"They've all... been released now?" I asked, somewhat dazed.
"Yes." The monk lowered his hands.
Footsteps came from inside the villa.
"Then the Buddha statues..." I gazed toward the hill.
In the darkness, its outline looked like some kind of monster lurking in the night.
"Not everyone was persuaded by me," the monk replied calmly. "Nor can everyone hold on for hundreds of years without changing their resolve, forgetting their original purpose, or losing sight of who they are. Only one of them held on. Now that one has probably realized they made a mistake. They chose the wrong path and will never become a Buddha. What a pity."
The monk sounded genuinely regretful, and his face was as kind and compassionate as a bodhisattva's.
The villa door opened, and the lights came on.
Light spilled out of the room, shining from behind the person as well, making their face impossible to see.
The monk brought his palms together. Before he could speak, the person dropped to their knees with a thump.
"Master! Master, please save me!"
He kowtowed again and again, tears and snot streaming down his face, blood trickling from his forehead.
Suddenly, I could see everything clearly. Lights had come on in the front yard and above the gate, illuminating the man.
They were probably motion-sensor lights. But the monk had been standing here for so long, and none of them had come on. Now they all lit up at once, making the scene seem downright eerie.
The commotion inside the villa grew louder.
Before, I'd only heard muffled crying. Now I could hear people sobbing loudly. The child's cries were the loudest, as they shouted for their parents.
The man's face grew even paler. He almost crawled as he tried to get out through the entryway.