Text/Murong Zijun
Fox demon
In the early years of the Qing Dynasty, a young man named Fang Cheng went to a relative's house to drink happy wine, and drank until midnight before rushing home, and when he reached the mouth of the village, he was greeted by a woman.
Fang Cost came from a poor family, but others looked like talents and good looks, because they were poor, and he was still an orphan, so he could not afford to marry a wife, and when he saw such a beautiful woman in front of him, his eyes were staring at people.
On this day, it had just rained, the road was muddy, the woman lifted her long skirt with both hands, tiptoed and walked, walking backwards and backwards, Fang Cheng laughed when she saw it. The woman also ignored him, and Fang Cheng said that she would carry the woman through this muddy road, and the woman was a little embarrassed, but she still agreed.
Fang Cheng picked up the woman and left, but feeling that the woman was very light, he actually carried the woman to his home. When the woman came down, she realized that it was his home, so she smiled and asked: What is your intention to carry me here? Fang Cheng said: You have already guessed my mind, why do you have to ask it knowingly?
Saying that, she hugged the woman into the tent, and the woman refused at first, but seeing that he looked personable and looked like a literati, she obeyed him.
After the two of them fell in love, they told each other their names, and the woman said that her name was Xiaozi, and she had been beaten by her stepmother, so she sneaked out in the middle of the night. Fang Cheng actually didn't believe Xiao Zi's words at all, but he still begged her: Since the stepmother can't tolerate you, stay and be my wife, I will love you well.
Xiao Zi could only see the four walls of his house, and the bedding on the bed was also tattered, and the black cotton was exposed. So he was surprised and asked him: Your family is so poor, you even went out to drink, and you were drunk, so you used all the wine to carry me, right? Can you raise me?
Fang Cheng felt a little embarrassed to hear Xiao Zi say this, but he looked at Xiao Zi carefully, born with beautiful eyebrows, snow white skin, bright eyes and bright teeth, which is a woman in the world, so he suspected that Xiao Zi in front of him was a demon, who knew that he just thought so, Xiao Zi saw through his thoughts.
So Xiao Zi said to him: What you suspect is not bad, I really do not belong to human beings, but I will never hurt you, and being married with me is only beneficial and harmless, please don't be afraid. Fang Cheng said: You are so beautiful, I have some scruples, and your body is so thin, can you suffer with me?
Xiao Zi said: As long as we trust each other and love each other, we can grow old, poor and not ashamed, as long as you don't drink alcohol in the future, our life will gradually become better, please believe me.
Fang Cheng listened, almost jumped up happily, in the morning, Xiao Zi made him a delicious meal, after eating, he went to the town to buy wine, who knew that he went home to see, he was stunned.
Only to see that the original dirty and messy interior was cleaned by Xiaozi, the table and bed were replaced with new ones, and the whole home was renewed. So I was surprised and asked: Where did all this stuff come from?
Xiao Zi said: Just now I went to my sister's house to get it, Fang Cheng listened to it even more strangely, and thought: How can a sister appear again, but he does not ask deeply.
At dinner in the evening, he first poured Xiao Zi a glass of wine and said: I only have enough money to buy this altar wine, and I have no money to buy meat, so let's drink it like this to celebrate our wedding.
Xiao Zi listened to him say this, stood up hurriedly, and then grabbed it from the air, then grabbed a pot of old wine and a cooked chicken, and calmly placed it on the table, and the two sat down to drink wine. Fang Cheng secretly snickered and thought to himself, whether she is a human or a demon, as long as there is wine and meat, from now on, if Fang Cheng has any needs, he will raise his hand.
On this day, Fang Cheng suddenly said to Xiao Zi: You are so powerful, why don't you change a few thousand taels of silver? In this way, we will change our poor home.
Xiao Zi frowned when she heard this, and said: "It is only because we had a relationship in our past lives, so I took the risk and did something for you that I should not have done, this is enough, I am always worried about being punished by heaven." But there is a definite number of what mortals eat and drink in the world, and if they exceed it or even covet it, I am afraid that it is a curse or a blessing.
But Xiaozi often went out, saying that she was visiting her sister, and on this day, the other party said that she needed to live in her sister's house for a few days. Fang Cheng suspected her coming, but he didn't know where Xiao Zi was going, so he kept asking her.
Xiao Zi guessed his thoughts again, so he said: I have already told you that we are not the same kind, so my way of life is different from yours, please don't ask more questions and think about it.
Fang Cheng said sourly: "Is it true that your sister and brother-in-law are not human beings?" Let's get to know each other. Xiao Zi scolded him and said: My sister and brother-in-law have never dealt with mortal people, because I am married to you, my sister almost has to break off relations with me, don't say more, it is useless to say more.
Who knew that not long after this incident, Fang Cheng had a verbal altercation with people while drinking, and he actually injured the drinking friend by mistake. The one who was injured was the son of the official eunuch family, so he put Fang Cheng on death row, and after Xiao Zi got the news, he rushed to visit him in prison and sent him something to eat.
