Yinshan Record

Chapter 24 Opening the Tower

A wave of comfort washed over me, as if something that had disappeared or broken within my body had been given a new lease on life.

what's the situation?
Su Che felt a sudden heaviness in his hand.

I suddenly remembered what Zhongyuan had said at the Zhongshan meeting.

Zhongyuan originally intended to invite him to join the group after he retrieved the items from the Kulin Temple, but due to unforeseen circumstances, he had to do so earlier.

Isn't what I have in my hands the very thing that Zhongyuan is going to give me?

This guy really knows how to pick his time. Does he even know that today is the day when the most powerful figures from Shanyin and Guobei counties are holding a meeting at Kulin Temple?
The newly appointed Dongwanggong of Zhongshan Society will probably be finished here after just one routine meeting.

The dark mist dissipated, leaving the ghosts puzzled.

At that moment, four large characters suddenly appeared on the stupa bearing the robes of the Buddha, who possessed both lion and lotus forms.

The characters resemble a blue dragon, swimming on the body of the pagoda.

Layer upon layer of blue bricks, gleaming with a timeless luster.

When Su Che saw the final four characters, he swallowed hard, almost letting his heart jump out of his throat.

Regardless of how these four characters were generated, they are clearly aimed at oneself.

The four characters were clearly written: “遇彻而开”.

This can't be interpreted as meaning it only opened when Emperor Wu of Han was encountered, can it?

What was the purpose of the bald monks who built this Kulin Zen Temple back then leaving this sensor door?
They can't possibly say they foresaw their own arrival back then, can they?
"Madam Xue, among the fellow cultivators here, you possess the highest level of cultivation. In your opinion, what exactly is the reason for the dissipation of the dark mist and the opening of the tower gate?"

Madam Xue remained silent.

The group of ghost monks from Kulin Temple stood up, slowly chanted the Three Refuges, and entered the lion tower.

"The yin energy here has not dissipated, but has condensed in the tower."

Lady Xue looked at the horde of ghosts that had appeared around her.

Among them was a monstrous demon named Qu Tan, whose body was hidden inside a large urn, with half of his rotten face exposed.

There was also the bloated, greenish-blue, and yellow pus-filled corpse, Bishou.

There was also the headless ghost general Yingxian, clad in heavy armor with ghostly energy concealing human faces on the armor plates, wielding a large axe and long sword.

Besides, countless ghosts and spirits, lurking in the shadows, have come here seeking their fortunes.

A group of ghosts, each harboring their own secrets, some doubtful, some hostile, some fearful, some expectant, all sorts of emotions intertwined in one place.

Since Lady Xue has turned to the path of the gods and comprehended the various emotions of the human heart, she can be said to have a clear understanding of the changes in the ghosts.

Therefore, the first thing to do is to calm the emotions of the ghosts.

"As you all should know, I aspire to the path of the gods, to regulate the spiritual veins of the Bai Cang River, and to become a river god of this region." Madam Xue looked at the group of ghosts below: "Therefore, I have also surveyed the feng shui and landforms of this area according to the course of the river."

"Guobei is to the west, Shanyin is to the east, the three rivers flow through it like veins, and the Xuan Mountain stands tall like liver and gallbladder. I have also consulted experts in divination from both the Taoist and Confucian schools. The situation of these two places together has a saying in feng shui, called 'Yama taking off the crown'."

Yama, in Buddhism, is a supreme deity in the Western Lands who governs the underworld. He shares the responsibility of reincarnation with Ksitigarbha and possesses great supernatural powers. Even in the Central Plains, many people mention his name.

Although he was in the Western Lands, his image was like that of the emperor of the Central Lands, wearing a crown and imperial robes. The so-called "Yama removing the crown" refers to Yama, the emperor, losing his crown and being swept away by the demons.

This describes a feng shui layout where ghosts and demons roam freely.

In Xuefu's view, the reason why there are so many ghosts in Guobei and so many demons in Shanyin is a kind of inevitable result from the perspective of feng shui.

The same old man, buried elsewhere, would simply turn into a handful of yellow earth, but buried in Guo Bei, he would burst out of his coffin and cause the extinction of his entire family.

"Judging from the geomantic patterns, the Kulin Temple is located precisely where the crown that Yama removed was. Logically speaking, a great ghost or demon should be born here."

"But over the years, there has only been one insignificant single-eyed creature."

Upon hearing this, the ghosts burst into laughter.

Everyone knows that this solitary monk's body was recently destroyed, and he's even abandoned his old home, the Kulin Zen Temple.
"Thinking back on it today, this may be the result of a master suppressing this place with a special method when the lineage of the Lion-Lotus Buddha built the Kulin Zen Temple here."

"Perhaps it should be on this tower."

"Does Madam mean that some kind of damned magical artifact left behind by the Buddha is hidden within?"

