Chapter 223: The Buddha of Shitennoji Temple
At night, exhausted Akechi Mitsuhide did not go home but stayed in the temple.
The monks' quarters at the back have been built and are divided into two rows on the left and right, with three rooms in each row, for a total of six monks' quarters.
Nyorii and Akechi Mitsuhide lived in the monastery on the left, while Qingxuande, who was still in deep sleep, lived in the middle house of the monastery on the right.
Akechi Mitsuhide took a bath, changed into the monk's robe of Weilian Ancient Temple, lay in bed and rested until after 10 o'clock, then took Ruyi to the kitchen to make a midnight snack.
Pinggong Qianye, who was practicing in the main hall, had never refused to have an extra midnight snack.
At around 11 o'clock at night, Akechi Mitsuhide and Ruyi discussed in the open space outside the temple what they needed to buy to reclaim the farmland tomorrow.
During this period, Shuichi Hiratani called via video and said that the battle between the Four Heavenly Kings successors of Shitennoji would begin at 9 am tomorrow.
Akechi Mitsuhide shouted, "Remember to start a live broadcast, so that we can cheer for the rising star of the Buddhist altar, Master Mingtian."
"Don't worry, I have obtained the consent of the abbot of Shitennoji Temple. I will broadcast the entire process live for you from a first-person perspective tomorrow. Unfortunately, there will be no commentary."
Pingu Shuichi's smug laughter came from the other end of the phone.
Ruyi asked curiously, "Competitions like the one at Shitennoji are usually held in private, but you are allowed to broadcast it live. Are they so open-minded now?"
"This is Master Liansheng's honor. I told the host that I wanted to record the competition process and broadcast it back to Master Liansheng, and the host agreed to my request."
……
At Shitennoji, Hideichi Hiratani chatted with Mitsuhide Akechi and Ruyi for a few more words, then hung up the phone and went to where Saburo Takeda was resting.
When I pushed the door open, I saw that he was resting with his eyes closed, so I didn't disturb him. I closed the door again and went to the monk's room next door to stay alone.
The next day, 9 o'clock in the morning.
At the martial arts field behind Shitennoji Temple, a group of Shitennoji monks had already been guarding the passage to prevent any tourists from accidentally entering during this period.
After having a vegetarian meal early in the morning, Shuichi Hiratani went to the martial arts field to look for a suitable location for shooting. During this time, many monks were curious about him.
After all, among the many electronic music DJ monks in the Buddhist world, he is the best and the leader.
Many of the younger generation of monks know him.
After searching for a long time, Shuichi Hiratani chose to set up the camera at a fixed point to shoot, and he held a mobile phone in his hand, ready to capture some wonderful moments later.
Saburo Takeda did not go with him, but went with the other three descendants of the Heavenly King to meet the abbot, and then entered the Sutra Repository, and has not come out until now.
"Can you see clearly?"
After arranging the camera position, Shuichi Pingu called Ruyi.
"is acceptable."
"I have connected the live video directly to Mingzhi's phone. You can watch it on his phone later."
"it is good."
After talking with Ruyi for a few words, Pingu Shuichi hung up the phone, found a place in the shade under a tree and sat down waiting, his eyes occasionally sweeping over the beautiful scenery of Shitennoji Temple.
Around 8:30, a number of spectators arrived outside the martial arts arena, including many senior government officials.
Shitennoji Temple is the earliest temple in Japan to be under government administrative jurisdiction because it was built by Prince Shotoku in Japanese history.
Therefore, until modern times, Shitennoji Temple has been closely connected with official institutions.
After just looking at it for a while, Shuichi Hiratani withdrew his gaze. Their Honganji Temple was just the opposite of Shitennoji Temple and didn't care much about official agencies.
"How is Master Liansheng these days?"
While Ping Gu Shuichi was silently waiting for time, someone came and asked softly.
"Who are you?" Pinggu Shuichi looked at the person who came.
A middle-aged man, not yet bald, dressed in a black suit, with a faint murderous aura flowing from him. This man must have killed many monsters and demons, and even killed many people.
Although he tried his best to cover it up and dilute it, the smell of blood on his body was still strong.
"Mikami Shinji, from the Demon Department, has met Master Rensheng before."
"This name always reminds me of Shinji Mikami who likes to chop off heads."
Shinji Mikami smiled and said, "I don't have nine heads."
After a brief chat, Pinggu Shuichi found that this important official from the demon department did not have the airs of a big shot, so he talked to him about Master Liansheng's recent situation.
“Reading is good, but it is a waste of time.”
When Shinji Mikami heard that Master Rensheng was a high school student, and a very serious one at that, his face gradually became solemn.
"This is Master Liansheng's choice. Perhaps this way of practice is the fundamental reason why Master Liansheng can have such amazing cultivation at such a young age."
Pinggu Shuichi laughed at himself after he finished speaking, "You and I are ordinary people in the secular world, so we should not interfere with or speculate on the thoughts and ideas of a person like Master Liansheng."
The two chatted for a few more words, and then Shinji Mikami said goodbye and left.
People who are demons are indeed very murderous.
Shuichi Hiratani sighed and waited for another 10 minutes. Finally, Takeda Saburo and his group appeared. Shuichi Hiratani left the shade and went to sit in the viewing seats.
The competition among the four inheritors is very simple. They draw lots and each person plays 3 games, for a total of 6 games. The one with the most wins will be the final winner.
