Chapter 038 Another Ghost
I was a little confused and asked Uncle Zhong what the consequences would be.
Uncle Zhong said, "Each test in the bardo realm is based on a person's karma and state of mind. If you go through the seven tests early, what should you do if karma appears again in your future life?"
Li Daming and I looked at each other, having never thought about this question.
What Uncle Zhong meant was: For example, if I am 25 years old this year, then the test level for me in the bardo realm will only be up to my life experience before the age of 25. I still have a long life ahead of me, so what should I do if karma appears in my future life?
I said to Uncle Zhong, is this what you mean?
Uncle Zhong nodded and said, "If you complete all seven trials now, there will only be one consequence. You will have already overdrawn all the blessings and karma of your entire life , and you will not be able to survive."
My larynx moved.
"This is a dilemma now." Uncle Zhong said, "You want to save your mother and help Wang Yue, which is understandable. But with your current ability, you can only go through each level one by one. I can help you enter the bardo realm, but after you pass these seven levels, even if you finally save your mother as you wish, you will not survive until the end of your life. Do you think it's worth it?"
I was silent for a moment: "If I can save my mother, I don't have to give up my own life."
"Okay, even if you are a filial son and exchange your life for your mother's," said Uncle Zhong, "if your mother successfully regains her health and wants to reunite with her son, but finds out that you are dead, have you ever considered what will happen to her in the second half of her life? After losing her husband, she will lose her son, and will have to live in tears and sorrow for the rest of her life. If you just walk away and leave your old mother in loneliness and sorrow, is that selfish?"
I didn't say anything.
Li Daming was very serious: "This is a problem. You should think about it."
I said anxiously, "Should I not save my mother? I know where she is, but I can't do anything. I will live in guilt and disappointment for the rest of my life."
No one spoke in the room and the atmosphere was very depressing.
Li Daming suddenly asked, "Uncle Zhong, is it possible that Wang Yue will also end up like this after passing through the seven levels?"
Uncle Zhong said, "Wang Yue only knows the results but not the reasons. She has an agreement with Meng Po and she is a ghost messenger, so she has ways to circumvent it. But Xiao Lin can't do that. After all, she is just an ordinary person."
Li Daming thought for a moment and said, "Since there is this exception, it means that the system of the Bardo Realm is not perfect. Others can use it, so why can't we? Is there any way to circumvent this setting of the Bardo Realm?"
Uncle Zhong nodded: "Did Wang Yue tell you that there is a Yinwen classic now in circulation?"
I am right.
Uncle Zhong said, "As far as I know, this scripture contains many secrets about the bardo realm. You can use it as a guide. The answers are in it. But the problem is , where can I find them in this book?"
I said, "Wang Yue said that she..." I was about to say that she had the second volume, but Li Daming interrupted me immediately: "Uncle Zhong, you are also a ghost messenger, and your status in the underworld is very high. Can you tell us where to find this book?"
I glanced at Li Daming, who remained calm. Uncle Zhong said, "This book is divided into two volumes, and it is useless to get either one. And it is extremely difficult to find both books. I can give you a clue. I know where the first volume of this book is."
Li Daming and I screamed at the same time. Wang Yue has the second volume. If we find the first volume and align the two books, we may be able to crack the secret of the Yinwen, or even the secret of the underworld.
We quickly asked where we could find the first volume.
Uncle Zhong laughed, "Looking at the way you two are, you won't be able to find it even if I tell you."
"Why?" Li Daming asked.
Uncle Zhong said, "I've known the whereabouts of the first volume for a long time, but why haven't I found it yet? You two greenhorns, you still want to try?"
Li Daming said: "Just let us try it out. Even if we give up in the future, we won't think about it anymore."
Uncle Zhong thought for a moment and said, "Okay! I'll tell you, if you really have the chance to find this first volume, I can also benefit from it. Let's make a deal, if you find the classics in Yinwen, you must lend them to me. I don't expect to own them, but you must give them to me for a while to study."
Li Daming and I looked at each other, and Li Daming nodded at me and said it was no problem.
Uncle Zhong said: "This volume is in the hands of another Yincha. This person has a very strange temper and his cultivation is also profound. If you anger him, you will never have another chance."
"It's just kneeling and licking, no problem." Li Daming said carelessly.
Although Uncle Zhong didn't understand these new Internet terms, he roughly knew what they meant. He said, "This man's name is Ma Danlong. He used to hang out in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan for a long time. He used his ability as a ghost messenger to open a Taoist temple to help people perform the practice of watching the falling ghost. Later, he came to the mainland. I don't know what he is doing now. He is very low-key. He is now the director of a hotel chain in this city. If you have the ability, go find him."
