Wen Leyang and the group were stunned by lama Rangjung’s words. They stood there gawking at each other for some time. They had so many questions but did not know where to start.
The group stood around looking puzzled, head lama Rangjung was in no hurry explain though. Instead, he took out a flute, which was a foot long, from the front of his robes.
When Wen Leyang saw the object Rangjung held in his hands, he gritted his teeth and moved in front to shield everyone. The expressions on some of the elder Qilian Immortal Sect disciples grew dark. They drew their swords and pointed them towards the lama!
They could tell with just a glance that the flute Rangjung had pulled out was made of human bone! There were marks across the bone, one end was tipped in silver. Under the sad and lonely moonlight, the flute emanated a cold lifelessness! Back on the central plains, only the demon people of the evil cults were known to make magic weapons out of bones.
Fei Fei on the other hand was rather familiar with Tibetan Buddhist religious practices. She was worried that Wen Leyang might attack the lama and quickly explained to him softly, “A human bone flute is a musical instrument used in the rituals of the Tibetan Buddhism Sect. You are prohibited from wielding it unless you’re a high ranking practitioner. This is not some evil tool, please don’t be too hasty!”
Rangjung ignored the people around him. He placed the human bone flute to his lips and blew softly. A shriek, like a tragic howl of an evil ghost, broke across the plains and traveled far and wide…
The high, cold plains appeared tranquil under the still night sky. Suddenly, a long hum of Buddhist chants broke the silence and the golden light of Buddha flowed through the skies. A rainbow of light burst out from a little, inconspicuous temple that stood in the middle of the plains, the plaque hanging outside rotten beyond repair. A few aging lamas, who looked like they didn’t even have the energy to take their next breathe, walked out silently from the dilapidated temple. Their gaze was icy cold as they looked towards the direction of Namtso Lake. They breathed in deeply. They slowly sat down and started chanting the Vajrasekhara Sutra under their breath.
The holy light, which had suddenly erupted from the little temple, went out. Darkness and peace resumed on the plains…
On the eastern side of the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon, in the Great Prosperity Temple which has been an attraction to devotees for thousands of years, a young lama flew down its halls. He ran with a face filled with fear, tainted by a little excitement. He stumbled as he barged into the meditation room of the head lama of the temple. He had even forgot to knock. The stern looking head lama did not scold his disciple, as he usually would, instead looked seriously at the young lama and asked in a low voice, “Rangjung?”
The young lama nodded hastily.
With a low moan, the head instructed solemnly, “Every disciple is to carry out the protection ritual at once!”
The already pitch black temple was quickly lit up and a few hundred disciples started bustling about…
On the mountainside of Namcha Barwa, a shabby but peaceful-faced flagellant was looking up at the night sky with a serene smile. Suddenly, his earlobes vibrated quickly. He jumped to his feet and quickly pulled out vajvakilakas inscripted with Tibetan Buddhism mantras. He stuck them into the ground around him, while chanting sutras at the top of his voice. Every word he uttered came out like a clap of thunder…
Under Xueling Mountain, someone blew on a conch and its sound traveled in all directions!
On top of Tsangpo Badong Falls, someone was churning the prayer wheels. The roaring waters could not muffle the low rumble of the turning prayer wheel.
In the tents on Xigaze Plains, someone was whacking a rod and shaking some bells. The sounds of the divine exorcism was not loud but it traveled far!
…
With a single note from the human bone flute, the Tibetan plains had been awakened!
Master Rangjung took his time in putting his flute away. He listened intently for a while before smiling at Wen Leyang. Wen Leyang did not know that every practitioner on the plateau was currently busying themselves. “I have summoned help from practitioners all over the land in defeating this demon. When the moon hangs in the center of the sky, the Buddhist power will have reached its peak. Hehe, I wonder if I can accomplished what even King Gesar could not!”
Wen Leyang did not know who this Gesar was but he still smiled and nodded without a word. However, the expressions on Gu Xiaojun, Fei Fei and Xiao Sha faces changed.
Master Rangjung looked up at the sky. He decides that it was still early. He proceeded to sit down cross-legged. “The evil demon won’t come out again.” He reached out and patted the ground, inviting the others to sit down as well. Then, he slowly asked, “Does anyone here know of the Epic of King Gesar?”
