The History of China - #310 - Strange Tales X.2: An Unseen Balance

Episode Date: October 30, 2025

Back with pt. 2 of autumnal fictions of the spine-tingling variety. This time largely from (where else) Pu Songling, as well as several shorter entries from the Zibuyu.00:01:15 - Friendship Beyond the Grave00:10:25 - Karmic Debts00:12:30 - Spiritual Man Luo Catches the Wrong Demon00:16:39 - The Human Prawn00:18:37 - The Hairy People of Qin00:21:01 - The Magic Sword Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You're listening to an Airwave Media podcast. Now streaming on Paramount Plus, it's the epic return of Mayor of Kingstown. Warden? You know who I am. Starring Academy Award nominee Jeremy Renner. I swear in these walls. Emmy Award winner Edie Falco. You're an ex-con who ran this place for years.

And now, now you can't do that. And BAFTA Award winner Lenny James. You're about to have a plague of outsiders descend on your town. Let me tell you this. It's going to be consequences. Mayor of Kingsdown, new season now streaming on Paramount Plus. Hello and welcome to the history of China. Episode 310, Strange Tales 10.2, The Unseen Balance.

Hello, and welcome. Once again, to our seasonal foray into the weird world of Chinese supernatural stories. In this second part of our journey, we turn to tales where fate tips the scales, sometimes gently, sometimes with a vengeance, and sometimes in ways that no mortal can quite understand. Here the moral order of the universe isn't enforced by kings or courts, but by ghosts, gods, and karma itself. forces that reward, punish, and, at times, just remind us how little we truly control. These are stories of debts unpaid and repaid, virtues tested and fulfilled, and illusions stripped

away, glimpses of the unseen balance that keeps the world and the world to come in motion. We all strive for success, in friendship, family, love, and of course, our careers. But fortune's wheel turns without pity, and even the brightest can find their hopes dashed. Yet meaning does not end with one life. Merit flows like water, finding its level even beyond the grave. What's lost in one turn of the wheel may nourish the next. So join us now for friendship beyond the grave. There was a gentleman of Huayang by the name of the name of the name of the name of

of Ye, his other names I cannot recall, he was acknowledged by his contemporaries to be a master of prose and verse composition, but had been unlucky and had never yet succeeded in his first degree examination. Now, a certain Ding Cheng He, Korean writer, who hailed from the northeast, was appointed magistrate in Yeh's district, and, happening to read one of his essays, was most struck by the beauty of his prose. He summoned him, and in the course of conversation found himself taking an immediate liking. He invited him to come and continue his studies in the official Yaman, and provided him with a regular stipend and occasional gifts of money and grain to support his family.

When it came to the time for the preliminary examination, Ding spoke highly of Yir to the examiner, and as a result, he was ranked among the most promising candidates. After the first-degree examination proper, Magistrate Ding, who had had entertained the highest hopes for Ye, obtained his draft essay, and was ecstatic in its praise. But for some reason, fate was against Yeh yet again, however fine his essay may have been. When the results were posted, his name was nowhere to be seen on the list, and he made his way home a hugely disappointed man. Full of remorse at having failed his friend and patron in this manner, he began to waste away, and became as listless and dead to the world as a wooden

puppet. Magistrate Ding heard of this and summoned him to the Amon, where he did his best to console the young man and wept without ceasing. Ding felt sorry for him, and by way of consolation, offered to take him along with him when he next went to the capital for his own triennial review. Ye was most grateful to him for his solicitude, but made him for well and returned home, where he shut himself away, refusing to go out, and in a short while fell seriously ill. Ding sent a string of messengers to inquire about his health, and prevailed upon Ye to take countless sorts of medicine, but all to no effect. In the meantime, Ding himself was dismissed for some offense caused to his superior, and made up his mind to abandon his official career altogether and retired to the country. But he wrote in a letter to Ye, I have already chosen a day to return to my home in the Northeast, but shall postpone my departure to await your recovery.

