A bizarre tale of a guest's encounter with a female corpse that comes to life in an inn, leading to a series of eerie events.
In Yangxin County, there was an old man from Caidian Village. His village was five or six miles away from the county town. The old man and his son ran a roadside inn for accommodating traveling merchants. Several cart drivers frequently transported goods and often stayed at the old man’s inn. One evening, four cart drivers arrived at the inn to seek lodging, but the guest rooms in the old man’s house were already full. The four of them couldn’t think of any other way, so they insisted that the innkeeper find a solution to accommodate them. After some thought, the old man came up with a place for them to stay, but he was worried that it wouldn’t meet the guests’ expectations. The guests said, “At this moment, all we need is a place to shelter from the wind and rain. We can’t be picky.” At that time, the old man’s daughter-in-law had just passed away, and her body was lying in the house. The old man’s son had gone out to buy wood for making a coffin and hadn’t returned yet. The old man thought that the room used as the mourning hall was very quiet, so he led the guests through the streets and alleys to that place.
Upon entering the room, they saw a dimly lit oil lamp on a wooden table. Behind the table was a curtain hanging over a mourning bed, with a paper sheet covering the deceased. In the inner room, there was a large communal bed. The four travelers had been on a long and tiring journey and were extremely exhausted. It didn’t take long for them to start snoring. Only one of the guests was in a half-awake state when suddenly he heard a “crackling” sound coming from the mourning bed. He quickly opened his eyes, and at that moment, the light in front of the mourning bed illuminated the surroundings. He saw that the female corpse had uncovered herself and sat up. After a while, she got off the bed and slowly walked into the inner room. The female corpse had a pale yellow complexion and a silk cloth tied around her forehead. She approached the sleeping guests and blew air on each of them one by one. The guest who was still awake was filled with fear, worried that the female corpse would blow on him. He secretly pulled the blanket over his head and held his breath, listening to the movements of the female corpse. Not long after, the female corpse indeed approached him, just as she had done with the others. The guest felt her presence and heard the sound of the paper sheet. He cautiously peeked out, only to see the female corpse lying motionless as before. Terrified, he dared not make a sound. He tried to nudge his fellow travelers with his foot, but they remained motionless. He pondered his options and realized that his best chance was to put on his clothes and escape. He sat up to get dressed, but the “crackling” sound started again. Frightened, he lay back down, covering his head with the blanket. He felt the female corpse approaching him once more, blowing on him several times before leaving. After a while, he heard the sound of movement from the mourning bed, indicating that the female corpse had lain down again. Slowly, he extended his hand from under the blanket, found his pants, and hurriedly put them on. He ran out barefoot, and the female corpse sat up, seemingly intent on chasing him. However, by the time she reached the edge of the mourning bed, the guest had already opened the room door and fled. The female corpse pursued him, and he screamed as he ran, but no one in the village was awakened. He initially thought about knocking on the innkeeper’s door, but he was afraid that the female corpse might catch up with him. So, he sprinted desperately towards the road leading to the county town. When he reached the eastern outskirts of the city, he saw a temple and heard the sound of wooden fish being struck inside. He hurriedly knocked on the temple door. The monks inside were surprised by his unusual behavior and hesitated to let him in. Just then, the female corpse arrived, only about a foot away from him. The guest became even more terrified and impatient. Outside the temple gate was a white poplar tree with a trunk about four to five feet thick. The guest hid behind the tree, and when the female corpse lunged to the right, he moved to the left, and vice versa. The female corpse grew increasingly frustrated, but both sides gradually grew tired. The female corpse eventually stopped and stood still. The guest was sweating profusely, out of breath, and still hiding behind the tree. Suddenly, the female corpse lunged forward, extending her arms and reaching around the tree trunk from both sides to grab him. The guest was so frightened that he fell to the ground. Unable to catch him, the female corpse embraced the tree trunk and gradually stiffened.
