"Master Swallow, why are you telling me something this important? Maybe you shouldn't."
I shook my head. Master Swallow looked grave before me. I glanced suspiciously at John Chou and Isabelle Frost—neither of them moved a muscle.
"The two of them are using Recall. They're probably already recording the secret mantras Master Swallow wrote on those nine peaks, and the corresponding marks of Tara's face. We should've realized this sooner—John Chou isn't really on our side. He'd never help us out of kindness, especially with the esoteric matters."
The old eccentric sighed helplessly. I looked at the two, embarrassed, not knowing what to say.
I truly despised John Chou's methods, but he'd already warned me before. After a moment, I spoke formally.
"I'm very sorry, you two. I..."
"Say no more, Roxie. We trust you. After all, you're Ethan's wife. That's why Master Swallow wants to share what he knows with you."
I quickly waved my hand and said.
"That's not necessary, Master Swallow. Didn't you promise Head Priest Muru not to..."
"Indeed, I made that promise to Head Priest Muru centuries ago."
Master Swallow's face darkened completely, as if he were recalling something he wished he could forget.
Long ago, Master Swallow realized his teacher, Master Lucian, was no longer devoted to Buddhist practice but was distracted elsewhere—and sometimes even radiated an evil aura. Swallow would try to advise him, but at that time, the Universal Temple was embroiled in a dispute over the abbot, with Master Lucian and Leo Yuan at odds.
At first, his uncle Leo Yuan wanted to succeed as abbot, since he too sensed the darkness in Lucian. But in the end, he gave up, unwilling to fight with the brother he'd grown up with.
Then came the great disaster at Universal Temple. Swallow knew full well that Master Lucian's deeds had crossed the line of humanity, but a teacher is like a father for life. Swallow still carried his master away from the temple, eventually finding his uncle Leo Yuan.
Leo Yuan couldn't bear to see his brother suffer, so he and Swallow carried Lucian across the land, searching for a cure. They found nothing, until they reached this frigid land and discovered the Lama Order. After helping them, Head Priest Muru finally agreed to assist.
When they met Lucian, Muru took Swallow and Leo Yuan aside, and told them plainly: if they saved someone as corrupted as Lucian, even greater disasters might follow. Muru had heard of the upheaval in the Buddhist world of the Central Plains.
But in the end, Muru still shared a few methods with them, and kept Swallow behind, intending to teach him the secret Tara Manifestation of the Lama Order. Swallow was stunned, but Muru explained that Swallow's pure heart made him the only candidate, since no lama of the time could inherit the Tara Manifestation. Fearing the heart mantra would be lost, Muru asked Swallow to safeguard it, and if the lineage ever broke, to pass it on to the next Head Priest.
Swallow was reluctant at first, but Muru said that without his help, he wouldn't save Lucian. Only then did Swallow agree. Over the years, Swallow knew that after the Breaking Precepts Order was founded, Lucian would often ask him about the Tara Manifestation, but Swallow always claimed ignorance, even when Lucian pressed him.
All these years, Lucian never forgot about it, always trying to get Swallow to reveal the Tara Manifestation. But Swallow kept his lips sealed. No matter what was tried, even when his family died, he never spoke a word.
"Master Swallow, why not just give it to him if he wants it? That way your family wouldn't have..."
Swallow shook his head.
"He has always been my master. Last time at the Jialan Throne, I had a chance to defeat him and stop his reincarnation completely, but at the last moment, I just couldn't do it."
Swallow spoke, gulping from his wine gourd. I stared in disbelief.
"In a way, I abandoned Ethan, nearly causing his death. That's why I want to tell you everything, Roxie. The choice is yours. Since John Chou has made some kind of deal with my master, all his actions must be aimed at learning the secret of reincarnation from him—to save Ethan Zhang. So I can't just hand over the Tara Manifestation, but I can tell you: years ago, Head Priest Muru said that if I ever faced a decision I couldn't make, I could give it to someone truly upright. Roxie, now that you know about the Tara Manifestation, you can make a deal with my master, or give it to the current Head Priest of the Lama Order. The choice is yours."
