk, the merchant lost his head and put out his hand to pinch her on the wrist. The fox-

woman threw a glance at her husband, who smiled and went on chatting as if he were not

in the least offended.

After that the merchant returned to his inn. One early morning his wife suddenly arrivedon a donkey, with a house servant holding the halter. She had traveled overnight on this

borrowed donkey after getting an urgent message about him suffering a stroke. The

astonished merchant concluded an acquaintance of his must have been playing a prank onhim. As there was no room at the inn to put up his wife, he wanted to have the servant take

her back, but found out the servant had already left. There was less than a days trip to his

home, so he decided to take his wife home on the donkey himself. On their way a young

man passing them on the road stroked the woman on her foot. When she swore at himangrily, he apologized with a lascivious leer and went on the make some lewd remarks.

Incensed, the merchant engaged him in a fistfight. As the startled donkey ran down a side

road and disappeared into a sorghum field, the merchant let go of the young man to run inpursuit of his wife. After going for a distance he found the donkey caught in a mud pool,

but his wife was out of sight. He searched up and down the place until daybreak, when he

rode the donkey home, intending to think up a way to find his wife on his return. He hadgone only a few li when someone at the roadside called out, The thief is here! This was a

crowd from a nearby village hunting for a donkey stolen the night before. The merchant

was caught, tied up and given a sound beating. Thanks to an acquaintance that pleaded onhis behalf, the merchant was set free at last. Crestfallen, he returned home to find his wife

spinning threads. When asked about what had happened the night before, she stared at himblankly, not knowing what he was talking about. It dawned upon him that the woman, thehouse servant and the young man on the road had all been the fox in disguise; only the

donkey had appeared to him in its true identity. Though the fox was rather vindictive in his

retaliation, the merchant could blame no one but himself.

Reap the WhirlwindA few tumbledown houses on Yuhuangmiao road outside Fengyi Gate, locked and kept

vacant for a long time, were said to have a fox living inside. A scholar from Jianxi who

had passed the provincial examination arrived in the capital with a few friends to take themetropolitan examination. After they failed, they decided to stay in the capital to review

their lessons until the examination opened again. They took lodgings near the haunted

houses because the place was very quiet. One day the scholar saw a lovely young woman

standing in the porch. An intrepid young man, he was not at all afraid though he knew thismust be the fox-woman. At dusk he went to bow before the ill-reputed houses and mad a

few lascivious remarks. That night he heard rustling in the dark. Knowing it was the fox-

woman, he put out his arm and pulled her onto his bed. The woman threw herself into his

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arms, and they made love passionately until he was utterly exhausted. When the rising

moon shone in through the window, the scholar found himself looking at a gray-haired,

dark-faced old hag. Who are you? he asked in dismay. Looking unashamed, shereplied, I am an old fox who used to live in the gate tower. My mistress disliked me for

being hoggish and lazy, so she drove me to the broken house on this street. I lived alone

for many years and no one ever took notice of me. Then you come along and take a fancyin me, so I have put my coyness aside and dedicated myself to you. Enraged, the scholar

slapped her face hard and looked around for a rope, intending to tie her up and give her a

severe beating. Awakened by the grappling noise, his friends rushed over to hisassistance. The old fox freed herself from his grip and escaped by breaking through a

window.

The next evening the old woman sat under the eaves and called to the scholar in a gentle

voice. As he began to swear, a flying tile struck him on the head. Another night he wasgoing to bed when he found her stark naked inside the mosquito net, waving and smiling at

him. He drew his sword to stab her, and she went away weeping. For fear that the fox

would hassle him nonstop, the scholar quickly found another residence for himself. When

he was taking leave in his carriage, the charming young woman he had seen several daysbefore walked out of the house. He immediately sent a servant to find out about her. She

turned out to be the landlords niece. A few days before she had come out of the house tobuy rogue and powder.

THE FOX SPIRITby Pu Songling

Wang Muzhen was from a rich family in Mengyin County, Shandong. When he was

visiting Zhejiang one day, he found an old lady crying by the roadside and went up to find

out why. She said: Before my husbands death we had a son who is now imprisoned for

committing a crime. Who can help him?Wang Muzhen had always wanted to help people so he memorized the name of her son.

He used his money to facilitate things and her son was acquitted and released. When theman came out of prison and learned how Wang Muzhen had saved his life, he could not

understand why Wang had done so. He went to visit Wang at his hotel, thanked him and

asked why. Wang Muzhen said: I helped you because I pitied your mother.The man was surprised, saying: My mother died years ago.

Now it was Wang Muzhen who was surprised. In the evening, the old lady came and

Wang Muzhen asked her why she had told a lie. She said: To be honest, I am a fox from

the East Mountain and had a one-night affair with the mans father twenty years ago. I didnot want to see my one-night husbands son die.

Wang was impressed by her loyalty and before he could ask any more questions, she haddisappeared.Wang Muzhens wife was a king-hearted woman and a Buddhist disciple. She was so

pious that she did not drink nor had meat. She put aside a room, kept it clean and had a

portrait of the Goddess of Mercy hung on the wall. Since she had given birth to no son, sheprayed in the room all day long. The goddess often helped people, instructing Wangs wife

to avoid disasters and so the family lived in harmony and peace. In fact, whatever the wife

did, she did according to the will of the goddess. Later the woman had fallen ill seriously.

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She has a bed moved into the prayer room, put aside another set of bedding in the same

room and had the door locked, as if she was waiting to share the room with somebody else.

Wand could not understand what was going on, but since his wife was very ill, he did notwant to press her for an answer.

His wife lay in bed for two years. Afraid of any sound, she insisted that she would sleep

all by herself. She was, however, often heard talking with somebody inside the prayerroom. When her room was opened, Wang found no one except his wife. Wangs wife had

a daughter fourteen years old, and in her sick bed, she urged her husband to marry their

daughter off. When she was married, Wangs wife held his hand and said: Im going todie now. When I first got sick, the Goddess of Mercy told me that I wouldnt have much

tie. At the time, I was worried about our daughters marriage, so the goddess gave me

some medicine to prolong my life. Last year, before the goddess left for the South Sea, she

left her maid Xiaomei to look after me. Im unfortunate person and will die soon, withoutgiving birth to a son for you. But I love Baor. I am afraid after my death, you will marry

again and your wife may not be kind enough to Baor and his mother. Since Xiaomei is

beautiful and kind, please take her as your step-wife.

Wang Muzhen had a concubine who had given birth to a boy named Baor. Wang Muzhenfound his wifes words very strange, so he said: Youve been very devoted to the

Goddess of Mercy and is what youve said just now a disrespect?His wife said: Xiaomei has been with me for more than a year, we are close and know

each other extremely well. Ive asked her to marry you.

Wang Muzhen asked: Where is Xiaomei, then?

His wife said: Dont you see she is right in this room?Before he could ask again, his wife was already dead.

