Chapter Fifteen: The Buddha Statue

Crash!

The rain poured down in torrents. The sky was a sullen, leaden gray, and the downpour washed over the Heavenly Buddha Temple again and again. The monks within the temple had retreated to their quarters. Aside from the mandatory morning prayers, there was nothing else to be done today.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

In the midst of the storm, someone rapped on the temple gates. The monk on duty hurried to open them. Walking in through the rain was a man wearing a bamboo hat, clad in thin, soaked clothing.

"Is it you again, Little Lai? Why not stay home and rest on such a stormy day?"

Little Lai took off his bamboo hat and said softly, "If I were to forget my prayers just because of the rain, would that not show a lack of sincerity toward the Buddha?"

The monk smiled, said nothing more, and led Little Lai to the kitchen, instructing someone to brew a bowl of ginger soup. Little Lai’s clothes were thin; if he did not warm himself, he would surely fall ill. After finishing the soup, he felt a warmth spread through his limbs.

"Rest for a while, Little Lai. It’s pouring outside; there’s no rush to pray."

Little Lai nodded, not declining the offer. For many days, he had been coming to the Heavenly Buddha Temple to offer incense and pray, playing the part of a pious devotee. He had only one goal: to find his brothers.

When he had seen his brothers’ heads shaved and led deep into the temple, his instincts told him something was wrong. But at the time, he had no chance to intervene and could only watch helplessly. Since then, he had made it a point to return, helping the monks with chores and masquerading as a devotee. The temple did not turn away such a pious visitor, and over time, he had grown familiar with the monks, who would occasionally offer him food.

Little Lai came every day, searching for an opportunity to explore the final room of the temple. Yet, each attempt had been in vain. He had considered setting another fire, but such a trick could only work once. The monks were not entirely trusting of him; after all, some had noted that he was the only one in the kitchen during the previous fire.

But today, the sudden torrential rain invigorated him. He had waited all these days for this exact moment. Under the cover of the downpour, his movements would be difficult to track.

After finishing his soup, Little Lai felt much warmer and let out a sigh of relief. The people in the kitchen were used to him and paid him no mind as he wandered about. Seizing his chance when no one was looking, he nimbly flipped out of the window.

Little Lai was a thief by trade—a "gentleman of the rafters," as they say—and his agility was exceptional. According to his brothers, he was the most talented among them. He now pushed himself to two hundred percent of his ability. With the heavy rain keeping everyone indoors, he had more opportunities than ever.

Soon, he had slipped into the area he had scouted before. Outside the small prayer hall, there was not a single monk to be seen.

Not only that, but there was no one around at all.

Little Lai scratched his head, confused. What kind of place was this, where not even a single monk would enter? His heart was filled with doubts, but the urgency to rescue his brothers outweighed his hesitation. He pushed aside his questions; saving them was all that mattered.

Since there was no one, he stopped hiding and brazenly walked up to the prayer hall. He looked left and right, confirming there was no one there and hearing no sound from within. He was overjoyed.

"Creak!"

As the door opened, Little Lai’s heart tightened, and his expression changed drastically.

Right in front of the door, an old monk sat cross-legged, his back turned to him. Little Lai nearly cried out in alarm, but after waiting for a long time, the old monk did not move a muscle.

Little Lai hesitated, then curiously stepped forward. The old monk still made no sound. When Little Lai reached the front of the monk and gave him a gentle push, he saw a face twisted with a mixture of fear, resentment, and rage.

What a hideous, distorted visage it was! Just one look was enough to give anyone nightmares. Little Lai did not know how he could discern so many emotions from that face, but as he looked at it, the suffering the man had endured seemed to bleed out from his features.

Terrified, Little Lai shoved the monk away. The body fell to the ground without a sound, as if it had no bones left. Little Lai finally regained his composure—why fear a dead man? Back when he and his brothers worked as tomb robbers, he had dared to pluck treasures right from the mouths of the dead. What was one dead monk to him?

Ignoring the corpse, Little Lai began to search the room. His brothers had been brought here; he had to find them. Yet, after searching high and low for a long time, there was no sign of them.

"Strange. Where could they hide people in this dump?"

Little Lai sighed. Had they already been taken away? He recalled rumors from the underworld about the "Art of Transforming Beasts," where evil sorcerers with magical powers could turn humans into cattle or sheep, lead them away, and then sell them after changing them back.

Could the Heavenly Buddha Temple be running such a business? Had they turned his brothers into livestock and sold them? He remembered seeing them lead cattle and sheep down the mountain a few days ago!

Thinking of this, Little Lai was furious. They were notorious thieves in the region; how could they end up as sold livestock? He kicked the altar in frustration, ready to curse, when he felt something was off.

His heart skipped a beat. As if struck by a divine intuition, he looked up.

Right in front of him, the faces of the tall, imposing Buddha statues were none other than those of his brothers.

Little Lai’s heart sank. He recalled a rumor: it was said that some Buddhist sects would craft seats with long, sharp spikes, impaling old monks to keep them upright in death. Before doing so, they would force-feed the living monks antiseptic incense oil to ensure their bodies would not decay after death. Thus, they created the legendary "immortal dharma bodies" to deceive the pious and earn vast sums of money.

Had these bald donkeys turned his brothers into immortal dharma bodies?

A fire of rage and grief ignited in Little Lai’s heart. Ignoring everything else, he scrambled up the high altar, desperate to bring his brothers down. He reached out to grab his third brother, but it didn't feel like flesh. It felt like a sponge—soft, gelatinous, and slick.

Little Lai felt a wave of nausea, but remembering it was his brother, he tried to move the body. The moment he applied force, the body suddenly slipped and collapsed on top of him. Startled, he was pinned to the ground by the massive statue. He tried to push the body off, but as he exerted force, he felt something crumble.

He froze. He looked down and realized he had pushed away a large chunk of his third brother’s body!

Horrified, Little Lai scrambled to his feet, but the "dharma body" suddenly shifted, liquefying into a viscous, sticky substance that surged and wrapped around him.

"Aaaah!"

Little Lai let out a terrified shriek as the liquid poured into his mouth and nose. Within moments, the entire mass had surged into his body.

Little Lai froze, then sat down. A moment later, he opened his eyes, a look of confusion on his face.

"Eh? Strange. Why am I here?"

He scratched his head, feeling a bit odd. "Not good, I need to leave. I came here to steal something, and I ended up falling asleep."

He hurried to his feet, leaped out of the building, and bolted toward the foot of the mountain. As the Heavenly Buddha Temple faded into the distance, Little Lai stopped, took two deep breaths, and scratched his hair again.

"Damn, so much dandruff."

He brushed the flakes from his hands and walked in the direction of home. He did not notice that the large flakes falling from his head were not dandruff at all, but small, soft bits of matter.

In an instant, those bits vanished, hiding themselves completely. By then, Little Lai had already left the perimeter of the Heavenly Buddha Temple and returned to the small town below.