The Hunter's conscience

　　This is a story from Strange Tales from Make-Do Studio.

　　Lady Fan was gentle and beautiful. One day, accompanied by an attendant on an outing（远足） to the Water and Moon Monastery1, she encountered the warm and equally beautiful Lady Feng. As they found an affinity2（密切关系） between each other, on deqarting Lady Fan invited Lady Feng to visit her home some day. Back home Lady Fan missed her newly made friend terribly and soon fell ill.

　　On the ninth day of the ninth nonth of the lunar calendar, the Double Ninth Festival, Lady Fan and her attendant came to the family garden to enjoy flowers. There she saw Lady Feng looking at her from outside the garden wall. Overjoyed, Lady Fan met Meng Anren, a young, handsome and talented scholar from a impoverished3（穷困的） family.

　　Helped by Lady Feng, Lady Fan and the young scholar entered betrothal4（婚约） . Unfortunately, a rich local bully5 also had his eyes on Lady Fan and forced a marriage proposal on Lady Fan's parents, who saw no choice but to accept. The day before the wedding, Lady Fan hanged herself in her room.

　　The heartbroken young scholar, on hearing the news, rushed to her tomb and wailed6（恸哭，呼啸） uncontuollably. Suddenly, he heard Lady Feng's voice from behind, "If you dig up the tomb, I can bring her back to life." He did as she said, and carried the dead Lady Fan back to his place. Whth Lady Feng's magic medicine Lady Fan indeed came to life and the two lovers married. Before Lady Feng left, she disclosed her real identity——a fox fairy.