Chapter 48: Becoming a Demon or a Buddha in an Instant

  Section 1

  The northern city of Dharamsala is the largest settlement of Tibetan exiles and lamas, with seven large camps surrounding the temple, home to around 100,000 people. Li Wei drove through the area, where these people were once part of the 56 ethnic groups of China, but are now exiled, not even considered second-class citizens, without their own land or homes. The hardworking Tibetan people rely on their diligent labor to survive and support many lamas. They are uncomplaining and kind-hearted. Tibetans are the most devout believers wherever they are; for them, religion is not just a faith but a way of life. However, here in Dharamsala, Tibetans have no time to engage in religious rituals like those in Tibet because they are busy making a living outside. Even some young lama monks have taken up secular professions due to economic needs. The temple's hotels, shops, and other enterprises are managed and operated by monks. Li Wei felt heavy-hearted; his compatriots' faith is hard to change, and the only way to save them is to start with their most revered Dalai Lama. But the Dalai Lama has no intention of returning home; he wants to restore slavery, Tibetan independence, and become the lama emperor ruling Tibet. How can this be possible? Li Wei couldn't understand how a religious leader could prioritize personal interests over the well-being of his people. Such a selfish person is revered as a god, worshiped, and admired - it's detestable and infuriating.

  After a five-hour drive, Danzong Temple finally arrived. All the high-ranking lamas are practicing here. The temple is magnificent with a large square, huge Buddha statues, and golden lights everywhere. Tourists and pilgrims come in an endless stream to visit and learn from the scriptures. After parking his car, Li Wei did not go to the crowded places, but instead went to where the lama was reciting sutras and worshiping Buddha, asking about the whereabouts of Qiangba Great Lama.

  "Excuse me, little Buddha, do you know where the powerful Buddha is?"

  "Sir, don't address us in that manner. We are humble monks with lowly virtues and shallow understanding of the Buddha's teachings. How can we be called 'Buddha'?"

  "Oh, then I'll call you Little Masters! Does Little Master know where Qiangba Buddha is cultivating? How many Buddhas like him are there in Danzong Temple? Is the Dalai Lama here?"

  "This gentleman has so many questions!"

  "I have met Gangba Bao once before. He's the one who called me here and said that if I ask about him, someone will take me to see him."

  "Is it Mr. Li Xiaolong?"

  "Ah, I am Li Xiaolong."

  "Mr. Li, why didn't you go ahead? There are people waiting for you there. In that case, I'll take you to Master Qiang's place!"

  "Oh! Thank you, young master!"

  "Mr. Li was polite, follow me!"

  "Okay. What's your name, little master?"

  "My name is Zhasi."

  Li Wei followed Zhasi Lama in the temple of Noda, observing and asking about the situation in the temple.

  "Zaxi, how many great lamas like Qiangfo Yeba are there? What are they all in charge of?"

  "There are many great masters! They are respectively the Dharmapala of Transmission, the Dharmapala of Propagation, the Dharmapala of Great Deeds, and the Dharmapala of Protection. As their names suggest, they are in charge of transmitting the teachings to Tibetan followers, propagating the teachings of Tantric Buddhism worldwide, managing the monastic community, and protecting with martial prowess."

  "Oh, I've only met Danzeng Grand Lama and Qiangba Grand Lama, and Sangjie Lama. I didn't expect there to be so many Grand Lamas."

  "Are there foreign monks and lamas coming here for practice?"

  "There is, but very little, at least I haven't seen any."

  "Oh, thank you for your answer, little master."

  "It's nothing, Mr. Li is being polite. The place up ahead is where the great lama Gongba practices, I'll go inform him first, please wait outside for now."

  "I understand, thank you, Master."

  Li Wei thought to himself, it's not easy to get the monks out of their hands with so many lamas. Along the way, I've seen very few armed personnel, I have to fool them and then take the monks away.

