Chapter 712 The First Immortal Body: Eight Hundred Bhikkhunis (Part 2) [5600]
"Eight hundred Bi...Quni?" Lin stared blankly at the head of a woman with a peaceful face in the brocade box in front of her.
"You must have heard of the story of the Eight Hundred Bhikkhunis, right?" Toyotomi Nobuhide turned the brocade box in his hand and carefully looked at the brocade box in his hand with an intoxicated look as if he were looking at some precious artwork.
The head contained in the box.
"In order to get eight hundred bhikkhunis... I also spent a lot of effort..."
…
…
Ogata, Amachi, Genichi, and Genmasa rode in the carriage driven by Asai.
Mamiya, Makimura, Azuki, Hatsumi, and Shibata took the carriage driven by Shimada.
Driving a carriage is not an easy task.
Regardless of the difficulty of controlling the horse, the driver must pay a lot of attention to the road conditions alone.
There are no smooth highways in this era, they are basically dirt roads with potholes.
If you are not careful, your wheels will fall into a huge pothole that is difficult to drive out of.
For this reason, Asai, who was responsible for playing forward, had to focus on the road ahead to prevent the car from driving into a difficult place...
Just when Asai was concentrating on driving the carriage, an old voice that was very unfamiliar to Asai suddenly came from behind him:
"Yes, just go straight along this road. Go to the end and turn right."
The owner of this old male voice is none other than Xuan Zheng.
Listening to Xuanzheng's instructions, Asai couldn't help but frown slightly.
Who is this old guy...?
This question has been lingering in Asai's mind since just now.
Previously, when he just started the carriage, this old guy suddenly jumped out and instructed him to turn into the narrow path ahead.
After that, the old guy continued to give him various traveling instructions just like before, guiding him in which direction to turn and where to go.
Because he needed to concentrate on driving, Asai couldn't find the energy to ask the old man's identity, so he could only obediently follow the old man's instructions to drive.
After following the old man's instructions and walking all the way to the end of the current path, I saw a fork in the road.
After turning right, you entered a wide, flat avenue.
This avenue is much easier to walk than the trail just now. Not only is the road wide, but there are no potholes, so you can move forward boldly and confidently.
No longer needing to concentrate on carefully observing the road surface, Asai finally had the time to clarify the questions in his mind one by one.
"...Can you come and explain to me who this old man is who has been giving me directions just now?" Asai asked loudly to the car behind him without looking back.
As soon as he finished asking questions, he heard Xuan Zheng smile "ho ho".
"My name is Xuan Zheng."
"Now... let me be the one to help you."
"I have already negotiated with Mr. Toyotomi Genichi and the others before."
Xuan Zheng raised his eyes and glanced at Yuan Yi, who was sitting directly opposite him.
"I know the location of the dock where Nikki Maru and Hulu Maru are parked."
"I'm here to show you the way and help you reach the dock."
"Just obey my instructions. I have walked from Mount Koya to the dock where the battleships are parked countless times. I have memorized the route and other things by heart."
Asai was already full of questions. After hearing what Xuan Zheng said, Asai felt that there were even more questions in his mind...
Ogata and his team are no strangers to Nikki Pills and Gourd Pills.
Last night, when we rode a carriage overnight to Mount Koya, Hatsumi told everyone all the information she knew about the Toyotomi clan.
Including the two sailing battleships Nikki Maru and Gyūmaru purchased from the British Empire by the Toyotomi clan, each with 70 guns.
As for Xuanzheng, Asai also knew who he was.
"...Genichi-san, what on earth is going on?" Asai endured his temper and asked Genichi in the car behind him.
There is no need to hide anything from his subordinates.
Genichi deliberately spoke loudly about a series of things they had encountered in Mount Koya so that Shimada, who was following behind in another car, could hear clearly.
When they were still on Mount Koya, and when they had just decided to pursue Toyotomi, Xuan Zheng said something shocking:
"Since you are determined to pursue Nobuhide...then let me help you. I will show you the way. I know the specific location of the dock where the Nikki Maru and Hyundai Maru are parked."
Hearing Xuan Zheng's offer of help, Yuan Yi frowned and asked him on the spot: Why did he help them like this and what reward did he want.