As soon as you are well, come to me, and we shall leave together the same evening. This message was brought to Yeh's bedside, and, when he read it, Yewept profusely. His reply was brief, couched in the following terms. My illness is a serious and obstinate one. Please set off without me. The servant returned with this message, but Ding still refused to leave on his own and waited. Several days later, his gaitman announced the arrival. of Mr. Yeh, and Ding hurried out joyfully to greet him, asking anxiously after his health.

Alas, this wretched ailment of mine has delayed you far too long, sir, said Yeh, apologetically. But now at last I can accompany you. So Ding packed his bags and set off with Ye at first light the next morning. When they reached Ding's native village, he instructed his own son to treat Ye with the greatest respect, and to regard him as his teacher, waiting upon him and constantly keeping him company. The son's name was Zai Chang, and he was at the time 16 years old. He had not yet acquired a proficiency in the prevalent rhetorical techniques of the eight-legged essay, although he was a youth of exceptional promise, and had only to read through a piece of prose a couple of times to memorize it perfectly. A year later, under Yee's expert tutelage, he was writing

fluent compositions of his own, and, thanks to his father's influence, was accepted into the district academy. Ye copied out all his own best essays for young Ding to study, and the youth was able, as a result, to answer all of the seven questions in his examination papers, and was listed second overall. Ding, the elder, spoke to Yeh. You have imparted to my son's sufficient knowledge for him to succeed in his examinations, but you yourself, the fount of this knowledge, are still denied the success you deserve. This is indeed a sorry state of affairs. It is simply a work of fate, replied Yeh.

Thanks to our friendship and the good fortune that it has brought me, I have at least been able to put my humble accomplishments to some good purpose. That is a consolation, and your son's success will at least show the world that my own dismal failure in life has not been due to a complete lack of talent. I am content with that. To have one true friend is enough for me.

Why should I strive for worldly success? Ding was anxious that by keeping Ye too long a guest in his house, he would prevent him from attending the next examination in his own home district, and urged him to return home for this purpose. Yee seemed most unhappy with this idea of leaving, and Ding did not insist, but instead instructed his son to purchase for Ye the rank of membership in the Imperial College once he was at the Capitol, since this would entitle Ye to sit directly for the second degree.

Ding Jr. duly succeeded in the Metropolitan Examinations, and immediately upon receiving the post of secretary in one of the boards, he arranged for Ye to be admitted to the Imperial College and kept him company there day and night. A year later, Yeh himself finally sat the examinations in the Capitol and was awarded the full status of second degree graduate. At the same time, Young Ding was ordered to go on a tour of duty to Hanan province. It shall not be far from your own hometown, he said to Ye. This would surely be an excellent chance for you to return home and celebrate your own recent success. Ye was delighted at this idea, and together they selected a propitious day for the journey. On reaching the area of Huayang, Young Ding sent servants and horses to escort

Yeh home. He arrived to find the house dilapidated and desolate, and entering with some hesitation, encountered his wife, just as she was coming out of her winnowing basket. When she set eyes on Ye, she dropped her basket and recoiled in horror. I am greatly changed, I know, saidier sadly. Now I have become a person of rank. But surely you recognize me, even if we have not seen each other for more than three years. You have been dead this long while, replied his wife from a safe distance. How can you talk of rank?

We have not even been able to give you a proper burial. we were too poor to do so and our little boy was too young to deal with such things. Now the boy is older and ready to take his place in the world. He will see to it that a grave site is chosen in the proper way. I beseech you

not to come and haunt us. This plea brought an expression of great sorrow to Yeh's face. He walked hesitantly into the house and there he saw his own coffin, as plain as could be. He fell straight to the ground and melted into thin air before the eyes of his bewildered wife, leaving his gown, cap, and shoes

strewn on the ground like fragments of a discarded cocoon. Distraught with grief, the wife gathered the clothes up in her arms before abandoning herself to a fit of weeping. Presently, their son came home from school, and, seeing the horses tethered to the gate, inquired why they had come. Rushing in to tell his mother that they had a distinguished visitor, he found her brushing away her tears. She told him what she had just witnessed, and together they questioned the servants who had accompanied Yeh, from whom they learned the full story. The servants returned to their master, and when they told young Ding what had transpired, he shed bitter tears, and sent for a horse and carriage to take him to Ye's home, to mourn him

there. He provided money for the funeral expenses, and Yea was buried with the honors due to a second-degree graduate. Young Ding also provided generously for Ye's son, engaging a tutor for him and recommending him to the examiner. A year later, he passed the first-degree examination. Debt is, unfortunately, a part of life for most of us, and it can often seem like there may be no escaping from those who come to collect.

