Original Text
Liu Haishi was a native of Putai who fled to Binzhou to escape the chaos of war. At that time, he was only fourteen years old and studied alongside Liu Cangke, a scholar of Binzhou. The two became close friends and swore brotherhood. Not long after, Liu Haishi's parents both passed away, and he hurried home to attend to their funerals, after which all correspondence between them ceased. Liu Cangke's family was quite wealthy, and by the age of forty, he had two sons: the eldest, Liu Ji, aged seventeen, was a renowned scholar in the county, and his second son was also exceptionally bright. Liu Cangke later took a concubine, a daughter of the Ni family from the same county, and doted on her greatly. Half a year later, Liu Ji suddenly fell ill with a severe headache and died abruptly, leaving his parents in deep grief. Within a few days, Liu Cangke's wife also fell ill and passed away. Several months later, Liu Ji's wife died as well, and one by one, the household servants and maids also perished. Liu Cangke mourned the dead, his sorrow unbearable.
One day, as Liu Cangke sat brooding in sorrow, the gatekeeper suddenly announced that Liu Haishi had arrived. Overjoyed, Liu Cangke hurried out to welcome him in. Just as he was about to exchange pleasantries, Liu Haishi exclaimed in astonishment, "Brother, you are facing a calamity that could wipe out your entire family—do you not know it yet?" Liu Cangke was greatly startled, unable to fathom where this remark came from. Liu Haishi said, "It has been long since we last exchanged news, and I have harbored a suspicion that your recent circumstances might be unfavorable." At this, Liu Cangke's tears fell in gloom, and he recounted all that had befallen his household over the past half year. Liu Haishi also wept silently. After a moment, he smiled and said, "Your family's misfortune is not yet over. I came initially to offer my condolences, but now, fortunately, you have encountered me, and I must congratulate you." Liu Cangke replied, "We have not met for so long—have you, by chance, mastered the art of medicine?" Liu Haishi answered, "Medicine is not my forte; but in geomancy and physiognomy, I am quite skilled." Delighted, Liu Cangke asked him to examine the auspiciousness or ill omen of his residence's feng shui.
Liu Haishi entered Liu Cangke's residence and thoroughly inspected every corner inside and out. He then requested to see the entire household, and Liu Cangke, following his instructions, summoned his son, daughter-in-law, concubine, and servants to the main hall. Liu Cangke pointed each one out to Liu Haishi in turn, and when he pointed to the concubine Ni, Liu Haishi looked up to the heavens and burst into uncontrollable laughter. As the crowd was still in shock and confusion, they saw Ni trembling all over, her face ashen, and her body rapidly shrinking until she was only a little over two feet tall. Liu Haishi struck her head forcefully with his boundary ruler, and the blow produced a sound like hitting an earthenware jar. He grabbed her hair and examined the back of her head, where he found several white hairs sprouting, and he moved to pluck them out. The woman Ni shrank her neck, knelt on the ground, and wept incessantly, claiming she would leave immediately, begging only that he not pull out the white hairs. Liu Haishi said angrily, "Your heart of harm has not yet died!" With that, he plucked out all the white hairs from the back of her head. Ni instantly transformed, becoming like a black mountain cat. All those present were greatly alarmed. Liu Haishi picked her up and tucked her into his sleeve, then turned to the son's wife and said, "Your daughter-in-law has been deeply poisoned; there should be something unusual on her back. Please let me examine it." The woman, embarrassed, refused to bare her back. The son, Liu Cangke's son, insisted, and when she did, they saw white hairs on her back, about four inches long.
