第七回 可憐後主還祠廟
Chapter 7: The bungling royal heir's family
shrine still remains
文祥對這些事一點興趣都沒有，但是衣紅一夥人卻聽得入了迷。他們雖然喜歡看書，但書上都是一些死知識，從來沒有聽過這樣生動的辯論。加以平素老以為歷史只是過去的資料，從沒有用心學過。今天總算開了眼界，都興奮不已，扯著文祥問東問西。
Wen Xiang was
not at all interested in such matters.
But these topics fascinated Yi Hong and her crowd. Though they liked to read, to them books
contained nothing but useless knowledge.
They had never witnessed such a live and spirited debate. Moreover, they had always viewed history
as mere data from the past and had never given it any heed when they were
students. Today their horizons had
finally been broadened and they were quite excited. They tugged at Wen Xiang, asking
question after question.
對這些政治史，文祥也是一知半解，他被問急了，只好說：「誰叫妳不相信電腦？妳們這些問題，電腦都有詳實的資料，如果有興趣，還可以看記錄影像。」
Wen Xiang's
grasp of political history was shaky, at best. When questioned to the point of
exasperation he said, “Hey, who told you computers couldn't be trusted? Detailed information on all your
questions can be found on your computer.
If you’re interested, you can even view the recorded news images as
well.”
frustrating
「誰能相信電腦？」衣紅嘟著嘴說。
“Who can trust
computers?” Yi Hong muttered.
「那就奇怪了，妳怎麼又相信我呢？」
“That’s strange. Then why do you trust me?”
「因為你是人哪！」
“Because you’re
human!”
「可是，我告訴你們的一切，都來自電腦呀！」
“But everything I told
you came from the computer!”
「真的？」褲白顯然不相信。
“Really?” Ku Bai
remained unconvinced.
「當然是真的，不然我又不是那個時候的人，怎麼知道那些事？」
“Of course. How else would I know about such matters
since I'm not from that era?”
衣紅半晌無言，過了一會，才懊惱地說：「我們以後怎麼再相信你呢？」
Yi Hong fell silent. But a
bit later she said in annoyance, “How can we ever trust you again?”
文祥急了，抓住衣紅的手說：「我看，假如我們算得上是朋友的話，這個問題，我們得好好討論一下。」
Alarmed, Wen Xiang seized Yi Hong’s hand and said, “Well, If we’re
friends, we’ll have to have a good talk about this matter.”
風不懼說：「沒那麼嚴重，來，找個地方聊聊也好。」
Feng Buju said, “It’s not that serious. Come on, let’s just find a place to
talk.”
四人走到一個雅座前，褲白又把左非右也找了來。大家正要坐下，左非右說：
「先別慌，讓我把景色點綴一下如何？」
As the 4 of them
walked over to a pleasant seating area, Ku Bai asked Zuo Feiyo to join them as
well. Just before they sat down,
Zuo Feiyo said,
“Hey, wait. How about
letting me modify our surroundings first?”
衣紅首先反對：「又是那套電腦製造的幻境！」
Yi Hong was the first one to object. “Another computer-created illusion!”
左非右說：「妳看看吧！這裡有哪樣不是電腦的幻境？」
Zuo Feiyou said, “Look around you!
Can you see anything that isn't a computer-created illusion?”
衣紅東瞻西望，最後指著燦爛的星空說：「你們看！大自然是真實的，那些星球是真實的，它們像鑽石一樣，多美麗！」
Yi Hong looked around.
Finally she pointed at the sparkling stars in the sky and said,
“Look! Nature is real. Those planets are real. They're like diamonds. How beautiful they look!”
左非右說：「錯了，如果妳真在太空中，就會知道這些星沒有那麼明亮。那是電腦為了讓我們欣賞，特意用電離屏放大的效果。」
Zuo Feiyo said,
“Wrong. If you were really in
space, you'd know those stars actually aren't that bright. In order for us to enjoy the stars, the
computer uses the ion screen to enhance the effect.”
衣紅覺得受騙了，怪道：「你騙我！」
Yi Hong felt she had been deceived and said accusingly, “You’re lying!”
左非右說：「我只是非右，絕對不敢騙妳。」
Zuo Feiyo said, "Hey, it’s me, Feiyo. I’d never lie to you.”
風不懼也說：「左兄說得不錯，這點情是我們應該領受的。在這裡吃的喝的，連我們的生命，都已經交給電腦了。我們反對電腦，並不代表我們否定電腦。」
Feng Buju also
said, “Zuo was right. We should
accept this favor. What we eat and
drink here, even our lives, are in the hands of the computer. Because we oppose computers doesn’t mean
we reject them.”
左非右高興地說：「我也反對電腦，但是要反對它，先得利用它！找出它的缺點來，這是孫子兵法說的『知己知彼，百戰百勝！』紅姐，妳總該先瞭解妳的敵人吧！」
Zuo Feiyo said happily, “I, too, object to computers. But before you oppose them, you have to
use them and determine their weakness.
This is what Sun Zi said, ‘If you know yourself and know your enemy,
you’ll win every battle’! Elder
sister Hong, "You’ll must get to know your enemy!”
衣紅滿心不願，橫眉豎眼地說：「喂！你這人是怎麼搞的？一下子叫我衣妹，一下子叫紅妹，又是紅姑娘、衣小姐的！現在怎麼又叫我紅姐了？」
Every part of Yi Hong was unwilling, and with an angry expression she
said, “Hey, what’s up with you?
You’ve been calling me Young Sister Yi, or Young Sister Hong; Miss Hong,
or Miss Yi! How come you now refer
to me as Elder Sister Hong?”
左非右伸伸舌頭，說：「妳還沒有批准我該怎樣稱呼妳呀！說不定下次我會叫妳姑奶奶哩！」
Zuo Feiyo licked his lips and said, “You've never told me which name I
should use when addressing you!
Maybe next time I’ll call you grandmother!”
衣紅說：「胡說！你就叫我衣紅！」
Yi Hong said, “Nonsense!
Just call me Yi Hong!”
左非右連忙鞠了個躬，說：「衣紅！」又覺得不對：「這麼叫很彆扭。」
Zuo Feiyo hurriedly bowed and said, “Yi Hong!” But somehow it doesn't feel right. “It seems awkward.”
文祥說：「我建議大家兄妹相稱，比較自在。」
Wen Xiang said, “I suggest we address each other as brother and sister
according to our age. It’ll be more
natural.”
風不懼說：「這樣最好，不過最好都用實際年齡。」
Feng Buju said, “That's the best way, but we’d better use our real age.”
衣紅說：「有誰不說出真年齡，我都叫他弟弟！」
Yi Hong said, “Whoever doesn’t give his real age, I shall address as
'little brother!'”
左非右說：「怎麼算真實年齡？」
Zuo Feiyo asked, “How do we calculate our real age?”
衣紅說：「從出生那天算起。」
Yi Hong said, “From your date of birth.”
文祥說：「我三十六歲。」
Wen Xiang said, “I’m 36.”
左非右慨然說：「我一定最大，老實說，我雖然沒有整容，卻在四十年前，自願供臨床試驗，注射過皮質素。」
Zuo Feiyo said ruefully, “I must be the eldest. To tell you the truth, though I've never had plastic surgery, some 40 years ago I volunteered to take part in an experiment where I was injected with an RNA.”
一聽到「皮質素」，文祥立刻聯想起一件事。在本世紀初期，人造基因有了重大的突破，生物工程蔚為風尚。在二○一九年，還曾發生過一件轟動世界的妙事，在一個地方性足球比賽中，出現了一支球隊，全隊連球員帶職員，一共二十五個人，每個人都長得一模一樣，無法分別。
As soon as Wen
Xiang heard “RNA” he was quickly reminded of a past event. In the early period of this century,
there had been a breakthrough in synthetic genes and bioengineering became very
popular. In 2019, an event took
place that shook the world. In a
regional soccer match, all 25 members of one of the teams looked exactly alike,
even the staff members. No one
could tell them apart.
原來在上個世紀末，有一位大亨花了大把鈔票，用自己的基因，培養了幾十個化身。他們全住在一個偏僻的山區，有特定的生活環境，直到時機成熟了，才同時出來亮相。這真是一個令人觸目驚心的景象，如果希特勒再世，很可能幾十萬的希氏親軍，此時已經統治地球了。
Towards the end of the last
century, a wealthy man, by using his own genes, spent a fortune to produce
several dozen replicas of himself.
They all lived in a remote mountain area in a made-to-order
environment. They had waited for
the opportune time to appear in public.
It was a terrifying sight.
If Hitler had been re-born, hundreds of thousands of his clones would be
dominating Earth this very moment.
更可怕的是，在中國的苗疆，有人「養蠱」成功，一時之間人人談蠱變色。蠱原是一種民間傳說，理論上，它是一種帶病毒的獵食性昆蟲，在獵食的同時，會散佈自身的毒素。在遺傳基因的技術下，人更可以任意選用各種最強的毒素，就算蟲屍已化做飛灰，仍舊能致人於死地。
An even more alarming incident took place in the Miao region
(Note 1) of China, where someone successfully bred “Gu”. For a period of time, everyone was
frightened at the very mention of “Gu”. “Gu” was originally a folk
legend. According to theory, “Gu” is a predatory virus-carrying insect,
which spreads this virus while feeding on its prey. Genetic technology would enable man to
choose any one of a number of the most lethal viruses and use them as he
pleased. Even if the insect was
dead and withered, the virus could still kill.
「難道你……」文祥記得有件慘案，但並沒有把握，又怕傷害到左非右。
“You were …” Wen Xiang remembered one terrible
incident but he wasn’t sure. He
didn't want to offend Zuo Feiyo.
「是的，就是我。」左非右神色自若，只是輕輕地歎了一口氣，說：「我也是近幾年才看開的，這件事誰也怪不得。」
“Yes, I’m the
one.” Zuo Feiyo’s facial expression
remained calm. He sighed and said,
“It was only in recent years that I've been able to put it all behind me. No one was to blame.”