That night, Wang kept vigil for his wife and suddenly heard somebody sobbing, which

greatly alarmed him as he thought there must be a ghost. He had his wifes room unlockedand saw a beautiful girl about fifteen or sixteen years old wearing a mourning dress.

People thought they were seeing a spirit and knelt down, bowing. The young womanforced back her tears and helped them up. Wang Muzhen watched on the side and foundthe woman not saying anything. So he said: If what my wife told me before her death is

right, please come into the main room and accept the show of respect of the children. If

you dont agree, then I wont cherish any wishful thinking.

Now blushed, the young woman came out and walked into the main hall. Wang had amaid place a chair for her and he was the first to bow to her. She returned his bow out of

respect. Then, the entire household knelt down and kowtowed to her according to

seniority. The young woman sat there solemnly accepting the show of respect. WhenWang Muzhens concubine came to kneel down, the young woman immediately helped

her up.

Ever since Wangs ex-wife fell ill, the servants in the house had become sloppy and thehousehold had gone downhill. Now the servants bowed and stood on both sides. Xiaomei,

the young woman, began to speak: I was grateful for Mrs. Wangs kindness, so I decided

to stay. Now she has entrusted the whole family to me. From today on, all of you shouldbid goodbye to your past behavior and serve the master whole-heartedly. This way I will

not punish you for what you have done in the past. Dont think there is no housewife under

this roof.

They all looked at her and found her sitting there just like the goddess in the portrait.

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Holding her in awe, they promised to do as she had said. So Xiaomei made the funeral

arrangements, assigning them to different jobs and none were lax in their duties.

Xiaomei ran the house well, and whatever Wang Muzhen did, he had to consult her first.Though they say each other every night, there was no talk of an intimate relationship.

After Wangs wife was properly buried, he wanted to fulfill what had been promised

between him and Xiaomei, but did not want to say it directly to her himself. So he sent hisconcubine to suggest it to Xiaomei, who said: Since I have accepted Mrs. Wangs

arrangement, I have the obligation to carry it out. But marriage is a solemn thing and has

to be done properly. You uncle Mr. Huang is a highly respected man. Ask him to presideover our wedding and I will do what I have promised.

Mr. Huang from Xinshui County had been a high-ranking official, but now lived in

retirement. He had been a close friend of Wang Muzhens father. Wang therefore

personally went to see Mr. Huang and told him everything. Surprised by what he heard,Mr. Huang came with Wang to his house. Xiaomei hurriedly ran out to kneel in front of

Mr. Huang by way of welcome. Huang thought he had seen an angel and did not dare to

accept her now. He decided to pay expensive dowries for her and did not go back home

until he had performed his duty at the wedding. Xiaomei gave Mr. Huang pillows andshoes that she had made herself and treated Mr. Huang as if he were her father-in-law. So

this way the two families became very close.When they married, Wang Muzhen always regarded Xiaomei, his new wife, as a spirit

and was rather reserved when they were most intimate together. He often asked her about

the details of the life of the Goddess of Mercy. Xiaomei smiled, saying: Dont be silly.

When did you ever hear of a goddess marrying a secular man? Wang Muzhen kept askingher about her history. She told him: Dont try to press me. Since you treat me like I am a

god, do so day and night and youll be free of disasters.

Towards the servants, Xiaomei was very kind, smiling all the time, but when they sawher at a distance, they grew quiet. Xiaomei tried to persuade them: Do you think Im a

spirit? Of course, Im not. Actually I am a cousin of Mrs. Wang. When she was sick, shesent for me. Since it was not appropriate for me to mix around with my brother-in-law, Ipretended to be a spirit and stayed inside my sisters room all the time. I am no spirit!

Nobody believed her.

As they found her behavior just like an ordinary lady, gradually the talk about her being a

spirit died down. The most difficult servants whom Wang Muzhen could not keep undercontrol either by swearing or beating all followed what Xiaomei said. They said: We

dont know how to explain it. It is not fear of the mistress, but we become soft as soon as

we see her face. So we dont think it is right to do things against her will. Things wereback on track at Mr. Wangs house and in several years time, the Wangs had their land

expanded and granaries filled with grain.

Several years later, Wangs concubine gave birth to a baby daughter, while Xiaomei gavebirth to a son who had a red mole on his left arm, winning him the nickname Red Mole.

When he was a month old, Xiaomei had Wang Muzhen prepare a feast to entertain Mr.

Huang. The old man sent expensive gifts but declined to come, reasoning he was too old totravel far. Xiaomei sent two maids to incite Mr. Huang again, who eventually had to come.

Xiaomei showed him her son, asking him to explain what the red mole meant. Mr. Huang

smiled, saying: This is a lucky red mole and I think we should call him Lucky Red

Mole.

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Xiaomei was delighted and kowtowed to Mr. Huang. That day, the whole house was

filled with music and guests. Mr. Huang stayed for three days before he left for home.

One day, a horse-drawn cart suddenly arrived outside the house to pick up Xiaomei for avisit home. For more than ten years, no relative of Xiaomei had ever come to visit her and

the sudden arrival of the cart had everybody talking. Xiaomei, however, offered no

explanation. She carefully did her make-up, got dressed and took her son in her arms. Sheasked Wang Muzhen to see them off. After they were about fifteen kilometers away fro

home and when there was not a single person insight, Xiaomei stopped the cart and asked

Wang Muzhen to get off. She told the servant to stand away and whispered to Wang: Myhusband! Out life together is short and our separation is long. Isnt this a tragedy?

Wang was taken aback and asked her what she really meant. Xiaomei said: Can you tell

me who you think I really am? Wang said he could not answer that. Xiaomei told him:

Once you saved a man form being sentenced to death in the south. Is that true? Wandsaid it was. Xiaomei went on: The old lady who cried by the roadside was my mother.

She was deeply moved by your benevolence and wanted to pay you back. She made use of

your wifes devotion to the Goddess of Mercy and took the opportunity to send me over to

than you. Now that we have a baby son, I have done what mother wanted me to do. Irealize your good days are running out and it will be hard for the boy to continue to live

here. So I am taking him away from trouble. Please remember if somebody dies in thefamily, go to the Willow Dike on the West River when the rooster crows. If you see

somebody holding a sunflower lamp, stop him and beg him for help. That way you will be

free from disasters.

Wang Muzhen nodded and asked Xiaomei when she would be back. Xiaomei said: Thisis hard to predict. Please remember what Ive said and it wont be too long before we meet

again.

They held each others hands and bid goodbye with tears in their eyes. She jumped ontothe cart and drove off. Wang Muzhen watched until the cart had totally disappeared before

he turned homeward.Six to seven years had passed without any news from Xiaomei. Suddenly a strangedisease broke out in the village and many people died. A maid in Mr. Wangs house was

caught by the illness and died three days later. Wang, remembering Xiaomeis

instructions, grew concerned. One day, after he became very drunk while drinking with

some guests, he dozed off soundly. When he woke up, he heard a rooster crowing. He gotup and ran toward Willow Dike, where he found a lantern being taken away. It was about

one hundred steps away, so he ran after it. The more he ran, the further away the lantern

became and later it simply was out of sight. He had to go back home with regret. Severaldays later, he became ill and died.