Xiao Zi went in and out, the jailer couldn't see her at all, only Fang Cheng could see, Fang Cheng let Xiao Zi cast a spell to get him out, but Xiao Zi said: I can't do anything about this thing against Providence, how many times have I said it to you, let you drink less, you not only don't listen, but also provoke this disaster, you will definitely be punished, absolutely can not escape.
Xiao Zi sighed and said, "I am now thinking of a way to make you suffer as little as possible, which is also something that I can only do if I ask my sister and brother-in-law."
Fang Cheng was sent to Jinzhou to charge the army for the crime of hurting people, when it was the chaos of the soldiers, and before Fang Cheng left, Xiao Zi went to send him off and followed him all the way. But after walking for a while, Fang Cheng said to Xiao Zi: Since you gave me the treasure, please don't follow the past again, the road is far away, and there are officials escorting, in case they find out, I am afraid of adding another crime.
Xiao Zi said: I will accompany you to the Huai River, and when I get there, I will naturally have a place to go, and you don't have to worry. A few days later, when she arrived at Huaikou, Xiao Zi said goodbye to Fang Cheng and said: You will not stay in that place for too long, your brother-in-law has already calculated for you, and you will be released after two years. Fang Cheng didn't believe it, but just smiled bitterly and said: Resign yourself to fate.
In the blink of an eye, two years have passed, and it just happened to encounter the amnesty of the criminals, so Fang Cheng was also released. On this day, when I went home and passed through the Huai River, I stayed in an inn at night, and the innkeeper saw him and said with dissatisfaction: Since you left two years ago, there will often be a woman wandering here in my guest house, and when you approach her, there is no trace, this must be a monster at work.
These days have just calmed down, you came to stay in the hotel again, I really dare not keep you, Fang Cheng has a good idea, he suspects that the demon girl said by the shopkeeper is Xiao Zi. So he said strongly: If you don't let me stay today, you will definitely suffer trouble, and the shopkeeper is frightened by him, so he arranges for him to go to the small building in the backyard.
That night, Fang Cheng was drinking alone, when suddenly Xiao Zi came to him wearing gorgeous clothes and asked with a smile: Fang Lang is all right, should he not suffer anything, right? Fang Cheng saw that she was overjoyed, so he quickly hugged Xiao Zi and sat next to him to drink together, and asked her about the separation of the two.
Xiao Zi said: Since we separated, I have been living in my sister's house, although I can't stop you from being assigned to the army, but I have also done all my strength and not let you suffer much grievance there, so we should all feel sorry. Before letting your sister and brother-in-law calculate for you, you know that you only have two years of hard labor, so you have been waiting for the day when you go home, and now that Lang Jun has returned, we have the honor to return to our hometown together.
The next morning, Fang Cheng and Xiao Zi set off together, and when they passed through Suzhou, they were just in time for the Dragon Boat Festival, everyone was watching the dragon boat race, and Fang Cheng also took Xiao Zi to play on the boat.
The two had fun, and drank a lot of wine in the morning, who knew that Fang Cheng had to pour Xiao Zi into a drunken tincture, fell to the ground unconscious, her head rested on Fang Cheng's legs, blinking kung fu, Xiao Zi suddenly turned into a white fox.
After Fang Cheng saw it, his heart was disgusted with Xiao Zi, but at this time, he did not dare to easily tell Xiao Zi what to do, but he barely held back and did not get angry. But early the next morning, Xiao Zi found Fang Cheng's face shaded and a sullen look.
In fact, just yesterday when they were watching the dragon boat race, there was a rich man on the neighboring boat, this rich man was tall and rich, and when he sat on the bow of the boat and saw Xiao Zi, who looked like a heavenly immortal, he immediately fell in love, so early in the morning, he sent servants to invite Fang Cheng to his boat to drink.
The rich man warmly received Fang Cheng, looked Fang Cheng up and down, and said: I see that you are not rich, why don't you sell me the woman next to you? If you agree, I'd rather pay a premium price.
Fang Cheng thought to himself: Xiao Zi is just a fox essence with a very shallow Dao, how can I be a long-term husband and wife with her? Although she could cast spells, the silver she could change was limited, and if she continued to live for a long time, she would be able to live a rich and noble life one day, so he asked the rich merchant for five hundred taels of silver.
The rich merchant listened and hurriedly asked people to take out the silver two from the cash box, and then the two of them wrote the contract again, and when he returned to his ship with the silver two on his back, Xiao Zi already knew what he had done.
Xiao Zi angrily rebuked him and said: I asked myself if it was not thin for you, and now that you have just returned alive, you have abandoned me like a rag for a few hundred taels of silver. You don't want to think about why you are still so comfortable being sent to the Chong Army, aren't they all fighting for the baby box I gave you?
