Disease of Lung Madness

"Yes."

Zhou Yang sighed.

For the master and apprentice to survive, the current situation was unavoidable.

But they have only just overcome one hurdle; the next interrogation at the temple might be the second.

In conclusion, it seems that it would be the most peaceful thing for Gonpo and Zhou Yang to die on Narong Mountain right now.

In this kind of world, just wanting to live is a sin.

"Then, what should we do?"

Gonpo had become somewhat accustomed to listening to this madman Aji.

In a situation like this, it should have been the master who came up with the idea and had the disciple carry it out.

But the current situation is clearly reversed.

Zhou Yang shook his head. "There's no other way. We can only take it one step at a time. It won't be long before the people in the temple find out that Deqin is dead."

"Deqin is dead. They probably think we're all dead too—they might not think of us here for a while. We'll see what to do when they find out we're still alive and come looking for us."

"Are we just going to wait like this?" Gonpo felt uneasy.

Zhou Yang looked at him and said, "Are you suggesting we go to the temple and tell them that Deqin is dead?"

"Is that how a ruthless person like us behaves?"

People whose lives are as insignificant as blades of grass have had all their courage worn away by the harshness of life.

When faced with misfortune, people like Gonpo and Aji, who are considered ruthless and unscrupulous, should have first buried their heads and pretended not to see it.

In such situations, taking the initiative to speak up, seemingly demonstrating initiative and resolving the matter, might actually make the temple think it's an attempt to cover up the truth. If they become suspicious, it will be detrimental to the situation.

As for fleeing elsewhere— Zhou Yang roughly understood that each place in this region had its own lord or chieftain, and all the black bones were human bodies attached to these lords. Only the monks in the temple could "transcend the three realms."

But this temple is not a peaceful place either.

Thus, people like Gonpo, Aji, and Zhuoma, who appear to be able to walk and run, actually have invisible shackles on their feet and invisible chains around their necks.

If they escape from here and go elsewhere, they will surely be treated as runaway slaves by other lords and chieftains. Who would offend the original masters of these worthless and useless runaway slaves for a few?

If you were to run away without any preparation, the situation you would face would likely be even more dangerous.

From now on, we should just honestly do what needs to be done and follow the steps.

After thinking for a moment, Gonpo lowered his head dejectedly. "Yes, this is truly the only way..."

"What exactly did they want from killing Zhuoma so many times?"

"I released Zhuoma back to heaven, and her ' Primordial Right Consciousness ' was placed in her soul."

"Could the lamas in the temple also have similar motives?"

Zhou Yang pondered to himself.

Aji's voice rang in his mind at that moment:

"It's for building a ' Secret Mandala '."

"Select six people born on the same day and month as yourself, and bestow upon them corresponding initiations and secret incantations. Then, gouge out the eyes of the first person, the ears of the second, the nose of the third, the tongue of the fourth, the skin of the fifth, and the brain of the sixth..."

"These six people were shown to be demons that were not yet purified in the six senses of the monks." So, various funeral rites were performed to bury the bodies of the six people, so that the Tsen Demon "resolved to become the Lung Demon", and then the deity was activated.

"The deity then built a secret chamber, abstaining from drinking, eating, and sleeping, and observed the precepts in seclusion for several dozen days. He used secret methods to attract the six demons one by one, subdued them in turn, and constructed the ' Secret Mandala '."

Within the mandala, the "Secret Yidam" arises.

According to Aji, the reason why the lamas in the temple killed Zhuoma several times was to make the Tsen Demon Zhuoma transformed into "Lung Demon"!

Aji did not explain what Lung Demon was.

After the Tsen Demon is "demon-liberated", it will become the Lung Demon.

The lama then "subdued" the six Lung Demon and transformed them into Secret Mandala.

Within the mandala, the "Secret Yidam" arises.

Within the mandala formed by the six Lung Demon, what is this so-called "Secret Yidam"?

This so-called Secret Yidam corresponds to the lama's impure six senses—perhaps it can be seen as another side of that lama.

This method is so similar to the practice of killing someone to create a bridge, thus turning oneself into a ghost!

Could the Secret Yidam be a real ghost?! If this is the case, could the lamas in this region be raising ghosts corresponding to themselves, using the principle of "killing to build a bridge, turning themselves into ghosts"?

However, the methods they used were far more sophisticated than the "Method of Killing People to Become a Ghost circulating in opera troupes.

After they themselves manifest as demons, it seems they can still retain their self-awareness?

Zhou Yang had heard about the method of turning murderers into ghosts from the people in the opera troupe before, and the incantation that Qian Heng was clearly related to this area.

He had heard the secret incantations here before, and a suspicion had begun to form in his mind.

I never imagined that something like this would happen so soon!

Zhou Yang's mind was shaken!

Aji offered no further response to his churning thoughts.

However, Aji's appearance was timely.

His words at least gave Zhou Yang a starting point.

Zhou Yang knew what to do next.

"Master, don't you think I'm different now than when I first woke up? And even more different than when you first saw me?" Zhou Yang looked at Gonpo and asked earnestly.

Gonpo was preoccupied with the questioning from the temple when he suddenly heard Zhou Yang's words. He turned around, looked at Zhou Yang with suspicion, and after a moment said:

"You used to be a very smart person; you learned all of your father's skills."

"You've gone mad ever since you woke up."