But at least we can take some grave comfort in the fact that even our debtors can't bother us once death itself exacts its own final due. The slate is wiped clean, right? Right? Well, I'm afraid I may have some bad news, at least when it comes to karmic deaths. A prominent Mandarin named Wang Shien Qian of Xin Cheng was a steward who was very comfortably off. One day, this steward dreamed that a man rushed into his house and said to him, Today, you must pay me back those 40 strings of cash you owe me. The steward asked him who he was, but the man made no answer and hurried past him into the inner apartments.

The steward awoke to learn that his wife had given birth to a son, and he knew at once that this child was a carmic retribution, his payment of a debt contracted in a previous life. He duly set aside 40 strings of cash, the sum specified in his dream, and used it to buy whatever food, clothes, and medicine the baby might need. By the time the boy was three or four years old, the steward found that of the 40 strings, 40,000 coins all told, there remained no more than 700 coins. One day, when the wetters came by and played with the child before his eyes, the steward merely looked at him and exclaimed, the forty strings are nearly spent. It is time you are on your way.

The words were no sooner spoken than the child pulled a strange face. His head fell back and his eyes opened in a glassy stare. They tried to revive him, but without success. The father used the balance of the 40 strings to pay for a coffin and buried him. This should be a warning to people

with unpaid debts. Everyone has. hates a pervert. And it's even worse when the peeping Tom isn't even flesh and blood, but a ghostly intruder from the beyond. No wonder, a family would go to great lengths to hire a professional to get rid of such a house pest. But sometimes even the experts can set the wrong trap. So let's find out what happens when a demon catcher misapprehends his quarry in Spiritual Man Law catches the wrong demon. In the second year of the Yongcheng Emperor's reign, Mr. Zhang Zhongzhen passed the royal examinations with distinction and was duly assigned the position of censor in Songjiang.

He slept on a heated bed in his study, but was pestered incessantly by mice scurrying to and fro between cracks in the base of the bed. Eventually, the loss of sleep became intolerable, so Zhang threw some firecrackers into the holes intending to drive the mice out. But still, the mice would not leave. He then took up his gun and shot through the cracks, but the mice behaved as if nothing had happened. Zhang then decided that there must be something inside the bed that the mice wouldn't leave. So he dismantled the bed brick by brick, but could find no reason for their dedication to his bed. The study also doubled as the bedroom for his maid, and it turned out she was regularly harassed at night by someone who would, wore a black cloak. This person demanded sex from the maid, and if she refused, she fell

instantly unconscious. When Zhang found out about this harassment, he gave the maid a jade charm he had obtained from a spiritual man, and instructed her to place it between herself and her quilt. That night, the ghost in black didn't return. However, the night after that, it did. This time, not only did it take off with the maid's underclothes, but it also desecrated the charm. Zhang was furious, so he asked a spiritual man by the name of Loh to exercise the ghost. Loh set up an altar and performed his various rituals for three days. The result was the capture of a raccoon-like animal. The creature was sealed in a jar and all rejoiced, wrongly assuming their troubles had ended.

That very night, the ghost returned, jeering rudely at them. My brother was tricked by that Taoist because he didn't know when to advance and when to retreat. It's utterly despicable. But I bet that Taoist wouldn't dare tackle me. His behavior that night was more licentious than ever before. Zhang called Law back again and told him of the ghost's new threats. My magic only works once on each deal. I can't repeat it a second time, Lowe said.

