Chapter 25: A World Within the Temple

Chapter 25: A World Within the Temple

The divine monk knelt and begged forgiveness.

It turned out he’d once been a disciple of Dharma Master Xingguang at Foying Temple on Taiwan Island. After violating the precepts, Master Xingguang expelled him, and he ran to the mainland to make his living by fraud. The invisible person was his twin brother.

I made him remove the invisibility device. It turned out to be a flexible AI invisibility suit he claimed to have bought for an enormous sum. The seller, he said, had also been invisible. He couldn’t describe the person’s appearance, only that they’d made contact online and completed the transaction in person.

As for the temple’s strange incidents, he swore they had nothing to do with him. They’d been happening before he arrived. He’d even witnessed objects moving through the air himself, which gave him the idea to exploit the phenomenon. He chose this place for two reasons: Tansong Temple drew crowds, and it was famous.

After driving off the fraudulent itinerant monk, I had the stewards post a notice explaining his tricks. This temple conducted itself with integrity, served the human world, and engaged in no crooked practices.

Privately, I had Senior Brother Guanghuai collect information on the incidents for my research.

After careful study, I discovered most strange occurrences happened along the mountain-facing side—around Guanyin Hall, Pilu Hall, Great Compassion Pond, and God of Wealth Hall.

First, I told Dharma Master Guanghuai not to hold Dharma services or sutra chanting in those halls for the time being. I wanted a quiet environment. Then I began spending time there myself—meditating, taking meals, studying.

After a week of observation and same-frequency sensing, I finally sensed something that shocked me.

The first three days were uneventful.

On the fourth day, in Guanyin Hall, I sensed someone entering and leaving, but saw no one. I meditated as usual and ignored it.

On the fifth day, several people moved through Pilu Hall. I still couldn’t see them, but I could sense their movement. I continued to ignore them.

On the sixth day, I sensed people communicating through thought—not language, but mental exchange of information. They even discussed me. I still ignored them. I wanted them accustomed to my presence.

On the seventh day, I clearly sensed someone standing directly before me, staring, while communicating with someone in the void. They said I seemed strange and wanted to observe me further.

I had no idea what was strange about me.

Still, the timing felt right. I suddenly fired a row of iron nails—the big kind carpenters use—at the person closest to me. I wanted the strike obvious.

“Oh, he’s trying to hit people.”

“This little guy’s kind of cute.”

“Leave him alone. Do your own work.”

“Understood.”

Bang, bang, bang—

The nails embedded themselves in the opposite wall.

I fired in different directions, wherever I sensed someone, even at places I predicted they might dodge.

Bang, bang, bang—

Every nail ended up in the wall.

I stared in utter disappointment, finding it hard to believe. These people conversing and moving through the halls weren’t invisible at all. They were formless and silent, yet communicated through thought. They existed in some kind of bodiless state.

Was that it? I couldn’t be sure.

If not, what were they?

Though I dwelt in a Buddhist temple and understood the six realms of reincarnation, I absolutely didn’t believe the realms could freely intermingle. The heavenly realm, human realm, asura realm, hell realm, hungry ghost realm, and animal realm—each carried different karma.

“He’s still at it. Tease him a little.”

“Zhang Xiao, can’t you settle down?”

I sensed their disdain. They considered me insignificant. Yet they had names—and if this involved the six realms, they wouldn’t use human names. Only the human realm used human names.

Were they human?

This might be something I still didn’t understand.

“Beep, beep…