The Dakini's Breath

Several old monks gazed at Lu Feng, trembling, and prostrated themselves before him.

Lu Feng pressed his palms together and returned their salute. Beside him, the Malevolent Ghosts formed from the six monks also appeared, sweeping the surroundings clean as they chanted the Six-Syllable Great Brightness Mantra in unison. At the sight of them, the old monks knelt on the ground, not daring the slightest disobedience or disrespect.

The executioner monks did the same.

One of the old monks stepped forward and said in terror, "The land here has always been barren, with no great offerings to give. Please forgive us, Lama.

"Our temple is willing to offer everything to support you Lamas."

Lu Feng believed he spoke the truth. A glance over the village told Lu Feng that its demise was only a matter of a few years.

Even a few months or a few days would be perfectly normal.

This village fell far short of Gangcuo Baima, where Lu Feng had lived before. At the very least, Gangcuo Baima was a defensive network of watchtowers built around Ganye Temple. Whatever condition Gangcuo Baima and Ganye Temple were in now, Ganye Temple had once produced great monks bearing exalted titles.

It had held the same standing as the present-day Endless White Pagoda Temple.

Thus, even fallen on hard times, it was not something a small temple like Sunrise Temple could compare with.

As for a small temple like Sunrise Temple, Lu Feng took a couple of looks. Whether a Tusi's Official Fortress, the local estates of the Dzongben Nobles, or the manors of estate owners, all had watchtowers guarding their flanks against Malevolent Ghosts, mounted bandits, and marauding soldiers. Here, however, there were no watchtowers, only two or three dilapidated houses and a river flowing past.

There was also the temple not far away.

It would not take Malevolent Ghosts. Even a pack of starving wolves could pose an enormous threat to this place.

Looking at the old monks, Lu Feng said, "I don't need your offerings. Just take care to fetch me some clean water. I want to heat water and bathe, to attain purity."

Before attaining Great Perfection of the body, Lu Feng had to wash every day, representing "purity of the body." This was a "ritual," constantly reminding him to keep his body clean. After attaining Great Perfection of the body, he would no longer need this "ritual" to remind himself.

By then, every part of his body would already be clean, and naturally there would be no need for constant reminders. It was just like the precepts: once one's cultivation reached a certain stage, external things were no longer needed as constant reminders.

Because by then, every movement was itself a precept.

Of course, Lu Feng had yet to attain perfection, so before attaining Great Perfection of the body, there were still many things he could not do.

For instance, he could not partake of meat or fish, engage in sexual relations with women, or lose himself in sensual pleasures and extravagant amusements.

Otherwise, while cultivating Great Perfection of the mind and visualizing the wisdom of nonduality with the Dakini, "wild fantasies" would arise. Endless Malevolent Ghosts and Outer Gods would appear around him, enticing him to become an Outer God or Malevolent Ghost and luring him to abandon the Buddhist path with them.

Thus, before attaining Great Perfection.

Everything was for the sake of those two words: "pure stillness."

Upon hearing this, the old monks hurried off to fetch water.

Lu Feng saw the villagers follow the old monks to fetch water as well. Many of them, men and women alike, had no clothes.

They were simply naked.

One of the old monks even pressed his palms together and brought over an unclothed "woman" with scarcely any flesh on her bones-presumably a woman-to ask the Lama whether he needed someone to attend him in bed.

Judging by the old monk's manner, he had probably been frightened out of his wits. Who asked about bedchamber attendance in the morning?

Lu Feng glanced over, shook his head, and said, "I only want to bathe. You few go along too. Have the water heated before the sun reaches the mountaintop."

He was speaking to the burly yellow-robed monks. Earlier, he had been unable to stop the monks from carrying out punishment because it had been Elder Mingli's verbal command. Now, however, as Elder Mingli's disciple, he asked the yellow-robed monks to heat water, and naturally they would not refuse. Lu Feng had the Malevolent Ghosts remain there chanting.

