Chapter 38: Where Is the Buddha?

After the first seal was broken, the sky not only failed to improve, it became even darker.

At some unknown point, the bright moon had vanished without a trace.

The entire sky seemed covered by a pitch-black curtain, from which no light could be seen anymore.

Even the sound of the wind seemed to have ceased.

“Benefactor, time is running out.”

The old monk looked up at the sky, his voice becoming hoarse and rusted.

“The Bodhisattva has already seen you and me.”

“It seems that Him does not intend to wait until the appointed number of days has passed. He is preparing to break the seals ahead of schedule.”

Having said that, he turned around, his gaze calm as an ancient well.

“This old monk intends to increase our pace.”

“Please keep up, Benefactor.”

Zhou You nodded in agreement.

After attaching another face skin to the female ghost, the two arrived at the crossroads once more.

“So, Monk, are we taking the middle path this time?”

To his surprise, the monk shook his head and rejected the suggestion outright.

“No.”

“The one in the middle possesses the greatest resentment.”

“Even with the incense, this old monk would still need to expend magical power to suppress it. Otherwise, Benefactor, you would certainly never return.”

“So this time, we shall take the right path.”

“The eyeball ghost’s territory?”

Zhou You frowned.

“But Monk, I’ve already used the cursed object for this route. How are you planning to get through?”

The old monk raised his head, revealing a face now covered in dark red blood vessels.

“Benefactor need not worry.”

“This poor monk has his own methods.”

Zhou You could only shrug and follow him forward.

The moment they stepped onto the road, the sensation of being watched by something immediately returned.

This time it was far more intense.

Goosebumps instantly spread across Zhou You’s back.

They had barely entered the road, yet it felt as though that thing was already standing right beside him.

However, seeing the monk’s steady footsteps, he took a deep breath and forced himself to remain calm.

After walking for roughly four or five minutes, the old monk suddenly stopped.

The monster hidden within the fog had already become restless, as though it might attack at any moment.

The surrounding lights flickered on and off.

Whenever one managed to glimpse inside them, it became clear that they no longer contained light bulbs, but rather blood-soaked eyeballs.

The old monk ignored them.

He gently raised a hand to his face.

His withered fingers dug into his eye sockets.

Then he pulled with brutal force.

He tore out both of his own eyes.

There was no scream.

No cry of pain.

Not even the spasmodic reaction a normal person would display after suffering such a grievous injury.

The old monk merely held the wet eyeballs in his hands and rapidly began chanting scripture.

“Thus have I heard. Once, the Buddha was in the Trayastrimsa Heaven, preaching the Dharma for His mother. At that time, throughout countless worlds in the ten directions...”

As the scripture was recited, the eyeballs rapidly solidified and hardened, becoming like genuine artificial eyes.

Then, just as Zhou You had done at the beginning, the monk crushed both of his own eyeballs without hesitation.

Splat!

Blood and fluid sprayed everywhere.

A voice of indescribable delight immediately echoed from the fog behind them.

At the same moment, the monk turned around and “looked” toward Zhou You with empty eye sockets.

“What are you waiting for?”

“Run!”

Moving at a hurried pace, Zhou You returned once more to the temple of the Vajra Protector.

This time, however, after hesitating for a long while, he finally looked at the monk’s empty eye sockets and asked,

“Monk, this is the method you mentioned for ‘bypassing the monster’?”

The old monk nodded.

“Correct.”

“All three of these monsters were created through the method of stripping things away.”

“If one wishes to pass them, one must deceive them with an object carrying yin energy, making them believe it is the thing they have lost.”

“And in this place, aside from what remains in Ghost Granny’s possession, the only suitable materials are this body of mine that has walked the Hungry Ghost Path.”

The monk’s expression remained calm, as though losing both eyes were nothing extraordinary.

“Of course, this method can only be used once.”

“If not for the two cursed objects brought by Benefactor, even if this poor monk sacrificed his life, I could only have opened a single temple.”

