The driver glanced at me with a look of both fear and resistance in his eyes, mixed with a touch of envy.
I got off the car, and the golden armor lama followed me down. However, he walked away into the distance, still twirling a prayer wheel in his hand as he went, and the sound of reciting scriptures was like a melody.
For a moment, I paused and walked towards those few very small, very old houses.
The door, slightly ajar, revealed dim light from within.
It's not yet fully daylight, so indeed, it's necessary to turn on the lights.
Before I had a chance to knock on the door, a slightly awkward Mandarin Chinese voice spoke up, "Come in, child."
I felt like taking a deep breath.
Last time, when I came here, I was not strong enough and felt an indescribable oppression in my heart.
This time, my strength has improved a lot, but the oppression didn't decrease, instead, it became even heavier.
However, taking a deep breath would inevitably bring in more death smell, so I had to endure it.
Pushing the door open, the first thing I saw was a cramped and dimly lit space. Apart from the door, the walls were lined with cabinets filled with books and knives.
Among the stench of blood and corpses, there was a faint savory aroma.
Several bowls were arranged on the square wooden table in the room, with a stove beside it. Flames were poking out from the mouth of the stove, and steam was shooting out from the spout of the kettle, making a hissing sound.
The Aragon lama, in a red cloth robe, with his dark skin and slightly cloudy eyes, picked up the kettle and poured murky tea into two bowls.
After setting down the kettle, he pulled out a piece of dough from somewhere and put a portion of it into another bowl.
"Having traveled by boat and on land, have something to eat," he smiled and indicated me.
The Aragon lama then sat down beside the table, holding a piece of dough in one hand, shaping a small piece and popping it into his mouth. He chewed it simply for two bites and then sipped some of the tea, looking quite satisfied on his face.
To be honest, I can't eat it.
I had already drunk the tea last time, and the dough that went through Aragon lama's hands made me feel that his black and oily fingernails were full of corpse oil……
"The Tibetan flatbread has butter tea, sugar, milk, and a lot of herbs from the grasslands mixed in with the barley flour. It can fill your stomach and satisfy your hunger, and it's also good for your health," Aragon lama said, shaping a piece of dough and handing it to me with a smile. "Eat up, child."
I: "……”
"I'll do it myself..." I tried to keep my facial expression as normal as possible. I picked up a small piece of tsampa, stuffed it into my mouth, drank some tea, and swallowed it down without chewing.
"The vultures in the sky will eat the faithful, and we believe that the body returns to the earth, and the soul ascends directly to heaven. People cannot eat each other, for if one eats another, it will trap another's soul. People also cannot eat vultures, as they carry so many things." The Aragon lama kept watching me.
"Child, tell me, have you ever eaten a person?"
Aragon lama's words carried a strong local flavor, and I thought he was talking to me to ease the awkward atmosphere. However, his question gave me a heart attack, and goosebumps covered my arms.
"No, I haven't eaten a person," I shook my head, replying in a low voice.
Suddenly, the Aragon lama closed his eyes, turned his ear, and seemed to be listening to something.
His expression, a faint smile.
To be honest, there were even more goosebumps on my body.
Because I don't understand, I'm even less understanding of Aragon lama, what he wants to do?
"People who eat others will imprison their souls. The ghost on you eats souls, so I used sutras to restrict him and purify him. You can let him stay in this room, and I want to send him a gift." Aragon lama opened his eyes and said again.
I took a slight breath of relief.
It's because Old Gong eats ghosts that makes Aragon lama ask me this question.
He thinks that Old Gong will have an impact on me?
After a moment of hesitation, I finally removed the night pot and placed it on the table.
Aragon lama is a trustworthy person. If it weren't for him, Old Gong would have been long gone.
"Do you have any questions to ask me?" Aragon lama said.
"Yes," I said, my eyes grew serious, "Why did you save me?"
"I, didn't save you, I was saving someone else," Aragon lama answered.
But I didn't understand it.
Save someone? Not me? Am I not a person?
"You, there are not just a few questions. Otherwise, you wouldn't have followed the golden armor lama to Daxian, and you wouldn't have asked me what you want to do in front of me, child," Aragon lama's eyes seemed to pierce straight into one's heart, leaving no place to hide!
I will be seen lying in front of the gentleman, and my intuition tells me that lying in front of Aragon lama will cause trouble.
Looking deeply into Aragon lama's eyes, just as I was about to answer,
Aragon lama's gaze suddenly turned to the door, and he subtly moved his head, indicating that he didn't want me to continue speaking.
The knocking sound came along with a few sentences of Tibetan language.
Aragon lama replied with a sound, and then I heard the footsteps recede.
Originally, I was going to continue the topic before.
Aragon lama then said something that felt very peculiar to me.
"Time has come."
He stood up and walked to a cabinet, pulling out a thick robe from the bottom, turned around and handed it to me, telling me to put it on.
I didn't understand, but I did as he instructed.
This robe was very spacious, with a hat hanging at the back.
Aragon lama walked up and pulled the hat over my head, almost completely covering my face.
"They are looking for you."
"However, they will not come to me to find you."
"You, must follow me."
The Aragon lama whispered.
They, must be the Black City Temple.
Why won't they come to the Aragon lama's side to find me?
I thought back briefly about the journey here, and besides the Golden Armor Lama and the driver, I hadn't seen anyone else.
The charms on the car will block off one's aura, Aragon lama's house and this robe will also block off one's aura, won't they?
I roughly know that the Five-Thousand Dharma Temple and the Black City Temple are mutually opposed existences.
There are some things I understand, but there are also some things that I truly don't comprehend, and they have filled me with suspicion.
For example, what is the purpose of the Black City Temple capturing me but not killing me?
Aragon lama must be able to answer.
But he didn't give me a chance to continue the conversation. He took out some tools from the cabinet, put them in a cloth bag he carried, and walked out of the room.
I followed him immediately. At the last moment before leaving, I turned my head and looked at the night pot on the table.
Aragon lama pulled the door shut and then sealed it with a crack.
He continued walking in the direction of the hillside.
The sunlight has already come out, but there's a feeling that can't be described. I feel like I'm in a dark place, very cold. Only when the sunlight shines on my face does it bring a little warmth, but this hat is too big and covers most of my face, so only half of my face can feel the sunlight.
Hurriedly following Aragon lama, he had already entered the large tent.
Dark spots filled the sky, and the harsh, hoarse cries of vultures made people feel uncomfortable.
After following Aragon lama into the tent, what I saw was actually very tidy. There were stone platforms and brick floors, almost no dust, but they were covered with blood stains that had turned them a reddish-brown color.
Here, the light is even dimmer! The tent almost completely blocks out the sunlight, making it seem as dark as night.
Yet, I could see the huge slope, which looked cleaner than it did from the other direction. The sunlight seemed to be tangible, a thread at a time, especially pure and spiritual, completely hiding the blood and corpse oil on the ground!
