Mr. Bai was a native of Zhili, and his eldest son was called Jia. Two years before, Jia was alloted the post of magistrate in Nanfu in the south, but because of the great distance between them, his family had heard nothing of him.

One day a distant connection, named Ding, called at the house; and Mr. Bai, not having seen this gentleman for a long time, treated him with much cordiality. Now Ding was one of those persons who are occasionally employed by the Judge of the Infernal Regions to make arrests on earth; and, as they were chatting together, Mr. Bai questioned him about the realms below. Ding told him all kinds of strange things, but Bai did not believe them, answering only by a smile.

Some days afterwards, Bai had just lain down to sleep when Ding walked in and asked him to go for a stroll; so they went off together, and by-and-by reached the city, where, said Ding, pointing to a door, "lives your nephew," alluding to a son of Bai's elder sister, who was a magistrate in Henan; and when Bai expressed his doubts as to the accuracy of this statement, Ding led him inside.

Thereupon a great big wolf brought in in his mouth the carcass of a dead man, and set it before them, at which Mr. Bai rose up in consternation, and asked his son what this meant. "It's only a little refreshment for you, father," replied Jia; but this did not calm Mr. Bai's agitation, who would have retired precipitately, had it not been for the crowd of wolves which barred the path.

Just as he was at a loss what to do, there was a general stampede among the animals, which scurried away, some under the couches and some under the tabies and chairs; and while he was wondering what the cause of this could be, in marched two knights in golden armor, who looked sternly at Jia, and, producing a black rope, proceded to bind him hand and foot.

Jia fell down before them, and was changed into a tiger with horrid fangs; and then one of the knights drew a glittering sword and would have cut off its head, had not the other cried out, "Not yet! not yet! that is for the fourth month next year. Let us now only take out its teeth."

Immediately that knight produced a huge mallet, and, with a few blows, scattered the tiger's teeth all over the floor, the tiger roaring so loudly with pain as to shake the very hills, and frightening all the wits out of Mr. Bai--who woke up with a start.

He found he had been dreaming, and at once set off to invite Ding to come and see him; but Ding sent back to say he must beg to be excused. Then Mr. Bai, pondering what he had seen in his dream, despatched his second son with a letter to Jia, full of warnings and good advice; and lo! when his son arrived, he found that his elder brother had lost all his front teeth, these having been knocked out by a fall he had off his horse when tipsy, or so he averred; and, on comparing dates, the day of that fall was found to coincide with the day of his father's dream.

The younger brother was greatly amazed at this, and took out their father's letter which he gave to Jia to read. The latter changed color, but immediately asked his brother what there was to be astonished at in the coincidence of a dream. And just at that time he was busily engaged in bribing his superiors to put him first on the list for promotion, so that he soon forgot all about the circumstance; while the younger, observing what harpies Jia's subordinates were, taking presents from one man and using their influence for another, in one unbroken stream of corruption, sought out his elder brother, and, with tears in his eyes, implored him to put some check upon their rapacity.

"My brother," replied Jia, "your life has been passed in an obscure village; you know nothing of our official routine. We are promoted or degraded at the will of our superiors, and not by the voice of the people. He, therefore, who gratifies his superiors is marked out for success; whereas he who consults the wishes of the people is unable to gratify his superiors as well."

The next year it was reported that Jia had been recommended for a post in the Board of Civil Office, and friends crowded the father's door, offering their congratulations upon the happy event. But the old man sighed and took to his bed, pretending he was too unwell to receive visitors.

Before long another message came, informing them that Jia had fallen in with bandits while on his way home, and that he and all his retinue had been killed. Then his father arose and said, "Verily the Gods are good unto me, for they have visited his sins upon himself alone;" and he immediately proceeded to burn incense and return thanks.

Some of his friends would have persuaded him that the report was probably untrue; but the old man had no doubts as to its correctness, and made haste to get ready his son's grave.

But Jia was not yet dead. In the fatal fourth moon he had started on his journey and had fallen in with bandits, to whom he had offered all his money and valuables; but the bandits cried out, "We have come to avenge the cruel wrongs of many hundreds of victims; do you imagine we want only that?"

They then divided the booty between them, and made off with all speed. Jia's soul remained near his body for some time, until at length a high mandarin passing by asked "Who is it, lying there dead?" One of his servants replied that he had been a magistrate at such and such a place, and that his name was Jia. "What!" said the mandarin, "the son of old Mr. Bai? It is hard that his father should live to see such sorrow as this. Put his head on again." Then a man stepped forward and placed Jia's head upon his shoulders again, when the mandarin interrupted him, saying, "A crooked-minded man should not have a straight body: put his head on sideways." By-and-by Jia's soul returned to its tenement; and when his wife and children arrived to take away the corpse, they found that he was still breathing. Carrying him home, they poured some nourishment down his throat, which he was able to swallow; but there he was at an out-of-the-way place, without the means of continuing his journey.

It was some six months before his father heard the real state of the case, and then he sent off the second son to bring his brother home. Jia had indeed come to life again, but he was able to see down his own back, and was regarded ever afterwards more as a monstrosity than as a man.

Subsequently the nephew, whom old Mr. Bai had seen sitting in court surrounded by officials, actually became an Imperial Censor, so that every detail of the dream was thus strangely realised.