The two masked men collapsed limply. Edward Carter stood there and said, “Henry Sullivan, take off their clothes and put them on, then wear their masks.”

Henry Sullivan saw how Edward Carter killed as easily as slaughtering a chicken, and couldn’t help but feel secretly relieved, thinking to himself how fortunate he was not to be Edward Carter’s enemy.

The two of them changed into the clothes of the fallen men and put on their masks. Edward Carter searched the bodies, took out two tokens, tossed one to Henry Sullivan, and said in a low voice, “I’ll do the talking later, you must not speak.”

Henry Sullivan took the token and hung it at his waist, asking, “How is it that you, Lord Carter, are so familiar with this place?” At first, he had thought that the followers of the Maitreya Sect were just commoners and refugees, but seeing how organized they were, he realized they were far from ordinary people, and couldn’t help but feel alarmed.

Edward Carter sneered, “Naturally, someone has helped us gather all the information.” He said no more, and continued walking slowly along the mountain path. After several miles, someone behind a tree ahead called out in a low voice, “Why are you two here instead of guarding the front?”

Edward Carter replied in a hoarse voice, “Someone reported seeing the capital’s constable Charles Reed with a group of men in the northern hills. I fear they may be a threat to the Buddha, so I’ve come to report.”

A man stepped out from behind the tree, also wearing a fierce ghost mask, and exclaimed, “Charles Reed is here? Why would he come here?”

Henry Sullivan was very curious, not knowing who Charles Reed was, but clearly even the Maitreya followers far away in Fenzhou were wary of him. Edward Carter said, “I’m not sure either, but I fear they intend to disrupt the Buddha’s moon-offering ceremony. Take me to report to the Heavenly King at once, so the Buddha can be on guard.”

The man was not suspicious, and looked up at the tree, saying, “You keep watch here, I’ll take them to report to the Buddha.”

Henry Sullivan found it amusing, thinking that these people deliberately tried to appear ghostly and sinister, but had a major weakness: they only recognized each other by masks and tokens, which gave Edward Carter an opportunity to slip in. Edward Carter had seized on this flaw and infiltrated easily—truly, skill breeds courage.

With the masked man leading the way, Edward Carter and Henry Sullivan passed through two more hidden checkpoints and entered Feilong’ao. Feilong’ao was a valley encircled by the mountains of Baibiling, quite spacious. Looking up from the valley, one could see the mountains stretching endlessly, like a blue dragon soaring to the sky—hence the name.

At this moment, the moonlight was cold and clear, and a gentle breeze brushed by. As Henry Sullivan approached Feilong’ao, he couldn’t help but gasp. He had thought this place was extremely remote and that only the leaders of the Maitreya Sect would be here, but to his surprise, the valley was densely packed with kneeling commoners—nearly a thousand people. Everyone was silent and devout. At the front, on a high platform, there was a lotus pedestal, upon which sat a golden Buddha, smiling eternally.

Bonfires blazed all around the valley, and the great fire before the Maitreya Buddha sent smoke billowing straight into the sky. Beside the golden Buddha sat four figures, each wearing a mask like a deity. One wore red robes and a dragon helmet, his whole body seeming to burn like fire, a python coiled around him, and he held an iron mace. Another wore blue robes, with red hair and angry eyes, his mask fierce and imposing, a long sword slung across his back, fully four feet long. The third wore white robes, with purple hair and kindly brows, his mask showing compassion; before him, a large broadsword was stuck into a wooden board, its thick spine and sharp edge quite striking. The last leaned a long-handled iron umbrella on his shoulder, its tip sharp and forged of fine steel. He wore green robes, and his mask bore a faint smile.

Seeing the weapons of these four, Henry Sullivan suddenly recalled what Edward Carter had said the previous night about the Four Heavenly Kings. These four, with their snake, sword, blade, and umbrella, were surely the four great guardians of the Maitreya Buddha—the Four Heavenly Kings: Virūḍhaka, Virūpākṣa, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, and Vaiśravaṇa!

But with the Four Heavenly Kings all present, where was the Maitreya Buddha whom Edward Carter intended to assassinate?

Volume One: Song of the Rainbow Dress

Chapter Three: Bitter Struggle

The bright moon peered down, the cold wind was chilling. A mountain breeze swept by, tree shadows swayed, like ghosts and monsters baring their fangs and claws. Though Henry Sullivan was brave, being here with Edward Carter felt like a lone boat in a vast ocean, and he couldn’t help but feel uneasy, glancing at Edward Carter.

Henry Sullivan looked at Edward Carter, but Edward Carter only stared at the golden Buddha between the Four Heavenly Kings! Henry Sullivan’s heart stirred—could that golden Buddha be the Maitreya Buddha? But the golden Buddha was several times larger than a human, unmoving for a long time, looking like a puppet—how could it be the Maitreya Buddha?

The masked man whispered, “The Buddha is blessing all beings right now; we must not disturb him. Wait a while before going over.” Edward Carter nodded, staring at the golden Buddha, thinking: according to Charles Reed’s information, the Maitreya Buddha is actually hiding inside the golden Buddha, feigning mystery to beguile the people. Though he had infiltrated, to get past nearly a thousand commoners, break through the Four Heavenly Kings, and then kill the Maitreya Buddha inside the golden Buddha would be no easy task. But… was Charles Reed’s information truly reliable? Edward Carter seemed rough, but was actually very meticulous. He was not afraid of being unable to escape, only that if he failed in one strike, the consequences would be dire.

Just then, Edward Carter suddenly sensed something was wrong, but couldn’t tell what it was. He saw the kneeling commoners all looking up at the sky, their emotions stirred.

Edward Carter looked up and saw thick, rolling clouds rapidly gathering in the southeastern sky. The clouds came so quickly that in no time, they had covered half the bright moon. After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the dark clouds had completely obscured the moon, filling the sky.