Chapter 1498 Divided Spirit

Needless to say, the temple where he, as the Lord of the Country, shaved his head and became a monk must have deeper significance.

During the Warring States Period in Japan, it was common for daimyo and military generals to shave their heads and become monks.

Firstly, they knew themselves were heavily laden with sins of killing, seeking peace by converting to Buddhism.

Secondly, it was also a political tactic.

Buddhism had profound influence in Japan, to the extent of being able to incite religious wars. Converting to Buddhism could demonstrate one’s piety and attract followers.

And during power transitions, becoming a monk could help stabilize the situation for the successor without arousing suspicion. Additionally, after becoming a monk, former enemies would generally cease their relentless pursuit.

After all, upon becoming a monk, one is seen to have severed worldly ties, equating in religious view to being a dead person.

Of course, it is said like this, yet many daimyo continued to exert control after becoming monks. Saying they were detached from power was merely for show, deceiving people.

Nonetheless, shaving one’s head and becoming a monk was such an important political strategy that the temple overseeing Saito Dosan’s tonsure status would undoubtedly be extraordinary in Mino Country.

"The abbot of Changzai Temple is Priest Rihu."

Local warrior Takeda Hanbei quietly gave a brief introduction to the two outsiders.

"Priest Rihu was a powerful figure in Mino Country many years ago, the younger brother of Nagai Toyohisa."

In ancient Japan, commoners lacked surnames. Among noble families with both names and surnames, aside from competing in family name prominence, they also had to highlight their official ranks.

Hence, an official rank is interposed between the surname and the name.

Nagai Toyohisa, wherein ’Toyohisa’ denotes the rank or position, while Nagai Toshimasa is the original name.

Takeda Hanbei’s face showed embarrassment and a hint of apprehension.

He hesitated and continued: "Priest Rihu in his youth trained at Miaojue Temple’s main mountain with Lord Dao San; they were close friends."

"Later Lord Dao San ventured... into Mino, precisely by connecting with Priest Rihu, thus becoming a warrior of the Nagai Family in Mino."

"From then, he swiftly rose... to prominence."

Wuming and Lann’s expressions remained unchanged.

What was meant by ’entering Mino, swiftly rising,’ was merely Saito Dosan’s rise through cunning, eventually becoming the Lord of the Country.

Saito Dosan, recommended by Priest Rihu, became a warrior of the Nagai Family, but ultimately used methods to inherit the family name of the master family, changing his name to Nagai Kiyoshi.

Later, under the name Nagai Kiyoshi, he submitted to the Saito Family, continuing his ascent, using methods to inherit the Saito Family name, changing his name to Saito Risho.

The transformation of names portrayed Saito Dosan’s history of climbing to power.

As a warrior of Mino, Takeda Hanbei naturally avoided offending the revered.

But speaking of this, why is Priest Rihu still the abbot of Changzai Temple?

He was the person who introduced the ambitious Saito Dosan into Mino, facilitated his entry into the Nagai Family, and yet watched his family be engulfed by Dosan’s ambitions.

Nagai Toshimasa’s younger brother, Priest Rihu, ought to despise Saito Dosan, regretting bitterly.

Yet, he remains the abbot of Changzai Temple.

Saito Dosan deliberately chose this temple to shave his head, effectively adding prestige to Changzai Temple.

"Perhaps..." Takeda Hanbei, with head lowered as if knowing the thoughts of the people in the room, continued, "Even within a venomous viper, there might still exist a fragment of fleeting compassion and nostalgia."

Thus, after the successful conquest, letting go of a former friend turned enemy.

Humans are complex beings; perhaps in the ruthless climb to the top, their eyes burned merely with ambition.

But when the dust settles, maybe their eyes could accommodate other things.

"Alright." Amid the complicated sentiments arising from the situation, with a calm voice, Lann broke the silence. "Since we know the general direction, let’s prepare to act."

"Wh...?!"

Hanbei was taken aback by the abrupt shift in mood.

Wuming, seemingly with fewer thoughts, simply nodded obediently after a moment of surprise.

"Lord! Lord Lann!"

The sound of armor clasps tightening on [Smaug] grew more hurried; Takeda Hanbei, in shock, suddenly leaned forward from his originally composed kneeling position.

Supporting himself on both hands, it almost resembled a pleading position.

His gentle face became quite serious.

"I’ve said much, yet do you not understand? The key now in Changzai Temple does not lie in the temple itself, but in Lord Dao San’s attitude. He is still nostalgic!"

"So what if that’s the case, Hanbei?" Lann bizarrely asked him, "What does Saito Dosan’s attitude have to do with my wish to clear [residue] and prevent it from harming people?"

"Oh, you’re worried about our safety, and that we won’t be able to stay in Mino in the future? Don’t worry, the Qilin runs quickly and we won’t cause conflict, swiftly handle matters and swiftly leave, so no more people will die because of it."

Of course, I am not worried about your safety!

Hanbei, already weary, found his head exploding with wild thoughts.

Since last night, when the Qilin exhibited its transcendent form, Hanbei didn’t doubt it was the finest deity of the world.

No army would likely stop it, but, but...