"When I first woke up, I was even more dazed."

"Yes!" Zhou Yang nodded, "I'm much smarter now than when I first woke up!"

"I just heard Zhuoma talking to me, so I spoke to her."

"I just sewed up the leather for her!"

Upon hearing this, Gonpo exclaimed in amazement, "Yes, that's something I never expected."

"You can actually speak to the Tsen Demon —I've never seen or heard of anyone who can speak to the Tsen Demon and command it to Tsen Demon!"

"I think I actually have some kind of illness?"

"It was that Tsen Demon that caused me to get this disease." Zhou Yang patiently guided Gonpo, "Is there any disease that people get after encountering Tsen Demon or ghost? And after getting the disease, are they actually smarter and more insightful than before?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Gonpo looked at Zhou Yang, his eyes suddenly lighting up!

He suddenly realized!

He now understood why Aji was behaving so unusually!

Although Aji has gone mad, he has indeed become more intelligent!

It turns out it was because of that Tsen Demon —he was sick.

"It must be Lung Disease!"

"You've contracted Lung Disease, that's why you're like this now." Gonpo looked at Zhou Yang with delight. "Four hundred and twenty-four kinds of Lung Disease have spread from the Esoteric Treasury Domain, and only the 'Tibetan Secret Physicians' can cure these Lung Disease."

"You must have contracted this Lung Disease!"

"I've heard that there are some Lung Disease that, once contracted, don't harm people. Instead, they make people very intelligent and endow them with knowledge they didn't have before."

This disease is called "Disease of Lung Madness"!

"This disease is different from those who have ' Terma ' in their hearts. People with Terma don't go crazy; they just acquire more and more knowledge they never learned before. But the Lung Madness Disease makes people go crazy, but they also acquire some knowledge they never learned before. You were influenced by that Tsen Demon, and that's how you got the Lung Madness Disease!"

"You were already crazy after you came back from Nengsheng Liberation Temple, but now that you have Lung Madness Disease, you've become smarter again. That's a good thing!"

"But will contact with the Tsen Demon cause one to get Lung Madness Disease?"

Zhou Yang listened to Gonpo's repeated words and stared blankly for a moment.

He was still pondering what name to give to the "illness" that was afflicting him.

I never expected there would be a counterpart in real life.

The symptoms he's exhibiting right now resemble those of one of the 424 Lung Disease that originated from the Esoteric Treasury Domain — Lung Madness Disease!

Now he didn't need to make up anything anymore; everything just naturally matched up!

He quickly replied, "Yes, it was Zhuoma's Tsen Demon that made me Lung Madness Disease. From now on, you will say the same thing to everyone."

"If anyone from Zongcha Gompa Temple comes to inquire in the future, you should say that Deqin's ritual implements originally killed Tsen Demon, but Tsen Demon suddenly woke up later."

"It was at this moment that I fell ill and told you to continue the sky burial for Zhuoma!"

"Just push everything onto me, okay?" "Okay, okay." Gonpo nodded repeatedly, then looked at Zhou Yang, his expression becoming blank. "But what's the use of this?"

"The temple will still come to question us..."

"It will definitely be useful."

Zhou Yang did not explain much to Gonpo.

Gonpo knows too much, and when he faces the monks sent by the temple, he might reveal everything if he shows any weakness.

A person like him simply cannot lie or keep secrets.

It's actually advantageous to not let him know much from the beginning.

Zhou Yang then said, "From now on, you should practice in front of me several times every day, treating me like a monk from the temple."

"Whatever I ask you, you must think of a good answer and memorize it firmly in your heart—this is the most important thing for us to avoid punishment, or even death. Master, you must remember it carefully!"

"Okay, okay!" Seeing how seriously he spoke, Gonpo hurriedly nodded in agreement.

Zhou Yang's plan was actually quite simple.

The plan was to guide the monks sent by the temple to question him, making them believe that Zhuoma had transformed into Lung Demon, and that Zhou Yang himself was the only one who was related to Lung Demon and knew Lung Demon's secrets! This plan is still rather crude in retrospect, but the lama Jiawang Riba who wanted to build the "Secret Mandala" still needs to go into retreat for several dozen days.

During these several dozen days, Zhou Yang simply needed to fully demonstrate the symptoms of "Lung Madness Disease" that he had developed after being influenced by Lung Demon after going up the mountain, so that people would have a deep impression of his Lung Disease.

When the monks of Zongcha Gompa come to investigate in the future, they will most likely make wrong judgments about certain things based on his status as a "Lung Madness Disease".

In this way, with a little guidance, he could more easily convince the monks that he possessed the "secret of Drolma Longmo".

This secret might make Jiawang Riba hesitate to act rashly.

It was the key to whether Zhou Yang and Gonpo could save their lives.

Of course, Zhou Yang's current plans and proactive measures are nothing more than "taking one step, looking two steps ahead, and thinking three steps ahead".

Since nothing has happened yet, no one can say for sure what will happen next.

Zhou Yang's actions are currently just "armchair theorizing."

This place is fraught with danger and evil, and for black bones like Aji and Gonpo, the danger and terror here are far more intense.

Zhou Yang couldn't put all his eggs in one basket with the "Lung Madness Disease" and hope that it would be the key to getting through this ordeal.

He will prepare for both possibilities, whether to flee or stay; he will adapt to the situation. Subscribe to selected magazines.