Journey to Dafo Temple to Find Zang Tianyi

Journey to Dafo Temple to Find Zang Tianyi marks the transition from uncertainty to active pursuit in Shen Tang and Gu Huaian’s search for a way to address Gu Huaian’s supernatural condition. When Gu Huaian receives confirmation that the elusive master has been found, he immediately takes Shen Tang’s hand, tells her that they have located the master, and proposes that they leave at once. The journey therefore carries both practical urgency and emotional significance: it is a shared undertaking undertaken by the two of them, not a solution Gu Huaian pursues alone.

The Call to the Journey

Gu Huaian’s search has been driven by the need to find someone capable of removing or resolving his mind-reading ability. The breakthrough arrives through a phone call. After listening to the message, he sits up abruptly, seizes Shen Tang’s hand excitedly, and announces that they have found the master. His information places the master at Big Buddha Temple, while Gu Huaian’s people are already watching the site. The combination of reliable intelligence and immediate surveillance turns a long-standing uncertainty into a concrete destination.

Shen Tang does not respond with unquestioning haste. She hesitates before agreeing, partly because she feels that her health is poor and worries that trouble could arise during the trip. Her eventual consent establishes the journey as a joint decision shaped by both hope and apprehension. Gu Huaian, by contrast, is ready to move immediately; he lifts the quilt and gets out of bed as soon as the plan is made. The contrast between his urgency and her caution gives the departure its central tension.

Arrival at Big Buddha Temple

The two travel by car to Big Buddha Temple, described as a particularly spiritually renowned temple in the surrounding area. Strong incense and the presence of tourists from elsewhere make the site a major pilgrimage destination rather than a quiet private refuge. The crowd becomes most apparent at the foot of the mountain, where adults, children, and elderly visitors all make their way uphill. Their search for a hidden master thus begins in an environment defined by public movement and religious attention.

The ascent is sufficiently long that Shen Tang loses track of how much time has passed before realizing that she has reached the mountaintop. The temple itself is solemn and dignified, and its reputation is reflected in the atmosphere: merely looking at it makes her feel respectful and discourages reckless behavior. Before resuming the search, Shen Tang bows to the central Buddha and asks a nearby young monk whether Master Zang is present. The monk shakes his head and says that no master with that surname is there, producing the first reversal of the quest. Gu Huaian’s information had seemed dependable, yet the obvious inquiry yields no confirmation, raising the possibility that the master has already left.

The Hidden Identity of the Master

The search advances through an indirect lead rather than an official temple record. Shen Tang encounters a man who says that he is not certain about the information himself and that he heard it from his own master. When she asks who that master is, he identifies him as Zang Tianyi. Shen Tang reacts sharply and asks him to repeat the name, while the disciple repeats it. This exchange confirms that the sought figure is not absent from the narrative; he has simply not been presented openly under the name Shen Tang expected to find.

The revelation also preserves the quest’s uncertainty. Shen Tang considers whether Zang Tianyi might pose a threat, but the disciple appears kind, innocent, and not especially clever. Her assessment does not eliminate danger, yet it prevents the encounter from becoming an immediate confrontation. The master is approached through a chain of trust, hearsay, and discipleship, making the route to him resemble a threshold passage: the public temple provides the entrance, while the actual destination lies beyond ordinary religious administration.

The Mountain Retreat and Threshold

The disciple eventually leads Shen Tang onward, and a voice announces that they have arrived. The setting changes dramatically from the crowded ascent. Tall trees surround the area; fallen leaves cover the ground even as the mountain trees remain lush. A row of wooden rooms stands beneath the trees, with wind chimes hanging from the eaves and sounding clearly in the moving air. The retreat’s simplicity and separation create a marked contrast with the packed temple below.

This change in landscape alters Shen Tang’s emotional state. Her heart, previously tense, suddenly relaxes, and she recognizes that continued speculation about irrelevant possibilities is no longer useful. The setting functions as an interval of stillness before revelation: the crowd, incense, and solemn public temple give way to wood, leaves, wind chimes, and quiet expectation. The narrative moves from external confusion toward inward composure without yet disclosing what Zang Tianyi will do.

The final threshold is crossed through an invitation from inside the room. A voice welcomes the distant guest and asks her to enter. Shen Tang takes a deep breath before opening the door, and the faint sandalwood scent inside the room reinforces the retreat’s calming atmosphere. The scene ends at this entrance, with the master’s presence strongly implied and the search poised to become an encounter. The journey’s decisive consequence is therefore not an already completed cure, but the successful passage from rumor and failed inquiry to direct access to the person connected with the solution.

Narrative Significance

As a plot action, the journey follows the structure of a quest: a problem generates a call, the protagonists accept a difficult route, the first official answer proves misleading, and a concealed guide leads them to a more secluded threshold. Its stakes are personal rather than martial. Gu Huaian seeks relief from the condition that has shaped his relationship with Shen Tang, while Shen Tang must balance her concern for her health against the possibility that this meeting may change both their circumstances.

The action also develops the pair’s partnership through movement. Gu Huaian supplies the information, urgency, and surveillance; Shen Tang supplies judgment, caution, and the willingness to proceed despite uncertainty. Their shared ascent makes the search a relational event as much as a supernatural investigation. The crowded mountain road, the imposing temple, the absent master, the unexpectedly identified disciple, and the quiet wooden retreat each narrow the distance between them and the answer. By ending with an open door rather than an explanation, the narrative gives the journey its proper function: it does not resolve the mystery, but it places Shen Tang and Gu Huaian before the person who can.