Chapter 30: Shakyamuni

On both sides of the Hakone Shrine sando, there were cedar trees that were over 800 years old. They were either thin and tall, or tall and thick, requiring two or three people to wrap their arms around them.

Among such towering ancient trees, even the stars could not be seen, and one seemed to have shrunk several times.

Walking along such a sando, all the way up the mountain, one would reach the main shrine.

In the silent Mount Hakone, only this place was brightly lit and bustling with people.

There were kimonos, Sengoku armor, monk robes, Tang-style robes, and even some wearing female high school uniforms. There were also some who had clearly just finished soaking in a hot spring, wearing loose yukatas.

In short, it didn’t look like a place a normal person should come to.

Minamoto Kiyomoto thought, perhaps the legendary “Night Parade of a Hundred Demons” was spread by a cultivator who had seen this scene.

He was wearing a kimono and a haori, with Polaris tucked into his waist. Kamibayashi Miko was still in her red and white miko outfit.

Only Himemiya Izayoi had changed into a yukata, wearing wooden clogs, her hair tied up, and holding a round fan with a carp printed on it.

“In my fantasy, the girlfriend who goes to the fireworks festival with me looks just like you do now, Izayoi,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said.

“Let’s go together this year,” Himemiya Izayoi tilted her head slightly and said with a smile, her innocent and alluring eyes looking at him.

“Okay,” Minamoto Kiyomoto nodded. “At that time, you can pretend to be my girlfriend and let me show off in front of my classmates.”

“I won’t do it.”

“Stingy.”

“If we’re going to do it, let’s do it for real.”

“Don’t push your luck. Letting you be my fake girlfriend is already because of your beautiful face.”

“Pah!”

The beautiful and otherworldly Kamibayashi Miko stood on the side, half-listening to the two of them flirting, the magnolia flowers on her sleeves fluttering in the night wind.

Just as Minamoto Kiyomoto was about to tease her, Himemiya Izayoi suddenly leaned over.

“You little pervert, the monks of Mount Koya are over there,” she covered her mouth with her fan, her body as if it were about to lean into Minamoto Kiyomoto’s arms.

Minamoto Kiyomoto followed her gaze and saw a group of monks in black, dark silk-patterned monk robes walking over from the other side of the sando.

The leader was a thin old man, who should be the Venerable Manjuan.

The Venerable Manjuan saw Himemiya Izayoi in Minamoto Kiyomoto’s arms, his eyes flashed, and he came forward.

“Namu Da-hossu Henjo Kongo, Manjuan has seen the Lady Miko.”

The monks behind him followed suit and bowed.

“‘Namu Da-hossu Henjo Kongo’ means ‘I take refuge in the Great Master Kukai’,” after saying this to Minamoto Kiyomoto, Himemiya Izayoi then said to the Venerable Manjuan, “You’re too kind.”

The Venerable Manjuan straightened up and bowed to Kamibayashi Miko again.

Kamibayashi Miko nodded, which was considered a return of the courtesy.

The two of them acted like big shots in front of the Venerable Manjuan, but when it came to Minamoto Kiyomoto, the Venerable Manjuan became the big shot, just nodding slightly and not even saying a word.

After the monks of Mount Koya left, Minamoto Kiyomoto asked the two of them:
“Why did he bow to Izayoi first? Isn’t the Divine Miko’s status higher?”

“That’s in the eyes of the people of Kanto. In Kansai, it’s my world, your big sister’s,” Himemiya Izayoi said proudly, like a young girl.

She was half-leaning against his chest. As long as he lowered his head, he could see her snow-white nape, her enchanting profile, and the curve of her chest. The tip of his nose was filled with a charming and faint fragrance.

In such a situation, who could control themselves?

Minamoto Kiyomoto was about to get an erection again.

“Big sister is still the most powerful,” he wrapped his arms around her slender waist, in order to make Himemiya Izayoi leave his embrace.

If she didn’t leave, he couldn’t be blamed. He could only use her as a “shield.”

Suddenly thinking of her perky buttocks, a warm current surged in Minamoto Kiyomoto’s heart again.

“You’re not as powerful as this little pervert. You actually dare to touch me. Do you know who I am?” Himemiya Izayoi moved her beautiful body away and pointed at him with the handle of her round fan.

Minamoto Kiyomoto gently pushed aside the round fan with his hand and was about to tease with a smile when he suddenly heard a melodious bell.

“It’s starting. Let’s go,” Kamibayashi Miko said.

