"Bridge of Birds"
Among the flowers, with a flask of wine,
I drink all alone, no one to share.
Raising my flask, I welcome the moon,
And my shadow joins us, making a threesome.
-Barry Hughart
After having intruded into the Ancestress’ palace, Number Ten Ox (Lu-Yu) and Master Li (Li Kao) find the ginseng root, but eventually, they are discovered. However, somehow, they manage to return to the village with the medicine, only to realize that the one they brought is not the real one.
After a while, they are told that the authentic Great Root of Power is in possession of the Duke of Ch’in, who is the powerful and vicious duke of China.
When Number Ten Ox conceives that he will have to face that man, he feels desperate. During this part, one can perceive his pain, but also his courage because, despite of the terror he is feeling, it is clear that the only thing that is leading him forward is the hope to find the cure for his children. Besides, Master Li shows his most human side when he tells Lu-Yu that he would never let him go on his own to be murdered.
Eventually, they reach the place where the Duke of Ch’in lives in, and are encountered with an empire full of chaos, where people who dare to disobey are easily decapitated with no mercy. The pair let the duke know that they are searching for the Great Root of Power, and therefore, the latter accepts the intrusion as long as they can survive his deadly games. With this, they embark on a series of fatal adventures in a labyrinth. Hence, during their journey, they realize that the Great Root of Power has been divided into different parts, for what they must search in several places.
In the course of this time, they meet Bright Star, Henpecked Ho, Miser Shen, Fainting Maid, Key Rabbit, among others. Luckily, with the help of some of them, our main characters manage to find the Legs, the Arms, and the Head of the Root. Nevertheless, there are still some parts missing, and thus, the adventure continues with this pair trying to join the pieces of the puzzle, in order to mold the final cure.
-Abril Canché Covarrubias.
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