It's a pity that there is no place to bet here, otherwise Shuichi Hiratani would definitely bet all his fortune on Saburo Takeda.
The other three heirs of the Heavenly King were inferior to Takeda Saburo in terms of physical strength alone.
Saburo Takeda was half a head taller than the other three, standing out like a crane among chickens.
The result of the competition was naturally not surprising. Takeda Saburo's Vajra body was extremely solid and almost flawless. He was only one step away from reaching the Vajra realm.
When facing the other three heirs of the Heavenly King, he basically killed each one with one slap.
It was a game of pure power, without any suspense.
Shuichi Hiratani could even feel that Saburo Takeda was holding back his strength before fighting.
Is this the guidance from Master Liansheng?
It's really amazing. Pinggu Shuichi nodded with satisfaction. If there weren't so many people here and it had a bad influence, he really wanted to give a live commentary to Akechi Mitsuhide and Ruyi.
The six competitions took about an hour in total.
As the winner, Saburo Takeda nodded to Hiratani Hide in the spectator seats, then looked at the abbot of Shitennoji Temple.
He put his hands together, bowed his head slightly and said, "Master, I want to challenge Junior Brother Mingbai."
The Four Heavenly Kings of Shitennoji each have their own inheritance, and only that Buddhist disciple whose whereabouts is unknown can participate in the Dharma of the Four Heavenly Kings.
This Buddhist disciple of Shitennoji is the last disciple accepted by the current abbot and the youngest junior brother of the Ming generation.
"I understand that we are not currently in the temple."
"I know. I just want to take this opportunity to challenge him."
"Tomorrow, do you care about the position of the Buddha?"
“I don’t care whether I am a Buddhist or not.”
Takeda Saburo shook his head and said earnestly: "If I miss this opportunity, I may not have such a strong desire to fight, and I still have to go to Tokyo to continue training."
"After a month, you will return to the temple when you understand."
"Thank you for your support, host."
Saburo Takeda retreated, then followed his master to leave first, to inherit the final inheritance of the Heavenly Kings, and at the same time had a chance to watch the general outline of the Four Heavenly Kings' practice methods.
There will be many other programs in the coming period, such as the selection of the next generation of inheritors of the Four Heavenly Kings.
The participants are all young monks aged 8 to 10 years old. They will be tested in terms of their cultivation roots, understanding, concentration, and affinity with Buddhism.
These official personnel came from far away and what they wanted to see most was the situation of the next generation of inheritors of Shitennoji.
Shuichi Hiratani had no interest in getting involved in these things. He stood up, took down the camera in front of so many people, and then hid his achievements and fame.
……
Weilian Ancient Temple, under the big banyan tree.
"I won."
"Is there any suspense in this?"
Akechi Mitsuhide had anticipated this result. "After many instructions from Master Liansheng, Takeda's Vajra Body has reached a level that surpasses his peers. Even if he stands still, his fellow disciples cannot beat him."
"Too."
"I just wonder if the Buddhist disciple from Shitennoji can stop Takeda. That battle should be quite interesting."
“It’s a pity indeed.”
A voice suddenly interrupted the conversation between Mitsuhide Akechi and Ruyi.
Akechi Mitsuhide and Nyorui immediately turned around and looked at a young monk in the open space on the right.
He was about 16 years old, fair and tender, 1 meters tall. He was not big and stout, but looked a bit like Ruyi when he was young.
"you are?"
"Young monk understands that he is from Shitennoji Temple."
The young monk clasped his hands together and bowed his head in salute. His voice was very soft, like a gust of gentle breeze blowing past.
"Are you that Buddhist disciple?"
Akechi Mitsuhide was so shocked that he stood up from the stone bench. The man in front of him did not show any signs of training in Shitennoji.
Look at Takeda Saburo's group of successors, all of them are big and strong with a strong physique.
Compared with Takeda Saburo and others, the difference between this young monk called Mingbai is probably like the difference between a white crane and a black bear.
The young monk nodded and looked at the phone on the stone table. "Mingtian Senior Brother's Vajra Body is indeed powerful. It is difficult for practitioners of the same realm to break it."
Just from this one sentence, Akechi Mitsuhide knew that the realm of the Buddhist disciple must be higher than that of Takeda Saburo, and should be a secret seal.
“We welcome Buddhist friends from afar.”
Ruyi stood up and after exchanging pleasantries, asked, "Are you here to see Master Liansheng?"
"It seems I came at the wrong time."
"Master Liansheng has to go to school during the day and usually comes back around 5: in the evening."
"go to school?"
A hint of surprise flashed across the young monk's clear eyes.
"Yes, I was in high school. My grades were very good and I even got first place in my grade."
As Mitsuhide Akechi said this, he started laughing himself.
"...Master Liansheng is truly different from others." The young monk quickly put away the surprise in his eyes and smiled.
"Of course. After all, he is Master Liansheng. Throughout all the years of Buddhism, there has never been a figure like him."
Akechi Mitsuhide smiled and said, "So, any action of Master Liansheng may have a deep meaning."
"That's true." The young monk nodded in agreement.
"You can stay here and wait."
"No, I came here on a whim, so I should leave on a whim."
The young monk said goodbye to Ruyi and Akechi Mitsuhide, bowed to the Vairocana Buddha in the temple hall, and then turned and left.
"I am like a white cloud, floating across the mountains, forgetting where I came from and where I am going."
Faintly, the voice of a young monk could be heard in the air.
(End of this chapter)