Gu Xiaojun, Fei Fei, and Xiao Sha were familiar with the Tibetan culture and nodded their heads in unison. Xiao Sha added, mainly for Wen Leyang’s benefit, “Legend has it, back in ancient times, demons ran rampant across the Tibetan lands, bringing endless disaster wherever they roamed. The heavenly god took pity on the people and decided to come down to earth in the form of King Gesar and slayed the demons, bringing peace and happiness to the people. That is why the plateau is so peaceful today. After King Gesar had accomplished his goal, he returned back to the heavenly realm.”
Master Rangjung nodded with a smile. “Continue.” His seemed at peace, seeming to not worry about the impending battle against the demon.
Xiao Sha was dumbstruck, he replied in a murmur, “Continue? About what? That’s all I know.”
Fei Fei broke out in a laugh. “The master had asked about the Epic of King Gesar, not King Gesar himself! You are always too quick to assume.”
Xiao Sha suddenly understood. He smiled sheepishly and continued to explain, “The Epic of King Gesar refers to a long story, singing of this heavenly god’s journey on earth. It starts from when King Gesar was born all the way until he ascended back to the heavenly realm. It is the longest epic in the world, with a few million words.”
Qin Zhui let out an ‘ah’. He did not believe it, he repeated back to Xiao Sha, “A few million words?”
Xiao Sha nodded as he stole a glance at head lama Rangjung. The head lama maintained his silence, as if Xiao Sha’s explanation had not been enough to satisfy him.
Fei Fei, who could observe people’s expressions, could guess what Rangjung really wanted to hear. She chuckled as she took over from her brother. “This epic has been passed down by the Shuochang artists by word of mouth through many generations, and it still lives on to this day. In our current time, there are a few hundred versions sung by different artists. There is also another interesting fact about them.” As she said this, Fei Fei lower her voice. A mysterious smile broke out on her delicate face, “These individuals are known as the ‘divine singers’!”
Fei Fei clammed up upon saying this. She looked at Wen Leyang with sparkling eyes. Her face was full of expectation.
Wen Leyang knew what she wanted him to ask. He decided to take the bait. “Divine singers? What do you mean?”
Fei Fei smiled in satisfaction and continued, “Many Tibetan Shuochang artists say that they received the decree of King Gesar through their dreams, claiming to have been told by King Gesar himself. These people are known as the divine singers.”
Wen Leyang was dismayed. The title of divine singers had sounded grand, but upon hearing its explanation, it sounded like the opening introduction of old monk Ji Fei when he tells a story.
Fei Fei could understand what was on Wen Leyang’s mind with just a glance. She paid it no mind as she shook her head and smiled, “It’s not what you think. Maybe some artist brag in this way to earn money but there were truly some children who could suddenly recite the Epic of King Gesar, when they previously knew not a word of it. This usually happens after they recover from being really ill. Nobody could explain how this could have happened, children being able to remember and recite the epic, which is over a million words, seemingly overnight. It is listed as number one in the list of top ten mysterious cases of Tibet.”
Qin Zhui was enjoying this story. He questioned hastily, “What are the other nine mysterious cases?”
Head lama Rangjung was startled. He was worried that the topic would go off the rails. He quickly coughed and spoke steadily, “It is true that there are divine singers, just that there aren’t as many as the rumors would have you believe. However, at least one would appear every hundred years.”
Gu Xiaojun’s eyes lit up, “Master, are you a divine singer?”
Head lama Rangjung was at a lost, he looked at Gu Xiaojun and shook his head strongly, “Of course not. We aren’t that lucky!”
This time, everyone’s spirits fell, not just Wen Leyang’s. The dwarf Taoist priest’s face was filled with worry. He glared at Qin Zhui and said rudely, “If you aren’t some singer, then why are you mentioning this at all?”
Qin Zhui had not gotten used to the priest’s cross-eyed gaze. He replied instinctively, “It wasn’t me…”
Lama Rangjung remained patient. He smiled and appeased everyone, “Relax! Some stories must be told in full for them to be truly understood. Nobody knows how long this town has stood here. The townspeople do not interact with the outside world. They do not believe in Buddhism and do not worship Buddha. The town is also situated near the Sacred Lake. This town was regarded as the Rebellious Town by the believers on this plateau. In ancient times, there had been requests for them to relocate by devout Tibetans and even Buddhists. However, these requests fell on deaf ears.”
The head lama had finally brought the topic back to the town. Although slightly impatient, the group listened intently to his slow narration. “Seven hundred years ago, the public could no longer sit by and ignore the town of Tuer. A huge group of Tibetans decided to form an army and planned to destroy the town.”
