Ghost Pot

Chapter 46

"President Song, you are mistaken. I am merely 'luring the snake out of its hole' according to my own plan," Master Jia said with a frank smile.

"Old Man Di wishes to hear the details," Old Man Di snorted.

"President Song, you and I both know that the 'Hidden Wind Map' is in the hands of the little girl Nizi. She disappeared along with the young monk on the night Master Yidu passed away. Since you have already laid a trap in Hedong, I can only search along the Shaanxi side of the Yellow River. I have sent out some peddlers to go from village to village, spreading the word that on the sixteenth day of the third month, the birthday of Bodhisattva Zhunti, a cremation ceremony for Master Yidu will be held at Foya Temple. I expect that if the young monk Youliang learns of this news, he will definitely go to Foya Temple, and then we can capture him easily," said Master Jia.

Song Diweng nodded and said, "Good idea."

“But,” Master Jia said slowly, his sharp gaze fixed on Song Diweng’s face, “the two peddlers I sent to Qin Dong Town have vanished without a trace, neither alive nor dead.”

"Oh..." Song Diweng showed a slight look of surprise.

"Was it done by your people?" Master Jia asked coldly.

“No,” Song Diweng replied solemnly.

"That's strange. These two are not only well-trained, but also extremely alert and skilled in martial arts. How could they suddenly vanish into thin air?" Master Jia asked suspiciously.

After a moment of contemplation, Song Diweng slowly said, "You're the one who dug up Master Yidu's body and transported it to this Foya Temple by donkey cart, aren't you?"

"Indeed, it is I, Daoist Jia," Master Jia readily admitted.

Song Diweng nodded, recalling his superior's words, and cautiously said, "The disappearance of your two peddlers in Qin Dong Town is unexplained. Although it has nothing to do with me, it is very strange. Besides you and me, could there be a third party involved?"

Master Jia was taken aback by this, as he had never thought of it before.

"I heard that not long ago, a group of tomb raiders appeared in the Fengling Temple area," said Song Diweng, glancing at Master Jia.

"This is Captain Zhang and his men," Master Jia thought to himself, but he couldn't reveal this to the little dwarf. It was better to let them think of him as a lone, chivalrous thief.

"Hmm, what Chairman Song said makes a lot of sense, but who could this third-party force be?" Master Jia pretended to frown and ponder.

“That’s exactly what we need to figure out as soon as possible,” Song Diweng said calmly, then asked, “Master Jia, was the little monk You Liang and that little girl discovered at the Dharma assembly?”

"Not yet," Master Jia replied.

Chapter Sixty-Six

The cremation room of the monks at Foya Temple is a separate building located behind a side hall. It has red clay walls and a gray tile roof, with a large, mottled iron gate. A plaque hangs under the eaves, its surface stained yellowish-brown by smoke over the years, but the characters on it are still legible: "Transformation Relics". On either side of the iron gate are a couplet: the first line reads "Untainted by a speck of dust in the three thousand worlds", and the second line reads "All dharmas are empty of the twelve causes".

A young monk carried the body of Master Yidu into the furnace and placed it in a reclining position inside. Then, firewood was added, the fire was lit, and the furnace door was closed. The cremation required about a hundred pounds of dry firewood, and it would be reduced to ashes in two hours. At this moment, the monks chanted scriptures, the devotees prayed in unison, bells and chimes rang out, and incense smoke curled upwards, creating a solemn and dignified scene.

Inside the kitchen, the monk who worked in the kitchen put down his work, clasped his hands together, and silently chanted the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva mantra: "Om Hahaha Vi Samaya Svaha..."

Youliang and Master Yidu had lived together in Fengling Temple for many years and were as close as father and son. At this moment, he could no longer hold back, so with tears in his eyes, he grabbed Nizi and secretly slipped out of the kitchen and ran towards the cremation room.

Inside the cremation chamber, the fire roared and the air was filled with the faint sound of Buddhist chants. Youliang knelt down on the ground outside the iron gate with a "thud" and burst into tears.

The old monk who was chanting sutras was shocked to see this and quickly waved his hand to signal the monks beside him to take Youliang and Nizi back to the backyard.

