Détruisez le mal

Chapitre 24

Perhaps even a master of horror fiction like Stephen King could hardly imagine the tragic curse that awaited them.

What awaited us was Shizhong Temple.

I hope my friends can understand that most of the sacred caves and stone carvings here date back to the Tang and Song dynasties, with the most recent dating back to the Ming dynasty, several hundred years ago. This place brings together images from the ancient Nanzhao, Dali, Dai, and even Tibetan peoples, and the religious beliefs of all these ethnic groups will gradually be integrated into mainstream Chinese thought.

For millennia, the Chinese have been adept at embracing diverse beliefs while maintaining the dominance of their own. Even the Mongols and Manchus, who once conquered and ruled China, were assimilated upon entering the Central Plains. I want to tell my friends: when you enter this temple, reflect on the relationships between different ethnic groups, invaders, and the ruled. The influence of these cultures and arts is ubiquitous, just like the existence of humanity itself.

The car sped closer to Shizhong Temple. Ahead lay a Bai ethnic village, where my twelve friends were about to have a profound impact; conversely, the same could happen if we drove away.

“Hey, Dad!” Rupert called out, holding up a piece of paper torn from my notebook. “Listen to this,” he began to read what I had written: “One of the caves is most aptly named, GrottoofFemaleGenitalia, which is called the Womb Cave.”

Rupert chuckled through his nose and deleted what I had written below.

Many ethnic groups here believe that all things in the universe originated from a dark and mysterious womb, thus giving rise to cave worship. This particular cave is quite interesting; the shrine inside is about twenty inches wide and twenty-four inches high, simply carved in the shape of a cave, recording centuries of worship and praise for fertility. This cave symbolizes reproduction and procreation. China has a strong tradition of fertility worship, because without procreation, a family line ends, and families without descendants are ignored and disappear into darkness.

Unfortunately, the people on the bus didn't read these words. But their imaginations were quite vivid. What would such a strange place as a uterine cavity be like?

The ladies naturally imagined a primitive cave, filled with warmth, mystery, comfort, tranquility, and natural beauty.

The men imagined it as a crack in the mountain, overgrown with weeds, with a small entrance leading to a damp cave. Benny's imagination ran even wilder: it was a dark, damp cave teeming with bats.

Several large pots were sitting by the roadside, emitting disgusting smoke. What were they cooking?

Miss Rong made a rectangular gesture with her hand, pointing to the wall of a nearby villager's house, which turned out to be made of bricks and tiles.

Jumalin suggested stopping to take photos, and Wendy agreed. Vera ignored the men's complaints and raised her hand to tell the driver to stop. The men thought that these women were probably going on a shopping spree here.

Esme first spotted a buffalo by the roadside, its belly covered in mud. Why were its eyes blindfolded? Why were people whipping it? Wendy began frantically writing in her travel journal. Benny quickly began sketching.

Miss Rong explained: This makes the mud very soft, so it can be put into the mold. The buffalo's eyes are covered, so it won't realize it's going around in circles. Everyone stares at the buffalo, watching it pitifully and futilely circle around. It walks unsteadily, seemingly endlessly, its massive body arching to catch its breath, its nostrils flaring open whenever the whip strikes its rump.

“Good heavens, this is truly tragic,” said Mrs. Marseille. The others echoed the sentiment.

Esme was almost in tears: "Make them stop!"

“This is karma,” Miss Rong comforted them, “This water buffalo must have done something bad in its past life. It’s suffering now so that it can live a better life in the future…”

She was trying to say that the way of life is predetermined; perhaps this water buffalo was a murderer or robber in its past life, and its current suffering is simply retribution. Perhaps it can be reborn into a good family in the next cycle of reincarnation. This is a common Eastern concept of reincarnation; you can't turn a water buffalo into a human. But the most crucial question is, if the water buffalo doesn't do this work, then who will?

Miss Rong continued her philosophical speech: "Everyone needs a good house, and to build a house, you need bricks. Water buffaloes need mud bricks. Don't be sad, that's life..."

The Curse of Stone Bell Mountain (2)

She had heard that many Americans traveling to China liked Buddhism. But she didn't know that those Americans liked Zen Buddhism, a school of Buddhism that emphasizes non-thought, immobility, and abstaining from animals like water buffalo. Zen Buddhism was popular among wealthy people in San Francisco, who would buy cushions to sit on the floor and pay masters to clear their minds, completely detached from their current situation.

Miss Rong was unaware that most pet-owning Americans have immense compassion for suffering animals, and their feelings for animals are even deeper than their feelings for people. They believe that animals cannot speak for themselves, possess moral purity, and should not be abused by humans.

Miss Rong wanted to express more, like the underworld in Christianity and Chinese legends, where those who committed crimes in their lifetime are thrown into boiling oil to suffer eternal torment. Regarding the various hells, I weighed my current situation: which hell is the least terrifying and most attractive? I hope the soul-rearing facility won't force me to experience them all.