Chapter 158: Boats and Rafts

I had never seen such a tall person before—three meters tall, even taller than Xiaoming.

I quickly ran over with the Jade Corpse and finally got a clear look. It was a disheveled old man sitting atop the Silver-Armored Corpse.

The Silver-Armored Corpse was entirely silver-white, and it had changed into a pair of silver shorts. These shorts were originally black Adidas, but after Little Rascal bit them off, the old man replaced them with silver ones.

From a distance, I hadn’t been able to tell that there was a zombie beneath him.

The old man sat on the Silver-Armored Corpse and said, “I’ve had my eye on you for a while. You have the Jade Corpse, and I have the Silver-Armored Corpse. Why don’t we work together? Only then do we stand a chance against Lord Hua.”

“Sorry, I’m a feng shui master,” I firmly refused the disheveled old man.

The old man plucked a cockroach-sized flea from his hair, squeezed it, and splattered old blood all over his hand.

“Damn! Are you in *Infernal Affairs* or something? Forget it, you’re too uncivilized. I’m leaving. Farewell, maybe we’ll meet again someday. Sanjin, let’s go.” The old man patted the Silver-Armored Corpse’s shoulder and left with effortless coolness.

The Silver-Armored Corpse hopped a few times in the snow before running far away, leaving behind only a trail of lonely footprints.

Between the vast heavens and earth, the Buddha remains eternal, and so too does human solitude.

At eight in the evening, Xue Youniang took out a Golden Monkey cigarette and led us to search for the last corpse—the one she had set up as the Earth Slayer.

Yun Chaohai, me, Longbrow, Jiese, Uncle Jianguo, and the young, handsome policeman all followed.

Xie Xiaoyu stayed by my side. The cold wind howled, and I wrapped my coat tighter, trying to keep the chill at bay.

Often, the climax begins when the end is near. Tonight was still a night of illusions—as if the story had just begun yet was already approaching its conclusion.

My heart was uneasy. Would I never see Xie Lingyu again after tonight? Life was like a fleeting dream—losing what we once had while chasing after things that were never ours.

Tonight, the wind was cold, and so was I.

It felt as if the whole world was freezing.

Our group trudged through the snow, their footsteps crunching densely as we walked out of the gates of Famen Temple. After the renovation, many areas that weren’t originally part of the temple had been incorporated into it.

Yun Chaohai said, “Thirty years ago, this was just a very, very rundown temple.”

Xue Youniang stomped her foot on the ground and pointed. “Right here.”

Yun Chaohai stepped forward, using a shovel to dig through the snow, slowly revealing a layer of soil. After digging further, he uncovered an iron plate covering an entrance.

When the plate was lifted, a narrow passage was revealed—just wide enough for a person to crawl through. It looked like a tomb-raiding tunnel, though slightly larger.

“The last one is inside. Let’s go in,” Xue Youniang said.

Longbrow sighed. “I’ve been here for so many years and never knew there was a tunnel.”

The young policeman suddenly spoke up. “Master, why are your hands so sweaty? It’s freezing today.”

Yun Chaohai laughed. “Your master is excited. The case is finally about to be solved.”

We crawled through the tunnel, winding our way forward under the flashlight’s beam. After climbing over a wall, we entered a spacious underground chamber. Inside sat two people—both familiar faces.

One was Hua Chongyang, the other was Master Winter Melon.

Master Winter Melon stared at Hua Chongyang, and Hua Chongyang stared back at him. Neither spoke. When they saw us enter, Hua Chongyang stood up, while Master Winter Melon remained seated in meditation, his gaze sweeping over Xue Youniang.

Xue Youniang pointed at Hua Chongyang. “It’s him! It’s him!”

Hua Chongyang looked at her sideways. “Who are you?”

“Thirty years ago, he was the one who escaped from this underground chamber!” Xue Youniang shouted, seeing our confusion.

Lord Hua was indeed far more complicated than I had imagined.

But the idea that he had escaped from this underground chamber was truly hard to believe.

“Jiese, isn’t he your great-grandfather? Did he really escape from here?” I asked.

Jiese shook his head. “Great-grandfather usually just sleeps. Besides, thirty years ago, I hadn’t even been born yet. I don’t know what happened.”

Hua Chongyang burst into laughter. “That’s right! I was trapped in this underground chamber for years. Fortunately, some reckless grave robbers dug a tunnel and I managed to escape.”

Longbrow stepped in front of Master Winter Melon. “Senior Brother, what exactly has been happening these past few days?”

“It’s nothing.”

Master Winter Melon shook his head. “Youniang, you’ve finally come.”

Xue Youniang trembled. “Yes. I won’t let them go—because they did something wrong.”

Yun Chaohai stepped forward, preparing to handcuff Hua Chongyang. “You stole national relics. You’re coming with me.”

Xue Youniang’s tone suddenly changed. “Officer Yun, do you remember what happened in this underground chamber all those years ago?”

Lord Hua had indeed escaped from this chamber. Four grave robbers had entered, and when they woke him, a fight broke out. Three of them died inside, their bodies discovered intact, without any signs of decay.

Several Buddha statues on the ground had broken arms. A jade Buddha had fallen and shattered.

