"There is the Supreme Hua Wuliang, who casts Huaguang, the master of heaven and earth."
Along with the chanting of the Buddha's name, the soft yet solemn golden light of Buddhism illuminated the living room of the Matou family.
"At that time the Buddha told the Bodhisattvas and the four groups of gods and humans: 'In the past, I have sought the Lotus Sutra for countless times without getting tired. Among the many, I have always been a king. I have made a vow to seek the supreme Bodhi, and my mind has never retreated."
"At that time the World-honored One reiterated this meaning and said in verse—"
After a month of repeated recitation, Shinji had memorized the scripture engraved in the relic by heart, and was becoming more and more adept at using the power of the relic to resist the curse.
Under the guidance of the scriptures, the Buddha's light turned into two streams. One stream went up along the left arm, flowing through most of the body and finally gathered at the right shoulder to fight against the curse. The other stream went straight through the overlapping palms and penetrated the right wrist, directly attacking the curse.
With a two-pronged approach of attacking from both sides, after a month, the vicious curse developed by "White Wing Prince" specifically for magicians was firmly sealed in his right arm, and it could not move forward even a little.
What is even more miraculous is that whenever a part of the arm is about to rot, the Buddha's light will act on it from the outside, gradually restoring it to its original state. Because of this, the right arm that has been eroded by the curse for a month has not lost its function.
Watching the black stinking meat in front of her slowly turn back to its original color, Lorelaia finally let go of half of her worries, and the other half was because - "This is only a temporary relief, the curse is still lingering in your body, do you intend to continue like this?"
Shinji shook his head after reciting the scripture. Before he could speak, a black shadow emerged from under the cloak and climbed onto Shinji's red and black mottled right arm in an instant.
It was not until this time that everyone could see the true identity of the black shadow.
This is a cat that can just be held up by two hands. Its fur is shiny black without a trace of other colors, and its beautiful eyes are brighter than the finest bloodstone.
The black cat crouched on Shinji's arm, its slender tail brushing lightly across the latter's cheek.
Shinji nodded slightly at it, and the black cat bit the middle of his right arm, the part that was still emitting the strange smell a few minutes ago.
"Ah—" Sakura screamed and subconsciously wanted to step forward to drive away the cat that hurt her brother, but stopped before taking action.
She saw a very strange scene. The black cat's fangs had clearly pierced Shinji's skin, but not a drop of blood flowed out, and there was no sign of pain on Shinji's face.
This scene lasted for more than a minute. The black cat opened its mouth and wiped the corners of its mouth with its two front paws, as if it was a noble lady who had finished her meal.
It swept Shinji's cheek with its tail again, jumped off the right arm with light steps, found the most comfortable position on the sofa, lay down, closed its eyes, and seemed to fall into a deep sleep.
"What is this-?" Loreleija asked.
"This is a companion I met while traveling." Shinji kept his hands clasped together without moving, which looked quite solemn and majestic.
"elder brother?"
"Shinji?"
The sudden change in tone caused everyone to be confused.
"I am already a monk, so it is better not to use a worldly name."
"Brother, what's wrong with you?" Ying was a little anxious.
"My poor monk's name—"
"Matou Shinji, have you had enough of this? It's not like I haven't dealt with Buddhist monks before, but none of them are like you, too contrived."
After being criticized by Loreleija, Shinji's disguise was immediately exposed.
"Pretentious? I always thought that a great monk should be like this. Didn't you see that Tang Monk in Journey to the West said this? I came from the Tang Dynasty in the East and went to the West to seek the true scriptures. Besides, you see I have such a big bald head, it would be unreasonable if I didn't play a great monk."
Hearing such nonsense, Lorelaia's face was full of helplessness: "How can you inherit Buddhism in this state?"
"Maybe this is why I have a connection with Buddha." Shinji said perfunctorily while winking at Sakura - the matter of the relic must be kept secret.
Sakura blinked—I understand, brother.
Lorelaia didn't notice the little trick between the siblings, and said thoughtfully: "This does sound a bit like Buddhism, but Buddhism is stricter than the Holy Church in some aspects. Are you willing to abide by those rules and regulations?"
"Japanese Buddhism doesn't have so many restrictions." Shinji shrugged nonchalantly, "You can eat meat, get married, and have children."
"It doesn't seem to make any difference."
Ying stared at her brother's bald head and thought that it was actually quite good. The brother with hair was very handsome, and the brother without hair was also very handsome.
"There is no difference." Shinji laughed, "And even if there is, it doesn't matter. At most, I will become a monk who breaks his vows and eats meat and drinks."
"Shinji, you are blaspheming the Buddha."
Tsuruya preached to the child. Japan worships Buddhism, and most citizens have a certain understanding of Buddhism, whether they believe in Buddhism or not, even the magic family like the Matou family is no exception.
"Father, you don't understand Buddhism." Shinji shook his head.
"Then you understand?" He said unhappily.
Shinji stretched out his left hand, which was still glowing light golden, and asked, "What is this?"
Tsuruya answered: "This is your hand."
Shinji shook his head twice: "No, this is Buddha's hand."
The crane was puzzled: "Why do you say that?"
"I'll answer this question for you later. Let me ask you again, what is this?" Shinji said as he stretched out a foot.
Tsuruya tentatively answered: "Is this the Buddha's foot?"
Shinji still shook his head. "No, it's pig's feet."
He was getting more and more confused. "Why is this?"
"Buddhism is different from Christianity, which believes that God is supreme, and Catholicism, which believes that Allah is supreme. Buddhism believes that all beings are equal and that everyone can become a Buddha. So whether I say that I am a Buddha or a pig, there is no exaggeration or derogation, and there is no blasphemy. Besides, doesn't Buddhism believe that all dharmas are empty, colorless and formless, and immeasurable? If so, why should we be so bound by the rules and regulations? As the saying goes, 'Wine and meat pass through the intestines, but the Buddha sits in the heart.' Being obsessed with wine and meat is just being attached to appearances and falling into the lower realms."
"I didn't realize you were interested in Buddhism. Do you plan to join Buddhism in the future?"
Shinji naturally denied Lorelei's question: "How is that possible? I have you and El-Melloi protecting me in the Clock Tower. I am so comfortable that I don't want to leave. It's just that I have to travel around the world in the future. In East Asia and Southeast Asia, the identity of a Buddhist monk is more useful than a magician."
"That's true." Lorelaia agreed. "Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore. Let's talk about this black cat. How did we find it? Familiars that can devour curses are rare even in the mythological era."
"Yeah, yeah, I want to know too. It looks very cute." Ying agreed and wanted to go up and touch the black cat, but was afraid of waking it up.
"I didn't find it, it found me."
Shinji lowered his head, looking at the little guy sleeping soundly, and his thoughts flew back to a month ago.