The disciplines of witchcraft are manifold and varied. Some employ gourmet food as bait; if one carelessly consumes it, their mind becomes clouded and their actions involuntary—told to walk, they walk; told to stop, they stop. This is colloquially termed "Daxuba," or "Chexu" by the people of Jiangnan. Young, naive children are most susceptible to this kind of sorcery. There is another form of witchcraft capable of transforming a person into a beast, known as "Zaoxu." This practice is relatively rare north of the Yellow River but common south of it.

At an inn in Yangzhou, a man arrived leading five donkeys, asking to stay the night. He told the innkeeper, "I must step out for a moment, but I will return shortly." He added a strict instruction: "Under no circumstances allow the donkeys to drink any water."

After the man departed, the innkeeper observed the donkeys growing agitated under the scorching sun, kicking and braying. Feeling pity, he led them into the shade, then offered them water. As the donkeys finished drinking, they rolled repeatedly on the ground. In a cloud of kicked-up dust, they transformed, reappearing as five women. The innkeeper was greatly astonished and quickly asked for an explanation, but the women’s tongues were stiff, rendering them unable to answer. The innkeeper, filled with suspicion and certain the matter was far from simple, pondered briefly and decided to hide them within the rooms first.

Not long after, the guest returned to the inn, this time bringing five goats, which he tethered in the courtyard. Seeing no sign of the donkeys, he immediately asked the innkeeper, "Where are the donkeys?"

The innkeeper motioned the guest to sit, brought food and wine, and said, "Honored guest, please eat first; the donkeys will be here directly." As he spoke, he withdrew to the courtyard, gave the goats their fill of clear water, and as they finished drinking, they too began to roll on the ground. In a flurry of movement, they morphed into five small children.

The innkeeper, suspecting the guest’s origins were ill-gotten, reported the affair to the magistrate. The county magistrate dispatched bailiffs to apprehend the guest. After interrogation, they discovered he was a sorcerer possessing dark arts and, wasting no pleasantries, beat him to death with cudgels.