21st Century Necromancer-Chapter 273 - 270 Buddha Beads

If Jounouchi Hiromi had encountered an Arhat’s manifestation in the past, she might have felt excited and thrilled, but now that she herself had become a transcendent being and knew that the Arhat manifested to guard against her, her mood was no longer as bright. Instead, she felt a bit gloomy.

Consequently, she even gave the sandalwood prayer beads that had been blessed by a True Arhat to her mother without the slightest intention of keeping them for herself.

"What’s the matter, Hiromi? Still upset about that old monk?" Chen Yu sat down next to a sullen Jounouchi Hiromi, hugged her shoulders, and stuffed a peeled orange into her mouth.

"Mmm~ That was my first time seeing a real Buddha, and he showed up to guard against me. How could that make someone happy!" Jounouchi Hiromi complained to Chen Yu, discontentedly munching on the orange.

Though she wasn’t particularly concerned or angry, it was indeed depressing to be guarded against by someone... no, by Buddha himself for the first time. It even affected the good mood she had had since becoming a transcendent.

"How dare they disrespect my master so! The great Child of the Storm, rider of the Legendary Blue Dragon Lightning, Gestaniius, shall destroy that temple!" Xiao Lan, now in the form of a gray cat, ranted to Jounouchi Hiromi and Chen Yu, as if it were ready to transform back and demolish the Buddhist temple then and there.

"Don’t you dare!" As soon as Jounouchi Hiromi heard Xiao Lan say this, she quickly grabbed its tail and pulled it back, suppressing its opinion, "I’m just feeling gloomy, not looking for revenge! Stop causing trouble, Xiao Lan!"

Without Jounouchi Hiromi’s permission, Xiao Lan couldn’t transform at all, not even from a gray cat into a mini dragon. Nevertheless, it continued to struggle in Jounouchi Hiromi’s arms, emphasizing its name: "I am the great Child of the Storm! Rider of Lightning! I am Gestaniius! Not Xiao Lan!"

New novel chapters are published on freewёbn૦νeɭ.com.

"I get it, I get it! No need to repeat it so many times. Your name is too long, so calling you Xiao Lan is just more convenient." Jounouchi Hiromi said, hugging Xiao Lan like a cushion and vigorously rubbing its head. Your journey continues at novelbuddy

After rubbing Xiao Lan for a while, her mood seemed to improve a bit. Though still gloomy, she felt relieved enough to voice her doubts to Chen Yu.

"Mr. Chen Yu, was the Buddha we met a monk who used to practice at Risseiji Temple?" Jounouchi Hiromi asked curiously. She was deeply impressed by the old monk but didn’t think he resembled Buddha; he seemed more like an ordinary old monk.

"I’m not sure about that. What I could sense was that there was the power of incense and Buddha-nature in him.

He is not a living being but a manifestation of incense and Buddha-nature that has acquired Spiritual Intelligence after fusing together," Chen Yu thought for a moment before explaining the old monk’s origin to Jounouchi Hiromi, "His appearance is likely that of an old monk who once practiced at Risseiji Temple, but he himself is not that monk.

Rather, he’s like an embodiment of all the monks who practiced there and left behind their Buddha-nature."

"Within the bounds of the Buddhist Temple, his power is equivalent to a Legendary-rank transcendent, but he cannot leave Risseiji Temple because his power comes from the incense and Buddha-nature accumulated over a thousand years. Without these, he would not be able to exert his power. So I say he’s just a Dharma Protector Arhat because he’s merely a guardian of Risseiji Temple."

"Legendary, huh? Can Xiao Lan beat him?" Upon hearing Chen Yu, Jounouchi Hiromi’s gloominess seemed to subside a bit, and she became concerned about whether her steed could defeat the old monk.

Chen Yu couldn’t help but smile at Jounouchi Hiromi’s question, "If you, Hiromi, completely master your own power and allow Xiao Lan to unleash its full strength, given its former power as a Legendary Dragon, defeating that old monk wouldn’t be a problem. But as long as Risseiji Temple stands, that old monk is unbeatable. You can win against him but not utterly defeat him."

"Just a guardian spirit after all! Demolish his temple, and he’ll cease to exist!" Xiao Lan muttered in Jounouchi Hiromi’s embrace, grumbling about a solution to deal with the old monk and at the same time accepting the fact that Chen Yu said it couldn’t completely defeat the old monk.

"A thousand-year-old ancient temple, why would you want to tear it down!" Jounouchi Hiromi tapped Xiao Lan on the head to halt its violent speech then turned to Chen Yu with another question, "Mr. Chen Yu, what was the meaning of that Buddha reciting scriptures to us all night yesterday? And he even specially invited us for tea and to play chess with you."

"It doesn’t really mean anything, probably just to prevent us from actually demolishing Risseiji Temple. After all, if you and I joined forces, with you keeping him busy with Xiao Lan, he wouldn’t be able to stop me from tearing down the temple. However, I think he had no ill intentions, as we really just went there to visit.

That’s why he made a point of inviting us to tea last night, and when we left, he even gave you a strand of Buddha Beads blessed with Buddhist Law. That’s a good thing," Chen Yu explained half-jokingly.

"Good thing?" Recalling the Buddha Beads she had immediately handed to her mother, Jounouchi Hiromi suddenly became curious about what was so special about them.

"Though they seem like ordinary sandalwood prayer beads, they are likely used by temple monks and have absorbed Buddha-nature, making them quite the decent item. Moreover, the Dharma Protector Arhat personally consecrated them. For a regular person, just wearing them provides protection, much better than any possessing charm they might ask for.

It won’t necessarily prevent all illness, but minor ailments would almost be irrelevant to you, and ordinary evil spirits will avoid you.

Plus, sandalwood has a calming effect. Such prayer beads are rare treasures. As long as you worship with sincerity, you can maintain the Buddha-nature within them. Keep wearing them year after year, and when the time comes to pass away, your soul, imbued with Buddha-nature, can ascend directly to the Land of Ultimate Bliss.

For an ordinary person to acquire such beads, they would likely have to rebuild Buddha’s golden body."

"Ah? They’re that good? I’ll go tell mom right away to not just toss them anywhere like regular prayer beads." Jounouchi Hiromi hurriedly set down Xiao Lan, stood up, and ran out of the room to find her mother.