Footprints of the Esoteric Treasury Domain (Thanks to Young Master Tao, Drunk and Reclining on the Crumbling Mountain, for the Alliance Master! 3K, 1_2)
"Is Father Jangpo Che?"
Zhou Yang was taken aback when he heard Aji address him as such.
The title, when put together, initially means "a father as precious as a treasure," but considering Aji's previous circumstances, it actually means "the precious person who saved my life and is like a second parent to me."
Zhou Yang hesitated for only a moment over how Aji addressed him before realizing that there was a clear emotion in Aji's voice.
Unlike before, when he imparted various secret knowledge to Zhou Yang, he was in a completely bewildered and confused state.
His soul, just as he said, had indeed returned somewhat.
"There's no need to call me that," Zhou Yang said with a smile. "Nothing is more precious than your parents who gave birth to you and raised you."
"By saving you, I am also saving myself."
"The Terma you obtained has also greatly helped me."
"No, that's not how it is!" Aji said firmly. "My soul was suppressed under the Luodu Golden Pagoda. The cycle of a day and night in the world felt like a year to me. During these many agonizing times, I longed for someone to save me again, just as my father had sought a way out for me. But my father is dead, and no one can truly save me."
"But you answered my request at that time! From that moment on, I resolved to love you as I would my father, and to serve you as I would my father!"
What Aji said in his emotional state was naturally extremely sincere.
But Zhou Yang still found it nauseating and awkward to hear.
He himself is still a young man, yet he's about to become another young man's "second parent"?
But Aji insisted on calling him that, and he really couldn't refuse.
Through Aji's words, Zhou Yang also understood something—every time he went out on Karmic Retribution Body, it was equivalent to him responding to these beings' requests for help.
Noting this down, he smiled and asked Aji, "You said a wisp of your soul has returned; what does that mean?"
Have not all of your souls returned?
"Still can't control your body?"
As he spoke, Zhou Yang glanced at Aji's Karmic Retribution Body.
In Aji's resume, there have also been changes in the "Mindfulness" section:
"Mindfulness: Mindfulness 1 (Esoteric Nature Regression 8)." Zhou Yang clearly remembered that in Aji's Mindfulness column, the words "Esoteric Nature Complete" were clearly written.
Now, he has gained a Mindfulness, which has ironically caused his Esoteric Nature to regress to "8".
"Esoteric Nature Complete, it is the same level as Mindfulness reaching level 9."
"Previously, Aji was not a monk of a secret sect, had not undergone systematic practice, and could not have reached the level of Esoteric Nature Complete."
"It was Luodu Terma Mind Consciousness that elevated his Esoteric Nature to this level."
"Previously, Luodu held the dominant position within Aji's soul, but now that Aji has gathered a wisp of Mindfulness, the situation has changed, allowing a trace of his soul to return..."
Zhou Yang pondered this and then said to Aji, "Did you and your father go to the Nengsheng Liberation Grand Temple to build a golden pagoda for ' Luodu '?"
"Who exactly is this Luodu?"
"Luodu..." Upon hearing Zhou Yang mention this name, Aji's voice clearly became fearful. "Luodu was the Hutuktu of Nengsheng Liberation Temple."
"We are committed to demolishing his body and building a golden pagoda for his remains."
"His physical body has been corrupted by the ' Esoteric Treasury Domain,' and he is the root cause of the Golden Pagoda's mutation and all the calamities!"
"Father, Zhenboqi, it's no longer safe here in Linzang. You'd better run away quickly!" The footprints of the Esoteric Treasury Domain have already appeared on some people here—on the Maji family. Sooner or later, this place will also be trampled down by the Esoteric Treasury Domain and become a "Great Darkness No-Man's Land"!
The Great Darkness No-Man's Land!
Zhou Yang's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this!
This so-called "Great Darkness No-Man's Land" sounds far more terrifying than a "Ghost Lands"!
"The footprints of the Esoteric Treasury Domain appeared on the Maji family?" Zhou Yang keenly grasped the key point in Aji's words. He frowned. "If I remember correctly, the Maji family sent people to intercept and kill you and your father."
"They shouldn't have gone to Nengsheng Liberation Temple, so how come the footprints from the Esoteric Treasury Domain also appeared on the Maji family?"
Aji feared the tunnel:
"The footprints of the Esoteric Treasury Domain are carried away by the wind."
Where the wind passes, all living things will bear its footprints.
"The place where Maji's family ambushed my father and me was just a few dozen miles away from Nengsheng Liberation Temple... When the wind blew onto them, they also bore the footprints of the Esoteric Treasury Domain..."
Aji's explanation was quite mysterious.
It seemed that the footprints in that "Esoteric Treasury Domain" could be carried by the wind. But after careful consideration, Zhou Yang felt that something was amiss.
The wind howls, and a day can take hundreds or thousands of miles. This region of Linzang is adjacent to the Esoteric Treasury Domain.
In the past few days, if the footprints in the Esoteric Treasury Domain were truly spread by the wind, they would have already spread Linzang region, affecting all living things. It's impossible that only the Maji family was affected.
Moreover, Zhou Yang remembered that when he first woke up in Linzang City, Zhuoma Ajia clearly stated that the sorcerer Oba Mi, who had poisoned her father, had boasted about killing people with curses in Linzang City.
It's clear that the tantric practitioner was still lively and energetic just a few days ago when he left the vicinity of Nengsheng Liberation Temple.
But Aji claims that the footprints of the Esoteric Treasury Domain have appeared on the people of Maji's family—a statement that is not entirely unbelievable.
