The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 692 Eternal Life
"The secret of Buddhahood is to help all beings escape fear and liberate them. No one can predict the future, not even you or me. Don't rely on others. By rejecting fear, you will be liberated. Buddha is merciful..."

Ten miles west of Edo Castle is Hachimanzan and Moteno-ji Temple.

The abbot of the unknown mountain, Chunshen, was wearing a blue cloak and sitting high on a lotus platform. He was facing a group of believers and lecturing on the art of longevity.

Around the platform stood a large group of warrior monks who looked difficult to deal with, and around them were foot soldiers armed with muskets.

Host Chunshen slowly closed his eyes and sighed like a dream.

"What I do is what I think. Good thoughts lead to good deeds, and evil thoughts lead to evil deeds. This is the law of nature. We should do good and avoid evil."

Hundreds of devout believers gathered in front of the altar. They all came from nearby, some were farmers, some were merchants, and there were even a few hatamoto samurai...
But now, everyone has only one identity, that is, a follower of Master Chunshen and a pursuer of eternal life.

The believers faced Master Chunshen, put their hands together, chanted "Amitabha", and had extremely pious expressions.

The sound of bells and chimes rang out in the temple, like the sound of life-calling Sanskrit, captivating people's souls.

When Chunshen was presiding over the lecture, the warrior monk standing on the altar looked at a group of female believers, searching for suitable prey.

~~~~
Today, Master Chunshen traveled from Nagasaki to Edo and preached at the Eight Immortals Mountain. It was also a fate. The people of Edo were fortunate enough to see the face of the great monk, and they were naturally inexplicably happy, so many people came.

Taking advantage of the large crowd, Jiang Liuer and Li Zicheng mingled in the crowd, followed the surrounding believers, and kowtowed to the eloquent master. No matter how you looked at it, they did not look like assassins.

The two assassins had lurked in the Meneng Temple early on, and after approaching the appropriate assassination position, they were ready to kill with one strike, sending Abbot Chunshen directly to see the Buddha.

However, the platform was heavily guarded, with perhaps a hundred or so guards, so a frontal attack was clearly not feasible.

The two had no choice but to pretend to be believers and listen silently to the old monk's lecture.

However, the old bald donkey's lecture was too boring. After a while, Li Zicheng felt drowsy. He suspected that the other party was using hypnosis on him.

“The most dangerous fire is anger, the most ferocious beast is hatred, the greatest snare is evil, and the most formidable obstacle is greed.”

Master Chunshen is still explaining Buddhist scriptures and teaching his followers the way to eternal life, but it still sounds boring.

"The Buddha said, 'Eternal Life' means immortality. It is also called the Pure Land of Amitabha. Those who are born in the Pure Land will have infinite life, so it is called eternal life."

Master Chunshen nodded to the attendant beside him, and a monk stood up and shouted to everyone.

"Now the Tartars are in the Nine Provinces, burning, killing, looting, and committing all kinds of evil. They are burning fields and houses and slaughtering the people of the various vassal states."

"Burn them all, kill them all, rob them all. They are about to cross the sea and slaughter the people of Edo."

"The survival of the shogunate depends on this battle!
The believers in the audience cried and shouted.

A mixture of fear and anger quickly spread among the believers.

Master Chunshen showed a compassionate expression and his serene gaze fell on the girls.

The wizard's gaze was like a sweet river, flowing through the frightened crowd.

The dark clouds on the heads of the believers and the sorrow in their hearts suddenly disappeared.

"Japan is the kingdom of the gods, and we are all the children of Amaterasu. However, our country has suffered misfortune, with earthquakes, volcanoes, and famines constantly occurring. Born here, we have suffered greatly, filled with sorrow and misery. Now, with the Tartar war, Amaterasu cannot bear to see her people suffer, so she has sent me to save you and teach you the secrets of immortality."

"Anger, greed, arrogance, conceit, and jealousy all arise from ignorance. Illusions lead people astray. Once these obstacles are removed, the whole of life will be free and unattached!"

The mage raised his voice, his eyes glaring angrily:

"Today, everyone has arrived at a good time! No longer needing to undergo a long and arduous cultivation, no longer needing to study under the guidance of a green lamp and yellow scroll, you can still achieve immortality!"

When they heard about the secret of immortality, the believers burst into cheers.

A chubby warrior knelt on the ground, spread his hands upwards, muttered "eternal life", and fell into a state of madness.

Li Zicheng said disdainfully: "The Japanese pirates just like to believe in these unorthodox teachings."

Abbot Chunshen picked up the paper fan beside the lotus platform and pointed to the west:

"Go to Kyushu and slay Tatar Qi. Amaterasu says that Liu Zhaosun and his Tatar army are the reincarnations of human goblins, unforgivable demons who bring disaster to the world, just like Shuten-doji and the nine-tailed fox Tamamonomae (a Japanese demon). Slay these demons and you will gain eternal life! Chopping Liu Zhaosun into pieces will not only be your achievement, but also Amaterasu's earnest wish for you. Go!"

The monk next to him took the lead and raised his arms and shouted:

"Destroy the Tatars and ascend to become an immortal!"

"Destroy the Tatars and ascend to become an immortal!"