As soon as Ghost General Yingxian opened his mouth, the human face formed by the ghostly energy around him began to wail incessantly.

He was a general under the command of the Black Mountain Monster, leading the monster's ghost soldiers and running rampant in the Xuan Mountain area south of Shanyin County.

“It could also be some kind of inheritance or method.” Madam Xue pointed to the large gate on the Green Pagoda and said, “The group of ghost monks from the Kulin Temple just entered the pagoda from this place.”

"What do you mean, ma'am?"

This time it was Qu Tan who spoke. Half of his face bobbed up and down on the jar, and his eyes were full of greed as he looked at the tower in front of him.

"Those ghost monks were suppressed by the one-eyed monk. Not to mention cultivation, they had little intelligence left. They had almost become the earthbound beings of this withered forest temple. But just now, they were able to enter this tower based on their instincts. Perhaps there is something inside that is beneficial to the cultivation of ghosts..."

“It could also be a trap. The so-called Buddha’s teachings are just bait to lure us here, with the ultimate goal of devouring our essence.” Kushi Bishou’s voice was hoarse, like the scraping of metal, and his eyes looked at the tower in front of him with deep fear.

"What does Madam think?"

Qu Tan looked at Madam Xue. "I am devoted to the divine path and have no interest in Buddhist things. Whether it's magical treasures or inheritances, you can do whatever you want with them." Madam Xue smiled coldly.

"Then I thank you for your kindness, Madam."

Qu Tan laughed heartily.

His origins are mysterious, with a background in Buddhism, hence he took Qu as his surname.

The original name of the supreme Buddha Vairocana in Buddhism is Gautama.

Of all the ghosts before him, the only one he feared was Lady Xue.

Now that Lady Xue has made it clear that she has no interest, the things inside the tower are naturally his for the taking.

“But there’s one thing,” Madam Xue’s eyes suddenly shifted to Su Che beside her, “You are not allowed to take it all by yourself. Everyone present must be qualified to go in.”

"No problem. Do you have any objections to the oozing pus or the gas?"

Qu Tan chuckled strangely.

Let Madam Xue be a wicked ghost if she wants to be one. Anyway, she won't go into the tower; once she's inside, she'll be in charge.

"I will leave it to you, Madam."

Ghost General let out a cold snort. Ying Xian was by nature stubborn and did not like to talk back. He regarded whatever Qu Tan said as farts.

"I have a question for you, Madam."

The grotesque corpse pointed its pus-filled green finger at the four large characters on the wall.

What should be interpreted as these four characters?

Upon hearing this, Madam Xue looked at the four characters on the wall.

"The so-called enlightenment is based on the ancient saying, 'If Heaven's will is not clear, I dare not follow my friend's example of self-indulgence.' The word 'clear' originally means to follow, so perhaps it refers to enlightenment based on the right conditions."

Su Che looked at Madam Xue beside him. Could this thing be explained like that?
"I've heard that there's a newly appointed county magistrate in Shanyin County named Su Che..."

The Bitter Corpse stared at Madam Xue, its green eyes quite ferocious.

“It absolutely cannot be him.” Madam Xue looked at the bitter corpse: “You don’t know, it was this County Magistrate Su who broke through the One-Eyed Dharma Body a few days ago. If it really was opened when we met him, this tower would have opened long ago.”

It's my fault; I didn't move backward at the time.

Su Che really wanted to explain things to this Madam Xue.

"Say whatever you want, I'll go first."

Qu Tan had no time to listen to their idle chatter; he transformed into a beam of light and entered the tower.

The ghost general Yingxian immediately summoned a gust of yin wind and followed closely behind.

Countless ghosts and monsters followed closely behind.

Finally, the conservative, wretched corpse also rushed into the tower.

Before long, only Su Che, the One-Eyebrow Taoist, and Madam Xue remained.

Aren't you two going in?

Madam Xue looked at Su Che and said.

"Your humble servant will hurry back to inform the Dharma King."

"The Yin-Yang Dharma King's close advisors all call him Your Majesty." Madam Xue interrupted the One-Eyebrow Taoist: "If you want to pretend to be his subordinate in the future, you need to know this. Although he calls himself Dharma King, he hates those two words the most."

That's really awkward.

Su Che was speechless at this old devil.

"Some things are better left unsaid even if you see them clearly." Madam Xue looked at Su Che: "Don't you agree?"

"Madam, you are absolutely right."

Su Che quickly replied.

"You're lucky. If you had met me ten years ago, you could have really become subjects of the Yin-Yang Dharma King."

"Madam, you are absolutely right."

Su Che said another sentence.

"You repeated the same sentence twice." Madam Xue looked at Su Che curiously: "Is this how you coax women in Jiankang City?"

"Madam said something very well: 'See through things but don't say them out loud.' I will take this as my motto from now on."

Madam Xue suddenly smiled.

"It's good that you can do it."