The wife of Shi from Wancun was constantly tormented by a fox spirit, finding no way to drive it off, which caused her deep distress.

Behind the door of the woman's bedchamber stood a vase; the fox spirit, terrified of men, would immediately hide within the vase whenever the woman's father-in-law passed by the window.

The wife observed this with cool detachment, and a sharp idea sparked in her mind—a brilliant stratagem to deal with the demon.

On this particular day, when the fox slipped into the vase as usual, the woman swiftly moved forward, stuffed the mouth of the vase tightly with cotton wadding, and placed it into boiling water to steam. As heat billowed forth, the fox writhed in agony, crying out from inside the vessel, “I’m burning! Stop this at once, this is no mere prank!”

The wife paid it no heed, continuing to stoke the fire and heat the water. The fox shrieked desperately, its cries gradually growing faint and weak; after a little while longer, there was silence.

The wife opened the vase to look; the fox was certainly dead, yet not a single bone remained behind, only a heap of fur and a few drops of blood.