Chapter 177.1


    <h4>Parting Song</h4>


    When Li Yundong returned to the camps fifteen minutester, every single one of the pilgrims were on their feet, staring at him with frightful eyes . A few men had their rifles out while others were armed with hunting bows . Some of the women were hiding inside the foreigners’ jeep . Relief spread across each of their faces when they saw that it was him .


    Li Yundong strode past the crowd and stopped in front of Changbag . "What’s the matter? Y’all look like you’ve just seen a ghost . "


    Changbag seemed a little shaken . "There was a strange noise," he said . "We thought it was the wolves . "


    "Oh no that was me," Li Yundong said . "I was..."


    Was what? Blowing shit up? Deforesting?


    "Training . " Li Yundong cleared his throat . "I was training . "


    The colors returned to Changbag’s countenance . "So there were no wolves?" Changbag looked at him reverently . "Or did you take care of the wolves as part of your training?"


    Li Yundongughed . "No . There were no wolves . " Li Yundong turned and waved at the men with weapons . "Y’all can rx . "


    Changbag sighed and waved to his followers . "Alright, settle down, people . There are no wolves, so we’re safe . Return to your tents and get some rest . "


    There was a collective sigh, and then the crowd began to disperse .


    "Changbag," Li Yundong said when he saw that Changbag was about to leave . "May I have a word in private?"


    From the corner of his eyes, Li Yundong saw Meiduo staring at him curiously . She was still holding the shoes he had returned to her earlier this morning .


    "Sure . Follow me . "


    Li Yundong followed Changbag until they reached the inside of Changbag’s tent . Li Yundong declined the ss of water that Changbag had offered him and took a seat at one corner of therge tent .


    Changbag lowered himself across from him and arranged himself into a meditative posture . "So . Are you going to tell me who you really are?"


    Li Yundong raised his gaze sharply .


    Changbag just smiled at him . "I know there’s something special about you . Are you perhaps..." His brows rose just a tad . "A Cultivator?"


    Li Yundong held Changbag’s gaze for a moment, then hung his head . "Yes . "


    Changbag pressed his palms together . "Amitabha... Perhaps there is some truth after all in the saying that you’re the reincarnation of Mahak..."


    Li Yundong rubbed the back of his neck . "Yeah... That’s what I wanted to talk to you about..." Li Yundong dropped his hand and stared into Changbag’s eyes . "Everyone kept calling me by that name . Why is that?"


    Changbag took a sip of tea . "How much do you know about Mahak?"


    Li Yundong shook his head . "Not much . I just know that it’s the name of a deity that your people worship . "


    Changbag nodded . "Mahak is actually a Sanskrit term . We Tibetans call him Nagpo Chenpo, which means Great ck One; or Gonpo, which means protector . "


    "Who, or what, does he protect?" Li Yundong asked .


    "Everything rted to Buddha and Buddha’s teachings . "


    Li Yundong frowned . "Everything... as in..."


    "The worshippers . Temples . Scriptures . Everything . " Changbag smiled . "That’s why Mahak was bequeathed the title, the Dharma Protector . "


    "Wow . That’s a lot to protect..."


    Changbag shrugged . "He is a protector after all . It’s in his nature . "


    Li Yundong nodded, but said nothing .


    "Now I have a question," Changbag said all of a sudden .


    Li Yundong regarded the old man for a moment, then nodded . "Fire away . "


    "What happened earlier? I mean before you ran off on your own . " Changbag paused as though he was trying to choose his words carefully . "You mentioned something about a code?"


    "Oh . That . Well, it’s just..." Li Yundong shrugged . "I realized that a part of the Mahamudra Tantra held a coded message, that’s all . "


    Changbag smiled . "Ah . So you had an epiphany then?"


    Li Yundong cleared his throat . "Well... Sort of..."


    "And did you find your answer?"


    Li Yundong nodded resolutely . "Yes . " Pretty sure the fallen trees and broken twigs could attest to that .


    Changbag chuckled . "Maybe it was the right call to give the book to you after all . " Changbag suddenly looked towards him . "Did you know that you uttered Mahak’s other name during your epiphany?"


    Li Yundong could feel his eyes widening . "Seriously? Did I?"


    Changbag chuckled . "My hearing might have declined with age, but I’m quite sure I heard your say Mahavairocana . "


    "Oh, yeah . I did say that..."


    "May I ask why you mentioned that name?" Changbag paused for a moment . "It had something to do with that epiphany you had, am I right?"


    Li Yundong nodded . "Yes . I realized something about one of Mahavairocana’s hand signs . "


    Changbag had a thoughtful look on his face .


    "Which hand sign, if you don’t mind me asking? Well, you did mention it just now, but you were mumbling to yourself, so I couldn’t catch what you were saying . "


    "Um... The Intelligent Fist . "


    Changbag’s eyes widened just a tad . "Ah... The Intelligent Fist... Now I see..." He chuckled . "No wonder you asked me about the mantra . "


    Li Yundong sat up straighter and shifted closer to Changbag .


