Twenty-three original fantasy tales set in Late Imperial China featuring ghosts, fox-spirits, demons, zombies, fairies, and sorcerers. The stories are inspired by the supernatural stories of Pu Songling, author of Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio. Among the stories are:The Monk and the Demonic Child—An old monk investigates the horrible murder of a teenage girl by her toddler brother, who is rumored to be possessed by a blood-thirsty demon.Companions--A young yamen runner and descendant of Confucius investigates the disappearance of two teenage girls in Tianjin.Kite Flight to Seal Island--A boy is taken aloft by a kite to a secret island off the coast, where he falls under the spell of a beautiful woman.Lip Reader--A greedy swordsman hires a lip reader to read the lips of bandits after he decapitates them with his sword.Dying Apart--A man dies and goes to the Netherworld, where Yama commands him to go back and fetch his wife, with comical results.The Hopping Vampires of Sichuan--A civic-minded sorcerer resurrects the dead of Sichuan in an unusual plan to revive the economy.Scented Lips--On the road to Tiantai, a young scholar encounters a beautiful girl wearing fantastically scented lip balm.Death Awaits Yu--A man named Yu falls victim to a cruel sorcerer, who gives him only three days to live.Treehouse Fox--A teenage boy and his handsome page battle wits with a seductive fox-spirit up in the boy’s treehouse. Lotus Feet--A young girl's spirit, driven by destiny, triumphs over the pain of footbinding.
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