衣紅好奇地問：「原來你還有一段精采的故事，為什麼沒告訴我們？」
Yi Hong asked
curiously, “So you have an interesting story. Why haven’t you told us?”
「要聽故事？」
“You want to hear a
story?”
「當然。」
“Of course.”
左非右堅決地說：「那麼，一切要由我作主。」
Zuo Feiyo said firmly, “In that case, I'll be the one in charge."
衣紅也答應得痛快：「沒問題。」
Yi Hong said without hesitation, “No problem.”
當下，左非右從身邊取出兩面很小的鏡子，交錯成十字形，放在桌面中央。又取出一個小盒子，上面還有小鍵盤。左非右鍵入了幾個指令，四週突然大放光明，眼前竟然變成了道地的苗疆風光。
Zuo Feiyo then took out two tiny mirrors, placed one on top
of the other in the form a cross, and lay them in the middle of the table. Next, he produced a small box with a
little keyboard. Zuo Feiyo keyed in
some commands and a bright light suddenly surrounded them. An authentic vista of the Miao area came
into view.
原來左非右除了把真實幻境改換為實境外，還應用了多重感應的效果，個中的技巧很複雜，有這種能耐的人不多。幻境只能供個人幻想，是純主觀的世界；實境也只是增加了味、嗅、體覺三種因素。這三種感覺因素必須有特殊的設備，不似視聽刺激，僅由微波載波，就可以傳達。
In addition to changing
Illusory Reality into Reality, Zuo Feiyo employed the Multi-sensory
effect. This technique is
complicated and only few people have been able to master it. Illusion can only provide personal fantasies,
so it is a subjective world. And
Reality is nothing more than adding 3 senses: taste, smell, and touch. Special equipment must be used to insert
these 3 sense elements. It is
unlike audiovisual stimulation, which can be simply transmitted by microwave.
多重感應的難度更大，除了要自己設計，還要能融合主觀與客觀，使參與的人感受如一。這種設備與技巧，電腦並不提供，而能動手自行設計的人，更是少之又少。
A Multi-sensory
effect is even more difficult.
Aside from designing one’s own program, the programmer must be able to
combine subjective and objective feelings, so that participants will be able to
identify themselves with the created surroundings. The computer
does not provide this kind of equipment or technique, and only a very few
people can design this kind of sensory effect.
本來大家以為左非右只是玩玩真實幻境那一套，沒想到他竟然有這種本領，一時人人對他刮目相看。
At first, everyone thought Zuo Feiyo was going to play with Illusory
Reality. They'd never known that he
possessed this rare talent.
Everybody was now very impressed.
這個景色設計得也相當不俗，眼下是一個香茅草搭建的涼亭，僅是茅草那股清香，就已令人心曠神怡。涼亭中央是個流光生輝的黃玉圓几，承載桌面的圓柱，筆直插入地表，似是整體渾成。另有五張凳子，上面舖著細緻的滇蓆，圍在圓几四週。
The design of this scene was extraordinary. Before them stood a pavilion made of
citronella grass. The mere
fragrance of this plant made them feel refreshed and spirited. In the middle of the pavilion was a
round table made of topaz from which flowed a soft light. The round pillar supporting the tabletop
was inserted straight into the earth's surface, so they seemed to be a single
entity. 5 stools covered with
carefully woven mats from the Yunnan region were arranged around the table.
亭子建在一處三面孤懸、斜倚翠壁的高臺上，旁邊有幾棵合抱的老松，偃仆盤曲、蒼勁欲飛。台外崇巖連嶂、高拔插雲，山環成塢，中有梯田竹樓。這時正值申酉之交，遠處炊煙裊裊，山嵐靉靉，亂雲疊浪之間，一切隱約可見。
The pavilion, open on 3 sides, was situated on a high
platform and backed against a green cliff.
Next to it, several old pine trees two arms in circumference grew
horizontally with winding and twisting branches. They gave an impression of strength so
great they seemed capable of flight.
Beyond the platform, high mountains formed an unbroken barrier, their
peaks disappearing into the clouds and enclosing a valley. In the valley, terraced rice paddies and
bamboo buildings could be seen. It
was around 5 o’clock in the afternoon.
Smoke from cooking fires curled upwards and the mountain mists were
brilliant. All this could be hazily
glimpsed through the intertwining clouds.
更令人稱奇的是，空氣中流佈一股清涼爽沁，彷佛身在水簾之間。再加上山風不時相送，衣裾微颺，人人為之動容。
Even more
amazing was the cool and refreshing air penetrating the entire atmosphere. It was like standing near a
waterfall. From time to time a
gentle breeze from the mountains would flutter their clothes. Everyone was visibly moved.
褲白看得呆了，半晌，大叫一聲：「哇塞！這是你設計出來的嗎？」
Ku Bai was awed. After a
moment, he exclaimed, “Wow! Did you
do that?”
左非右腆靦地說：「我哪有這個本事？亭子是資料庫中借調的。我只是把座標軸定好而已，這風景一本自然，不巧此刻雲霧太大，要等一下才看得到全景。」
Zuo Feiyo said shyly, “I don't have that kind of skill. I borrowed the pavilion from the
database. All I did was to set the
coordinates. The scenery is
natural, though. Unfortunately, the
fog is too heavy right now. We’ll
have to wait a bit before we can see the entire view."
文祥說：「妙極了，這樣就好，唉！太久了！大概有好幾年了，我都沒有機會享受這種自然風光！真感謝你，讓我一溫舊夢。」
Wen Xiang said, “Oh no, this is great. It’s been so long! It's been years since I last had a
chance to enjoy this kind of natural scenery! Thank you so much for letting me revisit
my old dreams.”
風不懼說：「做夢？夢中哪有這種氣息？左兄，你這香氣是那種字號？」
Feng Buju said, “Dreams? You
won't find a fragrance of this kind in your dreams. Zuo, what's the serial number of this
aroma?
左非右連忙說：「不！不！這些氣息絕對是真的，可別小瞧了這點氣息！就為了它，我不採用虛擬實境的假氣味，自行設計了分子攝取器。這些空氣分子是從你們家鄉原野上收集來的，經過分子分析，得到化學式，在現場再合成的。」
Zuo Feiyo hurriedly said, “No!
No! These aromas are
absolutely authentic. Don't dismiss
this aroma! In order to achieve it
I by-passed the synthetic essences used in Virtual Reality and designed my own
device for collecting molecules.
These air molecules were collected from the open countryside around your
hometown. After analyzing the
molecules, chemical formulas were obtained. I used these formulas to synthesize them
on the spot.”
衣紅閉著眼睛，深深地吸了一口氣，好像整個人都沉浸在感覺中，良久才說：「你們用心聞聞看，是不是有白沙瀑的味道？」
Yi Hong closed her eyes and took a
deep breath. She seemed completely
absorbed in her feelings. After
some time, she said, “Sense the air with your heart. Don’t you feel it smells like the White
Sand Waterfall?”
風不懼也闔上眼，吸了口氣，停了一會，說：「是的，好像偏千頁崖的一邊。」
Feng Buju closed his eyes and inhaled. After a moment he said, “Yes, it's like
one side of the Qian Ye Cliff.”
左非右有些詫異：「白沙瀑？附近還有瀑布？褲白，你怎麼沒有告訴我？」
Zuo Feiyo was a little surprised. “White Sand Waterfall? There was a waterfall nearby? Ku Bai, how come you didn’t tell me
about it?”
褲白說：「我不喜歡水。」
Ku Bai said, “I don’t like water.”
風不懼笑道：「原來你是問他的，上次他在瀑布下洗澡，差點淹死了。」
Feng Buju laughed. “So you got your information from
him. The last time he took a bath
under that waterfall he nearly drowned.”
衣紅說：「左哥，能不能麻煩你把座標向西邊移一點，我最喜歡那個瀑布了。」
Yi Hong said, “Elder brother Zuo, could I trouble you to move the
coordinates a little to the west? I
love that waterfall.”
左非右一聽衣紅改口叫他左哥，不禁大喜，立刻說：「沒問題，我這個視角可以任意改變，妳只要告訴我往哪裡動就行。」
When Zuo Feiyo heard Yi Hong address him in a different way he was
delighted. He promptly said, “No
problem. I can change the angle of
view as I wish. Just tell me which
way to go.”
說著，左非右重新鍵入指令，面前的景物隨著移動，衣紅不時在旁指揮。感覺上就像在一個透明的雅座裡，連人帶桌椅，直向一個越來越近、高掛在卷壁間的瀑布投去。
Zuo Feiyo keyed
in new commands while he was speaking.
The scenery before their eyes also began to shift. Standing next to him, Yi Hong was giving
directions to Zuo. They seemed to
be standing in a see-through booth.
Together with the table and seats, they were heading straight towards a
waterfall suspended from a high cliff.
這個瀑布景觀很特殊，下面有個深潭，潭邊有兩峰亭亭夾立，青萼巉岏，攢沓而東，直向盡頭延伸。兩排山谷像鋏子一般，把一根細長的白玉簪，正正地插在當中。
The scenery
around this waterfall was very unique.
Below a deep pool was enclosed on both sides by two straight and lofty
peaks. Crowded and pointed green
calyx stretched endlessly towards the east. Two valleys stretched out on either side
like a pair of pincers, enclosing an upright, slender and long clasp of white
jade inserted right in the center.
再往裡進，湯湯嘩嘩、鳴玉濺金，瀑布像一條銀龍，竟自活了起來。山頂是個缺口，恰似有一整塊白玉嵌合其間，接著，抖出來一片瑩透的水晶細簾。倒捲下去，敲擊到一塊塊橫突的蒼石峭岩，立刻激起漫天雪花，灑下串串珠絡。
As they moved
toward it, the rumble of the waterfall sounded like clinking jade or clanking
metal. The waterfall resembled a
silver dragon that had come to life.
At the top, it looked as if the opening was inlayed with a huge piece of
white jade. From there a lustrous
and transparent crystal curtain spilled downwards. In its downward fall it struck against
sections of protruding rugged stones, instantly spuming in every direction, and
flinging downward strings of pearls.
