Before the pale-faced young man began telling his tale, the Jianghu travelers were already laughing in anticipation.
"You're a scholar. What good stories could you possibly have? Don't tell me you're going to make up some female ghost and have your way with her in an abandoned temple?"
The speaker was a cart driver responsible for hauling goods and driving merchants' carts. The moment he said this, everyone burst into laughter, and the tiny deserted temple was suddenly filled with a merry atmosphere.
The pale-faced young man had originally intended to tell a lighter story, perhaps Painted Skin or something about Xiao Qian. But after hearing those Jianghu men jesting, he simply chose the story most suited to the occasion.
There was said to be an Old Man in Yangxin County who lived in Caidian Village and ran an inn. One day, four cart drivers traveling the Jianghu arrived, hoping to stay the night. Unfortunately, every room was occupied, and the only empty place was the Mourning Hall of the Old Man's daughter-in-law, who had just died.
The four cart drivers did not shy away from it and slept on the communal bed in the Mourning Hall. When they fell asleep, beneath a single straw mat and a Paper Shroud, the female corpse that had lain there for ages suddenly threw off the shroud and rose, feeling her way toward the communal bed.
Xu Qing's gaze was dim and distant as he unhurriedly told the story of a Corpse Transformation.
Corpse Transformation, spitting water, wild dogs—among the many tales in Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, these few ranked among the most terrifying.
Among them, Corpse Transformation fit the current scene of staying overnight in a deserted temple best. It was also more atmospheric, giving one the feeling of being