Most of the members of Wang clan were shameless rascals who began to bully Wangs

concubine and her children, openly harvesting her crops and felling her trees. WangMuzhens family began to grow poor. A year later, Baor, her first child with Wang

Muzhen, died. With the boy dead, the clan members became more aggressive, dividing the

land and taking away the domestic animals. They even planned to divide up the houses.One day they came with a group of people who tried to take the concubine out of the house

to sell her. She clutched to her daughter, crying in despair. Her neighbors were saddened

by what they saw.

Just then a sedan chair arrived outside the house and out from it came Xiaomei and her

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son. She looked around at the crowd and asked: Who are these people?

The concubine told her what had happened while still crying. Xiaomeis face became

grim and she told the servant to lock the door with a huge lock. The clan members wantedto protest but found themselves unable to make a move. Xiaomei had each one tied to a

pillar of the corridor, feeding them with three bowls of thin porridge a day. Immediately

she sent for Mr. Huang. Once inside the house, she cried. Then she said to the concubine:This is purely fate. I planned to be back a month ago, but my mother was suddenly sick.

Little did I expect to see that our family had fallen to what it is today!

She asked about the maids and learned that clan members had forcibly taken them away.The next day, they came back, having learned that the hostess had returned. They cried

violently when they met.

The shameless rascals tied to the corridor pillars insisted that the boy Xiaomei brought

back was not Wang Muzhens son. Xiaomei did not argue with them. When Mr. Huangcame, she took Lucky Red Mole to greet him. Mr. Huang held the boys left arm, rolled up

the sleeve and pointed out the red mole to people around, verifying that he was indeed

Wang Muzhens son. The he checked what property was missing, pout them down on a list

and went to visit the county magistrate who next had the rascals arrested and lashed fortytimes, telling them to pay back what they had taken away. Several days later, all the

animals and land were returned to the former owners.Mr. Huang was about to leave when Xiaomei thanked him. Crying, she said: Im not a

human being of the world and Uncle Huang of course knew this all along. Now please take

the boy with you.

Mr. Huang promised: As long as I live, I will do everything for the boy.After he was gone, Xiaomei entrusted Lucky Red Mole to the concubine and she went to

her husbands tomb to pay her respects, taking along food and wine as sacrifices. A long

time passed and she did not return home. People were sent out to look for her and theyfound the sacrificial items right there in front of the tomb, but she was nowhere to be seen.

The Fox of WeixianCounty

The Li Family in Weixian County, Shadong Province, owned a villa. One day, an old mansuddenly came along and said he was willing to pay fifty taels of silver a year to rent the

house. The owner agreed. However, after the old man left, they did not hear from him

again, so the owner told his housekeeper to rent it to someone else. The next week, the old

man returned and said, We had agreed that I would rent the house. Why have you givenit to someone else? The Li Family explained their concern. The old man said, I want to

live here permanently. The reason I postponed moving in for such a long time wasbecause I had chosen an auspicious date. Thats ten days from now. So he paid the

family one years rent in advance, saying, Dont worry even if its empty the year

round. The owner saw him to the gate and asked him when he planned to move in. The

old man told him the date.

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THE PATRIARCH OF FOXFAIRIES

by Yuan Mei

A young woman who lived in a Dai village in Yancheng County was once bewitched bya demon. She eventually grew tired of the host of ineffectual magic charms she had tried,and decided the time had come to take personal action against the demon. So, she lodged a

complaint with the god of the Guandi Temple that lay to the north of the village. After she

burned her letter the demon did indeed cease its harassment.One night not long after this, everyone in her household had an identical dream. A god

dressed in full battle array spoke to them. "I am General Zhou, a subordinate of the great

god of war, Guandi. A few days ago one of your family requested help in exorcising a

demon. This demon was in fact a fox fairy and I have already executed the beast."However, tomorrow all the fox's friends are planning to take up arms against me to

avenge its death. I will need your support in this battle. So, bring your drums and cymbals

to the temple to spur me on. "The next morning, the family hurried to the temple, their numbers swelled by supportive

neighbors. From somewhere in the air they could hear the thundering of horses' hooves

and the clanking of armor. They took these battle sounds to be their cue.The people in the crowd picked up their drums and cymbals and began to beat the

rhythms of the war drums with all their might. Soon a black smoke filled the courtyard,

and as it wafted into the village the sky began to rain fox corpses.

Several days later, the family dreamed that General Zhou returned. He said, "I haveoffended the Patriarch of the Foxes by slaughtering so many of his kind. The patriarch has

logged a complaint against me with the heavenly emperor, and the imperial police will

soon be investigating the case. I hope I can depend on your support when I make my

defense." Zhou then left details of the time and place of the hearing.At the appointed time, the family gathered at the temple, taking care to hide along the

corridors leading to the hall. They waited until nightfall and then the emperor himselfarrived in a carriage, surrounded by various guards and attendants.

Behind the entourage came a white-haired person escorted by two guards bearing a

placard upon which was written "The Fox Patriarch." The patriarch had strong, sharp teethand white eyebrows.

Next the god of war came forward and welcomed them most respectfully to his temple.

The fox patriarch then took the lead saying, "There is no doubt the mischievious young

fox deserved to die, but your subordinate has taken the matter too far. He has cruelly andruthlessly killed scores of other innocent foxes. This is completely unforgivable."

The god of war nodded his head as if he agreed, and the horrified villagers hurried out oftheir hiding places and knelt before the assembled court. They pleaded on General Zhou'sbehalf for lenience.

A scholar among the kneeling crowd, also named Zhou, then cursed the patriarch. "Your

hair may be white with age but you're still as cunning as ever. It is you who should bebegging for forgiveness! Your subordinates spend all their time seducing innocent women

and ultimately it is your responsibility! How can you be patriarch to such shameless

creatures? You should be beheaded!"

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Faced with this barrage of insults, the fox patriarch merely smiled and said in a calm and

relaxed manner, "If humans commit adultery, what would be their punishment?"

Scholar Zhou replied, "They would be beaten."The old fox replied, "Since adultery is not punishable by death, why did my underlings

face death? Even if one considers that they commited adultery across species, this is only a

crime of marginally increased severity, deserving exile at the worst. But what hashappened? General Zhou has slaughtered not just one fox but scores of foxes! What sort of

justice is that?"

Before Scholar Zhou had a chance to reply, the emperor's verdict was heard. "Theemperor had decided that General Zhou's vigilance against evil was excessive and the

punishments he administered were far too severe for the crimes committed. However, the

court has taken into account that Zhou was acting unselfishly and was prompted by pleas

for help from villagers who were suffereing from the fox fairy's mischieviousness. Hispunishment will be the loss of a year's salary and transfer to Haizhou District."

