Buddha Light Shrouds the Ghost-Faced Mask

Wisps of Azure smoke curled upward, and curtains hung in overlapping folds like mountain ridges.

As the Azure lamp and candles flickered, a speck of Golden Light descended.

At the center of the hall, a handsome Monk with a face like polished jade slowly opened his eyes upon a meditation cushion.

In an instant, the dim hall blazed with light!

The shadow of an ancient temple among Azure mountains seemed to appear behind the Monk. When he breathed out softly, the vision faded.

After steadying his breath, the Monk raised his head. "Come in."

The door opened, and the old monk entered.

He pressed his palms together and greeted the Temple Master, then said, "Congratulations, Temple Master. You must have gained something from this meditation."

The handsome Monk shook his head with a faint smile. "This humble monk is slow-witted. I entered the Buddha Land but gained no insight. There is nothing to celebrate. But Senior Brother, new threads of cause and effect cling to you. What happened?"

"It concerns a Reincarnated Immortal," the old monk said.

"Lu You again?" The Temple Master shook his head gently. "There is no need to worry, Senior Brother. We have an agreement. Once the Kunlun Traveler returns, the matter can be settled."

"Not Lu You. Another person may be a Reincarnated Immortal." The old monk concealed nothing, recounting the day's events from beginning to end. Finally, he added, "I slighted the Marquis of Linru County this time. It was a misstep."

The Temple Master's expression did not change. "I see. No wonder I felt the Buddha Light waver just now. An honored guest had come to our door."

"The Reincarnated Immortal has a Fate Pattern of his own and stands Beyond the Mundane," the old monk said. "But countless thoughts and hopes surround that lord. They are exceptionally strong, yet tinged with gloom. Some ghost or evil spirit may have set its sights on him."

"Not necessarily." The Temple Master shook his head. "Many things can affect the radiance of the Buddha Land. Senior Brother, your thoughts are caught on this matter, and with the Kunlun Traveler coming again, you cannot help tracing everything back to him."

The old monk asked why.

"The world is vast; we cannot judge everything alike. While listening to the High Person preach in the Buddha Land, I heard several such examples," the Temple Master said. "Since I have emerged from meditation, I should observe it myself. Still, I doubt such a phenomenon occurs every day."

As soon as he finished speaking, his expression changed abruptly.

Incense smoke drifted through the room. The Buddha statue deep in the hall trembled slightly, releasing a thin sheen of light. It broke into strands that flew toward the door.

"..."

The old monk silently pressed his palms together.

The Temple Master's expression returned to normal. Changing the subject, he said, "You mentioned Prince of Ancheng just now. That matter could prove either minor or grave."

The old monk paused, then nodded without looking at the strands of Golden Light. "It involves the True Dragon, so we cannot ignore it. But Prince of Ancheng has the Emperor's deep trust. Even if he has designs of his own, we would struggle to expose them. Worse, if he speaks ill of us before the Emperor, the fault may fall on us instead."

The Temple Master considered this for a moment. "No matter. Let matters take their course. Since he is acting in His Majesty's name, we shall treat it as His Majesty's affair. When the time comes, I will invite several fellow practitioners to attend the ceremony."

"That would be best." The old monk relaxed a little. "I shall take my leave."

After the old monk departed, the Temple Master looked at the strands of Golden Light and flicked a finger.

Ding! Ding!

Two clear chimes rang out in succession. At last, his expression changed.

"It truly bears the signs of an unfinished Reincarnation, and Mist shrouds his mind. I fear even entering his dreams to observe his thoughts would be difficult. Could there really be two immortals reincarnated in Jiankang City?"

Chen Cuo slowly breathed out, ended his practice, and opened his eyes.

He had completed another full hundred and eight cycles of breathing, then visualized the Ghost-Faced Mask. Its phantom in his mind had grown a little clearer.

With his earlier experience to draw on, doing both at once came more easily this time. Everything flowed in one breath, leaving him remarkably refreshed.

After the hundred and eight cycles, his whole body felt open and clear, his lower abdomen warm, and his five senses sharp. Even his thoughts were much clearer. It did not compare to taking the Clarity Pill, but it was far better than before he came to Guishan Temple.

Getting off the bed, Chen Cuo tested his fists and feet. His strength had indeed grown again. Then, at a thought, power coursed through his body as he darted and wheeled around the room with astonishing agility, as though he had shed his old bones and been reborn!

