Song Dingbo Sells a Ghost 宋定伯卖鬼
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The story
One night, a young man named Song Dingbo met a ghost on the road. Who are you? the ghost asked. Thinking fast, Song said: I'm a ghost too.
They were both heading to the market town, so they took turns carrying each other. You're awfully heavy for a ghost, the ghost said. I only just died, said Song.
Then Song asked, as a new ghost, what should I be afraid of? The ghost answered honestly. Only one thing. Human spit.
At dawn, near the town, Song held the ghost tight on his shoulders. It squirmed, and turned into a goat. Song spat on it, so it couldn't change back.
Then he sold the goat for fifteen hundred coins. Never tell a stranger your weakness. Follow for more ancient stories.
A modern reading (ours)
A rare ghost story where the human wins through wit and nerve, not magic.
Source
Gan Bao, 'In Search of the Supernatural' (Soushen Ji), 4th century. Retold in English; illustrations are AI-generated.