"Can you tell me you introduced us there?" I asked.
Uncle Zhong smiled and said, "Of course not. Ma Danlong has a strange temper and rarely interacts with other ghost messengers. If he knows that I asked you to go, he will definitely think too much. Don't blame me, but you can mention Wang Yue."
Li Daming and I came out of Uncle Zhong's house, and I asked him why he didn't let me tell him that the second volume was with Wang Yue. Li Daming shook his head: "I don't trust Uncle Zhong very much. There are many things in this world that we don't know, so it's better to be cautious."
Li Daming and I had a simple lunch at noon. In the afternoon, we arrived at the chain hotel and asked the front desk staff about Ma Danlong, but they didn't even know him.
No wonder, Ma Danlong is a senior director, how could those working below him know him?
However, the waitresses were very nice and invited the lobby manager. When we asked for Ma Danlong, the manager knew him and said he would call to confirm. Li Daming and I waited for a while, and he came back and told us that Mr. Ma was currently out handling business for a property and was not convenient to meet with outsiders.
We were asked to leave by the manager, and Li Daming was very clever and asked where the building was. After much persuasion, the manager finally told us that it was in the Garden Community.
It was still early in the afternoon, and Li Daming drove me to the Garden Community with great enthusiasm. This community is an old building from the 1990s. Although it is in the city, it is extremely remote, almost at the junction of urban and rural areas. The residential buildings are gray and you can't see their original colors. There is also a night market at the entrance of the community. When we arrived, it was already open. It has become a messy snack street, and there are quite a few people.
We entered the community and looked up. The building was quite tall, at least twenty-one stories high. Under the floating white clouds, the building seemed to be shaky, as if it was tilting and collapsing.
I quickly looked away, but Li Daming was still looking at him intently, as if he was thinking about something.
I asked him what was wrong.
Li Daming looked confused: "It's strange, Lin Cong, I seem to be very familiar with this place, as if I have been here before. But I know that I have definitely not been here."
"Oh, I usually have this feeling too. When I walk into a strange place, I feel like I've been there before. It's okay, it's normal," I said.
Li Daming frowned: "I always feel that there is an inexplicable connection between me and this place, but I can't tell what it is."
As we were chatting, a resident came out of the building. Li Daming seemed to have discovered a new world and shouted, "Li Yang!"
A man walked out of the crowd. He was about the same age as us, very thin, with a shaved head, black-rimmed glasses, and sunken cheeks, making him look like a smoker.
"Come, come, let me introduce you." Li Daming pulled the man over: "This is Li Yang, my cousin. Li Yang, this is my good friend, Lin Cong."
I shook hands with Li Yang.
Li Yang had a light beard on his chin and a very surly look in his eyes. This guy must be difficult to get along with, I thought.
Li Daming and Li Yang had a quick chat. It turned out that Li Yang had rented a house in this building and was living here now. Li Daming was very excited and said that it was great that he had a place to stay.
The two brothers were very happy to be together. Li Yang went to the snack street and bought a lot of things. I couldn't eat for free, so I simply bought a box of wine. The three of us entered the building and went to the top floor, the 21st floor.
This building is really old. There is a very unpleasant smell in the elevator, which is enough to suffocate a person. It's like someone spilled vegetable soup and the smell evaporated after a long time.
I finally reached the top floor, feeling dizzy. When I stepped out of the elevator, the corridor was empty and very deserted. In broad daylight, it was difficult for sunlight to shine in through the corridor windows, making the environment here seem extremely gloomy.
Our footsteps were heavy and empty in the corridor, and we finally arrived at the house that Li Yang rented. After we walked in, my heart finally settled down.
After we put the food away, Li Daming asked his cousin why he thought of renting a house here, as it was far away, remote and the environment was not good.
Li Yang smiled and said, "Do you still remember the copper lock?"
"The one from the Lantern Alliance?" Li Daming asked. Seeing that I was confused, he explained that the Lantern Alliance was an adventure VIP group in the city, and he and Li Yang were both members of the group, as was the copper lock. They had a good relationship and used to go out together often.
Li Yang said: "The reason why I can move here is actually funny. It has something to do with Tongsuo's watch." He shook his wrist.
Seeing our interest, he smiled and said, "Tongsuo came here to do some work that day. When he passed by the Garden Community, he accidentally glanced at his watch. Guess what? For a moment, the hands of his watch were actually moving backwards, that is, rotating counterclockwise. It seemed as if time was flowing backwards."
