Liniang’s sprite returned nightly to Liu and before long they had fallen madly in love with one another. Every night he would tidy up the room, light the candles and wait for the lady to come at nightfall. As it got dark, she would show up on time. The two would meet like this every night and two months have passed before anyone had ever noticed.
He knew nothing about her, not even her name, but as time passed he knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He started preparing himself to ask her for her story so that he could properly propose to her. But she continued to avoid telling him the truth. Still afraid that he would fall out of love with her if he knew what she really was. Her confidence began to fade, not knowing what to do next.
One night, under the tranquil candlelight, it began like all the other nights since they met, the young man mustered up the courage to express his love to her and ask her more about herself.
“You really are not married to anyone?”
“No. I have told you many times I am not. How many more times will I say before you believe me,” the girl grumbled bashfully.
“It is not that I don’t believe you,” he answered quickly. “I just wonder how a girl as beautiful and smart as you hasn’t been married off yet.”
“I never wanted money or power,” she relied. “I just want to marry someone who is smart and who loves me for who I am.”
“I love you for who you are.” “I know.”
“Then, could you marry me?”
“You live so far away from here, how do I know you are not married?”
“I have never been.”
“Why don’t you visit a matchmaker to find a wife?”
“Lady, I don’t even know your name. Why won’t you tell me? You could be daughter of the emperor, one from an extraordinary family, a fairy or even a sprite.” The pair sat in silence for some time.
The young lady meditated for awhile and said, “Young man, it is not a hard thing to me to tell you my name and marry you because I like you and want to live with you forever. However, as the old saying goes a concubine runs away with her lover while a wife needs to engage with her husband. Before I tell you everything I need to know I can trust you. If we married now in private what would stop you from leaving me later?”
The young man stood up and lit a stick of incense, and then took Liniang’s hand and together they knelt in prayer.
“I want to marry this woman and live the rest of my years with her,” he looked into her eyes. “I will be damned if I ever deceive you.” Liniang was deeply moved to tears by the young man’s true affection.
“Why are you crying?”
“I was so moved by your words. Now I want to tell you the truth. But I’m worried it will scare you away,” she paused. “First, where did you get the painting?”
“I found it between the rock crevices in the garden one day.” “Compare the girl in the painting to me. Which one of the two looks more beautiful?”
Liu slowly compared the painting to the girl sitting before him. He was shocked to find they are identical.
“You two look exactly the same.” “It’s because the painting is of me.”
He looked at the young lady again and excitedly gave the picture a solute. “So God may have been moved by my sincerity and sent you down to my side.” He urged the young lady to tell him more about her.
“My name is Liniang. I am 16 – old enough to get married.” “Now I know your name, my sweetheart.”
“There’s something you don’t know, mister. I am not a human, I’m a ghost.”
“What do you mean you are a ghost?” “I mean just that. I am a ghost.”
The young man was so shocked that he almost fell over his chair. He quickly recovered.
“Now that we are to get married, I have nothing to be afraid of. Even if you are a ghost, I am not leaving you.”
“Thank you for your affection. I am a ghost to be resurrected, so I can still be your human wife. Though my body has been buried for three years, it hasn’t decayed. Once you open the grave, my spirit and body will be reunited and I will be alive again.”
With these words she left, floating on the air.
The next day, the young man went to see the nun. He told her everything about the young lady, her visit and what she had told him about digging up her grave. The nun stared at him in shock, finding the story unbelievable. However, the nun knew that the young man had never met the young lady in life and the girl he had just described could only be the young mistress. She was dubious about what she was told. Finally, she let herself convinced to open up the grave and check.
