Lily Bai followed after him.
His lips kept trembling, and fragments of words could be heard: "It’s... it’s... this tree... the mysterious demon tree in the east courtyard..."
What nonsense are you spouting?" Lily Bai snapped. "Your wife is waiting for you! Go settle her down first."
Mr. Howard suddenly snapped out of it and went back.
They first calmed his wife down, then Lily Bai had Max Mo, Uncle Ernie, and Sandy bring Master Nebula up the back mountain.
How did you recognize me?" Mr. Howard asked.
Don’t ask me that," Lily Bai said. "All you need to know is that I’m one hundred percent certain you’re Master Nebula."
He took a deep breath and pointed toward Great Enlightenment Temple at the foot of the mountain. "That’s right. I was Master Nebula back then."
Can you tell us why? Why did you trick the President into cutting down the tree in the courtyard?" Lily Bai asked.
Master Nebula glanced at Lily Bai, Max Mo, and Uncle Ernie, and asked, "This question has been buried in my heart for over ten years. I’ve wanted to say it for ages! But why should I tell you? What’s it got to do with you?"
Lily Bai said, "Of course it’s related... but we can’t tell you. Right now, I just want the truth. Mr. Howard, please tell me."
If I tell you, will you let me go back?
Let you go back?" Lily Bai frowned. "It’s all exposed now. You still want to go back?"
But I didn’t do anything!" Mr. Howard protested, face flushed and neck bulging.
If you did nothing, why did you change your identity and hide out as a microcomputer teacher in our hometown?
Because if I didn’t leave, I’d be dead..." Mr. Howard replied.
What do you mean?" Lily Bai frowned.
He gathered his thoughts and said, "Actually, from beginning to end, there was no such thing as 'Master Nebula.' Back then, computer technology wasn’t developed, and people in this field weren’t valued—sometimes even looked down upon."
Uncle Ernie nodded. "That’s true."
I was just a low-level hacker who could break into clients’ computers and look at their private files.
Then I’d dress it up as mystical nonsense and tell them things that were basically just facts, and people started spreading stories about me as if I was some kind of legend.
Ha!" Lily Bai chuckled. "You’re something else."
But I swear, I’ve never done anything truly evil. I always told people to be kind, urged couples to stay harmonious, and encouraged kids to be filial!
Then why did you convince the President to cut down that tree?
Let me explain," Nebula said. "The abbot at the temple, my mentor Master Kudu, didn’t like being in the spotlight."
But he was the real Buddhist master, deeply cultivated. Whenever I couldn’t answer something, I’d go ask him.
Maybe because I made a lot of money for the temple, or maybe it was because someone important recommended me, he was willing to help me out.
Lily Bai recalled reading that Master Kudu died suddenly and couldn’t help but frown.
That day, the Supreme Emperor suddenly summoned me to the palace. I didn’t really have any skills, so I got nervous and went to see my mentor.
My mentor told me to go check it out, and if I couldn’t handle it, to tell the Supreme Emperor that we’d need to return to the temple and perform a ritual to ask Heaven. So, I went.