This left Zhang to sort the problem out for himself. Each evening, he arranged that the young lady in question sleep in the temple of the city god for protection. Sure enough, the ghost did not harass her there. Whenever she returned home, however, she would face the same old torment. This scenario continued for about six months. And then, one snowy night, while Zhang was playing chat, with a friend, a strange incident occurred. The chess game had continued deep into the night, and at one point, Zhang happened to open

the window next to him to spit out some mouthwash. In that instant, he caught sight of a black-faced animal with yellow eyes, similar in shape and size to a donkey, crouched down in hiding under the steps. Zhang spat out his mouthwash, hitting the creature's back, then leaped out through the window intending to give chase, but the creature had already disappeared. The next morning, the maid told Zhang, Last night, the monster told me you'd seen him. Now that his identity is no longer a secret, he can never return here.

True enough, the monster was not seen again. Fate has a way of balancing its own scales, and those who try to, shellfishly tip them, may come to find that payment is exacted in its own. peculiar way. So remember that old pearl of wisdom. You are what you eat. As we hear the tale of the human prawn. At the beginning of the current dynasty, there lived an old man who wanted to make the ultimate sacrifice, taking his own life to display his unbounded loyalty to the previous Ming dynasty. He was, however, too scared to commit suicide. He didn't fancy the idea. He didn't fancy the

idea of using a knife, nor did he care for the idea of hanging himself. Incineration was similarly unappealing. Eventually, he struck upon the notion of emulating a certain minister Xinling, who had apparently committed suicide by indulging in an excess of wine and women. Thus resolved, our Ming loyalist brought in several concubines and mistresses, and thereafter indulged himself in unlimited lascivious pursuits. This went on for years, yet still he showed no signs of dying from his excesses. The only effects on his body were that his nerves were shot, his head protruded at an unusual angle, and his back developed the hump. Indeed, he was so badly hunched over that he looked for all the world like a giant cooked prawn. His crooked gait

was almost a crawl on all fours. So people in the region called him the human prawn. He stayed in this prawn-like state for over 20 years and died at the ripe old age of 84. My friend, Wang Zedian, told me that he'd seen this old man with his very own eyes when he was just a young boy. We like to think of civilization as solid, a wall between us and the wild.

But walls crumble, rose vanish, and when the world turns chaotic, people even flee to the mountains. What happens to those who never come back down? What does the wild make of them? And what do they become in time? Perhaps the line between human and beast isn't quite as defined as we like to believe.

So join us now as we search for a glimpse of The Hairy People of Chin In Yunyang's Fong County, on the border between the provinces of Hunan and Guangdong, there's a mountain of enormous magnitude called House Peak. Its name is derived from the room-like caves that flank its four sides. Its height and isolation make it treacherous to venture near. Living in this mountain are people whose bodies are covered with hair and who measure over ten feet.

Every so often, they venture from the mountain to steal the nearby villagers' livestock for food. If anyone dared to try to prevent this theft, the hairy people would retaliate while retreating with the animals they had snatched. Firearms provided no protection since the lead shot would simply bounce off the hairy people and fall to the ground,

leaving them completely unharmed. Traditional wisdom maintains that there's only one way of preventing their rampages, and that is to clap your hands and shout, Build a Great Wall, Build a Great Wall. On hearing this, the hairy people run away in terror. A lifelong friend of mine, by the name of Zhang Chun, held an official post in this region,

and his experience confirms the efficacy of this tactic. The local officials explained the phenomenon thus. In the Chin Dynasty during the building of the Great Wall, some of the villagers avoided conscription by hiding in the mountains. After many years, they evolved into these strange, hairy creatures. We noticed that whenever they came into contact with other people, they would ask whether the Great Wall was completed, thereby exposing their weak point and enabling us to frighten them away.

One can appreciate how fierce the Emperor of Chin must have been if after several thousand years, these people still live in terror of Chin laws. You know what's better than the one big thing? Two big things. Exactly. The new iPhone 17 Pro on TELUS's five-year rate plan price lock. Yep, it's the most powerful iPhone ever, plus more peace of mind with your bill over five years.