Xuanzheng's answer was concise and powerful: I don't need any reward, I am willing to help you for free, I just want to help you find trouble with the Toyotomi clan.
Time is running out and there is no room for hesitation.
Anyway, this attack on Koyasan was originally a gambling operation. Gambling Lin and Isshiki's family were all in Koyasan.
They didn't mind taking another gamble. After a very brief discussion, Ogata, Genichi and others decided to trust Xuan Zheng and let Xuan Zheng show them the way to the dock.
After listening to Yuan Yi's explanation of the cause and effect, Asai immediately frowned, turned his head, and stared at Xuan Zheng behind him:
"...You guy...are actually willing to help us for free...Do you have any grudge against the Toyotomi clan?"
"That's right." Xuan Zheng replied very readily, "The Toyotomi clan and I...no, I should say: I have a huge grudge against Toyotomi Nobhide."
"I even wished...to see Toyotomi Nobuhide die in front of me on the spot."
"As long as I can see Toyotomi Nobuhide die in front of me, even if I die immediately, I can rest in peace."
"As long as it's something that can make Toyotomi suffer, I'm willing to help for free."
"You plan to pursue Toyotomi and intercept them at the dock, which will cause huge trouble for the Toyotomi clan. How can I not help you with all my strength?"
After saying that, Xuan Zheng let out a sinister "ho ho ho" laugh.
At this moment, Ogata, who was sitting opposite Xuanzheng, stared at Xuanzheng closely and said slowly:
"...As far as I know, you have been doing your best to help Toyotomi Nobuhide research the 'Immortal Power'."
"Even if your apprentice Xuanzhi abandons you, you will still never leave Toyotomi Nobhide..."
"You are obviously supposed to be Toyotomi Nobhide's right-hand man... why are you locked up in an underground prison, and why are you so hostile to Toyotomi Nobhide, and why are you even willing to help those who are against him?"
"...You really know a lot of things." Xuan Zheng raised his eyebrows, raised his gaze, and glanced at Ogata, "Even Xuan Zheng knows..."
Ogata: "Not only do I know Gennao, but I also met him in Ezo a few months ago."
"Have you... met Xuanzhi?"
Ever since Ogata first met Xuan Zheng, Xuan Zheng had always had a smile on his face that made people look extremely uncomfortable.
It was only at this moment... that Ogata finally saw... other expressions besides the "disgusting smile" on Xuan Zheng's face.
"...Xuanzhi...how are he doing now?" Xuanzheng's eyes flickered, as if he felt uneasy, he kept twisting his neck and rubbing his hands.
"Honestly it's not good."
Ogata informed Xuanzheng in a concise and concise manner about Xuanzhi's current situation of split personality.
"That's it..." Ogata finished his words and Xuanzheng's head dropped slightly, "Xuanzheng...has become like this now..."
"Ho ho... that's fine... as long as he's still alive."
After taking a deep breath, that extremely uncomfortable smile appeared on Xuan Zheng's face again.
"Mr. Ogata Ittosai, you just asked me: Why am I, who should be Nobhide's right-hand man, now hostile to Nobhide?"
"Ho ho ho... Since you know the existence of the 'immortal power', do you know where the 'immortal power' comes from?"
Ogata and others shook their heads without any secret.
"Don't you know...then...let's start from this place."
…
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"Whether it was before or now, I have never forgotten the great cause of 'overthrowing the Edo shogunate and restoring Toyotomi'."
Toyotomi Nobuhide said to Lin calmly and in a righteous tone.
"You can't overthrow the Edo shogunate if you stay in your hometown."
"So, I came here ten... a few years ago? Anyway, it was more than ten years ago that I decided to leave home, leave Xiaolin and you, go out into the outside world, hone myself, and prepare myself for defeating Jiang in the future.
The shogunate saved money and cultivated its own power."
"However, only half a year later, after seeing the world outside my hometown with my own eyes, I gradually realized that even though the Edo shogunate is now decayed, it is still a behemoth whose status is hard to shake."
"If I accumulate financial resources and recruit troops step by step, I'm afraid I won't be able to successfully overthrow the Edo shogunate until my death."
"So I decided to find another way to defeat the Edo shogunate."
"And it happened that I met Master Xianyuan at that time."
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"Master Xianyuan is also an incredible lunatic..."
Xuan Zheng shook his shoulders and let out a low chuckle.
