Explore the enchanting story of Hu Sijie, an immortal, and her encounters with Shangsheng, filled with love, magic, and the mysteries of the supernatural.
Once there was a scholar named Shang, a native of Mount Tai. He lived alone in a simple study room. One autumn night, under the bright Milky Way and the high-hanging moon, Shang strolled among the flowers and trees, lost in thought. Suddenly, a woman appeared, flipping over the wall, and with a smile, she said, “Why is the scholar so lost in thought?” Shang approached to take a closer look, only to find that she was a beauty like a celestial being. He was both surprised and delighted, embracing her and taking her into his study, where they affectionately spent some time together. The woman introduced herself, saying, “My surname is Hu, and they call me Sanjie.” When Shang asked her where she lived, she simply smiled and did not answer. Shang did not press further, only hoping to be with her forever. From that day on, the woman came to meet him every night.
One night, Sanjie and Shangsheng sat knee-to-knee under the lamp. Shangsheng had feelings for Sanjie, and he couldn’t help but gaze at her intently. Sanjie smiled and asked, “Why are you staring at me like a tiger?” Shangsheng replied, “I look at you, and you are as captivating as the red peonies and the green peach blossoms. Even if I gaze at you all night, it’s not enough.” Sanjie said, “I’m so ugly, yet you hold me in such high regard. If you were to see my fourth sister, I wonder how you would react.” This stirred Shangsheng’s heart even more, and he begged to meet her. After one night, Sanjie indeed brought her fourth sister along. The fourth sister was just fifteen or sixteen, with a face as fresh and tender as morning dew on a lotus flower, and as alluring as a delicate apricot in the mist. She smiled sweetly, radiating infinite charm and beauty. Shangsheng couldn’t contain his joy and quickly invited them to sit down. While Sanjie and Shangsheng conversed and laughed, the fourth sister kept her head down, playing with her embroidered ribbon. After a while, Sanjie stood up to leave, and the fourth sister intended to follow. Shangsheng held onto the fourth sister, not wanting her to leave, and said to Sanjie, “Please persuade her to stay!” Sanjie laughed and said, “My dear, you’re so eager! Sister, stay a little longer.” The fourth sister didn’t say anything, so Sanjie left first. Shangsheng and the fourth sister enjoyed each other’s company. They held each other’s arms, pouring out their life stories with no secrets left untold. The fourth sister revealed that she was a fox, but Shangsheng was so enamored by her beauty that he wasn’t surprised. The fourth sister then said, “My sister is ruthless and has already caused the deaths of three people. When she ensnares someone, there’s no escape from death. I’m lucky to be so cherished by you, and I can’t bear to see you meet the same fate. We should sever our ties with her as soon as possible.” Shangsheng was afraid and asked for a solution. The fourth sister said, “Although I’m a fox, I’ve acquired the spells of an immortal. I can put up a talisman at your bedroom door to prevent her from entering.” So, she wrote a talisman. The next morning, Sanjie arrived, but seeing the talisman, she dared not enter. She said, “This girl is unfaithful, captivated by the new groom, and forgets the matchmaker. You two have your fate, and I won’t stand in your way. But why do it this way?” With that, she left.
A few days later, the fourth sister had some business elsewhere and agreed to return in another night. On that day, Shangsheng happened to go out for a walk. At the foot of the mountain, there was a dense grove of oak trees, and from within the thick woods emerged a young woman with great charm. She approached Shangsheng and said, “Why does the scholar need to be infatuated with the Hu sisters and be self-satisfied? They can’t provide you with a substantial income.” With that, she took out a string of coins and gave them to Shangsheng, saying, “Take these first, buy some good wine. I’ll bring some snacks later, and we can enjoy ourselves.” Shangsheng took the money and went home, following the instructions of the young woman.
Before long, the young woman arrived as promised. She placed a roasted chicken and a salted pig’s elbow on a small table, then carefully cut them into small pieces. They drank wine and joked, having a very joyful and harmonious time. Later, they extinguished the lamp, and both of them got into bed, passionately intimate and unrestrained. They only got up after daybreak. Just as the young woman was sitting at the bedside putting on her shoes, they suddenly heard voices. Listening closely, they realized someone had entered the curtain. It turned out to be the Hu sisters.
