After a short while, the courtyard of the monks’ quarters was in chaos again. Monk Chongzhi was furious, insisting everyone go look for Howard Zhang. I sighed helplessly—it wouldn’t be hard for me to become Howard Zhang, but I hadn’t spent much time with him, and I didn’t know his senior Monk Chongzhi at all, so it’d be easy to get exposed. All I could do was stay out of it and hope Howard came back soon.
Soon, the monks who had just gone to bed began gathering and heading outside. Their destination was the plaza in front of the Grand Buddha Hall, which was still bustling with activity. That’s the only place Howard Zhang could possibly have gone.
I returned to the room again, continuing to wait for Howard Zhang to come back, but it seemed it would be difficult for him to return now.
At 4 a.m., pilgrims in front of the Grand Buddha Hall began to descend the mountain one after another, but Howard Zhang still hadn’t returned. I went up to the rooftop and looked down at the brightly lit foot of the mountain, almost like daylight. Meanwhile, things near the meditation rooms seemed to be calming down. Standing here, I could see the meditation rooms, where many monks were sitting outside, chanting sutras.
For the time being, there wouldn’t be any trouble. I noticed what was happening in the plaza—Howard Zhang had been caught and brought back. I hurried inside, and soon heard footsteps coming from downstairs.
"Hmph, Howard Zhang, tomorrow you’re cleaning the toilets as punishment."
"Alright, I understand, senior brother."
Howard Zhang’s voice sounded outside the door, tinged with helplessness.
"Isn’t there food in the kitchen downstairs? Why did you have to go where the Holy Child is?"
Monk Chongzhi demanded, but Howard Zhang just laughed and replied.
"The food over there tastes better. And it’s fresher, isn’t it?"
Howard Zhang spoke as the door opened. He roughly shoved Monk Chongzhi inside, and then I heard the sound of the door being locked. Soon, the noise outside faded away. I stood up, already sitting by the window.
"Just behind Brahma Tower, on the mountain, there’s a fairly hidden trail with some seals set up. Take this."
As he spoke, Howard Zhang took out a string of prayer beads from his pocket. I accepted them, puzzled.
"I… borrowed these from my master. They’re smart, and I’m not stupid either. This temple has arrays set up everywhere. Some places can only be accessed with my master’s or Grandmaster Mingde’s power. With these beads, you’ll pass through easily. Ghostworm is cultivating alone at the end of that trail, inside the stone cavern."
I nodded and thanked him.
"If you get discovered…"
Howard Zhang burst out laughing.
"What can they do to me? Everyone here knows Ghostworm nearly killed me, and even tried to use my body for his reincarnation. No normal person would accept that. If it weren’t for my son and daughter, I would’ve torn his head off long ago."
I let out a sound and nodded.