Although he was old, his voice was very loud. Even if there was interference from the noise of the carriage, his words could still be clearly heard by everyone on the "Shimada Car" behind him.
"On the surface, Master Xianyuan is a kind-hearted old monk with profound Buddhist teachings."
"But in essence, he is a devout believer at best, and an extreme fanatic at worst."
"His lifelong ideal is to spread Buddhism widely, and he wishes that everyone would believe in Buddhism."
"However, as long as the Edo shogunate exists, his ideal will never be realized."
"After all, the Edo shogunate has always had a suppressive attitude towards Buddhism. How could it be possible for your Buddhism to become bigger?"
"So Master Sengen has always been extremely dissatisfied with the Edo shogunate that suppressed Buddhism."
"And it was precisely because of this that he was able to quickly form an alliance with Nobuhide, who was determined to overthrow the Edo shogunate."
"As a holy land with a history of thousands of years, Mount Koya has never suffered the same devastating damage as Mount Hiei. Therefore, during these thousands of years, Mount Koya has collected countless cultural relics and ancient books."
"There are so many cultural relics and ancient books that even the monks on Mount Koya can't even read them."
"Nobuhide, who was determined to use evil methods to deal with the Edo shogunate, decided to go to Mount Koya with the help of Sengen Shonin and read through the ancient books accumulated in Mount Koya for thousands of years. Among these ancient books, he was looking for someone who could defeat the Edo shogunate.
evil ways."
"Nobuhide is also very patient."
"The collection of classics in Mount Koya is so vast that it makes people feel dizzy just looking at them."
"But Nobuhide was able to patiently read through these ancient books one by one. He stayed in Mount Koya and read the books for half a year."
"And the six months he spent on Mount Koya... were not in vain."
"In an inconspicuous corner of the book collection in Mount Koya, he found an ancient book without a cover and in dilapidated condition."
"There are no other things recorded in this ancient book."
"Only the stories of...eight hundred bhikkhunis were recorded."
Having said this, Xuan Zheng suddenly changed the subject.
"Do you know the eight hundred bhikkhunis?"
"I know..." Amachi, who has always loved listening to storytelling, was the first to answer, "It's that folk legend... about the bhikshuni who became immortal by eating mermaid meat and lived to be 800 years old."
[Note: Bhikshuni: In Japan, nuns are called bhikshuni, and bhikshuni is the transliteration of Sanskrit]
"That's right." Xuan Zheng nodded, "That's the eight hundred nuns."
"There are countless folklore related to the Eight Hundred Bhikshunis."
"But the content of each legend is very similar."
"A certain woman from Wakasa Country mistakenly ate the flesh of a fish with a human face, and her body became immortal. No matter how many years have passed, she has always remained young."
[Note: Wakasa Country: Wakasa Country is located to the north of Kyoto, and its territory is approximately the Lingnan area of present-day Fukui Prefecture]
"After living for a long time, she became tired of the world and became a nun after seeing the harshness of the world."
"Finally, after living for 800 years, he died in a cave in Wakasa Country."
"However, the ancient book Nobuhide found recorded a story that was different from every folk rumor about the eight hundred bhikshunis."
"The story about a woman who accidentally ate mermaid flesh appeared in Wakasa Country. The content recorded in ancient books is completely consistent with the content of folklore."
"But going forward, the content is completely different."
"According to that ancient book, the eight hundred nuns did not live eight hundred years."
"After eating mermaid meat, she gained more than just immortality. While her body became immortal, her physical fitness was also greatly enhanced."
"Even if you have never learned martial arts, you can easily defeat one against a hundred."
"At the same time, he also possesses a terrifying recovery ability. No matter what kind of injury he suffers, he can quickly recover as before."
"The body became like a monster, which frightened the eight hundred nuns very much."
"But no matter what she does, she can't get her body back to the way it was before."
"In despair, only the Dharma, which she had believed so deeply in before, could bring her peace."
"So she became a nun and converted to Buddhism."
"More than a hundred years later, eight hundred bhikkhunis met a man named 'Qing' by chance."
"The ancient book didn't mention much about how Qing and the Eight Hundred Bhikshunis met and became familiar with each other. All these contents were briefly mentioned."
"I only wrote: After the two met, they quickly became irresistible friends."