The young woman panicked and fled, leaving her shoes behind on the bed. The Hu sisters scolded her back, “Sly fox! How dare you sleep with someone!” They chased after her, and it took some time for them to return. The fourth sister reproached Shangsheng, saying, “You are really hopeless, getting involved with a sly fox like her. We can’t get close to you anymore.” With that, she angrily prepared to leave. Shangsheng, frightened, knelt down and earnestly pleaded with her not to be angry. The third sister also intervened, and the fourth sister’s anger gradually subsided. They continued their relationships as before.
One day, a man from Shaanxi arrived at Shang’s doorstep, riding on a donkey. He said, “I’ve been searching for this demon everywhere, not for a short time, and now I’ve finally found it.” Shangsheng’s father, seeing the stranger’s strange speech, inquired about the situation. The man said, “I roam between mountains and rivers every day, traveling far and wide, spending eight or nine months a year away from my hometown. As a result, my brother was deceived and killed by the demon. I returned home with great sorrow and anger, vowing to find the demon and kill it. I’ve traveled thousands of miles and still haven’t found a trace, and now the demon is in your home. If it’s not eliminated, someone else will suffer the same fate as my brother.” At that time, Shangsheng was intimately involved with the woman, and his parents had some suspicions. Upon hearing the guest’s words, they were very frightened and immediately invited him in, begging him to use his magic.
The guest took out two bottles and placed them on the ground. Then he drew symbols and chanted spells. After a while, four black clouds appeared and were separated into the bottles. The guest said happily, “The whole family is here.” He then sealed the bottles tightly with pig bladder. Shangsheng’s father was also delighted and insisted on treating the guest to a meal. Shangsheng felt very uneasy and approached the bottles to sneak a look. He heard the fourth sister inside the bottle saying, “You watched without saving us, how could you be so heartless?” Shangsheng felt even more upset and hurriedly tried to unseal the bottles, but they were tightly sealed and couldn’t be opened. The fourth sister said again, “There’s no need to unseal it. Just place the command flag on the altar and use a needle to puncture the pig bladder, and I’ll be able to come out.” Shangsheng followed the fourth sister’s instructions, and sure enough, a wisp of white smoke emerged from the hole and rose into the sky.
When the guest came out and saw the command flag on the ground, he was shocked and said, “It escaped! It must have been the young master’s doing.” He bent down and shook the bottle, listened, and said, “Fortunately, only one escaped. This creature shouldn’t be killed; we can spare it.” He then carried the bottles and took his leave.
One day, later on, Shangsheng was inspecting the field, overseeing the workers harvesting wheat. From a distance, he saw the fourth sister sitting under a tree. Shangsheng walked over, held her hand, and greeted her. The fourth sister said, “Many years have passed since we last met, and now I have become an immortal. Because my heart still holds some lingering thoughts for you, I’ve come to visit you once again.” Shangsheng wanted to bring the fourth sister home with him, but she said, “I have changed and can no longer be entangled in worldly emotions. We will meet again in the future.” After saying this, she disappeared.
More than twenty years later, Shangsheng was alone in his house when he saw the fourth sister enter from outside. Shangsheng joyfully approached her to talk. The fourth sister said, “I am now among the ranks of immortals, and I should not have returned to the mortal world. However, I want to thank you for your affection and have come to inform you of your impending death. You can make preparations for the afterlife, and you need not grieve or be sad. I will guide you to become a spirit immortal, and there will be no suffering.” After saying this, she bid farewell and departed. On the day the fourth sister had mentioned, Shangsheng indeed passed away.
Shangsheng is a relative and close friend of my friend Li Wenyu. He personally witnessed this incident.