He returned to the temple and told Elder Mingli everything he had done, omitting nothing. Elder Mingli had finished chanting and was drinking tea. After hearing what Lu Feng had done, he neither approved nor disapproved, merely telling him at the end, "Take that pot with you."

"There's an ointment in the third wicker trunk. It can treat fire sickness. Apply it to them."

Lu Feng pressed his palms together and said, "I pay homage to you, Lama."

Elder Mingli nodded slowly and stood up. He stroked the crown of Lu Feng's head for a while, then said, "I won't stop you from doing these things. You have a Great Compassionate Mind.

"But remember: a bodhisattva's heart, thunderbolt methods.

"A bear in the Secret Dharma Region can choose to show mercy to a wild wolf, but a wild wolf can never show mercy to a bear.

"Make your preparations. We'll leave this afternoon.

"Morning is when the Dakini travels. Great winds arise in the Secret Dharma Region, sweeping away horses and people alike.

"They form a great gale between heaven and earth.

"Only by traveling in the afternoon and evening can one avoid encountering the Dakini on her travels and being carried away by her breath.

"To travel through the Secret Dharma Region, one must have an experienced guide monk. There are strict rules for when to travel, when to stop, and when to make offerings.

"Last night's black wind may have been an Outer God traveling through the darkness, its breath stirring up this place as it moved.

"Such a thing has never been seen here before.

"I asked the guide monk today.

"Even the guide monk has little confidence about the journey onward from here. The next Wula Station was established back when the ministers of the great emperor of the Central Plains were still here-a Wula Station, a relay post.

"After the great emperor's envoys left, the Wula Station was abandoned.

"There's no knowing whether it's still usable now.

"The Ganing Lineage has had no dealings with us for decades, either.

"Whether this land can still be traveled is unknown.

"As for those monks, they still need to gather the horses and assemble our things this morning. Whatever you want to do, go and do it.

"We'll set off when the time comes.

"Only, I fear these servants will have to repay today's kindness with their lives.

"That may not be a bad thing."

Lu Feng pressed his palms together in salute once more before leaving. Elder Mingli's needle-point pupils watched his retreating figure.

Slowly, he nodded at Lu Feng's back.

Then he began chanting again.

As a senior monk of the Discipline Hall, he naturally enjoyed the privilege of not laboring.

When Lu Feng entered, he had seen clearly that the black goat's corpse was still on the floor, and traces of blood remained in the Lama's bowl. Yet Elder Mingli could see none of this. Even when the other monks stepped on the Black Sheep, their feet passed straight through.

It was as though the Black Sheep were something "empty," something "unreal."

Carrying the pot and bathtub, Lu Feng strode swiftly to the village. Sure enough, he found that these people had no vessels in which to heat water.

He applied the ointment to their bodies. The cooling sensation made the attendant monks moan aloud. The Six-Syllable Great Brightness Mantra chanted by the six eminent Malevolent Ghost monks also had an exceptionally potent effect, capable of treating "heat sickness," also called "fire sickness."

Enduring the intense pain, the attendant monks bowed and prostrated themselves before Lu Feng. He did not stop them. While the water had yet to boil, he asked them some questions about traveling through the Secret Dharma Region. In ten years, the farthest Lu Feng had traveled was to Gaqila Tusi's Official Fortress. He had never taken any other long journeys.

He had never even heard of them.

Moreover, in the Secret Dharma Region, drawing maps, reading maps, and planning travel times were themselves a kind of "skill."

There were also many taboos surrounding travel.

These, too, were a kind of "esoteric secret."

Many monks made their living from these skills.

In other words, many secrets were never passed on to outsiders. They were all barriers of knowledge.

Lu Feng did not know them.

Taking this opportunity, Lu Feng asked the monks about conditions in the Secret Dharma Region.

Hearing Lu Feng's questions, the monks did not dare withhold an answer.

They prostrated themselves,

And said, "Please ask freely, senior monk. We will tell you everything we know."