Bridge of Birds: A Novel of an Ancient China That Never Was (The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox)

When the children of his village were struck with a mysterious illness, Number Ten Ox found master Li Kao. Together they set out to find the Great Root of Power, the only possible cure, and together they discover adventure and legend, and the power of belief.... by Barry Hughart......Page 1 Contents......Page 5 Part One - MASTER LI......Page 6 1. The Village of Ku-fu......Page 7 2. The Plague......Page 10 3. A Sage with a Slight Flaw in His Character......Page 13 4. Root of Lightning......Page 18 5. Of Goats, Gold, and Miser Shen......Page 20 6. A Winsome Damsel......Page 24 7. A Great House......Page 27 8. Dancing Girl......Page 30 9. A Brief Interlude for Murder......Page 35 10. It Was a Grand Funeral......Page 37 11. A Tale I Will Thee Tell......Page 41 Part Two - THE FLUTE, THE BALL, AND THE BELL......Page 45 12. Of Castles and Key Rabbits......Page 46 13. The Art of Porcupine Cookery......Page 49 14. Lotus Cloud......Page 52 15. The Labyrinth......Page 55 16. Children's Games......Page 60 17. A Miraculous Transformation......Page 64 18. The Hand of Hell......Page 68 19. Bamboo Dragonfly......Page 71 20. The Cavern of Bells......Page 75 21. A Prayer to Ah Chen......Page 78 Part Three - THE PRINCESS OF BIRDS......Page 82 22. The Dream of the White Chamber......Page 83 23. Doctor Death......Page 85 24. There Are No Accidents in the Great Way of Tao......Page 89 25. The Triumph of Henpecked Ho......Page 94 26. Three Kinds of Wisdom......Page 97 27. The Lake of the Dead......Page 103 28. The Coldest Heart in the World......Page 105 29. The View Through a Half-Closed Eye......Page 109 30. China!......Page 114 When the children of his village were struck with a mysterious illness, Number Ten Ox sought a wiseman to save them. He found master Li Kao, a scholar with a slight flaw in his character. Together, they set out to find the Great Root of Power, the only possible cure. The quest led them to a host of truly memorable characters, multiple wonders, incredible adventuresand strange coincidences, which were really not coincidences at all. And it involved them in an ancient crime that still perturbed the serenity of Heaven. Simply and charmingly told, this is a wry tale, a sly tale, and a story of wisdom delightfully askew. Once read, its marvels and beauty will not easily fade from the mind. The author claims that this is a novel of an ancient China that never was. But, ohit should have been! Number Ten Ox brings Master Li Kao back to his village of Ku-Fu to find the cure for a mysterious sleeping plague that has struck the villagers' children I shall clasp my hands together and bow to the corners of the world. A fictional work of a China that never was. Chinoiserie.