Chapter 45: The Battle Against Evil by Seventy Sages

Could it be that after all these years, you still haven’t found a suitable candidate? Guan Wen asked.

Of course not. There are countless prodigies in the world; every person who felt my summons and came to meet me was exceptionally gifted. Some were even born with the ability to communicate with spirits, able to understand my inner world without a word from me, joyfully accepting the task and willing to lend their strength. My mission is simple: to “exorcise demons,” to eradicate the witch suppressed by one king and two princesses in ancient times. In short, anyone who can assist me must possess two qualities: mastery in painting and a willingness to dedicate themselves. Although the requirements are strict, there are always those who qualify. Thus, I taught them the exquisite secrets of the Skeleton Thangka.

Guan Wen sighed involuntarily: Before this, did you not realize that this unique skill would actually harm them?

The voice fell silent for a long time before slowly replying: I won’t deceive you. Before imparting the skill, I had already sensed that some would succumb to obsession, embarking on a path of no return. For a painter, passing on a method that could advance their art tenfold is like giving wings to a fierce tiger—it’s exhilarating to soar, to roar at the heavens. Most became lost in their craft, forgetting time and space, working day and night without rest. Their desire for artistic mastery consumed their souls, until eventually, unable to control their longing, they fell into madness and died violently.

Guan Wen forced a bitter smile: So, that’s how it is?

Knowing that the Skeleton Thangka could harm those with weaker resolve, yet still teaching it to them, is undeniably a cruel act. It’s like giving marijuana and morphine to someone with an addiction—love and harm are separated by a thin line.

You must blame me in your heart for quenching thirst with poison, for committing such deeds, the voice asked faintly.

Outside the hollow, a night wind arose, stirring the branches of the giant tree and producing all manner of strange sounds. If not for Gu Qingcheng’s ambush, at this moment he would have been waiting for Baoling at the guesthouse, ensuring she had a peaceful dream.

You’re distracted, the voice said.

I’m simply worried for a friend. Her experiences are extraordinary, and this is precisely when she needs protection most. Guan Wen’s heart tightened. He realized that even someone as sharp and bold as the bounty hunter Gu Qingcheng could not withstand the counterattack from the Azure Dragon Society; Baoling, a frail woman, if trouble arose, who would save her?

If only I’d known, I should have practiced martial arts and swordsmanship, first gaining a strong body, so I could shield her from wind and rain. A voice of regret sounded quietly in his heart.

You… you worry about too many things. You can’t focus on one task. I truly wonder whether summoning you this time is a blessing or a curse… but I have no choice left, only this. This tree is simply too old; at the end of its strength, it can no longer sustain my life. If you’re willing, follow me—

Guan Wen closed his eyes, as he always did before painting, performing the meditation exercise to gradually clear his mind of the floating fragments of thought, gathering all his attention, focusing entirely on this place, this moment, this task.

Suddenly, he felt his body shoot upward like an arrow, breaking through the cover of the hollow, soaring more than ten meters high.

Don’t be afraid, this is only the separation of spirit from body. There’s no danger. In the esoteric practice of Tibetan Buddhism, after seven rounds of secluded cultivation, a handful of sages can achieve this state, the voice spoke again.

Guan Wen looked ahead; ten paces away stood a Tibetan monk of extraordinary stature, draped in a crimson robe, his face solemn, brows tightly knit.

He looked down at his feet: the Niseri Mountain, Tashilhunpo Monastery, Shigatse City, and the eastern Lhasa City lay beneath him. It turned out he wasn’t soaring just ten meters, but hundreds.

Standing here, one can see the whole of Tibet. Only by seeing the whole can you recognize the critical points for demon suppression and exorcism. In ancient times, the king and two princesses also secluded themselves ten times, reaching the state of soul departure, thus discovering the presence of the Rakshasa Witch. They joined forces with Tang dynasty demon-slayers, accurately marking her location on the Tibet Demon Suppression Map, and decisively took action. First, they adjusted the feng shui of Lhasa, making it embody the Eight Auspicious Signs, then built the twelve Demon Suppression Monasteries in the four regions of Central Tibet, binding the joints of the witch. Finally, they quelled calamity, allowing the people of Tibet to live in peace and happiness. Such a feat is unprecedented and unparalleled, worthy of being inscribed in history.

Guan Wen was familiar with every detail of the Tibet Demon Suppression Map, so with a little observation, he could find the approximate location of the twelve monasteries. From above, the old town of Lhasa appeared all the more grand in structure and rigorous in layout, perfectly reflecting the Eight Auspicious Signs of Tibetan Buddhism. The Potala Palace stood in the dignified main position of Lhasa, like a stabilizing pillar, firmly holding the king’s scepter.