Liu Haishi placed it in his sleeve and said to Liu Cangke's younger daughter-in-law, "This young wife has been deeply poisoned by the venom; there must be something unusual on her back. Please allow me to examine it." The younger daughter-in-law, feeling shy, refused to bare her back. Liu Cangke's younger son forced her to undress, and on her back they found several white hairs, nearly four fingers in length. Liu Haishi plucked them out with a needle, saying, "These hairs have aged; in another seven days, she would have been beyond cure." He then examined Liu Cangke's younger son, whose back also bore white hairs, but only two fingers long. Liu Haishi remarked, "With such hairs, he would have perished in another month." Continuing his inspection, Liu Haishi found white hairs on Liu Cangke and all the maids and servants. As he plucked them, he said, "Had I not come, not a single soul in your household would have survived." Liu Cangke asked, "What kind of creature is this?" Liu Haishi replied, "It belongs to the fox-spirit kind. It feeds on human vitality to nourish its own spirit, ultimately causing sudden death." Liu Cangke said, "It has been so long since we last met, and you have become so divinely skilled! Could you be an immortal?" Liu Haishi smiled and said, "I have merely learned a few trivial tricks from my master; how dare I claim to be an immortal!" When Liu Cangke inquired about his master, Liu Haishi answered, "He is the Mountain Stone Taoist. As for this creature, I cannot destroy it myself; I must return and hand it over to my master for judgment."
After speaking these words, Liu Haishi prepared to take his leave, but suddenly felt his sleeve empty and was greatly alarmed, exclaiming, "It has escaped! There was still a large hair left on the root of its tail that I failed to pluck, and now it has fled." The crowd was terrified. Liu Haishi said, "The hair on its neck has all been removed, so it can no longer take human form, only that of a beast. It likely has not gone far." He then returned to the house to inspect the cat and went out to examine the dog, but found nothing unusual. When he opened the pigsty gate, Liu Haishi laughed and said, "It is here." Liu Cangke looked and saw an extra pig in the sty. As soon as the pig heard Liu Haishi's laughter, it lay prostrate on the ground, not daring to move. Liu Haishi grabbed it by the ear and dragged it out, carefully examining its tail, where indeed there was a single white hair, as stiff as a needle. Just as he was about to pluck it, the pig rolled on the ground, wailing incessantly, refusing to let him remove the hair. Liu Haishi said, "You have committed so many evils, and you still begrudge the plucking of a single hair?" With that, he seized it and yanked out the hair in one motion, whereupon the pig instantly transformed back into the form of a mountain cat.
Liu Haishi then placed the mountain cat back into his sleeve and rose to take his leave. Liu Cangke earnestly pressed him to stay, and only then did Liu Haishi remain for a meal. Before parting, Liu Cangke asked when they might meet again. Liu Haishi replied, "That is difficult to predict. My master has long set a grand vow, allowing us to wander freely among the mortal realm to aid the multitude of living beings; thus, we shall surely have another occasion to meet." After Liu Haishi departed, Liu Cangke pondered deeply over his master's name and suddenly realized, "Liu Haishi must have long attained immortality! The characters 'mountain' and 'stone' combined form the character 'yan,' which is the taboo name of the immortal Lü Dongbin, the Pure Yang Master."
Commentary
This is a story about Liu Haishi, a disciple of Lu Dongbin, who captures demons and monsters for his childhood friend Liu Cangke. The tale is quite simple, yet narrated with rich twists and lingering charm. First, the story uses the disciple to glorify the master, actually recounting legends about Lu Dongbin. Since the focus is on capturing demons, the harm caused by the monster beforehand is described very briefly, only presenting the results, while Liu Haishi's appearance is not abrupt due to the prior account of his friendship with Liu Cangke. The story highlights Liu Haishi's absolute superiority over the monster, unmatched by ordinary Taoists. Whether in investigation or demon-catching, it showcases Pu Songling's romantic and vivid imagination. The narrative deliberately leaves a flaw due to Liu Haishi's carelessness—forgetting to pluck the white hair from the monster's tail, allowing it to escape, leading to a second capture—making the tale winding and engaging. At the end, through Liu Cangke's recollection, he suddenly realizes that Liu Haishi's master, the Mountain Stone Taoist, is none other than the renowned Lu Dongbin!