◇

The pre-battle meeting was presided over by the priest of Hakone Shrine.

More than one Kosen-level was present. Kamibayashi Miko and Himemiya Izayoi still sat at the head, their status transcendent.

Minamoto Kiyomoto, who was convinced that he would be invincible within five years, was still a nobody. Relying on his connections, he sat behind Kamibayashi Miko.

Everyone present had a certain status, at least a cultivator like Amamiya Noa who had survived more than six times.

All the monks of Mount Koya were present, all of them “experts” who had survived more than six times.

“I didn’t expect that not only the Divine Miko would be here this time, but also three Lady Miko,” a warrior in Sengoku armor with a crescent moon mark on his helmet said boisterously before the priest could speak.

Just as Minamoto Kiyomoto was wondering who this person was, Kamibayashi Miko’s pleasant and clear voice gently reached his ear:

“The armor is the ‘Tosei Gusoku’ of the Thirty-Six Immortals of Poetry of the Middle Ages, Date Masamune. Inside is the current generation’s ‘Date Masamune’.”

“It smells so good,” Minamoto Kiyomoto made a sniffing motion.

Kamibayashi Miko’s icy gaze shot over, and Minamoto Kiyomoto immediately sat up straight.

At the meeting, the contemporary Date Masamune in the ‘Tosei Gusoku’ was already chatting with a miko.

“It is also my honor to meet Lord Date,” that miko was only considered pretty, but her voice was as soft as a spring afternoon, making one feel calm and have a good impression.

“One of the Twelve Miko, the Suitengu Miko of Tokyo. It is said that she is a slut,” Kamibayashi Miko introduced again in a low voice.

“A slut?” Minamoto Kiyomoto looked at the gentle-tempered Suitengu Miko and couldn’t help but sigh that one couldn’t judge a book by its cover.

The Suitengu Miko seemed to have heard and nodded at the two with a smile.

“How have you been lately, little sister Suiten?” The third miko was a seven or eight-year-old girl with an apple-cheeked face. She was very cute as she knelt there.

“I’m fine. How are you, big sister Ashi?”

“I was fine until a few days ago.”

Kamibayashi Miko then introduced the apple-cheeked miko, “The miko of Hakone Shrine, named Ashi. Because of a curse passed down through the generations, her appearance has always remained that of a child. This generation is already over eighty years old.”

“Eigh—” Minamoto Kiyomoto was so surprised that he was speechless. “Miko… what a magical profession.”

“Can we start now?” Himemiya Izayoi yawned lazily.

As soon as she spoke, the idle chat that had just begun immediately stopped.

This was the power of Ise Shrine, the number one shrine in the world.

The priest presiding over the meeting said:

“In the past few days, the gentlemen of the Onmyo Bureau’s astronomical path have already surveyed the surroundings and found that the gathering place of the divine breath is in Owakudani.”

“The materialization location of the yokai is Owakudani?” the armored Date Masamune asked.

“Fortunately, it’s not my Lake Ashi,” the apple-cheeked Ashi Miko said with a look of relief.

“Do we know the magnitude of this yokai?” the miko of Suitengu asked someone below.

“No,” the man in the white kariginu replied. “But according to our investigation, it may eventually reach the ‘town level’.”

The administrative divisions of Japan were divided into prefectures, cities, towns, and villages. Yokai also adopted this method—Hokkaido, Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka were exceptions.

‘Town level’ meant that it might be necessary to destroy a town to exterminate the yokai—if there were many people, it was not necessary; if there were few people, more than one town might be destroyed.

The entire Hakone was a town in the northwest of Sagami Bay. It might be completely destroyed in this battle, which also meant a large number of deaths.

Hakone was a tourist destination. After the government evacuated, the casualties of ordinary people were not bad, but the cultivators would definitely suffer heavy losses.

The atmosphere was low, and the main hall was very quiet. One could hear the sound of the wind blowing through the cedar trees outside.

“Everyone, don’t be nervous,” Date Masamune said loudly. “Originally, there were only two miko and me, but Kansai has sent the gentlemen of Mount Koya. Everyone should be clear about the power of the ‘swastika’ wheel of light, not to mention that we also have the Lady Divine Miko.”

As he said this, the department heads below, mainly the group leaders like Amamiya Noa, all let out a sigh of relief.

“Gentlemen,” the priest said, “the Ogosho has ordered that this yokai must be killed in Hakone and must not be allowed to escape into the sea. I hope everyone will work together to overcome this difficulty.”

