Chapter 233: Repaying a Vow

I saw that at this time, the rest of the people were sleeping very soundly; everyone was really exhausted, so there was no need to disturb the others over Uncle Ming's petty cleverness. Thus, without further ado, I snatched the backpack back from Uncle Ming's hands, placed it under my head as a pillow, and told Uncle Ming that if he wanted to leave, he could, but he couldn't take anything with him, since we also needed to use it. If he didn't want to leave, he should quickly find a place to rest properly and not wake anyone else.

Uncle Ming had no choice but to return helplessly, sitting on the ground and whispering to me: "Old Brother Hu... let me say one more thing—that the Hammi King's ancient tomb not collapsing once is truly a pity for this skill of the Gold-Tapping Corpse Seekers. If we cooperate, we can surely pull off a big job. Don't look at my age, but throughout history, how many old generals have grown stronger with age? Zhao State's Li Po understood military tactics, and Han Dynasty's Ma Yuan pacified the nation..." I pursed my lips, simply closed my eyes, and went to sleep, ignoring him further. Uncle Ming felt bored, tried to run but failed, inevitably felt awkward, and could only rest where he was. This time, I truly slept with the vast heavens and earth open, my soul wandering far, dreaming of my homeland. I don't know how long I slept before being awakened by Shirley Yang. The sky had already brightened; the mountain weather changes as it says, and taking advantage of the clear, high skies, we must leave this valley now. The underground volcanic belt is unusually active, and the sulfur smell in the valley is much stronger than at night. Although it's hard to judge whether danger will occur, this place is not suitable for lingering. We also have almost nothing left, so no need for much preparation. Thus, Pangzi carried Xiang as before, and we set off.

After emerging from underground, the diving watch of Xitiecheng had already been scrapped; the compass on it had lost its function. Although this multifunctional watch fully adapts to harsh outdoor natural environments, it has one flaw: it is water-resistant but not airtight. Precision mechanical watches fear water vapor most—hot steam easily enters the sealed case, and even slight pressure changes inside can cause delicate parts to loosen or fall off. Mechanical positioning was now impossible, but fortunately, the direction of Gu Bone Gully is very clear. After exiting, however, upon reaching high-altitude mountain areas, we would need to rely on wilderness survival experience to find our way.

The group walked westward, exited the valley, and still had to detour around Longding Glacier before reaching another burial trench. The supply camp's yak team should be waiting for us there. Although we tried to walk through low-lying areas, the altitude still rose sharply, and the temperature kept dropping as we went. In the ancient cypress forest flanked by glaciers on both sides, scattered stones covered the ground, and walking among them felt like being in a great river of stone and wood. Occasionally, among the high-altitude rubble, one could see blooming snow lotuses—beautiful, pure white, with a pleasant fragrance. Actually, snow lotuses are not as precious and rare as legends claim; they can be seen in markets near glaciers, and local Tibetan monks commonly use them medicinally. Only the Heart-of-Ice Snow Lotus is extraordinary and rarely seen.

After walking for half a day, the clouds in the sky gradually thinned, and the mysterious snow peak of Kalamir unexpectedly unveiled its veil. Looking up toward the heights, several great snow mountains surrounding Longding Glacier appeared, as if a goddess had donned a silver crown, radiating dazzling light, towering proudly over the heavens, appearing extraordinarily graceful. The rare, splendid ice forests at mid-mountain resembled diamonds embedded in the edge of a silver crown—a world of glass. If not for the thin clouds, such a fantastical, enchanting sight would be invisible. Countless strange stones formed by glacial meltwater created stone forests below, dense and extending downward, merging with the ancient forests at lower elevations.

The glacier's meltwater flowed beneath the forest floor, emitting a rhythmic ding-dong sound, as if a fairy's jade fingers were lightly plucking harp strings, pouring out a string of moving notes. Although we were cold and hungry, feeling our breath strained, seeing such a fairyland-like scenery, we couldn't help but sigh that it was truly wonderful to be alive and have come this far.

