He Shi Can, whose style name was Zixiao, had his study on the east side of Tiaoxi, facing an endless expanse of wilderness. One evening, as he was taking a walk, he saw a woman riding a donkey, followed by a young man. The woman was in her fifties and had an elegant demeanor. The young man, who was around fifteen or sixteen years old, was exceptionally handsome, surpassing even the beauty of girls. He Shi Can had a penchant for homosexuality, and upon seeing the young man, he couldn't help but be captivated, staring at him with wide eyes and raised feet, watching him until he was far away before returning to his study.
The next day, He Shi Can went out early to wait for the young man. It wasn't until dusk that the young man passed by his door again. He Shi Can eagerly approached him, wearing a smile on his face, and asked where the young man came from. The young man replied, 'I came from my maternal grandfather's house.' He Shi Can warmly invited the young man to rest in his house for a while, but the young man declined, saying he didn't have time. He Shi Can insisted on him staying for a while, grabbing onto him and not letting go. Reluctantly, the young man entered the house. However, after only a short while, he insisted on bidding farewell and couldn't stay any longer. He Shi Can had no choice but to hold the young man's hand and invite him out, earnestly instructing him to come and play again. The young man only nodded in agreement and left.
From then on, He Shi Can yearned for the young man day and night, coming and going aimlessly, anxiously gazing at the door, unable to stay still. One day, when the sun was only halfway down, the young man suddenly appeared again. He Shi Can was overjoyed and quickly welcomed him into his study, hastily instructing his servant to prepare wine for them to drink together. He asked the young man for his name, and the young man replied, 'My surname is Huang, and I am the ninth in the family. I haven't been given a name yet because I am still young.' He Shi Can then asked, 'Why do you come and go so frequently from here?' The young man answered, 'My mother is sick at my maternal grandfather's house, so I have to visit her often.' After a few rounds of drinking, Jiulang wanted to leave. He Shi Can held his hand, blocking his path, and even locked the door. Jiulang had no choice but to reluctantly sit down. After lighting the lamp, the two of them talked together, and Jiulang was as gentle as a girl. Whenever He Shi Can made suggestive remarks, Jiulang blushed and turned his face towards the wall. Before long, He Shi Can invited him to sleep together, but Jiulang refused, insisting that they couldn't sleep together. He Shi Can persisted, and Jiulang reluctantly took off his clothes and lay down in his pants. He Shi Can blew out the lamp and soon joined Jiulang on the same pillow, embracing him and requesting a private relationship. Jiulang angrily said, 'I thought you were a refined gentleman, but your behavior is truly that of a beast!' After a while, the morning star twinkled in the sky, and Jiulang got up and left.
He Shi Can was afraid that Jiulang would never come back, so he continued to wait for him every day, walking around aimlessly, looking at the North Star as if trying to see through it. After a few more days, Jiulang finally returned. He Shi Can welcomed him with joy and apologized to him. He forcibly brought him into the study, and they sat together and chatted, secretly relieved that Jiulang didn't hold a grudge. After a while, they went to bed to sleep, and He Shi Can once again begged Jiulang to be intimate. Jiulang said, 'We have already expressed our love for each other. Why must it always be like this?' He Shi Can continued to sweet-talk and entangle him, saying that he only wanted to be close. Jiulang had no choice but to agree. But when Jiulang fell asleep, He Shi Can secretly tried to take advantage of him. When Jiulang woke up, he was furious and put on his clothes, leaving in the middle of the night. He Shi Can became melancholic as if he had lost something, wasting away day by day, neglecting sleep and food, becoming thinner and more haggard. He sent his servant to search for Jiulang everywhere.
One day, Jiulang passed by He Shi Can's door again, wanting to leave directly. The servant pulled on his clothes and brought him into the house. Seeing He Shi Can's emaciated appearance, Jiulang was greatly surprised and asked what had happened. He Shi Can told him the truth and cried tears like rain. Jiulang whispered, 'It is because of this kind of love that is neither beneficial to the younger brother nor good for the older brother that I didn't want to do it. But since you insist, what do I have to lose?' He Shi Can was overjoyed. After Jiulang left, his illness improved a lot, and a few days later, he fully recovered. Jiulang did indeed come back, and the two of them became close again. Jiulang said, 'Tonight, I reluctantly followed your wishes, but it cannot be a regular occurrence.' Then he said, 'I have a request, can you fulfill it?' He Shi Can asked what it was, and Jiulang said, 'My mother suffers from heart disease, and only the Tianyan Pill from the physician Qi Yewang can cure her. You have a good relationship with the physician, so I believe you can obtain it.' He Shi Can immediately agreed. Before leaving, Jiulang reminded him repeatedly.
