The only thoughts running inside Li Yundong’s mind at that moment were: run; flee for your life .

  So he did .

  He leaped to the side, not caring where the golden apparition was . His knees scraped against something rough when they hit the ground .

  Then, he scrambled to his feet and ran .

  The temple . He had to get to the temple .

  He channeled more Qi into his legs and pumped his legs harder .

  Somehow, the strange feeling inside his chest had spread to his entire body . Some kind of invisible force or pressure was squeezing his body from all sides . It was as though something was trying to flatten him and forcibly fit him into some kind of two-dimensional flatland .

  What the f*ck is this shit?

  Li Yundong gasped, and before he knew it, his knees hit the ground again . This time, he couldn’t even get up .

  He gasped for air and started to crawl his way towards the temple . His eyes darted around their sockets, scanning the area for more threats .

  He didn’t see the golden apparition anywhere . Was it gone?

  Come on . . . Move . . . Move!

  He reached forward to grab hold of something . Anything .

  Something tickled his palm . He opened his eyes and realized that he had just grabbed a fistful of grass . Damn it . He wasn’t even facing the right direction . He pulled back his hand and re-oriented himself on the ground .

  Don’t give up . . . Don’t you dare give up!

  Li Yundong growled and mobilized more Qi from his lower Dantian .

  The pressure squeezing against his body grew stronger the moment he did that .

  Su Chan . . . Think of Su Chan . . .

  Li Yundong fought back against the pressure with everything he got . Alas, it seemed like the more he struggled, the stronger the pressure grew .

  "Damn it!" He slammed his palms against the ground and tried to push himself up .

  Suddenly, he heard a whisper .

  "Do not harbor hostile intentions . . . "

  The voice sounded feeble and frail, like the voice of an old man .

  "Malevolence fuels its power . Rein in your Qi, young man . "

  Li Yundong gave up the struggle right then and guided his Qi back to his lower Dantian . The effect was almost instantaneous—the pressure vanished and he felt like he could breathe again .

  Li Yundong rose to his feet and scanned his surroundings . The temple lay about thirty meters ahead . Trees lined both sides of the inclined path . He didn’t see any old man around . Nor did he see the golden apparition of the arhat .

  He sighed in relief .

  He wondered who gave him the tip just now .

  Li Yundong shook his head and forged on . Better get inside that temple before the attacker returns……

  He made it to the temple in a couple of minutes .

  He stood in front of the temple and studied its facade for a while . The temple was quiet and peaceful, almost idyllic . Beside the temple were shops selling incense, food, and drinks . Li Yundong directed his gaze to another corner and saw several hoses scattered around . Beyond the hoses were several water faucets .

  Seems like a good place to rest and stay overnight……

  He approached the steps leading up to the temple and lowered his backpack onto one of the steps . Then, he sat down to take a much-needed break .

  ***

  It was almost nightfall by the time Meiduo and her fellow pilgrims arrived at Kathok Monastery . Light from the temple pierced through the darkness of their surroundings, illuminating their path . Meiduo smiled at the metaphorical significance: the path towards enlightenment .

  The smell of incense greeted Meiduo as they approached the temple’s facade . Wisps of white smoke swirled around them . The rhythmic sounds of Tibetan drums drifted from inside the temple with chants of mantras forming a soothing background noise . Meiduo closed her eyes and spent a brief moment to soak it all in . This was home .

  The head of Kathok Monastery was a close acquaintance of Changabela . After Changbagela exchanged a few pleasantries with the head, the rest of the pilgrims went about their own business . Everyone seemed tired and weary after the long journey . Some sat on the stairs, chatting with their companions . Others picked a spot and lay down on the ground to get some shut-eye . Meiduo scanned the crowd for Changbagela . She found him sitting on one of the steps, staring up into the sky with both hands hugging his knees . Meiduo walked over and sat down beside him . The moon shone down at them from the clear sky .

  After a while, Changbagela broke the comfortable silence . "Meiduo . . . "

  She turned to regard the old man . "Yes, Changbagela?"

