There was a Chinese belief that demons liked to travel only in straight 
lines. Hence the bridge zigzagged no fewer than nine times as it made its way 
to the center of the pond. The bridge was a demon filter, in other words, and 
the teahouse demon-free, which seemed of only limited usefulness if it still 
hosted people like Dr. X. But for Judge Fang, raised in a city of long 
straight avenues, full of straight talkers, it was useful to be reminded that 
from the point of view of some people, including Dr. X, all of that 
straightness was suggestive of demonism; more natural and human was the 
ever-turning way, where you could never see round the next corner,
and the overall plan could be understood only after lengthy meditation.