While we chatted, the young lama never spoke again.
But I knew he was listening intently.
Perhaps it sounded like pure fantasy to him, but he still listened very carefully.
"How much farther?" Ye Jinghong asked the young lama.
"Almost there," the young lama said. "About another ten minutes."
I looked behind us. Erha and the others still had not arrived.
The young lama glanced back as well. "Should we wait for them?"
I looked at him. "No, let's go ahead." I was worried about Juice. I had to see her before I could know what condition she was in.
After walking for another ten minutes or so, the young lama pointed at a cave ahead. "The person is inside. Mr. Jiang, I won't accompany you in." Just as I was about to speak, he turned to leave. Ye Jinghong grabbed him. "What's the rush? Since we're already at the entrance, come in and take a look with us."
The young lama's expression became somewhat strange.
Ye Jinghong sneered. "I knew there was something wrong with you. Looks like I was right."
The young lama looked panicked. "Mr. Jiang, what are you doing? I came to warn you out of kindness and even led you here. You can't repay kindness with hatred. Aren't you afraid Zheji Xie'e and the Great Living Buddha will hold you accountable?"
It would have been fine if he had not said that last part, but when he mentioned Zheji Xie'e and the Great Living Buddha blaming me, I laughed. I walked up to him. "Do you think the Great Living Buddha and Zheji Xie'e would blame me over you? You're not even a lama. Why would they blame me for you?"
I said that because I trusted Ye Jinghong's judgment.
Just as Ye Jinghong was