The relieved villagers shouted with joy and then bowed their heads with prayers of

thanks to the wisdom of heaven before heading back to their homes.

Taught a Lesson by aHeavenly Fox

There was once a man who had a fox for a friend. A heavenly fox with fantastic magical

powers, it could take the man to tour celebrated mountains and other scenic spots to hisheart's content, travelling thousands of li and back in the twinkle of an eye. It once told

him, "Except for residences of sages and immortals, I can get to any spot on the map at

will." One day the man said to the fox, "Since you can take me to any place a thousand liaway, how about putting me in the boudoir of someone else's house?" When the fox asked

him what was on his mind, he explained, "I am often invited by a friend to feast in his

backyard, where we are entertained by song and dance performances. A favorite concubineof his has cast me many amorous glances. Though we have not exchanged a single word,

our hearts are already linked together. Unfortunately she remains out of my reach, living in

a secluded corner of that big house, and in vain do I yearn for her. If you can take me to

her boudoir in the dead of night, I will enjoy a fabulous moment with her."

After hearing the man out, the fox hesitated for a long time. "This is not impossible to

arrange," it finally said, "but what if her husband happens to be with her?" To this the man

replied, "I'll go only after I have made sure he is staying the night with another concubine."Later he got the news he had been waiting for and asked the fox to take him there. Beforehe could get dressed properly, the fox picked him up and flew into the air. After a while it

put him down, saying, "Here you are," and left. Feeling his way in the dark, the man found

himself alone in a room with books everywhere. The fox, he realized, had played a trick byputting him in his friend's library. In his panic he knocked over a desk, the items on the

surface crashing to the floor. The watchman cried 'thief' on hearing the noise, and a crowd

of armed servants came at once with lit candles to search the place. As soon as they heard

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someone shuddering behind a screen, they rushed over to strike him down and tie him up.

Looking closely under the candlelight, they were amazed to recognize their master's friend.

This man had the presence of mind to tell a lie, saying he had offended his fox-friend, whotherefore had taken him there against his will. Well-acquainted with him, the master of the

house dismissed the incident with a smile. "So the mischievous fox wants me to beat youup," he said. "I'll spare you the thrashing this time and just throw you out of my house!" A

servant was sent to take the man home.

His anger was not yet appeased when he described his experience to a good friend a few

days later. "Foxes are indeed inhuman," he said. "I've known this one for ten years, yet it

betrayed me like that!" His friend was outraged. "You've known that friend of yours for

more than ten years," he said, "yet you wanted to seduce his woman with. the help of afox. Who deserves to be called inhuman? Though the fox detested you for your

faithlessness and punished you with a prank, it acted with such restraint as to allow you an

excuse to clear yourself. That was rather tolerant on its part. If it had made you dress up

and put you under the man's bed, how would you be able to extricate yourself? From thispoint of view, the fox is actually human, and you are a fox in nature. Don't you feel any

remorse at all?" At this a wave of shame flooded the man's face. The fox never visited himagain, and that friend of his gradually ceased to see him.

A Dose of One's OwnMedicine

A Confucian scholar, who posed as a man of high principles and conducted himself withcaution, was fond of finding faults with and passing harsh judgments on others. In the fifth

month a friend of his completed the mourning period for a lost parent and planned to take

a concubine in the seventh month. This prompted the scholar to write him a letter, saying,"You want to take a concubine less than three months after the mourning period ended.

Obviously you have harbored that intention for a long time, thereby breaking the code of

ethics in spirit. As friends ought to advise one another to follow the right path, I cannot

refrain from calling this to your attention. What do you have to say about this?" Such anact was typical of his behavior.

When the scholar's wife left for a visit to her parental home, she agreed with him on the

date of her return. But she returned the day before the appointed date, much to the surprise

of her husband. "I made a mistake in counting the days," she explained, and he did notdoubt her word. The following day saw the return of another wife. In consternation the

scholar searched the house for the first woman, who was nowhere to be found. From thenon he grew weaker day by day until he was taken down by consumption. It turned out that

a fox-woman had disguised herself as his wife in order to soak up his vital energy. During

that night he had given way to his carnal desires and become drained of his vitality. At thenews the friend who received his chastisement for taking the concubine wrote him a letter

saying, "What a couple does in their bedroom is part of human nature, and the visit from a

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fox in human guise cannot be foreseen. Yet the depletion of one's vitality in a single night

could only have resulted from overindulgence in the desires of the flesh. Is a couple

supposed to act without restraint in their bedroom? Moreover, evil spirits have never daredto harm men of virtue. Since ancient times, people of outstanding virtue and merits have

never been known to encounter demons and spirits. Since a fox has taken liberties with

you, can't we conclude that there is something lacking from you moral integrity? Asfriends ought to advise one another to follow the right path, I cannot refrain from calling

this to your attention. What do you have to say about this?" The scholar, on reading the

letter, adamantly denied his encounter with the fox-woman, claiming it to be a rumorspread by the villagers. That friend of his had truly given him a dose of his own medicine.

A Fox's GratitudeIt happened, on a certain spring day, that two little boys were caught in the act of trying to

catch a baby fox. The man who witnessed the performance possessed a kind heart, and on

hearing that the boys were anxious to sell the cub, gave them half a bu.

When the children had joyfully departed with the money the man discovered that the little

creature was wounded in the foot. He immediately applied a certain herb, and the pain

speedily subsided. Perceiving at a distance a number of old foxes watching him, hegenerously let the cub go, and it sprang with a bound to it's parents and licked them

profusely.

Now this kind-hearted man had a son who was afflicted with a strange disease. A great

physician at last prescribed the liver of a live fox as being the only remedy likely to effecta cure. When the boy's parents heard this they were much distressed, and would only

consent to accept a fox's liver from one who made it his business to hunt foxes. Theyfinally commissioned a neighbor to obtain the liver, for which they promised to payliberally.

The following night the fox's liver was brought by a strange man totally unknown to the

good people of the house. The visitor professed to be a messenger sent by the neighbor

whom they had commissioned. When, however, the neighbor himself arrived he confessedthat though he tried his utmost to obtain a fox's liver he had failed to do so, and had come

to make his apologies. He was utterly amazed to hear the story the parents of the suffering

boy told him.

In the evening a beautiful young woman appeared at the bedside of the happy parents. Sheexplained that she was the mother of the cub the master had saved, and that in gratitude for

his kindness she had killed her offspring, and that her husband, in the guise of the

mysterious messenger, had brought the desired liver.

