Whose Strange Stories? P'u Sung-ling (1640 - East Asian History

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Petal Fragrance .seal
carved by Chang
T'ing-chi 5.1H! (early
eighteenth century)
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Written charm begging a
happy rebirth (DonD
WHOSE STRANGE STORIES?
Next evening Lien-hsiang came and found
out that Miss Li had been there again; whereupon
she was very angry with Sang, and told him he
would certainly die. "Why need you be so
jealous?" said Sang, laughing; at which she only
got more enraged, and replied, "When you were
nearly dying the other day and I saved you, if I
had not been jealous, where would you have
been now?" Sang pretended he was only joking,
and said that Miss Li had told him his recent
illness was entirely owing to the machinations of
a fox; to which she replied, "It's true enough
what you say, only you don't see whose machin­
ations. However, if anything happens to you, I
should never clear myself even had I a hundred
mouths; we will, therefore, part. A hundred days
hence I shall see you on your bed." Sang could
not persuade her to stay, and away she went
[angrily l; and from that time Miss Li became a
regular visitor [nightly companion 1. Two months
passed away, and Sang began to experience a
feeling of great lassitude, which he tried at first
to shake off, but by-and-by he became very thin,
and could only take thick gruel. He then thought
about going back to his native place; however,
he could not bear to leave Miss Li, and in a few
more days he was so weak that he was unable
Lien-hsiana
knows that 'Miss
Li is sti[[
visitina Sana.
She is anar1J,
ana (eaves him.
Sana now penis
every n ig ht with
'Miss Lt over a
yerioa of two
months, ana
6ecomes more
ana more
ae6ifitated.
'1fe 6eains to
suect her, ana
to regret not
hav1nf:] heeaea
Lien-hsiana's
aavice.
29
The Elected Girl asked: "How do incubi
originate?" P'eng-tzu answered: "If a person
has an unbalanced sex life, his sexual desire
will increase. Devils and goblins take
advantage of this condition. They assume
human shape and have sexual intercourse
wilh such a person. They are much more
skilled in this art than human beings, so
much so that their victim becomes completely
enamoured of the ghostly lover. These
persons will keep the relation secret and will
not speak about its delights. In the end they
succumb alone, without anyone being the
wiser. During sexual intercourse with such
an incubus one will experience a pleasure
that is greater than ever felt while copulating
with an ordinary human being. But at the
same time one will become subject to this
disease which is difficult to cure. (Secret
Instructions)