As he said this, head lama Rangjung suddenly gave a bitter smile. “Around this time, someone had discovered that the residents of Tuer Town possessed some magical powers and would prove hard to defeat. Hence, three great temples joined forces and amassed a troop of two thousand Tibetan soldiers! Compared to the Exoteric Buddhism Sect disciples, the Tibetan Buddhism Sect believers were more aggressive in nature.”
Wen Leyang did not know how to feel about this but Gu Xiaojun understood and was in shock. Tibet was located on a plateau and was sparsely populated. To have managed to amass a troop of nine thousand soldiers seven hundred years ago in such a short time was no small feat.
Wen Leyang thought that it was awkward to have only the head lama speak. He nodded and chimed in, “I have heard of this incident. After that, they were stopped by a head lama who was making his way around the lake chanting sutras.”
When Gu Xiaojun had arrived in Tibet, he had told them about this. However, they were not aware of how large the scale of conflict was.
“You are referring to head lama Geshe.” Rangjung smiled faintly and shook his head at Wen Leyang. “Actually, head lama Geshe was the leader that had been appointed by the people. The reason he was at Namtso Lake was not because he had wanted to go around the lake chanting sutras. His real intentions were to lead the Tibetan soldiers in crushing the town.”
The group could not believe it. The ancient records and actual facts differed greatly.
Master Rangjung spoke in a slow and honest tone. Every word was warm to the ears, starkly contrasting his fierce face. “Amassing nine thousand Tibetan soldiers was no small feat. From planning the invasion to gathering the troops, this task took them almost a month to complete. However, nobody had predicted the emergence of a dozen or so divine singers while this all took place!”
Xiao Sha knitted his brows, “Were they true divine singers?” Master Rangjung nodded, “Of course!”
The other did not question any further. The land of Tibet held many mysteries. The emergence of divine singers could not be explained by logic, but the believers must have had a way to authenticate the claim of a divine singer.
True divine singers did exist but their appearance was rare. Only one was known to appear every hundred years or so. It had only been seven hundred years ago when three great temples had gathered their troops to march on Tuer Town, when suddenly a dozen or so authentic divine singers had appeared on the plateau. The long poems, which these singers sang, were all related to the town of Tuer.
From the mouths of these divine singers, they sang a canto that had never been recorded in previous versions of the Epic of King Gesar.
King Gesar was regarded as the combination of a god, a dragon, and hope. A hero that was half god and half human. He had came down to earth to relieve the people of their suffering. He emerged victorious from every battle, until he met his match. It was a great and powerful evil demon. This demon was cruel and abominable, it regarded killing as a sport. No matter who fell victim to this evil demon, they would be killed mercilessly, only after having been put through nine days of endless torture.
Qin Zhui smiled heartlessly, “That’s why the giant pangolin is safe for the time being, right?”
Xiao Sha did not notice the ghastly pale face of the dwarf Taoist priest before he continued, “But he will be suffering?”
Head lama Rangjung only smiled and continued on with the history of the town.
According to these divine singers, King Gesar had led a group of brave and loyal warriors into this monster’s lair. After an earth-shaking battle, they finally managed to contain the demon, but all his two hundred and seventy seven warriors had perished in battle.
Upon capturing the demon, King Gesar came to realize that it was difficult to kill. So King Gesar decided to drag it to Lake Namtso, and used the pure energy of the sacred lake and the collected power of prayers from devotees all over, to chain the monster to the lake. The two hundred and seventy seven warriors who had gave ptheir lives in the battle also forgoed their chance at reincarnation. They chose to remain as the living dead, staying at the edge of Lake Natmso. They tied down the demon using a combination of their unholiness and the purity of the sacred lake, eternally shackling the monster to this place.
As he said this, head lama Rangjung sighed. “When these men chose to exit samsara, they no longer belonged to this earth. The warm sunlight felt like scorching flames to them. The cool and refreshing moonlight felt like ice cold needles. They chose to suffer the pains of eternal hell to chain down and guard this demon. That is why I said this place is where loyalty reached the heavens.”
In the songs of the divine singers, they spoke of the townspeople’s exit from the three worlds and the Five Elements. To put it lightly, they were no longer bound by Buddhist laws. To put it badly, they had been abandoned by Buddha. That was why they did not worship nor honor Buddha.