“Yes!” the people below replied in unison.

“Then, that’s it for today? Everyone should cultivate if they need to, and drink if they need to?” Date Masamune looked around at the crowd, mainly asking for the opinions of the Kosen-level.

“Wait a moment,” Himemiya Izayoi said with a smile. “Venerable Manjuan.”

“Lady Himemiya,” the Venerable Manjuan nodded slightly.

Himemiya Izayoi’s gaze turned to Minamoto Kiyomoto, signaling him to go up.

Everyone looked over. The miko of Suitengu looked at Minamoto Kiyomoto with interest.

Minamoto Kiyomoto didn’t expect it to be in such an occasion. He thought it would be a private chat.

“Master Manjuan, I am Minamoto Kiyomoto. I have a request for you,” he said respectfully.

“Please speak,” the Venerable Manjuan’s tone was gentle.

“I started cultivating with the Lady Divine Miko a month ago and have not studied systematically. I have not tried any of the departments, so I would like to join your ‘swastika’ wheel of light. I wonder if that is possible?”

As soon as he said this, the monks of Mount Koya looked at each other.

The thin Venerable Manjuan was expressionless and fell into silence.

“No!” At this time, a tall monk from below said loudly.

“Why not?” Minamoto Kiyomoto looked over.

“No means no!”

“It’s all for the sake of exterminating yokai. Why not?”

“The ‘swastika’ wheel of light is a secret of Mount Koya that is not passed down. How can it be known to outsiders?” As he said this, the other monks nodded repeatedly.

Minamoto Kiyomoto glanced at the Venerable Manjuan. The other party was silent, letting his disciple debate with him, not knowing what he was thinking.

Whether he could join was one thing, but he himself could not give up so easily.

“I heard that the ‘swastika’ wheel of light was created by Master Kukai?” Minamoto Kiyomoto asked loudly.

“That’s right!” the tall monk replied. “Although it is a supreme curse, when multiple people cast it together, its power far exceeds that of an ordinary supreme curse. It is the supreme secret curse of our mountain.”

“Back then, when Master Kukai went to the Tang Dynasty and became a successor of Qinglong Temple, I wonder if Qinglong Temple cared about any supreme secret curses.”

As soon as Minamoto Kiyomoto said this, everyone present showed a look of watching a good show, while the monks of Mount Koya’s faces were very ugly.

The tall monk’s face was red, and he couldn’t find any words to refute.

A thin monk said:
“Namu Da-hossu Henjo Kongo, for the sake of the world, our mountain has sacrificed countless times. Of course, it is not a problem to offer the ‘swastika’ wheel of light. But can you guarantee that everyone will not join Shintoism? Once Shintoism obtains the ‘swastika’ wheel of light, or other supreme curses offered by other sects, do you know how many people will have to be sacrificed?”

“That makes sense, but what does that have to do with you allowing me alone to join the ‘swastika’ wheel of light?” Minamoto Kiyomoto asked with confusion.

“Can you guarantee that you will not join Shintoism in the future?” another monk said.

“Can you?”

“Of course!” the monk said with his head held high. “Those who practice the ‘swastika’ wheel of light must first practice asceticism in the Okunoin. They wake up at three in the morning, chant mantras and buddhas, sit in icy water before noon, and carry water and stones in the afternoon. They do this for ten years. May I ask, Your Excellency Minamoto, what hardships have you endured? For how many years?”

“I have not endured any hardships, but,” Minamoto Kiyomoto pointed at Kamibayashi Miko, “the Divine Miko reminds me every day that if I dare to join Shintoism, she will kill me immediately.”

The monk’s tone faltered, and for a moment, he couldn’t think of what to say.

Another monk jumped out, “Namu Da-hossu Henjo Kongo, Your Excellency Minamoto is alone, and there is also the Lady Divine Miko’s guarantee that you will not join Shintoism. It’s nothing to pass on the ‘swastika’ wheel of light to you. It’s just that the Buddhist teachings are vast, and the yokai is right in front of us. Even if we pass it on to you, there is not enough time.”

“You can pass it on to me and try. Only then will you know if there is enough time,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said.

The monk smiled and shook his head, with the air of a monk.

“Master, what do you mean by this?”

“Namu Da-hossu Henjo Kongo, in the past 1200 years, there have only been one or two who could master the ‘swastika’ wheel of light in a few days.”

“Whether I can become one of those one or two, you have to pass it on to me first, right?”

