"He has become a Buddha," Li Huowang felt a chill down his spine the moment he heard the abbot utter these words in a calm tone.
He abruptly lifted his gaze towards the five colossal Golden Buddhas around him; those who were just a moment ago dignified and solemn seemed to have changed their expressions in an instant.
Just as Li Huowang was about to get up, he glanced at the bright sun outside the door and then turned back to look at the abbot.
The old abbot still sat there with unwavering concentration, neither pleased nor sad, as if the words just spoken had not come from him.
"Wait, don't scare yourself; it might not be what you think," he said to himself after pondering it carefully for a while.
Once again, Li Huowang spoke up and asked, "Abbot, there must have been some animosity between Zhengde Temple and Master Danyang, right?"
"Indeed, he previously kidnapped and killed people everywhere, causing chaos. I once sent the warrior monks of Dharma Hall from our temple to capture him, but he escaped every time."
"If you could find a way to rid us of this man, it would also be a meritorious deed," he said.
"Then may I ask master, how could such a wicked man, guilty of heinous crimes, become a Buddha? How is it possible for him to become a Buddha?"
"Amitabha, what he is now does not concern what he was himself. In the heart of this old monk, there lies Buddha. In my heart, he is the Buddha," replied the abbot.
Hearing this, Li Huowang felt irritable. This old monk wasn't speaking plainly and seemed to be talking in riddles.
"Benefactor, Master Danyang has now merged with the universe. What I think of him is irrelevant; what matters is what you think of him. What you believe he is, that he is, for at this moment, his karma lies with you, not with this old monk," the abbot explained.
Xinhui's voice remained even and calm, but this time, Li Huowang understood what he meant.
"Are you saying that Master Danyang has now become a shapeless entity that can change according to people's thoughts, similar to Lord You?" he asked.
"That's so," confirmed the abbot.
"But why? How did he turn into that kind of ghostly thing? All those Cultivation Techniques for attaining immortality are nonsense I made up; consuming all those deadly substances should have killed him directly!" Li Huowang couldn't make heads or tails of it.
"This old monk does not know," replied the abbot.
Li Huowang was caught off guard by such a candid response. "You don't know?"
"This old monk is not a future Buddha, unable to be omniscient and omnipotent. Monastics do not lie; not knowing is simply not knowing."
After deliberating again for a moment, Li Huowang posed another crucial question.
"Abbot, is there a way to completely resolve the issue with Master Danyang? Since he is our adversary, letting him linger like this can't be good," he persisted.
He had travelled so far with all the painstaking effort for this very purpose.
No matter what Master Danyang had become, he had to resolve this matter.
This time, Xinhui did not respond as quickly, but pondered for a while before raising his right hand. "Come here, I need to look at you once more," he directed.
Looking at that wrinkled white hand, Li Huowang hesitated.
"Benefactor Xuan Yang, if you still doubt that I wish to harm you, then you should not have stepped through the gates of the temple in the first place," the abbot said.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Li Huowang pressed his forehead to the old monk's palm.
With a "hum," Li Huowang felt the colors around him intensify several times over in an instant, and a sensation of lightness washed over his body.
The wondrous feeling came quickly and departed just as fast. Once everything returned to normal, Li Huowang felt a slight emptiness inside, not knowing quite why.
He understood that, if nothing else, the old abbot certainly possessed some special supernatural abilities from Buddhism.
"Hmm... This matter is of great importance. I need to discuss countermeasures with the other elders. You may stay at the temple for now, and I will give you a response tomorrow."
Upon hearing that he needed to stay, Li Huowang immediately became nervous. "I have friends outside the temple who will be worried if I do not return."
Seeing Li Huowang's refusal, the abbot's tone remained unhurried.
"Stay or leave as you please. Zhengde Temple's gates will open tomorrow at Chen hour. Xuanyang patron, please do not go back on your word. You know that if this trouble isn't eliminated, it would ultimately pose a great hidden danger to you and to all the people in the world."
When Li Huowang stepped outside the hall and stood under the sunlight, looking back inside, he found that the abbot had once again turned his back to him and started reciting scriptures in front of the giant Golden Buddha.
Li Huowang raised his head to look at the midday sun overhead and then surveyed the serene and harmonious Buddhist temples around him; it hardly seemed like anything was amiss.
Just as Li Huowang had taken a few steps after turning around, the bald back of the abbot's head, who was chanting scriptures, began to wriggle.
After a while, a smooth crack opened beneath the five-Buddha hat, and a fist-sized giant vertical eye emerged, staring fixedly at Li Huowang.
At that moment, the voice of the abbot reciting the scriptures suddenly intensified. "Form is not self... If form were self, form would not lead to suffering and distress. My desire is such form... my aversion is to such form... as the feelings incline. Thus, one should know..."
By the time Li Huowang took several twists and turns and followed the temple's paths back to the bustling front gate filled with pilgrims, he felt as if he had returned to the world of mortals once again.
Standing among the crowd, he looked towards the alley he had just walked out of and thought, "Should I believe him?" Li Huowang felt some hesitation.
"Hey! Taoist! I'm over here!" Hearing someone calling him, Li Huowang turned his head and saw the old beggar not far away, excitedly waving at him.
"You're at Zhengde Temple? Did they agree to take you in?"
The old beggar nodded excitedly. "Yes, the monk just said he pities me and will let me stay here to work in the temple."
"That's good. Work well here; it's at least better than foraging for wild vegetables or eating offerings meant for the dead outside. I have to leave as I have other business to attend to. By the way, I have yet to ask you for your name."
"Just call me Monk, I like being called that. Come and visit the temple when you have time."
"Heh, as your Buddhist Sect says, let it be up to fate."
After saying goodbye to the old monk, Li Huowang left Zhengde Temple.
When he arrived at the inn they had previously agreed upon, the others swarmed him immediately,
Li Huowang raised his hand to stop them from asking further and said, "I have a task for everyone. Go out and ask the local folks about Zhengde Temple."
Despite today's interaction with the monks being very normal, he still wanted to hear the local people's views of Zhengde Temple before making any plans.
The others nodded and without asking further questions, they turned and walked out of the inn.
Time passed bit by bit, and after the sun had set, the seven individuals sent out had gradually returned and began to report their findings to Li Huowang.
"They say that Zhengde Temple is the biggest temple in the western Capital City, with the most flourishing incense offering."
"I heard those monks are very devout, adhering strictly to their precepts and disciplines. Once, a monk who ate meat was directly expelled from the temple."
"It's said that even the Emperor visits that temple to offer his prayers, and if you're lucky and get a good spot, you can see the Emperor too!"
"What I've found is similar to theirs. Senior Brother, what do you want us to learn about Zhengde Temple for?"
Li Huowang did not answer. He did not want to tell them about the possibly horrible things still happening with Master Danyang, to avoid causing them undue alarm.
After carefully considering their findings, but unable to come up with a reason to decline, Li Huowang realized that if he didn't trust the monks, he would only have the option to confront a "Buddha" Master Danyang on his own. And that choice was undoubtedly suicidal.
Finally weighing the pros and cons, Li Huowang made up his mind to return to Zhengde Temple the next day.