Chapter 44 – Getting to the Root of the Matter

After leaving the room where Wang Ming was being held, they walked a considerable distance before arriving at the guest room where Elder Ye was currently staying. However, the room no longer resembled a bedroom; it looked more like a high-ranking official’s ward in a sanatorium. Aside from two elderly caregivers, there were even a few bodyguards standing guard at the door, their demeanor more imposing than prison guards. It was unclear whether this was meant to reassure people or if it truly had some effect in warding off evil. As for Elder Ye himself, he had aged noticeably in just a few days, appearing as though he had fallen seriously ill. His spirit was weak, his eyes filled with panic, clearly overwhelmed by intense fear.

When Director Sun entered the room with the masters in tow, a flicker of relief appeared on Elder Ye’s face. However, upon seeing who was following behind his son-in-law, he immediately shrank back in fear, clutching the bedsheet as he retreated: “They… why are they here… it’s all their fault…”

Director Sun hadn’t expected his father-in-law to react so strongly. He quickly stepped forward to reassure him: “Dad, Master Wei and Master Zhang are here at my invitation. Don’t be afraid. Master Chizhi has vouched for them—they are truly capable.”

Monk Chizhi was one of Elder Ye’s tea companions, and the old man knew him far better than most, aware that this master was the foremost expert of Xuanzhao Temple, with profound knowledge of Buddhist teachings. It was thanks to Monk Chizhi that the disturbances caused by the evil in his home had been brought under control. Hearing his son-in-law’s words, Elder Ye’s panic subsided slightly. Seizing the moment, Director Sun helped the old man sit up from the sickbed and spoke in a steady voice: “I’ve asked these masters to come and see you to understand the root of the problem. Just like treating an illness, we need to target the source. Once the masters identify the cause, they’ll be able to completely eradicate this evil.”

Director Sun’s voice carried a calm authority that was reassuring. Comforted by his son-in-law, Elder Ye finally stopped trembling. He steadied himself and his gaze fell on Wei Yang and Zhang Xiuqi. After swallowing hard, he asked, “What else do you want to know? Didn’t the two of you already say that the iron Buddha was the problem…”

Wei Yang shook his head and replied solemnly, “As I mentioned to you that day, an iron Buddha can also serve as a sealing artifact. The evil might not necessarily be the Buddha itself, but rather something the Buddha was meant to suppress. That’s why we need to get to the bottom of this. Why was Mr. Wang possessed by the evil entity? Besides him, have there been any other strange occurrences around you?”

Under normal circumstances, the young conman wouldn’t have asked such serious questions—he would’ve started spinning tales right away. But this situation was far from ordinary. Even Zhang Xiuqi hadn’t detected anything unusual about the iron Buddha initially, so how could it have suddenly changed? Without getting to the root of the matter, rushing in recklessly could easily lead to disaster, not just for him but for everyone involved. Moreover, with a high monk from Xuanzhao Temple present, any slip-up could expose his act. For once, Wei Yang refrained from using any tricks and instead asked the key question based on his own reasoning.

However, the question only made Elder Ye tremble even more. His lips quivered for a long time before he finally managed to stammer out, “I… I don’t know… That day, I just stayed overnight at a hotel. The next morning, the hotel security informed me that Xiao Wang had gone mad, injuring several people before being rushed to a psychiatric hospital. I was terrified and didn’t dare stay there any longer, so I went straight home and hired the best psychiatrist for Xiao Wang. But after returning home, things only got worse. First, all the mynah birds I kept died overnight, then my guard dogs went mad, barking and biting uncontrollably, even urinating everywhere. After that, the ornamental fish in the garden…”

His bony fingers clenched tightly, his face showing indescribable terror: “Coincidentally, Xiao Wang’s attending doctor called to tell me that his condition was difficult to control—even sedatives had little effect. The doctor mentioned that his teacher had dealt with a similar patient over a decade ago and advised me to check if Xiao Wang had encountered or experienced anything unusual. That’s when I realized this might truly be the work of evil. But Xiao Wang had been with me the whole time—what could he have encountered? Except… except for that iron Buddha…”

Elder Ye’s pupils dilated, and Director Sun quickly cut in, taking over for his father-in-law: “After that, I sent someone to check the iron Buddha in the safe downstairs. They found that the statue had undergone significant changes—the iron sword in the Buddha’s hand was now cutting into its own neck, the blade embedded two or three centimeters deep. Moreover, the rust on the Buddha had worsened. When my people tried to take photos for evidence, the images turned out blurry—no matter what camera they used, all they captured was a dark, indistinct shadow. At that point, even I got scared and moved the old man to this villa to recuperate. But the iron Buddha is too sinister—we didn’t dare move it or destroy it, so it’s still in the safe at the old house.”

Director Sun’s voice remained steady, his tone matter-of-fact, as if discussing a case. Even so, Wei Yang felt goosebumps rise on his back. This was a classic case of “restless chickens and dogs.” Since meeting the Little Celestial Master, he had revisited some of the feng shui knowledge he’d learned before, realizing that while much of it was fraudulent, there were also genuine elements, especially when it came to descriptions of great evils, which often turned out to be accurate. One such description was that a place of great evil would inevitably cause restlessness among chickens and dogs.

