Chapter 43: Echoes

The streets of Qinghe District were as they had always been.

The death of the city’s richest man did not seem to cause much of a stir.

Although the police solemnly swore that they would bring the murderer to justice, many people could not help secretly spitting in contempt when they recalled the things he had done in the past. They felt it was simply heaven carrying out justice.

With the death of the richest man, the demolition plans for Qinghe District were also put on hold.

Moreover, after certain individuals contacted the relevant authorities, the three Sanhua Temples were unexpectedly designated as protected historical relics due to their long history.

Renovation work would soon begin.

And on a certain morning, a middle-aged monk dressed in a simple coarse robe stepped into one of the temples.

The warning cordons outside failed to impede him in the slightest.

Whether iron railings or bright yellow police tape, everything passed straight through his body as he walked by, as though they did not exist.

The monk walked into the inner hall and looked at the equally aged Buddha statue.

Then he brought his palms together and bowed.

“Junior Brother, I’ve come to see you.”

“I’ve also completed everything you entrusted to me. These three temples will soon be renovated. However, I specifically instructed them not to touch the Buddha statues. They only need to repair the buildings.”

“When the time comes, incense offerings here will flourish. The bodhisattva can rest peacefully beneath the earth and sleep without concern, no longer bothering with the affairs of this place.”

“So...”

The monk suddenly raised his head and asked with a cheerful smile,

“Junior Brother, is there anything else you wish to entrust to me?”

The statue remained silent.

Yet the monk did not move.

He simply stood there, the smile on his face growing broader.

Only after a long while did a voice finally sound.

If Zhou You had been present, he would have recognized it immediately.

It was the old monk’s voice.

The clay statue slowly and stiffly lowered its head to look at the monk below.

Its smiling lips did not move in the slightest, yet a dry and withered voice emerged from within.

“Shanhui, why have you come here?”

The monk called Shanhui merely smiled.

“Junior Brother, since you entrusted these matters to me, it is only natural that I report back. Now that everything has been settled, I thought I would also come and see what you’ve become.”

Yet the statue’s tone remained cold.

“You think I would believe that?”

Shanhui shook his head with a smile.

“You don’t have to believe me, Junior Brother. But I truly only wanted to see you.”

“After all, no one understands better than I do that your cultivation of the Hungry Ghost Path had already reached a dead end. If you delayed any longer, you would either become a demon or a monstrous ghost.”

The statue did not answer.

Yet its clay face seemed to grow colder.

It even became faintly ferocious.

Shanhui acted as though he could not see it.

He simply continued speaking.

“Fortunately, Junior Brother thought of this method. By using the opportunity of the Buddha Mother’s emergence, you sought survival through death itself, attempting to usurp a Buddha with your own body.”

“Now the Buddha Mother has been sealed once more. You have accumulated immense merit, become the dharma body of Sanzhi Xiumo, and perhaps may even advance further, cultivating the form of Vaisravana, Heavenly King of the temple.”

At these words, the statue’s expression finally softened somewhat.

“It was merely a gamble.”

“There were plenty of mistakes along the way.”

“I was even nearly trapped to death by Liu Shang.”

“Fortunately, I encountered a fortunate opportunity midway through.”

At that point, the statue seemed to remember something.

It raised its head and found itself staring directly into a pair of bright, greedy eyes.

Suddenly, it laughed.

“So that’s why you made this special trip.”

“You’re looking for that opportunity as well.”

“Speaking of which, I recall that your Path of Hell isn’t in any better condition than my Hungry Ghost Path.”

“What is it? Has the flesh-growth your temple raises no longer been enough for you? Are you looking for something else to eat out here?”

The middle-aged monk looked as though a sore spot had been struck.

His expression immediately darkened.

“To be honest, Junior Brother, although I haven’t yet shown signs of dissolution, I’ve recently begun losing control as well.”

“So I wanted to borrow some of your opportunity.”

“Even if I can’t find life within death as you did, perhaps I can at least drag things out for a few more years...”

The statue rejected the idea without hesitation.

“Don’t even think about it.”

“I can’t understand this opportunity myself.”

“It doesn’t even possess a normal source.”

“I tried using the Ghost Effigy to observe his past and future, but all I saw was emptiness.”

“And there are only two possibilities.”

“Either something far beyond my level is concealing his fate, leaving me unable to detect even the slightest trace.”

“Or he simply appeared out of nowhere, born without father or mother, nurtured by heaven and earth itself, which is why he has neither past nor future.”

The statue lifted its eyes slightly.

Several traces of mockery appeared on its face.

“So, Senior Brother.”

“Which do you think it is?”

The middle-aged monk immediately fell silent.

He stood there with his hands hanging at his sides for a long time.

Then he shook his head and turned to leave.

Yet at that moment, the statue called out to him instead.

“Shanhui, for the sake of our years as fellow disciples, I can point out a path forward for you.”

The monk did not turn around.

He merely replied coldly,

“A path forward?”

“You mean the path of continuing to devour flesh-growth while slowly waiting to become an evil ghost?”

“Or perhaps the path of seeking out those mysterious people and begging some uncorrupted god or Buddha to lend me a hand?”

The statue shook its head.

“Neither.”

“Shanhui, don’t forget.”

“Of the three temples, I only occupy one.”

“The other two still stand empty.”

Unexpectedly, Shanhui merely let out a disdainful laugh.

“You want me to usurp a Buddha?”

“That does sound tempting.”

“But without your opportunity, even if I sat upon the lotus throne, I would become nothing more than a demon.”

His voice grew increasingly sarcastic.

“Besides, the bastards in this city would never allow me...”

His voice abruptly stopped.

Shanhui slowly turned around.

A look of realization appeared on his face.

The statue continued.

“Exactly.”

“The people in this city.”

“Now that the Auspicious Tranquil Ghost Mother Bodhisattva has been sealed once again, and the Liu Shang they relied upon is howling within the sea of blood, the common people of the city are safe.”

“Those people have lost all remaining value.”

“Senior Brother, why not replace them and personally tend the two Buddha statues stained with the bodhisattva’s blood?”

A long silence followed.

Only after a considerable time did Shanhui speak again.

“What about the monks themselves?”

“There are quite a few of them.”

“I don’t have the patience to subdue them one by one and win their loyalty.”

The statue laughed again.

This time, however, there was not the slightest trace of compassion within it.

“Listen to yourself.”

“Why would you need to subdue them?”

“These people have already strayed from the Buddha’s path.”

“Their eyes contain nothing but money and greed.”

“Not to mention that they nearly ruined my plans.”

“As monks, we should be compassionate and do some good deeds.”

“Send them down below to keep Liu Shang company.”

The middle-aged monk froze briefly.

Then he laughed as well.

Bringing his palms together once more, he bowed deeply.

“Very well, then.”

“I shall respectfully obey the bodhisattva’s decree.”