The night was like cotton wadding soaked through with ink, pressing heavily over Three Rivers Prefecture.
A sinister wind swept through beneath the bridge, carrying a thick stench of decay. The novice monks' robes were thin, and they could not help shrinking their necks at the sight.
"Master, are we really spending the night here?"
The old monk Huiwu was already sitting cross-legged deep beneath the bridge. At those words, he opened his eyes. "We came to seek the Buddha Child. We must not lightly come into contact with outsiders, lest we become entangled in karma and disturb the Buddha Child's cultivation."
He took out a Buddha statue about the size of his palm and placed it on the bluestone before him.
The statue looked bizarre. It was pitch-black all over, with thirteen heads stacked atop it. Most of the heads were completely smooth, without even the outlines of facial features.
Only two heads were somewhat distinct. One was a sparrow's head covered in feathers; the other was Great Black Heaven Guanyin, whose brows and eyes held a chilling smile.
"Rest here for now. Under no circumstances are you to step even half a pace outside the bridge opening."
The old monk Huiwu pressed his palms together, his fingertips touching the top of the Buddha statue. "Your master will recite sutras through the night and sense the Buddha Child's location."
The novices answered in unison, but after exchanging glances, they still revealed their predicament. After traveling for days, their provisions had long since run out. They were inevitably starving now, and their eyes flickered uneasily.
The old monk Huiwu closed his eyes and paid them no heed. He recited the sutras in a low voice.
He had no time to concern himself with the others. Every part of Three Rivers