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of Huizhou firecrackers. These the demon scrutinized attentively in the light of a lamp, which by curious coincidence happened to spit a spark onto the wick of the firecrackers.
    This, of course, caused a thunderous explosion, which left the ghost momentarily rolling around the floor blubbering before taking its chance to disappear.
    Our traveler was greatly puzzled by these antics. Suspecting that the demon would return, he maintained his vigil until dawn. There were no more visitations, however; not a trace of the demon was seen.
    In amazement the traveler narrated the night's events to his landlord, who was equally perplexed. The following night our traveler returned to the upper floor of the mansion and passed the night without incident or evidence of supernatural presence.
    From that day on, the building was free from strange events and accompanying ghosts.

Kaxiong
    Yang Kaxiong was orphaned at an early age when his father died unexpectedly during garrison duty. The boy's distant uncle, a Mr. Zhou, was a vice-commander of the military stationed in Hezhou. Taking pity on the orphan, Zhou decided to raise Kaxiong as his own child.
    Zhou had a daughter who was approximately the same age as Kaxiong, and seeing that Kaxiong was young, intelligent, and handsome, she took a liking to him.
    The Zhou family were very strict on matters of social decorum and consequently the young couple's contact was limited to formal family dining.
    Another relative, a young man by the name of Wu, was also supported by the Zhous, and he slept outside in the study.
    One autumn night when Kaxiong felt insufferably hot he took a stroll under the moonlight to enjoy the cool night air. In the distance he saw the young Miss Zhou strolling towards him. By the end of the night the couple had become extremely intimate.
    The next day he chanced upon her in the midst of her morning toilet but they simply exchanged smiles. From hereon in she visited him every night.
    On one of these occasions Wu was disturbed by the sound of laughter coming from Kaxiong's quarters and he grew suspicious. Peeking inside, he saw Miss Zhou and Kaxiong engaged in sexual intercourse and this made him extremely jealous.
    He resolved to pass this information on to Mr. Zhou. On hearing about his daughter's conduct, Mr. Zhou immediately went to the inner quarters and scolded his wife for her laxity.
    In her defense Mrs. Zhou said, "How could this be? Our daughter shares my bed every night."
    Zhou was still unconvinced so he found an excuse to cane Kaxiong and drove him out of the house.
    Having nobody else but the Zhous to rely on, Kaxiong took refuge in an ancient temple in Lanzhou. It wasn't long before Miss Zhou appeared at the temple carrying her luxurious luggage.
    Kaxiong was overjoyed and asked how she had managed to find him.
    "I came with my uncle Wu." Then she explained to Kaxiong that Mr. Zhou's younger brother, Wu, had just been promoted to the post of military commander in Lanzhou.
    Kaxiong had no reason to doubt her words and proceeded to set up house with her for a few weeks. They lived in grand style and were blissfully happy.
    One day not long after this Miss Zhou's uncle bumped into Kaxiong on the street and greeted him cheerfully. "So you're here as well, nephew!" Kaxiong amiably replied in the affirmative. The two men rode back to Kaxiong's residence, where they were greeted by Zhou's daughter.
    The uncle was puzzled by her presence, so Kaxiong explained what had happened. The uncle thought to himself, "My brother made no mention of his daughter's absence to me. Perhaps he was too ashamed to mention it?"
    He stayed with the young couple for several days and then, using the opportunity provided by military business, paid a visit to his brother in Hezhou.
    Zhou, informed about his brother's encounter with his daughter, was incredulous. "This is impossible! My daughter is this very moment in her chamber quite safe and sound. In fact she'll be joining us for dinner in