"What kind of supernatural event?" I listened, engrossed, as if all Northeasterners were natural storytellers.
The monk recounting the tale feigned mystery, lowering his voice, "The Nine Immortals have appeared!"
"What do you mean?" I pretended ignorance, though I had already guessed part of it.
"Before, people thought the nine caves enshrined great immortals, but unexpectedly, they weren't immortals, but... demons!"
"Wow!" I widened my eyes dramatically, "There are really demons!?"
"Of course! Would proper great immortals harm the livestock of ordinary folk? In a single night, the demons descended, killing all the village's cows, sheep, pigs, and horses, and piling their carcasses in the village center threshing ground, like a pyramid!"
"Did they see the demons killing the livestock?" I asked.
"They did! Many villagers saw them! At first, they thought it was wild beasts from the mountains. The village chief organized everyone to drive them away with fire. In the firelight, everyone finally saw clearly. They weren't wild beasts at all, but demons with human bodies and animal heads—Amitabha, as a monk, I shouldn't use such language, mercy, mercy."
"Heh, Master, aren't you afraid they'll come down to settle the score with you speaking about them like that?" I pointed at the Nine Immortal Cave on the mountain and chuckled.
The monk waved his hand, "It's alright now. The demons said that as long as the villagers moved away, they wouldn't cause trouble. Besides, this temple was built under their instruction by our master."
"What do you mean by that?" I asked, surprised that their master had dealings with demons.
"After the demons drove away the villagers, word still leaked out. Though that night was incredibly brutal, the demons only killed livestock and didn't harm people. The villagers then thought these demons were benevolent beings who had cultivated into spirits, simply wanting to be left undisturbed. So, more and more bold people came up the mountain with offerings to worship them and ask for blessings, which were said to be effective. As the bold people increased, the demons became displeased. They instructed my master, Master Jingkong, to build a temple on the path leading up the mountain, enshrining their statues. From then on, anyone wishing to worship them could do so in the temple. See, the main hall ahead enshrines the portraits of the Nine Immortals."
"Oh?" My interest was piqued.
Last night, in my dream, the Eight Immortals, I had seen them all. They were animals and were responsible for imprisoning Yaoyao.
However, the temple enshrined the Nine Immortals. Did they include Yaoyao?
I was eager to see if Yaoyao's portrait would be as beautiful as in my dream.
The monk led me to the main hall. Indeed, on the three walls inside, hung nine vertical portraits. They were similar to the monk's description: human bodies with animal heads, each eight feet tall, imposing and valiant, holding cold weapons, and clad in armor of the late Jin dynasty style, but without helmets.
As I looked at them one by one, the eight animals—snake, deer, tiger, bear, eagle, fox, sable, and stoat—were all present, four on the left and four on the right, arranged on either side.
The portrait in the center, also with an armored body and an animal head, had an appearance that was impossible to discern. It was not quite monkey, not quite human, with a pointed mouth and a simian face, utterly hideous.
"What immortal is this?" I asked the monk.
The monk shook his head, "This humble monk doesn't know either. I asked Master, and he said we don't need to know, just call them Great Immortals."
Just then, a gust of eerie wind blew into the hall, lifting the portrait of the central immortal. I saw another painting on the wall behind it. As I reached out to lift it, the monk stopped me, "No! Master gave instructions that no one is allowed to look behind the portraits!"
"No one? You haven't looked either?" I asked.
The monk's gaze visibly shifted, and he swallowed.
"Amitabha," a recitation of Buddha's name came from outside the hall, sounding like a woman's voice.
The young monk quickly pulled me aside and whispered, "Benefactor Wu, please do not act rashly. Senior Sister is back. She has a fiery temper..."
My mind filled with questions. Aren't Buddhist temples usually for monks? How could there be a Senior Sister?