  Section 2

  Two lamas came out with Zaxi, wearing much better clothes than Zaxi. They were fat and oily, because the hierarchy here is very strict, and the treatment is very different. These two lamas only spoke pure Tibetan, and their words and tone exuded majesty. Li Wei bid farewell to Zaxi and followed the two fat lamas into the reception hall. As he came into contact with more and more lamas, Li Wei discovered a problem: the higher the level of the lamas who had fled to India, the less compassionate they were, and instead became more and more eager for quick success and profit. The closer they got to the top of the golden pyramid, the more evil and gloomy they felt. As monks, lamas should be detached from worldly affairs, cultivate themselves in quietness, but this group of people was eagerly drilling into the depths of the vortex of power. How can people who only have power and profit in their eyes be qualified to be monks?

  This temple is a large complex, with magnificent temples forming the outer perimeter. Inside the temple is an open square, and further in are villas that exude Tibetan cultural charm. At first glance, the interior decoration appears luxurious and modern, like a grand hotel. As they walked, four lamas came out to greet them, giving Li Wei face, and finally entered a three-story villa. In the reception hall, the high lama Zongba sat on a Buddha seat, surrounded by sandalwood incense. Li Wei quickly took a few steps forward, bowed deeply, and said:

  "Hello Master Wang, Xiaolong is paying his respects to you."

  "Mr. Li, there's no need for such politeness, please be at ease and take a seat."

  "Thank you, Qiang Ba Foye, this is what I wanted to give you last time."

  "Mr. Li has a good heart, the Living Buddha will be very happy, the Living Buddha is no longer receiving believers now, but I will try my best for you, first take a walk around here, when there's an opportunity, I'll arrange it as soon as possible."

  "It's a great fortune to have the chance to come here on pilgrimage, I'm grateful for the third time. Thank you again, Guru Rinpoche."

  "Next, I'll get Xiaolong to change into the attire of a commoner's son, so he can move about freely here. You won't mind, will you, Xiaolong? Otherwise, it would be quite troublesome. Tian Tan and his gang wouldn't care about good men and believers."

  "The Buddha has been too good to me, I must become the most excellent and successful lay disciple under the Buddha's seat."

  "Haha! With Xiaolong joining, the Living Buddha's great undertaking will surely succeed!"

  Having obtained Li Wei's confidential materials and bringing a big spy into the door, Qiang Ba Dala is in a great mood and has taken another step towards the highest Buddha seat. This may be the wish of every Dala, to become the supreme ruler or the supervisor of the supreme ruler. In other words, they all hope that Dalai Lama will... (you know)

  Section 3

  Those who can move freely in Danzong Temple are all noble figures, a group of people revered by the Tibetan faithful as gods. If they were in China, such a group would definitely recite scriptures and pray for blessings for the people. Here, the high lamas are busy fighting for power and profit, while the low-ranking lamas are busy serving the high lamas, leaving little time to chant scriptures. If it weren't to prove that they are still lamas, even this little time would be misappropriated.

  Li Wei made a preliminary survey, then activated all the high-tech devices around him to gather useful information and search for He Shang. After searching the perimeter of Danzong Temple, no valuable clues were found. The central part of Danzong Temple was where Dalai Lama lived and where the 16 Grand Lamas practiced, made of glass bricks like a greenhouse, shining brightly. For some reason, digital devices and electronic equipment could not get close to that place, as if there was some kind of magnetic field at work. Li Wei even thought about bringing in Longjiang 22 to see what was going on, but it was impossible to bring such a large device inside. Li Wei had to rely on his own skills, fortunately, the sky was high and the headquarters was far away, and there were no partners around to hinder him. Li Wei finally could show off his skills, testing whether his divine powers had deteriorated. He rubbed his fists and palms, eagerly waiting for nightfall.

  Skull Association headquarters is holding an emergency meeting, the situation is extremely serious, Skull Association has never encountered such a great humiliation in over a hundred years. The president of Skull Association is furious, a super Trojan horse was bought back for over $100 million, various intelligence and advanced technologies of Skull Association were stolen clean, Skull Association's supercomputer system was also rendered useless, Skull Association is almost paralyzed, paper books and files are the only things that Skull Association can possess and manipulate. Skull Association sent out its top killer to capture a man named Li Xiaolong alive. At this moment, Li Wei still does not know that he will face such a huge threat, the calculation of the Trojan horse program by Changjiang 22 had a slight error, no one expected that Skull Association's firewall would be so vulnerable. Silver Fox was put under house arrest, this slight error caused him to fail to evacuate in time, his life is hanging by a thread.