Ghost Story of Liaozhai

Yu Gong, when he was young, he was a chivalrous hero, proficient in boxing and swords, with infinite strength, he could lift a clepsydra with high feet, and dance in a whirlwind.During the reign of Chongzhen, Yu Gong went to the capital for a palace examination, and his servant fell ill in bed, secretly worried.I heard that there was an old fortune teller in the market, and the divination was effective, so I went to visit.

When he came to the hexagram stall, before he could speak, the old man had guessed, "Does the young master want to ask the servant about his condition?" Yu Gong was shocked and nodded his head.The old man said: "My servant's body is harmless, but I am in danger."

After finishing speaking, he tested a hexagram for Yu Gong and said, "Young master will die within three days."

Yu Gong said with a smile: "Life and death are fate, what are you afraid of?"

The old man said: "I use a little trick to relieve the son's worries, but I need ten taels of gold as a reward."

Yu Gong smiled without saying a word, turned around and left.The old man shouted: "Your Excellency, be stingy with the tip, don't regret it!"

Back home, it was the third day in a blink of an eye, Yu Gong sat in the hostel, watched the changes, and was fine all day long.At night, the young master lighted the lamp and held the sword, and sat there until the first watch, without any movement, and was about to go to bed.Suddenly, I heard rustling noises on the window. I watched anxiously, and saw a [-]-inch small man entering through the window with a spear in his hand, and jumped to the ground.

Yu Gong raised his sword and stabbed, but missed.The body of the visitor suddenly became smaller, and he looked for the gaps in the windows in all directions, intending to escape.Yu Gong charged forward with a stride, the long sword fell, and the villain fell in response, and was cut in two at the waist.If you look closely by candlelight, it is a paper figurine.

After a while, another thing came in through the window, ferocious like a ghost, and fell to the ground with both feet. Yu Gong swung his sword and slashed, cutting it in half from head to toe.The monster was hit by the sword, and the corpse did not die for a while, and could still squirm.Fearing that he would come back to life, Yu Gong hastened to make up a few swords, and the swords all hit. The sound was weird, not like that made by human skin. After a little inspection, it was a clay puppet, broken in pieces.

Strange things happened frequently, Yu Gong was vigilant and did not dare to fall asleep, so he moved to sit under the window and prepared himself for the battle.For a long time, there was a sound of panting outside the window like a cow, a monster pushed the window lattice with his hands, and the walls of the room vibrated and crumbled.Yu Gong was worried about the collapse of the house, and thought to himself, "Where is the evildoer coming from? Wait for me to leave the house for a while."

Thinking of this, he opened the door and ran out.I saw a giant ghost in the courtyard, as tall as the eaves, with a face as black as coal, yellow light shining in his eyes, bare upper body, bare feet, holding a bow in his hand and an arrow on his waist.

As soon as the giant ghost saw the public, without saying a word, he bent his bow and shot an arrow, and the arrow went straight to the throat.Yu Gong swung his sword to block, and the arrow fell to the ground.Going forward to challenge, the evil spirit shot another arrow, and Yu Gong dodged sideways. The arrow went away like lightning, and it plunged into the brick wall with a bang, and it didn't go into the handle.

The giant ghost missed several shots, became furious, abandoned his bow and drew his knife, swung it like the wind, and slashed fiercely at the top of the male's head.Yu Gongyi was not afraid, he jumped up, walked between the legs of the evil spirit, the sword came out like a chao, and stabbed the ankle of the evil spirit with a sword, the sound was like hitting iron, buzzing loudly.

The evil spirit was attacked, roaring like thunder, and slashed furiously, hitting a hard stone, and the stone was shattered like powder.

In an instant, one person and one ghost were fighting to the death, the fight was inextricable.Suddenly, the evil ghost cut through the corner of the male's clothes with a knife. Yu Gong was furious, and he raised his sword and stabbed the evil ghost in the left rib. The evil ghost screamed and fell to the ground, dead.Taking a closer look, it is nothing but a puppet, as tall as a man, with a bow and arrow around his waist, and a ferocious face.Hitting it with a sword, blood gushed out.

Yu Gong suddenly realized, "Whether it's a villain or a clay puppet, they are all sent by the old fortune-teller, waiting for the opportunity to kill people and claim their lives, so as to prove his skill in divination and take the opportunity to make money. Hmph, I can't spare him."

At dawn the next day, Yu Gong rushed to the hexagram stand, looking for the old man to settle accounts.Knowing it in his heart, he found a pot of dog blood and splashed it with blood. The old man's spell was broken and he appeared immediately.I saw that he was covered in blood and looked embarrassed, three parts human-like, seven parts ghost-like.

Unceremoniously, Yu Gong tied the old man's hands behind his back and sent him to the Yamen. After some interrogation, the old man received the punishment he deserved: beheaded.