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墨書 Inktalez
Everyone was momentarily stunned, taking a while to regain their senses. I had heard Lao Sun mention it before, but seeing it in person left me and my junior brother speechless. As for Old Qiao, my senior sister, and A Li, their expressions were a whirlwind of surprise as they exclaimed about the marvel before them.
I summarized what I knew about the Guge Dynasty and the Ancient Guge Silver Eye for everyone. Essentially, the Guge Dynasty was established by a faction of royal members after the collapse of the Tubo Dynasty. It thrived for over seven hundred years, at its peak boasting a population of over a hundred thousand. They revered Buddhist culture, which was reflected in their architectural style rich with Buddhist elements. The Guge region was abundant in gold and silver, using these precious metals to create ink for scriptures and murals, achieving an unparalleled level of luxury. Among their most renowned creations was the Ancient Guge Silver Eye, a unique artifact crafted from gold, silver, and copper, seamlessly fused without any visible seams, appearing as if it had formed naturally. Additionally, the murals of Guge were grand in scale and distinctive in style, vividly portraying the social landscape of that era with remarkable artistic skill, making them invaluable for research.
Unfortunately, such a magnificent empire met its demise in the seventeenth century during a battle with Ladakh, resulting in the sudden disappearance of over a hundred thousand people—a mystery that remains unsolved to this day.
Of course, this information was drawn from various sources and Lao Sun's accounts, so there might be some inaccuracies or omissions. However, it was sufficient background material to understand the significance of the Ancient Guge Silver Eye.
After hearing this, my junior brother shone his flashlight back and forth across the three eyes of the Buddha statue and remarked, “Ancient Guge Silver Eye... My own half-closed eyes seem to sparkle brighter than gems; it turns out they are shining silver!”
I shot him a sideways glance, knowing he was likely up to no good again. But with so many people around, he probably wouldn’t dare to act too recklessly.
Old Qiao stroked his chin thoughtfully for a moment before finally managing to say, “A miracle... truly a miracle…” After that, he became too excited to speak further.
I sighed at these two hopeless cases and turned to my senior sister for advice. Now that she knew all the details of what had transpired, I asked directly, “What do you think?”
My senior sister stared at the Ancient Guge Silver Eye for a moment before responding, “Such an enormous underground project could not have been completed by individual effort alone; there must have been a powerful consortium behind it providing continuous resources—manpower, finances, and materials. Therefore, I deduce that the designer of this underground Buddha Cave must have been someone of significant status and influence in society. That’s one point. Secondly, although this person may have visited Tibet in their lifetime, they clearly did not understand the Ancient Guge Silver Eye. Otherwise, they would not have used only Bronze, rather than a mix of gold, silver, and copper materials. Of course, it’s possible that limited economic conditions played a role; however, such situations are rare. Once they decided to construct it, they would aim for perfection to leave future generations an opportunity to praise their work. Thirdly, the murals on the staircase are filled with typical dark themes from medieval Medieval Europe. It’s difficult for someone who has not personally experienced or witnessed such things to depict them so vividly. In summary, I believe that from the Gemini Tree leading down to the spiral staircase towards the Black Cloud Abyss, all designs were created by the same individual—a missionary who fled from medieval Medieval Europe to seek refuge in China. He designed the Underground Thousand Buddha Caves in such a way as to give the Ancient Guge Silver Eye a savior's role—allowing those who committed sins before death to atone and cultivate here after death so that their souls could find redemption and achieve eternal life.”
“A missionary?” A Li interjected. “If he was a missionary, why would he choose a Chinese deity instead of his own people when selecting a savior? Would such redemption even be effective? Can Jesus hear them?”
My senior sister pondered for a moment before explaining: “I suspect it might be because after witnessing the Ancient Guge Silver Eye in Tibet and being awestruck by its image—and considering he came alone to China—he would need support from the Chinese royal family to undertake such an immense project. Therefore, choosing an image of a Chinese Buddha would certainly be more appealing than that of a foreigner nailed to a cross.”
I quickly analyzed, "The Middle Ages spanned several hundred years from the fall of the Western Roman Empire to the British Bourgeois Revolution, roughly from 476 AD to 1640 AD. The frequent wars caused by feudal fragmentation led to a near standstill in social productivity, with ecclesiastical authority almost replacing the chaotic and nominal imperial power. The people's lives were filled with suffering, which is why this period is referred to as the 'Dark Ages.' During this time, the Chinese dynasties included the Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, Yuan, and mid-Ming. Among these, the Tang Dynasty from 618 to 907 AD was at its peak in national strength and cultural development, with rapid advancements in foreign relations and frequent interactions with many countries. It is highly likely that the missionary arrived during the Tang Dynasty."
A Li, however, raised further questions, focusing on my sister's earlier comments as if he had completely ignored my analysis. "Since we are to follow local customs and use Chinese deities' images, why did this missionary choose a three-eyed, four-armed monster instead of well-known figures like the Jade Emperor, Queen Mother, Guanyin, or Tathagata Buddha? Wouldn't seeing this in a temple make one think they had entered the wrong place? Moreover, Taoism is an indigenous religion of China. The Ancient Guge Silver Eye inherits from Tubo; the two have no connection whatsoever. The true Ancient Guge Silver Eye would never feature Yin Yang Bagua. This shows that the missionary was presumptuous and added unnecessary elements. In ancient China, regardless of the ruling dynasty, local religions were always held in high regard while foreign ones were secondary. How could they tolerate an outsider promoting Christianity and allowing Christ to overshadow Buddhism while relegating native Taoism to the lowest position? Even a wayward and foolish emperor wouldn't go that far. Sister, don't you think you might be biased?"
After A Li finished speaking, everyone was stunned. Clearly, no one had considered these points or expected A Li to challenge my sister so boldly.
My sister was not one to be easily bested; having learned from her previous encounter with A Li, she would not fall for it again. Before anyone could react, she coldly smiled at A Li and said, "Go on." (To be continued.)
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