滕有楊某，從白蓮教黨，得左道之術。徐鴻儒誅後，楊幸漏脫，遂挾術以遨。家中田園樓閣，頗稱富有。至泗上某紳家，幻法為戲，婦女出窺。楊睨其女美，歸謀攝取之。其繼室朱氏，亦風韻，飾以華妝，偽作仙姬；又授木鳥，教之作用；乃自樓頭推墮之。朱覺身輕如葉，飄飄然凌雲而行。無何，至一處，雲止不前，知已至矣。是夜，月明清潔，俯視甚了。取木鳥投之。鳥振翼飛去，直達女室。女見彩禽翔入，喚婢撲之；鳥已沖簾出。女追之，鳥墮地作鼓翼聲；近逼之，撲入裙底，展轉間，負女飛騰，直沖霄漢。婢大號。朱在雲中言曰：「下界人勿須驚怖，我月府姮娥也。渠是王母第九女，偶謫塵世。王母日切懷念，暫招去一相會聚，即送還耳。」遂與結襟而行。方及泗水之界，適有放飛爆者，斜觸鳥翼；鳥驚墮，牽朱亦墮，落一秀才家。秀才邢子儀，家赤貧而性方鯁。曾有鄰婦夜奔，拒不納。婦啣憤去，譖諸其夫，誣以挑引。夫固無賴，晨夕登門詬辱之。邢因貨產僦居別村。有相者顧某善決人福壽，邢踵門叩之。顧望見笑曰：「君富足千鐘，何著敗絮見人？豈謂某無瞳耶？」邢嗤妄之。顧細審曰：「是矣。固雖蕭索，然金穴不遠矣。」邢又妄之。顧曰：「不惟暴富，且得麗人。」邢終不以為信。顧推之出，曰：「且去且去，驗後方索謝耳。」是夜，獨坐月下，忽二女自天降；視之，皆麗姝。詫為妖，詰問之，初不肯言。邢將號召鄉里，朱懼，始以實告，且囑勿洩，願終從焉。邢思世家女不與妖人婦等，遂遣人告其家。其父母自女飛升，零涕惶惑；忽得報書，驚喜過望，立刻命輿馬星馳而去。報邢百金，攜女歸。邢得豔妻，方憂四壁，得金甚慰。往謝顧。顧又審曰：「尚未尚未。泰運已交，百金何足言！」遂不受謝。先是，紳歸，請于上官捕楊。楊預遁，不知所之，遂籍其家，發牒追朱。朱懼，牽邢飲泣。邢亦計窘，始賂承牒者，賃車騎攜朱詣紳，哀求解脫。紳感其義，為竭力營謀，得贖免；留夫妻於別館，懽如戚好。紳女幼受劉聘；劉，顯秩也，聞女寄邢家信宿，以為辱，反婚書，與女絕姻。紳將議姻他族；女告父母，誓從邢。邢聞之喜；朱亦喜，自願下之。紳憂邢無家，時楊居宅從官貨，因代購之。夫妻遂歸，出曩金，粗治器具，蓄婢僕，旬日耗費已盡。但冀女來，當復得其資助。一夕，朱謂邢曰：「孽夫楊某，曾以千金埋樓下，惟妾知之。適視其處，磚石依然，或窖藏無恙。」往共發之，果得金。因信顧術之神，厚報之。後女于歸，妝貲豐盛，不數年，富甲一郡矣。
滕有杨某，从白莲教党，得左道之术。徐鸿儒诛后，杨幸漏脱，遂挟术以遨。家中田园楼阁，颇称富有。至泗上某绅家，幻法为戏，妇女出窥。杨睨其女美，归谋摄取之。其继室朱氏，亦风韵，饰以华妆，伪作仙姬；又授木鸟，教之作用；乃自楼头推堕之。朱觉身轻如叶，飘飘然凌云而行。无何，至一处，云止不前，知已至矣。是夜，月明清洁，俯视甚了。取木鸟投之。鸟振翼飞去，直达女室。女见彩禽翔入，唤婢扑之；鸟已冲帘出。女追之，鸟堕地作鼓翼声；近逼之，扑入裙底，展转间，负女飞腾，直冲霄汉。婢大号。朱在云中言曰：「下界人勿须惊怖，我月府姮娥也。渠是王母第九女，偶谪尘世。王母日切怀念，暂招去一相会聚，即送还耳。」遂与结襟而行。方及泗水之界，适有放飞爆者，斜触鸟翼；鸟惊堕，牵朱亦堕，落一秀才家。秀才邢子仪，家赤贫而性方鲠。曾有邻妇夜奔，拒不纳。妇啣愤去，谮诸其夫，诬以挑引。夫固无赖，晨夕登门诟辱之。邢因货产僦居别村。有相者顾某善决人福寿，邢踵门叩之。顾望见笑曰：「君富足千钟，何着败絮见人？岂谓某无瞳耶？」邢嗤妄之。顾细审曰：「是矣。固虽萧索，然金穴不远矣。」邢又妄之。顾曰：「不惟暴富，且得丽人。」邢终不以为信。顾推之出，曰：「且去且去，验后方索谢耳。」是夜，独坐月下，忽二女自天降；视之，皆丽姝。诧为妖，诘问之，初不肯言。邢将号召乡里，朱惧，始以实告，且嘱勿泄，愿终从焉。邢思世家女不与妖人妇等，遂遣人告其家。其父母自女飞升，零涕惶惑；忽得报书，惊喜过望，立刻命舆马星驰而去。报邢百金，携女归。邢得艳妻，方忧四壁，得金甚慰。往谢顾。顾又审曰：「尚未尚未。泰运已交，百金何足言！」遂不受谢。先是，绅归，请于上官捕杨。杨预遁，不知所之，遂籍其家，发牒追朱。朱惧，牵邢饮泣。邢亦计窘，始赂承牒者，赁车骑携朱诣绅，哀求解脱。绅感其义，为竭力营谋，得赎免；留夫妻于别馆，懽如戚好。绅女幼受刘聘；刘，显秩也，闻女寄邢家信宿，以为辱，反婚书，与女绝姻。绅将议姻他族；女告父母，誓从邢。邢闻之喜；朱亦喜，自愿下之。绅忧邢无家，时杨居宅从官货，因代购之。夫妻遂归，出曩金，粗治器具，蓄婢仆，旬日耗费已尽。但冀女来，当复得其资助。一夕，朱谓邢曰：「孽夫杨某，曾以千金埋楼下，惟妾知之。适视其处，砖石依然，或窖藏无恙。」往共发之，果得金。因信顾术之神，厚报之。后女于归，妆赀丰盛，不数年，富甲一郡矣。
In Teng there was a man named Yang who had joined the White Lotus sect and learned its black arts. After Xu Hongru was executed, Yang was lucky enough to slip through the net, and he went roaming about, living by his arts. At home he had fields and gardens and towered halls, and was reckoned quite rich. He came to the house of a certain gentleman on the Si River and put on a show of magic, and the women of the house came out to peep. Yang eyed the gentleman’s daughter, saw that she was beautiful, and went home to plot how to spirit her away. His second wife, Mrs. Zhu, was also attractive. He dressed her in splendid finery to pass as an immortal maiden. He also gave her a wooden bird and taught her how to work it. Then he pushed her off the top of a tower. Zhu felt her body grow light as a leaf, and she