Chapter 170


    <h4>Mahak</h4>


    The only thoughts running inside Li Yundong’s mind at that moment were: run; flee for your life .


    So he did .


    He leaped to the side, not caring where the golden apparition was . His knees scraped against something rough when they hit the ground .


    Then, he scrambled to his feet and ran .


    The temple . He had to get to the temple .


    He channeled more Qi into his legs and pumped his legs harder .


    Somehow, the strange feeling inside his chest had spread to his entire body . Some kind of invisible force or pressure was squeezing his body from all sides . It was as though something was trying to tten him and forcibly fit him into some kind of two-dimensional nd .


    What the f*ck is this shit?


    Li Yundong gasped, and before he knew it, his knees hit the ground again . This time, he couldn’t even get up .


    He gasped for air and started to crawl his way towards the temple . His eyes darted around their sockets, scanning the area for more threats .


    He didn’t see the golden apparition anywhere . Was it gone?


    Come on . . . Move . . . Move!


    He reached forward to grab hold of something . Anything .


    Something tickled his palm . He opened his eyes and realized that he had just grabbed a fistful of grass . Damn it . He wasn’t even facing the right direction . He pulled back his hand and re-oriented himself on the ground .


    Don’t give up . . . Don’t you dare give up!


    Li Yundong growled and mobilized more Qi from his lower Dantian .


    The pressure squeezing against his body grew stronger the moment he did that .


    Su Chan . . . Think of Su Chan . . .


    Li Yundong fought back against the pressure with everything he got . s, it seemed like the more he struggled, the stronger the pressure grew .


    "Damn it!" He mmed his palms against the ground and tried to push himself up .


    Suddenly, he heard a whisper .


    "Do not harbor hostile intentions . . . "


    The voice sounded feeble and frail, like the voice of an old man .


    "Malevolence fuels its power . Rein in your Qi, young man . "


    Li Yundong gave up the struggle right then and guided his Qi back to his lower Dantian . The effect was almost instantaneous—the pressure vanished and he felt like he could breathe again .


    Li Yundong rose to his feet and scanned his surroundings . The templey about thirty meters ahead . Trees lined both sides of the inclined path . He didn’t see any old man around . Nor did he see the golden apparition of the arhat .


    He sighed in relief .


    He wondered who gave him the tip just now .


    Li Yundong shook his head and forged on . Better get inside that temple before the attacker returns...


    He made it to the temple in a couple of minutes .


    He stood in front of the temple and studied its facade for a while . The temple was quiet and peaceful, almost idyllic . Beside the temple were shops selling incense, food, and drinks . Li Yundong directed his gaze to another corner and saw several hoses scattered around . Beyond the hoses were several water faucets .


    Seems like a good ce to rest and stay overnight...


    He approached the steps leading up to the temple and lowered his backpack onto one of the steps . Then, he sat down to take a much-needed break .


    ***


    It was almost nightfall by the time Meiduo and her fellow pilgrims arrived at Kathok Monastery . Light from the temple pierced through the darkness of their surroundings, illuminating their path . Meiduo smiled at the metaphorical significance: the path towards enlightenment .


    The smell of incense greeted Meiduo as they approached the temple’s facade . Wisps of white smoke swirled around them . The rhythmic sounds of Tibetan drums drifted from inside the temple with chants of mantras forming a soothing background noise . Meiduo closed her eyes and spent a brief moment to soak it all in . This was home .


    The head of Kathok Monastery was a close acquaintance of Changab . After Changbag exchanged a few pleasantries with the head, the rest of the pilgrims went about their own business . Everyone seemed tired and weary after the long journey . Some sat on the stairs, chatting with theirpanions . Others picked a spot andy down on the ground to get some shut-eye . Meiduo scanned the crowd for Changbag . She found him sitting on one of the steps, staring up into the sky with both hands hugging his knees . Meiduo walked over and sat down beside him . The moon shone down at them from the clear sky .


    After a while, Changbag broke thefortable silence . "Meiduo . . . "


    She turned to regard the old man . "Yes, Changbag?"


