Original Text
Ning Caichen was a man from Zhejiang, of a generous and straightforward disposition, upright in conduct and pure in heart. He often said to others, "In all my life, aside from my wife, I have no desire for any woman's charms." On one occasion, he traveled to Jinhua and, arriving outside the northern gate, unloaded his luggage at a temple. The temple halls and pagoda were grand and imposing, but the courtyard was overgrown with wormwood more than man-high, as if no one had set foot there for a long time. The monks' quarters on the east and west sides had their doors left ajar, while only a small chamber on the south side had a lock that seemed newly placed. Gazing toward the eastern corner of the main hall, he saw tall, slender bamboos as thick as two hands could encircle, and below the steps lay a large pond where wild lotuses had already bloomed. Ning Caichen was much taken with the quiet and seclusion of the place. At that time, it happened that the provincial examiner had come to Jinhua to test the scholars, and lodgings in the city were exorbitantly dear; so he resolved to stay there, and while strolling about, he awaited the return of the monks.
As dusk fell, a robust man approached and unlocked the door of the southern chamber. Ning Caichen hurried over to greet him with a bow, explaining his wish to lodge there. The man replied, "This place has no master; I myself am but a temporary guest. If you do not mind its desolation, I would be glad to have your company and counsel morning and evening." Ning Caichen was delighted, quickly spreading dry wheat straw as a bed and propping up a plank as a table, intending to stay for some days. That night, the bright moon hung high, its silvery light as clear as water; the two sat knee to knee in the veranda of the Buddha hall, conversing intimately and exchanging names. The man introduced himself, saying, "My surname is Yan, and my style name is Chixia." Ning Caichen guessed he was a scholar heading for the examinations, but his accent did not sound like that of a Zhejiang man. When asked his native place, the man said he was from the Qin region. His words were frank and sincere. After a while, having nothing more to say, they parted with a bow and retired to their respective rooms to sleep.
Ning Caichen, being newly arrived, could not fall asleep for a long time. He heard a low murmuring sound from the north side of the house, as if there were people there. He then crouched by the stone window at the base of the northern wall to spy on what was happening outside. He saw a small courtyard beyond the low wall, where a woman of about forty years old stood, along with an elderly woman dressed in a faded red garment, with a large silver comb pinned in her hair, frail with age. They were speaking together under the moonlight. The woman said, "Why has Xiaoqian not come for so long?" The old woman replied, "She should be here soon, I suppose." The woman asked, "Has she ever complained to you, Grandmother?" The old woman answered, "I have heard nothing of the sort, though she does seem somewhat downcast and unhappy." The woman said, "This girl should not be treated too kindly." Before her words had ended, a young lady of about seventeen or eighteen approached, of surpassing beauty. The old woman laughed and said, "One should not speak ill of others behind their backs. We were just talking about you, you little sprite, and you have come silently—luckily we said nothing bad of you." She continued, "Little mistress, you are truly a beauty from a painting; were I a man, I would have my soul stolen away by you." The young lady replied, "If Grandmother does not praise me, who else would speak well of me?" Then the woman also said a few words to the young lady, but what was said could not be heard clearly. Ning Caichen guessed that these were all neighbors' family members, so he went back to sleep and listened no more. After a little while, the voices ceased entirely.
Just as Ning Caichen was about to fall asleep, he sensed someone entering his room. Rising hastily to look, he saw it was the young woman from the northern courtyard. Startled, he demanded her purpose, and she smiled, saying, "On this moonlit night, I cannot sleep and wished to share tender pleasures with you." Ning Caichen's face hardened as he sternly replied, "You should guard against the gossip of others, and I too fear idle talk. A single misstep would destroy all honor and shame." The woman said, "No one will know under cover of night." Ning Caichen rebuked her again. She lingered, as if to speak further, but he thundered, "Begone at once! Otherwise, I shall summon the man from the southern house." Frightened, she withdrew. No sooner had she stepped out than she returned, placing a ingot of gold upon the mat. Ning Caichen seized the gold and flung it outside, declaring, "Ill-gotten wealth, do not defile my pouch!" The woman slunk away in shame, picked up the gold, and muttered to herself, "This man is truly made of iron and stone."
