Wang Zhongwen 王仲文

Wang Zhongwen served as Registrar of Henan Prefecture, and resided to the north of Koushi County. He set off to return home in response to an auspicious sign. His route took him through an area of marshes and lakes, where he spotted a white dog following behind him. Zhongwen became very fond of it, and wanted to take it home, but it suddenly transformed and took on human shape. Standing six feet tall, and looking like a Fang Xiang mask,[1] with eyes of red flame, grinding teeth and a wagging tongue, it was quite abhorrent. He wanted to attack it, but it repulsed his assault for a time, and tried to get onto the carriage. Zhongwen was terrified, and quickly ordered his servants to beat it, but they were quite unable to do so. He thus dismounted and lashed out alongside his servants, but still could not hold it back. Their combined strength exhausted, they could strike out at it no longer, so gave up and fled. They told others of this, and, gathering ten or more people, wielding blades and clutching torches, they went together to see it, but were no longer able to find the place. After a month and a day, Zhongwen suddenly saw it again. He and his servant fled, but, before they could reach human habitation, he fell over quite dead.

From Xusoushenji.

Li Fang 李昉, et al., Taiping guangji 太平廣記 (Extensive Gleanings from the Era of Great Harmony), 10 vols (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1961), vii, 319.2532:

王仲文

王仲文為河南郡主簿。居緱氏縣北。得休應歸。道經水澤。見後有一白狗。仲文甚愛之。欲便取。忽變如人。長六尺。狀似方相。目赤如火。磋齒嚼舌。甚有憎惡。欲擊之。或却。或欲上車。仲文大怖。便使奴打。不能奈何。因下車。佐奴共又打。亦不禁。並力盡。不能復打。於是捨走。告人家。合十餘人。持刀捉火。自來視之。便不知所在。月餘日。仲文忽復見之。與奴並走。未到人家。伏地俱死。出續搜神記

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[1] This seems likely to refer to a ritual four-eyed mask worn by exorcists heading funeral processions. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fangxiangshi, https://dreamingsnowflake2013.tumblr.com/post/151446420249/the-warrior-who-defeats-evil-bangsangshi, http://yokai.com/housoushi/.  

Zhang Yu 張禹

[2518] During the Yongjia era (307-13 CE), the palace guard commander Zhang Yu once travelled through the Great Marsh. The sky had grown dark when he suddenly spotted a mansion with its gates open wide. Yu thus approached and when he arrived before the hall a maid emerged and greeted him. Tu said: “I was passing when the rain started, and would just like to stay over.” The maid entered to report, and soon emerged again, calling Yu forward. He saw a woman, aged around thirty years, seated under a canopy, and waited on by more than twenty maids, their clothing all luminous and beautiful. She asked Yu what he desired. Yu said: “I have my own food, and only need something to drink.” The woman ordered that a shallow pan be brought out and given to him. He therefore kindled a fire to make soup. Despite hearing the water boil, when tried it remained cold.

The woman told him: “I am a dead person, within my tomb mound. I have nobody to share with, only my sense of shame and guilt.” She then began to weep and told Yu: “I am a daughter of the Sun family from Rencheng County, and my father served as Prefectural Chief of Zhongshan. I left to marry into the Li clan of Dunqiu, and bore a son and a daughter. The boy is eleven sui and the girl seven. After my death, the Lis favoured my former maidservant Cheng Gui. Now my son is always beaten, not even sparing his head or face, and pained to the depths of the heart. I wish to kill this maid, but a dead person’s qi force is weak. I have been waiting to find someone on whom I could rely on, and I beg the gentleman to help with the matter. The rewards would be rich.”

Yu said: “Though I cherish Madame’s words, because killing people is a serious matter, I dare not take on this assignment.” The lady replied: “Why would the gentleman be ordered to take up a knife himself? It is only wished that he speak to Li and his family on my behalf, telling them what I have explained. Li will then regret Cheng Gui, and will have to offer prayers to remove this misfortune. The gentleman will then explain that he himself has power to suppress spirits. When Li hears this he will order Cheng Gui to be present for the matter, and I will have the opportunity to kill her.”

Yu made a pledge to her, and set off the next day, telling Li everything he had been told. Li was shocked and terrified, and told Cheng Gui, who was very frightened. They sought help from Yu, but just then he saw the lady Sun coming in from outside, accompanied by more than twenty female attendants. All carried knives and stabbed Cheng Gui, who immediately fell to the floor and died. Before long, Yu passed through the Great Marsh again, and the woman sent her maids out with fifty bolts of zacai coloured silks to reward him.

From Zhiguai.

Li Fang 李昉, et al., Taiping guangji 太平廣記 (Extensive Gleanings from the Era of Great Harmony), 10 vols (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1961), vii, 318.2517-8:

張禹

[2518] 永嘉中。黃門將張禹。曾行經大澤中。天陰晦。忽見一宅門大開。禹遂前至廳事。有一婢出問之。禹曰。行次遇雨。欲寄宿耳。婢入報之。尋出。呼禹前。見一女子。年三十許。坐帳中。有侍婢二十餘人。衣服皆燦麗。問禹所欲。禹曰。自有飯。唯須飲耳。女敕取鐺與之。因燃火作湯。雖聞沸聲。探之尚冷。女曰。我亡人也。塚墓之間。無以相共。慙愧而已。因歔欷告禹曰。我是任城縣孫家女。父為中山太守。出適頓丘李氏。有一男一女。男年十一。女年七歲。亡後。李氏幸我舊使婢承貴者。今我兒每被捶楚。不避頭面。常痛極心髓。欲殺此婢。然亡人氣弱。須有所憑。託君助濟此事。當厚報君。禹曰。雖念夫人言。緣殺人事大。不敢承命。婦人曰。何緣令君手刃。唯欲因君為我語李氏家。說我告君事狀。李氏念惜承貴。必作禳除。君當語之。自言能為厭斷之法。李氏聞此。必令承貴莅事。我因伺便殺之。禹許諾。及明而出。遂語李氏。具以其言告之。李氏驚愕。以語承貴。大懼。遂求救於禹。既而禹見孫氏自外來。侍婢二十餘人。悉持刀刺承貴。應手仆地而死。未幾。禹復經過澤中。此人遣婢送五十匹雜綵以報禹。出志怪