The monk obeyed and forcefully pulled Youliang up, then grabbed Nizi with one hand and headed towards the kitchen in the backyard.

Among the crowd, two men dressed as farmers, wearing white sheepskin headscarves, noticed them. These two were Captain Zhang's men. They exchanged a glance and quietly slipped out of the crowd, following behind Youliang and Nizi.

"Senior brother," the monk said, leading Youliang and Nizi into the kitchen in the backyard, "the abbot asked us to bring these two children here."

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on them," the monk nodded. After the monk left, he went up and closed the door. He turned around and scolded, "The abbot told you to stay here properly. How could you sneak off like that?"

Just then, the wooden door was suddenly pushed open, and two rural men stumbled in.

"Outsiders are not allowed to come in here casually..." the monk with the fire said in surprise.

"Is that so?" One of the men pulled out a pistol, pointed it at the monk, and said coldly.

The other man circled behind the monk, drew his pistol, turned it around, and struck the monk hard on the back of his ear with the butt of the gun—a very professional move. The monk groaned and immediately fainted, collapsing limply to the ground.

Youliang and Nizi stared at the two people in astonishment, speechless with surprise.

"Are you Nizi?" the burly man asked.

Nizi nodded fearfully.

The other man was very strong. He reached out, grabbed the sack of rice, shook it, and poured out the rice, freeing up two empty sacks. Then the two of them opened the sacks, covered Nizi and Youliang with them, tied them up, slung them over their backs, and turned to leave...

By the Black Dragon Pool, Old Man Song and Taoist Master Jia stood facing each other, each harboring their own ulterior motives and calculating their own schemes.

"Master Jia, did you find any clues on Nizi's broken porcelain bottle?" Song Diweng asked, squinting at Jia Shiming.

"I think that glass bottle is from Southeast Asia. I should go and investigate it myself when I have time," Master Jia said evasively.

“It’s a glass bottle from Siam,” said Song Diweng, a top expert in archaeology and cultural relics, who would never be mistaken.

Master Jia nodded.

In fact, the moment he first saw the shards of glass, he recognized the turbaned, barefoot old man depicted on the porcelain vase as the great sorcerer Mengla Chaweng Bing. He then realized that Guo Zichang's adopted daughter, the girl named Nizi, was most likely the patriarch's daughter, Zumo. In the tropical rainforests of Thailand and Myanmar, he was forced to kill the patriarch, incurring the wrath of Han Sheng and others. Although this was not his intention, he still felt some guilt. Six years ago, Chairman Mao Zedong passed away, and a new leader came to power, taking control of the Central Plains. The struggle surrounding the "Geda Prophecy" also vanished. Looking at the world, he felt disheartened. He knew he could never return to Baiyun Temple, so he decided to retire to the mountains and find a successor to live out his remaining years. Unexpectedly, after searching all over the country, he couldn't find a single capable person in the world today, unlike the simple and honest ancient times when talented people were everywhere in the Central Plains.

Months ago, the director sent someone to find him, wanting him to come out of seclusion. He was initially reluctant, but after learning the secret of the "Ghost Pot," he readily agreed. After some investigation, it turned out that the secret of the "Ghost Pot" was actually held by the patriarch's daughter, Guo Ni. Alas, what a cruel twist of fate...

"Master Jia, what is it that makes you sigh?" Song Diweng's question interrupted Jia Shiming's thoughts.

"I have always wanted to find a successor to carry on the mantle of Quanzhen Taoism, so that its original Qi Gong might not be lost, but I have been unable to find one," Master Jia said with a sigh.

Song Diweng chuckled and said, "Today's society is not like ancient times. With reform and opening up, materialism is rampant, and young people are only interested in profit. They are all obsessed with money. Who would still be interested in these old relics?"

"There are some, but we don't know if they're willing to accept them," Master Jia said thoughtfully.

"Oh, who is that person? I hope he's not like my good-for-nothing apprentice Fei Ziyun, who actually got one eye blinded by a little girl," Song Diweng said with a wry smile.

