Xingyue, is Xiaokai also considered Kai?

As for now——

Novia and Rusena sat side by side on a bench, gazing up at the incredibly dark Tokyo sky.

Chapter 534 The Culprit! The Great Sun Tathagata!

Siddhartha Gautama's life was indeed eccentric.

Lushana thought to himself that he had taken a strange detour.

In his youth, he only knew how to worship gods and perform sacrifices, and everyone envied him; in his young adulthood, he only knew how to practice asceticism, think and delve into the unknown, explore Brahmanism, worship the eternity in Brahman, emulate those who renounced the world, live in the forest, endure the scorching heat and bitter cold, learn to endure hunger, and numb his body.

Although this path seems quite correct in hindsight, at the time it was seen by all those who expected Siddhartha to become a Chakravartin as a colossal folly, a grave sin, and a terrible mistake, causing the gods and immortals to feel disgusted, disappointed, and distressed.

Perhaps the enlightened one, having just embarked on another path, would initially be troubled, but when he thought of the people who were driven to the new city because of his birth, almost completely naked, their shoulders covered in dust and blood, exposed to the scorching sun, lonely, alienated, and filled with hostility towards the arriving ideal king—

People who are poor and destitute in the world.

So he'll probably think: Let them think what they want, I'm willing to continue down this path.

"You're here."

Without a hint of joy or coldness in his tone, Novia slowly walked up to the street where the Kanda Festival had been held not long ago and said this.

Upon hearing this voice, the dazed Rushena regained consciousness. He picked up the Philosopher's Stone floating on his forehead with one hand and rubbed his eyes in a panic with the other. Only then did he realize that the streets of the business district had returned to their former darkness, but the Kanda Shrine not far away was bursting with dazzling light.

Despite the somewhat jarring contrast, Vairocana felt a sense of peace.

It was probably because of Novia's arrival.

"are you tired?"

"fine."

Vairocana shook his head and added, "I just realized I am not Buddha."

"His mood changes so drastically that he is almost unrecognizable, Vairocana."

"Anyone who knows such a significant fact would be in a bad mood."

Nevertheless, Vairocana smiled gently as she touched the bangs on her forehead, which, though authentic, were merely imitations of the six precepts of an enlightened being, and were being gently blown by the wind.

Although her appearance gives a strong sense of simplicity, because her roots are the Longmen Grottoes Buddha and the Nara Great Buddha, she possesses a childlike innocence and intellectual radiance. If she were to dress up a little, she would surely be a beauty that everyone would praise.

After all, the Vairocana Buddha in Longmen was modeled after Empress Wu Zetian. Known for its mysterious smile, it is the highest level of art, the most meticulously designed, and the largest Buddha statue in Longmen, and is hailed as the Mona Lisa of the East. The Vairocana Buddha in Nara is the largest bronze statue in Japan today. Its pedestal has a thousand-petaled lotus, with each petal engraved with an image of Shakyamuni Buddha, presenting a lotus world map.

"By the way, may I sit here now?"

"Please feel free to do so."

Following her suggestion, Novia sat down in her chair.

For a moment, neither of them said anything. The waves outside Tokyo, the capital of the underworld, suddenly surged unhappily toward the city's barrier, and then receded abruptly. The horizon merged into the gloomy sky. The waves seemed to come from the ends of the world, as if they shared the same melody as the waves. Then, Vairocana spoke.

"...It's called Kapilavastu, right? The place where you personally taught."

"After the Great War of Kuru, the Brahmans split apart. There were many similar countries in the land of Bharata at that time. However, the ideal king who would end the war would descend there. For thousands of years, many immortals and gods have been watching that place. No one wanted anything to happen that would affect the Chakravartin King. From this point of view, it was more like a large-scale performance."

"Your teaching is actually very simple and easy to understand."

With an extremely serious expression, Lushena said, "Although it wasn't me, even looking at the memories, I can deeply feel that Gautama was very happy at that time, with the lamp as a symbol of knowledge and concentration."

