Between Si-chow and the village of Ki, in a house completely hidden from travellers by the tall and black trees which surrounded it, lived an aged1 and very wise person whose ways and manner of living had become so distasteful to his neighbours that they at length agreed to regard him as a powerful and ill-disposed magician. In this way it became a custom that all very unseemly deeds committed by those who, in the ordinary course, would not be guilty of such behaviour, should be attributed to his influence, so that justice might be effected without persons of assured respectability being put to any inconvenience. Apart from the feeling which resulted from this just decision, the uncongenial person in question had become exceedingly unpopular on account of certain definite actions of his own, as that of causing the greater part of Si-chow to be burned down by secretly breathing upon the seven sacred water-jugs to which the town owed its prosperity and freedom from fire. Furthermore, although possessed2 of many taels, and able to afford such food as is to be found upon the tables of Mandarins, he selected from choice dishes of an objectionable nature; he had been observed to eat eggs of unbecoming freshness, and the Si-chow Official Printed Leaf made it public that he had, on an excessively hot occasion, openly partaken of cow’s milk. It is not a matter for wonder, therefore, that when unnaturally3 loud thunder was heard in the neighbourhood of Si-chow the more ignorant and credulous4 persons refused to continue in any description of work until certain ceremonies connected with rice spirit, and the adherence5 to a reclining position for some hours, had been conscientiously6 observed as a protection against evil.
Not even the most venerable person in Si-chow could remember the time when the magician had not lived there, and as there existed no written record narrating7 the incident, it was with well-founded probability that he was said to be incapable8 of death. Contrary to the most general practice, although quite unmarried, he had adopted no son to found a line which would worship his memory in future years, but had instead brought up and caused to be educated in the most difficult varieties of embroidery9 a young girl, to whom he referred, for want of a more suitable description, as the daughter of his sister, although he would admit without hesitation10, when closely questioned, that he had never possessed a sister, at the same time, however, alluding11 with some pride to many illustrious brothers, who had all obtained distinction in various employments.
Few persons of any high position penetrated12 into the house of the magician, and most of these retired13 with inelegant haste on perceiving that no domestic altar embellished14 the great hall. Indeed, not to make concealment15 of the fact, the magician was a person who had entirely16 neglected the higher virtues17 in an avaricious18 pursuit of wealth. In that way all his time and a very large number of taels had been expended19, testing results by means of the four elements, and putting together things which had been inadequately20 arrived at by others. It was confidently asserted in Si-chow that he possessed every manner of printed leaf which had been composed in whatsoever21 language, and all the most precious charms, including many snake-skins of more than ordinary rarity, and the fang22 of a black wolf which had been stung by seven scorpions23.
On the death of his father the magician had become possessed of great wealth, yet he contributed little to the funeral obsequies nor did any suggestion of a durable24 and expensive nature conveying his enlightened name and virtues down to future times cause his face to become gladdened. In order to preserve greater secrecy25 about the enchantments26 which he certainly performed, he employed only two persons within the house, one of whom was blind and the other deaf. In this ingenious manner he hoped to receive attention and yet be unobserved, the blind one being unable to see the nature of the incantations which he undertook, and the deaf one being unable to hear the words. In this, however, he was unsuccessful, as the two persons always contrived27 to be present together, and to explain to one another the nature of the various matters afterwards; but as they were of somewhat deficient28 understanding, the circumstance was unimportant.
It was with more uneasiness that the magician perceived one day that the maiden30 whom he had adopted was no longer a child. As he desired secrecy above all things until he should have completed the one important matter for which he had laboured all his life, he decided31 with extreme unwillingness32 to put into operation a powerful charm towards her, which would have the effect of diminishing all her attributes until such time as he might release her again. Owing to his reluctance33 in the matter, however, the magic did not act fully34, but only in such a way that her feet became naturally and without binding35 the most perfect and beautiful in the entire province of Hu Nan, so that ever afterwards she was called Pan Fei Mian, in delicate reference to that Empress whose feet were so symmetrical that a golden lily sprang up wherever she trod. Afterwards the magician made no further essay in the matter, chiefly because he was ever convinced that the accomplishment36 of his desire was within his grasp.