Thunderous shouts rang out from the crowd, and the fanatical believers were buzzing like restless wasps.

Li Zicheng cursed, "He's full of Buddhist teachings, benevolence, righteousness, and morality, but he's devoured countless women over the years! Those sea monsters in Tsushima Sea were probably created by this thief, damn him! And he's still talking nonsense."

"It's not certain who will kill whom."

Jiang Liuer quickly pulled him back.

"Keep your voice down! If someone finds us, we're both done for."

Li Zicheng muttered, "What about the two of us? Don't we still have the tigress? No matter how powerful he is, if the tiger's claws swing down, he will definitely die."

Before he finished speaking, there was a sudden gust of wind around the altar, and Chunshen's eyes were like lightning, staring at the two of them like an eagle.

The fanatical believers around them also followed the wizard's gaze and looked at the two of them.

Li Zicheng felt like he had been stripped naked and had nowhere to hide.

"go!"

Jiang Liuer roared and decisively pulled the trigger of the musket, knocking a warrior who was about to draw his sword away.

"Run." Li Zicheng finally reacted and hurriedly followed his companions to run away.

Chunshen abbot sneered and shouted to his followers, "This is the Tatar demon who infiltrated Edo! Capture him, and you will achieve eternal glory!"

After hearing this, everyone immediately turned around and ran towards the fleeing backs of the two Tatar spies.

Jiang Liuer rushed in front with a knife in one hand and a gun in the other. Li Zicheng held the musket in both hands. The two of them ran down the mountain along the route arranged earlier. Occasionally, they met one or two Japanese who blocked the way and killed them immediately.

After running for three or five miles, Li Zicheng arrived at a dense forest at the foot of the mountain. He was exhausted and out of breath. There were constant shouts and calls of killing behind him, and more and more believers were chasing him.

Li Zicheng held onto the tree trunk, gasping for breath and said:

"Fuck him! I'm at least a hundred steps away from that thief baldy. Does he have dog ears..."

Jiang Liuer has been active in the woods all year round and his physical strength is obviously better than that of his teammates.

"Keep running! Hurry back and report the news! If we get caught by these cultists, we'll be sacrificed to the evil gods."

As they were talking, a large group of Japanese appeared on the road ahead, blocking their way.

There is interception in front and pursuit behind.

Suddenly, a warrior wearing armor and a mask stood out from among the Japanese. He reined in his horse, raised his sword, and said to the two men:

"The warriors of the Choshu clan are the warriors, the warriors of the Nagashu clan are the warriors, the warriors are the warriors of the Nagashu clan, and the ginseng is the early morning!"

"Into his mother's fur, what is he barking about?"

Jiang Liu'er translated as he loaded his ammunition: "He said he was a samurai from the Choshu clan and had been chasing us all the way. He told us to surrender immediately."

Li Zicheng spat out a mouthful of thick phlegm and cursed, "You are all born in the Year of the Dog. Your ghosts won't go away. I will send you off today!"

At this time, there was a sound of messy footsteps behind him. When he looked back, he saw Master Chunshen's followers, like galloping horses, tumbling down the hillside, and everyone's eyes were filled with desire for eternal life.

As the saying goes, "Believe in Chun Ge and you will have eternal life."

"Do you have any more grenades?"

"Gone."

In the end, Jiang Liuer stopped blaming his companions for their recklessness on the mountain. He looked around and saw no sign of Songxia. He sighed and said,
"I'm afraid I'll have to stay here today..."

"Yeah, if he gets caught, he'll be tortured to death. And that old bald donkey will take his yang to replenish his yin."

After Li Zicheng finished speaking, he drew out his goose-feather knife, assumed a dueling stance, and rushed towards the warrior opposite at an accelerated speed.

The Choshu samurai who were blocking the way saw the believers rolling down the hillside. Perhaps worried that their military achievements would be robbed, they suddenly raised their swords and said to the group of foot soldiers behind them:

"Suddenly!"

He rode a warhorse that was slightly taller than a male dog, and rushed forward like a pig, trying to snatch the head. The barefoot foot soldiers also rushed towards Li Zicheng with ghosts screaming and wolves howling.

The short Choshu samurai rode an equally short Japanese horse, wielding a samurai sword that was longer than himself. Behind him was a group of foot soldiers who were all skinny and looked like devils from hell.

Li Zicheng was amused by the scene before him. He took out a collectible grenade, pulled the safety pin in front of Jiang Liuer, and threw it hard at the Zhutu warrior.

"The workshop produced a collector's edition of the Equality Thunder. No grass will grow within ten steps... Where did you get it from?" Jiang Liuer looked ecstatic.

"This was given to me by the Emperor when I was on a diplomatic mission to Korea. Do you want it? I'll give it to you when I get back."

Li Zicheng held the only remaining safety pin and said proudly.

boom!
Accompanied by a violent explosion, a cloud of white smoke rose out of thin air twenty steps away, mixed with bursts of blood rain.

The foot soldiers let out screams that were not like human voices, and their body parts flew everywhere.

The horse suddenly stopped, the Choshu samurai disappeared, and a bloody horse head rolled in front of Li Zicheng.

Li Zicheng kicked the horse's head away, dragged the goose-feather knife, and rushed into the white fog.

