Original Text
The arts of bewitchment and enchantment are many and varied. Some use tempting foods to deceive people into eating, after which the victim becomes dazed and confused, following the deceiver away; this is commonly called "da xu ba" among the folk, and in the Jiangnan region it is known as "che xu." Young children, being innocent and unaware, often fall prey to such harm. There is also a method of transforming humans into livestock, named "zao chu." This art is rare north of the Yellow River, but south of it, it is quite prevalent.
In a tavern in Yangzhou, a man once led in five donkeys, tying them temporarily in the stable, saying, "I shall return shortly," and instructed, "Give them neither food nor drink." With that, he departed. The donkeys, suffering under the scorching sun, began to kick and bite one another, creating a great commotion. The innkeeper then moved them to a cooler spot. Upon seeing water, the donkeys rushed over and drank their fill. Afterward, they rolled on the ground and transformed into women. Astonished, the innkeeper questioned them, but their tongues were stiff and they could not speak. So he hid the women in a room. Soon, the donkey owner returned, driving five sheep into the courtyard, and asked in alarm where the donkeys had gone. The innkeeper pulled him inside, served tea and a meal, and said, "Honored guest, please eat first, and I will bring the donkeys shortly." Leaving the room, he gave water to the five sheep, and each one turned into a child. He secretly reported the matter to the prefectural office, and the authorities sent constables to capture the donkey owner, who was beaten to death with rods.
Commentary
This is a story that reflects the abduction and trafficking of human beings.
As long as human beings can generate profit, there will inevitably be the illicit acquisition of people. This existed in ancient times and persists in modern times; it occurs in China and abroad. The fundamental method used by kidnappers is to cloud the victim's reason and bend them to the kidnapper's will, and in this regard, women and children are more easily deceived, hence there are especially many tales about them. The methods of abduction are manifold, bizarre, and without limit, to the point that Pu Songling lamented in his story, "The arts of bewitchment are not limited to one way." However, the tale of "Creating Livestock" recounted here, where kidnappers transform their victims into donkeys and sheep, only to have them revert to human form after drinking water, is of course merely hearsay and not to be believed. According to modern biological science, such a thing is impossible. It is likely that in most cases of abduction, the victims are neither seen alive nor dead, and since the abducted are precisely living, breathing people, it baffles the onlooker, thus the tales grow ever more miraculous with each telling.