《胡四姐》
尚生，泰山人。独居清斋。会值秋夜，银河高耿，明月在天，徘徊花阴，颇存遐想。忽一女子逾垣来，笑曰：“秀才何思之深？”生就视，容华若仙，惊喜拥入，穷极狎昵。自言：“胡氏，名三姐。”问其居第，但笑不言。生亦不复置问，惟相期永好而已。自此，临无虚夕。
一夜，与生促膝灯幕，生爱之，瞩盼不转。女笑曰：“眈眈视妾何为？”曰：“我视卿如红药碧桃，即竟夜视，不为厌也。”三姐曰：“妾陋质，遂蒙青盼如此。若见吾家四妹，不知如何颠倒。”生益倾动，恨不一见颜色，长跽哀请。逾夕，果偕四姐来。年方及笄，荷粉露垂，杏花烟润，嫣然含笑，媚丽欲绝。生狂喜，引坐。三姐与生同笑语，四姐惟手引绣带，俛首而已。未几，三姐起别，妹欲从行。生曳之不释，顾三姐曰：“卿卿烦一致声！”三姐乃笑曰：“狂郎情急矣！妹子一为少留。”四姐无语，姊遂去。二人备尽欢好。既而引臂替枕，倾吐生平，无复隐讳。四姐自言为狐，生依恋其美，亦不之怪。四姐因言：“阿姊狠毒，业杀三人矣。惑之，罔不毙者。妾幸承溺爱，不忍见灭亡，当早绝之。”生惧，求所以处。四姐曰：“妾虽狐，得仙人正法，当书一符粘寝门，可以却之。”遂书之。既晓，三姐来，见符却退，曰：“婢子负心，倾意新郎，不忆引线人矣。汝两人合有夙分，余亦不相仇，但何必尔？”乃径去。
数日，四姐他适，约以隔夜。是日，生偶出门眺望，山下故有槲林，苍莽中，出一少妇，亦颇风韵。近谓生曰：“秀才何必日沾沾恋胡家姊妹？渠又不能以一钱相赠。”即以一贯授生，曰：“先持归，贳良酝，我即携小肴馔来，与君为欢。”生怀钱归，果如所教。少间，妇果至，置几上燔鸡、咸彘肩各一，即抽刀子缕切为脔，酾酒调谑，欢洽异常。继而灭烛登床，狎情荡甚。既曙始起，方坐床头，捉足易舄，忽闻人声，倾听，已入帏幕，则胡姊妹也。妇乍睹，仓皇而遁，遗舄于床。二女逐叱曰：“骚狐！何敢与人同寝处！”追去，移时始返。四姐怨生曰：“君不长进，与骚狐相匹偶，不可复近！”遂悻悻欲去。生惶恐自投，情词哀恳。三姐从旁解免，四姐怒稍释，由此相好如初。
一日，有陕人骑驴造门曰：“吾寻妖物，匪伊朝夕，乃今始得之。”生父以其言异，讯所由来。曰：“小人日泛烟波，游四方，终岁十馀月，常八九离桑梓，被妖物蛊杀吾弟。归甚悼恨，誓必寻而殄灭之。奔波数千里，殊无迹兆，今在君家。不翦，当有继吾弟亡者。”时生与女密迩，父母微察之，闻客言，大惧，延入，令作法。出二瓶，列地上，符咒良久，有黑雾四团，分投瓶中。客喜曰：“全家都到矣。”遂以猪脬裹瓶口，缄封甚固。生父亦喜，坚留客饭。生心恻然，近瓶窃视，闻四姐在瓶中言曰：“坐视不救，君何负心？”生益感动，急启所封，而结不可解。四姐又曰：“勿须尔，但放倒坛上旗，以针刺脬作空，予即出矣。”生如其请，果见白气一丝，自孔中出，凌霄而去。客出，见旗横地，大惊曰：“遁矣！此必公子所为。”摇瓶俯听，曰：“幸止亡其一。此物合不死，犹可赦。”乃携瓶别去。
后生在野，督佣刈麦，遥见四姐坐树下。生近就之，执手慰问。且曰：“别后十易春秋，今大丹已成。但思君之念未忘，故复一拜问。”生欲与偕归，女曰：“妾今非昔比，不可以尘情染，后当复见耳。”言已，不知所在。又二十年馀，生适独居，见四姐自外至。生喜与语。女曰：“我今名列仙籍，本不应再履尘世。但感君情，敬报撤瑟之期。可早处分后事，亦勿悲忧，妾当度君为鬼仙，亦无苦也。”乃别而去。至日，生果卒。
尚生乃友人李文玉之戚好，尝亲见之。