"The Goddess Lakshmi has descended?" exclaimed Meiduo and Qiangbagela in unison, a sound of pure surprise.

Dorje Tenzin chuckled. "Indeed, this is cause for great celebration!"

Meiduo looked bewildered. "But, Dorje Tenzin, aren't you the Dharmapala of the Katok Monastery? Why are you out here helping the Panchen Rinpoche find the Goddess Lakshmi?"

Dorje Tenzin offered a slight smile, saying nothing. A nearby monk chuckled and explained, "Dorje Tenzin has been transferred to the Vajra Sacred Mountain and is now counted among the Eighteen Guardian Divine Monks!"

Meiduo and Qiangbagela erupted in joy. "This is magnificent news! For Katok Monastery to have a Guardian Divine Monk of the Sacred Mountain—this is truly an extraordinary achievement!"

Dorje Tenzin's face remained placid, betraying neither joy nor sorrow. He bowed slightly and said with a smile, "This is all due to the Rinpoche's favor; I merely found myself in the right place at the right time."

Meiduo grinned. "Tell us, how exactly did you find yourself in the right place?"

Dorje Tenzin sighed softly. "It all comes back to that Han person, Li Yundong. He returned the Katok Monastery's Great Seal Tantric Scripture. When I took the scripture back to the monastery, the Abbot was overjoyed and recommended I seek an audience with the Living Buddha. When the Rinpoche saw me, he recognized my affinity and innate wisdom, keeping me by his side as a Guardian Divine Monk."

Meiduo laughed. "What a coincidence! Dorje Tenzin, look here, do you recognize this person?" As she spoke, Meiduo gestured toward Zhou Qin standing beside her.

Dorje Tenzin had been observing Zhou Qin all along. In his eyes, Zhou Qin’s aura was impossibly powerful and vibrant. Her attire was distinctly Han, and the only other Han figure he had encountered with such profound energy was Li Yundong.

Dorje Tenzin brought his palms together. "I confess I do not. Meiduo, would you please introduce her?"

Meiduo smiled sweetly. "This is Li Yundong's disciple; her name is Zhou Qin."

Dorje Tenzin’s eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but smile broadly. "Ah, so she is Master Li’s disciple! Truly, great masters produce outstanding pupils. The master is a distinguished figure of the Central Plains, and the disciple is equally elegant and exceptional. I am deeply impressed!"

Zhou Qin had also heard much about Dorje Tenzin from Li Yundong. She returned his greeting with a traditional Daoist bow and smiled. "Master Dorje Tenzin, you flatter me. While my master's cultivation is indeed profound, I believe he himself would feel undeserving of the title 'Grandmaster.'"

Dorje Tenzin laughed. "Perhaps not a Grandmaster yet, but he surely will be in the future. Moreover, you call me Master; I feel equally unworthy of that title."

Zhou Qin pursed her lips into a knowing smile. "If you are not a Master now, you certainly will be in time."

With that, the group burst into laughter.

Seeing Zhou Qin and Dorje Tenzin getting along so well, Meiduo said cheerfully, "I recall a line from a Han book that goes, 'Where in life does one not meet again?' I feel that sentiment applies perfectly now. My Han sister, please don't leave tonight; join us for drinking and singing!"

Tibetans are renowned for their hospitality; upon meeting guests they favor, they insist on keeping them for an evening of song, dance, meat, and strong drink.

Zhou Qin smiled and shook her head, politely declining Meiduo's invitation. "I still need to travel on to Mount Karyl for my cultivation. I hope to share your tsampa beer another time."

Meiduo looked crestfallen. "What? You can't even stay tonight? Han sister, look around—it’s almost evening! Do you know how cold it gets here at night? Please, don't go tonight. Spend the night in my tent. I have so, so many things I want to tell you."

As she spoke, Meiduo instinctively reached out and gently took Zhou Qin's hand, shaking it slightly while pleading in a low voice.

