Chapter 3: Magical Artifact Red Sandalwood Fish!
As the Buddha’s shadow almost solidified, the tightly shut eyes of the Buddha statue slowly opened.
The golden light, which was about to reach its peak, suddenly dimd.
Did the enhancent… fail?
Staring at the unchanged Buddhist scripture, Lu Jin was slightly stunned.
He hadn’t expected that enhancent could actually fail.
But thinking about it, it made sense—if every enhancent succeeded, then this system would be far too overpowered.
Out of the three enhancent opportunities, two had already been used.
Only one chance remained.
What should I enhance next?
Lu Jin’s gaze swept across the hall and landed on the dicine Buddha statue in the center. But after thinking about it, he shook his head.
If even enhancing a Buddhist scripture had failed, enhancing the Buddha statue would probably be even more dependent on luck.
“Better to enhance sothing simple.”
Lu Jin picked up the wooden fish* in front of him.
[*A traditional wooden percussion instrunt used in Buddhist ceremonies and chanting.]
This wooden fish was an antique. According to the old master, it had existed since the dicine Buddha Temple* was first built.
[*Yakushi Temple]
He wondered what changes would occur after enhancent.
“Please don’t fail.”
Lu Jin took a deep breath and used his final enhancent opportunity on the wooden fish.
Swish!
A flash of light passed over it, and the fine cracks on the wooden fish disappeared. Its color turned into a faint shade of purple-gold.
As sunlight hit its surface, densely packed Buddhist scriptures appeared in its reflections.
[Purple Sandalwood Wooden Fish]
[After being imbued with the spiritual essence of nurous eminent monks, it has attained Buddhist nature. It aids in ditation, cultivates Zen, and wards off evil spirits.]
A purple sandalwood wooden fish?
This thing… should be worth quite a bit, right?
Lu Jin’s expression beca odd.
A wooden fish that could ward off evil and demons—this practically made it a magical artifact!
He had only ever heard of magical artifacts but had never actually seen one.
Throughout the Japan, Buddhist treasures that could be called magical artifacts were extrely rare.
Most of them ca from the Dragon Kingdom* and were enshrined in famous temples.
[*China in the other world]
A small temple like the dicine Buddha Temple had never even seen a magical artifact before.
And yet, with just one enhancent, he had obtained one. This was a massive gain.
Dong! Dong!
Lu Jin picked up the striker and lightly tapped the purple sandalwood wooden fish.
A clear and ethereal sound echoed through the hall, lingering in the air, resonating deep into the soul.
The excitent he had felt monts ago vanished the instant he heard the wooden fish’s chi.
His mind beca free of distractions, and in an instant, he reached enlightennt.
It was as if a group of highly accomplished monks were chanting sutras right beside his ear, guiding him toward spiritual awakening.
As the sound gradually faded, Lu Jin felt his comprehension of Buddhist teachings had deepened significantly.
This thing… is truly a treasure.
Looking at the wooden fish before him, Lu Jin couldn’t help but click his tongue in amazent.
If a single enhancent had such an effect, he couldn’t even imagine how powerful it would beco if he enhanced it multiple tis.
Tatatata!
Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps approached from behind.
Lu Jin turned around in surprise and saw two plainly dressed n rush in, their faces filled with fear and panic as if they had witnessed sothing terrifying.
They ran into the temple in such a hurry that they even forgot to perform the most basic greeting rituals.
“What brings you two here?” Lu Jin asked with a frown, gently tapping the wooden fish as he spoke.
The ethereal sound of the wooden fish echoed through the hall, and the two n, who had been in a state of panic, inexplicably cald down upon hearing it.
They exchanged glances, a hint of astonishnt appearing in their eyes.
They were residents of a small town near the dicine Buddha Temple. They had co to the temple in desperation, not expecting much help.
But to their surprise, this young monk actually seed to have so real skill.
With that thought, the two middle-aged n knelt down at once, pressing their foreheads to the ground.
“Master, we wish to request a Buddhist ritual from you.”
A Buddhist ritual?
Lu Jin’s gaze turned suspicious. Performing rituals was a major source of inco for temples. Since taking over the dicine Buddha Temple, he had conducted quite a few himself.
Each ritual earned at least three to four hundred thousand yen.
That was about ten to twenty thousand RMB*.
[*RMB is Chinese currency like Dollars in US, 1 RMB = 0.14 USD]
However, judging by the expressions on these two n’s faces, this ritual didn’t seem to be an ordinary one.
Still, it was extra money, and he wasn’t about to turn it down.
Since he had nothing else to do anyway, Lu Jin changed into his travel robes and nodded at the two middle-aged n.
“Let’s go.”
Before leaving the temple, Lu Jin made sure to bring the handwritten Buddhist scripture and the purple sandalwood wooden fish with him.
These were his lifelines.
At this point, the most valuable things in the entire dicine Buddha Temple were that scripture and the wooden fish.
To put it bluntly, even if he sold the entire temple, it probably wouldn’t be worth as much as these two Buddhist treasures, which were practically magical artifacts.
As they left the temple, the two middle-aged n led Lu Jin to a secluded small town.
Calling it a ‘small town’ wasn’t entirely accurate—it wasn’t backward, just remote, far from the bustling city.
Scattered two- and three-story wooden houses lined the area. The streets were narrow but well-maintained.
However, there was little sign of life.
Most of the town’s young people had left to work in the big cities, leaving behind mostly elderly residents.
As Lu Jin pondered this, the two n brought him to a three-story building.
Reviews
All reviews (0)