A scholar from Anqiu, adept at divination, lived a life both licentious and unrestrained, his conduct utterly improper. His greatest pleasure was theft; before every raid, he would scry the omens for good fortune. Because of this practice, he succeeded every single time, never failing. One day, the scholar was suddenly afflicted with a strange illness. He called for physicians and medicine, but nothing worked. He declared, "I knew this day of tribulation would come. The Lord of the Underworld has sent this vile sickness upon me for leaking the secrets of Heaven. How can mortal remedies cure a judgment sent from above?" Before long, the scholar lost his sight, and both his hands mysteriously broke.

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There was a certain man, let us call him A. His paternal uncle had no heir. A, greedy for inheritance, willingly accepted the old man as his father. When the uncle died, all the household wealth was bequeathed to A. Upon receiving the fortune, A immediately severed all ties with the deceased uncle. Furthermore, there was another uncle, wealthy in his own right but also childless. A served as this uncle’s adopted son as well, deceiving him to acquire the estate, only to turn against him once more. In this manner, A tricked three relatives in succession, accumulating enough wealth to become the richest man in the village.

One day, A was suddenly struck down by a violent sickness and began raving, crying out, "You seize the fortunes of others, and yet you still hope to live?" With that, he grabbed a sharp blade and began slicing flesh from his own body, throwing the pieces onto the floor one by one. He shrieked further, "You ensure others leave no progeny, yet you yourself wish to have heirs?" He then plunged the knife into his abdomen, his intestines spilling out as he died. Shortly thereafter, A’s own son also perished.