    "Are you angry at me for yelling at you in front of the others?"


    Meiduo shook her head . "No, Changbag . I think you were right in everything you said . I shouldn’t judge a person’s worth by their appearance . " She sighed . "Looks like I still have a long way to go towards enlightenment . "


    Changbag said nothing after that and kept staring at the sky .


    Minutester, Meiduo detected movement from the corner of her eyes . She turned and squinted through the darkness . She caught a glimpse of dark, shaggy, shoulder-length hair spread across a set of broad shoulders . The man disappeared around the corner a split secondter . Meiduo sprang to her feet . "I- It’s him!"


    Changbag stared up at her . "What?"


    Meiduo reached down and pulled Changbag’s arm . "He’s here! The Han Chinese who saved your life!"


    ***


    Meiduo tugged Changbag’s arm until he was up on his feet .


    "Where? Where is he!"


    Meiduo pointed at the corner of the temple . "I saw him rounding that corner!" she said, then began to pull Changbag in that direction . "Come on, Changbag! Let’s go!"


    They rounded the corner in record time and walked on for a few more seconds . Meiduo helped Changbag stepped over a bunch of tangled hoses, then continued forward . They reached another corner, by which time they could hear the sound of running water . Maybe he was taking a drink—


    Meiduo blushed the moment she and Changbag walked around the corner . The Han Chinese waspletely naked as he stood in front of the faucet . Under the moonlight, the sharp nes of the man’s muscr back gleamed at them . Meiduo blushed even harder and turned away .


    Changbag patted her shoulders and said, "Let’s give him some privacy . "


    Meiduo fought down the burn in her cheeks and nodded meekly .


    After that, the two of them retreated around the corner and waited . A whileter, the sound of the water stopped . Meiduo shared a nce with Changbag .


    Changbag shook his head gently . "Not yet," he whispered . "He still needs to get dressed . "


    Meiduo flushed again . It seemed like hermon sense had left her tonight .


    When the Han Chinese man didn’t show after twenty minutes, Meiduo began to worry . Surely it wouldn’t take that long to get dressed .


    Had the man left?


    Meiduo shot a worried nce at Changbag, whose lips were moving as he spun a prayer bead in his right hand .


    Meiduo shifted forward and shook Changbag’s knee .


    Changbag opened his eyes a secondter . "Hmm?"


    "Shall we take a look? It’s been nearly twenty minutes . "


    Changbag got to his feet . "Sure . "


    They walked around the corner again .


    Relief coursed through Meiduo when she saw that the young man was still there .


    However, her relief was short-lived .


    Something strange was happening . Something really, really strange . Like supernatural .


    The young Han Chinese appeared to be meditating . Dust and leaves spiraled around him as though he was the center of a tornado . Then, something even stranger happened . A jet of white, gas-like substance shot out from his mouth . The white jet travelled forward for over ten meters before it ran into a huge rock and vanished in a puff of white smoke .


    All of a sudden, the young man sprang to his feet and cocked his fist back . A split secondter, the air in front of him exploded in a soundless p . The ground trembled under Meiduo’s feet as some kind of shockwave shot out from the man’s fist . The ground shook again when the shockwave mmed into the giant rock ten meters away, releasing a muffled crack .


    Meiduo turned sideways to look at Changbag .


    Changbag wasn’t looking at her, but she could tell that the old man was in shock .


    When Meiduo looked to the front again, the young man was nowhere to be seen .


    Meiduo turned to Changbag . "Hey, where did he—"


    Changbag was already making his way towards the rock .


    Meiduo hurried after Changbag .


    Secondster, they were both staring at a deep imprint of a fist buried several inches deep into the rock .


    "Mahak . . . " Changbag mumbled .


    Meiduo turned her head sharply . She gaped at Changbag, too stunned to speak .


    Changbag closed his eyes and pressed his palms together . "Amitabha . . . We have just encountered the living reincarnation of Mahak . The great Dharma Protector . The Defender of the Law . The Lord of Justice . "


    Meiduo shook herself out of her stupor right then .