On the morning of the second day, a scholar from Lanxi arrived with his servant to take the examinations, lodging in the eastern wing, but suddenly died that very night. On the sole of his foot was found a small hole, as if pierced by an awl, from which a thin trickle of blood oozed. No one knew the cause. After a night had passed, his servant also died, with exactly the same symptoms. At dusk, Yan Chixia returned, and Ning Caichen went to inquire of him; Yan believed it was the work of a demon. Ning Caichen, who had always been upright and unyielding, paid it no heed at all.
In the middle of the night, the maiden came again and said to Ning Caichen, "I have seen many men, but none as upright and steadfast as you. You are truly a sage, and I dare not deceive you. I am Nie Xiaoqian, who died at the age of eighteen and was buried near the temple. Since then, I have been threatened by a demon and forced to commit these base acts, shamelessly facing the crowd, though it was never my wish. Now that there is no one left in the temple to kill, I fear the yaksha will come." Ning Caichen, terrified, begged her for a plan. Xiaoqian said, "If you share a room with that man Yan, you may escape disaster." Ning asked, "Why do you not seduce Yan?" Xiaoqian replied, "He is an extraordinary man; I dare not approach him." He then asked, "How do you seduce others?" Xiaoqian said, "When someone becomes intimate with me, I secretly prick the sole of his foot with a needle, and he falls into a stupor, allowing me to draw his blood for the demon to drink. Or I tempt him with gold, but it is not real gold—it is the bone of a rakshasa demon, and if he keeps it, his heart and liver will be torn out. These two methods cater to their desires." Ning Caichen thanked Xiaoqian for revealing the truth and asked when to be on guard. She said it would be the following night. As she was leaving, Xiaoqian wept and said, "I have fallen into a sea of hell and can find no shore. Your righteousness reaches the heavens, and you surely have the power to save the suffering. If you would wrap my decaying bones and send them home for burial, it would be like giving me a second life." Ning Caichen resolutely agreed. He then asked where she was originally buried, and Xiaoqian said, "Just remember the white poplar tree with a crow's nest." With these words, she left, vanishing in an instant.
The next day, fearing that Yan Chixia might go out, Ning Caichen went early to invite him to share his lodging. Around seven or eight in the morning, Ning prepared wine and dishes and asked Yan to drink with him, all the while observing him closely. Ning then proposed that they sleep together in the same room, but Yan declined, pleading his solitary nature and preference for quiet. Ning would not listen and insisted on moving his luggage over. Yan, compelled by circumstances, had no choice but to move his bed and share the room. Yan cautioned Ning, saying, "I know you are a true gentleman, and I greatly admire your character. Yet there are some thoughts in my heart that I cannot reveal for the moment. I beg you not to pry into or examine the bundle wrapped in my chest. If you disobey my words, it will bring harm to us both." Ning respectfully agreed to this command.
