Once upon a time, there was a scholar surnamed Wang in Taiyuan. I have something to do today, so I got up early to rush. Only after leaving the village did he realize that there was still a crescent moon hanging in the western sky! Wang Sheng walked along the road, looking at the mountains, villages, and wilderness before dawn. Everything was quiet and interesting.
As he was walking, Wang Sheng saw a woman ahead, carrying a bundle and walking alone. From the way the woman moved step by step, it seemed very difficult. Wang Sheng rushed forward and carefully observed under the dim moonlight. It turned out to be a young and beautiful girl. The woman did not dodge, but instead lifted her head and looked at Wang Sheng with tenderness.
Wang Sheng’s heart stirred, and he asked with a smirk, “It’s still dark, why are you walking alone?” The woman said softly, “You’re a passerby, you won’t help me relieve my worries, so don’t ask.” Wang Sheng quickly leaned forward and said affectionately, “What worries do you have? As long as I can serve, I won’t refuse
The woman turned around slightly, rubbed her eyes with her hand, and said sorrowfully, “My parents are greedy and sold me to a wealthy man as a mistress. Who knew that the old lady was jealous and scolded me in the morning and beat me at night. I finally escaped from the tiger’s den.” Upon hearing this, Wang Sheng’s evil thoughts suddenly arose and he quickly asked, “Miss, where do you want to escape to?” The woman replied, “Hurry up and escape, there’s nowhere to go
The woman spoke with a look of both wanting help and shyness. Wang Sheng tentatively asked, “My house is not far from here. Would you like to come to my place to take shelter first?” The woman gratefully replied, “Thank you very much, young master.” Wang Sheng didn’t even have time to go out for business and hurriedly carried the bag for the woman and walked home. Wang Sheng and the woman chatted and laughed all the way back to the village, afraid that his wife would find out, so he led her into his study.
The two walked into the study, and the woman looked around and asked, “Is there anyone else living here?” Wang Sheng said, “This is my backyard, and everyone in my family lives in the front yard.” The woman was very satisfied after hearing this. The sky is gradually brightening. The woman said, “This place is really nice. I’m hiding here, but don’t let anyone else know!” Wang Sheng said, “Don’t worry, no one will see it.” Wang Sheng called his family and ordered, “From now on, I will study in the backyard, and none of you are allowed to enter
The family thought to themselves: The young master has never been fond of reading, how has he changed? The family found it strange and asked, “How can I deliver food to you without me coming in?” Wang Sheng said irritably, “If you come to deliver food, knock on the door outside first, and I will come out to deliver it myself!” In this way, the woman kept pestering Wang Sheng for several days. Gradually, Wang Sheng felt dizzy and powerless.
Wang Sheng’s actions aroused suspicion from his wife Chen. It was late at night, and Chen quietly stood outside the wall in the backyard, listening carefully. Inside, there was a faint sound of Wang Sheng and the woman laughing and talking. Chen understood why Wang Sheng didn’t come home to live.
The next morning at dinner, Wang Sheng went out to serve food again. As soon as he opened the door, he saw Chen standing outside. Wang Sheng immediately blushed with embarrassment and didn’t know what to do. Chen called Wang Sheng to the front yard and asked slowly. Wang Sheng had no choice but to speak frankly. Chen said, “This woman must be the mistress of a wealthy family. She should be sent away quickly.” Wang Sheng thought his wife was jealous, so he couldn’t listen. In feudal society, it was common for wealthy men to find a mistress. In this way, the matter between Wang Sheng and the woman was unexpectedly made public. In broad daylight, that woman also snuggled up in Wang Sheng’s arms without any hesitation, showing off her charm.
One day, Wang Sheng occasionally went to the market and met a Taoist priest. When the Taoist saw Wang Sheng, he was shocked and quickly asked, “What did you encounter?” Wang Sheng replied, “No!” The Taoist replied, “You are wrapped in evil energy all over your body, and your blood is almost drained. How can you say that you haven’t?” Wang Sheng strongly confessed his feelings. The Taoist let out a long sigh and said, “Ah! There are people in the world who are about to die without realizing it!” After saying that, he turned around and walked away.
After listening to the Taoist’s words, although Wang Sheng became suspicious of the woman, he thought again: she was clearly a beauty, where did the evil energy come from? By the way, the Taoist wants me to invite him to draw talismans and recite mantras, so that I can earn a bowl of rice to eat. Wang Sheng walked while thinking and unconsciously returned home. He reached out and pushed the courtyard door, which was tightly closed. Wang Sheng found it strange. Wang Sheng quietly climbed up the wall and turned over to the courtyard. Wang Sheng slowly approached the study and wanted to open the door, but it was also tightly closed. He didn’t know what had happened, so he had to tiptoe to the window and secretly look into the room.
I saw a devil with a green face and fangs in the room, spreading a piece of human skin on the bed and carefully depicting it with a colored pen in his hand. Wang Sheng was greatly surprised. After the devil finished painting, he put down the colored pen and picked up the painted human skin, shaking it as if he was tidying up his clothes. The devil draped human skin over his body and immediately transformed into that woman. Because it was just described, it seems like people have washed and dressed up, so it looks even more beautiful. At this moment, Wang Sheng was scared to death. He dared not look anymore and quickly fell to the ground, quietly crawling out of the yard. Wang Sheng hurriedly returned to the market and sought help from the Taoist priest. He searched around the market, but the Taoist didn’t know where he went.
