My mother's love song

Various rumors about him spread in the market.

Her dazzling beauty, her extraordinary talents in both civil and military affairs, her elegant and noble words and deeds, her life with many wives and concubines...all the rumors, both true and false, were mixed together and became the topic of conversation among the common people and the nobles after dinner.

Although Rhodes himself had no intention of seeking attention, the development of things was no longer under his control.

Fortunately, he used a pseudonym instead of his real name when he appeared in Heian-kyo this time.

As time goes by and the last era of the Gods and the Heian period come to an end, the name Genji will slowly become something like an urban legend.

Regardless of the rumors in the city, Rod's life has also changed.

First of all, relying on his merit in curing Empress Teiko's illness, he received an astonishing amount of reward from the court, including several beautifully decorated jade boxes filled with golden small prizes.

According to Xiangzi, this money is enough to buy more than a dozen houses in Kyoto and hire hundreds of servants.

After becoming a wealthy man, Rod's family status rose from the bottom to the top. Even the snobbish Musashi followed him around and flattered him every day. It was really touching.

Rhodes now had endless money and enjoyed a peaceful harem life surrounded by a wife, three concubines, and a Star Wrath [Witch].

"But, I always feel like something is missing...what is it?"

“How can I resolve this feeling of emptiness that comes from excessive happiness?”

"Oh, right! I must find a disciple!" Rhodes suddenly had an idea.

"A disciple is a must, a disciple who can inherit all my martial arts and magic!"

"Uh... But where can I find a guy like that?"

Just as Rhodes was trying to pursue the highest level of Maslow's hierarchy of human needs, a rumor reached the boy's ears.

Outside of Heian-kyo, strange activities across Japan have become more frequent as if overnight.

"Could it be that Shuten-doji is planning something?"

At the dining table, Rhodes sat in Miss He's arms, resting his head on her soft breasts, and spoke while being fed by the beauty.

A true head of the household doesn’t even need to pick up chopsticks.

"Has Oeyama announced that he is responsible for this?" Pacifist Rod said, "How about I go and beat up Shuten and Ibaraki Douji and make them behave themselves?"

Musashi said, "No... I heard that the monsters that have been active recently don't seem to be the ones led by the two demon kings of Mount Oe."

Because she often served as a bodyguard for high-ranking officials in the capital, she was very well-informed about the news in this area.

"What do you mean?"

"It means that there are also factions and territorial disputes in the monster world."

Musashi said, "It is said that the little monsters that were originally roaming around the country have been taken in by the same monster recently. They seem to be planning something and are moving towards Kansai."

"...Very powerful. Do you think you want to seize Kyoto? What's the name of that monster?"

Rhode said, "Uh uh, that monster's name couldn't be one that starts with the character [玉] and ends with the character [前], right?"

Musashi said: "The monsters all call her Princess-sama."

Knowing that it wasn't some slutty fox, Rhode breathed a sigh of relief: "My lady Princess...what kind of monster is it?"

The topic of monsters ended here, and then Murasaki Shikibu suddenly said.

"Lord of Light, are you free tomorrow?"

"If you want to date Ms. Xiangzi, I'm free. If you want to hold a book club, please forgive me for declining it."

Xiangzi said, "I plan to go to a temple near the capital with Lord Sei Shonagon tomorrow. Can you come with us?"

Rhodes said: "Of course, let me be the flower protector for the two ladies."

Fujiwara Kaori lowered her blushing cheeks.

"I don't remember when I became your wife..."

……

……

……

To the north of Kyoto, there is a mountain called Kuramayama. The mountain itself is unremarkable, but the temple built on the mountain is an ancient temple that is famous throughout Japan.

It is called Kurama Temple and was built in the 8th century by Master Jianzhen, a disciple of the eminent monk Jianzhen who traveled to Japan from the Tang Dynasty. It is also known as Matsuosan Kongo Jyuin.

Legend has it that in 770, Master Jianzhen had a dream.

After waking up, he went to Mount Kurama according to the oracle. Unexpectedly, he was attacked by ghosts on the way. Fortunately, Bishamonten appeared to help him, so he built a temple to worship Bishamonten here.

It is Kurama Temple.

Bishamonten appeared at the yin month, yin day and yin hour, so Kurama Temple used a divine tiger to replace the ordinary stone lions.

For nearly three hundred years since Japan moved its capital to Heian, Kurama Temple has been responsible for protecting the northern part of the capital. It is also known as an elegant place in Kyoto's back garden. Its name has also appeared in "The Pillow Book" written by Sei Shonagon and "The Tale of Genji" by Murasaki Shikibu.

There are even rumors among the people in the capital that when he was young, Minamoto no Raikou was sent to this temple to practice.

Although it is only a rumor, in addition to monks who practice Buddhism, Kurama Temple on Mount Kurama also takes in a group of orphans from the suburbs of Kyoto.

Among them was a young girl.

She didn't know who her parents were since she was born. She was first found in the mountains by an old man who went up to the mountains to chop firewood. The kind-hearted old man took her back and raised her as his adopted son.

It sounds like an ancient legend that can be found everywhere, but the good times didn't last long. When she was thirteen years old, the girl could no longer stay in the village.

The reason is simple, because the girl has eyes and pupils that are different from ordinary people.

Golden eyes, silver hair.

If it was just one of them, it would be fine, but if both were present, it would inevitably make people think of non-human beings.

Japan in the Heian period was shrouded in mystery, and it was a time when humans and monsters coexisted, so it is not surprising that such suspicions would arise.

In addition, the girl was born without parents and was picked up from the mountains, which made her identity even more suspicious.

Then, as she grew older, the girl became more and more beautiful.