~~~
Taking advantage of the chaos in the crowd, the two finally escaped down the mountain.

He ran for more than ten miles until he could no longer walk.

Seeing that there was no one around, the two of them rested under the shade of a tree.

Jiang Liuer talked about the history of Chunshen's administration.

"I heard from General Zhao, commander of the Sixth Corps, that General Zhao spent two years in Kyushu and knows a lot about the Shizunaka Shrine and the demonic monks within it."

Li Zicheng said impatiently: "To make a long story short, I'm starving."

Jiang Liuer took out half a steamed bun and gave it to his companion:

"During the Asuka era, which coincided with the Sui and Tang dynasties, a famine gripped Kyushu, with three years of poor harvests. As far away as Pinghu and Hakata River, people starved to death for extended periods. The disaster sparked a rebellion, which resulted in the humiliation of the Emperor's First Army suffering defeat."

During the war, an unknown samurai petitioned the Emperor, offering to donate money and personally lead his soldiers to the garrison. He fought bravely and slew the last rebel. The Emperor then issued an imperial decree, ordering the Nabeshima clan of the Hizen Domain to cede not only an unnamed shrine on Mount Unknown, but also the entire mountainous area to the samurai.

"Because of this decree, an unknown samurai became the headmaster of the Gorge River Domain, Xia Ben. The previous headmaster, Hui Ran, should actually be..."

Jiang Liuer counted with his fingers.

"He's Xia Ben's great-great-grandson, or perhaps his great-great-great-grandson. And this evil monk Chun Shen is Hui Ran's illegitimate son."

(End of this chapter)