Shortly after, each retired to sleep. Yan Chixia placed his small chest on the windowsill, and before long he was snoring like thunder, but Ning Caichen could not fall asleep. As the first watch approached, a faint human shadow appeared outside the window. Before long, it drew near to peer inside, its eyes flickering with a strange light. Ning Caichen, frightened, was about to call out to Yan Chixia when suddenly something burst forth from the chest, glittering like a bolt of white silk, shattering the stone window lattice, then flashing back as swiftly as lightning. Yan Chixia, sensing the disturbance, rose; Ning Caichen feigned sleep, secretly observing. Yan Chixia lifted the small chest and examined it, taking out an object, which he sniffed and inspected by the moonlight. It was crystal clear, two inches long, and as wide as a leek leaf. After examining it, he wrapped it in several layers and placed it back into the broken chest, muttering to himself, "What old demon is so bold as to damage my chest?" Then he lay down again to sleep. Ning Caichen, greatly astonished, rose and asked what had happened, recounting what he had seen. Yan Chixia said, "Since we are friends, how dare I keep it hidden? I am a swordsman. Had it not been for the stone window lattice, the demon would have perished, but it is wounded nonetheless." Ning Caichen asked, "What was that wrapped object?" Yan Chixia replied, "It is a sword. I sniffed it just now and detected an evil aura." Ning Caichen wished to see it, and Yan Chixia readily showed it to him; it was a tiny sword glowing with a faint light. From then on, Ning Caichen regarded Yan Chixia with even greater respect and admiration.
The next day, Ning Caichen saw bloodstains outside his window. He left the temple and walked northward, where he found a desolate stretch of graves, and among them, indeed, a white poplar grew from a burial mound, with a crow's nest in its branches. After Ning Caichen had settled his plans in his mind, he packed his belongings, preparing to return home. Yan Chixia prepared a farewell feast, treating him with deep friendship and generosity. He brought out a worn leather pouch and gave it to Ning Caichen, saying, "This is a sword pouch; treasure it well, for it can keep ghosts and evil spirits at a distance." Ning Caichen wished to learn swordsmanship from him. Yan replied, "A man of your integrity and uprightness could indeed become a swordsman. However, you are destined for wealth and rank, not for this path." Ning Caichen then pretended that a sister of his was buried there, exhumed the bones, wrapped them in clothes and bedding, and hired a small boat to return home.
Ning Caichen's residence was close to the wilderness, so he placed the grave outside his house. After the burial, Ning Caichen offered a sacrifice, saying, "I pity your lonely soul; I have buried you beside my humble abode. Your songs and your weeping I can both hear, and thus you may be spared the bullying of fierce spirits. This bowl of soup, please drink it; though it is not fine, I hope you will not disdain it." After his prayer, Ning turned to go back. Someone called from behind, "Slow down, wait for me to walk together!" Turning his head, he saw it was Xiaoqian. Xiaoqian joyfully thanked him, saying, "You are truly a man of honor; even if I were to die ten times for you, I could not repay your kindness. Please take me to pay respects to your parents; even if I serve as a concubine or maid, I will not regret it." Ning Caichen examined her closely; her skin was white flushed with red like the glow of dawn, her small feet arched like tender bamboo shoots. In the daylight, her appearance was even more enchanting than at night. So they entered the house together. Ning Caichen instructed her to sit and wait a moment while he first went to inform his mother. His mother was greatly startled upon hearing this. At that time, Ning's wife had been bedridden for a long time, and his mother warned her son not to speak of this matter, fearing it would frighten her. As they were speaking, Xiaoqian had already gracefully entered and knelt on the ground. Ning Caichen said, "This is Xiaoqian." His mother stared at Xiaoqian in alarm, not knowing what to do. Xiaoqian said to the mother, "Your child has drifted alone and solitary, far from parents and brothers. Having received the great kindness of your son, I willingly wish to marry him to repay his grace." The mother, seeing her gentle and lovely appearance, finally dared to speak to her, saying, "Young lady, you are willing to care for my son; I am very pleased. But in this life, I have only this one son, on whom depends the continuation of our ancestral line; I dare not let him marry a ghost woman." Xiaoqian said, "Your child truly has no ill intent. Since the dead cannot gain the trust of the old mother, please allow me to be treated as a sister, to follow you, attending to you morning and evening. Would that be acceptable?" The mother, pitying her sincere heart, agreed. Xiaoqian then wished to go and pay respects to her sister-in-law, but the mother said she was ill and not fit to meet, so she desisted. Xiaoqian immediately went into the kitchen to prepare a meal for the mother, moving about the rooms as if she had long lived there, familiar with everything.