After explaining this to Zhou You, the old monk once again walked to the statue.

As usual, he bowed devoutly.

Then he threw himself bodily against it.

The bloodstains flowed into him.

His body swelled.

Then it deflated again like a leaking sack.

This time, however, it did not return to its original shape.

Instead, his entire body seemed to have grown a size larger.

As he walked, one could even hear liquid sloshing inside him.

The old monk paid no attention.

Using his now-blind eyes to face Zhou You, he maintained the same composed expression as always.

“My apologies, Benefactor.”

“This poor monk is now blind.”

“For the remainder of the journey, I must trouble Benefactor to guide the way.”

The third road was much calmer than the previous two.

The only difference was that their positions had been reversed.

Zhou You walked in front.

The old monk followed behind.

However, just as they were about to reach their destination, the monk suddenly spoke.

“Benefactor, simply light the incense here.”

“That monster dies upon seeing it.”

“We must first blind its senses before we can pass.”

Zhou You acknowledged the instruction and took out a lighter.

Just as he was about to ignite it, the monk suddenly said something else.

“This old monk knows very well that Benefactor has been suspicious of me since earlier.”

“But we have now reached the most critical moment.”

“There is only one thing I wish to say.”

“Please trust me.”

“At the very least, this poor monk has no intention of harming you.”

Zhou You smiled but said nothing.

Instead, he lit the incense directly.

Only then did he reply,

“Alright.”

“I trust you.”

Smoke curled upward.

Wisps of blue-gray vapor rose alongside those words.

Though there was no wind, the smoke moved on its own, as if manipulated by something unseen, drifting toward the far end of the road.

Holding the burning incense, Zhou You advanced while the old monk silently followed behind.

However, when they drew near the Devout Ghost, the incense suddenly began burning much faster.

Just like the candle in Building Four, the closer it came to a monster, the more rapidly it burned.

At that moment, the old monk stepped forward.

“Benefactor, allow me.”

Without waiting for a response, he sliced open his wrist with a fingernail.

Pitch-black, polluted blood gushed out.

Yet when it poured onto the incense, it failed to extinguish the faint flame.

Instead, the rate of burning immediately slowed.

Correspondingly, however, that entire hand of the monk transformed into bare bone.

“This incense can now last at least half an hour.”

“Benefactor, continue.”

Soon, the frail old man appeared again.

This time, however, he did not look toward Zhou You.

Instead, he stared blankly ahead.

Though he had become a fierce ghost, his expression was one of deep fascination.

He simply gazed at the smoke without moving.

Nor did he utter a single word.

Though the old monk had already lost his sight, he seemed capable of sensing the scene nonetheless.

Thus he explained from the side.

“This method of making incense from infant bones is commonly used in Tibetan esoteric traditions. ”

“It allows both humans and ghosts to see the sights they miss most dearly.”

“At this moment, he is probably reuniting with his family inside an illusion.”

Then he let out a soft sigh.

“The girl who loved beauty most had her face skinned away.”

“The child who loved gazing up at his father most had his eyes gouged out.”

“The man who treasured his family above all else lost everything.”

“Auspicious Tranquil Ghost Mother Bodhisattva is that kind of existence.”

“Him delights in taking away the things people cherish most.”

“He will even deliberately make them destroy those treasures with their own hands.”

“If He is released, this city will inevitably become a living hell.”

“This is the last one.”

“Benefactor, please hurry.”

Zhou You nodded and took the lead into the final fork in the road.

Several minutes later, the last temple appeared before him.

Seeing that the task was nearly complete, Zhou You relaxed considerably.

However, the instant he pushed open the door, every expression on his face froze.

Then, with stiff and creaking movements, he turned his head toward the old monk and asked,

“Monk, you said that once the seals on the three Buddhas were removed, the Bodhisattva could be sealed away again, right?”

The old monk nodded.

Zhou You immediately raised an arm and pointed into the temple.

“Then let me ask you something.”

“Where is the Buddha in this place?”