Foxes Against Monks

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Fei Changfang, a man in the Han dynasty capable of commanding ghosts and spirits,

finally died in their hands after he lost his book of magic figures. Ming Chongyan of the

Tang dynasty died with a sharp knife planted in his chest, believed to be a victim of someghosts whom he had been subjugating to backbreaking labor. It is therefore not uncommon

for a person with magic powers to fall victim to his own magic. A monk skilled at chanting

magic words was once lured to the open country where hundreds of howling foxes leapt athim. Wielding an iron club, he struck down an old fox in the form of a man and broke out

of the encirclement. Afterward he met the old fox on the road. The fox knelt and

kowtowed, saying, "Since you spared my life last time, I have repented. I am willing tofollow the laws of Buddha and become a monk." The monk put out his hand to touch the

fox on the head, a gesture of initiating it into monkhood, but the fox suddenly threw

something over the monk's face and fled by turning itself invisible. The covering, neither

cloth nor leather, was colored like amber and as sticky as paint. The monk, who nearlydied of suffocation, had the covering peeled off his face forcefully. His facial skin was torn

off, and he passed out because of the terrible pain. After the wound healed, his face

remained terribly disfigured.

The is another story about a roving monk who rented a house and styled himself a "Fox-Exorciser" with a notice pasted on his door. When a fox in human form came to entice

him, the monk recognized it to be a fox and began chanting a Buddhist spell and shaking

his bell. The fox fled in fright. About ten days later an old woman knocked on the door andtold the monk that her house, which bordered on a graveyard, was disturbed by foxes

every day. She asked him to subdue the foxes with his magic power. The monk took out a

demon-detecting mirror, in which the old woman's reflection remained in human form, sohe left with her. Having led him to an embankment, the old woman suddenly seized his

bag and threw it into the river, then fled into a tract of sorghum fields. The monk was

staring in dismay at the book of magic figures and ceremonial instruments in his bag

floating down the river when a sudden attack of bricks and tiles gave him a bloody noseand a swolen face. Hastily he began to chant buddhist incantations to keep the fox at a

distance, and took to his heels. The following day he left the place shamefacedly. Later it

became known that the old woman was a local inhabitant. She had been bribed by the fox,who was her daughter's lover, and asked to steal the monk's book of magic figures.

The monks in the above two stories, both endowed with the power to vanquish foxes,

ended up in defeat because the did not take ample precaution against the foxes' cunning

schemes and fought single-handedly while the foxes had recruited cohorts. If a manwithout much magic power should rush into a confrontation with demons and evil spirits,

he wouls surely have a less change of gaining a victory.

A FOX PAINTEROne often reads about foxes with a flair for poetry, but fox painters are a rare

phenomenon. The following story is told by Li Yanting, a native of Haiyang. Toward theend of the Shunzhi reign and at the beginning of the Kangxi reign, a scholar named Zhou

Xun made frequent tours in Hunan and Henan. Famous for his paintings of pine trees,

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Zhou was once invited by a scholar to paint the wall of his studio. In the finished work the

pine tree had its roots in a corner of the west wall, its trunk sweeping across the north wall,

and the top branches brushing the east wall by a foot or two. A look at the picture madeone feel cool and fresh, as if being bathed in a gentle breeze. The scholar invited some

friends to a feast to appreciate the painting together.

The guest were standing before the wall gesticulating and uttering cries of admirationwhen one of them clapped his hands and burst out laughing. In the next moment the whole

room was rocking with laughter. What they saw was a pornographic picture under the pine

tree depicting a large wooden bed covered in a long mat. In this bed lay a naked couple inpassionate love-making while exchanging amorous glances. Two young maids, also stark

naked, stood beside the bed to wait on the couple, one waving a fan to keep off flies and

mosquitoes, the other putting her hands on the pillow of her mistress to prevent it from

being shaken to the floor by the vigorous movements of the couple. These were none otherthan the scholar with his wife and concubines. The guests went up to take a closer look and

found the portraits extremely lifelike; even the servants recognized the characters and

covered their mouths to hide their smiles. Furious, the scholar looked up into the air and

flung a string of abuses against some evil fox. Suddenly they heard laughter on the eaves."You are such a rude man," the voice said. "Mr. Zhou's expertise in painting pine trees

reached my ears long ago, but it was not until last night that I finally had a chance to feastmy eyes on this masterpiece. I sat before the painting unwilling to leave, so I did not avoid

you in time, but neither did I throw bricks or tiles at you. Your rude remarks came as a

gratuitous insult, so I got my own back by playing this prank on you. If you do not repent

and go on giving yourself airs like that, I will draw that little picture on your gate to amusethe passersby. Think about it carefully."

It turned out that the scholar, carrying lit candles, had come to the studio with a servant

the night before to get some vessels ready for the feast when a dark creature jumped upand scurried out the door. Knowing it must be a fox, the scholar had hurled abuses at it.

With the guests acting as mediators, the fox was invited to join them at the table. A chairwas brought for the fox who remained invisible, although people could hear its voice. Itdowned the wine cup in one gulp whenever it was filled, but it did not touch any dish,

saying it had abstained from meat for over four hundred years. When the feast was coming

to an end, the fox said to the scholar, "You are such a clever man that you tend to be proud

and insolent because of your ability. This is harmful to the cultivation of virtue and self-preservation. Take what happened today, for instance. It is lucky for you to have met me.

If it had been a fox as easily offended as you are, you would have got yourself into an

endless string of troubles. Only knowledge can transform a person's disposition, so pleasestrive for improvement in that respect."

By this time, the fox's painting had vanished without a trace.

The following day there suddenly appeared on the east wall of the studio several spraysof peach blossoms in a backdrop of black moss and green grass. The blossoms were not

dense. Some were in full bloom, some still in petals, some scattered on the ground, and

some on the point of withering. Especially vivid and enchanting were about eight or ninepetals floating in mid-air and dancing in the wind. Two lines by the early Tang poet Yang

Shidao were inscribed on the painting:

Among fragrant grass untrodden by man,

Petals are falling in the empty hill.

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No signature was found on the painting, which must have been done by the fox in return

for the previous day's feast. At the sight of the painting Zhou Xun gasped in admiration.

"The use of ink and brush strokes is perfectly natural! In comparison,my works lookaffected and lacking in sincerity."

A Man Falls Victimto a Fake Fox-

WomanA young man from a wealthy family in the capital was clumsily built, walked with a

gawky gait, wore slovenly clothes and seldom washed his face. Nevertheless, he

frequented brothels and stopped to ogle every young woman he passed on the road.Walking alone one day he saw a very lovely young woman. As the road was muddy from

recent rain, he walked up to tease her by saying, its so slippery on the road, shall I lend

you a hand? Dont ask for trouble, The young woman said harshly. I am a fox-

woman dedicated to practicing for immortality under the moon. I have never seduced aman to sap his energy. Look at yourself how dare you take liberties with me? Dont

bring harm to yourself! She scooped up a handful of sand and threw it in his face.

Staggering back in fear, the young man tripped and fell into a ditch. By the time heclimbed laboriously out, the woman had already disappeared. In terror and uncertainty he

waited for the fox-woman to make trouble for him, but nothing of the sort happened.