At the forest's edge, everyone felt their strength near its limit; Pangzi was panting in a heap, his face swollen and purple, so we had to first put Xiang down—we couldn't move without resting. Xiang was even more unable to catch her breath. I knew this wasn't mere fatigue but an altitude sickness reaction from overexertion on the plateau. If we kept walking, with altitude gradually increasing, this breath would never stabilize—we could only rest in place until their altitude sickness eased. But without oxygen bottles, Xiang probably couldn't endure it.

I also felt my chest suffocating and uncomfortable. Gazing at the distant endless mountains and seas of forest, I truly didn't know how much farther we had to go. Worrying in my heart, I suddenly spotted several figures on a distant mountain slope. I thought my eyes were dazzled by the snow mountain's silver light, so I rubbed them and looked again carefully—no mistake, there really were people. Shirley Yang and the others also saw them. Judging by their attire, they were exactly the few local porters who had entered the mountains with us.

Those four people hadn't noticed us; they seemed to be facing the clearing clouds and mist, devoutly worshipping the divine peak, continuously kowtowing. Seeing that we had finally found the yak team, everyone's spirits lifted instantly. Supporting each other, we waved and greeted as we walked toward those porters. Upon approaching, the porters also noticed us, equally delighted, pointing at the snow peak and gesturing for us to look that way too.

Following their fingers, I looked toward the extreme height and saw more than ten strong, massive wild yaks, like blocks of black giant stones, slowly moving forward, as if walking along the skyline. They were twice the size of ordinary yaks—a typical high-altitude animal, extremely cold-resistant, very rare in number, inhabiting and roaming near mountains untouched by humans, possessing tenacious and extraordinary vitality. Locals regard them as divine, symbols of boundless auspicious power. Normally, seeing even one is rare; this time, a glance revealed a whole herd—such a splendid omen, no wonder these people were so excited.

This herd of wild yaks, the larger ones, were about four meters long, majestic and imposing, with thick, impressive horns, covered in long, thick black hair, and the belly hair long enough to reach the ground. Their spiny-tongued tongues, horns, and hooves were their three weapons; even Tibetan bears and wolf packs dared not provoke them. It appeared this herd of wild yaks was treading snow and ice toward the basin on the other side of the high mountain.

Watching that herd slowly walking on the heavenly road, one couldn't help but feel awe—for nature and life. Everyone witnessed one head after another of these large, silent yaks gradually disappearing behind the snow mountain's ridge. The mountain clouds gathered again, re-wrapping the silver snow peak. We felt a sense of loss in our hearts, yet still stared blankly at the clouds for a long time before coming back to ourselves.

Due to the rapid rise in geothermal heat, the clouds over the snow peak were dispersed, revealing the snow peak's true form. This rare opportunity, occurring once in a thousand years, was meant for worship and kowtowing. The few porters left to guard the supply camp had come to pray for the divine peak's protection, and unexpectedly saw the auspicious wild yaks, all overjoyed. A few days earlier, a cold wave had appeared on the glacier, followed by an avalanche; they had been very worried. Now, seeing us return safely, they kept turning their prayer wheels, endlessly praising the Buddha's kindness and mercy. Regarding the death of Chu Yi, although they felt regret, local herders have a completely different view of life and death than we do. To die beneath the holy snow peak is a supremely meritorious and perfect virtue—especially since he had slain the white wolf king, the incarnation of Kunlun Mountain demons. In his next life, Chu Yi will surely become the Buddha's Changzhu (Changzhu: the sound of a dragon's roar like an eagle's cry) guardian deity. May his spirit bless Kalamir to never again suffer the threat of wolf disasters.

The supply camp had ample equipment and medicine; Xiang's worsening condition had been stabilized. Lying on the yak's back with an oxygen bottle inserted for two days, she was temporarily out of danger. Shirley Yang said she wanted to take Xiang to the United States to prevent Uncle Ming from selling her later. In the U. S., she could undergo eye surgery to live a normal life thereafter.

