You easily purify the tree statue. The ghost of Zhi Hui manifests again, sighing in relief. "Thank you. You are making good strides towards cleansing this place. Two more statues remain to be purified. I have enough strength to answer two more of your questions now."
"What can you tell us of this fiend, Kugaptee, who appears to be behind trapping us in this cursed cycle?"
"Kugaptee is a nindoru fiend whose existence stands in opposition to the philosophy of Sangpotshi. Nearly a thousand years ago, he was defeated by Tan Sui-Jing. She perished in the fight as well, but her soul reincarnated as a towering sugi tree that grew over Kugaptee’s remains, serving as a seal that would keep his soul trapped. The central sugi tree in this monastery is that very tree. But it has sickened, for Kugaptee strives for rebirth.
"His influence is the source of the monstrosities you’ve been facing. This monastery was once a sacred place, with monks who cared for the land, the animals, and the spirits. At the same time, and even before the monastery, it has been a site that kept Kugaptee’s immense evil sealed away beneath the surface. I had hoped that this monastery would stand guard over Kugaptee’s grave for many generations to come, but I failed to see how my own death would affect my followers.
"No one was ready to take my place. Worse, one of my students, Xin Yue, became corrupted by Kugaptee, and even now toils below in his grave to see the fiend’s soul reborn. Now, the fiends who have gathered here have been desecrating the statues scattered throughout the monastery to amplify Kugaptee’s influence."
Xiung-Lau listens intently, then glances around, not wanting to hog all the questions.
Li Jie Qiang takes in the information with aplomb. The Nagaji seems to have expected such deviation from the lands normalcy.
Ssso thisss isss the place to ssstop him? I am prepared to put an end to thisss corruption.
So long as we can find the other statues, these need not be the last questions we ask. Kwan Tai thinks to himself. However, the idea of somehow indicating a question in the Tien language, which still comes to him with thought rather than instinct impels him to still his tongue until all questions are answered.
Xiung-Lau nods to Li Jie's question. "Yes, is this where we can confront him and stop Kugaptee's villainy then?"