Original Text
A certain man of the White Lotus Sect, a native of Shanxi, whose name has been forgotten, was likely of the same ilk as Xu Hongru. He deluded the masses with heterodox arts, and many who admired his sorcery became his disciples. One day, preparing to go out, he placed a basin in the hall, covered it with another basin, and ordered his disciple to sit beside it and guard it, warning him not to lift the cover and peek. After he left, the disciple lifted the cover and saw clear water in the basin, with a small boat woven from reeds floating on it, complete with mast and sail. Curious, the disciple poked the boat with his finger, causing it to tip over; he hastily righted it and replaced the cover. Soon the master returned and angrily rebuked him, saying, "Why did you disobey my command?" The disciple immediately protested his innocence. The master said, "Just now, a boat capsized in the sea—how can you deceive me?" Another night, the master lit a large candle in the hall and ordered the disciple to guard it carefully, lest the wind extinguish it. By the second watch, the master had still not returned. The disciple, overcome with weariness, lay down on the bed for a brief nap; when he awoke, the great candle had gone out. He hastily rose and relit it. Soon the master returned and again rebuked the disciple. The disciple said, "Truly, I did not sleep—how could the candle have gone out?" The master said angrily, "Just now, you made me walk in darkness for over ten li—how dare you still speak thus?" The disciple was greatly terrified. Such strange deeds occurred one after another, too many to record fully.
Later, this White Lotus cultist's beloved concubine had an illicit affair with his disciple. He discovered it but pretended not to know, nor did he expose them. He sent the disciple to feed the pigs, and as soon as the disciple entered the pigsty, he instantly turned into a pig. The cultist immediately called a butcher to slaughter the pig and sold the pork. No one knew of this matter. The disciple's father, because his son had not returned home, came to inquire about his son's whereabouts. The cultist said that the disciple had not visited for a long time. The disciple's family searched everywhere but still had no news. A fellow disciple who secretly knew the truth revealed it to the disciple's father. The father then filed a complaint with the county magistrate. The magistrate, fearing the cultist might escape, dared not arrest him directly but reported the matter to his superiors, who dispatched a thousand armored soldiers to surround the cultist's residence. His wife and children were all captured. They were locked in wooden cage carts and prepared for escort to the capital. On the way, when passing through the Taihang Mountains, a giant emerged from the mountains, as tall as a great tree, with eyes as large as bowls, a mouth as wide as an earthen basin, and teeth about a foot long. The soldiers were terrified and stood still, not daring to advance. The cultist said, "This is a demon; my wife can defeat it." So the soldiers, following his words, untied his wife. She took up a spear and advanced, but the giant, enraged, simply inhaled and swallowed her whole. Everyone became even more frightened. The cultist said, "Since it has killed my wife, now my son must go." So they released his son, who was likewise swallowed. All looked at each other in dismay, at a loss. The cultist wept and raged, "It has killed my wife and my son; how can I bear this? Now I must go into battle myself." They indeed released him from the cage, gave him a weapon, and sent him forth. The giant advanced menacingly. After a period of combat, the giant seized him, put him into its mouth, stretched its neck, swallowed him down, and then calmly departed.
Commentary
"Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio" contains two pieces titled "The White Lotus Sect." Apart from this one, there is another work with the same title in Volume Six. This piece merely writes about a "certain person" within the White Lotus Sect, which does not quite conform to modern standards of titling; it is estimated to follow the traditional Chinese method of using the first few characters of the text as the title.
The stories are divided into two groups, each containing two tales. The first group employs a parallel structure, depicting how a certain individual sets up a basin of water and a giant candle in the hall to remotely assist those far away. The second group, in a sequential manner, tells of how this same individual kills a gatekeeper who has been secretly involved with his concubine, then contrives a plot to evade capture by the authorities. Not only is his sorcery exquisite, but he also possesses the cunning and shrewdness to navigate human society, reflecting in one aspect the contemporary views on the White Lotus Sect. The final tale likely draws inspiration from the "Yangxian Goose Cage" story in Wu Jun's "Supplementary Records of Qi Harmony" from the Six Dynasties period.