Li Qiu was taken aback. Although he had already guessed a few things, the stunning woman before him bore no resemblance to the age of seventy denoted on the memorial archway. He dared not jump to conclusions, especially since she appeared to be barely twenty years old. Why, then, did she refer to herself as an old woman?
He asked her, "For what reason do you call yourself 'Madam Wu Mei'? The real Madam Wu Mei was over seventy when she died, yet you look no older than twenty. Tell me the whole truth at once. If you are trying to deceive me, I will surely scatter your soul to the winds."
Hearing this, the woman hesitated for a moment, her face running through a myriad of expressions: smiling one moment, angry the next, resentful, helpless, yearning, and evasive by turns. After a long while, as if she had finally made up her mind, she knelt before Li Qiu and pleaded, "I beg the Daoist priest to save me. In my next life, I will work like a horse or an ox to repay your great kindness."
Chapter 25