It's this little girl... Master Jia thought. If he could take her as his disciple, he could not only get rid of the regret and guilt of killing his ancestor, but also obtain the secret of the "Ghost Pot" in a natural way. Then the master and disciple could start to rewrite the course of Chinese history...

Two men wearing white sheepskin headscarves emerged from the kitchen in the backyard. Seeing no one around, they quickly crossed the open space in front of the main hall and headed straight for the mountain gate. Most of the devotees in the temple had gone to the cremation room to participate in the Dharma assembly. Only a few pilgrims remained in front of the hall to burn incense and worship Buddha. They glanced at the two men, who looked like farmers, carrying bulging burlap sacks, but didn't think much of them.

Once they were outside the mountain gate, both of them breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly went down the mountain.

In less than half an hour, the two men arrived at the cabin in the pine forest, panting heavily. They put down the sacks, someone went in to report, and Captain Zhang hurriedly pushed open the door and came out.

"Success! We've caught both kids." The man wiped the sweat from his brow and said excitedly.

"Great, go get the car and let's go immediately," Captain Zhang said with a chuckle, as he untied the sack and released Nizi and Youliang.

"Boss, what should we do with that stinky Taoist priest and the forest ranger in the house? Should we..." one of his men asked, making a "crack" gesture with his hand.

"No, once we've caught the child, that one-eyed bastard is useless. Let him be. Try not to cause any deaths. I doubt he'll dare to make a sound," Captain Zhang replied.

A van drove out of the woods, and Captain Zhang and the others pulled Nizi and Youliang into the van, then drove off along the dirt road by the edge of the woods.

"Let me go..." Master Fei shouted loudly in the small wooden house, but no one paid any attention to him anymore.

As the sound of the motor gradually faded into the distance, Master Fei's mood gradually calmed down.

“Hey, come here…” Master Fei said to the tied-up forest ranger.

Master Fei opened his teeth, bit down on the towel stuffed in the forest ranger's mouth, and forcefully shook his head, pulling the towel away. He then ordered the ranger to move behind him and slowly bit the rope knot on his hands. After a short while, the knot loosened, and Master Fei finally freed his hands, quickly untying all the ropes binding him.

"Hey, do you know where these people come from?" Master Fei asked as he rubbed his right arm, which was still not fully healed from the blows Master Yidu had struck, while untying the forest ranger's bandages.

"I...I don't know, they are...they are bandits," the forest ranger stammered, as if he were terrified.

"Alas," sighed Master Fei. He was utterly unlucky. He had originally wanted to capture the two children and make a contribution, but he hadn't expected to fall into a trap. Moreover, he had just heard outside that they had captured the little monk and Nizi. If his master found out about this, he would be in big trouble.

Damn it, who are they? Judging from their accents, they seem to come from different places. Not only are they well-coordinated, but they're also carrying guns. Master Fei has a vague feeling that this group might be from the government...

He came out of the cabin, returned to the mountain by the same route, and walked into the gate of Foya Temple with his head down and dejected.

"Ziyun, where did you go?" The little dwarf Song Diweng stood inside the mountain gate with a livid face and asked angrily.

"I... I overheard pilgrims talking about two children at the foot of the mountain, and a young monk with a little girl, so I went down the mountain to investigate..." Master Fei explained, concealing the fact that he had been captured and the two children had been caught.

"Well, what happened next?" Song Diweng snorted.

“It’s not Youliang. I saw that little monk at Fengling Temple. And the little girl isn’t right either, she’s only four or five years old. They are all native locals,” Master Fei said, then quickly changed the subject and asked, “Master, have you seen that ‘Fengling Ferry’ layman?”

"Hmph, just as I expected, the 'Fenglingdu' hermit is that cunning and treacherous Daoist Jia Shiming." Song Diweng chuckled coldly.

"Oh, so he was the one pulling the strings behind the scenes," Master Fei exclaimed in surprise.

As they were talking, a noisy commotion arose from behind the side hall, signaling the end of the cremation of Master Yidu's body.

Song Diweng and Fei Daozhang also rushed over. It turned out that after the iron gate of the cremation room was opened, more than ten relics appeared in the ashes of the monk. They were as white as jade, which aroused the amazement and enlightenment of the devotees. They all devoutly chanted the Buddha's name.