山崖上，一條條銀蛇競走，半空中，一道道白光乍吐。頃刻間，寒碧可鑑的平潭，迸濺起丈許水花。轟隆之聲，彌天亙地，競起的雪濤，沒有一刻平息。
On the cliff, silver snakes
pursued one another in midair, tongues flickering like the flash of
lightning. In the wink of an eye,
the looking-glass surface of the azure pool erupted in splashes 10 feet high. The deafening roar filled the entire
space, and waves of white water surged endlessly forward.
不僅幾個人看得呆了，連在附近休憩以及走道上來往的閒人，也都圍了過來。
It wasn't a mere few people who were transfixed. Those resting nearby and even passers-by
crowded around to look.
衣紅興奮極了：「左哥，我能不能跳下去游泳？」
Yi Hong was thrilled. “Elder
brother Zuo, can I jump in for a swim?”
左非右還沒回答，褲白已經嚇得臉色如土：「不可以游泳！左哥，千萬別讓她游，她一下水，我就慘了！」
Before Zuo Feiyou could answer, Ku Bai’s face turned white. “No
swimming! Zuo, don’t let her do
it. As soon as she jumps into the
water, I’ll be in trouble!”
風不懼也說：「別胡鬧了，我們不是來渡假的！」
Feng Buju also said, “Cut it out.
We’re not here on vacation!”
衣紅嘴巴一嘟，說：「風哥總是一副老和尚的面孔。」
Yi Hong pursed her lips and said, “Feng always looks like an old monk.”
風不懼說：「師父就是怕妳不聽話，才把面具讓我帶來的。」
Feng Buju said, “The Master was afraid you wouldn’t behave, so told me
to look like a monk.”
五個人正要坐下，一位白人卻不請自來，他一屁股坐下來，大方地說：「各位，請不要客氣，坐呀！坐呀！」
As the 5 of them
prepared to sit down, an uninvited Caucasian showed up. He sat right down and then graciously
said to the others, “Please, have a seat.”
眾人面面相覷，原來是那位實信會牧師，約翰格里生。
They all looked at one another.
It was the preacher from the True Believers, John Garrison.
左非右禮貌地說：「先生，我們正在開會。」
Zuo Feiyo said politely, “Sir, we’re in the middle of a meeting.”
約翰理所當然地說：「好極了，我先自我介紹，我叫約翰格里生，朋友都叫我約翰。噢！我的上帝！這裡風景真好！可是又不像虛擬實境，管他呢！做夢就做夢吧！能享受時就要盡情享受！」
John, speaking as though it was the most natural thing in the world, said, “That’s great. Let me introduce myself. My name is John Garrison. My friends call me John. Oh, God All Mighty! It’s a beautiful view! It doesn’t feel like Virtual Reality. The heck with it! If this is dream, let it be. One has to enjoy life while they can!"
文祥說：「這不是夢境，我們是在去火星的太空船上。」
Wen Xiang said, “This is no dream.
We’re on a spaceship to Mars.”
約翰笑道：「呵呵呵！在太空船上！下次做夢該去木星了！」
John laughed, “Ha, ha, ha!
On a spaceship! The next
time I dream I should try Jupiter!”
文祥說：「真的，你不是在夢中，記得吧，我們前天還見過面。」
Wen Xiang said, “Believe me, you’re not dreaming. We met the day before yesterday. Remember?”
約翰根本不理會他，一邊享受著徐來的清風，一邊熟練地指揮著：「把噪音關掉！風再加大一點，香味也不夠濃！」
John ignored him. As he
enjoyed the gentle breeze, he gave orders with great ease. “Turn off that
noise! Make the breeze a little
stronger. The fragrance isn't
strong enough!”
文祥知道他已遁入幻境，還想把他喚醒：「約翰！這不是噪音，我是文祥，你不是做夢！這是真實的世界。」
Wen Xiang realized John was stuck in an illusion, but he wanted to wake
him up. “John. This is not noise. I’m Wen Xiang. You’re not dreaming! This is the real world.”
約翰給他這麼一喊，有點糊塗了，他定睛掃了一下面前幾個人，又看看眼前的風景。搖搖頭，繼續說：「把這些都關掉！電腦怎麼老當機？唉！這種空氣才叫空氣，總算讓我做到這麼美妙的夢了，我要繼續做下去！」
Hearing Wen Xiang’s shouting, John was confused. He fixed his eyes on the people in front
of him and looked around. He shook
his head and continued, “Turn everything off! Why the computer is often down? Ah!
This is how air should be.
I've finally come across a beautiful dream. I want to go on dreaming!”
衣紅覺得大煞風景，對左非右說：「我看暫時收了吧，不然他不會醒的。」
Yi Hong felt John was spoiling their meeting, so she turned to Zuo Feiyo
and said, “Let’s put it away for the time being. Otherwise, he’ll never wake up.”
風不懼搖頭說：「唉，你們不覺得這個人很可憐嗎？他的要求是多麼單純！我希望能有那麼一天，當我找到了我的美夢時，能夠一夢不醒。」
Feng Buju shook his head, “Don’t you feel sorry for this guy? His wish was so simple! I hope someday when I find my wonderful
dream, I can keep on dreaming and never have to wake up.”
約翰聽了，覺得非常奇怪，舉起左腕，嘴對著電腦大聲說：「我叫你把噪音清除，怎麼無效了，是不是又把幾個夢給混了？」他楞了一會，似乎是在聽耳中電腦講話，然後說：「我早跟你說過，這種設計不合理！你是我的奴隸，如果你不能告訴我，我在哪裡，我要你有什麼用？」
When John heard this it struck him as very strange. He lifted his left wrist and said loudly
into his computer, “I told you to get rid of the noise, how come you haven't
done it? Did you get the dreams
mixed up again?” He stood silent
for a moment. He seemed to be listening to the computer talking in his ear,
then he continued. “I told you long
ago. This kind of design is not
reasonable! You’re my slave, if you
can’t tell me where I am, of what use are you?”
在場諸人都知道約翰在抱怨什麼，人既需要電腦的服務，偏又怕電腦控制了一切。在二○二四宣言中，就充滿這種矛盾的情結。人類議會明確規定，電腦只能提供資訊，為人服務。至於其他各種超過常識的認知判斷，電腦一概不能涉入。
Everyone present knew exactly what John was complaining about. Mankind needed the services provided by
the computer, but at the same time they feared the computer would take
over. Many clauses in the 2024
Declaration contained inconsistencies of this type. The Human Council made it clear that the
computer could only provide information to serve man. As for judgements that went beyond
common sense, the computer was not allowed to interfere.
就以當前的情況而論，電腦當然清楚什麼是真實，什麼是夢境。但是礙於規定，電腦就是不能說破。這種奇特的現象要追究到二○年代，那時社會賢達所關心的，是造夢的道德及法律責任。有人曾提出這樣的問題：如果在夢中亂倫，或者是搶劫銀行，從法律的觀點看，算不算犯罪？
At present, the
computer could certainly distinguish between reality and dream. However, regulations prohibited it from
revealing the truth. This unusual
phenomenon originated back in the 20s.
At that time, the committee members were concerned about the morality
and legal responsibility of dream creation. Some one once brought up this question:
if, while dreaming, a person committed incest or robbed a bank, would that be
considered a crime in eye of the law?
表面上看來，這是個幼稚的問題，人怎麼能為夢中的行為負責呢？但進一層深究，它卻是一個極為深奧的哲學課題。其中涉及人性、行為及現實後果等的互動關係，對人性而言，亂倫、搶奪等行為都是本能，如果容許人做這種夢，連帶的就必須容忍這種本能。
Superficially, this was
an elementary question. How could
people be responsible for their behavior while dreaming? However, when examined closely, it was
actually a profound philosophical topic.
The interaction between human nature, behavior, and consequences in the
real world were involved in this question.
For human beings, incest or robbery is instinctive behavior. If people were permitted dreams of this
nature, it goes without saying that these instincts should be tolerated.
所謂做夢，就是放縱人的本能，任其赤裸裸地活躍在大腦記憶中。除了基督教強調原罪外，任何文明社會，都不可能將個體的夢境視做行為認知的準則。
The purpose of dreaming
is to unfetter human instinct and allow it to follow the dictates of primal
memory. Aside from the Original Sin
emphasized in Christianity, any civilized society could never regard individual
dreams as codes for actual behavior.
因此前述的問題當然不算犯罪，如果要算，在夢中人將永遠充滿罪惡感、無助感與挫折感。這一來，做夢不僅不是享受，反而變成痛苦的淵藪。
Therefore, the answer
to the above question is "no".
It is not a crime. If it was
counted as a crime, dreamers would feel guilty, helpless, and forever
frustrated. If this were to happen, dreaming would not only cease to be a
luxury, but would become the very fount of misery.
然而在現實世界中，行為與後果是形影相連的，犯罪的定義，就是個人的行為，導致不利於他人或社會的後果。而人的行為來自心理的認知，在過去，夢是殘缺的、片斷的、短暫得不至於影響人的認知。今人既然刻意要做預設的夢，這種夢境就必須真實，這表示人必然會受到夢中事件的影響，因果相循，便有造成個人心理認知偏差的可能。
However, in the
real world, action and its consequences are closely linked. The definition of crime is personal
behavior that negatively affects others or society. But human behavior comes from an
understanding of the human psyche.
In the past, dreams were fragments, broken bits. They were so brief they didn't interfere
with man's understanding. Today,
since man deliberately sought to have designer dreams, these dreams must be
realistic. It means that person is
certain to be influenced by events occurring in his dreams. The rule of cause and effect might
therefore cause man's understanding to go astray.