The monks in the temple secretly listened for a long time until there was no sound. Then, they slowly came out. They saw the guest lying on the ground, and when they illuminated him with a lamp, he appeared to be dead, but there was still a slight warmth in his chest. So, the monk carried the guest into the temple, and after a night, the guest finally regained consciousness. The monk gave him some hot water to drink and asked about the reason for the incident. The guest recounted the whole story in detail. By this time, the morning bell had already rung, and in the dim dawn light, the monk went to inspect the poplar tree and indeed found a female corpse. The monk was greatly alarmed and reported it to the county magistrate. The magistrate personally came to examine the scene and ordered people to try to pull the female corpse’s hand from the tree. However, the hand was gripping the tree too tightly, and they couldn’t move it. Upon closer inspection, it was revealed that the four fingers of both of the female corpse’s hands were curled like hooks, with the nails deeply embedded in the tree trunk. The magistrate had several people exert their strength together to finally pull the female corpse down from the tree. They discovered that the holes in the tree where the female corpse’s fingers had been resembled holes made by a chisel. The magistrate sent his officers to the old man’s house to inquire about the situation. Chaos had erupted there due to the disappearance of the female corpse and the sudden death of the guest. After the officers explained the situation to the old man, he followed them to retrieve the female corpse and brought her back home. The guest, crying, said to the magistrate, “We four came together, and now only I am going back. How can I make the people in my hometown believe this story?” So, the magistrate wrote a certificate for him and gave him some things to take with him as he returned.
《尸变》
阳信某翁者，邑之蔡店人。村去城五六里，父子设临路店，宿行商。有车夫数人，往来负贩，辄寓其家。一日昏暮，四人偕来，望门投止，则翁家客宿邸满。四人计无复之，坚请容纳。翁沉吟思得一所，似恐不当客意。客言：“但求一席厦宇，更不敢有所择。”时翁有子妇新死，停尸室中，子出购材木未归。翁以灵所室寂，遂穿衢导客往。
入其庐，灯昏案上，案后有搭帐衣，纸衾覆逝者。又观寝所，则复室中有连榻。四客奔波颇困，甫就枕，鼻息渐粗。惟一客尚矇眬，忽闻灵床上察察有声。急开目，则灵前灯火，照视甚了：女尸已揭衾起，俄而下，渐入卧室。面淡金色，生绢抹额。俯近榻前，遍吹卧客者三。客大惧，恐将及己，潜引被覆首，闭息忍咽以听之。未几，女果来，吹之如诸客。觉出房去，即闻纸衾声。出首微窥，见僵卧犹初矣。客惧甚，不敢作声，阴以足踏诸客，而诸客绝无少动。顾念无计，不如着衣以窜。裁起振衣，而察察之声又作。客惧，复伏，缩首衾中。觉女复来，连续吹数数始去。少间，闻灵床作响，知其复卧。乃从被底渐渐出手得袴，遽就着之，白足奔出。尸亦起，似将逐客。比其离帏，而客已拔关出矣。尸驰从之。客且奔且号，村中人无有警者。欲叩主人之门，又恐迟为所及。遂望邑城路，极力窜去。至东郊，瞥见兰若，闻木鱼声，乃急挝山门。道人讶其非常，又不即纳。旋踵，尸已至，去身盈尺。客窘益甚。门外有白杨，围四五尺许，因以树自幛，彼右则左之，彼左则右之。尸益怒，然各寖倦矣。尸顿立。客汗促气逆，庇树间。尸暴起，伸两臂隔树探扑之。客惊仆。尸捉之不得，抱树而僵。
道人窃听良久，无声，始渐出。见客卧地上。烛之，死，然心下丝丝有动气。负入，终夜始苏。饮以汤水而问之，客具以状对。时晨钟已尽，晓色迷濛，道人觇树上，果见僵女。大骇，报邑宰。宰亲诣质验。使人拔女手，牢不可开。审谛之，则左右四指，并卷如钩，入木没甲。又数人力拔，乃得下。视指穴如凿孔然。遣役探翁家，则以尸亡客毙，纷纷正哗。役告之故。翁乃从往，舁尸归。客泣告宰曰：“身四人出，今一人归，此情何以信乡里？”宰与之牒，赍送以归。