Forbidden Zone of Deception

Chapter 218 The Fiftieth Everlasting Lamp

At this moment, Huikong tossed and turned on his wooden bed in the monks' quarters, unable to sleep.

Those strange temple rules, I thought they were just some kind of superstitious custom within the temple, but are they really that simple?

Who exactly is Nie Xiaoqian? Is she some female benefactor? But what about that zither music?

Originally, after his heartbreak, he was devastated and only wanted to retreat into a monastery to end his life, but this temple did not seem to be the peaceful place he had imagined.

The moonlight outside the window was obscured by thick clouds, and the monks' quarters were pitch black at this time.

Huikong's fingers unconsciously stroked the Buddhist prayer beads hanging around her neck, seeking some peace.

"Boom, boom, boom."

Three clear knocks suddenly rang out, and Huikong sat up abruptly.

The clock has just struck midnight. Who would come to visit at this hour?
"Who?"

He recalled Article Six of the temple rules, which stipulated that when someone knocks on the door at midnight, one must ask the visitor's name. His voice trembled slightly for a moment.

After a few seconds of silence outside the door, a deep voice replied, "Junior Brother Huikong, it's me, Huizhen."

Huikong breathed a sigh of relief, got out of bed, and lit the oil lamp.

Pulling back the latch, standing outside was Huizhen, a fellow disciple who was usually quiet and reserved. Huikong had a very faint impression of him; if he didn't give his Dharma name, he probably wouldn't even remember it.

The senior brother Huizhen in front of me was wearing a gray monk's robe, and his face looked particularly pale in the flickering lamplight.

"Senior brother, is something wrong so late?"

Huizhen did not answer immediately, but looked at Huikong with a peculiar gaze: "Well done, you asked me before opening the door."

Huikong then realized: "So, Senior Brother was testing me?"

Huizhen nodded slightly and said, "Remember, if you want to live in the temple in the future, you must abide by the rules and never take them lightly. Especially the first and tenth rules."

Article 1, Article 10... which are about the so-called Nie Xiaoqian and Grandma...

At first, he thought his grandmother might be a figure from some Buddhist legend, but after this period of time, it seems... she isn't.

"Senior brother, who exactly is this so-called 'Grandma'?"

"Shh!" Huizhen suddenly reached out and covered Huikong's mouth with an astonishing force.

His eyes widened, and he whispered, "Don't ask! Don't think about it! Don't mention that name!"

Huikong was startled by this sudden reaction. By the time he came to his senses, Huizhen had already let go of his hand and taken a few steps back, disappearing into the darkness of the corridor.

"Senior brother, wait!" Huikong chased after him outside, only to find the corridor empty, with only a breeze blowing through it.

Back in his quarters, Huikong blew out the oil lamp and began to sleep. In the darkness, he always felt as if a pair of eyes were watching him from some corner.

"Dang——dang——dang——"

The morning bell rang suddenly, sounding more urgent than usual.

When Huikong hurriedly dressed and arrived at the Buddhist hall, he found that all the monks in the temple were already lined up. The atmosphere inside the Buddhist hall was very strange, so heavy that it was suffocating.

Master Mingxin, dressed in a kasaya and holding a nine-ringed staff, stood in front of the Buddha statue.

Seeing that all the monks had arrived, he announced in a deep voice: "Huizhen, the second-generation disciple of this temple, passed away last night."

Huikong heard a buzzing sound in his ears, and his legs almost gave way.

Brother Huizhen has passed away?
He mechanically turned his head to look at Huiming standing beside him, who stared straight ahead with a solemn expression.

“Huizhen has made great progress in his practice and has attained the Arhatship,” Master Mingxin’s voice echoed in the Buddhist hall. “From today onwards, the entire temple will chant sutras for seven days to pray for his soul’s liberation and that he may be reborn in the Western Paradise soon.”

The monks chanted "Amitabha" in unison, but Huikong could not utter a sound.

"Junior Brother Huikong?" Huiming gently touched his arm. "He went to cleanse Senior Brother Huizhen."

The purification ceremony was conducted in Huizhen's monks' quarters.

As a newly initiated disciple, Huikong was assigned to be an assistant.

When he carried a basin of warm water into the room, he saw that Huizhen's body had been placed on a wooden board, and several senior brothers were changing his clothes.

The deceased Huizhen looked completely different from the one he had last night. His eyes were wide open, his pupils dilated, and he looked quite frightening.

