The Fifth Sister#

Orioles are charming, swallows love to play, Sisters close in bond, let them not be swayed by worldly fray.

The fifth daughter of the Zhu family, in the prime of her youth, was renowned for her stunning beauty.

One night, dark clouds obscured the moon, and a chilly wind swept over the ridge, signaling an impending storm. The fifth sister was accompanying her second sister in the village, overseeing the work of the lesser yaoguais, when she spotted a traveling scholar seeking shelter from the rain. Feeling mischievous, she decided to play a trick on him.

The scholar, being somewhat naive, was worried about his bookcase getting soaked and rushed into the deserted village without noticing the yaoguais. He barely made it inside, bolted the door, and lit an oil lamp just as the rain began to pour heavily outside.

Gazing at the rain through the window, the scholar was inspired to recite poetry: "Xu's land in turmoil, the court in disarray, Like thunderclaps in clear skies, they sway....

A clap of thunder roared. The scholar thought he saw the window shake but paid it no mind until he finished reciting, feeling refreshed. It was then he realized someone was knocking at his door.

As he finished the line, he noticed the window lattice move again. Assuming it was the wind and rain, he hurriedly shut the window. After finishing his poem, feeling refreshed, he suddenly realized someone was knocking at the door.

He caught a glimpse of a graceful silhouette on the door's paper screen, and a sense of alarm washed over him as he entertained the thought that it could be a yaoguai. However, considering his own wretched and unremarkable existence, he somehow found solace in the idea of becoming a victim of beauty.

As the scholar hurriedly got up and flung the door open, expecting to see the stunning yaoguai, he was instead met with a horrifying sighta ghost with disheveled hair and pus-filled eyes. Overwhelmed with terror, he let out a scream and instinctively pushed past her, desperate to escape the haunted house.

Outside the door, the fifth daughter, playing with her delicate fingers, leaned gracefully against the wall, only to be knocked off balance. Angrily, she walked into the house, cursing the scholar for his rudeness, and happened to see an old bronze mirror on the desk. Picking it up, she found out that the storm had washed away her makeup, leaving her face a patchwork of colors, and with her wet hair covering it, she looked truly frightening. Even she couldn't help but laugh.