Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
Advance chapters available for patrons on Patreon. And a chapter can be sponsored by buying me a ko-fi.
Lian Tan brought his young disciple out but only told him to wait in the outer room. In the inner room, he introduced Lie Cuo and Xie Lingya, and then looked at the Lingga, recognizing it as well. “This isn’t made of tsampa,” he said.
Lie Cuo then took out a triangular iron box from his bag, placed the Lingga on it, and began to explain: “Lingga can’t be placed randomly; it must be placed in a special container.”
It could be a box, a shelf, or a plate, but it must be triangular.
“We have four actions: pacification, increase, attraction, and subjugation. Each action has a different shape. The action of subjugation is a triangle, signifying suppression and subjugation, meaning that the demons are suppressed. This way, they can be killed in the ritual.”
After explaining, Lie Cuo looked troubled and said, “But this isn’t right. Lingga is for killing, how can it harm people? And it’s not the time for the Cham ceremony…”
The straightforward monk couldn’t understand why the Lingga, as a symbol, would actually be given life and then harm people.
“I used a talisman to suppress it.” Seeing that he had put Lingga away with something, Xie Lingya tore off the talisman and said, “We’re also very curious about this, so we wanted you to take a look and see if you can identify which school’s technique this is.”
Although Cham was created by Guru Rinpoche, so many sects, including the Nyingma, Kagyu, and Gelug schools, knew how to make it.
After examining it for a while, Lie Cuo said, “I think this looks very much like the style of several Nyingma monasteries. However, our monks would never release it.”
In the Cham ritual, all ritual implements must be carefully preserved. This was an important Buddhist event. The triangular box that Lie Cuo brought was made on the spot. Every step of the ritual was very strict, and the selection of monks was very careful. Not just any young monk could play a role. After all, in Cham, the monks who played the roles were equivalent to the real people of those roles. Cham itself was for exorcising evil spirits, thanking the gods, educating, accumulating merit, etc. This symbol subverted the meaning of the ritual, so Lie Cuo naturally had mixed feelings.
In short, the person who can make such an evil object must be very skilled. Could it be that some high monk has lost his way? In their sect, high monks are not just anyone. A monk needs nine years of basic study, and more than twenty years to complete the entire Buddhist practice. Not to mention mastering it.
Thinking of this, Lie Cuo became even more nervous, fearing that there was a scoundrel in their sect.
Xie Lingya sighed and said, “I have already made a small part and taken pictures. Please get rid of this thing first.”
“Please rest assured, I will report this to the Guru. Our monks cannot have such people among them,” Lie Cuo said nervously, then took out deer antlers and a knife from his bag.
There was no Cham ritual now but Lie Cuo still needed to use the appropriate method to dispel the Lingga.
In their concept, the deer symbolized the guardian deity Zizhan[1]. Lie Cuo knelt before Lingga, used the deer antlers to pry open the box, and then used the knife to chop Lingga into pieces.
He didn’t chop statically, but combined jumping, flipping, and turning movements. Xie Lingya watched closely and suddenly realized that he seemed to be imitating a deer.
After chopping the Lingga into pieces, the blood and internal organs mixed with the dough, looking like a pool of bloody mud, somewhat disgusting, before Lie Cuo burned it.
Not to mention Guo Xing, even Xie Lingya was witnessing such an exorcism ritual for the first time and thus gained some knowledge.
….
The group went out of the room, emptied the ashes, and saw Tan Qing watching television in the outer room. He pointed at the television and said, “Master, it says there was a ghost last night.”
Xie Lingya looked up and saw it was a local online program. He wondered how Tan Qing had found it.
A citizen said, “Last night, I was walking home on the road next to Liming Square when I saw a bloody shadow. It was very clear. It rushed towards me, and I was so scared that I turned and ran!”
The reporter went to the location in a very professional manner, even bending down to find a line of bloodstains on the ground. He said to the camera, “The blood-stained man in the middle of the night, is it a paranormal event or a murder? Please stay tuned, we will investigate…”
Xie Lingya: “………………”
How could they act so fast? He was scared just last night, and today the program was already out. And they were clearly walking together, how come he and Xiao Dian disappeared? And they didn’t chase anyone, did they? How did the rumor spread! It seems that Guo Xing’s stroll last night really provided a good clue for urban ghost stories.
This matter still needed to be investigated, but the scope had been narrowed down a lot since he recognized the production style.
Xie Lingya just needed to wait for the results. Now, he asked Tan Qing, “Little monk, have you finished watching Journey to the West? Did you like it?”
“I finished watching it, and I liked it.” Tan Qing answered honestly.
Lian Tan looked at Tan Qing affectionately for a few moments, then said, “Mr. Xie, I brought Tan Qing down with me today to buy him some daily necessities, and also to show him around Zhuyang. Could you help me with the directions?”
“Of course, you can just leave him to me.” Xie Lingya readily agreed. He knew Zhuyang City very well. The monks were new to the city, and Lian Tan only brought him down to broaden his horizons because he felt sorry for his young disciple.
According to Lian Tan’s revelation, he felt that Tan Qing was very talented, but his understanding of worldly affairs was not deep enough, which was his only weakness. That’s why he brought him out more often. Monks are supposed to be free from worldly desires, and modern society is indeed full of temptations, but precisely because of this, it’s impossible to completely escape them. Tan Qing had to know this before he could be enlightened.