人生最引人入勝之處，就在沒有任何「人」知道人生的真假，只能根據事件的連續性猜測判斷。然而，經過一代一代、迢迢長路的摸索，總會有些漏網的訊息。當人有了判斷真假的能力後，就被稱為「真人」。也只有真人知道怎樣克慾制己，才能更進一步，進入「神、仙、佛」的真實境界。
The most
fascinating thing about human life is that no one "person” can distinguish
between what is real and what is illusory in life. They can only base conclusions on the
course of events. However, over
generations of groping, bits of understanding have come down to us. Only when man acquires the ability to
discern truth from illusion, will he be regarded as a “Zhen ren”, human in the
true sense of the word. (Note 2) Only an immortal understands how to overcome
desire and exercise self-control required to ascend to the authentic realm of
“Gods, Immortals, or Buddha”.
人生不能說破，夢境亦然。如果電腦可以提醒人們，何時是夢，何事為真，則不啻承認電腦高人一等。此外，這還存在一個技術問題，如果電腦真能告訴人們真偽，電腦就必須有絕對正確的判斷力，而這種能力，連人自己都付之闕如。
The truth of life may not be revealed. The same applies to dreams. If the computer could remind people when
they were dreaming and when they weren't, that would be an admission of
computer superiority to man.
Furthermore, there is a technical problem. If the computer was really able tell
people what was real and what was not, the computer would need to be capable of
unerring judgement. Even man
doesn't have this ability.
由法律問題，辯證到人生問題，大家莫衷一是。討論到最後，倒是逐漸取得了共識，首先是犯罪的再定義，其次是執行的方式。其先決條件是：為了要使夢境與人生的標準一致，在夢中的犯罪行為亦應制止。
Arguments about a question of law turned into the problem of life, with
everyone holding different views.
As a result, in order to achieve a consensus, it was first necessary to
re-define the term “crime”. Next in
importance was the manner of application. The basic rule was that in order
to unify standards in dreams and in life, criminal activity should be
prohibited in dreams.
以亂倫為例，當一個父親與女兒通姦時，有幾種可能性：一是一男一女之間純生理性的行為，這種行為不算犯罪。一是因感情的依戀，導致生理的需求，這種行為可以疏導，也不算犯罪。只有第三種，父女之間的性行為，完全基於親子關係者，才是犯罪。
Take incest for
example. When a father has illicit
sexual relations with his daughter there were several possibilities: first, it
was simply a physical relationship between a man and a woman. This action was not counted as a
crime. Second, it was an obsession
that led to physical need. Such
behavior could be treated with counseling so it was also not a crime. The third kind was strictly a sexual
intimacy between father and daughter.
This constituted a crime.
這是因為夢中有取代的功能，父親如果喜歡女兒，可以把女兒的形象、性格等，複製為身份不是女兒的對象，那種性行為就不能稱做亂倫了。但若父親要與女兒做愛，唯一的原因，只是對方是他的女兒，這當然是亂倫，而且屬於心理偏執狂！
This is because
substitutions can be made in dreams.
If a father likes his daughter, he can transfer his daughter’s image and
characteristics to someone else.
Sexual activity of this nature is not viewed as incest. However, if a father wants to make love
to his own daughter, and the sole reason the other party happens to be his
daughter, this of course is incest.
It is also a kind of monomania!
偷、搶等行為亦同，今日的社會，能量無限供應，物質複製易如反掌，任何人都不需要偷雞摸狗，當然不再有犯罪的動機。萬一有人以搶奪、殺戮為樂，自然需要制止，只有在這種情況下，才算是犯罪。
Theft and robbery are
the same. In today’s society, there
is a limitless supply of energy.
Material objects can be duplicated with ease. If people no longer need to steal, of
course the motivation to commit a crime will have ceased to exist. Should there be people who find robbing
or killing others enjoyable, they, of course, must be stopped. Only a situation of this sort is
considered a criminal act.
結論是，一旦人有了犯罪行為徵兆，不論是真實人生或夢境裡，電腦都可主動加以制裁，輕者暫使失去知覺，若涉及群眾因素，尚可集中拘禁。
The conclusion is that once people display criminal
tendencies, whether in real life or in their dreams, the computer would
automatically punish them. A light
punishment would be loss of consciousness.
If many people were involved, they would be locked up together.
除此之外，既然電腦並沒有絕對正確的判斷力，為了避免錯誤發生，造成不必要的困擾，特別明文規定，絕對禁止電腦提供判斷性意見。
Aside from this,
since the computer can not judge with absolute accuracy, in order to avoid
making mistakes that might cause unnecessary trouble, it was agreed in writing
that the computer would be absolutely prohibited from giving judgmental
opinions.
約翰的怨言正代表了人生的無奈，電腦不能提供客觀佐證，人自己又無從判斷。從表面上看來，他遇到的只是一個夢境與另一個夢境的混淆。而真正的意義，卻涉及到人生的本質問題，只要不能確定眼前事物的虛實，人就永遠分不清人生的真假。
John’s complaints summed up the frustrations of life. The computer can not provide an
objective explanation and there's no way people can make judgements on their
own. He appeared to be confusing
one dream with another. The true
meaning of this touches on the question of what life is all about. As long as one remains uncertain if what
they see is real or illusory, they will never be able to distinguish what is
authentic in life from what is counterfeit.
大家都很同情他，卻都無計可施。文祥突然想到，約翰既是傳教士，說不定可以用宗教信仰來打動他，於是他問道：「約翰，你為什麼不勸勸這些人信教呢？」
Every one felt sorry for him but they didn’t know what to
do. Suddenly, it occurred to Wen
Xiang that since John was a missionary, maybe it would be possible to persuade
him by means of religion. He then
asked, “John, why don’t you try to convert these people?”
只見約翰面帶訝異，自言自語道：「奇怪，這到底是真還是夢？我記得原先設定夢中不談宗教的。」
There was a look of
disbelief on John's face and he mumbled to himself, “Strange. Is this the real world or a dream? I remember my dreams were programmed to
not talk about religion.”
文祥一聽大喜，這正是最好的切入點，便說：「約翰，你沒有做夢。告訴你，我不信教，因為宗教只是人類文明進程中，一個在泥地上舖設石塊的原始階段而已。」
Wen Xiang was delighted to hear this. This was a good start. “John, you’re not dreaming. Tell you what, I don't believe in any
religion. Religion is only a
primitive stage in the progress of civilization.”
約翰更迷惑了：「糟了，這將是一場噩夢，我記得跟人辯論過。」
John was even more confused. “Oh, no. This is turning into a nightmare. I remember I was arguing with some
people.”
這時佇足圍觀的人更多了，群眾中有一個身材高大的男子，身著黑色罩袍，只有一張臉露在外面。文祥想起，他正是約翰稱為「惡魔」的神秘人。
At this moment, more and more people gathered to watch. Among the crowd was a tall man shrouded
in black robe which revealed only his face. Wen Xiang recognized him as the
mysterious man John had referred to as the “Devil”.
那人走到約翰前面，約翰一看到他，立時魂飛天外，夢也逃得無影無蹤，他大叫一聲：「糟了，上帝呀！魔鬼來了！」馬上站起身來，拔腿就跑。
That man walked over to John.
As soon as John saw him, he was scared out of his wits and his dream
vanished without a trace. He
shouted, “Oh, no. God All
Mighty! Here comes the Devil!” He at once leaped to his feet and fled.
風不懼見約翰走了，馬上對左非右說：「能不能隱藏起來？太招搖了！」
When he saw John leave, Feng Buju quickly said to Zuo Feiyo, “Can't you
make this less obvious? It's
attracting too much attention!”
左非右這才想起，舉起右手打了左臉一個嘴巴，說：「當然可以，用船上現成的設備就可以了。」
At this point Zuo Feiyo remembered.
He lifted his right hand and slapped himself on the life side of his
face, saying, “Of course. The
equipment aboard ship will do.”
他又輸入了幾行指令，只見光影一閃，甲板上又恢復了常態。在外人看來，只是衣紅等幾個人圍坐一處，在電腦障眼法下，任誰都不知道個中別有洞天了。
He keyed in some
more commands. There was a flash of
light and the deck returned to its original state. Outsiders could only see Yi Hong and the
rest of them sitting in a circle.
Thanks to the blindfold produced by the computer, nobody knew a
different world was hidden within.
實際上，在那兩面鏡子的有效半徑內，那種感覺依舊。左非右對四人說：「我已把有效範圍設在半徑兩公尺之內，大家千萬要記住，一是不要離開這個範圍，再就是，不要讓其他人走近。」
Actually, within
the effective radius range of the two mirrors, the feeling remained the
same. Zuo Feiyo told the other
four, “I’ve set the effective radius range to 2 meters. Remember, you mustn't leave this area
and don't allow others to come too near.”
衣紅抱怨說：「早先為什麼不這樣？」
Yi Hong complained. “Why didn’t you do that in the first place?”
左非右說：「紅妹，這叫不經一事，不長一智。」
Zuo Feiyo said, “Little Sister Hong, this is called ‘Learning from
experience.’”
衣紅眼睛一瞪：「咦？誰授權你叫我紅妹來著？」
Yi Hong glared at him, “Hey, who said you could call me 'Little Sister
Hong?'”
左非右得意地說：「紅妹妳呀！妳剛才先叫我左哥的！」
Zuo Feiyo said with great satisfaction, "You did! Just now you addressed me as ‘Elder
brother Zuo.’”
風不懼說：「快說故事吧，你到底參加了什麼試驗？」
Feng Buju said, “Let’s get on with the story. What experiments did you take part in?”
左非右要各人先點了飲料、點心，便開始講故事。
Zuo Feiyo told them to first order their drinks and snacks. Then he began.
原來在二十一世紀初，基因工程技術已一再突破過往的成就，用基因複製出的人也已經十來歲了。其實，很多有錢有勢的人，都已用自己的細胞，偷偷地複製了一個甚至好幾個化身。有人做了實驗，用牛頭、蛇身、鷹翼、馬尾合成了一個怪物。更有人以各種昆蟲基因，大肆排列組合一番，創造出各種前所未聞的怪蟲。
In the early 21st century, genetic engineering
repeatedly made many breakthroughs.
Human clones are now in their adolescence. As a matter of fact, many rich and
powerful people have secretly used their cells to clone one, sometimes several,
of themselves. One person even
experimentally combined a bull’s head, the body of a snake, eagle wings, and
the tail of a horse to create a monster.