Although Zhou Qin possessed a resolute and strong character, seeing Meiduo's earnest pleading and pitiful expression—a sight that truly moved the heart—she found it impossible to refuse. Her heart softened, and just as she was about to sigh inwardly, she suddenly heard the distant chime of a prayer wheel turning, followed by a resonant voice commanding, "Dorje Tenzin, bring Meiduo to me."

Dorje Tenzin turned to see a Lama wearing a yellow hat sitting atop a Bactrian camel nodding at him.

Dorje Tenzin smiled at Meiduo. "Meiduo, Master Erdeni wishes to see you."

Meiduo gasped slightly. "Oh, is that Master Erdeni from the Potala Palace?"

"Precisely!" Dorje Tenzin confirmed.

Meiduo immediately looked startled and began to nervously adjust her clothes. "Why would the Master want to see me?"

Qiangbagela looked at Meiduo with immense envy. "Meiduo, you are so fortunate to be summoned by Master Erdeni! In all my life, I have only caught two glimpses of him from afar during pilgrimages!"

Meiduo grew even more anxious, smoothing her garments several times, yet still looking uncertainly at Zhou Qin. "Han sister, do I look presentable?"

Though Zhou Qin didn't grasp the extent of Master Erdeni's standing among the Tibetans, she knew he must be an extraordinary figure. She smiled and offered comfort. "Meiduo, piety lies not in your clothing, but in your heart!"

Erdeni, from a distance, clearly heard Zhou Qin’s words. He glanced at her with considerable appreciation and smiled gently. "Well said. Meiduo, come closer. I am not a vulture; I do not eat people."

The monks accompanying him chuckled, and Meiduo felt a surge of courage. She boldly walked up to Erdeni and curiously studied the great Master from the Potala Palace, her eyes wide.

Erdeni observed Meiduo closely, nodding silently to himself before smiling benevolently. "Meiduo, when were you born?"

Meiduo was slightly confused but still stated her name.

Erdeni quickly pinched his fingers, calculating silently for a moment. Then he smiled warmly at Meiduo again. "Meiduo, come a little closer."

Meiduo stepped forward curiously. She saw Erdeni hand her the prayer wheel he held, saying kindly, "Meiduo, hold this. See if you can turn it."

Meiduo laughed. "What's so hard about that? Doesn't everyone spin one?"

Dorje Tenzin couldn't help but interject with a smile, "Meiduo, you don't know. Do you know what you are holding?"

Meiduo blinked. "Isn't it just a hand-held Mani wheel? What's so special about it?"

Tibetans call the handheld prayer wheel a Mani wheel. Nearly every devout Tibetan Buddhist practitioner carries one, believing that spinning the wheel accrues merit.

Turning it once is equivalent to reciting the entire Tripitaka. Turning it twice equals reciting all the sutras. Turning it three times eliminates the karmic hindrances accrued through body, speech, and mind. Turning it ten times clears obstacles as massive as Mount Sumeru. Turning it a hundred times bestows merit equal to that of the King of Hell, Yama.

Turning it a thousand times allows both oneself and others to attain the Dharmakaya (Truth Body). Turning it ten thousand times can liberate all sentient beings. Turning it a hundred thousand times allows one to reach the assembly of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva. Turning it a million times brings peace to all beings trapped in the cycle of the Six Realms. Turning it ten million times dispels the suffering of all beings in the cycle of reincarnation. Turning it hundreds of millions of times bestows merit equivalent to that of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva.

Meiduo's words, though innocent, held a grain of truth, and the surrounding monks and Lamas laughed. Dorje Tenzin chuckled and explained, "Meiduo, what you hold is Master Erdeni's personal Mani wheel. Only those possessing great merit and profound spiritual power can turn it. If an ordinary person holds it, no matter how they spin it, it will not move."

Meiduo started, quickly examining the prayer wheel in her hands. She saw that it was crafted entirely of pure gold. The cylinder was inscribed with the six-syllable mantra of Tibetan Buddhism, and the center was equally covered in engraved sacred texts. Surrounding the mantras were exquisitely carved patterns of birds and beasts, painted with vibrant lacquer and inlaid with coral and gems—it was clearly no common object.

