Chapter 325 : Curiosity
Night quickly enveloped the land. The nightscape atop the snowy mountain differed somewhat from that in the desert, though tonight there was no one to appreciate it.
Tonight, more than a dozen quarters stood empty, but Jiang Mo and the other three clearly had no intention of separating, still staying in the same room. While the others in the room sat in meditation awaiting nightfall, only Jiang Mo kept watch at the window.
They had chosen the same room as last night, with the window directly facing the room Tan Xin had emerged from that morning. From the moment the evening service ended in the temple and the chanting from the front hall ceased, Jiang Mo had been waiting. She wanted to see if Tan Xin would return, since the young monk harbored no ill intentions toward the temple. Having only stayed for a day, surely he wouldn't easily vanish like the others?
But reality disappointed Jiang Mo. She waited hour after hour, until the moon reached its zenith overhead, yet saw no one return.
At midnight, around the same time Elder Qi had summoned everyone out last night, Zhu Baiyi and the others awakened from their meditation. She glanced at the sky and said to everyone: "Let's go, and be careful."
Jiang Mo recalled last night's events, especially the survivor's descriptions this morning, and couldn't help feeling anxious. However, in front of her senior sister, she didn't reveal her timidity at all—when leaving, she even deliberately positioned herself to shield her senior sister behind her.
Perhaps because Jiang Mo had only immersed herself in cultivation these years, with too little life experience and thoughts too transparent, Yun Qingyue could see through her feigned composure to the nervousness beneath. Looking at the figure before her, clearly frightened yet still shielding her, she was both amused and touched. Without thinking, she reached out to hold the other's warm hand, offering some reassurance.
Jiang Mo felt the softness in her palm and instinctively looked back, only to see her senior sister smile at her: "Let's go."
Enchanted by that smile, Jiang Mo dazedly turned and stepped forward, all fear and trepidation cast to the winds. Only the "thump-thump" of her heartbeat echoed in her ears, her entire being feeling somewhat light.
By the time Jiang Mo came back to her senses, they had already reached the open space in front of the Great Buddha Hall.
Looking at the tightly closed hall doors, Jiang Mo recalled what she had witnessed in the hall last night, and her steps momentarily faltered. But Zhu Baiyi and Qingyu seemed fearless; they had come specifically for the Great Buddha Hall tonight and walked toward it without hesitation. After a slight pause, Jiang Mo ultimately followed—after all, based on what they'd heard, it wasn't necessarily safer outside the hall than inside.
The four once again slipped into the Great Buddha Hall without a sound, though this time Zhu Baiyi and Qingyu entered first, with Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue half a step behind. Upon entering and seeing the scene inside, Jiang Mo couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath.
Just like yesterday, the great hall wasn't empty at night—the old abbot was again keeping watch. But unlike last night, there was no ill-intentioned Elder Qi rushing in to fight... Besides the four of them, there were still two people in the hall: one the old monk, the other a young monk. Judging by those familiar features, who else could it be but Tan Xin?!
Senior Sister had indeed been right—Tan Xin had stayed for his own reasons, and he was truly safe!
Jiang Mo felt somewhat excited, but seeing the two monks sitting with palms pressed together, reciting sutras, she didn't want to rashly interrupt. Hesitant, she remained to the side, planning to see how things unfolded.
However, when it comes to patience, few in this world surpass Buddhist practitioners. Jiang Mo waited another hour, then two, then three, but the two monks before her remained motionless. By her calculation, at this time last night, they had already finished watching the spectacle and left, but the scene before her showed no sign of concluding... Jiang Mo not only grew impatient but even started feeling drowsy, secretly yawning.
After waiting another two quarters of an hour, Jiang Mo finally couldn't bear it. She tugged gently at Yun Qingyue and asked: "What are they doing?"
Yun Qingyue shook her head—she didn't know either, but instinctively felt they shouldn't interrupt.
It wasn't just Yun Qingyue who felt this way; in fact, all four present had this feeling to some degree. Because of this, Jiang Mo had continued to wait without moving, and Zhu Baiyi hadn't instructed everyone to search the hall as she had last night.
Time slowly passed without notice. Jiang Mo grew impatient, and her initial fear had largely dissipated. Combined with a feline's strong curiosity, she gradually became bored. She didn't understand what was happening between Tan Xin and the old abbot, but she knew not to disturb them. So her eyes scanned the great hall twice, finally settling on the hall doors behind her.
According to the survivor this morning, at night the temple monks all transformed into monsters, killing people and tearing out hearts without hesitation. She felt both frightened and curious, with curiosity momentarily gaining the upper hand. She wondered whether monsters roamed the temple at night.
