On the hillside, various green trees, strange flowers, vines, and wild grass grew profusely.
The old man pointed to a cluster of short trees with serrated leaves and said, “This is the immortal vegetable.”
The monks didn’t believe it and said, “The leaves of these trees are thick and sharp. How can they be eaten?”
The old man casually pulled out a plant and pointed to something resembling a taro on its roots, saying, “This is the vegetable.”
The monks were half skeptical but still followed the old man’s lead and brought back many of the things he had pulled to the temple.
The old man then picked two stones, drew two millstones on them with white mud, and placed a large wooden barrel on top of one millstone and a big pot under the other.
He washed the things they had pulled and put them into the barrel. Then, he circled around the millstone three times and shouted, “Turn!”
The millstone started rotating automatically.
A gray-black juice flowed from the mill fan into the millstone, then into the pot, immediately turning into gray-black blocks resembling tofu.
The old man told the monks to put all these things on the mountain.
At this moment, snowflakes were falling from the sky, and the monks wondered, “Old layman, it’s snowing heavily. Won’t these things freeze when we put them on the mountain?”
The old man said, “Just follow my instructions. I have my reasons.”
Curious, the monks placed the things on the hillside.
The old man looked at the hillside filled with the items and gently waved his fan towards the left side of the hill. Suddenly, a strong wind blew, dispersing the snowflakes on the left side of the hill.
After the wind passed, the sunny hillside was radiant. In no time, the things that were just placed there had dried up, resembling frozen tofu.
The old man said, “This is the immortal vegetable.”
The monks busied themselves with collecting, but as soon as they finished collecting the vegetables from the left side of the hill, the sun had already moved to the right side.
With this back and forth process of drying and collecting, the immortal vegetables accumulated more and more, and the monks couldn’t collect them all.
Later, people soaked these things in water to soften them, then fried them in cooked oil with dried bamboo shoots until they turned golden and crispy. The taste was incredibly delicious.
The fame of Jade Peaks’ immortal vegetable quickly spread far and wide.
From then on, people who visited Jade Peaks not only enjoyed the beautiful scenery but also made sure to taste this delicious dish of Jade Peaks to their heart’s content.
Some people named it “Snow Konjac” because it resembled konjac and was made from snow.
After hearing Leo’s story, Madame couldn’t help but lick her lips, her face showing a hint of greediness. “We must try this Snow Konjac later.”
Finally, the two arrived at Golden Summit.
The first thing that caught their eyes was a golden statue of Universal Virtue Bodhisattva in all directions. Seeing this statue, Leo was momentarily stunned.
This awe came from the spiritual level. The golden statue was serene and dignified, yet gentle and inclusive, capable of dispelling the gloom deep within people’s hearts.
The Universal Virtue Bodhisattva golden statue towers 48 meters high in all directions, weighing over 600 tons. It is currently the world’s largest and tallest Universal Virtue statue.
The number 48 represents the 48 vows of Amitabha Buddha. “Ten directions” symbolizes the ten great vows of Universal Virtue and also represents the ten directions in Buddhism: east, south, west, north, southeast, southwest, northeast, northwest, up, and down. It signifies Universal Virtue’s boundless vows to fulfill the three worlds of Buddhas and countless sentient beings.
The ten different expressions of the Universal Virtue statues represent ten different mindsets of worldly people.
Behind the Universal Virtue statue is the Mabuhay Temple golden hall. After pausing in front of the statue, the two entered the golden hall.
Inside the golden hall, there were Buddha statues with various expressions. Madame seemed to be influenced by the surrounding atmosphere, her expression becoming solemn, occasionally bowing to the Buddha statues with clasped hands.
The place where the Buddha head was stolen was in a section of Mabuhay Temple called “Ten Thousand Buddhas Road.”
Due to the theft of the Buddha head, Ten Thousand Buddhas Road had been closed to visitors. After Madame presented her credentials, they were allowed to enter.
Ten Thousand Buddhas Road was not actually a road, but rather a passageway.
The top of the passageway was carved with lotus-shaped openings for light and ventilation. The right side wall of the passageway was covered in murals depicting Buddhist themes.
The left side of the passageway was filled with hollow-carved Buddha statues, each with different expressions and unique forms.
Leo gradually extended his consciousness to sense the murals and Buddha statues within the passageway.
Under his consciousness, everything that the naked eye couldn’t see was revealed. There was a subtle fluctuation within the passageway, different from the fluctuation of energy fields. It touched the depths of one’s soul, evoking a sense of divinity.
It seemed that when this passageway was originally constructed, it must have been under the guidance of Buddhist masters. Leo knew that this fluctuation was the residual Buddha power that had endured for thousands of years without fading.
Seeing him standing still, Madame pulled his sleeve and said, “What are you thinking? The place where the Buddha head was stolen is just ahead.”
Continuing forward, Leo noticed that the carved Buddha statues on the left wall were all unique, with no two alike. Each statue seemed to embody a special meaning.
If all ten thousand Buddha statues were different, it truly could be called a masterpiece.
As they walked, Leo’s consciousness continued to explore, not even letting the murals on the right side wall go unnoticed. However, apart from the residual Buddha power fluctuation, there was nothing else of particular significance.
With his eyes watching, his heart feeling, and his consciousness probing, under the influence of Buddha power, Leo felt a profound emptiness within himself. It was a transcendent feeling, as if he had undergone a baptism.
Madame led Leo to the place where the Buddha head was stolen, which was close to the end of the passageway.
At the end of the passageway was a solid stone wall with a semi-blossomed lotus carved on it.
Looking at the place where the Buddha head was stolen, it was indeed different. While the rest of the left wall was filled with hollow-carved Buddha statues, this particular spot had a three-meter-square recessed groove in the wall. Inside the groove were three golden Buddha statues, each about one meter tall, but these three statues were missing their heads.
When Leo’s consciousness fell upon these headless Buddha statues, he couldn’t help but exclaim. He stood in front of the statues, stunned.
“What’s wrong?” Madame carefully surveyed the area, just as the information provided by the Jade Peaks police indicated. There were no traces left at the scene.
After a moment of being stunned, Leo regained his composure and pointed to a few small objects on the top of the statues.
These small objects on top of the statues would easily go unnoticed if one wasn’t paying attention.
“These are special sensors. They emit an alarm if there is any slight vibration on the walls. Precious artifacts are equipped with this anti-theft alarm system.” Madame explained.
Leo nodded and said affirmatively, “On the day of the crime, the anti-theft alarm system here never went off.”
Madame’s eyes brightened, “Did you discover something?”