Meiduo felt the prayer wheel was surprisingly heavy. She looked up at Erdeni, her eyes wide with apprehension. "Master Erdeni, I fear I cannot manage it. Perhaps… perhaps I shouldn't even try, lest I make a spectacle of myself."

Erdeni laughed heartily and waved his hand. "No matter, spin it."

Seeing Erdeni smiling kindly at her, Meiduo’s courage gradually grew. She thought: Spin it, then!

She gently shook the prayer wheel. To her astonishment, the small golden chain bells on the wheel began to move slowly. In a short moment, the wheel was spinning with a distinct "ling-ling" sound, emitting a clear tone.

Meiduo giggled delightedly. "Haha, I turned it! I turned it! I must have great merit and spiritual power too!"

Dorje Tenzin and the other monks nearby were utterly stunned, their faces draining of color. They stared at Meiduo, speechless, thinking with profound shock: Impossible! When I tried to turn Master Erdeni's Mani wheel, I used all the strength in my arms, and it wouldn't budge!

Dorje Tenzin stammered, looking at Erdeni, "Master, what… what is happening?"

Erdeni's expression turned grave. He leaped down from the camel's back and, with extreme reverence, prostrated himself onto the snowy ground, bowing deeply toward Meiduo. He cried out loudly, "I have finally found you, Bandarama!"

As he performed the prostration and cry, Zhou Qin, watching from a distance, froze in disbelief. But for the other Tibetans present, it was the equivalent of a nuclear explosion!

All the Tibetans were stunned into silence, gaping at Meiduo, who stood equally stunned. Some of them stuttered, "No… no way. Meiduo is Bandarama?"

Qiangbagela's eyeballs nearly popped out. He stammered, "Impossible! Master Erdeni must be mistaken! How… how could Meiduo possibly be Bandarama?!"

His cry echoed, and the Tibetans friendly with Meiduo quickly chimed in, "Yes, how could Meiduo be Bandarama?"

Dorje Tenzin also looked shocked and murmured quietly to Erdeni, "Master, could there be a mistake?"

Erdeni paid them no mind. After completing his three full prostrations, he rose, brushing the snow from his robes. He respectfully extended his hand toward Meiduo and said, "Bandarama, please give the Mani wheel to me."

Meiduo seemed to have lost the capacity to think. She numbly handed the spinning wheel to Erdeni.

Erdeni received it reverently in both hands. He then turned and glanced at Dorje Tenzin. "You try turning it."

Dorje Tenzin immediately stepped back. "Master, I do not possess great merit or spiritual power, so naturally, I cannot turn it."

Erdeni nodded, then walked over to Qiangbagela. "You try turning it."

Qiangbagela swallowed hard. He glanced at Meiduo, then gritted his teeth and picked up the prayer wheel. But no matter how vigorously he spun it, the wheel remained as inert as a piece of raw iron; it simply would not turn.

After struggling for a good while, Qiangbagela dejectedly returned the wheel to Erdeni. "Master, I cannot turn it."

Erdeni then turned to the other Tibetans. "Who among you wishes to try?"

The Tibetans exchanged glances. Two young men stepped forward, tried their best, and retreated with equally red faces.

At this point, the Tibetans finally believed that Erdeni’s prayer wheel truly required someone of immense merit and spiritual power to turn.

Facts speak louder than arguments. The scene before them was undeniable; the Tibetans looked at Meiduo with complicated expressions, then one by one, they prostrated themselves, shouting loudly, "Bandarama!"

Zhou Qin, watching from the side, heard the unintelligible chatter in the Tibetan language. She pulled the still-dazed Qiangbagela and whispered, "Uncle Qiangba, what is happening? Why are you calling Meiduo Bandarama?"

Qiangbagela gave her a strange look. "Han little sister, do you know what Bandarama means?"

Zhou Qin shook her head. "If I knew, I wouldn't be asking."

Qiangbagela gave a wry smile. "Bandarama means… the Goddess Lakshmi!"

Zhou Qin was astonished, her mouth agape. "You mean… Meiduo is the Goddess Lakshmi?!"