Chapter 1501 The Tainted Scroll

"Burn! Kill!"

"Burn! Kill!"

The shadowy whispers, like the sound before an earthquake, flowed and echoed from the courtyard pillars and corners.

Speaking human language, yet the emotions and texture of the voice were completely unlike a living being.

A massive and intense filth piled up and lingered on this painting.

And the serene-faced monk continued to sit peacefully in front of the painting.

Two candlesticks sat beside him, as if he were intently admiring the painting filled with resentment and hatred.

No compassion of the monk, nor any intent to purify filth; he was truly appreciating, appraising.

Priest Rihu was the creator of this painting.

Of course, he did not create the painting itself, which was barely of mid-level quality.

This painting was merely a room decoration bought by a wealthy family for a few silver coins from a calligraphy and painting shop.

What he created was the filth and hatred on this painting.

"Namo Wonderful Dharma Lotus Sutra."

Priest Rihu praised with the Buddhist chant of the Nichiren Sect while fiddling with the Buddhist bead in his hand.

He still remembered the several intriguing experiences in creating this painting.

To accumulate and enhance mere [Residual Filth] to this level, capable of harming countless people over a decade.

During the process, besides accumulating [Residual Filth], resentment and hatred naturally followed along with various chaotic elements.

After all, a lot remains after a person dies unnaturally.

[Residual Filth] is equivalent to the corpse’s leftover fluids; it stinks, but generally it’s just discomforting for a few days.

And those souls filled with resentment and fear typically transform into different entities due to various factors.

Most become resentful yet harmless wandering souls, eventually disappearing or being laid to rest by a priest, monk, or Yin Yang master.

A few turn into demons due to raging resentment.

A woman who lost her child, burdened with guilt and hatred, could become a Tengu.

Suffering from hunger to the grave, unable to forget that torment, may turn into a Hungry Ghost.

An old person abandoned in the mountains by their children, dying with resentment, might become a Mountain Witch.

And more, countless variations.

But under Priest Rihu’s manipulation, none of the people linked to deaths from [Residual Filth] became demons or even wandering souls outside.

"All are in the painting..." The Guardian Spirit [Dream-eating Mopan] sat beside him, even if Priest Rihu gently placed his hand on the painting, the resentment and filth within it could do him no harm.

He recalled the resentment in the painting from a woman who killed her husband in front of her young daughter and then took her own life.

At that time, she was entirely out of control under the torment of [Residual Filth].

Yet, even so, after dying and becoming a filthy wandering soul, she momentarily broke free from the influence of [Residual Filth] and had a brief moment of clarity.

And what did this woman do?

This woman who supplemented her income by selling woven bamboo baskets in the city, her dull mind managed to have a flash of insight after her death.

Perhaps, she used all her life’s wisdom at that moment?

She immediately realized that her soul and the filth from her death were controlled by something.

But she did not beg Priest Rihu like others, asking him to let her pass on.

She only asked—not to let the filth from her death latch onto her daughter.

Priest Rihu’s lips curled into a smile.

Every time he thought of the situation, he couldn’t help but smile.

Because afterwards, he ensured that the [Residual Filth] produced by that woman clung to her daughter.

Now, they both are in the painting.

As a result, even though the woman had become a wandering soul filled with resentment and hatred, she still relentlessly clung to him.

However...

"Vile creature, still trying to taint a noble’s body?"

As Priest Rihu stroked the painting, wisps of black air on the painting seemed intent on entangling him.

But the [Dream-eating Mopan] beside him inhaled, and the black air filled with resentment could only be helplessly drawn into its nose, only to be expelled back onto the painting.

"Haha! Hahaha!"

Even though it had been over ten years, Priest Rihu remained delighted with the situation.

"Vile creatures! Vile! Still trying to climb higher? Still seeking to overthrow? Life after life, you don’t get to decide even if you wish to vanish!"

Like evaluating an aromatic, crisp glass of wine, Priest Rihu habitually enjoyed bringing out the painting for admiration during his leisure.

The luxurious magic robe rustled against the tatami; after feeling pleased, he rolled the painting back up and stored it in the long box.

By this time, a monk who had been waiting outside finally dared to lower his head and come inside to speak.

"Esteemed Leader." The monk, robust and powerful, knelt respectfully upon entering and said, "Here are the recent accounts."

Saying this, the monk took out a booklet from the lining of his monk robe, respectfully keeping his head down, placing the booklet on the floor and pushing it forward.