This is big. Get the new iPhone 17 Pro at tellus.com slash iPhone 17 Pro on select plans. Conditions and exclusions apply. In our final tale, everyone thinks they would know a ghost when they see one. Pale face, empty eyes. Pretty obvious, right? But temptation rarely wears rags and rattling chains. Sometimes it smiles seductively, offers you tea, and invites you to stay the night.

So before you judge a man who fell in love with a spirit, ask yourself this. Would you really have done any better? Let's find out in The Magic Sword. The tale of Nie Xiaochien, or the magic sword. Ning Tai Chen was a Jijang province man, and a good-natured honorable fellow, fond of telling people that he had only loved once. Happening to go to Jin Hua, he took shelter in a monastery to the north of the city, very nice as far as ornamentation went, but overgrown with grass taller than a man's head,

and evidently not much frequented. On either side were the priests' supposed. apartments, the doors of which were ajar, with the exception of a small room on the south side where the lock had a new appearance. In the east corner, he spied a group of bamboo, growing over a large pool of water lilies and flower. Being much pleased with the quiet of the place, he determined to remain, more especially as, the Grand Examiner being in town, all lodgings had gone up in price. So he roamed about waiting until the priests should return. In the evening, Ning, a gentleman came and opened the door on the south side.

Ning quickly approached him, and with a bow, informed him of his design. There is no one here whose permission you need to ask, replied the stranger. I'm only lodging here temporarily, but if you don't object to the loneliness, I shall be very pleased to have the benefit of your society. Ning was delighted and made himself a straw bed, and put up a board for a table as if he intended to remain for some time. and that night, by the beams of the clear bright moon, they sat together on the veranda and talked. The stranger's name was Yen Chishya, and Ning thought that he was a local student up for the provincial examination, except that his dialect was not that of a Jijang man.

On being asked, he said he came from Qin, and there was an air of straightforwardness about all his remarks. By and by, when their conversation was exhausted, they bade each other good night, and went to bed. But Ning, being in a strange place, was quite unable to sleep, and soon he heard sounds of voices from the room on the north side, as though of family members. Getting up, he peeped through a window. He saw, in a small courtyard the other side of a low wall, a woman of about 40, with an older woman in a long-fated gown and with a silver hair comb, humped back, and feeble-looking.

They were chatting by the light of the low. moon. The young mistress said, why doesn't Niya Xia Qian come? She ought to be here by now, replied the older woman. She isn't offended with you, is she? asked the younger one. Not that I know of, answered the older. But she seems to want to give trouble. Such people don't deserve to be treated well, said the younger one. She had hardly uttered these words when up came a young girl of 17 or 18, and very Nice looking.

The older woman laughed and said, Don't talk of people behind their backs. We were just mentioning you as you came in silent as a little ghost. Fortunately, we were saying nothing bad about you. And as far as that goes, she added, If I were a young fellow, I should certainly fall in love with you. If you don't praise me, Grandma, replied the girl. I'm sure I don't know who will.

And then the lady and the girl talked some more together. Mr. Ning, thinking that they were the family next door, turned around to sleep without paying further attention to them. In a little while, no sound was to be heard. But as he was dropping off to sleep, he perceived that somebody was in the room. Jumping up in great haste, he found that it was the young lady he'd just seen. He asked her what she was doing there. She smiled and replied, I couldn't sleep with a bright moon. I want to play at being married to you. Don't say such a thing, Ning replied.

I worry what people would say. One misstep could destroy a person. It's nighttime, she answered. No one will know. Ning reproached her again, but she remained, as though she were going to say something else. He scolded, get out, now. Otherwise, I shall call the man in the south wing.

This frightened her, and she left. But as she passed through the door, she tossed a lump of gold on his mat. He picked it up and threw it back into the court, saying, An unrighteous thing! A filthy thing! So she had no alternative but to leave, muttering something about his heart being like iron or stone. The next day, a young candidate from Lan Shi in Fujian came for the examination and lodged in the east room with his servant.