went floating along above the clouds. Before long she came to a place where the cloud stopped and went no further, and she knew she had arrived. That night the moon was bright and clear, and looking down she could see everything plainly. She took the wooden bird and threw it down. The bird beat its wings and flew off, straight into the girl’s room. Seeing a bright-feathered bird fly in, the girl called her maid to catch it, but the bird had already darted out through the curtain. The girl chased it. The bird dropped to the ground, beating its wings noisily. When she closed in on it, it dived under her skirt, and in a twist it had her on its back and was soaring up, straight into the sky. The maid screamed. From the clouds Zhu spoke: “People of the world below, do not be afraid. I am Chang’e of the Moon Palace. She is the ninth daughter of the Queen Mother, banished for a time to the mortal world. The Queen Mother longs for her day after day and has called her up for a short reunion. She will be sent back soon.” Then she tied their clothes together and flew off with her. They had only just reached the border of Sishui when someone happened to set off a rocket, which struck the bird’s wing a glancing blow. The startled bird fell, dragging Zhu down with it, and they landed at a licentiate’s house. The licentiate, Xing Ziyi, was desperately poor and stiffly upright by nature. Once a neighbour’s wife had come to him at night, and he had refused to take her in. She went away nursing her anger and slandered him to her husband, falsely saying he had tried to seduce her. The husband was a scoundrel to begin with, and came to Xing’s door morning and evening to curse and abuse him. So Xing sold his property and rented a place in another village. There was a physiognomist named Gu who was good at telling people’s fortunes and lifespans. Xing went to his door to consult him. Gu saw him coming and laughed. “You have riches enough for a thousand measures of grain. Why come to see people in rags? Do you think I have no eyes?” Xing sneered at this as nonsense. Gu looked him over more closely. “Yes, it’s so. You are badly off, to be sure, but a mine of gold is not far away.” Again Xing called it nonsense. “Not only will you grow rich all at once,” said Gu, “you will also get a beautiful woman.” Xing still would not believe it. Gu pushed him out the door. “Go on, go on. When it comes true, then I’ll ask for my fee.” That night, as Xing sat alone in the moonlight, two women suddenly came down from the sky. He looked: both were beauties. Astonished, he took them for evil spirits and questioned them hard. At first they would not say. Xing was about to call out to the neighbours when Zhu, frightened, told him the truth at last. She begged