Lie Cuo wanted to send a message back, so Lian Tan accompanied him. Xie Lingya took Tan Qing out shopping, only letting Shi Changxuan come along, sending Guo Xing and Xiao Dian back.
Lian Tan gave him some money. As monks, they had to live a simple life. Xie Lingya knew this, so of course he wouldn’t take Tan Qing into any specialty stores. He and Shi Changxuan just took him to buy some affordable items.
Once on the street, Tan Qing’s eyes were everywhere, looking at everything with curiosity. He could stare blankly at tall buildings for a while, saying he had never seen such tall buildings before.
Xie Lingya glanced at it; it was only thirteen or fourteen stories high, not even the tallest building in Zhuyang City. “When you go to big cities with your master, there will be even taller buildings there.”
Tan Qing was looking around, and passersby were also staring at this young monk. He was wearing monk’s robes and shoes, his head was shiny, and his features were quite handsome. He looked around with a bewildered expression, making some people wonder if he had traveled through time.
Xie Lingya saw him staring at a lollipop in a child’s hand, so he bought one for him to lick.
Tan Qing licked the candy a few times and said, “I’ll take it back for my master and senior brother.” Xie Lingya almost cried. Master Lian Tan, the abbot of a temple, wouldn’t share a lollipop with his disciple. He quickly bought two more, saying, “It’s alright, take two for your master and senior brother. It’s not nice for you to share one.”
Tan Qing asked Xie Lingya, “Mr. Xie, Master said you live in such a busy place? Isn’t it very lively?”
“Your temple is also lively now, isn’t it?” Xie Lingya said, “Although there are many people, we are at peace.”
Tan Qing asked again, “Do the people around you believe in gods?”
Xie Lingya smiled faintly, “I don’t know if even one out of ten believes.”
Tan Qing said “Oh,” and then fell silent, lost in thought.
“What are you thinking about?” Xie Lingya asked.
Tan Qing licked a lollipop, puffed out his cheeks, and said, “I’m thinking about saving all sentient beings.”
Xie Lingya: “…”
Xie Lingya turned to Shi Changxuan and said, “This is a monk destined for great things.”
Unfortunately, he didn’t know how difficult it was to save all sentient beings these days.
“Not every sentient being can afford candy. You should learn from your master.” Xie Lingya ruffled Tan Qing’s head.
Tan Qing thought for a moment and said, “I’ll give every sentient being a piece of candy from now on.”
Xie Lingya was speechless. “What if someone doesn’t like candy?”
Tan Qing: “How could that be?”
Xie Lingya looked at him and realized why Lian Tan wanted him to see more of the outside world. This child’s thinking was too simple. Although he was talented in Buddhism, he seemed to lack in other areas, after all, he had grown up in the deep mountains since childhood.
“You said last time that everyone sees water differently, and the same goes for candy.” Xie Lingya said.
“Those who see pus are ghosts, so those who don’t like candy are naturally ‘ghosts’ too.” Tan Qing said. His verse was: Heaven sees treasures as solemn, the human world as clear water, fish see them as dwellings, and ghosts see them as pus. Since all beings see water differently, they will naturally see candy differently as well.
The verse was meant to convey that all phenomena are mind-only, but Tan Qing was now changing the correctness of the word “Dharma,” suggesting that “ghost” was merely a metaphor.
Xie Lingya paused, then said seriously, “You’re confused. Dharma has correct and incorrect interpretations, you can’t just apply that to this.”
Tan Qing said “Oh,” and continued sucking on his lollipop.
Xie Lingya took Tan Qing to buy some daily necessities he needed. These were things the temple could normally buy in bulk, but since they were bought separately, Xie Lingya, with a mischievous grin, picked out cartoon underwear for him.
Tan Qing, being a bit childish for his age, asked for underwear with a Q-version leopard printed on the back.
Because the shopping area was on Jin Gui Pedestrian Street, close to the Taoist temple, Xie Lingya asked Shi Changxuan to lead him while he went back to Baoyang Temple to get a power bank; his phone was almost dead.
….
Taxi driver Xiao Wang picked up a strange passenger last night, left work early, washed his car, and took a nap. The next afternoon, he immediately headed to Baoyang Temple in the city center.
On the way, Xiao Wang checked the local forum and saw someone mention being chased by a blood-soaked figure in the city center last night. He immediately thought of his passenger, and the thing the passenger carried that looked like a weapon. A chill ran down his spine; and he felt a sense of having been on the verge of death.
Thinking about the blood-soaked figure, Xiao Wang hurried into Baoyang Temple. He bumped into someone as he climbed the steps. Just as he was about to get angry, he looked up and saw a somewhat familiar face. Everyone within a 30-meter radius heard Xiao Wang scream.
“Holy crap!” Xiao Wang exclaimed in a protective stance, “Don’t kill me!”
“…” Xie Lingya raised his hand and said to Hai Guanchao, who had a strange look in his eyes, “I didn’t… I didn’t…”
Guys, ads are my only source of revenue, so please do not turn on the AdBlock when you are accessing this website…. Thank you, this would be a great help…
You can buy me a ko-fi and sponsor a chapter on: https://ko-fi.com/midnightrambles
Or become a Patron or access advance chapters on: https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=45665005
If you support me, I would be able to provide more chapters….
Previous • Table of Contents• Next