Others unscrupulously rearranged the gene sequences of various insects
and created many unprecedented and bizarre insects.
最糟糕的是，有人在網絡上，提供改變遺傳基因的電腦程式，也有人出售各種器材設備。於是，就傳出多起中學生利用基因工程，闖下滔天大禍的事件。
Worst of all, some people offered
computer programs on the web that could change inherited genes, while others
sold devices of various kinds. As a
result, many high school students applied these genetic engineering techniques
and brought about unimaginable disasters.
其中有一件發生在美國，一個中學生無意中改變了一組病毒的基因，結果導致一種怪病的流行，死了上萬人。另有一件則來自澳洲，也是學生惹的禍，一種食物的基因被改變了，牛吃下去並無大礙，而人的肝臟卻受不了，久而久之，便形成肝癌。
One of these incidents
occurred in America. A high school
student unintentionally altered the genes of a virus unit. This resulted in an outbreak of a
strange disease in which more than 10,000 people died. Another incident took place in
Australia, also caused by student, where the genes of a certain food were
altered. Cattle had no trouble with
this food, but the human liver couldn't tolerate it. Over a period of time it would cause
liver cancer.
有鑑於這類問題日益嚴重，各國政府開始立法，嚴格限制基因工程的研究及應用。而立法程序的延宕，往往是一禍未平，一禍又起。在那段時期，中國西南部又因為中蠱人數眾多，便有個人或單位致力於新藥的研發。不久，一種也是利用基因工程的新藥－－腺呤酸胺－－被研製出來了，因它又能促進皮膚細胞的新陳代謝，也稱做「皮質素」。
As problems of this nature were becoming more and more
serious, the governments of every nation initiated legislation that closely
limiting genetic engineering research and application. However, it was a time-consuming
process. No sooner had one disaster
passed then another would occur.
During that time, because many people in southwest China were afflicted by
“Gu”, both individuals and government organizations were doing their
utmost to find a cure. Before long,
a new drug using genetic engineering – the amino acid adenine – a form of RNA, was developed, that
accelerated metabolism of the skin.
在多次的臨床試驗中，證實了皮質素的確對蠱毒有明顯的療效。左非右原來是電子工程師，在苗疆工作時，不小心被人放蠱，便自動請求測試新藥，不料新藥有導致腦水腫的副作用。後來雖然治好了，由於一些因素，還是列在「人類過失賠償」的名單中。
Numerous clinical tests demonstrated that the amino acid
adenine was
indeed very effective for curing “Gu” poisoning. At one time Zuo Feiyo had been an
electronics engineer. While working
in the Miao region he was accidentally poisoned by “Gu”, so he
volunteered to try the new drug.
An unexpected side effect of this new drug was
edema of the brain. Though he was later cured, for some reason his name remained
on the “Human Malpractice Reimbursement” list.
他既有技術，又享有特殊的優待，從此，他便遊戲人間。至於那副尊容，也是故意保留的。這次遇到衣紅，讓他憶起了三十幾年前的往事，便常插科打諢地逗弄她。
Since he had the
technological know-how and was receiving special treatment, he began to indulge
himself in worldly pleasures. As
for his appearance, he deliberately kept it that way. Now when he met Yi Hong, it reminded him
of that incident more than 30 years ago, and he would often tease her with his
humorous comments.
衣紅故意扳著臉，恨恨地說：「原來是吃我豆腐，看我們苗人好欺負！」
Yi Hong pretended to be angry and in a voice of hatred said, “So all this
time you’ve just been trifling with my affections, figuring we Miaos are easy
to push around!”
左非右陪笑道：「紅妹，我怎麼敢？妳想想，我曾被下過蠱，還敢欺負妳？」
With a smile, Zuo Feiyo said, “Little Sister Hong, would I dare? Think about it, I’ve been poisoned once. Do you think I would I dare push you
around?”
文祥問道：「這麼說，真有下蠱這回事了？」
Wen Xiang said, “Does that mean there is really such a thing as ‘Gu’?”
風不懼說：「當然有，只是不像外面傳說的那樣。」
Feng Buju said, “Of course.
Only it’s not like the rumors say.”
左非右說：「乾脆，還是我坦白一番吧，否則姑娘又要怪我了！」他先喝了一大口果汁，清清嗓門，然後說：「那是在二○一一年，我剛從學校畢業，正趕上『黃金世紀』的起飛階段。在那時，電腦已經非常進步，袋中型的多媒體最拉風。我有個搞立體動畫的朋友，說要到中國西南部少數民族那裡去找靈感，拍一些實景，寫一些劇本。
Zuo Feiyo said, “Well, I might as well confess. Otherwise, the young lady will blame me
again!” He took a long drink of
fruit juice and cleared his voice: “It was the year 2011. I graduated from school just as the
‘Golden Era’ was taking off. By
that time computers were already very advanced. The pocket-size multi-media version was
very popular. I had a friend who
was into 3-D animation and he said he hoped to find inspiration among the
minority groups of southwest of China.
He wanted to shoot some scenes on location and write some scripts.
「我對立體動畫也很感興趣，對程式控制也有點經驗，而那位朋友只是個藝術家，對電腦一竅不通，於是他便邀我同往。
“I was also interested in 3-D animation and I'd already had some experience in programming. My friend was merely an artist with no knowledge of computers, so he invited me to go with him.
「第一次到苗疆，事事都令我感到新鮮，最令我入迷的，是苗族同胞的服裝，那麼原始自然，而且色彩鮮艷，式樣繁多。」
“From my first
visit to the Miao area, I became immensely interested in all of it. What fascinated me most were the Miao
costumes. They were so primitive
and natural, and the colors were beautiful and bright with a multiplicity of
styles.”
左非右看了衣紅一眼，她下意識地看看自己的衣服，說：「其實，我們現在很少穿傳統的服裝了，主要是太麻煩。」
Zuo Feiyo looked at Yi Hong.
She instinctively looked at her clothes and said, “Actually, we seldom
wear traditional clothes nowadays.
Mostly because it's too much trouble.”
「失去了傳統的文化特色，你們和其他民族，還有什麼分別呢？」左非右神色黯然地說：「我看上了一位傣族姑娘丁寧，僅僅她那一襲修長及地的連身裙，就把我的心給擄獲了。我們相處了一段時間，我認識了她的心，知道我們應該彼此相屬。」
“If you
lose the uniqueness of your traditional culture, what’s there to distinguish
you from other tribes?”, said Zuo Feiyo gloomily. “I was attracted to a Tai girl, Ding
Ning. That slender and long dress
of hers captured my heart. After
we'd been together for a while I came to understand her and I knew we belonged
to each other.”
左非右一直望著面前的寒潭，講到這裡，他兩眼慢慢往上游移，最後停留在那條變幻莫測的飛瀑上，他的靈魂彷彿穿透了垂簾，飄向那不可知的遠方。大家都感到一股涼意，隨著不定的清風，偶而碰上的一股青草氣息，五個人都鑽進了回憶。
Zuo Feiyo had
been gazing at the cold pool in front of him, but at this point he slowly
raised his eyes, finally coming to rest on the ever changing waterfall. His soul seemed to penetrate the curtain
of water and drifted off to some distant place. Everyone felt a chill come over
them. Occasionally the aroma of
green grass could be detected in the breeze. The five of them retreated into their
memories.
停了一回，左非右低沉的聲音繼續傳來：「我太年輕了，為什麼人要年輕呢？那時，我不知道天有多大，只知道自己長得很帥！」是痛苦的呻吟，也是悲傷的嗚咽，他一個字一個字地吐出：「雖然我愛她，但是我在立體動畫中，看了太多美麗動人的女孩，我認為未來的世界是我的，我有我的天地！至少，我要盡量享受人生！
After a while,
Zuo Feiyo continued in a low voice.
“I was too young. Why must
people be young? At the time, I
didn't know what's what. I just
knew that I was a good-looking guy!”
It was a moan of remorse, a cry of grief. He spoke slowly, a word at a time. “Though I was in love with her, I'd seen
too many beautiful and appealing girls in my 3-D animation. I thought the future was there for the
taking. I had my own world! At the very least, I wanted to enjoy
life to the maximum!
「那時還有一位傣族姑娘，長得出奇地美，她是我們新戲中的模特兒。我很喜歡她，不過那全然是肉體的貪戀，在我們那種工作環境下，性交其實是最普通的人際關係。除了她，我還有其他的交遊對象。但是，我心裡愛的，卻只有一個人。
“At that time
there was another Tai girl of exceptional beauty. She played a model in our new play. I liked her a lot but that was only a
physical obsession. In that kind of
working environment, sex was the most usual way of socializing. Aside from her, I had other
girlfriends. However, in my heart,
I loved only one person.
「我錯在太狂妄了，有了這麼多艷遇還不知足。剛好當時各種壯陽藥物泛濫，有一天下午，我到那位傣族姑娘家去，因為剛服了壯陽藥，全身炙熱難當，不料她家裡只有一個十二歲的小妹妹。」
“My
mistake was that I became reckless.
I still wasn't satisfied, even with so many girls. In those days there were any number of
aphrodisiac drugs available. One
afternoon, I went to the Tai girl's home.
Because I'd just taken an aphrodisiac to enhance my virility I was
burning from head to toe. To my
surprise, only her young 12-year-old sister was at home.
左非右又長歎了一聲：「我能說什麼呢？當然是我的錯，但是，這種藥物卻是罪魁禍首，我強暴了她！而且竟然食髓知味，一再利用她發洩獸慾！最不應該的，我還欺騙她，說一定會娶她！」
Zuo Feiyo sighed, “What can I say? Of course it was my fault. However, the chief culprit were those
drugs. I raped her! And I liked it so much I did it again
and again. I used her to satisfy my
animal passion! Worst of all, I
lied to her. I told her I would
marry her!”
風不懼聽到這裡，情不自禁地說了聲：「糟了！」
When Feng Buju heard this, he couldn’t help but say, “Oh-oh, bad
business!”
