Heavy Rain

The old monk and the villagers knelt on the ground, prostrating themselves as they silently waited for the mounted party to leave. Elder Mingli never punished his guide monk on the road, nor did he ever punish the attendant monk who cooked for him.

The guide monk had received no punishment for what had happened last night.

So this time, the guide monk walked at the front, leading Elder Mingli's "horse." Lu Feng's horse trailed his by one head, while the other five riders kept another two horse-heads behind them. The hierarchy was exceedingly clear.

The sun shone from diagonally behind them, casting the shadows of the riders and the packhorse train. As they traveled, Lu Feng swayed on the gentle mare's back, silently reciting his mantra.

At this point, he could actually tame the fiercest of horses, barring Malevolent Ghosts. Having brought the first level of divine strength in the Body Great Mudra to Great Perfection, he had enough strength to pin a horse to the ground with one hand, leaving it unable to move.

If he encountered ordinary wild animals, even bears or packs of wild wolves, he could subjugate these beasts that showed no respect for the Buddha Jewel through sheer strength. But possessing that strength was enough; there was no need to make a point of displaying it.

The attendant monks had dressed and were walking ahead, leading the horses. It seemed that the entire morning of the "Six-Syllable Great Brightness Mantra" had indeed worked. There were no signs of "burning" on their backs, nor had any of them developed a "fever."

Apart from some pain when walking pulled at their wounds, they were largely fine.

This was because Lu Feng's "Six-Syllable Great Brightness Mantra" was not yet sufficiently advanced or profound.

If his mastery of the "Six-Syllable Great Brightness Mantra" were profound enough, perhaps a single recitation could heal their injuries and restore them completely.

But Lu Feng still had a long road to travel before reaching that realm.

The clearer his mind became, the more clearly Lu Feng understood that his progress in mantra recitation was entirely due to the Ancient Scroll's blessings. Without those blessings, he was merely an ordinary monk. With the Ancient Scroll supplying the resources that sustained its blessings, he cultivated far, far faster than ordinary people.

Precisely for that reason, Lu Feng absolutely could not abandon the Ancient Scroll's Malevolent Ghost blessings. As he traveled, he knew he needed not only to subjugate Malevolent Ghosts, but also to destroy them with "great courage and strength" and obtain that current of "qi" within their bodies!

Elder Mingli signaled for an attendant monk to take some exceptionally well-preserved scripture scrolls from his wicker chest and hand them to Lu Feng.

He told him to read the scriptures as they traveled.

These scriptures were all "esoteric"-secrets that only red-robed monks at the Sixth Stage of the Gradual Path who had received empowerment from a Lama were permitted to read.

Without a Lama, one could not and must not peruse them.

Having now reached this realm, Lu Feng was naturally permitted to read them. The first thing he saw as he opened the scriptures was "Obstacle Mara," an obstacle every monk would encounter.

There were several types of Obstacle Mara, including Life-Obstacle Mara, Obstacle Mara, and Calamity Mara. They were maras that appeared along a monk's path of cultivation to impede it, and did not manifest solely as Malevolent Ghosts.

Then how could one tell what was an Obstacle Mara?

Anything that prevented a monk from becoming a Yidam was an Obstacle Mara.

If a monk wished to ascend the stages of the Gradual Path and accomplish something, whatever stood in the way of that undertaking was an Obstacle Mara. Many Visualization Yidams featured the blood or bones of Obstacle Maras, signifying that the Yidam had long since subjugated their own Obstacle Maras.

To become a Yidam within the Three Mysteries, one also had to emulate the Yidam and subjugate the obstacles encountered in doing so.

Reading further, Lu Feng found information about the various Dharma Protectors, the Malevolent Ghosts and Outer Gods commonly found near the Endless White Pagoda Temple, and methods of dealing with them. He saw it clearly: among them was the Dakini's breath.

However, the Dakini appeared only to the northwest. The closer one came to the uninhabited region, in places without pastureland, the more frequently the Dakini appeared. To the north, meanwhile, the road toward Zajuben Temple ran through the territories of the many Tusi and Dzongben Nobles who had migrated there.