The rumours37 of armed men in the neighbourhood of Si-chow threw the magician into an unendurable condition of despair. To lose all, as would most assuredly happen if he had to leave his arranged rooms and secret preparations and take to flight, was the more bitter because he felt surer than ever that success was even standing29 by his side. The very subtle liquid, which would mix itself into the component38 parts of the living creature which drank it, and by an insidious39 and harmless process so work that, when the spirit departed, the flesh would become resolved into a figure of pure and solid gold of the finest quality, had engaged the refined minds of many of the most expert individuals of remote ages. With most of these inspired persons, however, the search had been undertaken in pure-minded benevolence40, their chief aim being an honourable41 desire to discover a method by which one’s ancestors might be permanently42 and effectively preserved in a fit and becoming manner to receive the worship and veneration43 of posterity44. Yet, in spite of these amiable45 motives46, and of the fact that the magician merely desired the possession of the secret to enable him to become excessively wealthy, the affair had been so arranged that it should come into his possession.
The matter which concerned Mian in the dark wood, when she was only saved by the appearance of the person who is already known as Ling, entirely removed all pleasurable emotions from the magician’s mind, and on many occasions he stated in a definite and systematic47 manner that he would shortly end an ignoble48 career which seemed to be destined49 only to gloom and disappointment. In this way an important misunderstanding arose, for when, two days later, during the sound of matchlock firing, the magician suddenly approached the presence of Mian with an uncontrollable haste and an entire absence of dignified50 demeanour, and fell dead at her feet without expressing himself on any subject whatever, she deliberately51 judged that in this manner he had carried his remark into effect, nor did the closed vessel52 of yellow liquid which he held in his hand seem to lead away from this decision. In reality, the magician had fallen owing to the heavy and conflicting emotions which success had engendered53 in an intellect already greatly weakened by his continual disregard of the higher virtues; for the bottle, indeed, contained the perfection of his entire life’s study, the very expensive and three-times purified gold liquid.
On perceiving the magician’s condition, Mian at once called for the two attendants, and directed them to bring from an inner chamber54 all the most effective curing substances, whether in the form of powder or liquid. When these proved useless, no matter in what way they were applied55, it became evident that there could be very little hope of restoring the magician, yet so courageous56 and grateful for the benefits which she had received from the person in question was Mian, that, in spite of the uninviting dangers of the enterprise, she determined57 to journey to Ki to invoke58 the assistance of a certain person who was known to be very successful in casting out malicious59 demons60 from the bodies of animals, and from casks and barrels, in which they frequently took refuge, to the great detriment61 of the quality of the liquid placed therein.
Not without many hidden fears, Mian set out on her journey, greatly desiring not to be subjected to an encounter of a nature similar to the one already recorded; for in such a case she could hardly again hope for the inspired arrival of the one whom she now often thought of in secret as the well-formed and symmetrical young sword-user. Nevertheless, an event of equal significance was destined to prove the wisdom of the well-known remark concerning thoughts which are occupying one’s intellect and the unexpected appearance of a very formidable evil spirit; for as she passed along, quickly yet with so dignified a motion that the moss62 received no impression beneath her footsteps, she became aware of a circumstance which caused her to stop by imparting to her mind two definite and greatly dissimilar emotions.
In a grassy63 and open space, on the verge64 of which she stood, lay the dead bodies of seventeen rebels, all disposed in very degraded attitudes, which contrasted strongly with the easy and becoming position adopted by the eighteenth—one who bore the unmistakable emblems65 of the Imperial army. In this brave and noble-looking personage Mian at once saw her preserver, and not doubting that an inopportune and treacherous66 death had overtaken him, she ran forward and raised him in her arms, being well assured that however indiscreet such an action might appear in the case of an ordinary person, the most select maiden need not hesitate to perform so honourable a service in regard to one whose virtues had by that time undoubtedly67 placed him among the Three Thousand Pure Ones. Being disturbed in this providential manner, Ling opened his eyes, and faintly murmuring, “Oh, sainted and adorable Koon Yam, Goddess of Charity, intercede68 for me with Buddha69!” he again lost possession of himself in the Middle Air. At this remark, which plainly proved Ling to be still alive, in spite of the fact that both the maiden and the person himself had thoughts to the contrary, Mian found herself surrounded by a variety of embarrassing circumstances, among which occurred a remembrance of the dead magician and the wise person at Ki whom she had set out to summon; but on considering the various natural and sublime70 laws which bore directly on the alternative before her, she discovered that her plain destiny was to endeavour to restore the breath in the person who was still alive rather than engage on the very unsatisfactory chance of attempting to call it back to the body from which it had so long been absent.