He, however, was killed that very night, with a small hole in the soul of his foot as if bored by an all, and from which came a little blood. There was no explanation. The following night, the servant also died the same way. The next day, toward evening, when Mr. Yen came home, Ning asked him what he thought about it. Yen replied that it was the work of devils. But Ning was a brave fellow, and he asked him. and that didn't frighten him much. In the middle of that night, the girl appeared to ding again, and said to him,

I have seen many men, but none with a steel cold heart like yours. You are an upright man, and I will not attempt to deceive you. I, Xiao Qian, whose family name is Nie, died when only 18 and was buried alongside this temple. A demon then took possession of me and employed me to seduce men and do shameful things to be by my beauty, contrary to my inclination. There is now no one left in this temple to slay, and I fear that it will come to kill you. Ning was very frightened by this, and asked her what he should do. Sleep in the same room with Mr. Yen, she replied.

What? he asked. Can't the spirit bewitch Yen? He is a strange man, she answered, and it doesn't like going near him. Ning then inquired how the bewitching worked. If the man makes love to me, she answered, I secretly bore a hole in his foot, which renders him senseless, and proceed to draw off the blood, which the devil's drink. Another method is to tempt a man by false gold,

actually the bones of some horrid raksha demon, and if he accepts it, his heart and liver will be torn out. Either method is used according to the circumstances. Ning thanked her and asked when he ought to be prepared, to which she replied, Tomorrow night. At parting, she wept and said, I am about to sink into the dark sea with no way to reach a friendly shore. But your sense of duty is boundless.

Perhaps you can save me. If you will collect my bones and bury them in some quiet spot, I shall not again be subject to these misfortunes. Ning said he would do so, and asked where she lay buried. At the foot of the white poplar, on which there is a bird's nest, replied she, and passing out of the door, she disappeared. The next day, Ning was afraid that Yen might be going away somewhere, and went over early to invite him across.

He put out wine and food towards noon, and Ning, who took care not to lose sight of Yen, then asked him to remain there for the night. Yen declined on the grounds that he liked being by himself. But Ning wouldn't hear any excuses, and carried all Yen's things to his own room, so that he had no alternative but to consent. However, he warned Ning, saying, I know you're a gentleman and a man of honor, but I have a private issue. If you see anything you don't quite understand, I pray you not to be too inquisitive.

Don't pry into my boxes, or it may be worse for me. both of us. Ning promised to attend to what he said, and by the by, they both lay down to sleep. And Yen, having placed a box on the window sill, was soon snoring like thunder. Ning himself could not sleep, and after some time he saw a figure moving stealthily outside, at length approaching the window to peep through its eyes flashing like lightning. Ning, in a terrible fright was just upon the point of calling Yan when something flew out of one of the boxes like a strip of white silk and dashing against the stone lintel of the windowsill returned at once to the box, disappearing very much like lightning. Yen heard the noise and got up, Ning all the time

pretending to be asleep in order to watch what happened. Yen then opened the box and took out something which he smelt and examined at the light of the moon. It was dazzlingly white like crystal, about two inches in length by the width of an onion leaf in breath. He then wrapped it up carefully and put it back in the broken box, saying, A bold-faced devil that, to break my box. Upon which he went back to bed. But Ning, who was lost in astonishment,

arose and asked him what it all meant, telling it the same time what he himself had seen. As you and I are good friends, replied Yen, I won't make a secret of it anymore. The fact is, I'm a swordsman and magician. If not for the stone lentil, the devil would have been killed. As it is, he is badly wounded.

