Chapter 2071: Chapter 1974: Hallucination
The formation was broken, and the remaining tasks became simple. Abbot Shishan acted quickly, and at the same time as the formation broke, he had already entered the scene. Guided by the Han Tomb map drawn by Huo Sining, he swiftly reached the pit of the live burial.
Because everyone already knew the purpose for which Zhou Shitao invited Abbot Shishan, no one dared to disturb him at this moment.
However, the monk’s skills were indeed extraordinary. In just half an hour, he had calmly finished his task and walked out.
Huo Sining was the most concerned. Seeing Master Shishan emerging, she hurried up to him: "Master, how did it go?"
Master Shishan nodded slightly, still holding one hand upright in front of his chest: "Amitabha, the rites are complete. Master Huo, I have a request on behalf of the deceased."
Huo Sining nodded: "Please, go ahead."
"These people cannot reincarnate into the Way after death, because that formation caused them suffering. They have been trapped here for a thousand years; wouldn’t they feel resentment and anger? Therefore, I hope to seek a resting place for them. I wish for you, once the archeological work is completed, to give these spirits a proper burial, providing them a new place to reside."
Huo Sining was initially stunned but then quickly nodded in agreement: "No problem, I will personally ensure it’s done."
Master Shishan smiled with satisfaction and suddenly turned his gaze to Gu Xu standing aside. Abruptly changing the topic, he said in a strange tone:
"Ten Directions, one Way; all is illusion. Master Huo, I shall return to Mount Wutai. This may be my last journey down the mountain. Seeing the fortune you have now, Master Huo, it’s evident that you have considerable luck. But remember, everything depends on fate. Remember these words: All arise from conditions, all are bound by destiny; just as there is birth, there is death; all dharmas are created by the mind."
Birth and death?!
Huo Sining was taken aback and suddenly looked up at the old monk.
The earlier Buddhist phrases were not understood by Huo Sining, but the fact that this monk alluded to her rebirth on two occasions, ambiguously—what did he mean?!
Huo Sining’s heartbeat quickened. She felt that the monk’s words seemed to have hidden implications, yet she couldn’t fathom them.
In a daze, she saw the monk turn away, say a few words to Zhou Shitao over there, then clasped his hands together and bowed before lightly sweeping his sleeves, spiritedly turning and leaving as agile as when he arrived, the breeze unchanged.
Only then did Huo Sining come to her senses, chasing after Master Shishan and calling out: "Master, please wait, I still have a few questions to ask..."
Huo Sining chased forward urgently all the way, yet the old monk seemed not to hear her, only continuing ahead. The chase led to an alley, where the monk abruptly turned his head, gave Huo Sining an eccentric smile, then turned a corner into the alley.
Huo Sining suspected nothing and continued chasing into the alley, only to find it empty, with a wall blocking her path.
This was a dead-end alley, and the old monk who had entered it was nowhere to be seen.
"Damn, how did he just vanish like that?"
Huo Sining was bewildered.
While she was pondering it over, Wu Jun and Gu Xu approached:
"Wife, they plan to start excavating the passageway in the afternoon and wanted your opinion. What are you standing here for? Mr. Zhou called for you and you didn’t hear."
Huo Sining pointed to the alley: "I was following Master Shishan; I wanted to ask him something, but he walked faster and faster, and then just disappeared into this alley."
Gu Xu showed a puzzled expression: "Wife, are you feeling okay? Are you saying you were following Master Shishan? But Master Shishan clearly left that way, and Mr. Zhou had arranged a car to take him to the airport. We all saw him leaving by car just now."
Huo Sining was taken aback upon hearing this.
The old monk clearly went this way into the alley, how could he have left by car, and in the complete opposite direction?
Huo Sining was confused, unable to tell whether what she had just seen was real or an illusion.
"How could it be, I was clearly—"
Halfway through her words, Huo Sining’s voice suddenly ceased.
Because in her mind, the previous words of the old monk echoed once more.
The Ten Directions, one Way— all is illusion.
Illusion, was this what the monk’s strange words meant? Was it intentional, or was there a hidden message?
Huo Sining’s eyes flickered with suspicion, then transformed into profound contemplation.
She felt as if the monk was warning her, foreshadowing something.
Unable to grasp it, she could only set it aside; the formation was broken, the malevolent entities were dealt with, and preparations were made. Up next was the ancient tomb excavation.
While not Huo Sining’s specialty, she was indeed the ultimate overseer of the excavation, as she had drawn the tomb map, and thus had to coordinate the operation.
Fortunately, everything went smoothly. Excavation based on Huo Sining’s map led to the discovery of the tomb passageway that very afternoon, perfectly aligning with her map without a single deviation.
Now, even the initially discontented Fucheng Cultural Relics Bureau, unhappy with Huo Sining leading the excavation, had nothing more to say.
They were well aware that achieving such precision meant that Huo Sining’s geomancy skills could significantly benefit the archaeological work, saving tens, if not hundreds, of thousands in expenses, avoiding necessity for unnecessary manpower and resources for broad-scale surveys, and preventing possible damage to the tomb’s artifacts.
A high-caliber talent like Huo Sining, whether in the Fucheng Cultural Relics Bureau or across all of Huaxia, was hardly replaceable. For the Fucheng Han Tomb excavation to have such an overseer was nothing short of a stroke of luck.
However, Huo Sining wasn’t assisting without compensation. Her prior demand for a 150,000 yuan compensation for Old Qi was sanctioned by the Cultural Relics Bureau, as they had little choice but to agree.
The 150,000 yuan was personally covered by Huo Sining; it made no sense for someone to both do the work and bear the costs. This was a state project, unsuited for private sponsorship.
And they feared that upsetting Huo Sining over this 150,000 yuan might cause her to leave in discontent. Without her, where would Fucheng Cultural Relics Bureau find such a high-end talent who could save them a million in archaeological costs?