左非右接著說：「不僅糟，糟得很，當她發現我只是騙她的時候，她告訴我，說已在我身上放了蠱，而且是一種最新型的病毒，除非我跟她結婚，否則只有死路一條。
Zuo Feiyo
continued, “Terrible business, really terrible. When she discovered I had lied to her,
she told me she had poisoned me with ‘Gu’. It was the
latest form of virus and unless I married her, I would die.
「我半信半疑地到醫院檢查，醫生證實我得了肝癌，而且是末期，已經擴散了，沒救了。我知道自己錯了，這事怪不得別人，既然死定了，總應該對丁寧實話實說。丁寧當然很難過，但是她說，蠱毒不是不能救，她勸我遵守承諾，結婚算了。我堅決不肯，那種關係只是肉體一時的歡愉，我再無恥，還相信婚姻是神聖的。
“I half believed
her and went to the hospital for a check-up. The doctor diagnosed that I had liver
cancer. It was already in an
advanced stage and it had spread throughout my body. There was no cure. I knew it was my fault and no one else
was to blame. Since I was going to
die, I felt I should at least tell Ding Ning what had happened. Of course Ding Ning was very upset. She told me it was possible to cure the
"Gu" virus. She
suggested that I should keep my promise and marry the girl. I obstinately refused. It had been a purely physical
relationship. As shameless as I
was, I still believed that marriage was sacred.
「不得已，丁寧向族裡的長老求救。那位長老倒很開通，說只要我能用三年的薪金，賠償那位小妹妹，同時，在三年後與丁寧結婚，這蠱毒就可化解。
“With things the
way they were, Ding Ning sought help from one of her tribe's elders. This elder turned out to be very
open-minded. He told me if I would
reimburse the little girl with an amount equal to 3 years of my salary, and,
after 3 years, marry Ding Ning, the virus would be expunged.
「我同意了，就在第二年，因為動畫已經殺青，新片要在新疆開拍，我便去了新彊。在那裡，聽說貴州有位醫生發明了蠱毒的解劑，但是很難找到受蠱的病人。我一時失算，自願前往注射試劑，結果，肝病變是好了，卻又得了腦水腫。」
“I agreed. The following year, the animation film
was finished and a new production was to be started in Xinjiang, so off I went
to Xinjiang. While there, I heard
that a doctor in Guizhou had developed an antidote for the “Gu”
poison. However he was having
trouble finding anyone who'd been afflicted with "Gu" poisoning. I made a wrong decision and volunteered
to let them test the antidote on me.
As a result, my liver problem was solved, but I now had brain edema.”
左非右陷入了沉思，半晌沒有說話。
Zuo Feiyo sank into deep thought and didn't speak for a long while.
褲白等得不耐煩，便問道：「那丁寧姑娘呢？你們結婚了嗎？」
Ku Bai became impatient and asked, “What about Ding Ning? Did you marry her?”
左非右的聲音，彷彿是從遙遠的天邊傳來，低微得幾乎聽不見：「我參加臨床實驗的事曝了光，她覺得對不起族人，自殺了。」
Zuo Feiyo’s voice seemed to be coming from a distance. He spoke so low it was hard to hear him.
“The fact that I'd taken part in the clinical experiment became known. She felt she had been unworthy to her
tribe and killed herself.”
沉重的氣壓，在那深碧的寒潭上，凝聚了化不開的雲氣，是白沙瀑的黃昏時候了。天色宛如稠密的膠漿，把那糾纏不清的山巒，包裹得緊緊的。呆滯的人影前，只有一條灰白的虛線，還在緩緩地搖晃著。
The heavy atmosphere formed a thick mist above the cold, deep blue pool. It was evening at White Sand Waterfall. The color of the sky resembled a thick paste, tightly binding the interlaced mountain ridges. In front of their motionless shadows was only an erratic grayish line, swaying slowly.
不知過了多久，褲白幾近哀求地說：「左哥，能不能點支蠟燭？」
After some time, Ku Bai, in a voice that was almost begging said,
"Zuo, could you light a candle?”
大家一看，暮色逼人，咫尺莫辨，群峰森森地圍繞著，瀑布早褪成淺淺的灰色，這時月亮還沒有升起，雲層也特別濃厚，清風開始低嘯，料峭夜寒，讓人忍不住顫抖起來。
They noticed that dusk was drawing near and it was difficult
to see even a short distance. The
lush mountain peaks surrounding them and the waterfall had already faded into a
faint gray line. The moon had not
yet risen and the clouds were unusually thick. The low moan of a light breeze began. The cold, dark
night made it impossible to keep from shivering.
左非右移來了幾盞古檠油燈，琉璃鍍金的底座，上面托著獸面紋身的水晶淺池。朵朵燈花泛著亮麗的七彩，映著橙紅的燈油，亭內立時生趣盎然起來了。
Zuo Feiyo brought several old oil lamps. The lamp bases were made of gilded
glass. Each supported a shallow crystal
dish decorated with animal face motifs.
Every flame emitted a bright and lovely rainbow of color and reflected
on the reddish-orange oil. The
atmosphere in the pavilion immediately became lively.
文祥想沖淡哀傷，便問道：「你是怎麼看開的呢？」
In order to
lighten the sense of gloom, Wen Xiang asked, “How did you get over it?”
左非右振作了一下，先問大家：「誰要來杯茅台？」此話一出，人人響應，連褲白也大聲叫道：「我也要！」
Zuo Feiyo pulled himself together and addressing everyone
asked, “Who wants a shot of Maotai wine?” As soon as he spoke everyone responded
with enthusiasm. Even Ku Bai
shouted, “Me too!”
衣紅瞪了他一眼說：「你能喝嗎？」
Yi Hong glared at him and said, “Can you drink?”
褲白說：「大不了一醉！只可惜我的生命太平凡了，連做夢都沒有趣味！」
Ku Bai said, “The worst that can happen is I'll get drunk! Unfortunately, my life is too ordinary,
even my dreams are uninteresting!”
左非右叫了酒，又點了些下酒菜，高舉著酒杯說：「白小弟不必抱怨，人生總是得失參半，你或許覺得我的遭遇刺激有趣，而我卻懷想能有你這樣平安的歲月！我們做立體動畫，目的就是要讓人輕鬆自在地，坐在家裡就可以經歷到人生的各種悲歡離合。」
Zuo Feiyo ordered wine and some accompanying dishes. He held up his shot glass and said,
“Little Brother Bai, don't complain.
You lose some and gain some in life. Maybe you feel what happened to me was
exciting and interesting. But I
would have loved to have had a peaceful life such as yours. The purpose of our
animated films was to make people feel relaxed and comfortable. Just by sitting at home, they'd be able
to experience the joys and sorrows, separation and reunion of life's
drama.”
風不懼仰頭乾了一小杯茅台，說：「你應該把你的經歷做成動畫才是！」
Feng Buju tilted his head backward and downed his shot of Maotai
wine, and said, “You should make an animated film of your own experiences!”
左非右說：「唉！來不及了！那個醫生，延誤了我十三年寶貴的光陰！」
Zuo Feiyo said, “Ah! It's too late!
That doctor wasted 13 precious years of my life!”
衣紅跳了起來：「什麼？他害你病了十三年？」
Yi Hong jumped up.
“What! Because of him you
were sick for 13 years?”
左非右也乾了一杯：「不是病，而是供他實驗了十三年！」
Zuo Feiyo, too, drained his glass.
“Not sick. I was his guinea
pig for 13 years!”
四個人聽了，都義憤填膺，衣紅更是大抱不平，搶著問那庸醫的姓名。左非右忙站起來，安撫眾人，好不容易大家才安靜下來。
Upon hearing this, the four of them were filled with righteous
indignation, especially Yi Hong.
She was the first to ask the name of that quack. Zuo Feiyo stood up to calm everybody
down, but getting them to be quiet took some doing.
左非右說：「我不怪他，他是有私心，我卻因此而得救了。」
Zuo Feiyo said, “I don’t blame him.
It was true that he had his own priorities, but that's what saved me.”
衣紅說：「那是左哥你心腸太好，要是我，哼！絕不干休！」
Yi Hong said, “That’s because you're a nice person. If it was me, huh, I’d never drop it!”
左非右感慨地說：「那時正值一股追求光榮的風潮，因為在過去，落後國家的媒體，不論是哪一種，都以報導政治人物為職志。他們明知媒體負有公正客觀的社會責任，但是受傳統影響太深，總以為政治是大眾的事，往往擺在第一。社會上便養成一種政治高於一切的歪風，人人以從政為榮。
Zuo Feiyo sighed, “At that time there was a craze for
glory. In the past, in undeveloped
countries the entire media, regardless of what kind, viewed reporting on
politicians as their responsibility.
They knew the media should be just and objective. However, they were greatly influenced by
tradition. They thought politics
was a public matter and they always gave it top priority. This gave society the erroneous
impression that politics was superior to everything else. It was an honor to be a politician.
「矛盾的是，中產階級、知識份子一邊高唱民主至上，心裡卻又認定做官第一。直到二○一五年，在真實幻境市場導向下，大家才發現，政治新聞其實最不受歡迎，於是產生了新媒體覺醒。自後，不論任何行業，只要有突破性的建樹，就能廣招媒體的青睞。
“The paradox was that while
on the one hand the middle class and intellectuals were touting the supremacy
of democracy; on the other hand, they all felt that holding office was superior
to all else. It was not until 2015,
during the “Illusory Reality” market trend, that everyone discovered political
news was actually the least popular.
This led to a new media awakening.
From that time on, any profession that achieved a significant
breakthrough would attract wide attention in the media.
「我那位醫師，好不容易逮著這個機會，自是絞盡腦汁，一定要做點成績出來，以便登上媒體，揚名立萬，光宗耀祖。因此，他對外宣稱我已經腦死！實際上是把我禁錮在地下室中，給我打點滴，而點滴中還加了嗎啡。」
“That doctor of mine at last
had his opportunity. Of course he
was going to do everything in his power to make the most of it. That way, he would be noticed by the
media and become famous, and his family would bask in his reflected glory. He therefore announced that I was brain
dead, when actually I was imprisoned in a basement. He applied an intravenous drip for me to
which morphine had been added."