We packed up camp and set off, riding the yaks, finally leaving Kalamir's towering mountains and returning to the barren Zajie Xigu grassland. Seeing our group return, the herders bustled to make glutinous rice balls for us, brew butter tea, and soon began serving meals one after another, letting everyone eat and drink. Although it wasn't as luxurious as the dinner we had before entering the mountains, it was still very rich and delicious—first, hand-grabbed mutton, then thin-skinned, meaty Tibetan buns, fried rice with white sugar and raisins, and finally, each person a large bowl of yogurt.

We hadn't eaten such a proper meal in many days. We swung our cheeks wide and ate voraciously until we could no longer sit down. Then, reluctantly, we let the herders clear the leftover food and dishes. Afterward, we even asked: "What time will breakfast be served tomorrow?" Of course, such people mainly refer to me, Pangzi, and Uncle Ming. Shirley Yang wasn't as lowly as us, and Xiang didn't eat much—only drank two bowls of yogurt.

That night, I told the Iron Staff Lama about our mountain expedition. After listening, he remarked: "Auspicious indeed, a rare and wonderful encounter beyond counting—truly a blissful radiance. This is not only your fortune but also the Buddha's protection upon you. This body is a vessel of the sea of suffering, just like one's enemy. If one can have the fate to make good use of this body, then it becomes the foundation of auspiciousness..."

The Iron Staff Lama was not well versed in the Chu Chen Pearl, so I simply explained a bit of music to him. Actually, the Chu Chen Pearl is the Phoenix's Gallbladder. Tibetan esoteric Buddhism also has feng shui sayings, similar to Central Plains feng shui theory, but with different terminology. Just as in the Kalamir mountain area, the esoteric sect calls it the Phoenix Divine Palace—the land of the phoenix bird; whereas in Qingniao feng shui, it refers to the spine of heaven and earth, the Longding peak, the place where yin and yang unite.

After the fall of the Demon State, the Phoenix's Gallbladder flowed into the Central Plains. During the Zhou Dynasty, the royal nobles in charge of divination, through candlelit turtle divination, predicted this was a secret device symbolizing the cycle of life and rebirth, and that it originated from the land of the phoenix. But how to use it correctly—no divination yielded any clue. Only a few who mastered the Sixteen-Character Heavenly Divination could glimpse its mystery. That Sixteen-Character Hanging Divination Chart has long been lost; we can only imagine its content through some speculation. Since the Qin and Han dynasties, some privileged classes have retained the anomalous dragon bones of Fengming Qishan, possibly also out of a longing for immortality, hoping one day to unlock its secret.

In fact, the Phoenix's Gallbladder was actually used by the Demon State as a sacrificial vessel for worshipping the Ghost Cave. The Phoenix Divine Palace has a unique geographical location, containing two pools. If explained by yin-yang feng shui, these two pools are the two small black and white circles in the Taiji diagram. The Taiji diagram has a line separating black and white yin and yang in the middle; the black and white sides symbolize the unity of yin and yang. The pools in the Phoenix Divine Palace represent these two points. If these two points are covered with opposite colors, then yin and yang are no longer merged but clearly separated.

I had the Iron Staff Lama look at the eye mark on my back—it had already turned from red to black. This indicates that the channel between reality and the imaginary number space has been completely severed. I have finally freed myself from the entanglement of the Ghost Cave that places people in deadly situations. However, when we left the altar, we happened to encounter Xiang's disappearance, so we were in a great hurry and forgot to retrieve the Phoenix's Gallbladder. Going back now is impossible—this cannot but be called a great regret.

The Iron Staff Lama said: "Originally, the Phoenix's Gallbladder is the Pearl of the Enemy-Subduing Treasure King mentioned in the Scripture of the Pearl of Subduing Enemies—that is, the Heroic King is like the Mani Jewel of boundless Buddhist Dharma, capable of matching the Demon State's Pearl of Reincarnation. Heaven has no boundary, earth has no law, the Demon State's residual poison remains uncleansed to this day, all phenomena transform, the world is impermanent. Your actions constitute the achievement of an unobstructed, boundless, great merit—Supreme Bliss, Wonderful Auspiciousness."