The monk said with a confident smile, “The ‘swastika’ wheel of light is not just the ‘swastika’ wheel of light. It requires profound Buddhist teachings to support it. Your Excellency Minamoto, may I ask how many sutras you have read?”

“Not a single one,” Minamoto Kiyomoto replied honestly.

Although the monks were not proud, they all smiled.

Himemiya Izayoi looked at Minamoto Kiyomoto with a smile, wondering what he planned to do next.

“I have heard a Buddhist saying,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said calmly. “‘One flower, one world; one leaf, one Tathagata.’ I have lived for twenty years and have seen countless leaves. It can be said that I have read ‘sutras’ for twenty years.”

“Your Excellency Minamoto, if words alone were useful, there would be no yokai in this world,” the monk said with a smile.

The others burst out laughing.

“Words alone are indeed useless,” Minamoto Kiyomoto laughed loudly. “But words are not for people to argue, but for people to support each other. If you don’t even understand this, what’s the point of cultivating Buddhism?”

“How many sutras have you read that you are qualified to talk to us about Buddhism?”

“I see you are clearly coveting our mountain’s ‘swastika’ wheel of light!”

“One law is connected to all laws!” Minamoto Kiyomoto laughed. “For example, to melt a woman, you must be patient and slow. The most basic thing is to be gentle, like melting candy on the tip of your tongue. Learning Buddhism is the same. If you find the right method, becoming a Buddha is just a matter of a few moves.”

“Insolent!”

“Bold!”

“Namu Da-hossu Henjo Kongo, Your Excellency Minamoto, for the sake of the Divine Miko, please retract your words!”

“How about this,” Minamoto Kiyomoto stood up and said proudly. “I have only cultivated for a month and have obtained a Vajra-Glass Curse, which I use when chopping wood. One of you can come and try to see if I can learn the ‘swastika’ wheel of light in a short time, if I can achieve one law being connected to all laws, and if I understand Buddhism better than you!”

“You madman!”

“I’ll take you on!”

The monks were furious and wanted to rush up and beat Minamoto Kiyomoto up.

The others were also in an uproar. There were many madmen in the world, but they had never heard of anyone who had cultivated for a month and provoked Mount Koya.

Himemiya Izayoi laughed so hard that she bent over. The other miko and Date Masamune also watched from the sidelines. Some were watching the show, some were giving the Divine Miko face, and some were coveting the ‘swastika’ wheel of light.

The Venerable Manjuan was still silent.

“Always looking for trouble and fighting,” Kamibayashi Miko’s clear and cold voice suppressed everyone present.

“But if we’re going to fight,” she continued, “we must be fair. Minamoto Kiyomoto provoked first, but he has only cultivated for a month, so the person who goes up can only use two layers of divine power. There are no restrictions on curses.”

“I’ll go!” a monk with a red divine power stood up and strode to the center of the hall.

Minamoto Kiyomoto did not give in an inch. A black divine power suddenly swelled, and his haori swayed with the wind.

The miko of Tianshui Palace looked at Minamoto Kiyomoto with interest, and the other female cultivators also had worried expressions.

The men, on the other hand, were overjoyed. It wasn’t all directed at Minamoto Kiyomoto. They just wanted to watch a good show and wished they could drink some sake.

“Eshin, step down,” the Venerable Manjuan said in a gentle voice.

“Venerable!”

“Step down.”

“…Yes,” the monk named Eshin retracted his divine power and returned to his seat.

The Venerable Manjuan looked at Minamoto Kiyomoto and said, “Shaku Soen has a poem, ‘People have red, yellow, black, and white; the Way has no north, south, east, or west. If you don’t believe, look at the moon in the sky; its clear light penetrates the great void.’ Your Excellency Minamoto, if you can learn the ‘swastika’ wheel of light in a short time, I will agree to let you join.”

Everyone was shocked.

This was not just about joining the ‘swastika’ wheel of light, but the ‘swastika’ wheel of light itself.

Minamoto Kiyomoto was also surprised. He had already given up.

“Thank you, Venerable,” he said respectfully.

“But Your Excellency Minamoto must promise me not to pass on the ‘swastika’ wheel of light to outsiders.”

“Of course!”

“I can guarantee it for him,” Kamibayashi Miko said.

The Venerable Manjuan bowed slightly to her and then said to Minamoto Kiyomoto, “I have two questions for you, Your Excellency. You can answer if you are willing, and you don’t have to force yourself if you are not.”

“Please speak, Venerable.”

“You said that if you find the right method, you can become a Buddha. First question: how to eliminate distracting thoughts and maintain inner peace?”