He Shi Can went into the city to obtain the medicine and gave it to Jiulang in the evening. Jiulang was very happy and held He Shi Can's hand to express his gratitude. He Shi Can took the opportunity to ask Jiulang for intimacy, but Jiulang said, 'There is no need to entangle each other anymore! I want to find a beautiful woman for you, who is ten thousand times better than me.' He Shi Can asked who it was, and Jiulang said, 'It is my cousin, who is incredibly beautiful. If you agree, I will act as a matchmaker for you.' He Shi Can only smiled and did not answer. Jiulang took the medicine and left.
Three days later, Jiulang came again to ask for medicine. He Shi Can complained that he had come after such a long time and his words carried a sting. Jiulang said, 'I didn't want to hurt you, so I intentionally distanced myself. Since you don't understand, please don't regret it in the future!' From then on, Jiulang came to meet He Shi Can every day, but he would only ask for medicine every three days. The physician Qi Yewang complained that He Shi Can was asking for medicine too frequently, saying, 'Three doses of my medicine are enough. Why do you need to take so much and still not get better?' He gave him three doses of medicine at once. The physician also noticed that He Shi Can didn't look well and asked if he was sick. He Shi Can replied, 'No.' The physician checked his pulse and exclaimed in fear, 'You have a ghost pulse, and your illness is in the Shaoyin stage. If you don't take care of yourself, your life will be in danger!' He Shi Can returned and told Jiulang what the physician had said. Jiulang sighed, 'Truly a divine physician! I am a fox. We have been together for so long, I'm afraid it is not your good fortune.' He Shi Can also suspected that Jiulang was deceiving him and didn't give him all three doses of medicine, fearing that he wouldn't come back anymore.
Soon after, He Shi Can fell ill and called for the physician Qi Yewang to treat him. The physician said, 'You didn't tell the truth that day, and now your soul has left your body. Even the most famous doctor can't help you.' Jiulang came to visit He Shi Can every day, saying, 'If only you had listened to my advice, you wouldn't be in this situation!' Not long after, He Shi Can died, and Jiulang wept bitterly before leaving. Before this, there was a historian in the county who was a classmate of He Shi Can when they were young. He entered the Hanlin Academy at the age of seventeen. At that time, the governor of Shaanxi was corrupt and tyrannical, but he had bribed high-ranking officials in the court, so no one dared to expose his crimes. However, this historian reported his crimes, but was dismissed from his position on the grounds of exceeding his duties. The governor promoted him to be the deputy governor of the province and constantly looked for opportunities to find fault with the historian. When the historian was young, he had some fame and had sought the support of a rebel prince. The deputy governor obtained their correspondence from that time and used it to blackmail the historian. The historian was afraid and committed suicide. His wife also hanged herself.
The historian woke up the night after his death and said to himself, 'I am He Zi Xiao.' When others asked him, he spoke only of the He family's affairs. Everyone understood that he had borrowed someone else's body. They asked him to stay, but he refused and ran to the He family's house.
The deputy governor suspected that something was amiss and was determined to frame the historian. He sent someone to demand one thousand taels of silver from him. He Shi Can had no choice but to comply, but he didn't have the silver. Just as he was worrying, Jiulang arrived. He Shi Can eagerly talked to Jiulang, expressing both joy and sorrow. Then he asked for intimacy. Jiulang said, 'Do you have three lives?' He Shi Can replied, 'I regret living in hardship. It would be better to die peacefully.' He then told Jiulang about his grievances. Jiulang said, 'Fortunately, we are reunited. Now that you are alone, I previously mentioned my cousin, who is intelligent and beautiful. She will definitely share your worries if you agree.' He Shi Can wanted to see her. Jiulang said, 'It's not difficult. Tomorrow, she will accompany my mother and leave from here. You pretend to be my elder brother, and when I come to find water, you say, 'The donkey has run away,' which means you agree.' They planned everything and then parted ways.