The Lama said he would still go to turn the lake and repay vows later, and asked me what my plans were. I said I was thinking of going overseas. Speaking of this, I thought of the Iron Staff Lama's advanced age—if he died on the pilgrimage to the turning lake, it would be his lifelong wish. The heavenly road of Tibet is ten thousand miles long; in this life, we probably will never meet again. My eyes began to feel sore.

The next morning, Shirley Yang discussed with the Iron Staff Lama, wanting to donate a sum of money to build a golden Buddha statue for the temples near Kalamir, to pray for the deceased. I knew Shirley Yang believes in God but not in Buddhism; she did this largely for our sake, because I and Pangzi, etc., had broken many rules during our tomb-raiding. If not for our luck, we would have died long ago. I feel deeply grateful to her in my heart.

The Iron Staff Lama brought us to a nearby temple. This temple is very small, with only two halls front and back. Nearby, some scripture stones were piled up. The temple is named White Conch Manzhe, also related to local legends. The front hall enshrines the Immortal Diamond Buddha at age eight; the back hall preserves the Tang Dynasty mural remnants left by Shi Tang. Once, this place was also glorious. The murals depict the Dragon King's palace, the Rakshasa demoness's sleeping chamber, the secret path where demon dragons roam, and the valley where fierce ghosts lurk—all demons and monsters subdued by the Immortal Diamond Buddha. On both sides are statues of the Xiangshen God, responsible for offering divine music with the wonderful melody of the pipa.

According to locals, because this place is remote and sparsely populated, the incense at this Immortal Diamond Buddha Temple has not been prosperous. Over thousands of years, time has passed in an instant; now only one-third of its original scale remains, and it is already quite dilapidated. Long ago, this place originally had three Buddha halls, enshrining the Turning Wheel Diamond Buddha and the Supreme Bliss Diamond Buddha.

Shirley Yang, upon seeing it, immediately decided to donate a sum of money to restore the Diamond Buddha Temple of Kalamir to its former state. The Iron Staff Lama said Shirley Yang must be an emanation of the Lam (Fairy) of our Snowland Plateau—her merit in building temples will surely bring future blessings. Buddhist scriptures say those who possess the highest fortune in the world are of four kinds: the first is great wealth—treasures, riches, and numerous fields and properties; the second is dignified and solemn appearance, possessing the thirty-two marks...

I thought: if I truly had thirty-two faces, even changing one each day, I wouldn't repeat a face for over a month—then acquaintances wouldn't recognize each other, ha! But this is probably just a metaphor. The Buddhist hall is a solemn place; although I don't care about anything, I dare not casually ask such a rude question.

When we were leaving, Uncle Ming again wanted to stay in the temple to become a lama. I and Pangzi, without further discussion, lifted him up and started walking back. I suddenly had a bad premonition and asked Uncle Ming: "Those antiques in your Beijing residence—won't they all be fakes? Otherwise, why do you always want to run away? I tell you, Hong Kong will eventually return to the motherland. You old man, just die with this heart—this thunderbolt, you've already taken it on the crown. No matter where you run, you can't escape it."

Uncle Ming hurriedly said: "I haven't made a mistake at all—I've always bought and sold openly in business, never adulterated goods with water. Otherwise, how could everyone respectfully call me Uncle Ming? 'Ming' means clear and obvious, pure and transparent—where would I do something shameful? I just suddenly saw through the red dust, so I wanted to become a monk. It's absolutely not to run away or evade debts."

I and Pangzi immediately told Uncle Ming: "Seeing through the red dust is great—this business venture of yours lost you everything. Originally, we were reluctant to take everything as listed, but since you've seen through the red dust, made up your mind to leap beyond the Three Realms, and no longer linger in the Five Elements, those external possessions naturally come and go without attachment. So we no longer need to feel reluctant—we might as well help you clear them out cleanly, aiding Uncle Ming in early fruition. After saying that, we paid no attention to his agonized expression, and dragged him back by pulling and supporting him."