Original Text
Li Zhuming was the son of Mr. Li Jinzhuo, the magistrate of Suining County. He was a man of great generosity and boldness, never timid or fearful. He was the brother-in-law of Mr. Wang Jiliang of Xincheng. Mr. Wang's residence had many towers and pavilions, where strange phenomena were often seen. One summer, Li Zhuming came to lodge there, enjoying the coolness of the towers at night. When someone warned him of the eerie occurrences, he merely laughed and refused to heed the advice, insisting on having a bed placed there. The host complied and instructed a servant to sleep with him, but Li declined, saying, "I prefer to sleep alone; I have never known fear in my life." The host then lit a stick of aloes incense in the censer, asked which direction his feet would point when he slept, extinguished the candle, and left, closing the door behind him.
Li Zhuming lay on his pillow for a while, and under the moonlight he saw a teacup on the table tilting and spinning, neither falling nor stopping. Li Zhuming gave a sharp shout, and the teacup made a sound and immediately ceased its motion. Then it seemed as if someone pulled out the incense stick, waving it back and forth in the air, tracing patterns like flowers with its glowing tip. Li Zhuming rose and shouted, "What demon dares to act thus!" Naked, he got down from the bed, intending to seize it. He stretched his foot under the bed to find his shoes, but only found one; not bothering to search further, he went barefoot to strike at the space where the incense was moving, and the incense was instantly thrust back into the burner, leaving utter silence with no trace. Li Zhuming bent down and groped through every dark corner, when suddenly something flew and struck his cheek; it felt like a shoe, but when he searched for it, he could not find it. So he opened the door and descended the stairs, called for his servants, lit a candle, and searched everywhere, but found nothing, and so went back to sleep. At dawn, Li Zhuming had several people look for the shoe; they lifted the mat, moved the bed, but still could not find it. The host had to provide him with a replacement pair. The next day, he happened to look up and saw a shoe wedged between the rafters; he took it down and saw it was his own shoe.
Li Zhuming was a native of Yidu, who once lodged in the Sun family residence in Zichuan County. The residence was vast, with many rooms left empty and unused, and Li Zhuming occupied only half of it. The southern courtyard faced a high pavilion, separated by just a single wall, and he often saw the pavilion door open and close by itself, though he paid it no heed. One day, Li Zhuming happened to be in the courtyard conversing with his family when suddenly the pavilion door swung open, revealing a small figure seated facing north, no more than three feet tall, clad in a green robe and white socks. As everyone pointed and stared, the figure remained motionless. Li Zhuming said, "This is a fox spirit!" He quickly fetched his bow and arrow, aimed at the pavilion door, and prepared to shoot. Upon seeing this, the small figure let out a mocking "ya ya" laugh and then vanished. Li Zhuming took a knife and ascended the pavilion, cursing and searching, but found nothing, so he returned. The strange occurrences ceased from then on. Li Zhuming lived there for several years, always in peace and safety. Li Zhuming's eldest son, Li Yousan, was my son-in-law, and this matter was witnessed by his own eyes.
The Chronicler of the Strange remarks: I was born too late to have served Lord Li, yet from the accounts of the elderly, he was a man of great generosity and unyielding fortitude. From these two incidents, his noble character may be glimpsed. When one's heart is filled with righteous spirit, what power can ghosts and foxes wield against him?
Commentary
Ghosts and fox-spirits are feared by all; to contend with even one of them is already a startling affair. To have fought with every ghost and fox-spirit one encounters is something unheard of.
This chapter highlights Li Zhuming's courage and heroic spirit. Interestingly, the author does not depict him achieving any substantial victory in his battles with ghosts and foxes. In his struggle with the ghost, he lost a shoe and was struck in the face with another; in his contest with the fox, he endured mockery and ridicule. Yet this very lack of triumph reveals the authenticity of the events and showcases Li Zhuming's generous and resolute character.
"Capturing Ghosts and Shooting Foxes" are two separate stories that are not connected to each other, and they also took place in different locations. Because the author meticulously enumerated his relatives and in-laws, he stitched the two tales together. Li Zhuming was a relative by marriage of Pu Songling's family, and when he passed away, Pu Songling wrote a eulogy titled "Sacrificial Essay for Elder Relative Li Gong Zhuming," which can be read alongside this text and the subsequent story "Repaying Debts through Hardship."