Swallow said this, looking at me seriously. After a moment's hesitation, I shook my head.
"I'm sorry, Master Swallow. I don't like being forced, and I don't want to be caught in this situation. Just keep your old vow. I won't remember what you said, because if Ethan finds out, he'll blame me. I'm sorry, Master Swallow, I can't accept."
I spoke, opened the car door, and got out. The old eccentric followed, and John Chou and Isabelle Frost snapped back to awareness.
"Let's go, monk. The sooner we find what's hidden here, the sooner we can meet Tammy Blade."
As they spoke, Swallow and the old eccentric sat on the kasaya and flew toward the other unlit peaks.
"It was such a good chance, Roxie Lan... Forget it."
John Chou seemed about to say something, but just smiled instead, letting it go. Isabelle Frost looked grim.
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"It's much more complicated than I thought. Even using Ghost Network to record everything Swallow did and wrote, we still can't figure out the heart mantra of this secret technique."
"Of course, a secret technique is a secret for a reason—the heart mantra is the key. You can't just crack open his head and see what he's thinking, ha."
All we could do was keep waiting. By dusk, twelve peaks were glowing, with nine more distant ones still dark. The old eccentric and Swallow returned, exhausted. They climbed into the car, ate a little, and went straight to sleep. I felt the chill too—the sun was gone, though it wasn't even six yet.
"What will we see once these peaks are all lit up?"
I muttered. John Chou just smiled.
"Probably something extraordinary!"
I looked at John Chou's excited grin and sighed helplessly.
"I'm going to sleep."
I tiptoed into the car. With nothing else to do, I could only sleep.
All night, I heard Swallow and the old eccentric come and go several times. By sunrise, around ten, I crawled out of the car and saw only three peaks left unlit.
Swallow looked utterly exhausted and was still asleep. John Chou and Isabelle Frost went to get food—we were nearly out, so we needed to stock up. No one knew what would happen when all twenty-one peaks were lit, but at least we had to bring enough supplies.
As night deepened, John Chou and Isabelle Frost returned with plenty of meat and a grill. We feasted on barbecue in the cold wind, with only one peak left. Once it was lit, we should find something.
Two hours later, night had fully fallen. Swallow and the old eccentric headed for the farthest peak while we waited anxiously. I carried a bag filled with dry food and water.
The peaks in the night sky shimmered with multicolored lights—spectacular, but only visible to adepts or ghosts. There were no stray souls here.
"It's all set up."
Isabelle Frost muttered, and John Chou nodded.
"We have to make sure no troublemakers do anything outside while we go in. Looks like it worked."
As John Chou spoke, I looked over. The faint lights on all twenty-one peaks suddenly flared, and I stared in shock as beams of strange colors shot from the peaks, weaving together into a pattern. All the light converged above a distant field of boulders.
Stunned, I watched the shifting colors grow deeper and brighter. Then, I seemed to see a building forming. Suddenly, Isabelle Frost grabbed me and, with John Chou, we flew toward the glowing architectural shape.
When we reached the open ground, I was stunned. Before us was a high platform surrounded by water, like a tower, with stairs on all sides. The whole tower was trapezoidal, encircled by water, and in the water stood four imposing Buddha statues. We landed at the water's edge.
"Next, we can only go inside. It really is an isolated space, but without the Tara Manifestation, it's impossible to open it."
"Wait for Brother Chou."
Swallow called out, and I noticed it too—the tower ahead was bathed in light, but we were still in darkness. Everything before us seemed to ripple like water.
"We can't wait. If the entrance disappears, we won't get in."
As we spoke, we stepped right in, onto a huge stone, crossing from one to another to reach the tower's base. Behind us, everything vanished, replaced by endless fields.