A certain official from Shaanxi, a Jinshi scholar in the Xin Chou year, possessed the memory of his past life.

He often recounted to others: "In my previous existence, I was a scholar who died in middle age. After death, I appeared before Yama, who was presiding over judgments. In the grand hall, oil vats bubbled and countless wooden racks stood tall, upon which the pelts of pigs, sheep, dogs, and horses were hung. The judge, holding the Register of Life and Death, called out the names of the ghosts. The soul destined to become a horse would be draped with a horse hide; the one to be a pig, a pigskin. When my turn came, Yama decreed, 'Punish him by making him a sheep.'"

A minor devil fetched a piece of sheepskin and draped it over me.

The judge pointed at me and declared, "This spirit once saved a life."

Yama ordered the Register of Life and Death to be consulted, and the ruling read: "The sentence may be waived. Although this spirit committed numerous misdeeds during his life, the act of saving a person redeems the sin."

Upon hearing this, the minor devils hastily pulled the sheepskin off me. However, the hide had fused to the body, clinging stubbornly. The two devils grew anxious, grabbing my arms and pressing down on my chest, tearing with frantic force. The pelt shredded apart, inflicting an indescribable agony.

Finally, the sheepskin was ripped away, but it hadn't come off entirely; a patch the size of a palm remained stuck to my shoulder.

After I was reincarnated, a thick patch of wool grew on my back. No matter how many times I sheared it, it would grow back, an endless affliction.