Meiji Shrine, Yoyogi Park, Shibuya, Tokyo.
The Meiji Shrine was the largest shrine in Tokyo. Although it was located in the heart of Shibuya, it was surrounded by a massive forest area.
The road to the Meiji Shrine was wide, flanked by rows of towering trees. From time to time, one could hear the chirping of wild fowls as they flew across the trees and witnessed intricate architectures that blended both modern and ancient styles together. There was also an endless flow of visitors, making the spacious opening appear less empty.
How many worshippers were there in the Meiji Shrine? According to the report, the total number of worshippers that made a visit to the Meiji Shrine during the New Year celebration reached a whopping number of 300 million. It was ranked first place in Tokyo, and second throughout Japan.
Comparatively, the report of the temple beside the Meiji Shrine was unpresentable.
Miyashita Yousuke was a Seikai level Shinto priest in the Meiji Shrine. The rank of a Shinto priest did not completely reflect his or her overall strength. It was just a grading system established by Jinja Honcho to classify the bulk of Shinto priests in Japan.
For them, their power was directly connected to the kami-sama they served. To put it simply, the stronger the kami-sama was, the more powerful the Shinto priest would be. Therefore, although Miyashita Yousuke was only at Seikai level, as clergy from the Meiji Shrine, he was way stronger than most of his peers from some shrines on a smaller scale. This was one of the reasons Baishi Shū could not fathom the level of strength and rank division in Japan.
Likewise, it was also the reason the old abbot could not give any answers to Baishi Shu’s question.
After all, for monks, age was equal to strength. The more scriptures one chanted, the stronger he or she would become. This was why old monks often were stronger and had more spiritual power than those fledgling monks. They would leave behind relics when they passed away, and their bodies could be preserved for a long time.
However, it was not quite the same case for the Shinto priests. They had a lot more factors that would affect their strength, and it was difficult to name them one by one.
No one actually considered the effort to analyze and organize the amount of spiritual power and the number of levels one needed to pass to reach Buddhahood as a normal person. After all, Japan was not a cultivation novel from Qidian.
At this moment, Miyashita Yousuke moved through the crowd of visitors and went into the shrine. His mind kept on pondering about what happened just now.
After receiving the task from the shrine, he then departed to the police department. Little did he expect that by the time he arrived at the scene, the case would have been solved. According to the police on duty, the yokai had been exorcised by a monk named Baishi Shū.
‘He carried out an exorcism during the day time? And it was a Hare-no-yurei somemore? But how is that possible?’
Even the strength of the weakest Hare-no-yurei was equal to that of a Seikai level priest and his master had to deal with it carefully.
‘The monk got rid of the Hare-no-yurei in less than 10 minutes? Are you kidding me?’
Unfortunately, that was the truth no matter how reluctant he was to believe it. There had been a rumor going around about a monk named Baishi Shū who went about Tokyo helping people and exorcising evil spirits.
That Baishi Shū was from the temple next to the Meiji Shrine. According to his senior, he was an orphan the old abbot had found at the roadside.
Yes, the Meiji Shrine knew about Reimei Temple, and they knew about its condition all along. The younger generation of Shinto priests and mikos did not have that good an impression of it.
Imagine this: you’re a rich man and your poor relative comes to seek your help. You accept them with good graces and give them all the assistance they need. In return, not only do they not show any appreciation, but they even build a house in your backyard. Anyone would not be happy about it, would they? However, the senior priests and priestesses in the Meiji Shrine remained neutral about Reimei Temple’s existence. They even ordered their juniors not to look for trouble with Reimei Temple. Although Miyashita Yousuke and his peers did not quite understand the reason, they had no choice but to accept the order.
Then, when he found that the poor relative who lived in his backyard turned out to be a millionaire, and he was merely a Seikai level priest after having served kami-sama for such a long time, his heart crumbled into a thousand pieces.
…
At the same time, Baishi Shū had just returned to the temple.
Since he just took less than an hour to settle the yokai, by the time he reached the temple, the Takai family was still there.
The moment she saw him, Marie Takai’s eyes shone. She went up to him and chirped, “Baishi-san! You’ve returned! Do you still remember the jade Buddha amulet that you promised to give me?”
“Of course. Please hold on for a moment. I’ll take it out now,” Baishi Shū replied. He had promised that if she sincerely wanted a jade Buddha amulet, she could come to Reimei Temple on the weekend and get it from him. He was going to uphold that promise.
The price of the jade Buddha amulet was 200,000 yen. It went without saying that it was an offering that she gave to support Reimei Temple.
After all, it was stated in the Buddhist scriptures that selling anything related to Buddha was prohibited. Something like this could not be measured with money.
When Marie Takai saw him take a new amulet out from his room, she was stunned. She quickly said, “Baishi-san, I don’t want this jade Buddha amulet. I want the one you are wearing!”
“Huh?” Baishi Shū looked at her with a quizzical face. “Both of them are the same. They have been consecrated personally by me, so don’t worry.”
“No! They are not the same! Baishi-san, you are a monk with great spiritual power. I’m sure that the jade Buddha amulet that you put on daily is different from other amulets that you keep in your room. Its effect must be much greater after absorbing your spiritual power every day!” Marie Takai said matter-of-factly.
“I can give you another 50,000 yen as an offering!”
Although Marie Takai had only 200,000 yen in savings, if she told her father that she wanted a jade Buddha amulet, she was confident that he would be more than willing to make up the difference, especially if it were to help her in her studies. Besides, there was also a probability that her father would help her to pay the whole amount.
“Well, then…”
Sincerity could not be measured with money, and Baishi Shū was truly moved by Marie Takai.
Buddha used his flesh to feed the eagle, so why could he not do the same as well? What’s more, all Marie Takai wanted was just a jade Buddha amulet from him. As an altruistic monk, there was no reason for him to deny her.
After Marie Takai took the jade Buddha amulet from Baishi Shu, she gave him the money and went away happily. Putting everything aside, his jade Buddha amulet was well worth its value. If she put it on every day, it could help her calm her mind and make her more focused on her studies. She would become more patient and her academic performance would greatly improve.
The Takai family was satisfied, and so was Baishi Shū. Aside from the 250,000 yen, to show his gratitude for saving his family, Headmaster Takai gave Baishi Shū another three million as sponsorship fee to expand the temple.
Greatly touched, Baishi Shū swore that he would pray for the Takai family every day.
After today, Baishi Shu’s savings account was fully loaded. He had a total of 54.18 million yen in his savings right now.
This was considered his net income. Wait, what? Taxes? No, Japanese monks did not have to pay taxes.