Tokyo Sword Saint Online Dealing

"I'm telling you, you didn't actually believe that charlatan, did you?"

Uesugi Kiyoshi recognized Shuten-dōji's voice and was somewhat surprised. After a moment of contemplation, he asked suspiciously, "What do you mean by suddenly saying something like that?"

“That priest doesn’t seem to be lying to me. If he is, I will make him pay the price.”

Shuten-dōji gave a soft snort.

"He didn't lie to you, he's just stupid."

"In ancient times, people regarded thunder and lightning as the wrath of the heavens and imagined that a thunder god controlled thunder and lightning to punish sins. Over time, with the accumulation of this wish, a thunder god was actually born."

"But if we look at it in modern times, educated people would know that it is just a natural phenomenon caused by the friction of clouds."

"Your perspective and knowledge determine the truthfulness of your words; I don't need to teach you that, do I?"

"That charlatan said it was the indestructible body of those bald monks because he had only ever seen that thing before."

"That doesn't mean he's right."

After thinking for a moment, Uesugi Kiyoshi felt that what Shuten-dōji said made some sense.

The sudden interruption from the Demon King of Mount Ooe was certainly not to provoke the priest Hanyu, nor was it to make fun of him; he wasn't that kind of bored person.

So he got straight to the point.

"I understand. So, Lord Shuten-dōji, what can you teach me?"

"You're not just here to say a few sarcastic remarks and then go back to drinking and sleeping, are you?"

The atmosphere was silent for a moment.

Shuten-dōji seemed to let out a long sigh, a sigh filled with deep emotion.

"Do you remember I told you that my divine body was stranded in Kyoto?"

"I now possess the power of the Ghost King, while the power of the Divine Child is sealed within my body, and I cannot sense it."

Uesugi Kiyoshi instantly realized what was going on.

He frowned and muttered to himself.

"Could it be... you mean..."

Shuten-dōji didn't keep Uesugi Kiyoshi waiting for long.

"."

"Before becoming Shuten-dōji"

"At that time, I was a monk, and the temple was on Mount Ibuki."

"People say I am the child of the Ibuki Mountain God, born to save all living beings."

“My Buddhist teachings are quite profound, far better than those fools among my fellow disciples.”

"Therefore, I often sit upright in the Yama Palace, listening to the distant tolling of the bells, and guide my devout worshippers who kneel in prayer."

"The sound of the bell is always the same, and the Buddhist scriptures are all the same. I am tired of reciting them, but the troubles of the world are so varied and endless."

"The sins in humanity far exceed my imagination."

"You should know this all too well. Let me give you an example. The feeling is almost like being lost."

"The difference is that being obsessed is being addicted to the whispers of ghosts and gods."

"And I am lost in the endless sins of the pilgrims."

"As time goes by, the monks grow old one by one, but I remain as young as ever, chanting sutras for the pilgrims who come and go."

"Just as the war between humans and ghosts broke out, people were separated by life and death, and the mountains and fields were filled with military flags and corpses."

"Hmm, that memory, if it were you, it wouldn't be unfamiliar either."

"As I listened and recited, their resentment coiled around my hands and feet like snakes, whispering in my ear day and night, growing with the suffering of the onlookers, constantly speaking of the absurdity of the world, and I wavered."

"Human beliefs are like a building; if there is even one oversight, it can collapse from an ant hole."

"What have I learned from reciting scriptures day and night?"

"The divine child of Mount Ibuki is exceptionally gifted, possesses the essence of Buddhism, has an indestructible body, subdues demons and monsters, and protects this land."

"So what?"

"I have witnessed many tragedies. The indifferent demons and gods can protect mortals, but how can I redeem those who die under the schemes and swords of their own kind?"

“I have seen two countries at war, with soldiers raising their swords against civilians. I have seen brothers kill each other for a little property. I have seen wives commit adultery, conspiring with their lovers to murder their husbands. I have seen sons commit unfilial acts, burying their elderly parents alive just to save a mouthful of food.”

