The Rebellion of Xie Qian saw brigands overrun territories, plundering the homes of officials. The residence of Educational Commissioner Wang Qixiang was seized, becoming a den for the gathering thieves. Later, imperial forces were dispatched to quell the uprising; the Qing soldiers shattered the city walls, sweeping away the rabble until corpses piled mountain-high and rivers of blood flowed freely.

With the aid of government troops, Wang Qixiang reclaimed his manor. After the dead were cleared and he moved back in, he often saw apparitions in broad daylight, ghostly flames danced beneath his bed at night, and mournful wails echoed from the corners of the walls.

One day, a scholar named Wang Haodi arrived seeking lodging. That night, spectral voices called from under his bed, "Haodi, Haodi!" After a moment, the cries intensified, "I died a miserable death, I died a miserable death!" Soon after, a chorus of ghosts began to weep, audible throughout the entire courtyard.

Wang Qixiang strode into the room, sword in hand, and roared, "Do you not know I am Dean Wang? Retreat at once!"

The ghosts merely chuckled, sneering. Elder Wang, finding no other recourse, arranged a grand Water and Land Dharma service, inviting monks to chant sutras to liberate the restless souls. Furthermore, he scattered rice offerings onto the ground each night for the ghosts to consume. Phosphorescent fires flickered densely everywhere, illuminating the starving spirits scrambling for the food.

It turned out that one of the watchmen employed by the Wang household had been bedridden and unconscious for several days. On this particular night, he suddenly awoke. His wife rushed to offer him sustenance, but the servant remarked, "I don't know what happened just now, but the Master was giving out food in the courtyard, and I feasted along with the other ghosts. I am quite full now." In reality, he had been dead for some time, having only just returned to the world of the living.

From that time forward, the Wang residence was troubled by spirits no more.