The next day at noon, Jiulang indeed passed by He Shi Can's door with the young woman. He Shi Can greeted them with a bow, chatted with Jiulang, and glanced at the young woman. He saw that she had beautiful eyebrows and eyes, like a celestial being. Jiulang requested tea, and He Shi Can invited them into the house. Jiulang said to the young woman, 'Don't be afraid, this is my sworn brother. You can rest for a while before leaving.' Jiulang helped the young woman off the donkey and tied the donkey outside the door. While He Shi Can was pouring tea, he looked at Jiulang and said, 'If you can't fulfill what you said last time, today will be the day of my death.' The young woman seemed to understand that their conversation was about her, so she got up and wanted to leave, whispering, 'Let's go!' He Shi Can quickly shouted loudly, 'The donkey has run away!' Jiulang heard it and hurriedly went to chase after the donkey. He Shi Can embraced the young woman and demanded intimacy. The young woman was frightened, her face turning purple, and she cried out for her younger brother. Jiulang did not respond. The young woman said, 'You have a wife, why are you treating others like this?' He Shi Can said he didn't have a family. The young woman said again, 'If you can swear to the mountains and rivers that you won't abandon me, then I will obey you.' He Shi Can made a solemn oath to the heavens, and only then did the young woman stop refusing.
Afterwards, Jiulang returned. The young woman showed a very angry expression and didn't give him a good face. Jiulang said, 'This He Zi Xiao was a scholar before and is now a historian. He is my best friend and can be trusted. Even if we tell my aunt about this, she won't blame us.' They stayed together until evening, and then the young woman insisted on leaving, fearing her aunt's reproach. Jiulang agreed to take all the blame and left alone on the donkey.
He Shi Can obtained the beautiful young woman, San Niang, and was very happy. But he was worried about the matter of the one thousand taels of silver, and his face always showed a worried expression. San Niang asked him about the reason, and he told her the whole story. San Niang smiled and said, 'This matter can be resolved by Jiulang alone. Why are you worried?' He Shi Can asked what the solution was, and San Niang said, 'I heard that the deputy governor loves to listen to songs and likes boys. These are Jiulang's specialties. Appeal to his interests and offer Jiulang to him as a gift. Then, the old grudges can be resolved, and new grievances can be avenged.' He Shi Can was afraid that Jiulang wouldn't agree. San Niang said, 'Just plead with him earnestly.' After a day, when He Shi Can saw Jiulang, he knelt down to greet him. Jiulang asked in surprise, 'We have been friends for generations. I would not hesitate to do anything you ask of me. Why do you have to do this?' He Shi Can explained the plan, and Jiulang's face showed a difficult expression. San Niang said, 'I have already given myself to my husband. Who caused all of this? If he were to be killed halfway and abandon me, what would I do?' Jiulang had no choice but to agree.
After He Shi Can and Jiulang planned everything, He Shi Can wrote a letter to Wang, the historian he had been close to, and introduced Jiulang to him. Wang understood the meaning in the letter and held a grand banquet to invite the deputy governor to drink. Jiulang disguised himself as a beautiful woman and performed the Heavenly Demon Dance, appearing just like a young lady. The deputy governor became more and more infatuated as he watched, and he eagerly begged Wang to sell Jiulang to him, fearing that he wouldn't succeed. Wang pretended to ponder and seemed to have difficulties, considering for a long time before finally agreeing to give up Jiulang for the sake of the deputy governor. The deputy governor was overjoyed, and all his previous prejudices disappeared.
With Jiulang in his possession, the deputy governor followed him like a shadow, never leaving his side for a moment. His previous wives and maidservants, totaling more than ten, were all treated as if they were dirt. Jiulang's food, utensils, and everything else were the same as those of a nobleman, and he was even given ten thousand taels of silver. Within half a year, the deputy governor fell ill. Jiulang knew that the deputy governor's death was not far off, so he loaded up the gold, silver, and treasures, pretending to send them back to the deputy governor's hometown. Soon after, the deputy governor died.
Jiulang took out the silver, built a house, furnished it, hired servants and maidservants, and had his mother and aunt come to live with him. Jiulang came and went with many carriages and horses, and no one knew that he was a fox.