"Then they wept bitterly before me, confessing their sins and repenting."

Do they realize their mistake?

"No, they just want to hear my comfort, to get a little solace, to offset their huge guilt, to live with their sins with a clear conscience, and even to repeatedly err and make more mistakes."

"It suddenly dawned on me."

"Human beings are inherently accompanied by sin, and they are not worthy of my redemption."

"Not worth it!"

"In an instant, the resentment accumulated over nearly a century transformed into demonic power, which surged into my divine body like a sudden infusion of nectar."

“Overnight I changed my appearance, revealing ghostly claws and pointed ears, just like the evil ghosts that the pilgrims talked about.”

"I heard the morning bell ring; it was dawn."

“When I stepped out of the room, the monks and pilgrims saw my hideous face and all scattered, completely forgetting that I was the Buddha’s Son whom they revered.”

“I didn’t care about their reactions. My mind was in a daze. I only remembered the old abbot who raised me, taught me Buddhism, and taught me the principles of life.”

"I want to ask him why, why is the world like this?"

"How can such people be worth saving?"

“I ran toward the old abbot’s door, but the door was already rusted, and I realized that he had passed away many years ago.”

"From that moment on, I was free."

"The divine child is dead, the demon king is reborn."

Uesugi Kiyoshi listened silently to Shuten's narration, then gently clapped his hands.

"Well, it's a good story."

"And then... what you're trying to say is..."

Shuten-dōji paused for a moment, then continued speaking.

"What I'm trying to say is that the skin you destroyed before wasn't imbued with the Vajra power of Buddhism at all."

"Instead, it is my divine body imbued with the demonic power of the Ghost King."

“It’s perfectly normal for laymen to not be able to distinguish between the two. I have also practiced the Vajra Dharma for over a hundred years, and its power is of the same origin as that of Buddhism.”

"Of course, that's not my physical body. Otherwise, those mortals in your Collectors Association would probably not have escaped unscathed."

"But, at least."

"The attackers have touched my divine body!"

There was another long silence.

Uesugi Kiyoshi seemed to have never expected that this matter would eventually involve Shuten-dōji.

He stood at the foot of the mountain, gazing at the layers of red glow and the clouds under the setting sun, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

He simply felt a bit sentimental about the story of Shuten-dōji.

"Hey, Shuten-dōji, I know you're hiding a lot from me, and I'm actually hiding a lot from you too."

"But recently I've been thinking about some things from the past."

"Even if you are utterly disillusioned with humanity, you still sing and charge ahead of me. You will help me, won't you?"

Shuten-dōji let out a somewhat confused "Ah," and was about to say something when he was interrupted by Uesugi Kiyoshi.

"Just say yes or no."

Shuten-dōji's voice disappeared.

It wasn't until a full five minutes later.

"certainly."

"meeting!"

"I am within your Hundred Demons Scroll, what's the point of your nonsense?"

Despite his somewhat rude attitude, Uesugi Kiyoshi still managed a knowing smile.

"Kyoto, temples, monks, Shuten-dōji."

"The body of a god, an attack on the Collectors' Association."

"Ah"

"coincide?"

"You're kidding me!"

"Anyway, Shuten-dōji, don't worry."

"This time, let's snatch your divine body back first—so you won't keep thinking about my body every day. Tsk, that sounds disgusting."

The young man looked relieved, his steps became lighter, and he got into the van. Soon after, he sped away.

Chapter 307 Senior Brother

At Yoshida Shrine, Priest Hanyu stretched and walked out of the reception room.

He smiled and nodded to Igarashi Kinya standing at the door.

"Igarashi, where's Yuzuriha?"

Igarashi Kinya said expressionlessly, "She's asleep. She's probably tired from using too much spiritual energy."

This is the longest sentence he has ever said.