With that, Xiao Zi found the dark red small sandalwood box from Fang Cheng's luggage, which xiao Zi gave to Fang Cheng when he went to Jinzhou two years ago, and when he was in urgent need of money, he opened the treasure and there was silver two inside, but it would not be too much.
Fang Chengcheng survived on this treasure box, where he did not lack food and drink, and he could also bribe officials, so he did not suffer any crime there. Xiao Zi took the treasure box and left angrily, disappearing in the blink of an eye, the rich man did not get Xiao Zi, and naturally took the silver two away again.
A few days later, Fang Cheng returned home, only to see that the family was as poor as before, the furniture and bedding that Xiaozi had bought for him were gone, and the bed supported by bricks was still piled up on his tattered bedding, and he regretted it.
Fox fairy crossing
In the Song Dynasty, there was a young man named Song Kang, who came from a wealthy family, was a man of great pride, liked to drink, and liked to help friends, and everyone said that he was a righteous gentleman.
In that year, an old man passed by his door and observed him for a long time before he was informed by the servant who was guarding the door, and he was still with a woman, who looked sixteen or seventeen years old.
Ye Gongzi warmly welcomed them to the hall, the old man called himself Surname Zhou, his daughter was called Qiao'er, seventeen years old this year, and said that his daughter was versatile, playing the piano, playing chess, painting, etc. Ye Gongzi listened to it and admired Qiao'er's talent.
Zhou Weng said: I heard that Ye Gongzi is a benevolent and righteous person, so I came to beg you to take my daughter in, even if you accept her as a concubine, my family suddenly suffered a disaster and had to leave her hometown, but my daughter could not run around with me anymore, so she had to come to the door and ask Ye Gongzi not to abandon her.
Ye Gongzi said: I have now married a wife, in fact, my wife has long asked me to take a concubine, but I have not met the right one, today I saw Miss Zhou is not only beautiful, but also a talented woman, I have been moved, please rest assured, I will not treat her badly.
Zhou Weng hurriedly pulled his daughter to give him a salute and thank him, and then said: Only because my daughter is too good, so the marriage is not high or low, and now that we have suffered disasters, Ye Gongzi is willing to accept her as a concubine, which is also her blessing.
Ye Gongzi listened and hurriedly asked someone to bring some silver to Zhou Weng and let him use it on the road.
Zhou Weng took the silver two and said: In fact, I don't care about silver, but now I have to go to the distant southeast mountain to meet my old friend immediately, so I can use it on the road, then I will accept it unceremoniously. Zhou Weng saw that Qiao Er was shedding tears, and he hurriedly and painfully advised his daughter: You must serve Ye Gongzi well, don't be sad, the disaster has been resolved by us.
Early the next morning, Zhou Weng resigned, and before leaving, he repeatedly told Qiao'er: Don't be sad, we should not die, live well, and the father and daughter are clinging to each other.
In the blink of an eye, six years had passed, and Qiao Er was very well-behaved in the Ye family, and had never spoken out loud, so she did not disrespect her because she was a concubine.
At the end of this year, a Taoist monk surnamed Wang passed by the Ye family, who also stayed in front of his house for a long time, and then said to the servant who was guarding the door: The family is very demonic, let me go in and hunt down the demons.
The servant who guarded the door told Ye Gongzi what the Daoist priest had said, and Ye Gongzi was shocked and immediately came out to greet the Daoist priest at home. He also gave him some silver two, but this Daoist priest refused to accept it, but only asked how many members of the Ye family there were.
Ye Gongzi told him the truth, and the Taoist priest said: Invite all the people in the family to the hall, I can naturally see that it is a demon, talking about kung fu, everyone quickly gathered in the hall, men, women and children more than twenty mouths, but for a long time did not see Qiao'er come over.
At this moment, Qiao Er quietly slipped out of the courtyard door behind the door, who knew that he was discovered by this Daoist priest with a deep Fa, he immediately came out to stop Qiao Er and scolded: You fox demon, I have been pursuing you for six years, I did not expect to be hidden in the Ye family by your father, but in the end I found it, and I did not hurry to appear in its original form.
Only to see this Daoist monk, his fingers pinching the mouth to blow air to Qiao'er, and shouted: Demon, not obediently appearing to be dead, just at this moment, I saw a flash of light, like thunder and lightning coming out of the Daoist's sleeve, only to hear a loud rumble, Qiao'er fell to the ground in response, and instantly turned into a white fox.
The Daoist priest was about to go forward to catch the fox, when Qiao Er suddenly got up and changed into a human form, and she said to the Daoist priest contemptuously: There is no need for you to drive away, I originally had to cross the robbery time has expired, my father secretly came to urge me, because the beloved husband Jun could not bear to leave, which made you, the hateful Daoist, aware of it.
As long as you still want to take me in those two sons, you are too self-sufficient, you chased me six years ago, and my father took me to Ye Gongzi's house to cross the robbery. After saying that, Qiao Er bowed to Ye Gongzi and his family, and disappeared in an instant.