Chapter 2057: Chapter 1503: Amitabha, This Is the Inconceivability of Buddhist Law!
"Chief Divine’s protection! This Japanese Priest chirps like a nightjar in the forest, speaking in circles and confusing us with talks of ships and the sea!"
"Indeed! Zuwaro High Priest, I suspect not a single word from this Japanese Priest’s mouth is the truth! Do we feed him some mushrooms? We still have some divine mushrooms ’Divine Meat’ on the ship, brought from the Kingdom over a thousand miles away..."
"Ha! Loshanda, divine mushrooms are a medium to communicate with the Chief Divine, and would be a waste on him. Regardless of what he says or promises, we only need to watch his actions!"
"Exactly! As the old forest adage goes, seize him and do not let go, don’t release the hawk until the hare is caught!"
"Sounds good! If he fails, we will sacrifice him to the Chief Divine! The Chief Divine will surely be pleased!"
The firelight from the hearth flickered continuously, and a wisp of divine smoke lingered in the tent, soothing everyone’s spirit. From the honest Samurai to the sincere Priest, the people of the Kingdom discussed for a while and then turned again to the eloquent Master Juehui. This time, it was the Luoshanda High Priest with an axe in hand, questioning sternly.
"Japanese Priest! You said you would bring the divine bloodline of the Japanese, and afterward bestow a noble title recognized by the King and the Priesthood... how exactly will you do this? Can your King, your Priesthood, and what about the Shiba Clan, all agree? For this in reality, it is about bestowing the honorable title to the Chichimec..."
"Master Juehui! The Shandan leader says they are very interested in the deal. But the bloodline of the Shiba Clan, the Shogunate General’s conferment, and the Tiantai Sect’s guarantee, all three are needed to make the title of the Ezo Shiba Clan legitimate, and recognized by various daimyo! But how will you persuade the Shiba Clan, the General, and the Tiantai Sect? After all, in their eyes, we are Shandan barbarians..."
"Hmm?... The Shiba Clan, the General, Tiantai Sect... indeed these are the three critical points of this operation..."
Upon hearing such questions, Master Juehui’s eyebrows flickered, and he lifted his gaze. He did not expect that these seemingly fierce "Shandan Tribes" would have such acumen to grasp the key points. After pondering for a moment, he glanced at the cold axe in Loshanda’s hand and smiled.
"Alright! Let this old monk speak plainly. To achieve this wonderful matter and facilitate good karma between your tribe and the Shiba Clan, the key lies in ’pointing’. Just allow me to return, and I will ’point’ the disciples and nobles, to convey the required words..."
"The Shiba Clan will realize their perilous situation and come to me proactively. I’ll show them a clear path to establish a branch family in Ezo land. And at Ezo land, there happens to be the Kaozaki Family, in our sect’s control. Our sect will have the Kaozaki Family change their doors and serve them as the Family Head, though it will require marriage. And the Wakasa Takeda Family bloodline of the Kaozaki Family, originating from the Qinghe Minamoto Clan, is actually acceptable to the Shiba Clan..."
"Wait! Kaozaki Family? Why is it the Kaozaki Family?!..."
"Of course, it is the Kaozaki Family! In this affair of good karma, your Shandan Tribes need not appear, nor reveal your name. You just need to, once the Shiba Clan reaches Ezo land, fetch them immediately and ’care’ for them tightly! As for the negotiation with the Shogunate, Tiantai Sect, and the initial operations of the Shiba Clan, leave it all to this old monk!..."
Saying this, Master Juehui’s eyebrows and eyes showed compassion, sighing softly. The forthcoming operation is laborious and taxing, requiring extensive effort! Were it not for his life being in the hands of the Shandan people, having caused this great misfortune, and needing the Shandan people’s gold to smooth it over... he certainly wouldn’t offer such a desperate condition!
"Amitabha! After pointing the Shiba Clan, they need to initiate seeking an official position from the Shogunate. As for the position of Ezo Guardian, it is not particularly troublesome for the Shiba Clan’s family to manipulate. I will secretly intervene, to clear the obstacles among the nobility. Naturally, this will inevitably call for some offerings and means..."
"General Yi Cheng has just inherited the position, young in age. He won’t pay much attention to this conferment, at most knowing there’s an Ezo local called Kaozaki Family, related to the Tiantai Sect, he won’t be aware of your Shandan Tribe’s existence. To him, conferring an obscure and remote position, essentially casting the Shiba Clan far with distance, also counts as a ’good deed’..."
"The Shiba Clan is under the protection of my Tiantai Sect, from the request to conferment, naturally all will be under the name of my Tiantai Sect integrity. However, even the main temple of Hiei Mountain Enryaku Temple will not know the full story of this matter. Even the Monk Masters of my branch will know only half, knowing the Kaozaki Family and Shandan Tribe are related. As for Monk Masters of other temples, they might hear some rumors, true and false, but certainly none will step forward to obstruct..."
"This matter must proceed quickly! No need to wait for the Shogunate’s procedures to finish, as long as the two kids of the Shiba Clan have commenced seeking official roles, they can be shipped to Ezo land immediately! They will be directly sent to your hands, along with those twenty Shiba’s retainers! As for how to bind this ’good karma’ once they arrive, your Shandan Tribe excels in force, certainly not requiring me to teach..."
"And once my Tiantai Sect has acted as guarantor, along with the intervention of noble people, the Shogunate General’s appointment comes through, everything will settle down! At this time, the Kaozaki Family might react, but your Shandan people’s army can easily march southward at any time, and my Tiantai Sect’s influence can silence them... nothing significant will happen!"
