Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!-Chapter 1835 - 1322: At Death’s Door, the First Light of Buddha Appears

"Yuan Kuo's Golden Clan, Yuan Kuo's Golden Treasure... to re-establish a kingdom in the land of Shandan?..."

In the quarters of the family head, there was once again a long silence. Regarding his son and the elders' judgment, Takeda Nobuhiro reflected without speaking, unable to fully agree. He could only acknowledge clearly existing facts and would not make rash judgments.

"Buddha! The fact is, this Shandan clan has a formidable leader, elite followers, excellent armaments, and a vast amount of gold. They appeared from the north, supposedly originating from the far north snow plains. Their ancestral beliefs are very similar to the Flying Eagle of Yuan Kuo. They desperately need craftsmen and farmers, and they are also lacking livestock..."

Pausing his thoughts here, Takeda Nobuhiro fell silent once more. For all the facts pointed to the most probable explanation: this was indeed a Golden Clan of Yuan Kuo!

There were certainly many incomprehensible aspects to this. For example, why would the Golden Clan of Yuan Kuo lack livestock? Why do they all use bronze weapons? Yet all these could be explained. Perhaps the Far North Sea is too cold for them to rear livestock. Perhaps their tribes in the far north have livestock, just in small quantities. And possibly in the snow plains, they lack sources of iron ore, and their original ironware has rusted away...

Moreover, aside from the Yuan Kuo hypothesis, could there be any other more plausible explanation?

This clan's golden bronze, their large ships armed with firearms, their cultural heritage, their need for craftsmen, and the most compatible ancestral belief... It couldn't absurdly be said that they are unrelated to all the tribes of the world, suddenly emerging from the depths of the sea with much gold, just like merfolk, right?

At this moment, Takeda Nobuhiro sighed and shook his head helplessly. The information he knew was still too little, and what the Kaozaki Family knew was still too little! The massive information gap made it impossible for him to imagine the existence of another continent across the sea, and the possibility of a devout tribe worshipping the Hummingbird Chief Divine coming from afar under the guidance of prophecy, bearing gold!

The information one knows always determines the limits of one's thoughts. Just like the monk soldier Watanabe Masumi, who learned of the kingdom's inner situation from Zuwaro, knew of the vastness of the East Sea Continent, and had seen the kingdom's Gold Mountain, witnessed the kingdom's "shamanic customs." Thus, he would not consider this as "Yuan Kuo," but as the "Heavenly Mandate Mysterious Bird," descendants of "merchants" from thousands of years ago. His imagination and deduction were all based on his knowledge, knowing more and thus getting closer to the "truth"!

Yet at this moment, Takeda Nobuhiro, despite being a remarkable person of his generation, was led by the Shandan disguise Zuwaro had put on, to an unanticipated direction through second-hand information. In the unknown fog, he could only choose the explanation with the greatest possibility through comprehensive verification!

"Yuan Kuo's Golden Clan, Yuan Kuo's Golden Treasure! And the golden trade of the Yuan Kuo clan..."

Takeda Nobuhiro muttered softly, as a bright light gradually filled his aging eyes. If this indeed was such a noble and sensitive origin, then surely it was possible for the Kaozaki Family and this Shandan tribe to conduct business!

Because it's unlikely that Yuan Kuo's Golden Clan would covet the barren and narrow Ezo land; rather, they were more likely to re-establish their kingdom in the vast land of Shandan. Even if they truly settled in Ezo land, once the identity of Yuan Kuo's Golden Clan was spread... the Shogunate General would undoubtedly take notice! The powerful Muromachi shogunate or Koga Kubo would surely dispatch samurai armies to drive these once-invading dangerous enemies out of Ezo land!...

"The internal struggle of the shogunate generals and regents, the rise of local martial families, the clan disputes ascended from below, and the sudden appearance of the Golden Clan... Buddha! This surely is the prelude to the Age of Dharma Decline!"

"The true turbulent times are about to arrive. It's a pity I have reached my end and cannot see the reality of the chaos! Perhaps, this is also a fortunate thing! To leave in the fading order before the turmoil... cough, cough!..."

"Ah? Father? Your health?... Let me assist you to the bed for rest!..."

The rapid exhaustion of mental and physical energy left gravely ill Takeda Nobuhiro somewhat overwhelmed. With his son Mitsuhiro's support, he slowly lay back on the bed, the wrinkles on his face never seemed to smooth out, akin to gnarled tree bark.

He knew his son Mitsuhiro too well. Such a prelude to turbulent times, with Mitsuhiro's ambition, would certainly not allow him to remain idle. But could Mitsuhiro's cultivation and temperament handle such an unprecedented upheaval? Especially with the Shandan gold trade right before him, shining with inviting golden light...

"Cough! Cough!... Mitsuhiro, the Shandan people's gold trade harbors indistinguishable risks... You must not get personally involved; it's best to let reliable house elders and retainers handle it on your behalf! That way, even if something happens, you'll still have leeway, you must ensure leeway for yourself!..."