左非右又喝了一杯，說：「真的，我不怪他，至少在嗎啡的麻醉下，我不覺得痛苦。二○二五年，我醒過來時，是在一處『勘戒所』中，全部身體器官都更換了。那時已是電腦紀元了，本來電腦當局要給我整容、換腦，由於中毒太深，記憶尚未全部恢復，我堅決不肯。就這樣，直到第三年，電腦幫我找到了很多資料，我才逐漸認識自己。
Zuo Feiyo drained another
glass. “Really, I don’t blame
him. As least with the morphine I
didn't feel any pain. When I woke
up in 2025, I was in a ‘rehab’ center.
All my internal organs had been replaced. By then it was already the computer
age. The Computer Authority Bureau wanted
to improve my looks and replace my brain.
Because I'd been heavily poisoned by toxic substances, my memory still
hadn’t completely returned. I
resolutely refused to do so. This
was the situation for the next 3 years, by which time the computer had helped
me find a great deal of personal data, and I slowly began to know myself again.
「一方面我覺得這段經歷只是一些資料，就算曾經痛苦過，回想起來，也恍如夢幻一般。另一方面，它給今天的我帶來了真實的認知。我很珍惜它，所以儘管我能夠，而且有權利把記憶消除，但是目的何在？再從無知中摸索？再去犯錯後悔嗎？
“On one hand, I
felt my experiences were only data.
Even though I had suffered, when I think of it now, it was just like a
dream. On the other hand, these
experiences brought true understanding to the person I am today. I treasure this. So, even if I had the
ability and the right to erase my memories, what would be the use? To once again fumble in ignorance? To again make mistakes and later regret
them?
「後來我也曾寄情於夢中，丁寧回來了，我們在夢中結了婚，也幸福地生活在一起。正因為有了前面慘痛的經驗，所以在與她相處時，更特別珍愛疼惜，那真是天堂一般的日子！」
“Afterwards, I
indulged myself in dreams for a time.
Ding Ning returned and in my dreams we married. We lived happily together. Because of my terrible prior experience,
when we were together I loved her even more. Those days were truly paradisiacal!”
說到這裡，左非右突然用力一拍桌子，憤怒地舉起雙手，仰天大呼：「為什麼？為什麼呢？在夢中，八個小時甜蜜的時光，一眨眼就過去了。然後，我醒過來了！又是另外一個人生，原來我的丁寧，竟是因我而死的！她死了！走了！我罪深孽重，永世不能安寧！我心如刀割！雖然那只是短短的三分鐘！三分鐘！我熬不過去呀！」
At this point,
Zuo Feiyo suddenly brought his hand down heavily on the table. Angrily, he raised his arms and shouted
to the sky: “Why? Why? In my dream state, eight sweet hours
were gone in the blink of an eye.
Then, I woke up! It was
another life. Because of me, my Ding
Ning was dead! Dead! Gone! My sin was so great I shall never know
peace! It was if I'd been stabbed
in the heart with a knife! It was
only a short 3 minutes - 3 minutes! - But I just couldn’t stand it!”
左非右痛哭失聲，衣紅、褲白也在一旁陪著飲泣，文祥與風不懼只是強自堅持，眼圈早已是溫熱一片了。
Zuo Feiyo broke
down and wept. Yi Hong and Ku Bai
were weeping along with him. Though
Wen Xiang and Feng Buju exercised restraint, their eyes were brimful of
tears.
左非右強忍悲痛，說：「總之，我受不了，我離開電腦城，逃回苗疆，打算到丁寧墳前，告訴她我錯了！
Choking back his
grief Zuo Feiyo said, “In short, I couldn’t bear it any longer. I left the computerized city and escaped
to the Miao area. I decided to
visit Ding Ning’s grave and tell her I had been wrong!”
「只是她的墳地在大巴山中，在保護區之外，當局對我很通融，放我回到大自然。我一入山，在山岔口就碰到一個糟老頭，他臉上那串鼻涕，大概有半尺長。他一見到我，就說：『拜託，求求你做我的徒弟吧！』
“Her grave
was located in the Da Ba Mountains, outside of the reservation area. The Bureau was kind to me and permitted
me to return to the backwoods. As
soon as I entered the mountains, I came upon an unkempt old man at a
crossroad. There was a train of
mucus probably six inches long on his face. As soon as he saw me he said, ‘Please,
be my pupil!’
「天下哪有這種事？我看他有些瘋癲，沒有理他，逕自往前走。過了一會，卻聽到身後有人喘氣不止，原來那老頭正上氣不接下氣地在後面追我，大叫：
“It was really
outrageous. I thought he was a bit
crazy so I ignored him and walked on.
A minute later I heard someone panting behind me. It was the old man, breathless from
chasing after me. He shouted:
「『徒弟救命！救命！』我一看，他後面有隻狗，正張嘴狂吠。我連忙撿起一塊石頭，把狗打走了。那老頭好不容易喘過氣來，說：
‘Save me, Apprentice, save me!’ I turned to look and saw there was a dog
barking wildly behind him. I
quickly drove the dog off with a rock.
The old man was finally able to catch his breath. He said,
「『好徒弟，給我倒杯水來。』我聽了心裡有氣，呸的一聲說：
‘My good
apprentice, pour me a glass of water.’
His words annoyed me and in reply I snapped back,
「『要水可以，別叫我徒弟！』
‘Water's no problem,
just don’t call me your ‘apprentice’!’
「『行，好徒弟，快送水來，我渴死了。』
‘O.K., good
apprentice, hurry up and get some water.
I’m thirsty.’
「看他這麼老了，不值得和他計較，再看他一身髒兮兮的，我索性把水壺給了他。老實說，那壺水我也喝不下去了。我再向前行，老頭又叫道：
“He was so old
arguing with him was hardly worthwhile.
He looked so dirty, I might just as well give him my whole bottle of
water. To tell the truth, I didn't
feel like drinking from it again. I
started to move forward again, and the old man once more shouted,
「『徒弟！你走了我怎麼辦？我還沒吃飯哩！餓死我啦！』我走我的，他喊他的。漸漸地離遠了，再聽不見他那破鑼聲了。
‘Hey, Apprentice! What am I supposed to do if you walk
off? I haven’t eaten anything! I’m starving!’ I just ignored his shouts and continued
walking. As the distance
gradually increased I could no longer hear his irritating voice.
「等我找到墓地，拜祭完畢，看看天色已近黃昏，我急急忙忙趕下山。剛走到山腳，一眼就看到那老頭蜷臥在地上，我本待不管，心中卻又不忍，便走過去看看。誰知老頭子全身僵硬冰冷，顯然已經死了好一陣子了。
“When I found the
grave and finished my ritual of worship, it was almost dusk. I hurriedly came down the mountain. When I reached the foothills, I once
again saw the old man. He was
curled up, lying on the ground. I
was going to ignore him but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I went over to take a look. Who would have thought that the old man
was stiff and cold. Apparently, he
had been dead for some time.
「怎麼辦呢？當然我可以一走了之，但是做人到這種地步，也未免太絕了吧！至少，把他埋了也是應該的。可是，我身邊沒有工具，總不能徒手挖洞吧？再想想，如果附近有山洞就好了。妙的是，就在前面不遠，居然有個挖好的土坑，我比了比，大小適中，有這麼巧的事嗎？我猜多半是老頭知道自己活不久了，先前就挖好的。
“What should I do?
Of course I could have just walked away. But for a person to act like this would
be too cold blooded. The least I
could was to bury him. But I didn’t
have any tools with me. I couldn’t
just dig a hole with my bare hands.
So I thought, if only there was a cave nearby. Miraculously, a little further on a pit
had already been dug. I measured
the size of the pit and it was a perfect fit for the old man’s body. Was that a coincidence? My guess was that the old man knew he
was going to die. He had dug the
hole ahead of time.
「於是，我把老頭拖了過來，可憐他輕飄飄的，身上沒有幾根骨頭。拖到坑口，我把老頭丟下去，然後把坑邊的土堆，推回坑中。累了半天，土剛剛埋過老頭的臉，突然聽到老頭大叫：
“Then I dragged
the old man over. I felt sorry for
him because he was so light. There
wasn’t much flesh left on him. I
dragged him to the pit and threw him in.
Then I pushed the pile of earth alongside back into the hole. I'd worked very hard and I was
tired. The minute the earth covered
the old man’s face, he suddenly shouted:
「『笨徒弟！臉怎麼可以遮起來？我又沒做對不起良心的事！』
‘You dumb
Apprentice! How could you cover my
face? I've never done anything
unconscionable!”
「我嚇了一跳，定睛一看，那老頭已經坐了起來，面色紅潤，哪裡像個死人？原來老頭不是簡單的人物，我這才老老實實的跪下去，磕了頭，真做了他的徒弟。」
“I was startled. I looked closely and the old man sat
up. His complexion was rosy and
plump. How could he be dead? So this old man was no ordinary
person. I knelt down respectfully
and kowtowed. I became his
apprentice.”
「這老頭到底是誰呢？」褲白問。
“Who was this old man
anyway?” Ku Bai asked.
「我師父自稱逍遙子，他精通易理，能知過去未來。我曾問過為什麼要收我做徒弟？師父說因為我醜，醜人不會作怪。這次他派我去火星，其實與你們的工作都有關係。只是時機未到，我不能多說。至於先前我對紅姑娘多有不敬之處，也是因為見到姑娘一派天真，不禁令我想起丁寧，好逑是實，奢望卻是不敢。」
“My Master calls
himself Xiao Yao Zi. He is an
expert in Yi theory and can read both the past and the future. Once I asked him why he wanted me as his
student. He said because I was ugly
and he believes that ugly people would never become schemers. He's the one who sent me to Mars. Actually it has something to do with
your work. But it's not the right
time, so I can’t tell you any more.
If I've been impudent with Miss Hong in the past, it's because her
innocence reminds me of Ding Ning.
It’s true I like her, but that’s all. I dare not hope for more.”
