Chapter 44: Chapter 43: Bribing the Gods_1
Wan’en Temple was a renowned temple that had survived through two dynasties.
In the present Liang Dynasty Wan’en Temple, orthodox gods and bodhisattvas were worshipped, and the temple bustled with activity every year on the first day of April. However, a hundred years ago, Wan’en Temple was, in its inception, merely a wild shrine.
It is said that several centuries prior, a peasant family was slaughtered by robbers, with ten family members all perishing, save for the youngest son of the landlord, who was taken and escaped by a servant.
Halfway through their escape, the servant could go no further, leaving only the young five or six-year-old child, who was starving and exhausted, and came upon a dilapidated shrine on his journey. Looking up, he saw an unknown deity enshrined within and fell to his knees in worship, hoping that the deity in the temple would open its eyes to the suffering of mortals and bring retribution to the wicked.
Not long after the child finished his prayers, he died. A few days later, the bandits were caught by government officers. People claimed that the deity in the decrepit shrine was exceptionally efficacious, and a wealthy merchant donated money to remodel the statue with a gilded body and construct a larger temple nearby.
This was the precursor to Wan’en Temple.
With Wan’en Temple’s incense burning vigorously, the legend was probably an exaggerated myth. However, there was indeed an abandoned side-hall within the temple containing a neglected deity statue, not worshipped by anyone.
According to the monks in the temple, this statue did not belong to the orthodox gods and bodhisattvas; it had been left by the abbot of Wan’en Temple during the previous dynasty. After the fall of that dynasty, Wan’en Temple was renovated, and, out of respect for the gods, the statue was not destroyed, although no one worshipped it. Over time, the hall was abandoned. Monks often used the hall to store fish and turtles meant to be released during religious ceremonies.
The night’s rain was more torrential than in the evening, and the mountain temple was devoid of any monks or worshipers. Only the lamps flickered throughout the Dharma Hall casting elongated shadows.
In front of the doors to the abandoned side-hall stood two people.
Ke Chengxing wiped the droplets of water from his face and handed his raincoat to Wan Fu beside him.
Wan Fu took it and handed a bundle back to Ke Chengxing.
Ke Chengxing weighed the bundle and whispered to Wan Fu, "You wait outside for me."
Wan Fu nodded, and Ke Chengxing, holding the bundle, pushed open a crack in the hall’s door and quietly entered.
The Dharma Hall was very old and lacked the solemn grandeur of the other halls he had seen in the temple before. With no one having cleaned it for a long time, the hall emitted a smell of decay and mold.
Ke Chengxing took a few steps and nearly stumbled over something on the ground, but with the dim light, he finally saw that the hall was filled with big and small tubs and baskets housing turtles and loaches for release.
The mix of mud, fishy odor, and stale mold was almost nauseating. The Dharma Hall’s lamps were also few and far between, no more than ten in total, providing just enough light but casting an even more eerie and somber atmosphere.
A gust of cold wind blew through, sending a shiver down Ke Chengxing’s spine. He hastened his steps, bearing the stench at the tip of his nose and quickly walked to the foremost deity statue at the end of the hall.
This statue was abandoned, long unattended, with its colored paint peeling and flaked. One could barely make out it was a male figure with a green face and red hair, exuding an imposing aura despite not being angry.
Ke Chengxing caught only a glimpse before lowering his head, not daring to look up again.
After a long search, he finally found an overturned niche cage at the foot of the statue, which he promptly righted, then dragged over a broken straw mat to kneel on properly.
At last, Ke Chengxing took out a handful of incense sticks from the bundle and lit them with a firestarter.
"Master Bodhisattva, Immortal Master," he pleaded with clasped hands and bowed his head, "please save me and dispatch a divine envoy to capture that female ghost, so she may no longer harm the mortal world."
Misty blue vapors rose, as the divine figures of gods and Buddhas averted their gazes in silence.
Ke Chengxing had come to burn incense.
Wan Fu had somehow learned that in Wan’en Temple, each Bodhisattva in every hall was responsible for a specific domain: one for marriage, one for academics, one for health, and one for wealth.
Some governed offspring, others governed official fortune, but only the deity in this deserted side hall specialized in capturing ghosts.
Since this deity received no offerings and was a relic from the previous dynasty, pilgrims wouldn’t actively make offerings, fearing they might bring misfortune upon themselves. Thus, Wan Fu suggested waiting until midnight to sneak into this side hall and offer several sticks of incense so that the gods would become aware of his sincerity and grant his heart’s desire.
Moreover, the ghost of Mrs. Lu had been following him, and leading her into this hall might well trap her forever by the divine powers, unable to leave. Then, he could be free of her and worry no more.
Wan Fu said to him, "Master, they say the underworld deities are mercenary, and there is a saying among the living: ’he who accepts a person’s gifts becomes subservient to them.’ You should prepare more incense to bribe the Immortal Master, or even the attending servants."
Ke Chengxing felt this method was strangely unspeakable, but the ghost of Mrs. Lu had scared him, and in desperation, he hesitated only briefly before agreeing to Wan Fu’s proposal.
And so, at midnight tonight, he had brought incense and candles to this hall to make his discreet offering.
Ke Chengxing had not allowed Wan Fu to accompany him for fear that others would overhear the content of his prayers to the gods.
He lit the incense, placed it in the Buddha shrine, bowed several times, and then took out some paper offerings, burning them carefully in the iron basin.
The flickering flames cast a shadow on his face, reflecting eyes that were both terrified and frantic.
He seemed pitiable, yet his words were filled with fierce bitterness as he murmured softly, "Immortal Masters, Master Bodhisattva, I have burned incense and also beg you to save me. Mrs. Lu harbors deep resentment, capable of causing harm and taking lives. I implore Master Bodhisattva to drive her away or guide her to transcendence – it would be an act of great merit."
He rambled on, growing bolder, "Although this is my fault, when tracing the cause and effect, the blame also lies with the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion for their high-handed bullying. Mrs. Lu and I were originally a loving couple; how did things end up like this!"
Ke Chengxing’s gaze turned somewhat dark.
That day at Fengle Building, when he sobered up and learned that Mrs. Lu might have been violated, he was extremely angry and even had thoughts of murder. Hearing that the culprits had not yet departed, Ke Chengxing stormed over, confronting the young master of the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion.
The young master didn’t even deign to look at him, idly allowing a maid to adjust his belt. When Ke Chengxing came to seek justice, a silver note was thrust into his hands by a servant resembling a housekeeper.
Ke Chengxing naturally wouldn’t let matters rest, but the servant from the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion just smiled and said, "This is all a misunderstanding. Should Master Ke escalate this issue, the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion will only lose some face, but Master Ke’s future business dealings in Shengjing might become very difficult."
The housekeeper sighed regretfully, earnestly reminding him, "Even if Master Ke doesn’t consider his own well-being, he should think of Madam Ke. The old lady is advanced in years and might not withstand the shock if this matter becomes public."
Ke Chengxing found himself speechless.
Madam Ke cared only about the reputation of the Ke Family, and offending the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion now would lead the entire Shengjing business community to shun them – how could they prosper afterward?
Besides, they dared not offend the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion...
Ke Chengxing had no choice but to grit his teeth and accept the situation.
Caught up in this calamity through no fault of his own, he had yet to figure out his next steps when Mrs. Lu, having regained consciousness, began causing a scene.