    Mahak . One of the most powerful gods known in Tibetan Buddhism . The god with three faces and six arms . . .


    Before Meiduo could open her mouth to speak, a cold voice sounded behind her .


    "What are you two nning? Why were you following me?"


    ***


    Li Yundong stared at startled faces of the young girl and the old man . He had heard their whispers with Eryue while he was washing himself earlier and had decided to confront them .


    The girl was still in shock when the old monk recovered hisposure .


    "Well?" Li Yundong said sternly . "State your purpose! Why were you following me!"


    Suddenly, the old monk lowered himself to the ground and prostrated himself before Li Yundong .


    rm coursed through Li Yundong . "Hey! What the—"


    "Hail, great Lord of Justice, Mahak!" said the old monk . "I thank you for saving my life!"


    Li Yundong moved forward and quickly pulled the old man to his feet . "Please rise, old sir . This isn’t necessary . "


    The old monk grabbed Li Yundong’s hands . "Thank you, my lord . "


    Li Yundong smiled . "You don’t have to thank me, sir . Any decent human being would’ve done something to help . "


    "But still . . . My lord—"


    "I prefer Li Yundong, thanks . "


    The old monk stared at him for a few awkward moments .


    "You have my utmost gratitude, then, Mr . Li . "


    Then, the old man nudged the girl with his elbow .


    "Meiduo!" he hissed . "What are you standing around for? Say something!"


    The girl’s eyes cleared a little .


    She stepped forward and gave Li Yundong a bow .


    "I am terribly sorry for the way I’ve treated you today," she said shyly . "I shouldn’t have yelled at you . And I should’ve at least tried to properly thank you after you brought Changbag back to life . "


    Li Yundong nodded . "You’re wee . "


    Changbag stroked his long, white beard . "If you don’t mind me asking, Mr . Li, are you here for a vacation? Or are you here for some other purpose?"


    Li Yundong regarded the old man warily . What should he tell them? After a moment of thought, he decided to answer with the truth but keep his answer vague .


    "This trip is part of my training . "


    "I see, I see!" Changbag said pensively . Suddenly, Changbag beamed at Li Yundong . "Well, I’m leading a group of people on a pilgrimage to the summit . You can join our group if you like?"


    Li Yundong rubbed the back of his neck . "Well . . . I’d like to, but you see . . . I’m kinda in a hurry . . . And you guys . . . Well..."


    Kowtowing once every three steps didn’t exactly fit the definition of "hurry" no matter how he looked at it .


    "Come on... You don’t actually think we have to perform the kowtow ritual for the whole journey, do you?" Changbag said as though he’d read Li Yundong’s mind .


    When Li Yundong didn’t answer, Changbagughed and waved his hand casually . "We don’t actually have to do that . The ritual is only necessary when we are near the foot of the holy mountain . " Changbagughed harder . "Come on, the whole journey is more than 100 kilometers long! Most of us would die of head traumas if we kowtowed all the way up . "


    Li Yundong burst intoughter .


    "Am I right, Meiduo?" Changbag nudged the girl again .


    "Yep! Yep!" Meiduo nodded with zest . "Changbag is right . Besides, we could use some protection . "


    Li Yundong raised a brow . "Protection? From what?"


    Meiduo stared at Li Yundong as though he’d grown three heads . "Wolves, of course!"


    "Wolves?"


    Meiduo nodded again . "Mm-hmm! This mountain is filled with them!"


    Li Yundong tried his best not to gape .


    Wolves . He’d been running around in a mountain full of wolves, and he hadn’t a single f*cking clue .


    Well . Shit .


    Li Yundong cleared his throat . "Umm... That’s... that’s good to know . "


    "Like I said, you can protect us from wolves," Meiduo said . "And in return, we can be your guide towards the summit . It is very easy to get lost as you go further along this path . "


    Li Yundong studied the pair for a moment . Should he ept the offer? Or was this too big of a risk?


    Argh . Screw it .


    Li Yundong sighed . "Fine . "