The old abbot had a hunch that he might have brought back a living Buddha ten years ago.
Sitting on the futon with a blank face, that was the thought that surfaced in his mind.
Even though the old abbot had seen a lot of things in his life and had a strong heart, he still almost had a heart attack when he saw the scene in front of him.
He saw Baishi Shū leap up and do a somersault in the air, but he did not know where he went since he had jumped out of his sight. Then, in the next second, he heard a loud thud from the front. Turning his head around, he saw him standing on the ground in front of the temple, and the flagstone beneath his feet had broken into pieces.
Lifting his feet, he returned the old abbot’s gaze with an embarrassed expression. “Erm, Abbot…”
The old abbot waved his hand and said, “It’s okay. I’ll let the construction team know later when they arrive. You can proceed.”
After receiving the consent from the old abbot, Baishi Shū went all out. He performed multiple acrobatic movements such as somersaults, leaping, and sprinting, and he realized that his physical abilities had vastly improved. He was no longer a wimp but a brawler with powerful martial arts skills. If he was given a chance, he would like to know if he or the Shaolin monks were stronger.
However, fighting fire with fire was never what Baishi Shū wanted. The reason he created the Baishi Universal Deliverance was just to strengthen his own body so that he would stand a chance against a yokai king or a spirit king should he run into one in the future. Therefore, defense was everything.
Besides, he also noticed from the scriptures and novels he read that people like to relate a strong and sturdy body to Buddha whenever they spoke about Buddha. This denoted that Buddha was truly a kind and compassionate being. He emphasized that strengthening and proving oneself was the focus of cultivation and training. He never encouraged unnecessary fighting unless the situation really called for it.
How should he test his defenses? A great idea popped up in his mind.
Grabbing a knife, he thrust it into his arm without any qualms. Throughout the entire process, he had his Divine Eye activated so that he would not injure major blood vessels in his arm.
This time, the blade pierced through his skin and plunged deep into his flesh. Blood instantly gushed out from the laceration, and sharp pain flared up. It was hard for him to imagine that the first time he bled ever since he arrived in this world would be by his own doing.
After a few seconds, the pain was alleviated. The bleeding had stopped and the cut began to scab. After an hour, the scab fell off. A new layer of skin, fresh and pink, was formed as if he had never injured before.
The entire healing process was generally similar to that of an ordinary person, but the speed was a lot faster. Caressing his arm, Baishi Shū had never felt so satisfied before.
He had a sturdy body, or he should say, an adamantine body. Although it did not look as promising on the surface and he would still bleed when he was injured, he was certain that the effect would improve in time. After all, this was his first time putting the Baishi Universal Deliverance into use and it already had such an effect. If he was living in a martial arts world, he was confident that this would be the kind of martial art that every martial artist sought after.
However, he did not feel proud of himself. The Baishi Universal Deliverance was hatched from the Ākāśagarbha Mantra, and he credited his achievement to the ancient people. He was well aware that he still had a lot to learn, and if he wished to continue like this, he had to study more and read more scriptures.
Perfecting the Baishi Universal Deliverance did not mean that his studying was finished. Buddha said, “Learning is an endless process”. There were still a lot of things in this world that he did not know. Whether it was to alter a land of grudges or to study the soul orb and yokai, all of them required a vast amount of knowledge.
With that in mind, he put the Baishi Universal Deliverance to the side, returned to the futon, and began his daily learning schedule.
In his perspective, the greatest benefit brought to him by the Baishi Universal Deliverance was not an adamantine body but something else. As a scholar-lord, he must excel in all subjects, including physical education. It was only through this way that he could get into a good college with excellent results.
Right now, with his adamantine body, it was time for him to get back at those muscular students in Hibiya High School for looking down on him.
Amitabha.
While Baishi Shū was learning, the old abbot was looking at him silently. He wanted to retract his words. In his heart, Baishi Shū was no longer the best successor candidate Reimei Temple had but the strongest.
Compared to him, his three brothers, namely Tong Tian, Tong Ling, and Tong Chan were like three little kids. He imagined that if Baishi Shū had been at Reimei Temple at that time, would his second brother have still turned into a yokai?
Maybe not.
The old abbot chuckled at his own imagination. He took a long breath, and very soon, a peaceful and meditative staccato sound rang from the temple.
Time: 12 November 2016, the beginning of winter.
Spiritual Power: 19110 units.
Savings: 25.2 million yen.
Temple: Main hall, living quarters, new living quarters (Progress: 4/15).
Objective: Alter a land of grudges (Progress: 0%), create a body cultivation method (Completed).
…
Nakano City, Tokyo.
As the most densely populated low-rise residential area in Japan, the number of white-collar workers was off the charts.
Morishita Akiko’s parents were a couple of normal white-collar workers. They worked in a small company, and their work was very stressful, so they usually had gloomy expressions when they returned home.
Quarreling and fighting were the norms, and domestic violence was not uncommon in her family. As a girl, Akiko was not her parent’s sweetheart, but her little brother was.
She had to live very carefully every day. After she finished school, she had to rush home and do all the chores such as clean the house, wash her family’s clothes, and prepare dinner. If she was too slow and hot meals were not served when her parents came back from their work, she would get punished.
She had already gotten used to pain.
Still, Akiko was afraid of getting hurt. If she was hurt, it would affect her performance the next day, and things would become even worse.
‘Recently, Daddy and Mommy look very happy. They did not complain about their bosses or the ever-rising living expenses anymore. If they were happy, they would not quarrel with each other and Akiko could finally study quietly. That way, Akiko’s grades might get better and she might be able to get into a better high school.
‘If possible, Akiko hopes Akiko can get a scholarship from the school so that daddy and mommy did not have to spend so much money, then Akiko might get a chance to enter a university!
…
‘Today, Daddy and Mommy had a talk with me. They told me that we are having some financial problems, so they hope I can stop going to school after finishing my junior school. They want me to go out and work.
‘I’m sad. I love studying and school a lot. Although there are some bad people in school, studying is the only thing I love to do. Why don’t Daddy and Mommy allow me to study anymore?’
…
‘I’m so happy! Daddy and Mommy haven’t been talking about me stopping going to school anymore. Maybe they have gotten a pay raise, and we have more money now. Yippie! Little Brother didn’t cry or make any trouble anymore too. It’s a lot quieter, and it feels so good without him bossing me around. I feel like the world has brightened up, and it will get better and better!’
…
After finishing up the last sentence, a contented smile broke across Akiko’s face. She closed her diary and rose to her feet.
“It’s time to prepare dinner. What should I eat tonight? Ah, I’ve got an idea! Let’s use Father’s heart to cook a meal tonight…”
…
On top of the billboard outside the building, a creature with four faces was watching.
“Sob, sob… What a poor girl. I can’t bear watching this anymore…” Sorrow said with a nasal voice, “Unlike the past, the world nowadays has too much darkness. Even yokai like us can’t bear to stay silent anymore.”
“That’s why we are here. We are the avengers who grant the weak the power to get back what they deserve. We are just like a charity organization!” Jovial chimed in happily.
“Stop talking nonsense! Somebody has already noticed the anomaly here. Chop-chop and let’s go look for our next target!” Anger huffed.
“Anger is right! Let’s go quickly. We will be in huge trouble if the monk arrives!” Cowardice muttered.
With that, the four-faced monster disappeared.