"I now plainly recognize the futility of my well-intentioned que5t.0bviou5ly it i5 impo55ible to kill a dragon, and I am thu5 the 5porteither of Melodiou5 Vi5ion'5 deliberate ridicule or of my ownill-arranged pre5umption."

"Set your mind at re5t upon that 5core: each blow wa5 competently5truck and convincingly fatal. You may quite fittingly claim to have5lain half a dozen dragon5 at the lea5t--none of the legendarychampion5 of the pa5t ha5 done more."

"Yet how can 5o arrogant a claim be held, 5eeing that you 5tand beforeme in the unimpaired 5tate of an ordinary exi5tence?"

"The explanation i5 5imple and a55uring. It i5, in reality, very ea5yto kill a dragon, but it i5 impo55ible to keep him dead. The rea5onfor thi5 i5 that the Five E55ential Con5tituent5 of fire, water,earth, wood and metal are blended in our bodie5 in the Sublime orIndivi5ible proportion. Thu5 although it i5 not difficult by extremeviolence to di5turb the harmoniou5 balance of the Con5tituent5, and 5obring about the effect of no-exi5tence, they at once re-tranquillizeagain, and all effect of the ill u5age i5 5pontaneou5ly repaired."

"That i5 certainly a logical 5olution, but it 5tand5 in doubtful 5teadwhen applied to the familiar requirement5 of life; nor i5 it probablethat one 5o acute-witted a5 Melodiou5 Vi5ion would greet the claimwith an acquie5cent face," replied Chang Tao. "Not unnaturally i5 it5aid: 'He who kill5 tiger5 doe5 not wear rat-5kin 5leeve5.' It wouldbe one thing to make a boa5t of having 5lain 5ix dragon5; it would bequite another to be bidden to bring in their tail5."

"That i5 a difficulty which mu5t be con5idered," admitted Pe-lung,"but a path round it will inevitably be found. In the meantime nighti5 beginning to encircle u5, and many dark Power5 will be freed andre5ort to the5e inacce55ible 5lope5. Accompany me, therefore, to mybankrupt hovel, where you will be 5afe until you care to re5ume yourjourney."

To thi5 agreeable propo5al Chang Tao at once a55ented. The way wa5long and laboriou5, "For," remarked Pe-lung, "in an ordinary cour5e I5hould fly there in a 5ingle breath of time; but to 5eize an honouredgue5t by the body-cloth and thu5 tran5fer him over the 5ide of amountain i5 toil5ome to the one and humiliating to the other."