"Only a few sessions of breathing, and it's already had this much effect! This Breathing Technique truly is extraordinary. That Old Beggar probably isn't an ordinary man either. Who on earth is he...?"

That was what he thought, but Chen Cuo also suspected the Breathing Technique was not the whole reason for such immediate results. That it had worked so well in just a few days was probably also connected to his visualization of the mask and his stay at Guishan Temple.

The drawback remained: after completing all the cycles in one sitting, he was ravenous.

"When that Old Beggar guided me through the first cycle, I wasn't nearly this hungry. I also completed a hundred and eight cycles at home, and I could bear it then. It's probably linked to the visualization and something unusual about Guishan Temple. Once I leave, I can rule out the possibilities one by one."

As he thought, he stood and glanced outside. It was not yet mealtime at the temple, so he called Chen Hai in and told him to find a tavern along the banks of Chaogou and bring back some vegetarian dishes.

To his surprise, several Young Novice Monks arrived at the door carrying platters of steaming food.

"Our Temple Master instructed us to bring you a meal now," one Young Novice Monk explained after bowing.

Chen Cuo was surprised. "Please thank the Temple Master for his kindness on my behalf." He wondered why the Temple Master had suddenly become involved when, until now, he had dealt only with the old Presiding Monk.

But eating was his priority, so he set the thought aside. Once the dishes were laid out, he was surprised again.

"There's meat?"

"It is all Three-Clean Meat." The Young Novice Monk pressed his palms together and stepped back twice. "We Monks keep a vegetarian diet, but the temple's Warrior Monks need meat to train. Without it, they cannot build their strength."

Chen Cuo nodded. Seeing how uneasy the Young Novice Monk looked, he did not press further. He understood well enough.

Since Emperor Wu of Liang, Buddhist temples had adopted vegetarian rules, and monks no longer ate meat. Guishan Temple was no exception. But most Warrior Monks trained their bodies through external martial arts, toughening muscle, bone, skin, and sinew. They needed medicinal meals and baths. Without enough nourishment, their bodies would soon give out, so the temple had naturally revived the tradition of Three-Clean Meat for them.

Besides, the Warrior Monks were clearly the temple's fighting force. Only with armed strength could its many estates and lands remain secure. The temple would naturally spare no expense on them.

Chen Cuo sat down and wolfed down his meal.

The earlier vegetarian meal had been delicious. Now, with generous portions of meat and white rice, the aroma was even more tempting. He ate four large bowls of rice and twice asked for more food before finally stopping.

The Young Novice Monks stared, dumbfounded. Even Chen Hai and the others were taken aback.

Chen Cuo paid no attention to anyone else. Sated after the meal, he sat in the courtyard, feeling peaceful and settled, and soon fell fast asleep.

Chen Hai and the others did not dare disturb him and quietly withdrew.

As Chen Cuo slept, he naturally arrived in the Dream Marsh.

Without slowing, he walked straight to the Ghost-Faced Mask.

"It really has changed!"

Rings of Golden Light surrounded the Azure-purple Masked Immortal like ripples on water.

He stepped closer and sensed it carefully. The icy feeling was much less pronounced; in its place was a vast, weighty presence. Then he listened.

Before, he had heard waves of whispering around the Facial Mask. The whispers remained, but now they were joined by a dense murmur of chanted scripture.

By comparison, the blurry Facial Mask in his mind held no such strangeness, though a touch of golden light now mingled around its edges.

"Pill, come!"

Chen Cuo suddenly raised a hand. A pill appeared from nowhere in midair and fell into his palm.

A Clarity Pill.

He swallowed it. His five senses grew sharper, and he took another two steps toward the Facial Mask, close enough that he could almost touch the ghost face by raising his hand.

At last, the icy chill returned. At the same time, warmth enveloped him and drove it back. Whispers and chanting intertwined beside his ears.

"The Nameless Breathing Technique really does have something to it. Earlier, I vaguely sensed Golden Light approaching. My breathing must have drawn the temple's transcendent power here. This radiance should be Buddha Light—pure and weighty, with something open and upright about it. The Ghost-Faced Mask, meanwhile, is yin-aligned, eerie and cold. The two seem faintly opposed. If I breathe in Buddha Light, perhaps I can subdue the mask's chill! I wonder if that counts as refining it, and whether I can glimpse its secrets..."

At the thought, he slapped his thigh.

"Whatever the case, I have to keep staying at this temple!"

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