    "Changbag..."


    "Yes?"


    Li Yundong cleared his throat . "Hypothetically speaking..."


    Changbagughed, his eyes shone with amusement . "Oh, so we’re speaking in hypotheticals now, eh? Fine . Go on, then . "


    Li Yundong smirked, then continued, "Hypothetically speaking, if these hand signs contain the secrets to some hidden powers, what would they be?"


    Changbag chuckled .


    "Then I shall tell you, my friend, that ording to Vajrayana Buddhism, each hand sign does indeed hold the secrets to unlock a unique divine power . "


    "What kind of divine power?"


    "ording to Vajrayana Buddhism, these hand signs—or mudras—can be split into three categories . Thebative, Ganges, and tantric mudras . The Intelligent Fist mudra belongs to the third category since it requires a mantra . "


    "What kind of divine power does the Intelligent Fist mudra give then?"


    Changbag smiled . "Patience, young man . "


    Li Yundong blushed . "Sorry . "


    "Thebative mudras, as its name implies, mostly deal physical damage when used . Ganges is the name of a river that originates in the Himyas and flows southeast across the Ganges Valley . " Changbag smiled . "And as you know, a river nourishes and cleans . It washes away undesirable things . It is a source of life, you see?"


    Understanding washed over Li Yundong . "So the Ganges mudras has healing abilities?"


    Changbag nodded . "Not all of them though . Some can be used to end disasters . Others can be used as a form of blessing . "


    "And thest category?"


    "Ah . The tantric mudras are special . " Changbag shot him a pointed look . "They are protective in nature . "


    "Like a shield?"


    "Some, yes . But not all of them are shields . "


    "What things can they protect their user against?"


    "A wide range of things," Changbag said . "It repels physical objects . It purifies evil and repels demonic aura, etc . "


    "I see..."


    So that’s what the Intelligent Fist mudra does . . . The fallen trees must be the effect of the physical repulsion .


    "All these are, of course, hypothetical and have no basis in reality..."


    Li Yundong raised his gaze and saw Changbag staring at him with his brows raised .


    Li Yundongughed . "Of course . These are all hypothetical . " Suddenly, Li Yundong stoppedughing and gave Changbag a serious look . "Suppose that if, in this hypothetical scenario, a Buddhistma were to give away a precious text containing these secrets... Would the he face dire consequences for doing so?"


    Changbag smiled casually . "Who knows?"


    "But thema would’ve been used of giving away the temple’s secrets . "


    Changbag smirked . "Ah . But these hypothetical secrets are so obscure that very little people can unveil them . " Changbag’s smirk turned into a grin . "And if anyone do manage to unveil these secrets, then there isn’t a single doubt in my mind that the text is in the right hands . "


    Li Yundong pondered Changbag’s words silently .


    "Now I have another question . "


    Li Yundong stared at Changbag for a moment . "Are we still talking in hypotheticals?"


    Changbagughed . "No . "


    Li Yundong smiled . "Go ahead, sir . "


    "You always seemed a little defensive whenever we call you Mahak . " Changbag paused for a moment . "Why is that?"


    Li Yundong sighed . "I had..." How the heck was he supposed to exin Ishvara and his personal god? "Well... I had a vision of some sort . "


    Changbag leaned forward slightly . "A vision?"


    "Yeah... Sort of like a dream, where I was this omnipotent god with six arms and three faces . "


    Changbag stroked his beard . "Hmm..."


    "Anyway . " Li Yundong waved his hand a few times . "It creeped me out a little when you guys described Mahak to me . Coz you said six arms and three faces, which is exactly what I saw in the vision . " He chuckled . "Maybe it’s all just a coincidence . "


    "Coincidence?"


    Li Yundong looked at Changbag, taken aback by his skeptical tone . "I mean, yeah . I’m a Cultivator, but I’m not an all-powerful Buddhist deity . "


    In fact, he was aplete nobody before Su Chan came into his life, before the Renyuan Jindan .


    "You have an aptitude for martial arts, don’t you? You have good battle instincts . You’re a natural warrior . You anger easily and tend to settle things with your fists . . . "


    "But—"


    "And I have no doubt that you are a great cook too . You know your way around the kitchen and enjoy serving food to others . Also, you have a great desire to protect the poor and the weak . " Changbag raised his brows . "And let me guess, it angers you greatly whenever you see injustice?"


    Li Yundong gaped at the old man . "How did you..."


    Changbag pressed his palms together . "Amitabha . . . All the traits I mentioned belonged to Mahak . In fact, ancient Buddhist texts described Mahak as the god of battle, the Lord of the Kitchen, and the Lord of Justice . " Changbag smiled . "I do not think it is a mere coincidence that you happen to have those traits too, Zhenren Li . "


    Li Yundong sat there wordlessly, staring down at the tent’s tarpaulin flooring .