Speaking of which... how exactly did Brother Huizhen pass away? The abbot didn't mention it. Did he die of illness? Or was it an accident? Should we call the police?
However, Huikong was a monk who had only recently entered the temple, and his voice carried little weight. So he could only tremble as he soaked the towel in warm water, wrung it out, and handed it to his senior brother Huijing, who was in charge of the purification ritual.

“Junior Brother looks terrible.” Huijing took the towel and began to wipe Huizhen’s face. “Indeed, Junior Brother has just entered our Buddhist sect and this is his first time attending a funeral at our temple.”

Huikong gave a vague reply, his gaze falling on Huizhen's hands.

The hands that had forcefully covered his mouth last night were now quietly clasped together in front of his chest, their nails showing an unnatural bluish-purple hue.

"Hui, how did Senior Brother Huizhen... pass away?"

Huijing paused for a moment: "He passed away peacefully while meditating in the meditation room last night. It was a rare and peaceful death."

However, Huikong sensed that Huijing's tone was a bit strange. It was as if he was reciting something he had already memorized, without any emotion.

After the purification ritual, the monks dressed Huizhen in a brand-new kasaya and put a Vairocana hat on her, then moved her body into an exquisite wooden shrine.

"The cremation ceremony will be held at Shen Shi (3-5 PM)," Master Mingxin said to the monks. "Now, everyone should return to their rooms to prepare. We will gather at noon to chant sutras."

On the way back to the monks' quarters, Huikong sighed and said to Huiming, "Brother, just after midnight last night, Brother Huizhen came to my room. He was..."

Huiming's face turned deathly pale instantly. He stopped in his tracks and asked, "Are you sure it's midnight?"

"The bells have just rung; it must be midnight."

Huiming's fingers unconsciously twirled the prayer beads, the speed increasing: "Brother Huizhen, actually, he was found to have passed away in the meditation room last night at 9 PM."

These words were like a bucket of ice water poured over Huikong's head.

"what?"

The Zi hour begins at 23 PM, while the Hai hour... is from 21 PM to 23 PM!
“Listen,” Huiming suddenly grabbed Huikong’s wrist, the force so strong it hurt, “This matter ends here, don’t mention it to anyone else.”

"Senior brother, don't scare me!" Huikong's legs were trembling. "Amitabha, Senior Brother Huizhen, he, he..."

Huiming did not answer, but took Huikong to the scripture pavilion, took a copy of the Diamond Sutra from the bookshelf and handed it to Huikong: "Recite the sutra more and ask fewer questions. Now go to the dining hall and help prepare the lunch."

The midday memorial service was solemn and dignified.

The monks chanted the Amitabha Sutra in unison, with Master Mingxin presiding over the ceremony to pray for the soul of Huizhen.

Huikong knelt on the prayer mat, his lips mechanically following the chant, but his eyes kept glancing at Huizhen's shrine.

At 3:00 PM, the cremation ceremony was held at the Huashen Kiln on the back mountain.

This is a square brick building with a kiln chamber in the middle for burning.

The monks carried Huizhen's shrine around the kiln three times before placing it inside. Master Mingxin, holding a torch, chanted the Rebirth Mantra and then lit the pyre.

The moment the flames rose, Huikong seemed to hear a faint sigh.

He turned to look at Huiming beside him and found that the other was staring intently at the fire, with fine beads of sweat on his forehead.

"Senior brother?"

However, Huiming remained silent, which only increased Huikong's fear.

After the ceremony, the monks lined up and began to return to the temple one by one. Huikong had been watching Huiming closely; he vaguely sensed that Huiming had seen something but hadn't said anything.

As evening fell, Huikong swept up the fallen leaves in the backyard.

"Master Huikong!"

Ning Caichen's voice came from the corridor.

The student who was staying at the temple quickly approached, carrying several books, and asked, "Um... I heard that a high-ranking monk named Huizhen passed away at the temple today?"

Huikong nodded and continued sweeping the floor: "Yes, it's my fellow disciple Huizhen from our temple."

“I saw Master Huizhen in the backyard last night!” Ning Caichen lowered his voice. “Under that old locust tree. He was chanting sutras with his eyes closed. He didn’t respond when I greeted him. He looked rather frightening.”

The broom slipped from Huikong's hand.

Reciting scriptures with eyes closed?

"At what specific times?"

"Around ten o'clock, I think?"

"What scripture is he reciting?"