Although the villagers had never seen the beautiful princesses in the capital, the girl's appearance was already incredibly beautiful.

"Hey... that child is really a monster, right?"

"I heard that the ghost king of Mount Oe is a beautiful young child."

"Will you seduce my husband when you grow up?"

"I can't stand it! Who wants to live in the same village with a monster like this?"

Finally one day, the girl could no longer stay in the human village.

Those who are unable to live in human society often end up in temples that are isolated from the secular world, so the girl was sent to Kurama Temple.

The abbot of Kurama Temple was an old monk with great Buddhist skills and a compassionate heart. He took the girl in without being bothered by her appearance.

There, the girl worked as a helper and cleaner in the temple during the day, and studied Buddhist scriptures and knowledge with the monks at night.

To everyone's surprise, the girl seemed to have an extraordinary talent for learning this.

In Buddhist terms, she has amazing comprehension. She can remember every scripture she has read once. It is hard to believe that she is just a girl in her teens.

In this way, the girl spent several years in Kurama Temple. Although she had not yet become a nun, her level of knowledge of scriptures was already as good as that of monks who had been in the temple for decades.

The old man who adopted the girl was illiterate, so the nameless girl got her name from the abbot of Kurama Temple.

Because of the girl's photographic memory and natural talent, the old monk named her Fayan.

In Buddhism, there is a concept called the Five Eyes.

From low to high, they are the physical eye, the heavenly eye, the wisdom eye, the Dharma eye and the Buddha eye.

The five eyes represent the order of practice, as well as the order of awakening wisdom and the corresponding results.

Among them, the Dharma Eye is the realm second only to the Buddha Eye.

All beings are equal, but that does not mean they are equal

Realizing that the essence of all things in the world is emptiness, but understanding that the images seen in different realms are real relative to the people in that realm, this is the realm of Dharma Eye.

People who have reached the state of Dharma Eye are commonly known as Bodhisattvas.

Just from this noble name, one can feel how incredible the rare talent the girl possesses is in the eyes of mortals.

That evening, Fayan finished helping with farm work at a family's home at the foot of the mountain and was preparing to return to the temple before nightfall.

The girl was wearing old clothes left over from other orphans in the temple. Her pair of fair, slender legs exposed outside her short-sleeved shirt were moving with quick and brisk steps.

For her, climbing the rugged and steep Mount Kurama was not a difficult task.

According to the abbot, the temple was built on a mountain because mountain climbing itself is a form of spiritual practice.

But the girl could not understand this point of view. She did not think so because she had never felt that climbing a mountain was tiring.

Not only mountain climbing, but also those jobs that seem very strenuous to adults are very easy in the eyes of girls.

It seems that Fa Yan is not only a genius in learning, but also far superior to ordinary people in terms of physical fitness.

Of course the girl never told anyone about this, and she always pretended to be out of breath when she returned to the temple.

After all, if people knew that she had endless energy, it might increase her current workload, and most importantly,

Maybe he will be treated as a monster again.

She didn't want to go through that experience again.

Soon, Hogan returned to the entrance of Kurama Temple on the top of the mountain carrying a heavy load of firewood.

The girl looked at the temple from afar and felt that the temple today was a little different from usual.

Normally, there would be monks guarding the door at night, but today there was no one.

Kurama Temple at night exudes a strange atmosphere in the girl's eyes.

However, perhaps because she was born in the mountains, Fayan was much braver than ordinary people. She did not take the current situation to heart, but went straight into the temple.

In winter, the days become very short. It was only evening just now, but now it is pitch dark in the blink of an eye.

The long approach to the shrine was deserted, and the building, which was solemn and dignified during the day, now exuded a gloomy aura.

Hōgan didn't pay much attention to these things, but trotted all the way to the main hall of Kurama Temple.

At this time, a voice came from behind.

"Fa Yan, are you back?"

The girl turned around and immediately showed a delighted expression. She bowed respectfully and said, "Master Abbot!"

The person who called out to Hogen from behind was none other than the old abbot of Kurama-dera Temple who took her in and gave her her name.

He was a short and hunched old man. Just like the old monks in people's minds, the abbot was serious and always had a solemn expression on his face.

If Rhodes saw this old monk, he would definitely say, "Oh my god! Are you the twin brother of Matou Zouken?" He was such a scary and serious looking old man.

But Fayan knew very well that the abbot of Kurama Temple was actually a kind-hearted and enlightened old monk.

For the girl who was born without parents, the old abbot who took her in and gave her the opportunity to learn knowledge was like her second father.

Despite this, Hogen felt that the abbot of Kurama-dera Temple was more gloomy today than usual.

"Fayan, please follow me." The old monk said this briefly, then turned around and walked forward.

"Yes! Abbot!"

Fayan put down the firewood frame on his back and happily followed the abbot into the depths of the temple.

"Master Abbot, where has everyone gone?"

Fa Yan asked, but the old man said nothing and just kept walking.

Ah, didn’t you hear it? The abbot is old after all, the girl thought simply.

The two of them entered the innermost lecture hall of Kurama Temple in silence.

On normal days, the palace should be full of monks at this time, but today the lecture hall is empty. Although candles are lit, it reveals a unique sense of eerie coldness.

"that……"

Ever since entering the hall, the abbot had been standing with his back to Fayan without saying a word, which made her feel a little overwhelmed. She wondered whether she should take the initiative to speak again.

With a "bang", the open door and windows suddenly closed by themselves mysteriously.

The lecture hall, which had seemed bright under the moonlight just now, suddenly became eerie. Even the Arhats enshrined in the main hall seemed to have turned into evil ghost boys on Mt. Oe.