Ning asked him what it was he had wrapped up, and he told him it was his sword, on which he had smelt the presence of the demon. At Neng's request, he produced the weapon, a bright little miniature of a sword. From that time on, Neng held his friend in higher esteem than ever. The next day, Ning found traces of blood outside the window. He walked around, round to the north of the temple, and there, among a number of overgrown graves,

he discovered the poplar with the bird's nest at its summit. When he had completed his business and prepared to go home, Yen gave him a farewell banquet and spoke warmly to him. He also presented him with an old leather case, which he said contained a sword that would keep at a distance from him all devils and evil creatures. Ning then wished to learn a little of Yan's art, but the latter replied that although he might accomplish this easily enough, being as he was an upright man, yet he was well off in life and not a person of the Tao. Ning then, pretending he had come to bury his sister properly,

collected Xiaoxian's bones, and, having wrapped them up in gravecloths, hired a boat and set off on his way home. Since his library looked towards the open country, he made a grave by it, and buried the bones there, sacrificing and invoking Xiaoxian as follows. In pity for you, lonely ghost, I have placed your remains near my humble cottage, where we shall be near each other, and no evil demon will dare bother you. I pray you reject not my sacrifice, poor though it is. After this, he was proceeding home when he suddenly heard himself addressed from behind, the voice asking him not to hurry.

And turning round, he held Shao Qian, who joyfully thanked him, saying, Were I did I ten times for you, I could not discharge my debt. Let me go home with you and wait upon father and mother-in-law. You will not repent it. Looking closely at her, he observed she had a beautiful complexion and feet as small as bamboo shoots, being altogether much prettier now that he came to see her by daylight. So they went together to his home, and bidding her wait a while, Neng ran in to tell his mother, to the very great surprise of the old lady.

Now, Ning's wife had been ill for a long time, and his mother advised him not to say a word about it to her for fear of frightening her, in the middle of which in rushed Shao Qian and threw herself on the ground before them. This is the young lady, said Neng, whereupon his mother was speechless in alarm. Xiao Qian cried out, I am a lonely orphan, without brother or sister, the object of her. of your son's kindness and compassion, who begs to be allowed to give her poor services as some return for favor shown. Ning's mother, seeing that she was a nice, pleasant-looking girl, began to lose fear of her, and replied, "'Miss, the preference you show for my son is highly pleasing to an old body like myself,

but he is the only hope of our family for posterity, and I hardly dare agree to him taking a ghost wife.' "'I have but one motive in what I ask,' answered Chowd's. and if you have no faith in people from the world of the dead, then let me regard him as my brother and live under your protection, serving you like a daughter. Ning's mother could not resist her straightforward manner, and Xiao Qian asked to be allowed to see Ning's wife, but this was denied on the plea that the lady was ill. Xiaoxian then went to the kitchen and got the dinner ready, running about the place as if she'd lived there all her life. Ning's mother was, however,

much afraid of her and would not let her sleep in the house. So Xiao Qian went to the library and was just entering when suddenly she fell back a few steps and began walking hurriedly back and forth in front of the door. Seeing this, Ning called out and asked her what it meant, to which she replied, The presence of that sword frightens me. In fact, that's why I could not accompany you visibly on your way home. Ning at once understood her and hung up the sword-case in another place, whereupon she entered, lighted a candle, and sat down. For some time, she did not speak. At length, she asked Ning if he studied at night or not. For when I was little, I used to repeat the Surangama Sutra. But now I have forgotten more than

half, and therefore I should like to borrow a copy. And when you are at leisure in the evening, you might correct my reading. Ning said he would lend it, and they sat silently there, until nearly the end of the second watch, but she said nothing of leaving. Finally, Ning asked her to leave. Sadly, she said, In a strange place, a lonely spirit is frightened by a lonely grave. Ning answered, there is no second bed here, and as brother and sister, we must maintain some distance. She got up, frowning and about to weep, and with unsteady gate, walked to the gate, and vanished.