"It sounds like the Diamond Sutra?" Ning Caichen adjusted his glasses. "I heard a few lines like 'All phenomena are illusory' or something like that." The Diamond Sutra! He closed his eyes and began to recite...

This is precisely the first rule of the temple: if you encounter the so-called Nie Xiaoqian, this is the action you must take!

Huikong recalled the bluish-purple tinge on Huizhen's fingernails that he had seen during the purification ritual, and a terrible conjecture took shape in his mind.

After the evening meal, Huikong walked alone down the corridor, holding the Diamond Sutra scroll.

Turning the corner of the library, a low voice came from the half-open door of the meditation room.

Huikong slowed his pace. This meditation room was rarely used. Why was someone going in today?
"We've successfully infiltrated. What do we do now?" a hoarse male voice asked.

"Minister Long instructed us to find clues within this instance that could save Commander Ye. Although Commander Ye is not dead yet, his soul has been severely damaged, and the soul imprints within the Eternal Dream team can no longer be maintained," another voice replied, sounding younger but carrying a certain mechanical coldness.

Huikong stopped outside the door, unconsciously clenching the sutra in his hand.

"Minister Long"? "Duplicate"? "Eternal Dream Team"?
What does this mean? What does "copy" refer to?
These words seem out of place in the context of Lanruo Temple.

"First, completely conceal yourselves, then begin reconnaissance." The hoarse voice continued, "We LV1 reincarnators are just here as scouts; be careful not to become cannon fodder."

LV1 Reincarnator? Huikong frowned. He couldn't understand a single word of these words combined, yet he inexplicably felt a chill creep up his spine.

He gently pressed his ear against the crack in the door.

"The key is that this dungeon is effective against the sorcerer class. I guess the imperial court also hopes to use this dungeon to deal with the insect nest team... Alright, let's hide completely first, and then scout."

The sound abruptly stopped. The meditation room suddenly became eerily quiet; even breathing ceased. Huikong waited a moment, then finally couldn't resist pushing open the door.

The meditation room was completely empty.

The room was spotless, with a low table, two cushions, and a small incense burner in the corner; there wasn't a soul in sight.

"strangeness……"

Huikong muttered to himself, his gaze sweeping across every corner of the room. The windows were tightly shut, the back door locked—how could the person who had just spoken have vanished into thin air?

Recalling Huizhen from last night, Huikong felt a chill run down his spine and quickly left the meditation room. As he turned the corner of the corridor, he almost bumped into Huiming, who was cleaning.

What's all the rush about?

"Senior brother, have any wandering monks been staying at the temple recently?"

Huiming shook his head: "No. Why?"

"It's nothing," Huikong forced a smile. "I probably misheard."

Huiming glanced at him suspiciously, then continued sweeping the floor.

In the evening, as the bell rang at the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), Huikong went to the Buddhist hall to chant sutras and passed by the backyard.

The backyard was quiet and deserted, with the ancient well surrounded by a low stone railing.

"Help...help..."

A faint cry for help came from the bottom of the well, and Huikong froze.

The voice sounded familiar—it was the same hoarse male voice from the meditation room during the day!
"Is anyone there?" Huikong rushed to the well and looked down.

The surface of the well water was churning violently, and a figure could be vaguely seen struggling in the water!

"Hold on! I'll get someone to rescue you!" Huikong couldn't swim, and turned to run to call for help, but then she heard a piercing scream coming from the well:

"Help me! It's here! It—"

The sound abruptly stopped, replaced by a strange gurgling sound, as if something had dragged the person calling for help underwater.

"Help! Someone has fallen into the well!" Huikong shouted as he ran towards the back gate.

A few minutes later, he returned to the ancient well with Huiming and three other monks. Huiming, carrying a lantern, looked extremely pale: "Are you sure you saw someone?"

"Absolutely true!"

Huiming handed the lantern to the monk beside him and took off his outer robe, saying, "I'll go down and take a look."

Huiming tied the well rope around his waist and had others pull him down slowly along the slippery well wall.

The lantern's light flickered in the well, and everyone held their breath when his foot touched the water's surface.

Huiming took a deep breath and submerged in the water.

About a minute later, he surfaced and was pulled up.

"How is it?" Huikong asked anxiously.

Huiming was soaked to the bone, his face paler than the moonlight: "There's no one in the well."

"Impossible! I clearly saw it..."