Chickens were inherently yang creatures, highly sensitive to yang energy. Their crowing at dawn was triggered by their detection of the yang energy in the sun’s rays, which stirred their own yang force. This was why chicken blood and chicken throat bones were highly effective in exorcising evil. Dogs had a similar effect, though their yang energy was weaker than that of chickens. When faced with disturbances in yin and yang energy, dogs would often sense it before humans, exhibiting unusual behavior. Thus, when great evil appeared, the chickens and dogs in the area would inevitably show signs of unrest.

As for the iron Buddha’s behavior, it was venturing into the realm of the supernatural—a Buddha statue cutting its own head, photos turning out blurry—this was the kind of stuff you’d see in horror movies! Were they really going to try to eliminate this thing? Could they even do it?!

At this point, Monk Chizhi, who had been standing beside Wei Yang, spoke up: “Amitabha. It seems an evil entity was originally sealed within the Bodhisattva statue, intended to be subdued by the power of Manjushri. However, due to some twist of fate, the seal was broken. If left unchecked, it could bring calamity to the area. Layman Ye, could you tell us where this Manjushri statue came from?”

The monk’s voice was still grating, but no one cared about that now. Elder Ye shook his head vigorously: “I don’t know! The person who sold me the statue only said it was a genuine Yuan Dynasty artifact, a treasured item left behind by a high monk. Since it was a rare iron Buddha, I… I…”

Director Sun patted his father-in-law’s shoulder and interjected, “Actually, this item is somewhat shady. I had it investigated earlier, and it’s said to be something left behind by a living Buddha of the Flower Sect during the Yuan Dynasty. After the Flower Sect declined, these items made their way into the market. As for the timing, carbon-14 dating places it around 1350. Beyond that, there’s no further information.”

The so-called Flower Sect referred to the Sakya sect of Tibetan Buddhism, which held a highly revered position during the Mongol Yuan dynasty, with many living Buddhas holding the title of Imperial Preceptor. After the Ming dynasty was established, the Sakya sect’s influence waned, eventually being replaced by the Gelugpa sect, or the Yellow Sect. However, Wei Yang wasn’t focused on this historical context. His knowledge of history was quite solid, and he quickly deduced the era in which the iron Buddha had been created—1350 was near the end of the Yuan dynasty, a time when the land was plagued by famine and chaos under the rule of Emperor Shun. Who knew how many supernatural entities had emerged during that period? If the iron Buddha had been created to seal an evil entity from that chaotic era, it might be even more terrifying than they imagined.

Monk Chizhi shook his head gently: “Though the Buddha seeks to save all beings with compassion, there are also Vajra methods to destroy evil. The Sakya sect venerates Vajrapani—why would they choose to seal an evil entity with Manjushri instead of eliminating it? There must be more to this. Since Master Zhang said that Mr. Wang was not merely possessed but rather being taken over, perhaps we can learn something by questioning him…”

Wei Yang couldn’t hold back any longer and coughed lightly: “Since it’s an evil entity from the Yuan Dynasty, sealed by Tibetan lamas, it’s possible the entity speaks Mongolian or Tibetan. I think we should focus on eliminating it.”

Director Sun and Elder Ye both nodded in agreement. The malevolent spirit hadn’t even fully escaped yet, and it was already causing this much havoc. If it managed to take over a host, wouldn’t it wreak havoc on an unimaginable scale? They weren’t here to study historical legends—solving the problem was the priority.

Director Sun quickly added, “Master Wei is right! We’ve thoroughly examined Xiao Wang as well. Aside from a small scratch on his temple, there are no other injuries on his body. We have no idea how the evil Buddha caused him to lose his mind. However, over the past couple of days, we’ve noticed a pattern—he always has an episode around midnight. Even with the suppression methods of Master Chizhi and Master Guo, he still shows signs of madness during that time. When he goes berserk, even restraints and handcuffs can’t hold him—it’s like he’s no longer human.”

Wei Yang swallowed hard: “The Zi Hour…”

The Zi Hour was the time of day farthest from the sun, marking the transition from yang to yin energy. It was the prime time for supernatural occurrences. But that wasn’t the main issue—more importantly, this was well past the Little Celestial Master’s bedtime!

Zhang Xiuqi, who had been frowning as he listened to the conversation, suddenly spoke up: “Heavenly Star Formation.”

The old monk let out a soft exclamation: “Are you referring to the Heavenly Star Formation of Longhu Mountain? Using the power of the Moon to attack the evil entity might suppress it, but setting it up would be quite troublesome. Are you certain you can do it?”

Zhang Xiuqi nodded but didn’t elaborate. Despite being blind, Monk Chizhi seemed to sense his gesture and turned to Director Sun, clasping his hands together: “Director Sun, I’m afraid we’ll need to visit the haunted house.”