108 Interlude - Buddhas and Evil Spirits

A golden gleam lit up the sky as a female monk in a kasaya banished yet another spectre. It was the fortieth this month, and the third graveyard she had visited.

"Tell me again why we need to kill these ghosts?" Gong Lan asked, then uttered another mantra. The words flowed from her lips with great ease, combining with the thin light qi in her body. Her cultivation realm was far, far lower than the realm of her soul. However, that didn't matter. Buddhist arts didn't care much for the body or qi, only for the soul. It was a qualitative transformation. Few could match the might of a buddha's soul.

"I would hardly call these ghosts, little girl," the bodhi seed said to her. It appeared as a small projection on her shoulder. "They are evil spirits. Creatures that have accumulated far too much karma in their past life and thus remain bound to this plane. They are the exact opposite of buddhas, they who have shed their physical bodies and have rid themselves of all earthly karma. They linger. For that reason, they are a plague on this world."

"Are all spirits stuck in the mortal realm truly evil?" Gong Lan asked in a soft voice.

"Of course not," the seed replied. "Some especially strong souls stay with the intent to protect. If they have kept true to their vows and have not needlessly meddled in earthly affairs, they will remain pure. We call these holy spirits. Still, they are few and far between. Holy spirits can be corrupted. You need to consider that it may be worthwhile to banish a spirit that has not committed heinous deeds, because it will prevent them from harming others. We are only sending them back to the circle of reincarnation, after all, not destroying them."

Gong Lan suddenly focused on an oncoming swarm of ghosts up ahead. "Grant me blades of light with the strength to banish these evil spirits and return them to Samsara," she uttered. Her resplendent force combined with the light qi within her and formed two sabers, not unlike those she had wielded in the past. Only, these sabers could not harm the living, only the dead.

She spun around in circles, much like she had in the past, dispatching one evil spirit after another. Each one she cleaved transformed into motes of light that were welcomed back into the Yellow River by the laws of the universe. As she banished them, rage flickered across her otherwise peaceful face. It wasn't uncontrolled rage. Rather, it was calculated rage toward these evil spirits that had tormented the residents nearby, feeding on their fears and sorrows and sometimes driving them to suicide. It was righteous indignation.

These emotions further fueled the power of her blades, increasing their length and width while making them lighter and easier to wield. Before long, one hundred evil spirits had been dispatched.

"You are learning well, child," the bodhi seed said. "It is not wrong to lash out against the evils in the world, to resent them. This resentment will give you strength, but you must be careful. You must keep yourself balanced, or your soul will lose its purity. Much like angels can swiftly become devils, buddhas can also become evil spirits. It is a dangerous path to tread, though sometimes necessary."

"Where to next?" Gong Lan said, seemingly ignoring him. Then, after looking at the tree's indignant expression, she chuckled. "I'm just teasing you. Of course I heard. I'll be sure to keep myself balanced."

The bodhi seed sighed in relief. "We have another hundred and five spirit accumulation points to visit before worrying about anything else. Whoever has been plotting in the Song Kingdom has been at it for over a thousand years. It's hardly feasible to crumble everything they've established in a single night."

Gong Lan sighed. "Very well. Let's keep traveling. The night is still young." With a resplendent soul, she no longer needed sleep and no longer needed sustenance. She could devote her full attention to her goals and never falter. She finally felt like she was making a difference.

I wonder how the others are doing, she thought before walking into the night.