衣紅慨然道：「四海之內皆兄弟姐妹，我以往對你也有誤會，咱們一筆勾消吧！」
Yi Hong sighed, “In this world, we’re all brothers and sisters. I was mistaken about you. Let bygones be bygones!”
褲白說：「左哥，什麼是易理？」
Ku Bai said, “Zuo, what is Yi theory?”
左非右說：「這個我們慢慢談，他們不會有興趣的。」
Zuo Feiyo said, “We can talk about it later. They wouldn’t be interested.”
文祥說：「別人我不知道，我可是有興趣得緊。」
Wen Xiang said, “I don’t know about the others, but I’m very
interested.”
衣紅說：「我也有興趣，你就說吧！」
Yi Hong said, “I’m interested, too.
Why don’t you tell us about it!”
左非右說：「哪裡能說就說？我跟師父就學了二十年，到現在也只懂一點皮毛。可是要說什麼是易理，那倒容易，易理就是世事變化之理。」
Zuo Feiyo said, “Tell you about it?
It’s not that simple. I’ve
studied it with my Master for 20 years and I only have a shallow
understanding. But if you ask me
what Yi theory is, it’s simple.
Yi theory is the theory underlying all world events.”
褲白聽了，大失所望：「就這樣？這還要學二十年？」
Hearing this, Ku Bai was greatly disappointed. “That’s all? That took you 20 years?”
左非右問：「你想不想有本事？比如說得到最高的能力？」
Zuo Feiyo asked, “Would you like to have some special skill? For example, to obtain ability of the
highest order?”
褲白說：「當然想。」
Ku Bai said, “Of course I would.”
左非右說：「你說說看，什麼能力最高最大？」
Zuo Feiyo said, “Tell me, what is an ability of the highest order?”
褲白想了又想，每次要說卻又覺得不是，急得抓耳撓腮，最後只好說：「太多種了，你要我說哪一種？」
Ku Bai mulled it over
for a while. But each time he
started to say something, he felt it wasn’t quite right. Because he was anxious, he twisted his
ears and beard as he thought it over.
At last, he gave up and said, “Too many answers. Which one do you want me to say?”
左非右說：「只有一種，最高最大的能力！」
Zuo Feiyo said, “There’s only one highest ability!”
褲白想了想，說：「不可能只有一種！」
Ku Bai thought for a while and said, “Impossible. There must be more than one!”
左非右提示他：「比如說，不論做什麼事，你都能先知道結果！」
Zuo Feiyo reminded him, “For example, no matter what you do, you’ll be
able to know the results ahead of time!”
褲白聞言大喜：「那真是最高最大的，人能有這種能力嗎？」
When Ku Bai heard this, he was delighted. “That would really be an
ability of the highest order. Do
human beings possess this kind of ability?”
左非右點點頭，說：「易理就是能先知道結果的系統方法。」
Zuo Feiyo nodded and said, “the Yi theory is a systematic method
which can tell you the results ahead of time.”
褲白說：「那我能不能考你？」
Ku Bai said, “Can I test you?”
左非右說：「別人不行，你可以。但是只此一次，同意吧？」
Zuo Feiyo said, “No one else can test me, only you. But only this one time. Agreed?”
褲白說：「好！你說，我今天會睡在哪裡？」
Ku Bai said: “O.K! Tell me,
where will I be sleeping tonight?”
左非右說：「你指的是什麼時候？」
Zuo Feiyo said, “What time are you taking about?”
褲白說：「現在是世界時十五時，大概六個小時以後，應該是二十一、二點。」
Ku Bai said, “It’s now 15:00 World Time. Probably about 6 hours from now. That would be around 21:00 or 22:00.”
左非右說：「如果不睡算不算呢？」
Zuo Feiyo said, “Does it count if you can’t sleep?”
褲白說：「也算，只要你能說出在哪裡就行。」
Ku Bai said. “Sure. As long
as you can tell me where.”
左非右說：「因為時間還沒有到，我不能先告訴你答案。人是毛病很多的動物，如果你相信，就會完全照我說的去做。如果不相信，你一定會千方百計地避免與我說的結果一樣，所以怎麼說都不對。可是我又不能不說，否則怎麼能證明事先已經知道呢？因此，我要說一個謎語，現在你一定不懂，但事後解題，也一定能符合當時的情況。」
Zuo Feiyo said, “Because the time is not yet suitable I
can’t tell you the answer beforehand.
Human beings have many flaws.
If you believe me, you’ll do exactly as I tell you. But if you don’t, you’ll try every
possible means to avoid the result I'd predict. Because of this, no matter what I say will
be wrong. But I must tell you. Otherwise, how shall I prove that I knew
the answer ahead of time? So,
I want to give you a riddle. For
sure you won’t understand it now.
But afterwards, when you reflect on it, it will match the circumstances
perfectly.”
褲白說：「好，你說！」
Ku Bai said, “O.K, shoot!”
左非右說：「衣食住行。」
Zuo Feiyo said, “Clothes, food, residence, movement.”
大家猜了半天，誰都說不出所以然，褲白央求左非右宣佈謎底，但他始終不為所動。最後，左非右說：「現在該文祥兄談談歷史故事了，你們剛才不是要聽嗎？」
Everyone was
guessing. For a long while, no one
could figure it out. Ku Bai
implored Zuo Feiyo to tell them the answer, but Zuo wouldn’t, no matter what Ku
Bai said. At last, Zuo Feiyo said,
“It’s now Wen Xiang’s turn to tell some stories from history. Don’t you want to hear them?”
衣紅這才想起，大家想找個地方坐坐，原來是要討論歷史的。不料在打了個岔以後，幾乎把主題都忘了。
That reminded Yi Hong. They
had wanted to find a place to sit and talk about history. Without realizing it, after this
interruption, they'd almost forgotten their original purpose.
風不懼卻說：「我們先談件正經事吧，明天船就要到火星了，我們下船各自東西，都負有不同的任務。別人我不知道，文兄可能與我們火星之行有關，只是不到時候，就像左兄的謎語一樣，怎麼猜都猜不出來。總之，不論有沒有關係，文兄曾提過，希望有機會去苗疆一趟，不知此話當真？」
But Feng Buju said,
“Let’s first talk about something more important. We’ll be reaching Mars tomorrow. After we get off the ship, we’ll each be
going our own way to perform our separate tasks. I don’t know about the others, but Wen
might have something to do with our mission to Mars. But if the time is not yet right, it
will be the same as Zuo’s riddle.
We can't guess what it might be.
Anyway, whether you have something to do with our mission or not, Wen,
you said you’d like to visit the Miao area some time if you had a chance. Are you serious about it?”
文祥說：「當然是真的，只要你們不嫌棄，我們約個時間，找個地方見面就是！」
Wen Xiang said, “Of course I’m serious. If you don’t object, let’s arrange a time
and place!”
左非右說：「我來說罷，我這個預言一定準，因為不會有人賴帳。現在是七月，連我在內，我們五個人訂在八月八日八時，在廣西崇左著名的斜塔下見面，如何？」
Zuo Feiyo said,
“Allow me. My prophecy will come
true because no one will break their promise. It’s now July. Let the five of us, including me, meet
at 8 o’clock, on August the 8th, at the famous leaning tower of
Chongzuo in Guangxi. How's that?”
大家聽了，都拊掌稱善。然後，大概是緊繃已久的情緒要求鬆弛，眾人便隨意地談天說地起來了。這一聊，一直聊到了二十四點。
When they heard this, they all clapped their hands in approval. Then, maybe because they'd been under
stress for so long, they relaxed and began to chat idly about nothing in
particular. They talked right up to
midnight.
還是左非右提醒褲白：「怎麼樣？時間過了，我說得沒錯吧？」
It was Zuo Feiyo who reminded Ku Bai, “Hey, the time has passed, am I
right?”
褲白不服氣，說：「我們哪裡都沒去，一直待在這裡，與衣食住行有什麼關係？」
Ku Bai was not convinced, “We didn’t go anywhere. We’ve been here all the time. How does it have anything to do with
‘clothes, food, residence, movement’?”
左非右說：「關係可大了，你總承認，你是在『這裡』吧？」
Zuo Feiyo said, “It has everything to do with it. You must admit that you’re ‘here’
(Chinese read: Zhe Li)?”
褲白說：「當然，我想賴都賴不掉。」
Ku Bai said, “Sure. There’s
no denying it.”
左非右說：「『這』字的寫法是『ひ』字加『言』字，ひ就是走，代表『行』。『裡』字是『衣』字加『里』字。『衣』就是衣，『里』是鄉里，是『住』處。又因為『里』有田有土，可以耕種糧食，言要用口，有口就食，不是『食』嗎？」
Zuo Feiyo said, “The character ‘Zhe’ is composed of ‘chuo’
and ‘yan’. Chuo means
walk, which represents ‘movement’.
The character ‘Li’ is composed of ‘Yi’ and ‘li’. Yi means ‘clothes’, and li
means village, which is where your ‘residence’ is. Moreover, the character li can be
further divided into ‘tian’ (farm) and ‘tu’(earth). Grain can be cultivated from the
earth. The character ‘yan’
means talk. When you talk, you need
to use your ‘kou’ (mouth).
With a mouth, you eat, so that’s where ‘food’ comes in.”
一聽之下，各人表情不一，褲白不服氣，大叫：「不算！不算！你這是陽謀！」
Hearing this, everyone reacted differently. Ku Bai, still not convinced, said
loudly, “That doesn’t count! It’s a
set up!”
左非右說：「我有什麼陽謀？」
Zuo Feiyo said, “What kind of set up?”
褲白說：「你故意拉著我們聊天，早就知道我們不會走，不是陽謀是什麼？」
Ku Bai said, “You kept us here to talk. You knew we wouldn’t leave. If this isn't a set up, what is it?”
Notes:
1.
Miao area:
in the Yunnan region
2. "Zhen ren", or “xian”, usually translated as "immortal", is found throughout Taoist texts in reference persons of such achievement. In the interest of word economy, the term "immortal" will be used through the remainder of this story.