As evening fell, the mother, somewhat fearful of Xiaoqian, told her to go to bed and did not prepare a sleeping place for her. Xiaoqian, understanding her intention, quietly withdrew. When she reached the study, she hesitated at the threshold, stepping forward and then retreating, pacing outside as if afraid of something. Ning Caichen called to her, and she said, "The sword aura within the room frightens me. That is why I did not greet you on the road earlier." Ning Caichen realized it was because of the leather pouch, so he took it down and hung it in another room. Only then did Xiaoqian enter, drawing near the candlelight to sit. After a long while, she remained silent. Finally, she asked, "Do you read at night? In my youth, I studied the Shurangama Sutra, but now I have mostly forgotten it. I beg you to lend me a copy, so that in the idle hours of the night, I might seek your guidance." Ning Caichen agreed. She sat again in silence, and by the time the second watch had passed, she still showed no sign of leaving. Ning Caichen urged her to go. With a sorrowful expression, she said, "A lonely soul in a strange land truly fears the desolate grave." Ning Caichen replied, "There is no other bed in this room, and besides, even between brother and sister, there should be some restraint." Xiaoqian rose, her brows knit in anguish, her lips trembling as if to weep; she lifted her foot but was reluctant to leave, pausing and moving forward until she finally reached the door, then descended the steps and vanished. Ning Caichen secretly pitied her and thought of letting her stay in another room, but he feared his mother's displeasure. The next morning, Xiaoqian came first to greet his mother, bringing water for washing and combing, then went down to manage household chores, complying with his mother's wishes in everything. At dusk, she withdrew and came to the study, where she recited scriptures by candlelight. When she sensed that Ning Caichen was about to sleep, she departed with a heavy heart.
Previously, after Ning Caichen's wife fell ill, his mother was overworked and could hardly bear it, but since receiving Xiaoqian's help, she became very comfortable and thus felt deeply grateful in her heart. As days passed, they grew increasingly familiar with each other, to the point that she treated Xiaoqian as affectionately as her own daughter, even forgetting that she was a ghost. At night, she could not bear to let her leave and would keep her to stay together. When Xiaoqian first arrived, she never ate or drank, but after half a year, she gradually began to consume some thin gruel. Both mother and son doted on Xiaoqian, always avoiding any mention of her being a ghost, so others knew nothing of it. Not long after, Ning Caichen's wife passed away from illness. The mother secretly harbored the intention of taking Xiaoqian as a daughter-in-law, yet feared it might harm her son. Xiaoqian slightly perceived the mother's thoughts and, seizing an opportunity, told her, "I have lived here for over a year now; you should know the nature of my heart. I no longer wish to harm travelers, which is why I followed your son here. I have no other designs on him; it is merely that the gentleman is so upright and honorable that even the heavens admire him. I only wish to rely on him for three to five years, thereby gaining a title of honor and bringing some glory to me in the underworld." The mother knew Xiaoqian meant no harm, but she was still concerned about the continuation of the family line. Xiaoqian added, "Children are all bestowed by heaven. The gentleman is fated with blessings and will have three sons who will bring honor to their ancestors; he will not lose them by marrying a ghost wife." Believing Xiaoqian's words, the mother discussed it with her son. Ning Caichen was overjoyed, so he prepared a grand feast and invited relatives and friends. Someone suggested that the new bride be brought out for all to see, and Xiaoqian readily appeared in splendid attire, stunning everyone in the room. They not only suspected nothing of her being a ghost but instead thought she was a celestial maiden descended to earth. Thus, womenfolk from near and far brought gifts to congratulate, vying to pay their respects and make her acquaintance. Xiaoqian excelled at painting orchids and plum blossoms, often giving scrolls to relatives as tokens of gratitude. Those who received such paintings treasured them and took pride in them.
