Sights and Sounds of the Ghost Buddha Temple

On the Yin Yang Road, non-human travelers made up the vast majority. On the rare occasion a living soul slipped in among them, they would wrap themselves up tightly, ensuring not a single sliver of living vitality leaked out to disturb the evil spirits along the way.

Or rather, this realm was no longer part of the mortal world. Here, the living were the true outsiders.

Demons and ghosts lined the road in abundance—wild boars, wildcats, foxes, dog demons—most retaining their true animal forms.

Even the rare few who managed to hold human form still displayed noticeable beastly features.

Traveling further ahead, they encountered a massive python as thick as a water bucket slithering across the main thoroughfare. Palm-sized scales rippled across its belly as its head and tail stretched deep into the surrounding fog, taking quite some time before it finally vanished into the haze.

The sight was enough to give anyone goosebumps.

Glancing around, Nan Zhi spotted a peculiar duo:

The man was slovenly, looking like a beggar, while the woman was tall and slender, wrapped entirely in black cloth with only her eyes exposed. Perched on her shoulder was a pitch-black scorpion.

But after a quick glance or two, Nan Zhi paid them no further mind.

With so many demons gathered outside the sedan, friction was bound to happen.

Further up the path, a wild boar spirit collided with a rhinoceros demon. The two stood right in the middle of the road, shouting insults at each other in a scene that was hilarious in every respect.

Hands on its hips, the wild boar spirit barked:

“Oho! Who do you think you are, blocking the path of the Mighty Grand General of Yellow Peak Mountain? Do you think you have a few extra heads on your neck compared to everyone else?”

“Ptooey! What Mighty Grand General? Do you think I don't know your true origins?!”

Not to be outdone, the rhinoceros demon snorted streams of white vapor through its nose:

“You fellow are nothing more than a domestic pig that escaped from a farm at the foot of Yellow Peak Mountain! Usually, you only dare to scrape by by eating rotten cabbage leaves in people's fields! Mighty Grand General my ass!”

“You, you, you, you! You bastard wild ox, I'll fight you to the death! And what kind of grand background do you have? You're just a wild ox from the mountains that gained enlightenment, going around all day with a broken horn stuck on your head to pretend to be a rhinoceros! Did you really think I didn't know?!”

Exposed on the spot, the wild boar was naturally furious. Snorting loudly, it charged forward and snapped the horn straight off the ox's head with a harsh pull—

Nan Zhi was left completely dumbfounded.

She had heard of sticking scallions in a pig's nose to pretend it was an elephant, but she had never seen a wild ox sticking a rhinoceros horn on its head to pretend to be a rhinoceros.

Seeing its secret exposed, the wild ox spirit let out a strange squawk, straddled the wild boar spirit, and threw punches left and right as they tumbled and wrestled together.

Before a victor could be decided between the two demons, two monks floated over, seized them both, and marched them into the surrounding fog, where they vanished.

Those two ghost monks were charred black all over, each with a fist-sized hole gaping in their chests, through which one could still see their bright red internal organs.

The surrounding demons and ghosts were clearly accustomed to such sights. After a few casual glances, they resumed their journey along the road toward the Ghost Buddha Temple.

“Valued guests, do not be alarmed! Those are the ghost monks from inside the Ghost Buddha Temple. They don't usually harm anyone!”

The paper figures carrying the sedan spoke in high-pitched, shrill voices, sharing the origin of the Ghost Buddha Temple with Nan Zhi:

“Valued guests look like you're visiting for the first time, so you probably don't know the story behind this Ghost Buddha Temple. Let us offer a kindly word of caution—the rules inside this temple are quite strict!”

“Rumor has it that the Ghost Buddha Temple was originally an ancient temple burned down back during the Jin Dynasty. When the fire raged, not a single monk escaped because they were all trying to protect the scriptures stored within.”

Having received such a grand paper ingot, the paper figures served Nan Zhi and her companion with utmost diligence, practically itching to spill everything they knew:

“Later, nobody knows how, but that temple actually came to life! It grew legs and ran all the way onto this Yin Yang Road, staying right here for over a thousand years.