The songs of the divine singers were regarded as the voices of the gods themselves. In ancient Tibet, every sentence they sang was treated with the utmost respect. The song, sang by the dozen or so divine singers at the same time from different places, eventually reached the ears of the Tibetan soldier’s leader, head lama Geshe. The head lama wasted no time. After having the reports confirmed, he called off the attack on Tuer Town.
After this incident, the few great temples issued a joint decree, forbidding anyone to disturb the peace of Tuer Town.
As gathering Tibetan soldiers to attack Tuer Town was bad for the organizer’s reputation, in following records, it was decisively toned down. The number of people who knew the truth diminished over the years.
After head lama Rangjung finished his retelling of the town, he paused briefly then added drily, “But after the attack was called off, no more reiterations regarding this town was heard from the mouths of the divine singers that had appeared.”
Among the people present, Gu Xiaojun was the quickest to understand. He reacted immediately, “What you’re saying is, there was something amiss about those divine singers?”
This was all too coincidental. The Epic of King Gesar that had been sung by the divine singers before and after the incident never mentioned the town or the two hundred and seventy seven warriors. Only when the head lama had gathered the troops to crush the town did a bunch of such singers appear.
Head lama Rangjung shook his head. “I don’t know the answer to that, but this place…” he said as he pointed to the town of messy houses. “This place is laid out in the form of a Tibetan Buddhism Sect mandala! However…” The head lama’s voice suddenly became stern. “The musical instruments that guarded the four corners of the mandala has been damaged by someone. That is why the demon is able to run free again!”
Gu Xiaojun and Xiao Sha both stood up abruptly. They cried out unhappily, “Didn’t you just say that the monster wouldn’t show itself for now? Now you’re saying that the mandala is broken and the monster is running free?” The two men whimpered as they looked around in alarm. They were worried that the monster would suddenly pounce and snatch them away.
Head lama Rangjung seemed carefree as he looked at them calmly. He chuckled, “Don’t worry, the mandala is still in place, but the magic circle is weakening. Although the monster can move, it will have to struggle for a bit before it can hope to resurface and reenter the mortal realm. The divine beast’s capture just now was due to its wondering underground.”
The demon will not be able to break ground for now. If the giant pangolin Po Tu had not been so carelessly in his tunneling, he would not have been captured.
Qin Zhui suddenly gave out a laugh. “The townspeople were an eclectic mix though. There were made up of men and women, the elderly and children among them as well. Had King Gesar lead the remnants of a rabble army to subdue the demon? If that was the case, King Gesar being the sole survivor of that battle should not have come as a surprise.”
Fei Fei stared at Qin Zhui sternly. King Gesar was held in the highest of regards in the hearts of the Tibetan people. If they had heard his words then, they would have risked their lives and took out their swords to hurt him.
Rangjung chose not to argue with this unreasonable person. His expression did not change as he explained patiently, “King Gesar had divine protection and the help of the gods. His bravery alone was enough to face a thousand white yaks. His warriors did not rely on pure muscle strength to move boulders. They were all individuals with pure souls. The blue skies were reflected azure in their eyes. The breeze that caressed their bodies never turned foul.”
Qin Zhui was not sure if he had understood what he just heard. He nodded hesitantly. “So it’s some form of magical power?”
Rangjung laughed. “You can say that a pure person is filled with pure energy. Now, the time is almost upon us, is there anything more you would like to know?” After he finished, he looked up at the sky. The moon had climbed slowly to the top of everyone’s head. Their shadows which had formerly been long and slanting, had turned short and fat. It was funny and incredibly strange in a way that was indescribable.
The dwarf Taoist priest stomped his feet. He stared at Qin Zhui and asked, “After half a day, you still have not told us what this monster actually is!”
The head lama gave an expression like he had just been wronged. “I don’t know either. The songs and records have never mentioned it!” He was a person of dark skin and fearsome looks. Logically speaking, the wronged expression on his face would make anyone’s skin crawl. Even the dwarf Taoist priest, who was worried to death about his beast, could not help but smile emphatically. Rangjung’s expression was as like an open book, it clearly showed his feelings, whether he was happy, angry, in mourning or hesitating. His expressions were completely separated from his looks.
Gu Xiaojun breathed in deeply. “Perhaps we’re better off not knowing what it is!”
Regardless whether the divine singers from seven hundred years ago were authentic or not, a monster which even Po Tu could not resist must be ferocious and tough. If they knew what it was, it might just shatter their courage.
Qin Zhui who was usually slow, understood Gu Xiaojun’s words this time and laughed gallantly. “This is known as jumping into the well blindfolded. We’re going to jump anyways, might as well not know how deep the well is!”
