Wang Keshou of Huangmei County, Huguang, possessed the memories of three lifetimes.

In his first life, he was a scholar studying at a temple.

A mare in the temple gave birth to a mule, which the scholar became intensely fond of and forcibly took for himself.

After death, he descended to the underworld.

The King of Hell, reviewing the Book of Life and Death, found him excessively greedy and condemned him to be reborn as a mule to work off the debt owed to the temple monks.

After reincarnation, the monks cherished and cared for him deeply.

However, Wang did not wish to remain a beast and constantly sought a chance to end his life, but the monks guarded him so closely that he could never find an opportunity.

As he aged, he began to appreciate the monks' genuine kindness and could no longer bear to commit suicide, lest he betray their affection.

Several years later, Wang's natural lifespan ended, and he returned to the netherworld.

The King of Hell assigned him to be born into a farming family.

Immediately upon birth, he could speak.

His parents, believing him to be a demon, killed him.

For his third reincarnation, Wang was born into the household of a minor scholar.

The scholar, approaching fifty, had Wang as a much-loved late-life son.

Because his premature speech in a previous life led to his death, Wang dared not utter a sound.

By the age of three or four, he still refused to speak, and his family, unaware of the reason, all assumed he was mute.

One day, his father was writing in his study.

Halfway through, a guest happened to arrive, and the father immediately put down his brush and ink to go and greet them.

Wang saw that his father’s composition was unfinished and took the liberty of completing it for him.

When the father returned and discovered this, he was greatly astonished and asked, "Has someone been in my study?" The family replied, "No one." The father’s suspicions grew intense.

The next day, he deliberately prepared a text with a specific title, placed it on the desk, and hid nearby to observe secretly.

Presently, Wang slipped into the room and picked up the brush to compose.

The father watched, overjoyed, as he wielded the brush with astonishing speed, and quietly entered the room.

After writing a few lines, Wang turned around and saw his father standing beside him.

Startled, he let out a cry, terrified of his father’s reprimand, and immediately knelt down begging for mercy.

The father laughed, saying, "You are the only son I have.

Since your talent is so extraordinary, this is a blessing for our family; why keep it hidden?" From then on, a tutor was hired to instruct him.

Wang proved unparalleled in his intelligence, grasping every lesson immediately.

As a youth, he passed the imperial examinations and eventually rose to the position of Circuit Intendant of Datong.