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The Fox Inkstone
The poor scholar Liu Ming copies books by moonlight; an old man surnamed Hu comes by night to help, the inkstone fills itself and he corrects the youth's errors. When Liu passes the exam and goes to thank him, only a scroll of red-ink corrections is left on the desk; as an official he lights a lamp each night, but the old man never returns.
The Old Well
An old well east of the village never runs dry. A woman whose son was sent to the frontier and silent for ten years drowned herself in it; thereafter the water grew sweet each night and her shadow was seen washing by the well. When her white-haired son returned, the well boiled like weeping and her shadow was seen no more.
The Ferry Lantern
An old ferry-woman lights a lantern each night to guide returning boats; after she dies without illness, the lantern lights itself and boats still find their way. A youth lost in mist is saved by the light and finds only her grave at dawn.
The Jade Fish
A drowned merchant is found with a jade fish that grows warm each night, keeping his body from rotting until he returns to life, who tells of a red carp that led him from the whirlpool. Later a carp with a jade-like mark is caught and released.
The Returning Crane
A solitary old man frees a wounded young crane and sets it loose. In drought only his field stays moist, watered by night by the freed crane; when he falls ill the crane brings herbs, and at his death two cranes circle the coffin.
The Painting Crone
At the entrance of the south-city market, an old woman sells crude paintings. Those who buy one dream that night of what she drew, alive and real.
The Ink Immortal
A poor scholar studying in an abandoned temple finds his inkstone refilling itself each night. He stays awake to discover the source.
The Guttering Lamp
A cloth trader loses his way in mountain mist and finds a thatched hut with a guttering lamp, where an old woman feeds him porridge. At dawn the hut is gone; only an old grave remains, a lamp still burning before it.