The monks inside turned into ghost monks, who still chant scriptures, strike the bell, cultivate, and recite the Buddha's name every day as they always did.

Later, back when Empress Shenlong was still on the throne, during one year's Water and Land Dharma Assembly, the Gates of Hell opened wide for the Ghost Festival. The ghosts that escaped from the Underworld gathered at this Ghost Buddha Temple and refused to go back.

Yama of the Underworld had no choice but to grant a special act of grace, promising that every year around the mid-seventh month, the wandering spirits of the Underworld could stay at the Ghost Buddha Temple for seven days to catch a glimpse of the mortal world once more.

Afterwards, the Ghost Market gradually formed around the Ghost Buddha Temple. As more humans, demons, and monsters gathered, it grew livelier with each passing year. So, the master of the Ghost Buddha Temple set down a rule:

Regardless of background or origin, no one is allowed to stir up trouble within the temple. If there is a true deadly feud, they must step onto the Life and Death Arena for a fight to the death.

Once on that arena, the victor not only takes their enemy's life, but might even catch the eye of the Ghost Buddha Temple's master and win a grand opportunity!”

“Is that really so? I've never heard of a temple growing legs and running off on its own before. Could it be that over so many years, the temple itself became a demon?”

Hearing such brutal and bloody rules, Nan Zhi became even more curious about the Ghost Buddha Temple:

“Do you know who the master behind the Ghost Buddha Temple is?”

Every paper figure shook its head like a rattle-drum. None of them knew either, merely pointing toward the colossal Buddha statue above:

“That—we don't know! But for hundreds of years, no one has ever dared to cause trouble at the Ghost Buddha Temple. It's said that anyone who dared to pick a fight was swallowed whole into the belly of that Buddha statue!”

As they said this, the paper figures seemed to recall something horrifying. Their bodies trembled violently, and the two red patches of rouge painted on their cheeks sagged downward.

Nan Zhi looked up, but saw only the headless torso of the Buddha statue. Looking from below, the severed neck was hidden from view. One hand held a flower between its fingers while the other cupped downward—

Aside from its gargantuan size, the statue before her appeared no different from any ordinary Buddha statue.

Mindful that they might need to make an arrest inside the Ghost Buddha Temple, Nan Zhi questioned the paper figures about the temple's taboos. Naturally, the paper figures answered every single question:

“Though the Gates of Hell haven't opened yet, the Ghost Buddha Temple is already buzzing with excitement! If you're interested, valued guests, you can wander around inside and outside the temple. You might just stumble upon something to your liking!”

“The Yin Yang Road connects all the nine provinces and ten thousand realms. Forget the East Sea ten thousand miles away—even places much further can be reached in an instant.”

“Mermaid pearls produced by the Jiao people of the East Sea, divine weapons forged by artisans of the Rakshasa Kingdom, ginseng babies birthed by the old ginseng spirits in the Valley of Ten Thousand Ginseng, elixirs from Penglai, hundred-silk garments from the Three-Headed Kingdom, peacock gold silk cloaks from the Feathered People Kingdom...”

Carried away by its excitement, one of the paper figures wagged its head and gushed:

“There are so many treasures! And those aren't even the best ones—as long as valued guests have money, you can even buy fine treasures that the Demon Suppression Division forbids from being sold in the Ghost Market!”

Unexpectedly, the moment these words left its mouth, the other paper figures glared fiercely at it. Realizing its slip of the tongue, the paper figure hastily clamped its mouth shut.

“Oh? Fine treasures that the Demon Suppression Division forbids from being sold? I've never heard of that before. Why don't you tell me more?”

Nan Zhi quickly perked up her ears, feigning curiosity as she probed further:

“What kind of treasures are they to be kept so secret?”

But no matter how much she pressed, the remaining paper figures refused to utter another word, quietly carrying the sedan forward in silence.