Chapter 563: Unfortunately

Lu Wushuang squatted on the roof beam, rubbing the soft sword in her sleeve while listening intently to the movement coming from outside the Tang Zhaotisi.

On the beam next to her, Nanako was framed in a triangle formed by a scabbard and a beam by Miyoshi Ryota; both of them looked nervous, with cold sweat constantly appearing on their foreheads.

As if it were just a short while, but also after a time so long it made people go crazy, it became quiet outside.

Lu Wushuang made a gesture of silence to the two, jumped off the beam, and carefully felt her way toward the outside. Just as she reached the door, she heard Li Miao's teasing voice.

"Why be so careful? Do you think I would lose?"

Lu Wushuang let out a long breath, ran lightly toward the door, stepped on the pool of blood formed by the blood flowing in from the door crack, pushed open the temple door, and walked to Li Miao's side.

"My lord..."

She observed Li Miao worriedly.

Li Miao was still in a seriously injured state after all. Even if he could win, it might not necessarily mean he wouldn't affect his injuries. And looking closely, she really found that Li Miao's face was a bit paler than before, and there was even a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth.

"Are you alright?"

Li Miao didn't lie to her, saying with a smile.

"Killed a few opponents who were just passable."

"My hands were itchy, so I forced out three moves."

Lu Wushuang looked into the distance and couldn't find any living thing anymore. Only then did she let out a long breath and asked Li Miao.

"Is it over?"

Li Miao shook his head with a smile.

"No."

"The key figure had an internal strife, the living one ran away, and the dead ones were just minions. I'm going to Enryaku-ji in a while; that is the end of today's battle."

Lu Wushuang frowned.

"My lord, I don't quite understand."

Li Miao briefly recounted what had just happened, including the conversation between Yuan Chaoliang and the monk he heard through his hearing. Although he didn't understand Japanese, remembering the pronunciation of some key phrases was not difficult for him.

After Lu Wushuang finished listening, she translated and repeated the conversation between Yuan Chaoliang and the monk, and then remained silent for a long time before speaking hesitantly.

"My lord, it seems some things can be connected... Do you see if what I said is correct?"

Seeing that Li Miao did not refute, she said slowly.

"A thousand years ago, Master Bodhidharma came to Japan and passed down the Buddhist method, which is the origin of Japanese Buddhism. As for the reason, I think he should have wanted to use Buddhism to contend with Shintoism."

"Later, he was killed by the so-called 'Amaterasu,' his corpse was hidden in the statue of the Izumo Taisha, and at the same time, that 'Amaterasu' transformed Buddhism, turning it into a tool to temper Shinto believers."

"Then, eight hundred years ago, Master Jianzhen crossed the sea to the east. At that time, he perceived the essence of Japanese Buddhism and tried to introduce it to the right path."

"As a result, Japanese monks had become accustomed to the status quo of being able to improve their martial arts without practicing Buddhist precepts, and because of this, they regarded Master Jianzhen as an enemy, sent him into the encirclement of Shintoism, and sent Master Jianzhen to his death."

"Both sides should have reached a tacit understanding to jointly exterminate the 'Heavenly Demon' because of the Master Jianzhen incident, which led to today's joint siege."

"This is what happened in Japan before Master Zhang Sanfeng crossed the sea to the east."

Li Miao nodded.

"Although most of the details are missing, overall it should be roughly like this... Have you perceived the key point in it?"

Lu Wushuang nodded and held up three fingers.

"First, Heavenly Demon."

"Master Bodhidharma, Master Zhang Sanfeng, Master Jianzhen, you, and the Ming Sect leader—the five of you are called Heavenly Demons by them." ===== CHAPTER 564 =====