Strange Stories from the Liao Studio - Magical Arts (continued).

He was planning to lie down, when suddenly he heard a rustling sound in a crack of a window. Quickly he looked, and a small person bearing a spear upon his shoulder entered. The moment he touched the ground, he became as tall as a man.

Yü seized his sword, jumped up and at once struck at him, but missed his mark and (his sword) only whirled in the air. (The person) then suddenly shrank down and sought again for the window crack intending to escape.

Yi hastily struck him, and he went down under his blows. Turning the light on it (he saw) that it was a paper man cut in two at the waist.

Yü did not dare to lie down but sat and waited. Some time passed, when something came boring through the window, hideously ugly like a demon.

The moment it reached the ground, he quickly struck it and cut it in two. Both pieces wriggled like a worm. Fearing that it might get up again, he struck several successive blows.

Stroke after stroke, all blows told, and their sound was hard. On close inspection (he found) it was a clay idol cut in slices.

After this he moved his seat under the window, with his eyes fixed upon the crack. After some time, he heard outside. the window (a sound) like the breathing of an ox.

Something pushed against the window frame, and the walls of the building trembled as if they were going to fall. Yü was afraid of being crushed (under them) and thought it was better to go outside and fight the thing.

With a crash he tore off the bolt and jumped out. There he saw a huge demon as high as the eaves of the roof.

In the dim light of the moon he saw that its face was as black as coal, and its eyes were flashing with a yellow light. There were no clothes on the upper part of its body nor shoes on its feet. It was holding a bow in its hand, and some arrows were fastened at its waist.

(to be continued)