During the Sengoku Period in Japan, temples and monks were not minor players.

Frankly, there were not many daimyos in the entire Japanese Archipelago who could speak upright in front of a temple.

Monks? They were like grand lords!

Just like any powerful religious organization eventually takes a path.

In its development process, the temple gradually expanded from a religious institution to an economic institution.

Temples began lending, accepting deposits, investing in businesses... resembling a brutally developing, incredibly strong usurer.

With money in a chaotic world comes people and fist power. The quality and armament of monk soldiers, the defensive facilities of the temples, often leave the nominal leaders of the region, the daimyos, dumbfounded.

Only in Mino was it ultimately swept through by Saito Dosan during the lower and upper exchange over a decade ago.

Moreover, the priest of Changzai Temple, although not purged by Saito Dosan at the time, was still in a sensitive position.

Therefore, the energy of Changzai Temple, compared to other temples in Japan with the same reputation at the time, could be described as too shabby.

But even so, considering Changzai Temple as a top-notch noble family within Mino is completely feasible. And it’s the type of noble family that operates in a violent and unreasonable manner.

Priest Rihu did not take the accounts.

He merely smiled kindly and asked, "Is it still Thirteen Cherry Blossom Village?"

The monk reporting the account was silent for a while but eventually nodded.

In fact, the accounts showed a profit, a figure unimaginable for many humble people.

In these times, any large temple only concerned itself with how much profit it made, never with losses.

But to the monks and the priest at Changzai Temple, the profit could still be seen as ’less.’

And they were dissatisfied or even angry about this ’less.’

"Thirteen Cherry Blossom Village also leased out cattle and horses this year, and the quantity is still larger than the previous year. The cattle and horses we lease from the temple, is it that..."

The monk cautiously looked up at the priest.

"Is the rental rate too low?"

During an agricultural era, farm animals are more precious than people, and this is common knowledge.

As a long-standing usurer, the temple naturally leased livestock.

Regulations and terms were meticulous; breeding had one price, working another, and the type and duration of work also had specified prices.

There were also corresponding contractual terms for the livestock’s weight changes and fat loss before and after rental.

But Thirteen Cherry Blossom Village, the livestock they nurtured in their village, seemed surprisingly easy to raise.

As time passed, they managed to take away part of this leasing business from Changzai Temple.

As a result, everyone at Changzai Temple loathed this village, claiming they did not revere the Buddha.

"Don’t worry about them." Priest Rihu said calmly, seemingly indifferent to the accounts and interest rates.

Yet the words that followed were still peaceful, though they sent shivers down one’s spine.

"Soon... tonight, they won’t be able to continue this business."

These words were chilling enough that even a bystander who only heard part of it could sense the malice and cold within.

But the monk who came to deliver the accounts was overjoyed: "Ah! So the priest has a way to punish those livestock that don’t revere the Buddha?"

He cared not for any benevolent Buddhist Technique, only the temple’s business.

If not for the concern that the Mino Viper might find an excuse to make a harsh move against Changzai Temple, these monks would have already used force against Thirteen Cherry Blossom Village.

Priest Rihu simply pinched the Buddhist Bead and smiled silently, while the monk, being tactful, bowed and left the courtyard joyfully.

"The [Residual Misery] has accumulated to its limit, come, let’s try."

After the monk left, Priest Rihu gently caressed the long box containing a scroll beside him, his expression serene.

"Let’s see, what can I turn the Mino Country, usurped by you, into! Falan Fang!"

As he spoke, Priest Rihu’s face grew hideous.

He gazed at the Changliang River and Rice Leaf Mountain across the courtyard, especially the ’ulcer’ invading the greenery atop Rice Leaf Mountain – Rice Leaf Castle.

For some reason he didn’t know, he subconsciously felt that although his temple was only a stone’s throw from this world-renowned Mino city fortress, Saito Yoshitada, the son of Saito Dosan who resided there, would not discover his moves.

But after all, as a monk who had undergone family education before later switching to study the Nichiren Sect, he remained cautious of the fortress across from him.

Saito Dosan had already entered the priesthood and stepped down from his position as patriarch.

No one in Mino had yet experienced the tactics of the current head, Saito Yoshitada.

But being careful never goes wrong.

With resentment and vigilance towards Saito Dosan’s usurpation of the kingdom, Priest Rihu cautiously resisted the inexplicable relaxation deep within his heart.

The [Dream-eating Mopan], emitting a dreamlike golden light like Spirit Stone, remained squatting beside him, neither happy nor sad.