by W.C. Bell

Created on: July 21, 2011

THE CYLINDERS OF LAO TZU

Mu, ruler of Qin, was not amused. The peasant groveling before him was about to lose his head. It would be hoist on a stake beside the road. It would remain there until its skull bleached white in the sun.

Mu was preparing for battle with Xian, master of Jin. The victor would become lord of the first superpower of the Seven Warring States. It would be a turning point because history was on the march with Mu and his army. In the due course of time, the struggle would lead to the rise of Chin, the first emperor of all the Warring States, ruler of the Middle Kingdom, the land which is now known by his name - China.

In a hurry but intrigued by what he had heard so far, Mu scooped up a handful of dirt. He allowed a thin trickle to flow between his fingers. "Continue, peasant," he said, "but be brief. When the dirt is gone, your tongue will cease to waggle."

The lowly peasant claimed that a star from Wei in the Twenty-Eight Heavenly Mansions had fallen to Earth near the headwaters of the Yangtze River. Its arrival had turned night into day, and the accompanying thunderclap had destroyed nine villages. The next morning, after the white hot star had cooled, curious farmers gathered. Much to their surprise, the star crumbled to dust when they touched it.

Mu snorted, "There had better be more to the story, or I'll see to it that you suffer a month's painful torture before I spike your miserable head."

"Indeed there's more, Lord Mu." replied Li the peasant. "The farmers who touched the star, and I am one, were granted magical powers of healing. I am here to offer you my services. When you go fight the war, I will cure your wounded. They will rise to fight again and again. Your army will be invincible. It is the lesser part of the Grand Plan of the Powers from Beyond."

It was as Li said it would be. The peasant farmer roamed the battlefields curing Mu's fallen warriors. Some say he even raised the dead if they were freshly deceased. By that means, Mu prevailed, and destiny was set on the path that led to the dawn of the Qin Dynasty, ultimately leading to the world as it is today.

Back home, enjoying the fruits of conquest, Mu pondered Li's words. If healing was the lesser part of the Grand Plan, what was the greater part? He commanded Li to explain.

"It's an intelligence test, Lord Mu." Li responded. "The Powers want to know if you are clever enough to build a machine that will work continuously and unattended for 10,000 years. If you succeed, the human

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