A few days later a friend invited him to a feast. When a courtesan was called in to pourwine at the table, he recognized her to be the young woman he met on the road. Unable tocontain his anxiety, he finally asked her, Did you go to the eastern village right after it

rained a few days ago? That day my elder sister went to visit a relative, she replied

absent-mindedly. As the two of us look very much alike, maybe you saw her that day.Her equivocal answer further confused the young man, who could not decide whether she

was a fox or not. After he found an excuse to leave, the courtesan described their

encounter to the other guests. I was really disgusted by his appearance. For fear that hewould assault me, I told a lie to get away. Luckily he fell to the ground, so I hid myself

behind a stack of firewood. That made him take me for a real fox-woman. Everyone

burst out laughing. One of the guests said, Since you have chosen such an occupation,

you cant be particular about your patrons. Hes one of those rich lads who can spend athousand taels of silver to buy the smile of a woman. Why dont you go and make his

acquaintance? So he took the courtesan to the young mans house, telling him the names

of her husband and parents in-law, and explained the episode that had taken place a fewdays before. Then she began to coax him with sugary words, claiming to have known him

from childhood. When he accosted her that day, she said, she had made a joke in a merry

mood, and she deeply regretted having caused him such alarm. Then she offered to atonefor her mistake by sharing his bed that night. Her style of conversation was quite refined,

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and her manners charming and graceful.

At her words the young man was beside himself with joy. He kept her with him for

several nights, then sent for her husband, who agreed to let him be her exclusive patron at

a monthly payment. Thereafter the young man indulged himself in unbridled sex with thecourtesan, until he was taken down by diabetes and died in a year or so.

My elder brother Qinghu commented, The young man was afraid to meet a fox in human

form, who would make him worry for his life. Faced with a woman with a foxy nature, he

not only no longer felt fear but also no longer cared for his own life, though she hadwarned him not to bring harm upon himself. Though he died of involvement with a

prostitute, it was not different from falling victim to a fox-woman.

Flight of a Fox-WifeOne day an official-in-waiting took a tour around diaoyutai in the capital. As a templefair was being held nearby, he saw many women coming and going in the street. Atnightfall the bustling noise died down, with only a few carriages on the road. Just then a

woman walked by swaying her hips voluptuously. She was holding a baby in her left arm

and a rattle-drum in her right hand. At the sight of him she shook her rattle, and they

exchanged a smile. An observant man, he thought to himself, "this woman is dressed likea lady from a wealthy family, but she walks alone carrying a baby in her arms like a

peasant. Judging by her peculiar behavior, she must be a fox-spirit." When he went up to

talk to her, she said her husband had died a few years before and she was living alone withher little son. "You do not need to waste your breath," he said with a smile. "I know who

you are, and I am not afraid. I am rather poor, and people like you are reputedly good at

making money. If you can support me, I will go with you." The woman smiled. "In thatcase, let's go home together!" On his arrival he found his home quite nice and clean

though not very spacious. She was living with her parents, mother-in-law and sisters. By

a tacit agreement the agreed not to exchange names or birth places at the dinner table.After partaking of enough wine and food, he went to bed with the fox-woman to enjoy a

pleasant night.

He went back to the city the following day to fetch a servant boy and his bedroll, and then

settled down in the womans house. She turned out to be so insatiable in bed that he washardly her match. His health began to go downhill. In the meantime she grew more and

more peremptory, telling him to make the bed, attend to her washing and making up, tidy

her clothes, and even serve her tea and the smoking pipe. After a while her mother-in-law

and sisters also began to order him about like a servant. Greedy after her wealth and herperson, he forced himself to swallow the humiliation. Then came one day when she told

him to sweep the toilet, and he refused. "I have been satisfying your every wish," she saidangrily. "Why don't you give in on such a trivial matter?" The other women also chimed

in to blame and scoff at him. After that their relationship grew more and more strained.

She began to stay out at night, claiming to have been put up by some relatives. Visitors

said to be her relatives also called at the house frequently. She always treated the to a feastand flirted with them at the table, while the official-in-waiting was not allowed to join the

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company. When he protested angrily, she glared at him, then relaxed with a snicker.

"How do you expect me to earn money otherwise? I can stop receiving guests anytime if

you agree to support the over thirty members of my family. Can you do it?" Aware thathe was unable to stay on, he went back to the city with the servant boy to rent a house. On

his return the following day the fox-woman's house had disappeared; not a single utensil or

piece of clothing was left. In its place was a wasteland overgrown with weeds. Theofficial-in-waiting had come to the capital with several hundred taels of silver, but had

been dressed rather shabbily for economy's sake. Afterward people had been surprised to

find him in splendid clothes, but he had removed their doubts by telling them that he hadmoved in with his parents-in-law. Then he was again shabbily dressed and would not give

any explanation. The servant boy, however, disclosed the secret. Someone commented,

"by human standard it was not unreasonable for the fox-woman to run away. I have seen

people doing much more outrageous things."

A Fox-Woman Pays Her DebtThe Zhu family had a maid who was at first coarse and dumb in appearance. On

coming of age she grew clever, and her features also became attractive. Thereupon Zhu

made her a concubine. A resourceful woman, she knew the affairs in the house like the

back of her palm. The servants did not dare to play any tricks, because the few times theytried to cheat her they were invariably found out. In addition, she had such business

acumen that whatever goods she decided to purchase always underwent a price rise the

following year. Zhu came to be quite well off and treated her with increasing favor.

One day she abruptly asked Zhu, Do you know who I am?Are you crazy? Zhu said with a smile and called her by her pet name. You are

mistaken, the girl replied. I am not that maid. She ran away a long time ago and is now

married with a seven or eight-year-old son. I am in fact a fox-woman. Nine lifetimes ago,

you were a rich merchant, and I kept the accounts for you. You treated me very kindly, butI embezzled over three thousand taels of silver. In the underworld I was punished by being

reincarnated as a fox. After several hundred years of practice I succeeded at last, but Icould not become an immortal yet due to what I owed you. So when the maid ran away, I

roughly took her form to serve you. In the past ten years or so I have helped you make

enough money to pay for my debt. Now I will discard my earthly body and leave forheaven. After my departure my body will change back into a fox. I will tell you which

servant you should send to bury me. He will cut open my body and skin it, but you must

not blame him for that. Four lifetimes ago he starved to death by the road. At that time I

was unaccomplished in my practice, and I made a meal of his corpse. It will give him achance to get even to let him dispose of my remains. She dropped on the ground, turning

into a fox, and from its head floated out a beautiful woman a few inches tall. The woman,who did not look like Zhus concubine, slowly flew away. Zhu could not bring himself tocarry out her will and buried the body of the fox himself. But then the servant dug it out in

secret, skinned it and sold the fur. Zhu could only sigh deeply, knowing it was a past-life

debt that must be repaid in kind.

A Fox-Wife

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Zhou Hu, a servant in the Zhou household of Xian County, lived with a fox-woman like a

happily married couple for over twenty years. The fox-woman once told him, I have

practiced the art of immortality for more than four hundred years. I was indebted to you inmy past life and must pay you back during this lifetime. Unless the debt is completely

cleared, I wont be able to go to heaven. Once the time allotted to us is used up, I will have

to leave. One day she looked unusually happy, then shed tears sadly. The nineteenth ofthis month will be our parting day, she told Zhou. I have found you a wife. You can

settle the marriage by sending her family some money. She gave him a few pieces of

silver to buy a betrothal gift. After that she became unusually amorous toward him andspent every minute of the day and night in his company.