  "Are you angry at me for yelling at you in front of the others?"

  Meiduo shook her head . "No, Changbagela . I think you were right in everything you said . I shouldn’t judge a person’s worth by their appearance . " She sighed . "Looks like I still have a long way to go towards enlightenment . "

  Changbagela said nothing after that and kept staring at the sky .

  Minutes later, Meiduo detected movement from the corner of her eyes . She turned and squinted through the darkness . She caught a glimpse of dark, shaggy, shoulder-length hair spread across a set of broad shoulders . The man disappeared around the corner a split second later . Meiduo sprang to her feet . "I- It’s him!"

  Changbagela stared up at her . "What?"

  Meiduo reached down and pulled Changbagela’s arm . "He’s here! The Han Chinese who saved your life!"

  ***

  Meiduo tugged Changbagela’s arm until he was up on his feet .

  "Where? Where is he!"

  Meiduo pointed at the corner of the temple . "I saw him rounding that corner!" she said, then began to pull Changbagela in that direction . "Come on, Changbagela! Let’s go!"

  They rounded the corner in record time and walked on for a few more seconds . Meiduo helped Changbagela stepped over a bunch of tangled hoses, then continued forward . They reached another corner, by which time they could hear the sound of running water . Maybe he was taking a drink—


  Meiduo blushed the moment she and Changbagela walked around the corner . The Han Chinese was completely naked as he stood in front of the faucet . Under the moonlight, the sharp planes of the man’s muscular back gleamed at them . Meiduo blushed even harder and turned away .

  Changbagela patted her shoulders and said, "Let’s give him some privacy . "

  Meiduo fought down the burn in her cheeks and nodded meekly .

  After that, the two of them retreated around the corner and waited . A while later, the sound of the water stopped . Meiduo shared a glance with Changbagela .

  Changbagela shook his head gently . "Not yet," he whispered . "He still needs to get dressed . "

  Meiduo flushed again . It seemed like her common sense had left her tonight .

  When the Han Chinese man didn’t show after twenty minutes, Meiduo began to worry . Surely it wouldn’t take that long to get dressed .

  Had the man left?

  Meiduo shot a worried glance at Changbagela, whose lips were moving as he spun a prayer bead in his right hand .

  Meiduo shifted forward and shook Changbagela’s knee .

  Changbagela opened his eyes a second later . "Hmm?"

  "Shall we take a look? It’s been nearly twenty minutes . "

  Changbagela got to his feet . "Sure . "

  They walked around the corner again .

  Relief coursed through Meiduo when she saw that the young man was still there .

  However, her relief was short-lived .

  Something strange was happening . Something really, really strange . Like supernatural .

  The young Han Chinese appeared to be meditating . Dust and leaves spiraled around him as though he was the center of a tornado . Then, something even stranger happened . A jet of white, gas-like substance shot out from his mouth . The white jet travelled forward for over ten meters before it ran into a huge rock and vanished in a puff of white smoke .

  All of a sudden, the young man sprang to his feet and cocked his fist back . A split second later, the air in front of him exploded in a soundless clap . The ground trembled under Meiduo’s feet as some kind of shockwave shot out from the man’s fist . The ground shook again when the shockwave slammed into the giant rock ten meters away, releasing a muffled crack .

  Meiduo turned sideways to look at Changbagela .

  Changbagela wasn’t looking at her, but she could tell that the old man was in shock .

  When Meiduo looked to the front again, the young man was nowhere to be seen .

  Meiduo turned to Changbagela . "Hey, where did he—"

  Changbagela was already making his way towards the rock .

  Meiduo hurried after Changbagela .

  Seconds later, they were both staring at a deep imprint of a fist buried several inches deep into the rock .

  "Mahakala . . . " Changbagela mumbled .

  Meiduo turned her head sharply . She gaped at Changbagela, too stunned to speak .

  Changbagela closed his eyes and pressed his palms together . "Amitabha . . . We have just encountered the living reincarnation of Mahakala . The great Dharma Protector . The Defender of the Law . The Lord of Justice . "

  Meiduo shook herself out of her stupor right then .

