Filial Devotion and the Encounter with Fox Spirits

Post on:Nov 5, 2023|Last edited: Nov 7, 2023|
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This is a story from ancient China during the Jin Dynasty, which tells of the encounter between a filial son and a couple of supernatural beings. The protagonist of the story is a devoted son. His mother passed away, but their family was very poor and couldn't afford a proper funeral. He had no choice but to carry his mother's coffin deep into the mountains, where he created a small grave with branches and dirt to show his filial piety. He worked tirelessly day and night to provide his mother with a resting place.
One day, as evening approached, he saw a woman carrying a child coming to his location, asking for a place to spend the night. Although he was exhausted, he agreed and allowed them to rest by the fire. Unbeknownst to him, the woman was, in fact, a shape-shifting fox spirit, and the child was a disguised black chicken. They intended to devour him. Around midnight, still hard at work, the woman urged him to get some rest, claiming he was working too hard. Finding her behavior suspicious, he discreetly glanced at her and discovered her true identity as a fox spirit. He promptly killed them and buried their bodies in a pit behind him.
The next day, he continued his work and was suddenly called by a man. The man claimed to be the woman's husband from the previous day and inquired about the whereabouts of his wife and child. The son informed him that he had only seen a fox and had killed it. The man was incredulous, accusing the son of wrongfully killing his wife and demanded to see the fox. They went together to the pit, where the son was astonished to find the fox woman dead in her human form. The man then bound the son and brought him to the authorities, seeking compensation.
At the magistrate's office, the son explained that the woman was a supernatural being and that her true form could be revealed by unleashing hunting dogs. However, he professed his fear of dogs and inability to distinguish them. The authorities set the dogs loose, and immediately, the man transformed into an old fox spirit and was consequently shot dead. They returned to the pit, where the woman had also reverted to her fox form. This filial son received praise from the authorities and was finally able to provide his mother with a proper burial.
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