An invaluable Buddhist scripture had been burned. The three grave robbers had died in the ways described.

Master Winter Melon smiled bitterly. “It was all my fault. Youniang, can you forgive me?”

“Father.” Tears streamed down Xue Youniang’s face as she uttered the word.

Everyone in the room was shocked. After calling him “Father” once, she repeated it.

Master Winter Melon closed his eyes, unable to suppress his trembling. “When I meditate before the Buddha, I often see parents and children enjoying the joys of family—and I envy them. I never knew I had a daughter in this world. But why… why did you commit such killings?”

“I thought I had no father. But then, in my mother’s belongings, I discovered that I did.” Xue Youniang began to cry.

Had her entire life been about protecting this father of hers? Thirty years ago, a middle-aged Buddhist monk, renowned for his wisdom, had been loved by a young woman during a sermon. She was pure, and they had succumbed to passion before the Buddha, resulting in a daughter.

After that night, the monk returned to the temple, leaving behind all worldly affairs.

That monk was Master Winter Melon. That daughter was Xue Youniang.

Hua Chongyang, like the rest of us, watched this father and daughter in silence.

“Junior Brother, the sins I have committed today make me unfit to remain as abbot. You shall take my place,” Master Winter Melon said.

Longbrow exclaimed, “Senior Brother!”

Fearing that Master Winter Melon might take his own life to atone for his past mistakes, I quickly knelt before him. “Master! The white Spider Lily—Manjusaka—have you seen it? Have you seen a female ghost looking for flowers?”

Master Winter Melon’s face softened with compassion as he helped me up.

“She came. And she’s still here,” he whispered.

“Lingyu! Lingyu! Where are you?” I shouted, but there was no sign of Xie Lingyu in the underground chamber.

Master Winter Melon pointed at a scroll. “Look there. She’s inside the painting, waiting for the flower to bloom.”

In a dim corner of the chamber, a yellowed scroll depicted an ethereal beauty—her elegance beyond words. As I looked closer, the woman in the painting seemed to move slightly.

“Is it you?” I asked.

The figure in the painting remained motionless.

“Sometimes, a soul lingers for a hundred years without liberation. Other times, it takes only three days to see through everything,” Master Winter Melon said. “Have you heard of the ferryboat?”

“Please enlighten me, Master!” I pleaded.

Longbrow explained, “The ferryboat is the vessel that carries one across the river to the other shore. In Buddhism, once you reach the other side, the boat is left behind. The female ghost you seek used you as her ferryboat—she has already departed, leaving only this painting for you. It seems she has transcended.”

Beneath the painting, I saw a withered flower—no extra leaves, just a solitary bloom.

I collapsed to the ground. Perhaps this was the white Spider Lily—Manjusaka.

Had Xie Lingyu truly left?

Xue Youniang also spoke. “Once liberation is achieved, the ferryboat no longer matters. When we ride a vehicle to a destination, no matter how beautiful or beloved it is, once we arrive, we forget it. Because moving forward means encountering more and more experiences.”

The sea of suffering has no end. Once you’ve crossed it, why return?

In my grandfather’s wooden hut, someone woke me, saying they wanted to see me.

Later, in Kunming, someone traveled thousands of miles to meet me, saying they were worried.

Someone would poke my forehead with a finger.

So I was just a ferryboat after all.

“Can I take the painting with me?” I asked.

As soon as I spoke, the painting before me slowly began to burn, filling the air with smoke.

Master Winter Melon said, “Miss Xie came thirty days ago, full of sorrow. She left something for you. She said that if fate allows, she will return. She asked you to send the Jade Corpse away—don’t let her linger in this world without purpose.”

“If fate allows, she’ll return? Send the Jade Corpse away? What does that mean?” I grabbed Master Winter Melon’s hands, staring at him.

Master Winter Melon chanted, “Amitabha. I don’t know what ‘if fate allows’ means. The affairs of humans and ghosts are unfathomable—even the Bodhisattva of the Underworld may not understand them. As for sending the Jade Corpse away, it means burying her, letting her return to the earth like a seed dissolving into soil.”

“The Jade Corpse is the remains of the female ghost’s past life. Once her lingering resentment is resolved, the Jade Corpse’s vitality will fade. Soon, she’ll lose her vigor and become a malevolent zombie. So now, while she’s still at peace, send her off before the Buddha,” Longbrow added.

I glanced at Xie Xiaoyu, who was standing near Uncle Jianguo. She wasn’t as lively as before—after being chased by the Silver-Armored Corpse and coming to the temple, she had lost much of her energy.

I walked over. “Xiaoyu, are you okay?”

Xie Xiaoyu shook her head, not understanding me, then suddenly raised her right hand and pressed her index finger against my forehead. I thought she would push me like Xie Lingyu used to.

But her cold finger just rested there, unmoving.

“Ah. A miracle. I’ve never seen a Jade Corpse display such emotion in all my years,” Master Winter Melon murmured in amazement.

I took Xiaoyu’s hand and followed Longbrow deeper into the underground chamber.

Behind us, Little Rascal barked frantically.

Uncle Jianguo swiftly grabbed him before he could chase after us.