Original Text
Under the threshold of Scholar Zhu Yusan's home lived a large centipede-like creature, several feet in length. Whenever wind and rain arose, it would emerge and coil upon the ground like a bolt of white silk. Its form greatly resembled that of a centipede; it was unseen by day but came forth at night, drawn to any scent of blood or flesh. Some say: though the centipede has no eyes, it is insatiably greedy.
Commentary
This brief essay encompasses three aspects of narration. The first, which is the core of the entire piece, describes the extraordinary nature of the house centipede in the home of the Academic Commissioner Zhu Yusan: it was large and long, responsive to wind and rain, and as white as a bolt of pure silk. The second is Pu Songling's general introduction to the shape and habits of the house centipede. The third is the finishing touch of related lore about the creature—"The centipede has no eyes but is exceedingly greedy." Though the passage is short, it is neither meager nor crude.
This piece may be read together with "The Immortal He," as both directly name and target the Education Commissioner Zhu Wen. Some believe this relates to Pu Songling being suppressed under Commissioner Zhu Wen's administration and thus unable to participate in the provincial examination.