It is said that those who die by hanging become hanging ghosts. Such spirits cannot be reincarnated until they find someone to take their place, and so they linger among the living, whispering and pleading, doing whatever they can to persuade another soul to follow them into death.
Liu Qiuya was an open-minded man. He loved reading. Even during the winter, he would become so absorbed in his books that he often forgot to sleep. He wasn’t alone, though. The sound of a spinning wheel came from next door, keeping him company. His neighbor was a woman who also had a habit of working through the night.
One night, around nine o’clock, the moon cast a faint light over the ground. Liu Qiuya was reading as usual when he suddenly heard a rustling sound outside. He didn’t pay much attention to it at first. He thought it was probably a wild cat or something. But the rustling continued, and it was starting to get on his nerves. Liu Qiuya approached the window, which was made of paper, and poked a hole in it with his finger. Through the hole, he saw a woman standing under the moonlight.
She was holding something in her hands, and she seemed very anxious. It was as if she was trying to hide something but had no idea where the best place to put it was. After changing hiding spots several times, she finally left, leaving the object in a pile of straw.
Liu Qiuya had seen everything. There must be something wrong with the woman, he thought, and he decided to find out. Carrying a lantern, Qiuya went outside and began searching. In the pile of straw, he found a hemp rope. It was about two feet long and had a foul, fishy smell. Qiuya held his breath and frowned. It’s definitely from a hanging ghost, he thought. And in an instant, he had an idea.
He took the rope back to his house, shut the door, placed it under a book, and waited.
Before long, something happened. The sound of the spinning wheel stopped abruptly. Instead, there was a long sigh from his neighbor. Another sigh. And another. Then she started crying. Qiuya got up and leaned against the wall they shared. There was a crack in it through which he could see what was happening on the other side.
And there it was, just as he had expected: the hanging ghost. It was kneeling before his neighbor, begging and wailing, urging her to hang herself. The woman glanced at the hanging ghost several times, and somehow, she was shaken. She began to untie her sash, ready to hang herself with it. Seeing this, the hanging ghost jumped with joy and flew right out of the window. But the woman wasn’t ready to take her own life just yet. She retied the sash, her hands shaking.
Qiuya wasn’t worried about her, though. He knew the hanging ghost was looking for its rope. Without it, the ghost couldn’t harm anyone. So instead of calling for help, he simply went back to reading.
A little while later, he heard a knock at the door. It was the ghost, and it wanted to come in.
“I’m a man alone in this room, and you’re a woman. How can I open the door for you? Get in yourself if you can,” Qiuya shouted.
“If you say so,” said the ghost, and it was already in the room.
The ghost stared at him and spoke calmly. “I lost something, and I know you have it. Please return it to me.”
“It’s under a book. Take it if you can,” Qiuya replied, still reading.
The ghost looked at the books and saw the rope, but it didn’t move an inch toward it.
“No, I wouldn’t dare,” said the ghost, shaking its head slightly.
“Then leave!” said Qiuya.
“Please remove the book, sir,” said the ghost. “I don’t want you to get scared.”
“Try it, then. See if you can scare me.” Qiuya smiled.
The ghost lowered its head, and suddenly, blood spewed from its mouth, covering its face. Its long black hair came loose and fell to its waist. Then it stuck out its tongue, which grew longer and longer until it was nearly a foot long. It stood there laughing and crying, staring at Qiuya.
Qiuya, however, remained calm. He looked straight into the ghost’s eyes and said, “That’s just what you really look like. What’s so scary about it? And that’s all you’ve got?”
The ghost changed its strategy. It drew back its tongue, put its hair back up, and transformed itself into a beautiful woman. She walked slowly and gracefully toward Qiuya, each step more seductive than the last.
But Qiuya wasn’t tempted at all.
The ghost gave up and knelt before him, begging for the rope.
“What do you need the rope for?” asked Qiuya.
“To find a substitute,” replied the ghost, “so that I may be reborn and have another life. Otherwise, I’ll be stuck in the underworld forever. Please.”
“If that’s how things work,” said Qiuya, “then there would be no end to this search for substitutes. How can I let a living person die just so that a dead one can be reborn? What kind of person would make such a rule in the underworld? And who enforces it? A rule that brings calamity upon the living and endless torment upon the dead? It should never be allowed! I am going to write a petition to the courts of the underworld. I’ll reason with them and ask them to abolish this rule, so that you may be reborn.”
“Really?” said the ghost. “That would be wonderful. I… I’ll never ask for a substitute again.”
Qiuya worked on the petition right away. With a red brush, he finished the letter and handed it to the ghost. But the ghost couldn’t take it.
“Please burn it first,” said the ghost. “Then I can take it.”
Qiuya burned the letter as the ghost had instructed. It took the letter and asked for the rope again. Knowing that the ghost would not harm anyone for the time being, Qiuya removed the book from the rope.
The ghost showed its gratitude, took the rope, and happily left.
After the ghost disappeared, Qiuya went to check on his neighbor. She was unharmed.