  Mahakala . One of the most powerful gods known in Tibetan Buddhism . The god with three faces and six arms . . .

  Before Meiduo could open her mouth to speak, a cold voice sounded behind her .

  "What are you two planning? Why were you following me?"

  ***

  Li Yundong stared at startled faces of the young girl and the old man . He had heard their whispers with Eryue while he was washing himself earlier and had decided to confront them .

  The girl was still in shock when the old monk recovered his composure .

  "Well?" Li Yundong said sternly . "State your purpose! Why were you following me!"

  Suddenly, the old monk lowered himself to the ground and prostrated himself before Li Yundong .

  Alarm coursed through Li Yundong . "Hey! What the—"

  "Hail, great Lord of Justice, Mahakala!" said the old monk . "I thank you for saving my life!"

  Li Yundong moved forward and quickly pulled the old man to his feet . "Please rise, old sir . This isn’t necessary . "

  The old monk grabbed Li Yundong’s hands . "Thank you, my lord . "

  Li Yundong smiled . "You don’t have to thank me, sir . Any decent human being would’ve done something to help . "

  "But still . . . My lord—"

  "I prefer Li Yundong, thanks . "

  The old monk stared at him for a few awkward moments .

  "You have my utmost gratitude, then, Mr . Li . "

  Then, the old man nudged the girl with his elbow .

  "Meiduo!" he hissed . "What are you standing around for? Say something!"

  The girl’s eyes cleared a little .

  She stepped forward and gave Li Yundong a bow .

  "I am terribly sorry for the way I’ve treated you today," she said shyly . "I shouldn’t have yelled at you . And I should’ve at least tried to properly thank you after you brought Changbagela back to life . "

  Li Yundong nodded . "You’re welcome . "

  Changbagela stroked his long, white beard . "If you don’t mind me asking, Mr . Li, are you here for a vacation? Or are you here for some other purpose?"

  Li Yundong regarded the old man warily . What should he tell them? After a moment of thought, he decided to answer with the truth but keep his answer vague .

  "This trip is part of my training . "

  "I see, I see!" Changbagela said pensively . Suddenly, Changbagela beamed at Li Yundong . "Well, I’m leading a group of people on a pilgrimage to the summit . You can join our group if you like?"

  Li Yundong rubbed the back of his neck . "Well . . . I’d like to, but you see . . . I’m kinda in a hurry . . . And you guys . . . Well……"

  Kowtowing once every three steps didn’t exactly fit the definition of "hurry" no matter how he looked at it .

  "Come on…… You don’t actually think we have to perform the kowtow ritual for the whole journey, do you?" Changbagela said as though he’d read Li Yundong’s mind .

  When Li Yundong didn’t answer, Changbagela laughed and waved his hand casually . "We don’t actually have to do that . The ritual is only necessary when we are near the foot of the holy mountain . " Changbagela laughed harder . "Come on, the whole journey is more than 100 kilometers long! Most of us would die of head traumas if we kowtowed all the way up . "

  Li Yundong burst into laughter .

  "Am I right, Meiduo?" Changbagela nudged the girl again .

  "Yep! Yep!" Meiduo nodded with zest . "Changbagela is right . Besides, we could use some protection . "

  Li Yundong raised a brow . "Protection? From what?"

  Meiduo stared at Li Yundong as though he’d grown three heads . "Wolves, of course!"

  "Wolves?"

  Meiduo nodded again . "Mm-hmm! This mountain is filled with them!"

  Li Yundong tried his best not to gape .

  Wolves . He’d been running around in a mountain full of wolves, and he hadn’t a single f*cking clue .

  Well . Shit .

  Li Yundong cleared his throat . "Umm…… That’s…… that’s good to know . "

  "Like I said, you can protect us from wolves," Meiduo said . "And in return, we can be your guide towards the summit . It is very easy to get lost as you go further along this path . "

  Li Yundong studied the pair for a moment . Should he accept the offer? Or was this too big of a risk?

  Argh . Screw it .

  Li Yundong sighed . "Fine . "