Guo Sheng, a native of Zichuan County, loved reading from a young age. Alas, his mountain dwelling was remote, lacking the guidance of any renowned master; consequently, by his early twenties, his calligraphy and painting were riddled with errors. The Guo household had long suffered from a troublesome fox spirit that frequently pilfered their utensils and food, causing endless vexation.

One evening, as Guo Sheng studied, his meticulously arranged texts upon the desk were suddenly smeared completely black by the phantom presence, rendering them a terrible mess. Worse still, sections of writing were utterly illegible, drowned in pools of ink. Guo Sheng could only shake his head and sigh, carefully copying what little clean script remained, leaving him with perhaps sixty or seventy poems. Frustration gnawed at him, yet he felt utterly helpless.

Guo Sheng had previously penned about two dozen essays, pieces he considered quite respectable, which he had collected, intending to seek appraisal from established scholars. The following morning, he awoke to find all his manuscripts spread out across the desk, the characters and lines drenched in dripping ink, utterly ruined. He knew instantly it was the fox spirit’s mischief again, and his resentment burned so fiercely it made his teeth ache. Coincidentally, his friend, Wang Sheng, arrived in the mountain village on business and paid a visit to the Guo residence. Upon seeing the state of the texts, Wang Sheng inquired as to the cause. Guo Sheng poured out his grievances, denouncing the fox spirit’s wickedness. While lamenting, he presented the tattered remnants and asked Wang Sheng for his critique.

Wang Sheng examined the papers closely, turning them over in his hands, and realized the fox spirit’s defacements were not random vandalism. The passages it had struck out were mere fluff, while what remained were the true gems. He remarked, "The fox spirit seems to have acted with intention. You should not only stop worrying, but perhaps even take it as your master." Months later, when Guo Sheng revisited his old works, he discovered that the fox spirit’s alterations had been remarkably accurate. He then deliberately composed two new essays, placing them on the desk to observe what would happen. At dawn the next day, the new works, too, had been marred by ink.

This continued for a year. Eventually, the fox spirit ceased its scribbling; instead, it merely dotted the pages with ink, covering the paper entirely in circular marks. Guo Sheng was astonished and took the pages to Wang Sheng for inspection. After reviewing them, Wang Sheng declared, "The fox spirit is truly a fine teacher, Brother Guo. Your penmanship has improved immensely; you are ready for the provincial examinations."

Indeed, in that year's district examination, Guo Sheng successfully attained the rank of Xiucai. From then on, deeply grateful for the fox spirit’s kindness, he habitually prepared choice chickens for its consumption. Whenever purchasing new textbooks, he no longer made the choice himself; he deferred entirely to the spirit’s direction. He participated in the subsequent two provincial examinations, placing near the top both times, earning the title of Gongsheng through the supplementary list.

It was during this era that Master Ye’s fame soared; his prose was so exquisite that it was recited in every household. Guo Sheng possessed a treasured, hand-copied selection of Master Ye’s essays, which he guarded fiercely. Yet, one day it was soiled by splashed ink from the fox spirit, and one of his own carefully conceived masterpieces was similarly defiled. Displeased, Guo Sheng decided he could trust it no longer.

Soon after, Master Ye was imprisoned for advocating literary reform. Upon hearing this, Guo Sheng could not help but admire the fox spirit’s foresight. Nevertheless, every essay he labored over, no matter how much effort he expended, ultimately suffered the same fate: the fox spirit’s defacement.

Due to his previous academic successes, Guo Sheng grew arrogant and increasingly discontented with the fox spirit. He decided to test it deliberately, selecting several essays that had previously attracted many of the spirit’s ink dots—marks indicating approved passages. To his chagrin, these pieces were now thoroughly smeared over once more.

Guo Sheng laughed through his rage: “Oh, you fox spirit, you are utterly unreasonable! What you approve today, you condemn tomorrow—truly difficult to please.” From that moment forward, he stopped preparing meals for the spirit and, fearing reprisal, locked all his books and texts securely within a wooden cabinet.

The next morning, the cabinet remained tightly shut, undisturbed. However, upon opening it, he found four thick lines of ink blotted across the surface of the books—each line as thick as a finger. On the first page were drawn five horizontal strokes, and five strokes graced the second page as well. Guo Sheng was utterly bewildered, unable to grasp the meaning. Yet, from that very day forward, the fox spirit vanished entirely, never to reappear.

Later, when Guo Sheng sat for examinations, he placed fourth in the first attempt, and fifth in the next two. Only then did he comprehend that the fox spirit had been prophetic; the examination rankings had been subtly foreshadowed all along. He had merely been too dull and blind to recognize it.