Chen Huanle hailed from Changzhi County. He had a daughter who was remarkably intelligent and beautiful. One day, a certain Daoist priest came to the door soliciting alms. He happened upon Miss Chen, observed her for several glances, and then departed.

From that day forward, the Daoist loitered near the Chen residence daily. On one occasion, he coincidentally encountered a blind man leaving the Chen home. The Daoist hastened to walk alongside him and inquired, "Sir, from whence do you come?"

The blind man replied, "I was offering divination services for the Chen family." The Daoist said, "I hear the Chen family has a daughter whose beauty is exceptional. I have a cousin who wishes to formally propose marriage to Miss Chen, but regrettably, we do not possess Miss Chen's birth particulars—her shengchen bazi." The blind man suspected nothing and stated, "You wish to ascertain Miss Chen's shengchen bazi? That is simple enough." He then relayed the information truthfully. The Daoist repeatedly expressed his thanks and took his leave.

Several days later, as Miss Chen was embroidering in her boudoir, she suddenly felt a numbness in the soles of her feet. This sensation gradually spread to her thighs, then surged into her lower abdomen, causing her to collapse. After a long while, she regained consciousness. Rising from the floor, her mind clouded, she intended to tell her parents of her illness. Just as she reached the doorway, she looked outside to find a vast expanse of black water. A single, thin path, like a thread, stretched across the water. Miss Chen felt a profound fear, hesitated, and dared not proceed. Moments later, the water surged, the threshold of the house being completely submerged in the black liquid, yet the path remained visible.

Few travelers were on the path; only one Daoist priest walked slowly ahead. Miss Chen, without deep thought, assumed the priest was a fellow villager and followed him, intending to ask for directions. After walking for several li, she suddenly noticed a building. Focusing her gaze, she realized with shock that it was her own home. Her heart seized. She muttered, "I have walked for so long, only to circle back to the village. How could I be so foolish?" With relief, she pushed open the door. Her parents were out farming and had not yet returned.

Miss Chen returned to her boudoir. The pair of embroidered shoes she had been working on still rested on the **. Exhausted from her journey, she sat on the edge of the bed to rest. Unexpectedly, the Daoist burst in. Miss Chen was terrified and turned to flee. The Daoist seized her instantly, pressing her onto the **. Miss Chen tried to cry out, but her voice was hoarse, and she could not speak. The Daoist acted swiftly, drawing a sharp knife from his robes, slicing open Miss Chen's chest, and removing her heart.

Miss Chen felt her soul drift, separating from her body. Looking around, she saw that this place was not the Chen residence but a desolate cliffside in the wilderness. She watched as the Daoist produced a wooden effigy, dripped the blood from her heart onto it, formed hand signs, and chanted an incantation. Miss Chen found her body unresponsive, her soul beyond her control, gradually merging with the wooden figure. She faintly heard the Daoist deliver a cold command: "Chen Mou Mou, from this moment forward, you shall obey my bidding without fail." As he spoke, he carefully secured the wooden figure.

Chen Huanle searched anxiously for his missing daughter. The entire family looked everywhere until they reached Niutou Ridge. There, they learned from villagers about a female corpse at the foot of the ridge whose heart had vanished. Chen Huanle went to inspect the body and found it was indeed his daughter. Overwhelmed by grief, he immediately reported the murder to the magistrate's office.

The county magistrate dispatched his subordinates to apprehend the residents of the ridge and interrogated them severely, but they found nothing. After pondering for a while, he decided to temporarily detain the suspects while conducting a more thorough investigation.

The Daoist left the cliff and walked a few li away, resting beneath a willow tree by the roadside. He commanded Miss Chen, "Your first assignment is to proceed to the county yamen and gather intelligence on the case. Be extremely cautious on this journey; you may conceal yourself above the Nuange (warm chamber). If you see the magistrate take out the official seal, flee immediately. Remember this, remember it well. You are to depart by Chen Shi (7-9 AM) and return by Si Shi (11 AM-1 PM). If you are late by even one ke (a quarter of an hour), I will pierce the wooden figure’s chest with a needle, causing you unbearable pain; delay by two ke, and two needles will follow. If I pierce it three times, I will scatter your soul forever, granting you no reincarnation."

Upon hearing this, Miss Chen’s limbs trembled, and she drifted away silently. In an instant, she arrived at the public hall. Following the Daoist's command, she hid above the Nuange, peeking out through the window. She observed several villagers kneeling on the floor of the main hall, awaiting interrogation. The magistrate took out the official seal, preparing to stamp official documents. Miss Chen had no time to retreat; the seal was already drawn from its box. She felt her body grow heavy and weak, pressing down so hard that the paper windows creaked audibly, a sound heard throughout the hall.

The magistrate raised the official seal again, doing so three times in succession. Miss Chen could hold on no longer and crashed to the floor with a resounding thud. Everyone in the hall heard the noise but saw no figure. The magistrate rose and offered an invocation: "If you are an aggrieved spirit, speak plainly, and I shall bring you justice." Miss Chen stepped forward, sobbing, and recounted the Daoist's villainy, detailing the murder and how he commanded her to gather information, laying out every detail.

The magistrate was furious and immediately ordered his men to hunt down the culprit. The bailiffs arrived beneath the willow tree, where the Daoist was indeed resting. They seized him and brought him in for questioning, where he immediately confessed. The magistrate released the wrongly accused villagers and asked Miss Chen, "Your grievance is redressed. What are your plans now?" Miss Chen replied, "I wish to follow you, my Lord." The magistrate responded, "There is no room for you in the county yamen; Miss, you must return home for the time being."

Miss Chen remained silent. After a long while, she finally said, "The county yamen is my home. I will enter now." The magistrate, perplexed, questioned her incessantly. Silence settled around them, and hearing no reply, he retreated to his residence, where his wife had just given birth to a baby girl.