As for the history of the demon suppression by one king and two princesses, the most authoritative and widely accepted account among historians is as follows:

Princess Wencheng of the Tang dynasty and Princess Bhrikuti of Nepal both married the Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo, each bringing precious Buddhist relics such as the statue of Shakyamuni Buddha into Tibet. Princess Bhrikuti’s repeated attempts to build temples were thwarted, so she sought Princess Wencheng’s advice on site selection. Princess Wencheng used eighty types of Chinese feng shui to repeatedly calculate, discovering that the terrain of snowy Tibet resembled the form of a supine Rakshasa Witch. The Lhasa Ottang Lake represented the witch’s heart blood, the three mountains were her heart and veins, Ramoche (the Minor Jokhang Temple) was the residence of the Dragon God, Lupu (below Medicine King Mountain’s eastern cliff, Charalu Pu) was the lair of the Black Dragon, Dawazhe’s poisonous tree roots were the haunt of spirits and non-human beings, and the southeastern land bulged like an elephant charging into battle. Due to these ill omens, the country and Buddhist destiny could not flourish. Thus, Princess Wencheng first adjusted Lhasa’s feng shui, establishing the royal palace atop Potala to suppress the witch’s heart and bones, instructed Princess Bhrikuti to fill Ottang Lake with soil carried by mountain goats, building the Jokhang Temple atop it to enshrine the Buddha. Afterwards, she carried out further feng shui reforms, granting Lhasa the Eight Auspicious Signs, and constructed twelve Demon Suppression Monasteries in four regions, binding the witch’s limbs with twelve immovable nails.

Princess Wencheng’s prominent mark in Chinese official history is inseparable from her entry into Tibet and her demon-suppressing achievements.

Did you see clearly? the burly monk asked.

Elder, I see clearly now. The witch is already lifeless. Guan Wen nodded. In his eyes, the mountains and rivers of Tibet were no ordinary topography, but matched the body of the Rakshasa Witch on the Demon Suppression Map. Yet, the witch lay rigid, showing no signs of life.

Wrong. The monk sighed. For many years, countless sages have thought as you do, believing the witch perished under the twelve immovable nails. But just over two centuries ago, during the second Gurkha invasion of Tibet and the pillaging of Tashilhunpo Monastery, the senior lama Dorge Gyatso of the monastery’s elders secluded himself for thirty-five days in a thousand-year snow cave on Niseri Mountain. There, he suddenly realized that the Rakshasa Witch had not died, but had escaped her body, concealed her true form, and sunk deep underground, gradually freeing herself from the nails’ confinement. Dorge Gyatso, though his one hundred and eight-day retreat was not yet complete, broke out at the cost of his own cultivation, gathering sages from Tashilhunpo and nearby monasteries at the summit’s Buddha Light Platform to devise a plan. Seventy sages attended, all able to achieve soul departure and traverse a thousand miles in a day. They all saw the looming crisis: the witch had indeed revived, and the Gurkhas’ assault over the Himalayas was seduced by her. The witch’s spirit had just begun to awaken; she needed to absorb the evil power of souls lost in war and slaughter to grow stronger, finally breaking free and overturning the world. Fortunately, the three thousand demon-slayers brought by Princess Wencheng guarded the underground of Lhasa year-round, effectively thwarting the witch’s plot to overturn the Potala Palace and resurrect herself, averting catastrophe. At the time, as Dorge Gyatso’s junior, I was present—

The history of the second Gurkha invasion of Tibet and General Fuk’angan’s campaign can be found in the annals of the Qing dynasty during Emperor Qianlong’s reign.

Before entering Tibet, Guan Wen had studied records from Tashilhunpo Monastery and read this passage:

In 1793, the Gurkhas invaded Tibet a second time, their flames of war reaching the Tashilhunpo Monastery in Shigatse. The Qing Emperor Qianlong promptly appointed Fuk’angan as General, and the famed Hailancha as his deputy, drawing elite troops from Northeast, Sichuan, Qinghai, and Gansu to assemble in Tibet and counter the Gurkhas. After entering Tibet, the Qing army was invincible, sweeping through and crossing the Himalayas to strike at the Gurkha capital (near present-day Kathmandu, Nepal). Ultimately, the Gurkhas surrendered, becoming tributary vassals.

War always brings trauma, and that distant era is now seldom mentioned. Yet, the people of Tibet have never bowed to oppressors; no matter how many times they are reborn through bloodshed, the land and waters of Tibet always spring anew with life and clarity. This spirit of endurance and fierce resistance began in the era of the king and two princesses and persists to this day.

Elder, how should I address you? Guan Wen asked respectfully.

Among the seventy sages who fought to exorcise the demon, I am the only survivor. Their names deserve to be remembered by the world; as for myself, I have long forgotten my original name, and am now known only by this ancient tree, the monk answered.

Guan Wen understood—he was the true Master Tree.

Whenever I recall this history, I am filled with shame, for any cultivator with responsibility should consider dying in battle against demons as an honor. Compared to those who died, the survivor forever carries a burden of inescapable disgrace. In the past, when seventy sages gathered at the Buddha Light Platform, many hands made light work, quickly locating the black cave in Niseri Mountain leading to the witch’s lair. According to the council’s decision, all immediately severed their worldly ties and entered the cave to hunt the witch. It was a battle of life and death; everyone knew how perilous it was. I remember senior Dorge Gyatso stood at the highest point of the platform and prepared for the worst—‘Leave one person to lead the monastery’s disciples in the rear, gather sulfur stones and gunpowder, and within a day, if the sages do not return whole, seal the cave layer by layer with sulfur and powder, trapping the witch inside. Wait for the right moment, ignite the powder, and turn the entire Niseri Mountain into the witch’s tomb.’ The one left behind could avoid the battlefield and preserve their life, but none wished to stay, for such ‘retreat’ would forever mar a cultivator’s reputation…