One day, Xiaoqian sat by the window with her head bowed, showing signs of sorrow and anxiety. Suddenly, she asked, "Where is the leather pouch?" Ning Caichen replied, "Because you feared it, I sealed it and placed it elsewhere." Xiaoqian said, "I have been absorbing human vitality for a long time now, and should no longer be afraid of it; it would be best to bring it and hang it at the head of the bed." Ning Caichen inquired as to her purpose, and Xiaoqian said, "For the past two or three days, my heart has been constantly uneasy and palpitating; I suspect that the demon from Jinhua, enraged at my escape far away, may soon track me down here." Ning Caichen then fetched the leather pouch. Xiaoqian examined it repeatedly and said, "This is the leather pouch used by the sword immortal to hold human heads. It is already so worn and tattered, who knows how many people it has slain! Even now, when I see it, my skin crawls with goosebumps." Afterward, she hung the leather pouch at the head of the bed. The next day, Xiaoqian instructed that the pouch be hung on the door. That night, Xiaoqian and Ning Caichen sat facing each other by candlelight, and she warned him not to sleep. Suddenly, something descended like a flying bird, and Xiaoqian, terrified, hid behind the bed curtain. Ning Caichen looked and saw that the thing resembled a yaksha, with eyes flashing like lightning and a blood-red tongue, brandishing its claws and rushing forward, but when it reached the door, it retreated a few steps. It lingered for a long time before daring to approach the leather pouch, reaching out its claws to seize it, as if intending to tear it apart. Suddenly, the leather pouch made a "clunk" sound and swelled to the size of a large basket; in a blur, a ghostly figure seemed to emerge halfway from within, instantly grabbing the yaksha and pulling it inside, whereupon the sound abruptly ceased, and the pouch shrank back to its original form. Seeing this, Ning Caichen was both frightened and astonished. Xiaoqian also came out, overjoyed, and said, "It is well now; there is no more trouble!" Together they examined the pouch, finding only a few pints of clear water inside.
Several years later, Ning Caichen indeed passed the imperial examinations and became a jinshi. Xiaoqian also gave birth to a son. After Ning Caichen took a concubine, both the concubine and Xiaoqian each bore another son, and when these three sons grew up, they all became officials with excellent reputations.
Commentary
"Nie Xiaoqian" is perhaps the most frequently adapted story from "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio" in contemporary multimedia, and it is also the one that has had the most modern elements added to it. While few young Chinese readers may have read the original "Nie Xiaoqian," very few have not seen the film "A Chinese Ghost Story."
Unlike the typical tales of love between humans and ghosts in "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio," the female ghost Nie Xiaoqian undergoes a profound transformation in personality. Initially, she does not appear as a gentle and affectionate figure but rather as a perpetrator driven by a yaksha, using her beauty to harm others. Under the influence of Ning Caichen, she reforms, restores her kind and simple nature, and is accepted by Ning and his mother, which enriches her character considerably. Ning Caichen also differs from the usual passionate and unrestrained scholars; he is "upright and self-respecting," often saying to others, "In my life, I have never been unfaithful." This trait aligns well with contemporary expectations of men in love and marriage. The relationship between Ning Caichen and Nie Xiaoqian does not follow the pattern of instant infatuation between talented scholars and beautiful women, but instead reveals rich connotations of character, fate, and righteousness. Particularly in the romantic and extraordinary relationship between Nie Xiaoqian and Ning Caichen, there appears the chivalrous figure Yan Sheng, who is faithful, upright, and skilled in martial arts. With his help, Ning Caichen and Nie Xiaoqian escape the yaksha's plots and later its pursuit. The appearance of Yan Sheng shifts the overall atmosphere of the tale from mere sentimental tenderness to one filled with chivalrous spirit, or rather, infuses the romantic and tender love with masculine vigor, blending elements of eroticism with chivalric martial arts. This is likely why "Nie Xiaoqian" is highly valued by contemporary multimedia adapters.