Having been inspired to this conclusion—which, when she later examined her mind, she found not to be repulsive71 to her own inner feelings—Mian returned to the house with dexterous72 speed, and calling together the two attendants, she endeavoured by means of signs and drawings to explain to them what she desired to accomplish. Succeeding in this after some delay (for the persons in question, being very illiterate73 and narrow-minded, were unable at first to understand the existence of any recumbent male person other than the dead magician, whom they thereupon commenced to bury in the garden with expressions of great satisfaction at their own intelligence in comprehending Mian’s meaning so readily) they all journeyed to the wood, and bearing Ling between them, they carried him to the house without further adventure.
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1
aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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unnaturally
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| adv.违反习俗地；不自然地；勉强地；不近人情地 | |
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credulous
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| adj.轻信的，易信的 | |
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adherence
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| n.信奉，依附，坚持，固着 | |
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conscientiously
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| adv.凭良心地；认真地，负责尽职地；老老实实 | |
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narrating
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| v.故事( narrate的现在分词 ) | |
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8
incapable
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| adj.无能力的，不能做某事的 | |
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embroidery
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| n.绣花，刺绣；绣制品 | |
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hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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alluding
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| 提及，暗指( allude的现在分词 ) | |
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penetrated
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| adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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embellished
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| v.美化( embellish的过去式和过去分词 )；装饰；修饰；润色 | |
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concealment
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| n.隐藏, 掩盖，隐瞒 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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virtues
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| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
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avaricious
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| adj.贪婪的，贪心的 | |
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expended
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| v.花费( expend的过去式和过去分词 )；使用（钱等）做某事；用光；耗尽 | |
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inadequately
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| ad.不够地；不够好地 | |
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whatsoever
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| adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么 | |
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22
fang
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| n.尖牙，犬牙 | |
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scorpions
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| n.蝎子( scorpion的名词复数 ) | |
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durable
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| adj.持久的，耐久的 | |
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secrecy
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| n.秘密，保密，隐蔽 | |
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26
enchantments
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| n.魅力( enchantment的名词复数 )；迷人之处；施魔法；着魔 | |
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contrived
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| adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的 | |
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deficient
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| adj.不足的，不充份的，有缺陷的 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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maiden
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| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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unwillingness
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| n. 不愿意，不情愿 | |
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reluctance
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| n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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binding
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| 有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的 | |
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accomplishment
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| n.完成，成就，（pl.）造诣，技能 | |
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rumours
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| n.传闻( rumour的名词复数 )；风闻；谣言；谣传 | |
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component
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| n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的 | |
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insidious
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| adj.阴险的，隐匿的，暗中为害的，（疾病）不知不觉之间加剧 | |
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40
benevolence
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| n.慈悲，捐助 | |
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41
honourable
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| adj.可敬的；荣誉的，光荣的 | |
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42
permanently
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| adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地 | |
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43
veneration
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| n.尊敬，崇拜 | |
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44
posterity
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| n.后裔，子孙，后代 | |
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45
amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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46
motives
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| n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 ) | |
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47
systematic
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| adj.有系统的，有计划的，有方法的 | |
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48
ignoble
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| adj.不光彩的，卑鄙的；可耻的 | |
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49
destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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50
dignified
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| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
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51
deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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52
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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53
engendered
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| v.产生（某形势或状况），造成，引起( engender的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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54
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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55
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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courageous
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| adj.勇敢的，有胆量的 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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invoke
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| v.求助于(神、法律)；恳求，乞求 | |
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malicious
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| adj.有恶意的，心怀恶意的 | |
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demons
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| n.恶人( demon的名词复数 )；恶魔；精力过人的人；邪念 | |
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detriment
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| n.损害；损害物，造成损害的根源 | |
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moss
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| n.苔，藓，地衣 | |
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grassy
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| adj.盖满草的；长满草的 | |
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verge
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| n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临 | |
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emblems
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| n.象征，标记( emblem的名词复数 ) | |
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66
treacherous
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| adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的 | |
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undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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intercede
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| vi.仲裁，说情 | |
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69
Buddha
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| n.佛；佛像；佛陀 | |
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sublime
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| adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的 | |
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repulsive
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| adj.排斥的，使人反感的 | |
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dexterous
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| adj.灵敏的；灵巧的 | |
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illiterate
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| adj.文盲的；无知的；n.文盲 | |
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