Chapter 95: The Feast of the Body (1 / 2)

Jiang Shiyu was confused. She couldn't understand what Master Yicheng was doing. The temperature around them continued to drop, and the cold, mournful night wind howled through the air, sounding eerily like the sobbing of a girl. Her hairs stood on end, her throat dry as she nervously swallowed. She glanced around and realized they were in the middle of a crossroad.

At that moment, Master Yicheng sat cross-legged on the middle of the road, his hands forming the lotus seal. Jiang Shiyu, following his instructions, sat beside him. The wind seemed to whip at them from all four directions, kicking up dust that stung her eyes. Strangely, despite the wind, the stars in the sky still shone brightly.

"Jiang Shiyu, do not look around. Now, recite the Diamond Sutra with me," Master Yicheng said without turning his head.

Jiang Shiyu had practiced Buddhism since childhood and could recite the sacred Diamond Sutra by heart. As Master Yicheng began chanting the Sutra in Sanskrit, suddenly a large truck came speeding toward them. Jiang Shiyu's face turned pale in fear. She opened her mouth, ready to shout at Master Yicheng to run, but he spoke calmly yet firmly:

"Jiang Shiyu, your mind must remain calm. The Buddha said, 'All illusions are empty.' Just as I heard, 'At one time, the Buddha was staying in the Jeta Grove in the Kingdom of Kosala, together with a great gathering of 1,250 monks…'"

The truck's horn blared deafeningly, sending vibrations through the air, and Jiang Shiyu's instinct was to flee. But her neck felt as though the Buddha beads around it weighed a thousand pounds, binding her in place.

The truck was speeding directly toward her, and she was paralyzed with fear, ready to scream. But then, the Buddha beads around her neck radiated a golden light, as if the Buddha's hand gently pushed the truck away. When the truck passed, Jiang Shiyu could feel the cold sweat soaking her back.

Yet, this didn't deter her from wanting to find Yuan Beitang and save my life.

When Master Yicheng later spoke to me about this, he sighed deeply. He explained that during the time of the Hundred Ghosts' March, the surroundings were dangerous, with malicious spirits everywhere. Any living person who crossed their path would be a sacrificial offering. The reason Master Yicheng had chosen the crossroads was that it led to all four directions, allowing the Buddha's hand to guide the spirits along other routes and buy time for them to reach the Wan Zang Kou (Ten Thousand Graves).

However, I could only feel the immense danger through his words. When the truck passed by them, Master Yicheng suddenly coughed up blood.

Jiang Shiyu watched Master Yicheng's powerful yet slumped figure, wanting to ask how he was, but then remembered his instruction: "Do not speak, do not worry about me." Taking a deep breath, she chose to trust him and sat cross-legged, joining him in chanting the Diamond Sutra.

As they sat there in the pitch-black night, the wind grew fiercer. Jiang Shiyu closed her eyes, but she could hear strange sounds all around them. Yet, Master Yicheng's chanting never faltered. Jiang Shiyu didn't know how long she had her eyes closed, but she felt like something was continuously passing by her. Each time, a chill would run through her body.

Curious, she opened her eyes, only to see that Master Yicheng was surrounded by a group of evil spirits, some with large heads and small bodies, green faces, sharp fangs, while others reeked of alcohol and let out eerie laughter. There were both men and women, each dressed in clothing from different eras.

A cold feeling gripped Jiang Shiyu's heart, and her mouth dried up. She could see that the evil spirits were gnawing at Master Yicheng's body. Every time one bit into him, it tore off a chunk of flesh, but none of them lingered; they would bite once and then walk away. The spirits wandered in different directions, some heading east, others west, and some retracing their steps. But none of them went south.

Terror gripped Jiang Shiyu, and she felt like crying. Master Yicheng was now covered in blood, his dark red monk robe was torn, and his shoulder and back were exposed, his pale, bare spine visible. Jiang Shiyu shivered with fear.

As she watched, Master Yicheng's body slowly turned into a skeleton. Just when she thought it was all over, a golden light streaked across the sky like a shooting star. The sound of the Buddha's chant filled the air, and the golden light spread, turning the dark night into a golden hue. Wherever the golden light touched, the evil spirits seemed to evaporate.

Jiang Shiyu looked up and saw countless monks materializing in the sky, their bodies glowing gold, sitting in a lotus position and forming a tower-like shape. They were all solemn and dignified.

Suddenly, a loud voice rang out from within the monk tower: "Yicheng, when will you become a Buddha?"

The golden light formed into a celestial glow that filled the world with majesty. Master Yicheng himself began to radiate golden light, his body shining as though he had achieved Buddhahood. Jiang Shiyu stared in awe, unable to speak, silently observing from the side.

She saw Master Yicheng's flesh gradually regenerate. Finally, her anxieties began to ease. In front of her, Master Yicheng still sat in meditation, unaffected by the monks in the sky, but the calls continued: "When will you become a Buddha?"