"You will make an enemy out of Lord Dao San." Hanbei sternly warned with an earnest tone, "If that’s okay, do you not care?"

Ever since his teacher implicitly revealed the high esteem of the yet unformed Guardian Spirit on Lann, ’ruler of the world’ echoed in Hanbei and his father-in-law’s minds.

This continuous war over eighty-eight years had tormented the world too long.

To the point that even someone as gentle as Hanbei instinctively hoped truly a ’world ruler’ would appear, bringing peace to the world.

For a long time, traditional warriors like Ando Shouji have truly hoped to meet someone destined to rule the world, under whose command they could achieve feats renowned throughout the land.

So when Lann called out the name ’Qilin’, Hanbei subconsciously divided this move into two possibilities.

One: This is truly destined by fate.

Two: This is merely a means for an ambitious person to create momentum.

And clearly, in his mind, the second possibility held much weight.

In fact, from a personal perspective, Takeda Hanbei did not reject ambitious individuals. Throughout history, who among those who succeed can claim to have no ambition?

As long as it could bring about the peaceful and virtuous world his teacher spoke of, Takeda Hanbei did not care whether such a person was ambitious or not.

However, if one views Lann’s current actions in Mino as those of an ambitious person, then there is a ready success story to analyze as a benchmark.

Namely, Saito Dosan.

Mino Country encompasses more than a dozen counties, with a rice output of 650,000 koku, which is not surprising.

But it’s not far from Kyoto, with roads extending in all directions, and neighboring Owari connecting directly to the East Sea Road. From Kanzan nearby, it links to the Northern Country Road, East Mountain Road, and Ise Corridor, making it the hub of transportation in the land.

Anyone skilled in military affairs would certainly not overlook this place, a land contested by military strategists in the past!

Saito Dosan chose this place for a reason, and to Hanbei, Lann’s reason should be identical to Dosan’s!

Yet, initially, when Saito Dosan entered Mino, he had the appearance of a humble gentleman, praised by everyone.

He established good relations with the local powerful families and integrated into them, then gradually climbed up within the existing system of these families until he became the lord of the country.

And if Lann were to directly attack Changzai Temple now, not to mention building good relations with the current largest local clan, the Saito Family might directly become hostile to him!

Is this something an ambitious person could accept?

Unless...

"It doesn’t matter, Hanbei."

Lann finally fastened the buckle on his boots, clapped loudly, and smiled as he spoke.

"Isn’t this about urgently saving lives? As for what the Saito Family, Saito Dosan thinks of me...why should I care?"

"To be honest, if this source of [residue] truly is the temple, then perhaps many who have been tainted but are unaware, those whom I aim to save, might also denounce me and slander Buddhism?"

"But that doesn’t matter either."

Lann shrugged while fastening the Lady of the Lake’s Sword at his left waist.

"Saving people is my will. If idle gossip, hostility, and wariness from anyone could affect me, then my will would be far too cheap."

Hanbei still propped himself up with his hands on the ground, kneeling towards the Demon Hunter inside the room, but his eyes widened slowly at Lann’s response.

Unless... the man before him is not just an ordinary ambitious person no different from others.

Does he truly believe that to save people... even Saito Dosan! Do the hostilities of a lord mean nothing at all?

The so-called ’peaceful and virtuous world’ that the teacher who understands worldly affairs and knows the future spoke of...

"I... understand."

For some reason, Lann suddenly felt that the young warrior before him seemed far more serious than any situation he had previously seen!

Even at the end of the banquet last night, he never had such a solemn and serious expression.

Originally, his hands, hurriedly supporting him due to anxiety, subtly and smoothly changed their posture.

With the kneeling position, his stance silently transformed into a formal and solemn kneeling posture.

This posture is commonly seen in scenarios where warriors pledge loyalty to their lords.

A fantastical brilliance arose from behind Hanbei, with Bai Ze fluttering his ears, floating in mid-air.

"Oh my, have you already made up your mind, Hanbei?"

The young warrior did not look up but pleaded in a low voice.

"Please lend me your strength, teacher."

Then, Hanbei looked up earnestly towards the Demon Hunter, who was puzzled by the situation.

"And also, please accept this humble power!"

With that, Bai Ze in the air flew directly towards Lann.

Unlike the previous approach for observation, this time the old goat guardian spirit showed no intention of changing its trajectory even as it was about to crash into Lann.

Lann wasn’t particularly panicked, but his [Body Light] automatically emerged.

Bai Ze crashed straight into it and, within the glow, seemed to dissolve and vanish immediately.

On Lann’s complete [Body Light], aside from the still chaotic and unrecognizable lines, a sudden imprint formed as if etched, an image as fleeting as a shadow.

The shape was exactly that of Bai Ze.

"Oh! This is how it looks when it’s possessed by you! No wonder, no wonder!"

With a goat’s characteristic quiver, Bai Ze appeared on Lann’s shoulder.

At the same time, Lann experienced a wonderful feeling of being possessed by another guardian spirit besides the one that hadn’t yet formed.

"This is... [Divine Splitting]?"

Wuming curiously observed both Lann and Bai Ze.

"I’ve heard of it, but this is my first time seeing it!"