Čarodej Zuo Ci

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Čarodej Zuo Ci

Zuo Ci, whose courtesy name was Fufang, was a native of Lujiang. From his youth he possessed supernatural powers. Once, while he was among Lord Cao’s guests, Lord Cao smiled and said to the company, “For this splendid gathering today, we have almost every delicacy. All we lack is bass from the Song River in Wu, to serve as raw sliced fish.” Fang said, “That is easily obtained.” He asked for a bronze basin filled with water, then baited a bamboo fishing rod and cast his line into it. In a moment he drew out a bass. Lord Cao clapped his hands in delight, and everyone present was astonished. “One fish will not go round all our guests,” Lord Cao said. “Two would be better.” Fang baited his hook again and, a moment later, drew out another. Both fish were over three feet long, fresh and gleaming, a pleasure to behold. Lord Cao stepped forward and sliced them himself, sharing them among all the guests. “Now that we have bass,” he said, “my only regret is that we have no fresh ginger from Shu.” Fang replied, “That too can be obtained.” Suspecting that Fang might simply buy it somewhere nearby, Lord Cao said, “Some time ago I sent a man to Shu to buy brocade. You may instruct your messenger to find him and tell him to buy two more bolts.” The man went off and returned in a moment with fresh ginger. He also reported, “I saw your envoy at the brocade shop and have told him to buy two more bolts.” More than a year later, Lord Cao’s envoy returned, and he had indeed bought two extra bolts. When questioned, he said, “On such-and-such a day of such-and-such a month, I met a man at the shop who conveyed your order.” Later, Lord Cao went out to the nearby countryside, accompanied by several hundred gentlemen. Fang brought a single jar of wine and one strip of dried meat. With his own hands he poured from the jar, serving wine to all the officials, and every one of them ate and drank his fill. Lord Cao found this strange and ordered an inquiry. When his men went round to inspect the wine shops, they discovered that all their wine and dried meat had vanished the day before. Lord Cao was furious and secretly resolved to kill Fang. Fang was sitting among his guests when they were about to seize him, but he stepped backward into the wall and vanished in an instant. Lord Cao then offered a reward for his capture. Someone spotted him in the marketplace and tried to arrest him, but everyone in the market took on Fang’s appearance, and no one could tell which was he. Later, someone encountered Fang on a mountaintop at Yangcheng and gave chase again. Fang fled into a flock of sheep. Knowing he could not catch him, Lord Cao sent a man to call out among the sheep, “Lord Cao no longer means to kill you. He only wished to test your powers. Now that they have been proved, he merely wants to see you.” Suddenly an old ram bent its forelegs, stood upright like a man, and said, “Why such haste?” The man at once cried, “This is the sheep!” They all rushed toward it. But the several hundred sheep in the flock all turned into rams, bent their forelegs, stood upright like men, and said, “Why such haste?” And so, in the end, no one knew which one to seize. Laozi said, “The reason I suffer great troubles is that I have a body. When I have no body, what trouble can I suffer?” Those of Laozi’s company may truly be said to have freed themselves from the body. How far beyond us they are!