If one has nothing to hide, why would anyone come to this place to worship? Coming here is akin to declaring to the world: "I am not a good person."
If you don't believe me, go and look at the files of those who have fallen from grace. Before their downfall, most of them visited mountains and paid homage to gods.
It's a matter of collapsing faith, a desperate attempt to find a cure for a terminal illness.
But this has nothing to do with me. I am not in a position to manage these local trivialities, nor do I care to.
Xingyao listened to Madam He's explanation and understood. He pointed to the hole in the lower left corner, saying, "This Yellow Immortal can ensure peace in all matters. It should be effective."
Yellow Immortal refers to the weasel, scientifically known as "Mustela sibirica." It is the "Weasel Demon" ranked last among the Eight Immortals sealed by Mu Jige. In ancient rankings, they were arranged from top to bottom, right to left. Therefore, its dwelling is in the lower-left corner.
Snake, Deer, Tiger, Bear, Eagle, Fox, Sable, Weasel—the portraits in the main hall of Han Yin Temple are arranged in this order.
Following this pattern, the demon directly above the coffin, in the hole where the coffin lid is located, should be the fourth-ranked Bear Demon.
If it were a small animal like a fox or a sable, perhaps I could have tried. But with a large black bear guarding it, I dared not enter!
Xingyao lit incense for Prefect He and Madam He. They knelt together facing the entrance of the Weasel Demon's den and bowed three times. After rising, Madam He took out a wad of money from her bag and gave it to Xingyao. Xingyao sorted through it and said he would accept it on behalf of the "Yellow Immortal." I wonder if the weasel inside the cave could hear. If it could, it would probably be furious!
After the worship, Prefect He looked down the mountain, as if he had found his confidence and regained his courage to dictate policy. He began to plan for the village below and the open space on the opposite hillside. From his words, he intended to develop a tourist resort here, creating a cluster of imitation ancient buildings based on the old village... He spoke with increasing excitement, to the point that young monk Xingyao yawned.
Prefect He spoke for a good ten minutes before nodding with satisfaction, "Well, that's settled. I will have the relevant departments prepare proposals and plans, unify our thinking, and expedite the implementation. Through this cultural industry project, we will make new and greater contributions to the transformation and revitalization of Fucheng!"
Madam He was very supportive and clapped her hands. Xingyao also forced a smile and joined in the applause.
The three of them descended the mountain and entered the temple from the back door. Prefect He ambled around the temple again with his hands behind his back before leaving Han Yin Temple. A young man in a white shirt and black trousers ran over, opened the door of a Passat, but only Prefect He got in. Madam He entered another private car driven by a woman. Perhaps to avoid suspicion, it was a weekday, and official vehicles could not be used for private purposes. Prefect He was clearly here for an in-depth investigation of the grassroots.
Quite a few people had accompanied him. After this group left, only two cars remained in front of Han Yin Temple.
Buzz. A WeChat notification popped up on my phone. Zheng Bingbing sent me two pictures of chainsaws, one was the kind used by the chainsaw-wielding killer in American movies, a diesel-powered one. The other was electric, with a circular saw blade, relatively smaller, but I thought the circular blade would be more suitable for cutting through a coffin. So, I asked Zheng Bingbing to buy that one.
Ten minutes later, a Pajero returned from the direction of the town, covered in dust, and stopped at the foot of the mountain. Zheng Bingbing got out, carrying the chainsaw, and climbed the mountain.
I still wanted to persuade her not to go down, but to no avail. She was determined to accompany me to investigate.
"Alright then, but I have one request. No matter what you see or hear, you must keep it a secret from me. If you encounter danger, don't worry about me. Use your true abilities to escape. Even if you have to go back and find someone to rescue me, let's not both get stuck here. Can you promise to be sensible?"
"Okay! Don't worry, Uncle!" Zheng Bingbing said as she helped me put on my gear. She first lowered me with a pulley. She didn't use a pulley, just a rope, and could slide down herself.
The second descent was smooth, reaching the middle entrance. Zheng Bingbing quickly followed. Seeing me tying ropes to the stone beasts on both sides, she asked why. I explained that the stone door couldn't be opened and we needed a jack. Zheng Bingbing frowned, "Is it that heavy? How about we try together?"