"Out of trust in Qing, eight hundred nuns informed Qing of their identity as 'immortal'."
"Qing was very sympathetic to the plight of the eight hundred bhikshunis, so she made up her mind to help the eight hundred bhikshunis recover and become normal people."
"The two embarked on a journey together to find a way to recover."
"The ancient books did not record how long the two traveled together. They only wrote: After spending a long time, although the two did not find a way to restore the eight hundred bhikshunis to ordinary people, they found a way to suppress the 'immortality'.
's method."
"They got a prescription from a witch doctor from Tang Dynasty."
"Swallowing the medicine made from this recipe can suppress the power of immortality in the body, preventing the eight hundred bhikkhunis from dying again."
"The contents of this prescription are roughly mentioned in ancient books, and the required medicinal materials are all herbs that can be found everywhere. It is unimaginable that a medicine that can suppress the power of immortality can be made with just such common herbs."
"The eight hundred bhikshunis who were tired of living long ago decided to return to dust and dust to dust after receiving the prescription."
"In the end, she convinced Haru and used the prescription to make a medicine that could suppress the 'power of immortality'. She returned to her hometown of Wakasa Country, swallowed the medicine in a cave, and then ended up killing herself.
My own long life.”
"Before Eight Hundred Bhikkhuni committed suicide, she was afraid that her monster-like body might have a bad impact on the soil or air, so she asked Qing not to let her be buried in the ground or to burn her body after her death.
Corpse, directly seal the cave, leaving her alone in the cave to achieve eternal peace."
"It is no longer possible to determine who actually wrote this ancient book."
"But I guess this ancient book might have been written by that Qing."
"In order to commemorate this friend who went through a long journey together and finally chose to commit suicide in a small cave somewhere, I left this book recording her life."
"If other people saw this ancient book, they would probably think it was a story book written by an ancient person who was bored."
"But Nobuhide doesn't think so."
"Nobuhide, who has read this ancient book carefully several times, feels that this ancient book is written with sincerity and does not look like it was made up at all."
"So he became very interested in the 'power of immortality' and decided to go to Wakasa Country and follow all the clues mentioned in this ancient book to find the place where eight hundred bhikkhunis committed suicide."
"Nobuhide always has a lot of patience in some strange places."
"Guess how long he spent searching for the place where eight hundred bhikkhunis committed suicide?"
"It took him three years."
"He searched every piece of land in Wakasa country based on the clues provided in ancient books."
"In the end, he succeeded in discovering a cave that was buried by humans in a deep mountain."
"After digging out the entrance of the cave, Nobuhide found the body of a young woman... sitting cross-legged on the ground and committing suicide."
…
…
"Although there are many valuable clues recorded in that ancient book."
"But it took me three years to find the place where eight hundred nuns committed suicide."
Toyotomi Nobuhide let out a long sigh.
"Don't mention how difficult those three years were!"
"I have traveled to every inch of Wakasa. I am more familiar with Wakasa than my hometown."
"Fortunately, these three years of hard work have not been in vain..."
Toyotomi Nobuhide once again cast a gentle look at the head in the brocade box, as if he was looking at a work of art.
"It took me three years to finally find you..."
"Maybe it's because of the 'power of immortality'. Even though she has been dead for so long, the body of the eight hundred bhikshuni has not decayed at all. If I hadn't seen the astonishing thickness of dust accumulated on her body, I would have thought that this was the case. Did the person just die?"
"At that time, after reading that ancient book, I was thinking about the eight hundred nuns who became immortal after eating mermaid meat."
"So……"
The smile on Toyotomi Nobuhide's face gradually became intriguing.
"What will happen to you after you eat the flesh of eight hundred bhikkhunis?"
"So after I finally found the bodies of eight hundred bhikkhunis, I immediately started the experiment impatiently."
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The story of the eight hundred nuns mentioned in this article was adapted by the author based on a true Japanese legend. According to the true Japanese legend, the eight hundred nuns finally died in a cave in Wakasa Country. Those who are interested in the legend of bhikshuni can refer to the "Writer's Words" below for details.
By the way, the author will post here what is said to be the final place of death of eight hundred bhikshunis. This place is located in Kongyin Temple in Japan. Those who are interested can visit it in the future. This place should be able to visit (probably... )→→