Empowerment

Qu Zan was weighing whether to carry water or sweep the floors that day when he was suddenly told he could go to the Sutra Academy to cultivate.

It was simply like picking up a great lump of gold while walking down the road.

Qu Zan was both surprised and delighted. He thought this must be the reward the monastery had mentioned, and felt that it all seemed only reasonable.

Doje stood dumbstruck beside him, looking dazed and foolish, as though he had yet to come to his senses.

"Ah, I made it!" Doje muttered, grinning foolishly without stopping.

The other monks looked at Gonbo with some shock, and felt some envy upon hearing that Doje had been promoted.

Then they heard that Qu Zan, who had arrived less than a year ago, had actually transformed from carp to dragon as well, becoming a Scholar Monk.

Silence fell over the entire space before the courtyard, and everyone stared fixedly at Qu Zan.

Naked jealousy now filled every pair of eyes. There was no shortage of bitterness in their gazes...

"He must have latched onto someone powerful!" someone whispered. "No wonder he spent all day following Doje and Gonbo around..."

"All right, you three, come with me..." Rinchen said.

Miba looked at Qu Zan with an exceedingly complicated gaze.

He still remembered the scene when this servant monk had arrived, yet the fellow had actually become a Scholar Monk. He himself had worked in the Servants' Courtyard for decades and had only managed to land a steward's position.

This Gyatso fellow had worked under him quietly, neither the most hardworking nor, of course, the laziest. He was clearly of middling ability, so how had he become a Scholar Monk?

Miba sighed inwardly, pressed his palms together, and invoked the Buddha's name before saying, "Congratulations, Gyatso!"

"You're too kind, Lama!" Qu Zan returned his salute.

Doje was still standing where he had been.

Qu Zan was even a little worried that, like Fan Jin passing the provincial examination, the fellow had become so overjoyed and excited that he had gone into a fit.

Qu Zan tugged at Doje and said, "Senior Brother, we should go."

Doje suddenly came to his senses, tears in his eyes. "Dad, I made it!"

Among the surrounding servant monks, some looked at the three with jealousy, some with envy, some with bitterness, and some with resentment...

The men had just rounded a corner, out of everyone's sight.

Rinchen smiled. "Congratulations, my three junior brothers! Congratulations!"

The three hurriedly pressed their palms together and returned his salute.

Gonbo then bowed to Qu Zan as well and said, "Junior Brother Gyatso, not only did you save my life, but I also benefited from it and got out of the Servants' Courtyard. Thank you, Junior Brother Gyatso."

Qu Zan respectfully returned his salute. "Not at all. Escaping the Vengeful Ghost was entirely thanks to all of you senior brothers as well."

His words were not entirely polite courtesies. Without the other senior brothers paving the way with their lives and injuries, he really would not have discovered the pattern.

Qu Zan lowered his voice and asked, "Did the Abbot subdue Ghost-Fallen Guanyin?"

Rinchen nodded. "Of course, but the Abbot was gravely injured too. Half his body was devoured by the Vengeful Ghost."

"Ah, that badly!" All three were startled. They had not expected the Abbot to suffer such grave injuries while confronting the Vengeful Ghost.

On reflection, it was only natural. The three of them had merely escaped the Vengeful Ghost's clutches, whereas the Abbot had sought to imprison it. The difficulty naturally could not be spoken of in the same breath.

Still, this also gave them an indirect glimpse of just how terrifying and vicious this Vengeful Ghost was.

"But the Abbot was very pleased."

Doje said, "How could the Abbot still be pleased after losing his body?"

"Probably because he obtained Ghost-Fallen Guanyin!" Qu Zan said.

Rinchen nodded slightly. "That's why he gave all of us substantial promotions."

"Wonderful! Now that we're out of the Servants' Courtyard, we won't have to work so hard anymore." Doje patted his belly. Rinchen cast a long look at this ignorant little fatty who was about to enter the Warrior Monk Academy.

Gonbo asked, "Where did that Ghost-Fallen Guanyin come from?"

Rinchen glanced around and said quietly, "While a monk in the academy was in a life-or-death secluded retreat, the Vengeful Ghost revived. It burst out of his body, then turned on the monk.

"I heard that the monk's internal organs-his heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys-were all eaten alive by Ghost-Fallen Guanyin.

"The scene was utterly horrifying. The entire little chamber-the floor, the ceiling, the walls-was drenched in blood and flesh."

At the thought of that terrifying scene, everyone shuddered.

Gonbo said, "Senior Brother, you just said the Vengeful Ghost burst out of his body. Why would a Vengeful Ghost be inside a body?"

"That would be the binding method. Since you're all true monks now, there's no harm in telling you," Rinchen said. "Eminent monks of great virtue subdue Vengeful Ghosts through supreme Buddhist teachings, taking them under their seats and controlling them."

"Controlling Vengeful Ghosts!" Everyone was shaken.

"Vengeful Ghosts can be controlled too? How?" Qu Zan hastily asked.

"That's beyond my knowledge. The monastery has a rigorous system of transmission. It certainly isn't something novice monks like us can comprehend," Rinchen said with a smile.

Qu Zan nodded slightly. He had also expected that something so secret would not be divulged lightly.

Qu Zan looked Rinchen up and down and said with a smile, "We've received promotions, so you must have advanced as well, Senior Brother."

Doje smiled and said, "Yes, I can see that Senior Brother Rinchen is very different from before."

"You noticed?" Rinchen laughed heartily, then lowered his voice. "Thanks to Junior Brother Gyatso, I've received empowerment and begun actual practice of the stages."

Qu Zan asked curiously, "What is empowerment?"

Rinchen put on a stern expression. "Why do you have so many questions today, Junior Brother Gyatso?"

Doje said, "It's not just Junior Brother who wants to know. We want to know too."

Rinchen's anger turned to delight. Having received benefits, he was happy and also felt a little inclined to show off, so he explained everything in detail.

"What we call empowerment is a ritual of cultivation here in Mìdì. It falls roughly into four main categories: purification empowerment, lineage empowerment, blessing empowerment, and completion empowerment..."

"What I received was 'lineage empowerment.' It permits me to practice the method of a particular tutelary deity and recite that deity's heart mantra... Practicing esoteric methods without empowerment amounts to stealing the teachings, and you will suffer punishment for it."

"Then have you mastered some supernatural powers or secret methods?" Doje asked curiously.

"Of course," Rinchen said proudly. "Otherwise, how would it be lineage empowerment? Heh heh..."

Seeing that Gonbo wanted to ask more, Rinchen said, "No need to ask. Once you've attained success in your cultivation, you too can receive empowerment and actually practice esoteric methods, becoming Stage Monks."

They walked and talked like this, and soon reached their respective courtyards.

Qu Zan went with Rinchen to the monks' quarters at the Sutra Academy.

Because there were fewer Scholar Monks and their status was quite high, Qu Zan discovered that the monastery actually gave each of them a small room to live in.

He had never received such treatment in this life, right up until now.

Only those who had squeezed onto communal sleeping platforms knew how comfortable having a room to oneself could be. It was simply paradise.

Rinchen smiled and said, "Junior Brother, I specifically chose the little room opposite mine for you. We'll be able to look out for each other from now on."

He pointed to the door opposite and handed Qu Zan the key.

Qu Zan took the key, feeling quite excited. At last, he would have a room that belonged to him alone.