    After what felt like forever, Changbag broke the silence .


    "Your difficulty lies in the fact that your mind is filled with assumptions about yourself, Zhenren Li . "


    Li Yundong looked up from the tarpaulin .


    Changbag smiled . "The mind is a beautiful servant, but a dangerous master . Your assumptions will eventually be a leash through which your mind controls you . Cut the leash . Be the master of your own mind . Discover, not assume . Perhaps then the truth about yourself shall reveal itself to you . "


    Li Yundong smiled and nodded . "You’re a wise man, Changbag . "


    Changbag shook his head . "Not a wise man, Zhenren Li . But a peaceful man . "


    Li Yundong wondered what Changbag meant by that . He chuckled . Buddhist monks . Always speaking in riddles .


    Li Yundong rose to his feet . "This has been really enlightening, Changbag . Thank you . "


    Changbag pressed his palms together and bowed .


    "Good night," Li Yundong said, then walked out of the tent .


    ***


    After leaving Changbag’s tent, Li Yundong grabbed his backpack and headed towards the brook to take a bath . He had gone longer without one, but he figured he should make full use of the clean water from the brook before he leave the camp tomorrow morning . On the way to the brook, he passed by a few women who greeted him in Tibetan . He answered the greetings with polite nods and smiles before hurrying off .


    The brook was empty when he arrived, which was perfect . This wouldn’t take long anyway—ten minutes tops, he figured .


    He found a rock near the far end of the brook and lowered his backpack onto it .


    Then, he pulled out a clean towel from his backpack and began stripping off his clothes . A minuteter, he stood in the brook and began to wash the dirt and grime off his body . The sky was clear tonight, and the moonlight was ample enough that he could make out the state of his skin .


    He smiled when he began to wonder what Su Chan would think if she saw him now . Surely, his princess would start making fun of him for hisck of hygiene . But of course, she was more than wee to help him in the personal hygiene department . He certainly wouldn’t mind a backrub .


    His thoughts about Su Chan ended when he heard a rustling sound behind him . He froze .


    "Who’s there?!" he yelled and turned around to face the intruder .


    He wasn’t expecting to see Meiduo standing there without a single stitch on .


    Li Yundong gasped and covered his eyes . "What the hell?!"


    Then, he scrambled out of the brook and ran towards the rock where he ced his backpack . He grabbed his towel and wrapped himself in it . When he was done, he looked up and, much to his horror, saw a naked Meiduo walking towards him . He gasped and quickly turned around .


    "For God’s sake, Meiduo! Put some clothes on!"


    "Why won’t you look at me, Brother Li?" Meiduo said . "Don’t you find me beautiful?"


    "Come on! Meiduo! Stop messing around!"


    "I’m not messing around, Brother Li..."


    Li Yundong took a deep breath . "Alright, look . Why don’t you put on some clothes on first, and then we’ll talk, okay?"


    More rustling of grass sounded .


    "You like me, don’t you?"


    "Wha— I never said..." Li Yundong uncovered his eyes, but cursed when he saw that Meiduo was still naked . Dammit! Li Yundong scanned the ground until he saw a Tibetan traditional robe lying on the grass several feet away . He ran over and picked up the robe from the ground, then threw the robe around Meiduo’s shoulders .


    Meiduo reached up and tried to wrap her arms around his neck .


    Li Yundong pushed her hands away and stepped back . "Stop this, Meiduo... You shouldn’t be doing this... I—"


    "Why not!" Meiduo’s eyes were filled with tears now . "Why won’t you look at me like you did this morning?"


    "What? This morning—" Li Yundong froze . This morning he had mistaken Meiduo for Su Chan and ended up hugging her . Oh God . He had made such a mess of things .


    "Listen . About this morning, I can exin—"


    "You looked at me with so much love, Brother Li . Why won’t you look at me like that again?"


    Li Yundong sighed and sat down on the rock . "Because my heart already belongs to another woman . "


    "W- What?"


    Li Yundong ran a hand through his hair . "I’m already in love with someone else . "


    "But this morning... You..." Meiduo gasped . "Y- You thought... You thought I was her this morning..."


    Li Yundong nodded . "I was having a dream about her . When I woke up, I mistook you for her . I... I’m sorry . "


    Silence passed between them . When Li Yundong couldn’t stand the awkwardness anymore, he opened his mouth to speak .


    "Meiduo—"


    "Are you married?"


    Li Yundong stared at Meiduo, stunned . Momentster, he regained hisposure . "No . I’m not married . I have a girlfriend . "


    Meiduo burst into tears and sobbed into her hands .


    Li Yundong sighed and stood up from the rock . He walked over and slowly guided Meiduo to the rock .


    "Sit," he said . "Let me tell you a story . "