My standing still made the villagers even more nervous.
They went to gather the body, wrapping it entirely in white cloth, and placed it on the road at the village entrance.
In such a remote village with steep mountains and long roads, any relevant department will show three times respect.
Especially when such a terrible incident occurs, the village will usually deal with it itself, even if it is reported, the same thing will be suppressed and handled in a muddy manner.
In the past, when I was studying the nine categories of techniques, these kinds of things were the most ordinary and unremarkable.
There were still quite a few bloodstains on the water surface, adding to the eerie atmosphere that did not disappear.
Kangbu reminded the people again to carry the body to the village, and I followed behind.
Passing by a white house, this was the place where Ma Wang had previously placed the body. However, Kangbu did not instruct anyone to carry the corpses of the Sangba family inside, but continued to walk further in.
Ma Wang stepped up to me and whispered to me that only qualified people who could go to the sky burial platform could be placed inside this house.
I said I understood.
Only after walking through the entire village and arriving at a hill at the back did we find a clearing where a white pagoda was built. Despite the sun and wind beating on it, the tower remained spotless.
There were many colorful strips of cloth hanging on the slope of the hill, arranged in pieces and stretching all the way down to the foot of the mountain, creating a special landscape.
The bodies were placed in front of the white pagoda, arranged neatly side by side.
Most of the villagers kept a relatively safe distance, with only the people carrying the bodies, Kangbu, and Ma Wang in front of me. Without exception, their tension was even greater and had not decreased.
"All of you, please leave. If anything unusual happens in the village, come to me immediately," I said.
Kangbu and the others nodded repeatedly, then hurried away.
Ma Wang originally walked a long way out, but he returned to my side again, still looking uneasy.
"This is the sacred pagoda, where villagers come to kneel and pray if they encounter any issues with Gongbu or their livestock. They only go to the temple to find lamas when it's beyond repair."
It was obvious that Ma Wang knew I wasn't well-informed about everything here, so he was explaining to me.
As for his previous address to me, "master," it reduced my trouble as well.
"Don't worry, go ahead." I gestured for Ma Wang to feel at ease.
Soon, there were no villagers left beside the white pagoda, just the bodies and myself as the only living person there.
I stood here quietly, motionless.
Time slowly passed, and by midday, the sunlight was so intense that it hurt my eyes. I had to lower my head to feel better.
"Grandpa, you're confused! How did you get involved in this??"
Lao Gong stood in front of me, his hands and feet appeared suddenly, his arms waving continuously in condemnation.
"We were completely manipulated by the A Gong Lama!"
I said that sentence with determination.
Then, I quickly explained everything to Lao Gong.
Just as I finished speaking, Lao Gong's eyes almost popped out, and his whole face looked particularly fierce.
"You damned monk! He's ugly, but he's good at thinking up things!"
"By bringing them back the living Buddha, you've destroyed my Dao heart in the process. What benefits can he possibly have from it?!"
Yes, if I witness so many deaths in the Tangdi area and, in a certain sense, it's due to my personal desires, then for me, it must become an invincible demon within my heart.
"From this perspective, if we find Zanren according to his request, even Lao Gong may not be able to survive. This old donkey cannot be judged by ordinary logic. He truly stands alone."
Just as Lao Gong finished speaking, he disappeared into thin air...
The overcast at noon lasted too briefly.
I sat cross-legged on the ground and waited quietly for nightfall.
Ma Wang came by once during that time and brought me some food, which was better than just Tsampa. The taste was decent.
I kept pondering what I should do.
I realized that it was impossible to truly follow the instructions of A Gong Lama, just like what Lao Gong said. It might not save my father, and my Dao heart would be ruined. It would only serve as a wedding dress for the fifth temple.
Can I find Zanren using other methods?
A cold breeze suddenly blew from behind, making me shiver.
Suddenly, an idea occurred to me.
It is the so-called wandering of spirits after death.
The soul of Gao Tian Daoren is beside the body.
The soul of Lei Ping Daoren is also near his coffin.
The ancestral master of women, Cixi, has also not left the body.
In the end, I was still influenced by A Gong Lama...
Why wasn't the soul of the 13th Zanren by his corpse, but wandering around outside instead?
With the existence of Five Hla Temple, the area under its jurisdiction has always been safe and sound. How could the 13th Zanren possibly go out?
The more I thought about it, the more things I came up with, and a single point expanded into countless others.
Inadvertently, the sky gradually began to darken as twilight approached, and darkness began to spread.
In silence, the bodies under the white pagoda began to tremble slightly. The white cloth wrapped around their limbs and faces started to bleed.
The moonlight cast a bright red glow on the blood, making it glaringly obvious.
There was a sharp sound, and a hand suddenly emerged from the white cloth.
The skin of the hand was very dark, and the nails were yellowish, growing extremely long.
That is a removal of evil spirits.
Not just one person, but all twelve corpses, without exception, had their hands break through the white cloth, and their bodies suddenly stood up!
That was also the reason why I didn't leave immediately.
Realizing that I had been used as a pawn, I couldn't be drawn deeper and deeper. The only way was to confront A Gong Lama and not fall into his setup.
Just as my chest has a mouthful of righteousness, as a Daoist, it's a genuine reflex not to let the entire village suffer any more accidents.
At least the villagers I've interacted with are not evil, and they are indeed sincere.
Muttering the Taoist mantra in my mind: "Dan Zhu Zheng Lun Qing Jing She, Ling Bao Tian Zun Qu Mi She, Tai Guang Shuang Ling You Jing She. Peng Ju, Peng Qiao, Peng Zhi Bu De Li Wu She. Tai Shang San Tian Wu Xu Zi Ran She."
"I clean myself with the sun and shape myself with the moon. True Person protects me, Jade Girl assists my form. The twenty-eight stars follow me in serving the lineage, and thousands of evil and impurities are driven away by my Qi. Quickly like the Law Command."
Under the protection of the five purity chants, all these newly freed spirits, without exception, fell to the ground with a bang and could no longer rise up.
The wind grew stronger and colder.
Lao Gong did not appear, as if he was afraid of something and was hiding.
During the day, I didn't notice the existence of the Luo family. Additionally, with Lao Gong's appearance at noon, it was not a problem for him to appear.
Now, my presence is interfering with the Luo family's business, and they will definitely come here to find me!
As expected, two people walked up from a distance in about ten minutes.
One of them was Luo Kang, and the other was Luo Yong!
These two are indeed acquaintances.
Luo Kang is one of Luo's people stationed in the city of Daxian, while Luo Yong has a contact point outside the county.
The last time, it was the two of them who invited Luo Zhi Zhong and allowed me to get the bone of Gao Tian Daoren. They also brought me into Luo's home.
To be honest, they deserve credit for saving my mother.
Just as the watchdog of Hei Cheng Temple, Luo's actions are all worthy of punishment.
"It's been sealed off by Five Hla Temple. You can stay here, but you're daring enough to interfere in everything. Your heart is big, and your courage is also large." Luo Yong, whose voice was rough, said, "Well, the monks at Five Hla Temple are the best. They are clean."
Luo Kang's gaze at me was as if he were looking at a corpse.
"Only the two of you? Are there others?" I asked, bowing my head.
