Esoteric Buddhism: To live as king in America

Mian found the child under the double bed in the bedroom.

The various toys scattered around the double bed revealed where the child was hiding, and the wardrobe standing upright on the floor indicated the source of the initial loud noise.

"What are you doing here?"

Looking at the child, Wang Yuanli was furious.

"I remember warning you not to try to come any closer, you..."

Wang Yuanli's words caught in his throat. He noticed the disapproving looks from the two people beside him, and almost instantly his expression changed. He patted the child's head and said with a smile:

"That's very dangerous. Little friend, if something happens to you, your parents will be heartbroken, won't they?"

However, the seven or eight-year-old boy obviously couldn't quite understand the true meaning of this change in expression. Even though Wang Yuanli changed his words in time, he still looked like he was about to cry.

Seeing this, Mian immediately stepped forward, subtly shielding Wang Yuanli behind him. He took a deep breath, and the gentleness and patience of a teacher naturally appeared on his face.

He slowly squatted down, trying to keep his gaze level with the child under the bed, and spoke softly and steadily.

"Little one, don't be afraid. We mean no harm; we just heard some noise and came to check. Can you tell me why you're here all alone? Where are your mom and dad?"

Mian's efforts worked; the child stopped sobbing and looked at Mian with teary eyes.

"Me, my little tank..."

The child spoke softly, his voice thick with a nasal tone.

"My toy tank is lost here... Mom was in such a hurry when she took me away that she couldn't find it."

"A mini-tank?"

Mian followed his words, her tone conveying understanding.

"It's a very important toy, isn't it? So you came back specifically to find it?"

The child nodded vigorously, his little face full of grievance and determination.

"Yes, that was the last birthday present Dad gave me! So I secretly ran away and came back..."

"Then how did you get in? I saw the front door was locked very tightly."

Mian asked patiently.

The child wiped away his tears with the back of his hand, pointed to the open window in the room, and gestured with his hand to say:

"I... I climbed up that staircase. That iron staircase, very steep, and then I clung to the windowsill... and climbed in through that window..."

"Fire escape stairs?!"

Mian's heart skipped a beat, a chill instantly creeping up his spine. He instinctively glanced at the window. This was the fourth floor! A seven or eight-year-old child, climbing the outdoor fire escape four stories high, then scaling the window with his bare hands?!

The thought that any misstep in the process could lead to irreversible consequences sent a chill down Mian's spine, as a former teacher herself.

Suppressing her fear, Mian tried to maintain a calm tone as she pressed for the key question.

"And then? What happened after you came in? What was that loud noise and your scream about?"

He pointed to the wardrobe lying on the ground.

Fear returned to the child's face, and he said in a trembling voice:

"I... I came in and couldn't find my little tank anywhere. Under the bed, under the table, behind the sofa... I wondered if I'd left it there... So I thought I'd climb on top of the wardrobe to check..."

He pointed to the wardrobe. Mian, Shirley, and Wang Yuanli all looked at the old, heavy wooden wardrobe, imagining a child trying to climb it.

"I had just climbed up a little, and before I could even get my footing, I saw something dark dart past me. I lost my grip, the wardrobe tipped over, and I fell down... It hurt so much, and I was so scared..."

As he finished speaking, he couldn't help but sob again.

Something dark?

Mian, Shirley, and Ain exchanged glances involuntarily. A silent, heavy atmosphere filled the air. Wang Yuanli's face turned pale, and his lips trembled as he couldn't utter a word.

What exactly is it?

Is it the rats and cockroaches commonly found in this old building? Or... the "dirty thing" that Wang Yuanli mentioned as the source of the "haunting," leading to a series of tragedies?

In any case, this incident has come to a temporary end.

The group took the child downstairs, and Wang Yuanli immediately took out his phone and went to the side to make a call.

His voice was low but urgent, clearly indicating that he was contacting the child's parents or the caregivers he had arranged, asking them to come and pick up the child immediately.

At that moment, Mian quietly returned upstairs and carefully checked the window of that room and the condition of the fire escape outside. Ai Yin stood quietly beside Mian, her red eyes warily scanning every corner of the room.

The child's window wasn't broken, and there were no traces left by anyone other than the child on the windowsill; it seemed to be simply a result of forgetting to close it. But… Mian leaned out of the window, looking at the fire escape staircase that stretched from the first floor to the top floor…

The section of the fire escape staircase above the fifth floor wasn't fully extended, but the protrusions seemed large enough for a strong adult to climb. Could this be related to the accident Wang Yuanli mentioned?

Mian kept this information in mind and then went downstairs—he had just seen Wang Yuanli seemingly finishing his phone call, and his free time was over.

The group waited downstairs together. Before long, a plainly dressed Asian woman with an anxious face rushed over, bowed repeatedly to Wang Yuanli to apologize, and hugged the little boy tightly with a mixture of heartache and fear.

Wang Yuanli pulled her away and scolded her with a stern face. Because they were too far away, Mi An couldn't hear what he said. She only saw the woman nodding repeatedly in agreement, looking apprehensive.

The little boy was pulled away by his mother. Watching his small figure disappear at the top of the stairs, Mian breathed a sigh of relief, but the doubts in her heart remained.

After the mother and son had walked away, Wang Yuanli turned around, his face full of apology and embarrassment, and repeatedly bowed to Mi An and Shirley.

"Oh dear, gentlemen, I'm so sorry! I repeatedly told these tenants to lock the doors and windows tightly when they moved out, but who knew this kind of trouble would still happen. It's really infuriating! I've given you all this unnecessary fright!"

He apologized while wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, making one think that he was the one who had been most frightened just now.

"It was all an accident, a false alarm. Come on, let's continue our tour upstairs. There are still a few key locations we haven't seen, especially the top-floor rooms you'll be staying in tonight. We need to familiarize ourselves with the surroundings..."

As he spoke, he led the way toward the stairs.

"Wait, Mr. Wang."

Mian's calm voice interrupted Wang Yuanli's actions.

Wang Yuanli and Shirley both looked at him with suspicion.

Mian gave a slightly apologetic smile.

"I'm so sorry, I suddenly remembered I have some urgent business to attend to right away. The tour... might have to wait a little longer, or I can familiarize myself with it when I check in tonight."