“Moreover,” Huiming interrupted him, his voice trembling, “this well is less than two people deep, and the water level is only about ten feet from the bottom. If someone really fell into the water, there would be no way we wouldn’t find them.”

The other monks looked at each other in bewilderment.

Huikong stood frozen in place, unable to believe what he had just witnessed.

Huiming wrung out the water from his monk's robe and said to the others, "You all go back first, Huikong and I will check again."

Once everyone else had gone far away, Huiming grabbed Huikong's shoulder: "Was that cry for help you heard the same one from the meditation room during the day?"

A cold wind blew by, causing tiny ripples to spread across the well water.

"Let's go back to the Buddhist hall." Huiming pulled Huikong up. "No one can be absent from the evening chanting, no matter who it is."

Upon entering the Buddhist hall, forty-nine ever-burning lamps are arranged in the shape of the Big Dipper in front of the Buddha statue.

"These beings attain such immeasurable merit. Why? Because these beings no longer have the marks of self, person, sentient being, or life span; they have neither the mark of dharma nor the mark of dharma. Why? Because if these beings grasp at marks, they are attached to self, person, sentient being, and life span. If they grasp at the mark of dharma, they are attached to self, person, sentient being, and life span. Why? Because if they grasp at the mark of dharma, they are attached to self, person, sentient being, and life span. Therefore, one should not grasp at dharma, nor should one grasp at dharma."

Huikong knelt on the prayer mat, mechanically following the monks in chanting the Diamond Sutra, but his mind was entirely on the strange experience he had had by the ancient well.

"Reincarnator," "Minister Long," "Commander Ye," "Dungeon," "Witchcraft Profession"... these words swirled in his mind, unable to form a coherent explanation. He didn't know how to explain this to his senior brothers. Would they think he was crazy?
Or was what I just saw a hallucination? Do I really need to see a neurologist?
"Why is this so? This person has no self-image, no person-image, no sentient being-image, and no life-span-image. Why? Because the self-image is the non-image, and the person-image, sentient being-image, and life-span-image are also non-images. Why? Because by being free from all images, one is called a Buddha."

Can the Diamond Sutra truly protect one's health? My fellow disciple Huizhen also recited the sutra with his eyes closed before, but... didn't he also pass away?

At the same time, he began to consider whether he should... or leave the monastery and abandon this eerie temple?
"Huikong!" Huiming nudged him with his elbow. "Concentrate on chanting the sutra!"

Huikong came to his senses and found that his scripture was still on the first page.

He quickly flipped to the correct position, but heard a slight "click" behind him, as if something had been placed on the floor.

He couldn't help but look back—in the shadows at the very back of the Buddhist hall, there was an ever-burning lamp.

The fiftieth lamp.

Huikong's back was instantly soaked with cold sweat!
The tenth rule of the temple clearly came to mind: if an extra lamp is found, one must immediately pray to the Buddha statue, saying that one is a devout Buddhist and will never return to secular life.

this means……

Grandma is watching me!

He stiffly turned to the Buddha statue, clasped his hands together, and trembled as he chanted, "This humble monk will forever be a devout Buddhist and will never return to secular life!"

The other monks seemed oblivious to anything amiss, and their chanting continued smoothly and steadily.

Only Huiming glanced at him sideways, her eyes questioning.

Huikong quietly pointed behind him.

Huiming followed his finger and asked, puzzled, "What's wrong?"

But then, as if remembering something, he immediately put his hands together and continued chanting.

The chanting grew louder and louder, but in Huikong's ears it gradually distorted into a strange buzzing sound.

He felt the temperature in the Buddhist hall dropping, and his breath condensed in front of him.

Even more terrifying, when he looked back again, he saw that the flame of the fiftieth eternal lamp was flickering and seemed to be closer to him than before!
"Amitabha..." Huikong continued to chant silently with his eyes closed, his forehead pressed against the cold floor: "This humble monk will definitely take refuge in Buddhism in this life and will never return to secular life!"

After an unknown amount of time, a warm hand rested on his shoulder. Huikong looked up and saw that the chanting had ended, and the monks were leaving the Buddha hall one after another. Master Mingxin stood before him, his kind face appearing exceptionally aged in the lamplight.

"Huikong, you look terrible." The old monk's voice was gentle but firm. "You don't need to stay on duty tonight. Get some rest."

Huikong was about to say something when Huiming pulled him up: "Let's go, junior brother."

At this moment, he turned around...

The extra ever-burning lamp has disappeared...

(End of this chapter)