They say curiosity kills the cat, but fortunately Jiang Mo retained enough reason not to do anything excessive—she merely peeked through the door crack.
As she looked, she found herself staring directly into a pair of dark eyes also pressed against the crack—judging by their shape, they resembled human eyes, yet not quite. The pitch-black orbs were filled with a deathly, sinister aura; looking closely, they also contained violence and madness. More terrifying was how the blackness seemed like a vortex with a powerful pull, as if one glance could draw a person in.
In that instant, the deepest fears in the human heart were stirred.
Jiang Mo was startled, her body sharply withdrawing as she nearly cried out.
Fortunately, just as her mouth half-opened, before any sound could emerge, a soft hand covered it.
"Shh," her senior sister's voice sounded by her ear, warm breath brushing past. Jiang Mo's body briefly stiffened, instantly returning from fear to reality. She blinked, and those terrifying black eyes had vanished. All she could smell was her senior sister's reassuring scent.
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Apart from the minor incident caused by Jiang Mo's recklessness, the atmosphere in the Great Buddha Hall remained very peaceful.
No one attacked the old monk, nor did he transform into that chilling stone statue. The hall's atmosphere never became gloomy or horrifying. The two monks sat facing each other, their low sutra chanting continuously filling the hall, making listeners feel at ease. Even the Buddha statues enshrined in the hall seemed to possess more of the compassionate Buddhist nature.
Thus, how could this Great Buddha Hall retain any of last night's strangeness? It was clearly no different from the great halls of countless Buddhist temples across the world!
After her fright, Jiang Mo set aside her impatience, holding her senior sister's hand and obediently waiting beside her. Though she didn't know what they were waiting for, or for how long.
Then, imperceptibly, the night dispersed, and the eastern sky began to show the first light of dawn.
Seeing the faint light filtering through the door crack, Jiang Mo finally startled awake, becoming both alert and anxious—dawn was approaching, and it was time for them to leave the temple. Yet after spending the entire night here, they had done nothing except stand listening to the monks chanting! More importantly, after daybreak, the temple monks would come to the great hall for morning prayers. If they were discovered, they'd have no idea how to explain themselves.
With this thought, Jiang Mo turned her head and reminded everyone: "Dawn is breaking. Shouldn't we leave?"
Yun Qingyue and the others seemed somewhat disengaged, or perhaps they had become too absorbed in the monks' chanting. Upon receiving Jiang Mo's transmitted message, they suddenly regained awareness, their eyes recovering their usual clarity. However, to say they had been bewitched by the chanting would be inaccurate—as they awakened, a gleam clearly flashed in their eyes, evidently having gained some insight.
But such insights were trivial matters, and the group temporarily had no time to explore them. Zhu Baiyi was the first to turn and glance at the hall doors, also seeing the faint light filtering through the cracks, and guessing what Jiang Mo was concerned about.
But should they leave now? She felt somewhat hesitant.
Just during this moment of hesitation, the chanting that had resonated throughout the hall all night suddenly stopped.
Jiang Mo and the others immediately turned around, and sure enough, they saw Tan Xin and the old monk cease their chanting and open their eyes.
The young monk's gaze was no different from before—his clear black and white eyes were full of clarity, with a certain transparency that belied his appearance. They had limited interaction with the old monk, but in their few exchanges, they had all glimpsed the sharp, fierce energy in his eyes, and even the ferocious horror after he transformed into a stone statue. But now his eyes showed only peace and compassion, finally displaying the proper demeanor of a monastic.
The group was observing from within the barrier Zhu Baiyi had established, still undecided about revealing themselves, and even more afraid that inappropriate behavior might anger the old monk. Unexpectedly, it was the old monk who spoke first: "Benefactors, I must apologize for my rudeness."
As the old monk spoke, he slightly pressed his palms together in greeting, facing directly toward where they stood, leaving no doubt that he had seen through their concealment long ago.
The group found this both surprising and not so surprising. Zhu Baiyi simply waved her sleeve and dismissed the barrier. Seeing that the old monk's attitude was reasonable, and he didn't seem to have lost his senses, she returned the greeting: "Master is too kind. It is we who have been rude."
The old monk didn't dwell on this matter, nor did he question their nighttime intrusion. Raising his eyes, his penetrating gaze swept over the group, seemingly guessing their purpose. Finally, his gaze settled on Tan Xin, and he said with what sounded like a sigh: "I know why you have come, and I know you harbor no ill intentions. Please, follow me."
After speaking, he rose and pushed open the doors, walking outside. The rapid development of events left them completely bewildered.