One of the creepiest Judge Dee stories - it's set in a secluded Taoist monastery in the mountains, in a monastery full of secret rooms and passages and crazy, crazy people - but also one of the funniest - Dee has the flu and he's even grumpier than what's usual for him. We also learn more about Dee's personal life, that he has three wives, called the First, Second and Third Lady in the book, and about his assistant, Tao Kan. The story itself is rather gory, bodies hacked apart and similar stuff. As I said, creepy.