Original Text
The residence of Dong Mo'an, a Reader-in-Waiting of the Hanlin Academy, was plagued by a fox spirit. Often, without warning, bricks and tiles would rain down like hailstones. At such times, the household would scatter in panic, only daring to resume their duties after the fox had ceased its mischief. Distressed by this, Dong borrowed the mansion of Sima Sun Zuoting to take refuge, but the fox continued its harassment as before. One day, while waiting for the morning audience, he recounted the fox's mischief to his colleagues. An official said, "There is a Taoist from Guandong named Jiao Ming, who resides in the inner city. He specializes in talismans and exorcisms, and his methods are remarkably effective." Dong then visited the Taoist and invited him to rid his home of the fox. The Taoist drew a talisman with cinnabar and instructed Dong to paste it on the wall. Yet the fox was unafraid, hurling bricks and stones with even greater ferocity. Dong reported this to the Taoist, who grew angry and came personally to Dong's house, where he erected an altar and performed his rites. Soon, a large fox was seen crouching beneath the altar. The Dong family, long suffering from the fox's torment, harbored deep hatred for it. A maidservant stepped forward to strike the fox, but suddenly collapsed and died. The Taoist said, "This beast is exceedingly insolent; even I cannot subdue it instantly. How dare you, a mere girl, recklessly provoke it?" Then he added, "Yet we can use this maidservant to interrogate the fox—that is a viable plan." He joined his index and middle fingers, pointed at her, and chanted a spell. The maidservant suddenly rose from the ground and knelt upright. When the Taoist asked where she dwelled, the maidservant spoke in a fox's voice, "I was born in the Western Regions, and eighteen foxes entered the capital together." The Taoist said, "The imperial capital, where the Son of Heaven resides, is no place for such creatures as you to linger. Leave at once!" The fox made no reply. The Taoist slammed the table and thundered, "Do you dare defy my command? If you delay further, my Taoist arts will show no mercy!" Only then did the fox appear terrified and agree to obey. The Taoist urged it to depart quickly. At that, the maidservant collapsed again, lifeless, and only after a long while did she revive. Soon, the onlookers saw four or five white spheres, round as balls, rolling along the eaves, chasing one another in a cluster, and after a time, they all vanished. From then on, the Dong household enjoyed peace and tranquility.
Commentary
This is a story about the Taoist priest Jiao Ming performing a ritual to drive away a fox spirit.
Why did the fox harass the household of Attendant Reader Dong? The tale does not record this. The manner of the harassment was utterly inexplicable, as "tiles, bricks, and stones suddenly fell like hailstones," occurring intermittently, merely preventing Dong's family from living in peace, much like a petty rogue playing malicious pranks. Even when Dong moved his residence, he could not escape. Thus, Dong had no choice but to seek out the Daoist priest Jiao Ming from Guandong, who "dwelt within the inner city and mastered the arts of exorcism." Yet why did this Jiao Ming only drive away the fox, without capturing or punishing it? Linking this to the tale "Sorcery," one cannot help but suspect that the fox's harassment of Dong's household was a trick orchestrated by Jiao Ming himself to vaunt his own powers. Hence, the Qing dynasty commentator He Yin remarked: "The Daoist could interrogate it but could not seize it—why? I fear it was ultimately the Daoist's fraudulent scheme."
The narrative of the fox's mischief unfolds with considerable twists, revealing a fox with a rogue's temperament—bearing the air of a human scoundrel. First, the fox caused trouble in the home of Attendant Reader Dong, and when the Dong family moved elsewhere, "the fox's harassment continued as before," forcing them to invite a Taoist priest to perform exorcism rites. The exorcism process was even more convoluted. At first, "the priest wrote a vermilion talisman," but "the fox showed no fear, even increasing its assaults." With no other recourse, "the priest, enraged, went personally to the Dong residence, erected an altar, and performed rituals," summoning the fox. Yet, an unexpected incident arose when a maidservant, seeking revenge against the fox, was struck by it instead; thus, the priest used the maidservant's body to interrogate the fox. The fox initially denied and resisted—the phrase "did not answer" vividly depicting its rascally demeanor. Only after the priest's threats did it "show a fearful expression, promising to obey respectfully," yet it delayed leaving until the priest pressed it, whereupon "four or five white lumps, rolling like balls, moved along the eaves, one after another chasing each other, and in an instant, they were all gone. From then on, peace was restored."