A scholar acquired a new residence, but it was frequently plagued by a fox spirit. Numerous household articles were damaged by the spirit, and it constantly tossed dust into the scholar's congee, causing immense vexation. One day, a friend came to visit, but the scholar had stepped out on an errand and had not yet returned by dusk. The scholar's wife prepared a meal to entertain the guest, who, after eating, retired to the guest chamber to rest.

The scholar was a dissolute man and kept a quantity of ** hidden in the house. The fox spirit seized an unguarded moment to secretly mix some of the ** into the rice porridge. The wife lifted the bowl to eat and detected a musky fragrance emanating from it. She inquired of the maidservant, who looked utterly bewildered. After finishing the porridge, the wife was overcome with a sudden internal heat, her desire raging uncontrollably. She struggled to maintain composure but found it nearly impossible. She thought, "My husband is absent, and now my lust is rampant—what am I to do?" Recalling the guest in the next room, she hurried over to knock on his door, pleading for rescue. The guest responded sternly, "I am bound to your husband by ties of righteousness; I would never engage in such bestial behavior."

The wife’s mind was clouded, and she lingered, unwilling to leave. The guest scolded her, "You have entirely ruined my friend's reputation for literature and morality! Go away, go away!" Covered in shame, the wife retreated to her own room with a sheepish air. She pondered, "How could I have been so shameless? Just now, while eating, I smelled a strange fragrance—could it be the **?" Realizing this, she quickly opened her cabinet to inspect, finding the paper packets of powder scattered about haphazardly, with residue covering the table, wine cups, and tea bowls.

The wife knew that cold water could counteract the drug's effects. She immediately poured a bowl of cool water and drank it down in three hasty gulps. Indeed, the water worked instantly, and her senses cleared immediately. Reflecting on how close she had come to committing a terrible mistake—actively seducing a stranger—she wondered how she could ever face anyone again. At this thought, a chill swept through her body, and with a long sigh, she unfastened her sash and attempted to hang herself from a beam. Fortunately, the maidservant noticed just in time, thus preventing a fatality.

At noon the next day, the scholar returned home. Upon learning the full account, he comforted his wife, saying, "This matter is not your fault; it is all due to my own improper conduct. What foolishness was I to collect **? It is a blessing that the guest was upright, otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable."

From that day forward, the scholar thoroughly mended his ways, and the fox spirit consequently vanished forever.