On the morning of the fifteenth the fox-woman got up to bid Zhou Hu good-bye.

Surprised, he asked her why she should leaved before schedule. Tearfully, she explained,

The number of days we can spend together is fixed, impossible for me to add or detract,but when they shall be spent is somewhat flexible. By saving three days I make the chance

for us to meet again.

A few years later she actually returned to spend three days with him in a happy reunion.

When she took leave this time, her voice was choked with tears, So long forever!This fox-woman conducted herself with room to spare, someone commented. Such

appreciation of ones good fortune is to be emulated. Another disagreed: After the three-day reunion the fox woman still had to leave, so what was the point of delaying the

inevitable? After four hundred years practice for immortality, she still found it hard to cut

her tie with the mundane world. It wont do one any good to follow her example.

It seems neither of these comments are incorrect, as each of them has made a good point.

A FOX FAIRY PLAYS GUANYIN

FOR THREE YEARS

by Yuan Mei

A scholar by the name of Zhou from Hangzhou was walking with the grand Daoist

master Zhang one day. The two men stopped at an inn in Baoding and there appeared abeautiful woman who knelt on the steps in front of the grand master. She looked as if she

was praying.

The scholar then asked the grand master what had happened between them and the masterreplied, That woman is a fox fairy. She was just asking me permission to use some

incense from the human world, that's all.

The scholar asked in reply, Did you grant her wish?Grand Master Zhang replied, She has been cultivating her spirit for years and I can

detect a distinct spiritual aura around her. I am rather concerned that, if I give her some ofthe potent incense she requested, she'll have the magical power to turn herself into an

object of worship.Now Scholar Zhou rather fancied the looks of the young woman, so he persuaded Zhang

to grant her permission to use the incense.

The grand master responded, You have put me in a very awkward position, as I have nodesire to deny your wishes. I'll give her permission to use this incense for three years, but

she must receive no more after this period is over.

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Having thus decided, Grand Master Zhang ordered one of his priests to put the agreement

in writing on his yellow paper and pass it on to the young woman.

Three years later, just after Scholar Zhou had failed the imperial examinations, he madehis way from the capital and passed through Suzhou. There he heard that on a nearby

mountain, there was a temple to the goddess Guanyin where miraculous events were

happening. In his despondent state he decided to make his way up to the temple to offersome prayers and leave a few offerings.

At the base of the mountain he made inquiries and was told by several fellow pilgrims,

This particular Guanyin achieves remarkable results, but you have to walk up, you cantgo by sedan chair. Everyone who tries to go by sedan chair encounters problems and ends

up walking.

This advice seemed too fanciful for out scholar to believe, so he set off in a sedan chair.

But after a mere ten or so paces, the poles on the chair snapped and he tumbled to theground. Fortunately, he wasnt injured. Rather chastened, he continued on foot.

On reaching the temple, Zhou could see it was well patronized. Offerings and incense

filled the altars. It appeared the so-called Guanyin was seated behind some silk drapes,

which concealed her from view.When Scholar Zhou asked the reason for this strange custom, an attendant monk replied,

Our Guanyin is so beautiful that we fear people will be driven to unholy thoughts anddeeds if they look upon her form.

Scholar Zhou was not satisfied with this answer and insisted upon seeing the Guanyin

without the curtains. The voluptuous vision he saw before him really was quite unlike any

other Guanyin he had ever seen.The longer he looked, the more familiar the face appeared. Finally it dawned on him that

this was the same woman on whose behalf he had interceded three years previously at the

inn.Outraged, he pointed at the statue, saying, Three years ago I spoke on your behalf in

good faith, now you have this bounty of offerings and incense and what do I receive inreturn? Not only did you not thank me, but today you also broke my sedan chair. What sortof gratitude is that?

Besides, the grand master gave you permission to receive offerings only for a period of

three years. That time has already passed and yet you are still malingering here. Have you

forgotten the agreement you made?Before he could complete his tirade the statue fell to the ground and was smashed to bits.

The monks were incredulous. They waited until Scholar Zhou had left Suzhou and then

raised funds to rebuild the statue.The new Guanyin, however, was not able to perform the remarkable deeds of the

previous statue.

A FOX FAIRY AND A GHOSTINVADE THE STOMACH

by Yuan Mei

An imperial guard, Li Hongfeng, had a son by the name of Li Yi, who also had the

official name Yi Shan, because he had once been a scholar in the Hanlin Academy.

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Li Yi was a well-rounded scholar. He was able to expound knowledgeably on neo-

Confucian philosophy, and he wrote excellent poetry and prose.

One evening, while he was reading under the lamplight, two beautiful women appearedbefore him. They teased him mercilessly and soon grew quite brazen, and eventually Li

found himself subjected all sorts of lewd advances. With firm resolve, Li remained

impassive throughout the ordeal.Later that evening, after Li had finished dinner, he heard a voice coming from his

stomach. "I attached myself to some of the eggplants you ate for dinner. Now that I'm

actually housed in your stomach, you won't be able to ignore me, will you?"The voice was clearly that of one of the women who had attempted to seduce him under

the lamplight earlier that evening.

From this day on, Li walked around with glazed eyes, as if in some sort of trance. His

behavior became more and more irregular. Sometimes, for no apparent reason, he wouldsuddenly slap himself in the face. He was once seen out in a rainstorm kneeling on the

ground with only a small pebble on his head for protection, making absolutely no effort to

seek shelter from the torrent. Other times he would suddenly bow down before someone,

placing his head on the floor in a mock form of worship, maintaining the position evenwhile he was dragged away.

As the days passed his face grew sallow and pasty and his body grew thinner. It seemedthat he would soon waste away. When the spirit wanted to communicate with others, Li

acted as the medium and would variously write or speak the spirit's message.

One day a school friend of Li's, a man by the name of Jiang Shiquan, came and

challenged the spirit directly, saying, "What on earth is a ravishingly beautiful thing likeyou doing with old Li? Why don't you come and try your luck with me?"

Li wrote the spirit's brief reply in two characters, which had the general meaning that

they were not fated to be together.Jiang tried again, asking, "Why would someone of your outstanding beauty want to live

in such a disgusting place as Li's stomach?"Li wrote the spirit's reply. "You really are too revolting. Go away!"At the time, Li's father was fortunate enough to be on friendly terms with the governor of

Jiangxi, a Mr. Wu.

Governor Wu, hearing of the Li family's predicament, invited the young scholar to his

residence for a meeting with the Daoist grand master Zhang.Zhang built an altar at the Tenghua Pavilion and commenced the purification of scholar

Li--for three days they ate sacred vegetarian meals and chanted incantations. Grand Master

Zhang's magicians then lifted a placard on which was written "We will exorcise the demonon the fifteenth of March."