Takeda Nobuhiro lay on the bed, firmly gripping Mitsuhiro's hand. The once majestic lion seemed to suddenly lose all its strength, shrinking into an old cat. Yet this did not affect his wisdom or his far-sighted arrangements.

"Kudo!..."

"Family Head!"

"Dispatch reliable personnel, head to the Capital City immediately! Ask my close friend, Mori no Kiyoshi, to come as soon as possible!... Just say, I am gravely ill and dying, and I wish to see him one last time, to entrust him with some last affairs!..."

"Ah? Family Head!"

"Go! Hurry up!..."

"Yes!..."

Tears welled up in the old eyes of Shigeyasu Kudo as he bowed deeply, then hurriedly departed. After his retainers left, Takeda Nobuhiro looked at his son, managing to sit up straight and solemnly instructed him.

"Mitsuhiro, the seeds sown today will inevitably bear fruit tomorrow. The greater the cause and effect, the larger the invisible price. If you are not a truly high-level Buddhist follower, do not recklessly reach out for these causes and effects that can destroy you! No matter how beneficial they seem and with no apparent harm, no matter how much they resemble true Buddhist fate... if your cultivation is insufficient, you cannot bear them!"

"Therefore, I say again, do not personally involve yourself in the Shandan gold trade. Your cultivation is not yet adequate... Let the Kudo Chief Retainer handle the main family's transactions first. After the Kudo Chief Retainer leaves, then the Hougai Elder will take over. When facing challenging major decisions, you need not only consult with the house elders but also seek the guidance of your uncle, Mori no Kiyoshi!"

"His proficiency in Buddhist Law allows him to navigate with ease in the Capital City and has always been higher than mine. But in these moments nearing death, I can finally detach all distractions and barely surpass him!"

"But, Father?! This is the gold trade I initiated... yet you want me not to personally handle it?"

Upon hearing Takeda Nobuhiro's request, Mitsuhiro Kaozaki widened his eyes, finding it hard to understand. Despite the frustration brewing within him, he saw his father's rare vulnerability and plea. Ultimately, a sense of sorrow rose in his heart, and he asked quietly.

"Father, when will my cultivation be able to bear this gold trade?"

"Mitsuhiro, my son. In the Diamond Sutra, Subhuti once asked the Buddha how to subdue the mind. The Buddha said, 'When one sees forms that are not forms, they see the Tathagata.'... For our Martial Family, not being enraptured by external things, being able to see the truth of things, grasp the essential core, and resolve the encountered dilemmas—that is when cultivation is achieved."

"And you, are far from reaching this state! You have too many distractions and desires that are hard to sever, unable to grasp the essential truth..."

"Just like this time, from the battle, to ransom people, to trade, you were led entirely by the nose by the 'Chieftain of the Shandan People'! The opponent must have had great intentions, satisfying your wishes with 'Treasure Light,' letting you off this time... Had it been a life-and-death battle between martial families, you would have long been beyond burial!"

"Had you decisively not chosen to head north but led the tribute team southward instead, even at the cost of some martial family honor... all the initiative would have returned to the main family! If the Shandan Tribe continued southward, meeting the main family in our advantageous Japanese Land... things would have developed very differently!"

At this point, Takeda Nobuhiro gasped for breath, touching his son's cheek. He sighed deeply, filled with emotions, like an elder who has managed all his life but cannot grasp anything beyond death, sensing the vast terror of unpredictable fate.

"Mitsuhiro! This Shandan gold trade conceals too many things, leaving me uneasy! What worries me more is whether your burgeoning benefits from the gold trade can be adequately restrained by your cultivation at that time!"

"Buddha! I don't even know what to say! Buddha said, past mind is unattainable, present mind is unattainable, future mind is unattainable! This world truly is impermanent! In the whirlwind of pros and cons, how many can cut off all delusions, maintain precepts and character, calm the heart, and achieve transparent wisdom?"

"I only wish that after I am gone, the Kaozaki family doesn't climb too high and then fall into an abyss... Eventually ending up devoid, unable even to keep Japanese Land..."

"Oh! May it be able to sever diamonds with prajnaparamita... With wisdom capable of severing diamonds, reaching the other shore!"

In the quiet room, the gold talisman shimmered with golden light. Takeda Nobuhiro sat cross-legged, slowly closing his eyes. He softly recited passages from the Buddhist Scripture, the bizarre future turning to void in his thoughts. In the depths, only a golden flying bird, barely perceptible, rose from the Great Sun of the East like streaming electric fire, fleetingly disappearing into the land below.

"The summer flying bird comes from the other shore, like dew or lightning? Marvelous! What kind of karma is this?"

Seeing his father already in meditation, Mitsuhiro Kaozaki sighed deeply, genuinely feeling the approach of death. He stood dazed for a moment, then turned around, wiped away the tears from his eyes, and then paused, bending down to carefully gather the sparkling gold talismans.