Wen Leyang still carried an air of confidence, as if he did not fear that the monster underground might prove to be more powerful than him.
At that moment, Xiao Sha who had been silent this whole time, opened his mouth. He softly reminded the group, “Time’s up.”
The bright and pure moon was finally at the center of the sky! Everyone’s shadow had been pushed under their feet.
All forms of Tibetan Buddhism Sect music erupted and came from all directions like raging waves. It shattered the stifling silence of the town.
The sad, short grass at the edge of Tuer Town moved even though no wind was blowing. Similar to the most devout and humble believer, they desperately laid their weak selves flat to the ground, facing where layers upon layers of divine lights rippled through the sky. A stalwart, godly figure, glittering gold and jade, slowly took form in the middle of the surging Buddha’s light. Its facial features emanated ferocity. It had six arms, six heads, and six feet. It’s divine eyes glowed with a burning rage and were looking down towards the town of Tuer.
Fei Fei’s voice was filled with terror. “Yamantaka!”
Yamantaka was one of the eight great deities of the Tibetan Buddhism Sect, in charge of guarding the West. With his great powers, he can cast away evil spirits and subdue evil dragons! Under the signaling from the human bone flute, all the Buddhists of Tibet had prostrated themselves and chanted sutras simultaneously. When the moon had reached the center of the sky, they had finally finished their sutras and summoned forth Yamantaka!
A great pressure seemed to fall over the town of Tuer upon this deity’s godly appearance in the sky. All the houses moaned in unison, causing everyone wince in pain!
Head lama Rangjung leaped to his feet. His shout was like rolling thunder. “I have called upon the whole Tibetan Buddhism Sect to gather their powers and invoke this deity, this god who suppresses foul things. You guys go and pull up the houses in the town, quickly. Remember, you must pull them out but not destroy them!” After saying that, his hands folded together in the various Tibetan Buddhism Sect hand signs. He began to put his feet one in front of the other, taking huge strides along the circle. As he did this, he placed down various musical instruments carved with Tibetan Buddhism mantras.
Tuer Town had been used as a Tibetan Buddhism Sect mandala. While it suppressed the monster, it also kept out the outside world. If they wanted to find this monster, kill it, and rescue their friend, they would first have to break the seal of the mandala.
However, once the seal is broken, the monster would be able to break out of its prison, upon the vanishing of its shackles. That was why head lama Rangjung had sent out his signal with the human bone flute, requesting help from Tibetan Buddhism Sect elites from all over Tibet. They had managed to invoke the appearance of the godly Yamantaka at the point when the moon was at its fullest. The god acted as a replacement for the town mandala, holding down the monster and preventing it from escaping
Head lama Rangjung had the supreme power of Buddha and mercy in his heart. This place reflected Black and White Island. The mandala charm of Tuer Town was already broken, the monster’s escape was just a question of time. That was why he had decided to give his all tonight and exorcise the demon.
Head lama Rangjung was bustled about. However, the others did not move. The three elites with the greatest abilities, Wen Leyang, Qin Zhui, and the dwarf Taoist priest looked at each other… The dwarf Taoist priest’s gaze did not fully meet theirs.
Wen Leyang grimaced as he asked head lama Rangjung, who was running around, in a loud voice, “Master, pull out the houses? How do we do that?”
Rangjung replied without stopping his business. “Just pull them as if you were pulling out carrots!”
Gu Xiaojun was getting frustrated. He reached out and wrapped his arms around Xiao Sha beside him. He made a gesture pulling upwards and yelled at Rangjung, “Like this?!”
Rangjung replied firmly, “Yes! Exactly!” Wen Leyang did not waste anymore time. He dashed towards the nearest house. He hugged a corner of the house with his arms and tried pulling it up. The walls did not shatter. The house suddenly let out a wail that was akin to a night owl being shot dead. The soil under that corner loosened.
Wen Leyang saw that it was working. He exerted more force, yelling out so loudly that the sounds reached the heavens. After some struggling, the house was pulled out of the ground by his incredible strength! Thick, black blood started spraying and gushing out of the house after it got pulled out of the ground!
The faint and barely discernible stink from earlier now wafted through the town in strong waves. It rippled and rolled out with the thick, black blood, covering the entire town in an instant!
The house had been pulled out. Nobody would have thought that the houses of this town were like the rotting teeth of an ancient monster. When they were pulled out, thick, foul blood oozed out of it and emitted a horrible stench!