Malevolent Ghosts and Outer Gods were fewest there, and it was also the safest stretch of the entire journey.

There was even considerable commerce there. Zajuben Temple controlled extensive trade-route resources, and many outsiders operated in this area bordering the uninhabited region.

There were already so many dangers outside the uninhabited region alone.

It was hard to imagine what it was like within.

The Ganing Lineage had managed to establish itself on the edge of the uninhabited region. This lineage of Spirit Shamans was quite extraordinary as well. But Elder Mingli had not visited the Ganing Lineage's estate for many years, so he did not know how it was faring.

"The Ganing Lineage should still exist."

Elder Mingli told Lu Feng, "Whenever an Abbot Venerable enters parinirvana, the current generation's Spirit Shaman from the Ganing Lineage must come to the temple, together with the Dzongben's monastic and lay officials, the great Tusi, and the temple elders, to witness it and await the Abbot Venerable's reincarnation-to jointly witness the Abbot Venerable's passing into parinirvana.

"Once the Abbot Venerable's passing into parinirvana is confirmed, the Discipline Hall immediately seals the temple.

"A senior monk goes to the sacred mountain to offer worship. At the sacred lake on the mountain, in the presence of the temple elders, the Spirit Shaman, the great Tusi, and the Dzongben official himself, he receives enlightenment.

"Then, guided by the senior monk's enlightenment, Monastic Official Duoduo, the land's tralpa, and the Dzongben's tralpa set out together in three groups to find the Abbot Venerable's reincarnation who meets all the requirements. They bring him back and hold an enthronement ceremony.

"That ceremony must also be witnessed by the Ganing Lineage's Spirit Shaman.

"The last time the Ganing Lineage's Spirit Shaman appeared was at the Abbot Venerable's enthronement ceremony. In recent years, there have only been a few letters exchanged."

As they spoke, Lu Feng felt as though the sunlight behind him seemed to have vanished.

He looked back, and so did Elder Mingli. They saw endless black clouds rolling in from the horizon. It looked as though rain had begun falling over there, and the rain, mingled with the black clouds, swept toward them like white mist.

Lu Feng had never in his life seen rain clouds approach so quickly.

It would not be long before the rain reached them.

At the sight, the guide monk said, his face full of alarm and fear, "Venerable monk, I saw no sign that the rain god would descend today!"

Elder Mingli had no attention to spare for the guide monk.

His expression solemn, he said, "Abandon the heavy loads. Move quickly."

He gave his instructions methodically. "Now, Zhiyuan, Zhian, you two go to the rear and tell the monks to discard the sundries."

The two red-robed monks immediately wheeled their horses around and charged toward the packhorse train behind them.

"Zhiquan."

Elder Mingli said, "Ride ahead and take a look. See what the situation is at Wula Station!"

Another red-robed monk urged his horse forward, slapping his mount, and quickly vanished from sight.

Elder Mingli then said to Lu Feng, "Yongzhen, do not panic. When traveling in the Secret Dharma Region, once you leave the watchtowers, there are bound to be all manner of dangers.

"In a little while, whether or not the person who returns from ahead is Zhiquan, you must not answer or speak to him. Once this rain comes, you must trust no one but me.

"Yongzhen, do you understand what I have said?"

Lu Feng pressed his palms together and said, "I shall obey your command, Lama."

Elder Mingli nodded slightly. Lu Feng looked back and saw the attendant monks hurriedly unloading nonessential supplies from the horses and throwing them straight onto the ground.

The two venerable Dharma Protector monks, Zhiyuan and Zhian, kept riding circles around the men, lashing anyone who moved too slowly.

Under such "encouragement," everyone moved with extraordinary speed. Only when Elder Mingli saw that they had nearly finished did he give the order to set out.

The attendant monks broke into a run, leading their horses.

But by then, the distant rain was almost upon them.

Lu Feng looked back and saw ominous things writhing within the black clouds.

And enormous figures looming indistinctly in the rain.

"They" had arrived.