Ning felt sorry about it. He wanted to let her spend the night in a different bed, but feared his mother's wrath. Morning and night, Xiao Qian waited on Ning's mother, bringing water for her to wash in, occupying herself with household matters, and endeavoring to please her in every way. In the evening, before she went to bed, she would always go in and repeat a little of the sutra, and leave sadly as soon as she thought Ning was getting sleepy. Now, the illness of Ning's wife had given his mother a great, of extra trouble, more, in fact, than she was equal to. But ever since Shao Qian's arrival,

all this had changed, and Ning's mother felt kindly disposed to the girl in consequence, gradually growing to regard her almost as her own child, and quite forgetting that she was a spirit. Accordingly, in time, she did not make her leave the house at night, but let her sleep in the same room. And Shao Qian, who, being a spirit, had not tasted meat or drink since her arrival, began at the end of six months to take a little thin gruel. Mother and son alike became very fond of her, and henceforth never mentioned what she really was. Neither were strangers able to detect the fact. By and by, Ning's wife died, and his mother secretly wished him to espouse Xiao Qian, though she rather dreaded any unfortunate consequences that might

arise as a result. This Xiao Qian perceived, and seizing an opportunity, said to Ning's mother, I have been with you now more than a year, and you ought to know something of my disposition. Because I was unwilling to injure travelers, I followed your son hither. There was no other motive. And as your son has shown himself one of the best of men,

I would now remain with him for three years in order that he may obtain some mark of imperial approbation, which will do me honor in the realms below. Ning's mother knew that she meant no evil, but hesitated to put the family's hopes for a posterity into jeopardy. Xia Qian, however, reassured her by saying that children are the gift of heaven, that in the register of celestial beings, it was ordained that Ning would have three sons, and that the

line would not be interrupted by his marrying a ghost wife. Ning's mother believed her and discussed it with him. On the strength of this, the marriage was arranged to the great joy of Ning, a feast prepared, and friends and relatives invited. And when in response to a woman, recall, the bride herself came forth in her gay wedding dress. The beholders took her rather for a fairy than a demon. After this, numbers of congratulatory presents were given by the various female members of the family, who vied with one another in making her acquaintance,

and these Xiaoxen returned with gifts of paintings of orchids and plum blossoms done by herself, in which she was very skillful, and receivers being extremely proud of such marks of her friendship. One day she was leaning at the window in a despondent mood, when suddenly she asked where the sword case was. Oh, replied Ning, as you seemed afraid of it, I moved it elsewhere. I have now been so long under the influence of surrounding life, said Shao Qian, that I shan't be afraid of it anymore. Let us hang it on the bed. Ning asked her why. For the last three days, she explained, I have been much agitated in mind. and I fear that the demon from Jin Hua, angry at my escape, may come suddenly to carry me off.

So Ning brought the sword case, and Xia Qian, after examining it closely, remarked, This is where the swordsman magician puts people's heads. I wonder how many were slain before it got old and worn out as it is now. Even now, when I look at it, my flesh creeps. The case was then hung up, and the next day removed to over the door. At night, they sat up beside the lamp and watched, Xiao Qian warning Ning not to sleep. Suddenly, something fell down.

Flop, like a bird landing. Xiaoxian in a fright got behind the bed curtain. Ning looked at the thing and found that it was a yaksha amp of darkness, with glaring eyes and a bloody tongue, headed straight at them, claws grasping, and eyes gleaming. It stopped briefly at the door, then stealthily creeping up it made a grab for the sword case and seemed about to tear it in pieces. Then, bang, the swordcase became as big as a wardrobe, and from it a monster pushed out part of its body and dragged the imp inside.

Nothing more was heard, and the sword case resumed its original size. Ning was astonished, but Xia Qian came out rejoicing and said, There is the end of our troubles! In the sword case, they found only a few quarts of clear water, nothing else. After these events, Ning took his Jin Shi degree, and Xiao Qian bore him a son. He then took a concubine and had one more son by each woman, all of whom became, in time, distinguished doctors of letters themselves. As we step back from these stories, the scales of fate quietly reset themselves.

Some of the long-standing debts have been paid, some hidden virtues revealed, and some mysteries remain just out of reach, a reminder that not all balance is obvious or fair. In a world of ghosts, demons, and restless spirits, karma moves in ways both subtle and strange, sometimes nudging, sometimes shoving, but always reminding us that the universe keeps its own counsel and its own ledgers. And so we leave this chapter behind with the echoes of the unseen lingering yet in shadow. And the quiet understanding that balance is everywhere. If only we know how to look for it.

Happy autumn, and until next time, thanks for listening.