Wang Sheng dared not go home and searched everywhere. Finally, I met a Taoist priest in the wilderness. Wang Sheng fell to his knees with a “thump” and begged the Taoist for help. The Taoist quickly helped Wang Sheng up and said, “Just drive her away. However, she’s not easy either. I can’t bear to hurt her at the moment. Take this dust and hang it on the door, and the devil will walk away when he sees it.” Wang Sheng gratefully took the dust. As they bid farewell, the Taoist told Wang Sheng, “If you need anything else, you can come find me at the Qingdi Temple.” After saying that, he turned around and left.
Wang Sheng dared not go to the backyard study again, so he returned to his own bedroom. His wife is an honest person who was originally very angry with him, but when she heard that the woman was a devil, she forgave him. The sun has set and the sky is gradually getting dark. Wang Sheng hurriedly asked his wife to hang the dust on the door. About a day later, when he heard a commotion outside the door, Wang Sheng was so scared that he tightly covered his head with a blanket and asked his wife to look through the crack in the door to see what it was. So it was that woman who came. The woman saw the dust hanging on the door and dared not enter. She was so anxious that she gritted her teeth and walked back and forth in the yard. The woman wandered around the yard for a while, but still couldn’t enter the house. She had to say fiercely, ‘Go ahead, go ahead, spare your life!’ After that, she stomped her foot and left.
Unexpectedly, after a while, the woman returned and pointed at the dust, cursing, “Old Taoist, you don’t have to scare me. I can’t easily spit out what I’ve put in my mouth!” Then, the woman transformed and revealed her devilish form. It opened its mouth and sprayed the blood sucked into its belly straight towards the dust. As soon as the dust got stained with blood, it fell from the door. At this moment, the devil stepped forward and crushed the dust, then raised his hand and the door opened.
The devil broke into the house and first pulled off the blanket that Wang Sheng was covering. Then, he reached out his furry black hand and pulled out Wang Sheng’s heart. The devil picked up the bloody heart and lifted his ferocious face, laughing wildly as he walked away. Chen was so scared that she shouted loudly, calling on her family to help her quickly. The maid heard Chen’s cry for help and hurriedly ran over. She saw Wang Shengsheng on the bed, covered in blood. Chen was crying uncontrollably on the side. The maid let out a startled cry and the wax candle in her hand fell to the ground. After daybreak, Chen brought his younger brother Wang Erlang and asked him to quickly go to the Qingdi Temple to find a Taoist priest, begging him to come and save his life.
Wang Erlang came to the Qingdi Temple and explained his purpose. The Taoist heard that Wang Sheng had died and angrily said, “I didn’t want to harm this devil, but I didn’t expect it to be so rude. It seems that we can’t be pitiful towards evil spirits!” After saying that, the Taoist followed Wang Erlang and walked towards the Wang family like a gust of wind. The Taoist came to the Wang family and searched all the courtyards, but couldn’t find the devil. He looked up and quickly asked, “Who is the house in Nanyuan?” Wang Erlang said, “My house.” The Taoist said, “The ghost is hiding in Nanyuan.” Wang Erlang shook his head and said he didn’t see it. The Taoist asked, “Is there anyone you don’t know who has come to your house?” Erlang said, “I left the house early in the morning, and I don’t know if anyone has come yet.” The Taoist replied, “Then you should go home and take a look
Erlang hurriedly went home to check, and after a while, he returned and said, “An old lady came just now and volunteered to be a servant for my house. My wife didn’t agree, but she didn’t leave and is still at my house now.” The Taoist said, “That’s right, that old lady is the devil!” Then he quickly asked Erlang to lead him to the southern courtyard. The Taoist held a sharp sword and stood in the courtyard, shouting loudly. The devil who commits evil, quickly compensate me and brush the dust! “The devil, who turned into an old woman, turned pale with fear when she saw it was a Taoist priest. The old lady wanted to run out, but the Taoist flew forward and struck with a sword; The old woman fell to the ground, shed her skin, and turned into a demon. The evil ghost got up and was about to struggle when the Taoist swung his sword and chopped off the ghost’s head. The evil ghost turned into thick smoke and surrounded the ground into a ball.
The Taoist took out a gourd, pulled off the lid, and “swooshed” the gourd into the smoke. The Taoist covered the gourd and put it in a bag. Looking at that human skin again, with features such as eyebrows, eyes, hands, and feet, everything is present. The Taoist rolled up the human skin like a scroll and put it in his bag, bidding farewell and leaving. At this moment, Chen came crying and begged the Taoist to save Wang Sheng. The Taoist felt sorry and answered to take a look. The Taoist arrived at Wang Sheng’s room, and Wang Sheng lay on the bed, already exhausted. He touched Wang Sheng’s body, which was still warm, and then took out the medicine to prepare for Wang Sheng’s treatment. The Taoist first washed the bloodstains off Wang Sheng’s body, then took a red pill and put it into Wang Sheng’s chest. Then he applied a medicine pack to the wound and tied it up.
The Taoist once again asked Chen to move Wang Sheng’s limbs. Before long, Wang Sheng gradually began to gasp for breath. The Taoist happily said, “Wang Sheng is saved!” After a moment, Wang Sheng suddenly sat up and said, “I seem to have had a nightmare!” Everyone was very happy. Chen recounted how Wang Sheng was killed by demons and rescued by Taoist priests. Wang Sheng is very grateful for the Taoist’s life-saving grace. The Taoist said earnestly to Wang Sheng, “Evil spirits in the world often disguise themselves as beautiful women to deceive people. You must be doubly careful in the future and never fall for it again