When the day arrived, spectators had gathered from far and wide to view the exorcism.

The grand master took a position at the center with the magicians seated along the sides. Liwas asked to kneel before the grand master and open his mouth. Zhang then put two

fingers down Li's thoat and extracted from his mouth a fox the size of a small cat.

The fox then spoke: "Elder Sister, I came to help you, but unfortunately I've beencaptured. Please be careful and whatever you do don't come out."

From inside Li's stomach came a reply. "All right, I'll be careful."

It was only then they realized that two demons were living in poor Li's stomach. Grand

Master Zhang took the fox fairy, sealed it in a jar, and threw it in a nearby river.

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After the expurgation of the fox, Li's condition seemed to improve a little. However, it

wasn't long before the voice from his stomach was heard again: "In a previous life you and

I were enemies. When I had trouble finding you again, I begged help from my friend thefox fairy. I certainly didn't mean her to come to any harm. How can I ever forgive myself

for her demise? How can I ever be in peace? I'll never forgive you for causing her death."

After this speech, Li experienced great pains in his stomach.With the situation worsening again, the grand master asked the magicians for their

prognosis. One of the magicians took out a magic mirror and shone it into Li's stomach,

then stated: "We're not dealing with a demon. This is the ghost of someone who waswronged by Scholar Li in a previous life. I am sorry, but we have no power to cure this

type of affliction."

This news was then passed to the governor by Grand Master Zhang. Since there was no

other recourse, Li was sent back to his family to rest.Sadly, it was not long before he died.

Drinking PalChe's family was not wealthy, but he had a craze for liquor. He couldn't sleep withoutdrinking three big cups at night. So, the liquor bottle by his bed was never empty.

Once, he awoke in the middle of the night. When he turned over, he had the feeling

someone was sleeping beside him. He though it must be the clothes with which he had

covered himself and which must have fallen to one side. But when he reached out, therewas something furry, like a cat, but larger. He reached for the lamp and saw that it was a

fox, dead drunk and fast asleep. He looked at the bottle and found that there was not a drop

left in it. Che laughed and said, "Now here's a drinking pal for me!" Not wanting to wake

up the fox, he covered it, put his arm around it, and went back to sleep. He did leave thecandle burning, however, so he could see if anything happened.

At midnight, the fox yawned and stretched it's limbs. Laughing, Che said, "How well you

slept!" But when he lifted the clothes covering them, he saw a gentle, handsome boy lyingthere. The boy got off the bed and knelt down by it, thanking Che for not killing him. Che

said, "I have such a weakness for liquor that some people think I am crazy. But you, you

can understand me. If you can trust me, I would like for you to be my drinking pal." So

saying, he dragged the fox to the bed and lay down again. "Please come often. There is noneed to be afraid." The fox agreed.

When Che woke up the fox was gone. He prepared a big jar of liquor and waited for him tocome again. Indeed, it did that night. They talked intimately and drank to their hearts'

content. The fox was a big drinker and full of humor. Che wished he had met it earlier.Then the fox said, "I've drunk your liquor several times now, how should I repay you?"

Che said, "That little bit of liquor is not worth mentioning." "While that's true," said the

fox, "you are but a poor scholar and it's not easy for you to earn money for drink. I'll helpyou find a way to get some." The next night the fox told Che. "About seven li southeast of

here, someone lost some silver coins along the roadside. You can go and collect it in the

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morning." Che went there at daybreak and, sure enough, found two ounces of silver. He

brought home some delicacies to go with the liquor that night. Then the fox told him,

"There's something buried at the back of the yard, you can go and dig it up." Che did aswas suggested and collected more than one hundred strings of cash. Elated, Che said to the

fox "Now that I have plenty of money in my pocket, I have no problem buying liquor."But the fox said, "Don't be so happy. The little bit of water in the rut left by the wheel

cannot last long. We've got to think of some other way."

One day, the fox said to Che, "The price of buckwheat is very cheap on the market. It's a

wonderful opportunity to engage in speculation." Following its advice, Che bought forty

dan of buckwheat, and was ridiculed by everybody. But soon there was a big drought and

all the crops in the field withered. Only the buckwheat was able to survive. Che sold thebuckwheat seeds at an interest ten times their price. His wealth accumulated. He bought

two hundred mu of fertile land and did everything as the fox suggested. When the fox said

to plant wheat, he harvested a bumper crop of wheat. When the fox said to plan glutinous

millet, he reaped a bumper harvest of that. And it was the fox who decided when to sow.

The fox became very close to Che, calling Che's wife his sister-in-law, and Che's son his

nephew. Later, after Che passed away, the fox never came again.

A Farmer Subduing aFox

When a farmer was weeding the fields, his wife took lunch to him in a pottery jug. Afterhe finished eating, he put the jug in the field. In the evening, he found the leftover porridge

in the jug was gone. Such strange things happened several times and the farmer grewsuspicious. He kept casting his eyes sideways when he did farm work in the fields. Then

one day he saw a fox run over and put its mouth into the jug. He rushed over with his hoe

and hit the animal. The fox tried to run away but its head was stuck in the jug. The animalbroke the jug while trying to escape and freed itself. Seeing the farmer, it ran as fast as its

legs could carry it and was soon out of sight.

Several years later, a daughter of a noble family from south of the mountain was confused

by the fox spirit and after many ways were tried to expel the fox spirit, there was no effect.

The fox spirit said to the girl: "What can the magic figures on paper do to me?" The girltried to fool the animal, saying: "You're beyond the usual ways to expel animal spirits and

I feel fortunate to be on good terms with you, but I wonder if you are ever afraid ofanyone?"

The fox spirit said: "I'm afraid of no one except that ten years ago when I was trying to

steal some food north of the mountain, I was nearly killed by a man with a big straw hat

and a weapon that had something like a hook at one end. The very thought of him scares

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me." The girl told this to her father. Her father wanted to have this man deal with the fox

but had no idea where he could find the man.

A servant from the noble family happened to be in the village north of the mountain and

accidentally mentioned the fox. A man said with surprise: "This is very much like what Iexperienced a couple of years ago. Can it be the same fox that is harming people today?"

When the servant told this to his master, his master immediately sent for the farmer,

pleading with him for help. The farmer said with a smile: "I did come across a fox, but itmight not be this one. Besides, since it can change into a human being, will it be afraid of a

farmer?" The noble person insisted he help expel the fox spirit. So he had the farmer

dressed up like years ago and put a hoe on his shoulder. Then the farmer shouted in a loud

voice: "I've been looking for you every day. So now you're hiding in this place. I will notlet you go today!" As soon as he finished, he heard the fox screaming in the room. The

farmer pretended to be angrier and the fox spirit pleaded for mercy. The farmer said

sharply: "I'll let you go if you leave immediately." The noble's daughter saw the fox

fleeing for its life. After that peace returned.

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