"Alas, what a pity for such a venerable monk..." Song Diweng glared fiercely at Fei Ziyun.

Chapter Sixty-Seven

After bidding farewell to Master Weidu with Master Fei, Song Diweng went down the mountain feeling utterly bored.

After the cremation ceremony ended, the devotees departed one after another, while some lay Buddhists were already sitting in the dining hall waiting for their meal. The old monk, concerned about his two children, rushed to the backyard as soon as he finished chanting sutras and entered the kitchen.

The monk with the fire was sprawled on the ground, and Nizi and the young monk Youliang had vanished without a trace...

The old monk, Wei Du, thought to himself, "This is bad!" He quickly bent down to examine the monk and saw bluish bruising behind the monk's ear at the Shaoyang Sanjiao Meridian's cranial acupoint. This area is densely packed with nerves, and "all the body's energy flows through the ear," making a blow there extremely dangerous. Wei Du dared not delay and quickly placed his right palm on the monk's ear acupoint, slowly channeling some of his inner energy into it. After a short while, the monk slowly awoke, calling out, "Abbot..."

"What happened? Where are the two children?" Wei Du asked hurriedly.

"Two farmers rushed in and knocked me unconscious. I don't know anything else... Oh, and they had guns," the monk said weakly.

The old monk straightened up and saw two piles of rice scattered on the ground in the corner of the wall, but the sack was nowhere to be seen.

These two so-called "farmers" must have taken the two children away with sacks, and they even had guns... Who could they be? The old monk pondered this, and then went out to order the supervising monk to immediately inquire if anyone had seen two farmers carrying sacks out of the temple.

Soon, two pilgrims were brought before the old monk, who bowed and said, “Master, when we were offering incense in the main hall, we saw those two people. They wore white sheepskin headscarves, black trousers and jackets with cloth belts, and each carried two bulging burlap sacks on their backs. They walked through the courtyard in front of the hall and out of the mountain gate.”

"How long has it been?" Wei Du asked.

"It was right when the monks were cremating the dead over there..." a pilgrim recalled.

"So it's been almost an hour," the old monk sighed. In that case, those two people must have already gone far away.

The old monk continued to inquire about the appearances of the two men, then summoned the head monk of the temple and explained that he needed to go down the mountain on business and asked him to take over the duties of the abbot.

"Abbot, when will you return?" the head monk asked.

"It could take a few days, or more than a month," Wei Du replied. In truth, he wasn't entirely sure. In any case, he had to find Ni Zi, no matter how long it took; otherwise, he would have no face to face his senior brother Yi Du in heaven…

After quickly packing his belongings, the old monk Weidu hurriedly descended the mountain without even eating.

At this moment, dark clouds obscured the sun, a cool breeze was blowing, and spring rain was falling. The Tongguan Road was shrouded in mist.

The old monk, who had not yet been saved, stood by the roadside at the foot of Buddha Head Cliff, holding up a yellow oilcloth umbrella, pondering the possible whereabouts of the two people.

To the north lies the Yellow River, to the east the Longhai Railway and endless stretches of remote villages, and to the south, mountains with rugged, difficult roads and sparse population. Only by heading west, along a ten-kilometer stretch of gravel road, can one reach Tongguan. The two children, crammed into a sack, were conspicuous, necessitating a vehicle. These armed men were undoubtedly outsiders, and Tongguan County was the only route to Songguo Mountain; it was a well-connected, densely populated area, offering easy concealment.

With this in mind, the old monk Weidu quickened his pace and headed straight west towards Tongguan.

South of Tongguan, the Qinling Mountains rise and fall, with wisps of clouds drifting by, like threads, seemingly floating yet still, appearing suddenly and disappearing without a trace, hence the name "Qinling Cloud Screen." The Qing Dynasty scholar Dan Wenyuan once praised it: "The green mountains stand tall, their verdant hues fresh, a band of mist stretches across the sky in the twilight. Seeking seclusion far beyond Tongchuan, several villages are shrouded in white clouds."