Minamoto Kiyomoto thought of his nights at Hakusan Shrine.

“Let them come, let them go,” he said. “Just like clearing a vegetable garden, pulling out the weeds and burying them in the soil around the plants can become nutrients for the plants. Distracting thoughts are the same. They do not hinder cultivation, but nourish it.”

This sentence did not have any Buddhist words, but it was full of Buddhist principles. Everyone remembered Minamoto Kiyomoto’s “one law is connected to all laws” and nodded.

The Venerable Manjuan nodded and asked again, “Second question: how to become a Buddha?”

Minamoto Kiyomoto was stunned, and everyone was also stunned.

It was not difficult, but simple.

Becoming a Buddha was like succeeding. There were too many methods. Everyone knew a few, such as studying hard, having perseverance, and so on.

The difficulty was not “how,” but persistence, talent, and enough luck.

Minamoto Kiyomoto thought for a moment and gave his own answer:

“By meeting a Buddha and killing a Buddha, one can become a Buddha.”

As soon as he said this, everyone’s face suddenly changed, and the monks of Mount Koya even cursed.

“Insolent!”

“Shut up!”

Someone put their hands together, their lips moving quickly, muttering.

Minamoto Kiyomoto was not impressed and said with a smile, “Whether it’s distracting thoughts or the Buddha, they are all nutrients. By meeting a Buddha and killing a Buddha, one can return to one’s own Buddha-nature.”

“Hum!”

A golden light dazzled in the main hall. The monks of Mount Koya were all burning with golden light.

“Golden divine power?” someone shouted in disbelief.

“No! It’s Buddha’s light!”

“Miss Kamibayashi!”

Kamibayashi Miko stood up and pulled Minamoto Kiyomoto behind her.

The Buddha’s light rose and slowly condensed into a vast Shakyamuni in the main hall.

“Venerable Manjuan, what are you doing?” Himemiya Izayoi reprimanded.

The Venerable Manjuan closed his eyes peacefully and could no longer hear the outside world.

Himemiya Izayoi’s face darkened. She could see that he was not in control.

“The Buddha is angry!” a cultivator who worshipped the Buddha knelt on the ground in terror.

Minamoto Kiyomoto looked at the Shakyamuni condensed from golden light before him, shocked beyond words. Was Shakyamuni still alive?

“Hum!” Shakyamuni shone brightly, then suddenly collapsed. Streams of golden Sanskrit characters rushed towards Minamoto Kiyomoto.

Kamibayashi Miko’s whole body erupted with golden light, and the Divine Miko’s Raiment rolled towards the Sanskrit characters.

The Divine Miko’s Raiment, which was said to be able to wrap anything and was extremely tough, actually failed to block the Sanskrit characters.

Kamibayashi Miko’s face changed. She grabbed Minamoto Kiyomoto and was about to fly up with the wind.

The golden Sanskrit characters seemed to have sensed her intention, and they suddenly accelerated, rushing into Minamoto Kiyomoto’s body in a blink of an eye.

“Maha-vairocana!” In the darkness, everyone heard a Buddhist chant.

“This is?!”

“The Mahavairocana Sutra! The Mahavairocana Sutra! The World-Honored One is transmitting the Dharma!” Losing the golden light, the Venerable Manjuan’s divine power was drained. He sat on the ground weakly, his face full of shock as he looked at Minamoto Kiyomoto.

Back then, when Kukai returned to Japan, before he left, Master Huiguo of Qinglong Temple had passed on two great sutras to him, namely the “Mahavairocana Sutra” and the “Vajrasekhara Sutra.”

With Kukai’s capacity, he could only cultivate the “Vajrasekhara Sutra.” The “Mahavairocana Sutra” was very magical. Anyone who had read the sutra would have it recorded on their body.

For 1,200 years, there had been the sutra, but no one had ever truly obtained the legendary fundamental Buddhist law—the “Mahavairocana Sutra.”

He didn’t expect it to appear on a person who had not read a single sutra and claimed that “by meeting a Buddha and killing a Buddha, one can become a Buddha.”

Everyone thought that Shakyamuni appreciated Minamoto Kiyomoto. Only Minamoto Kiyomoto himself felt Shakyamuni’s capacity of “in heaven and on earth, I alone am the honored one.”

Even after becoming a Buddha for a thousand years, the capacity remaining in his descendants still had to compete.

Shakyamuni’s true intention—

“You come and kill me.”

(End of Chapter)