Messiah Clears the Disc
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However, the judge Bao guessed the reason of this strange visit without explanation; more than that: he knew it for sure. Of course, the master of ceremonies was inclined to pretentious, highflown discourse and accustomed to flattery, but this time he did not overstate the merits of the highly respected xiangyigong in the field of solving many complicated cases. So it was not difficult at all for the visiting examiner [5] Bao to correlate the quite strange happening at the central street of Ningo the day before with the visit of the prince's Zhou court master of ceremonies.
5
“Visiting examiner” is another definition of a judge.
As to honesty, the worthy master of ceremonies hasn't sinned against the truth too. For the Ningo people have long ago given to the worthy judge Bao the name of Bao the Dragons' Seal, hinting at his legendary predecessor and namesake who had become famous for his incorruptibility about three hundred years ago. All was true and clear from the very beginning and therefore unbearably boring. The judge was nodding his head politely listening to the courtier who had evidently read too much Kongzi, and rather not the books by Kongzi himself but his modern interpreters; but the thoughts of the judge Bao were turned to quite other subjects.
A new disease has appeared some time ago in the lands of the Heavenly Empire, Tianxia, and the common people soon began to call it "Buddha's Madness" because it distorted human conscience by an unexpected and inevitable feeling of an endless chain of reincarnations. The disease was constantly expanding and turning to real epidemic. Bao the judge has already heard about it many times and seen with his own eyes people who would go out of their mind as if thunder-striken: they forgot their PRESENT personality and were torn and tormented by conflicting memories of many previous lives. These awakened memories allowed them to tell in details the story of An Lushan [6] uprising or to remind the battles and marches of Zhuge Lian [7] or Sun Wu [8] , to speak some incomprehensive languages and to predict future events, but they were unable to recall their present name, to recognize their native home and their relatives.
6
An Lushan stirred up rebellion against the Emperor in 755; in 757 he was slain.
7
Zhuge Lian (220 – 280 A.D.) was a famous military leader and a popular hero.
8
Sun Wu or Sunzi, VI – V cent. B.C.) was known as a warlord and strategist.
The shaven-headed clever-faced monks explained that such people aroused the wrath of Buddha by their importunate prayers, and he gave to them the insight they asked for, but the awakening of their true essence appeared to be beyond the strength of their weak untrained wits, not prepared by way of righteous life and meditation...
The judge Bao did not doubt a moment that the too eloquent monks were as far both from insight and from Buddha: for even the most importunate human beings are not able in any way to disturb Buddha in his Nirvana...
And the Dao magicians were unanimously asserting that all these events were the pranks of some assistant demons of Yanlo, the lord of the Underworld...
The assistant demons interested the judge Bao the least of all. He had enough things to care of besides the Underworld. ("Won't anybody give me a pair of demons as assistants?" – thought the judge with melancholy pouring himself a cup of red tea from a small teapot that has already became cool.)
Some time ago Buddha's Madness touched the family of Bao himself. His young nephew Zhong became mad literally in a week, now he could not recognize his closest kin and strove to leave his house and to go away to Luoyang saying that his family was waiting for him; sometimes he was reciting verses for hours, and very bad verses they were, while formerly Zhong would have never allowed himself such bad taste; and other strange things he did... Several reincarnations conflicted inside the soul of the unhappy young man, burying his present personality as if under an avalanche of snow.
Bao did not know how to save his beloved nephew. The efforts of the town physician seemed to be useless, but a wandering monk with his rattles and gong who chanced to visit the judge's house failed to help the diseased too.
Only the Dao wizard Lan Daoxing, called also "Iron Hat", a very gloomy and taciturn person, managed to return the boy to his senses for a time. But the next evening Buddha's Madness took possession of Zhong again. So, even the Dao wizard was not capable to resist to the awful disease.
The judge knew that people afflicted by Buddha's Madness die usually in a month or less, that's why he was gloomy and upset; for the cruel fate continued to persecute his family.
Just the day before yesterday the judge found his firstling and heir Wen talking pleasantly in the western outhouse with a girl completely unknown to the judge. The girl lowered her eyes modestly, bowed politely to the head of the family. There was nothing indecent in her manners, she didn't seem to be one of the streetwalker singers. His son has already grown up, it was high time to find a wife for him, and the judge Bao was not one of those old-fashioned stubborn fathers who marry their children without giving the future spouses the possibility to see one another in advance... The judge cast one more glance at the guest: her dress was not rich but neat and decent, her face rather pretty, her eye-brows darkened and rouge applied to her cheeks quite to measure and the only thing that the experienced Bao disliked a bit was the red kerchief tied around the girl's neck.
The judge was not superstitious. But he could not neglect the things that were going on in Tianxia: the epidemic of Buddha's Madness that has affected his family too, dead men coming out of their graves (he didn't believe at first, but happened to see one with his own eyes!), evil spirits roaming in broad daylight, animals acquiring intellect, and not the usual were-foxes but vulgar badgers... Even if two thirds of these cock-and-bull stories and gossip were fictitious the rest of the facts was quite enough to feel unquiet.
Thus the suspicion was to be verified immediately.
So Bao went at once to Lan Daoxing, an old acquaintance of his, who has helped the judge in many similar situations.
Fortunately, the Iron Hat has not yet left Ningo for the mountains where he used to prepare his pills of immortality.
The judge had hardly entered the wizard's temporary abode and opened his mouth in order to tell the reason of his coming when the old man said turning to him and nodding in affirmation:
– She's a demon. A spirit of some woman who had hanged herself. She's looking for a new body to enter into it and be born anew. Take this gourd and sprinkle the evil spirit with its contents; all spells would dissipate at once and you'll see her true image. Then take the broom made of peach twigs that stands in a corridor corner of your house and drive her away. The spirit won't ever try to come back.
With these words the magician handed the judge a small vessel. The judge swallowed some air, unable to find necessary words; it was difficult to get accustomed to the surprises of the wizard and to call him openly a friend.
– Thank you, saint Lan, – was all he dared to say. – If ever you'll need something...
– I know, – Lan Daoxing smiled a little, hiding his cunning small eyes under the shaggy brows. – And now don’t tarry. The demon has already almost charmed your son.
The reverend Bao hasn't ran so swiftly since his youth! But now he didn't care whether it was decent for his social position and post that did not imply such sports at all: his son was in danger, and he had to come in time!