him to keep it secret and said she wished to stay with him for good. Xing reflected that a daughter of a good family was not in the same case as a sorcerer’s wife, so he sent someone to tell the girl’s family. Ever since their daughter had flown up into the sky, her parents had been in tears and at their wits’ end. When the letter came they were overjoyed beyond all hope, and at once ordered a carriage and horses and raced off. They rewarded Xing with a hundred taels of silver and took their daughter home. Xing had gained a lovely wife but was worrying over his bare walls, so the money was a great comfort. He went to thank Gu. Gu looked him over again. “Not yet, not yet. Your luck has turned for the good. What is a hundred taels?” And he would not take a fee. Before this, the gentleman had come home and petitioned the authorities to have Yang arrested. Yang had fled in advance, no one knew where, so his property was confiscated and a warrant issued for Zhu. Zhu was terrified and clung to Xing, weeping. Xing too was at his wits’ end. First he bribed the man who carried the warrant; then he hired a carriage and horses and took Zhu to the gentleman to beg him to get her off. The gentleman was moved by his honourable conduct and did all he could for them, and she was let off on payment of a fine. He kept husband and wife in a guest lodge and treated them as warmly as kin. The gentleman’s daughter had been betrothed as a child into the Liu family. The Lius held high office, and when they heard the girl had stayed two nights at Xing’s house, they took it as a disgrace. They sent back the betrothal papers and broke off the match. The gentleman was about to arrange a marriage with another family, but the girl told her parents she was sworn to marry Xing. Xing was delighted when he heard. Zhu was delighted too, and offered of her own accord to take second place to her. The gentleman was worried that Xing had no home. Yang’s house was just then being sold off by the government, so he bought it for him. Husband and wife moved in. They brought out the money from before, furnished the place roughly and took on maids and servants, and in ten days it was all spent. They only hoped that when the girl came they would get help from her again. One evening Zhu said to Xing, “That wicked husband of mine, Yang, once buried a thousand taels of silver under the tower. Only I know about it. I’ve just looked at the spot. The bricks and stones are as they were. The cache may still be safe.” They went and dug together, and sure enough they found the gold. Now Xing believed in Gu’s uncanny skill, and rewarded him handsomely. Later the girl came to him as his bride with a lavish dowry, and within a few years he was the richest man in the prefecture.