In the Xiao Xiang Lu (瀟湘錄) of the Tang scholar Li Yin, there is a story called “The Werewolf Dog” (Quan Yao 犬妖) about the wife of a certain Du Xiuji, who had sex with a white dog, which kidnapped her and carried her off to the mountains, where she became his wife and later gave birth to a son. After the dog’s death, the woman returned to her family, and her son became a robber.
“Du Xiuji of Zhao was a skilled physician. His beautiful wife, the daughter of the rich man Xue Yun, was a lazy and dissolute woman by nature. In Xiuji’s house there was a white dog, which he loved very much, and always treated him to exquisite dishes. [One day] after eating, Xiuji left, and his dog ran into the inner chamber, wanting to bite Xiuji's wife, Lady Xue. The woman, as if intending to secretly engage in illicit relations again, asked him in amazement: "Do you really want to become my lover? If so, then do not bite me." The dog immediately wagged its tail and climbed onto her bed. Lady Xue was frightened, but she still had relations with the dog. The dog was just like a human. Afterwards, whenever Xiuji left, they indulged in unrestrained debauchery.
One day, just as they were lying together in the chamber, Xiuji suddenly entered. Seeing this, he wanted to kill the dog, but the dog ran away. Xiuji became angry and sent his wife back to her father's house. Half a year later, the dog suddenly ran into Xue Yun's house, grabbed Madam Xue and carried her away on its back. The household tried to catch the dog, but they failed, they did not know where it went. And the dog hid with Madam Xue in the Hengshan Mountains. Every night he came down from the mountains to steal food, and during the day he guarded Madam Xue.
A year later, Madam Xue became pregnant and gave birth to a boy. Although he looked like a man, his whole body was covered in white fur. Madam Xue raised him in the mountains. Another year later, the dog suddenly died, and Madam Xue and her son took a winding path down from the mountains and came to Jizhou to beg for food. People learned about this and went with Xue Yun to tell about it. Xue Yun immediately ordered her to be taken home.
Years passed, Madam Xue's son was 17 years old, his appearance was ugly, his character was cruel. Every time he went out to commit robbery, he did not return earlier than ten days or even several months later. Xue Yun was very upset by this and wanted to kill him. Madam Xue, crying, said to her son: “You are the son of a white dog, I did not dare to kill you when you were a child. Now you live in the Xue house, how can you be disrespectful? If you continue to commit robbery, the people of the Xue family will definitely kill you. I am afraid that you will implicate others, this should be corrected.” Her son, sobbing, said: “I was born with a dog's character, I do not have a human heart, the love of murder and robbery is my nature, how can I overcome it? If Xue Yun can forgive me, let him forgive me, if he cannot, let him just tell me directly, why kill me? Mother must protect her honor, so I will go far away and not return." Lady Xue tried to stop him, but he did not listen, then she said: "You can go, but will you never come to visit me again? I am your mother, how can I bear it that we will never see each other again?" Her son began to cry again and said: "In three years, I will return."
Then he took his sword, bowed to his mother and left. Three years later, her son actually came to the gate at the head of a crowd of more than a thousand bandits, calling himself a general. He entered and bowed to his mother. And then he ordered the bandits to kill Xue Yun's family, leaving only his mother alive. Then he burned the manor, took his mother and left" [Xiao xiang lu, n.d.].
