âHmmâ¦â
A deep voice echoed in the room.
âMaster, will this really expel the evil spirit?â
Staring at the smooth back in front of him, long black hair cascaded down the shoulders, reaching the waist.
A delicate, slender waist that could barely be grasped was firmly held by a pair of long hands.
Below the waist, a perfectly curvaceous peach-shaped figure moved rhythmically.
The side profile that turned inadvertently revealed an enchanting face, carrying an alluring charm.
A few drops of cold sweat gradually trickled down Lu Jinâs forehead.
He gritted his teeth and let out a muffled groan.
Moments later, the room fell silent.
Lu Jin straightened his monkâs robe, looking at the woman in front of him, who had now tied up her hair. Her cold expression still carried an irresistible mature allure.
His face remained calmly unreadable.
âI have practiced Buddhism since childhood. How could I possibly lie to you?â
âAn evil spirit has possessed you, which is why youâve been having nightmares lately. I used the Vajra Pestle of Buddhism to bless you. Within a month, the spirit will be exorcised and transcended.â
The beautiful woman nodded in half-understanding.
Although she didnât quite grasp why this method was used for exorcism, she didnât mind this rather unconventional âBuddhist enlightenmentâ.
After all, this young monkâs looks and temperament were very much to her liking.
Watching the woman leave, Lu Jin slowly stood up.
Though it wasnât his first time, practicing the âbody offeringâ technique too often was beginning to take its toll.
He pushed open the door, letting the warm sunlight bathe his body.
Lu Jin squinted slightly, his expression somewhat wistful.
He did not belong to this world.
More precisely, he was a transmigrator.
Over a decade ago, he was reborn into this world. Fearing heâd be caught and dissected for research, he had lived an inconspicuous life ever since.
This world was quite similar to the one he had left behind.
On the surface, it was a modern societyâpeaceful and prosperous.
He was born in Japan, and in this life, his father was the head monk, or
, of this Yakushi Temple.
His fatherâs ancestral home was in China, but decades ago, he had followed his elders to Japan.
There, he married a Japanese woman, enjoyed a cushy life, and inherited the temple.
After the old man passed away, Lu Jin naturally inherited the temple as well.
Japanese temples were different from Chinese ones.
Over 90% of them were privately owned, passed down from father to son for generations.
Moreover, Japanese monks werenât required to follow celibacy or abstain from alcohol. They could marry and have children.
Calling it a monastic life was more like describing a profession.
If that werenât the case, he would have to be insane to willingly become a monk.
Of course, the most important reason was that being a monk in Japan was a highly lucrative career.
Every temple owned vast amounts of land, and renting out land and property was one of their main sources of income.
Furthermore, temples monopolized over 99% of the funeral industry in Japan.
The vast majority of Japanese people chose to be buried in temple grounds after death, paying hefty annual maintenance fees for their gravesites.
On top of that, monks conducted ceremonies, received incense offerings, held Zen lectures, and sold prayer beads and Buddhist statues.
Even this modest Yakushi Temple that he had inherited brought in nearly ten million yen per year.
Converted to Chinese yuan, that was an annual income of around 500,000.
Stable income, high social statusâhe was quite the eligible bachelor on the marriage market.
Thinking about it this way, being a monk didnât seem too bad after all.
The only downside was having to stay in the temple all day, unable to casually go out.
And if he couldnât go out, how was he supposed to meet those young, attractive female believers?
As a result, he was left exchanging âBuddhist teachingsâ only with the mature women who came to pray.
Sure, older women were more understanding; they knew exactly what to do without needing guidance.
But after feasting on wild game for too long, one naturally crave something more delicate and fresh.
Compared to these countryside women, he still preferred the young bodies of the big cities.
âYoung people these days⦠they really arenât very devout anymore.â
âShould I take on some disciples?â
The thought briefly crossed Lu Jinâs mind but was quickly dismissed.
After all, Yakushi Temple was in a remote location, and its revenue wasnât that high.
Although it generated ten million yen annually, after deducting daily expenses and temple maintenance, there was barely anything left to save.
It was enough to support himself, but if he had to support a group of disciples as well, he might truly end up eating dirt.
With nothing else to do, Lu Jin walked toward the main hall.
In the central hall of Yakushi Temple, three Buddha statues were enshrined.
The central statue held a medicine jar and was known as
, also called
.
On either side, two bodhisattvas served as attendantsâ
(Solar Bodhisattva) and
(Lunar Bodhisattva).
The Medicine Buddha was typically worshiped to pray for healing and longevity, making it one of the more widely revered deities in Japan.
Lu Jin casually performed a few bows before the statues.
His attitude wasnât particularly devout, but it was proper enough.
Though he wasnât truly a devout Buddhist, since he had chosen this profession and was making a living from it, he had to at least keep up appearances.
If he didnât even put on a show, how could he convince others to believe in Buddhism?
So, whether one truly believed or not didnât really matter.
If one wants to persuade people to offer incense and donate money, the first step is to become a convincing fraud.