However, the methods and channels through which the "footprints" were spread still need to be carefully examined before they can be truly confirmed.
And, are those so-called "footprints" really just the footprint of a foot as Zhou Yang understands them? Zhou Yang thinks that may not be the case.
What exactly were those footprints?
What exactly is within the Esoteric Treasury Domain, or rather, within the Esoteric Treasury Domain itself?
"How did Luodu get corrupted by the Esoteric Treasury Domain?"
Zhou Yang continued to bombard Aji with questions. Aji grew increasingly frightened, his voice trembling:
"When we were building the golden pagoda, we heard some rumors..."
"Luodu Hutuktu of Nengsheng Liberation Temple died at the age of thirty-nine, when he was still in his prime."
"Some say that Luodu dreamed of the ' Spirit-Roaming Guru ' in the Esoteric Treasury Domain while he was sleeping, and then followed the master to practice. As a result, the Spirit-Roaming Guru stuck to Luodu's body... When the monks in the temple were cleaning Luodu's remains, they saw that the Spirit-Roaming Guru's head was growing on the back of his neck."
"The half of the Spirit-Roaming Guru's face was stuck to the half of Luodu's face!"
"Some people say that it was the temple's ' Jangchub Lhamo ' protector who was often unrestrained during those nights and would go out of the temple to play around."
When it returns, the soles of Mi Xiang's boots will be covered with dirt and grass.
"It went to the Esoteric Treasury Domain and brought disaster back with it. A person named ' Auspiciousness ' suddenly appeared in the temple. She did not look like an ordinary woman. The lamas brought her to Luodu. I don't know what happened afterward, but Luodu's body and Auspiciousness's body became stuck together."
Luodu died just like that...
"Some say that Auspiciousness was a woman who often appeared near the Nengsheng Liberation Temple. An old man saw this young and beautiful woman decades ago, and a child saw her again decades later. She was still young and beautiful. Luodu later saw her..."
"As for what exactly the footprints in the Esoteric Treasury Domain are... I don't know what they are."
"I just felt that's the right name for it. The Esoteric Treasury Domain is where all secrets are buried."
"Luodu's Terma were also retrieved from the Esoteric Treasury Domain."
Aji's last words sent a chill down Zhou Yang's spine!
He then asked Aji, "Is the key to achieving Upright Origin and Right Enlightenment also taken from the Esoteric Treasury Domain?"
"Yes," Aji replied, "This is the most crucial part of the Terma."
"By following this mantra, one can cultivate the Upright Origin, and thereafter use the Upright Origin essence to subdue evil spirits... All kinds of wonders are contained within this mantra."
Zhou Yang remained silent for a moment.
This mnemonic is truly ingenious.
However, it has a deep connection with the Esoteric Treasury Domain.
Zhou Yang therefore developed a sense of apprehension towards this formula.
He composed himself, and after a moment, asked Aji a crucial question, "Aji, you said that the Maji family members were tainted by the footprints of the Esoteric Treasury Domain. Did you truly see their family members tainted by the footprints of the Esoteric Treasury Domain?"
"Otherwise, how did you know their house had that footprint on it?"
When Aji heard Zhou Yang's question, his voice suddenly became confused. "Yes..."
"I never actually met anyone from the Maji family, nor did I get that footprint."
"How can I be so certain that someone in their family has that footprint on their skin?"
I wasn't lying...
"At my Maji's house, someone actually had that footprint on their skin..."
But how could I know that?
"Where do I come from...?"
At this point, Aji paused.
Suddenly she said, "Father, Ginbochera, it's because of that footprint that I'm carrying it on my back too..."
He began to sob softly, "That footprint, I carried it on my back too. Help me, Father, Jennyochela!"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yang's face immediately stiffened!
His inner emotions were churning, but he insisted on putting on a show that nothing had happened.
His scalp tingled!
He had previously heard Aji's words and wondered if he should take Aji's Ajia, along with Gonpo and the others, to hide somewhere further away from the Esoteric Treasury Domain, outside of Linzang.
Looking at it now, what's the point of hiding anymore?!
The footprints were already on Aji's back; hiding at the ends of the earth wouldn't make a difference!
The only way is to confront the disaster itself...
Zhou Yang's turbulent thoughts calmed down, and he gently said to Aji, "Don't be afraid, I will save you."
Aji's soul seemed to be sinking into silence again due to confusion and panic. In any case, he could not let this hard-won soul be returned to the so-called golden tower.
"To save others, you must first save yourself, Aji."
"If you want me to save you, you must also save yourself." "How can I save myself, Abba, Jennyochela?"
"From now on, you will recite one of the sages' articles with me every day. After you understand its meaning, you will then recite the next article. In this way, I will save your soul and correct your mind," Zhou Yang said.
When he faced a life-or-death crisis in Guan Village, he relied on those classic texts of sages to get through it.
Now, Aji may well be able to use this to continue to Upright Heart and increase his Mindfulness.
"Is it chanting scriptures?" Aji asked, feeling a little scared upon hearing the sound.
Zhou Yang laughed and said, "Instead of reciting scriptures, read the books of sages and virtuous men to understand the great principles."
"Right now, I will first teach you the chapter on ' The Art of the Mind '."
"The way to be a general is to first govern one's own mind."
"Even if Mount Tai collapses before you, your expression will not change; even if a deer leaps about, your eyes will not blink. Only then can you control advantages and disadvantages, and be ready to face the enemy..."