"That's just something any teacher would say."

"But this explanation is really great."

A burning lamp is a light that illuminates the real world and dispels illusion.

Having been shielded from all illusions by his father since childhood, Gautama, upon witnessing the truth, longed to escape this glamorous and hypocritical life, seeking instead a terrible but real existence.

“Man should obey the voice of his own heart, not succumb to any external force, and wait for the moment of awakening; this is the only good and necessary behavior. Everything else is meaningless. I think this is very suitable for Gautama. Although he faced a lot of pressure in reality, generally speaking, his path was often difficult and often dark, but he still walked on.”

Novia said this.

"That must have been really tough..."

Vairocana scratched her head, her blue hair rustling with her movement. "What are you going to do with me next? Are you going to kill me? Or turn me back into a Buddha statue?"

"How to say."

"Although I was dizzy at the time, I still understood what those two were thinking. They wanted me to go to Eriri's side and become a sacrifice to make her something. Damn it, it's so annoying that Eriri was arranged like this!"

"I agree with that, but what's your opinion?"

Novia paused. "Do you hate Eri Se?"

"How could that be? Although Eriri is annoying, she and I are friends!"

Lushena shook his head very slowly. "To be honest, the thought that her fate will be the same as Gautama's makes me very unhappy. Although I don't want to die, there's nothing I can do about it. Helping her will only harm her, and staying in the same place will only cause me to lose control at any time. I can't contain my anger any longer."

Are you angry?

"Actually, it's just a little bit."

Luoshena blinked incredulously, his fingertips trembling slightly as he pressed them against his chest. "More than anger, there's pain—"

"Because you still yearn for the path of enlightenment, right?"

Novia's voice sounded very faint in Lushena.

In an instant, Vairocana murmured.

"You shouldn't say everything out loud; it's easy to become disliked."

"Some secrets need to be vented sometimes..."

Novia's lips curled into a smirk. "Otherwise, I might have had to vent."

"vent?"

Vairocana tilted his head slightly.

It would be hard for her to imagine Novia like that, especially since she was once Gautama's teacher, a god of high status.

"I am friends with Rama, the greatest holy king of the Three Ages, and even the entire era. However, I was actually one of the murderers in his abandonment of Sita. Even so, I still got angry and punched him a few times."

As if reminiscing, Novia narrowed her eyes. "Knowing who the real culprit is, but having no other choice, you can only vent your anger on innocent people. It's foolish, isn't it? Of course, I understand that it's because of Ashura."

"It's silly, but it's not a joke."

Lushena stroked the strands of hair that were being blown by the wind. "It's just that I couldn't help it. If I just ignored it after encountering it, my mood would get worse, right? It's impossible for you to pretend that you don't know anything, so even though you're angry, it's quite remarkable that you've suppressed it for so long."

These are the words of a very serious and very strong person who has waited a very long time, experienced many misfortunes, and has to wait for the only opportunity.

Looking at Lushena like this, Novia paused for longer than usual before slowly speaking.

"The way you're saying it makes it sound like I'm responsible for the whole world."

"Of course, after all, everyone in Bharata knows how to sing a verse about the Himalayas."

"After all, the Himalayas are the place closest to the sky, and the joyful cries of the poor may sound distant, but even so, they still celebrate the hope in their hearts," said Lushena with such certainty.

"That's just a trivial matter."

Novia put on a stern face. "I am not the savior of the people. I only gave them the sword. They themselves are the fire that rekindles themselves. To me, that is quite important."

Lushena understood perfectly what Novia was saying.

This perfectly captures the man's anxieties; it's exactly like that. After all, walking a difficult path, enduring hardship while waiting for the right moment—his profile is just too perfect... or rather, too beautiful.

“I can’t understand your thoughts. Perhaps the real Gautama could understand, but with only a few hours of real memories, I have absolutely no experience of understanding or understanding… However, I was very scared when I found out that I am not Buddha.”

Unwittingly, Vairocana steered the conversation back to the topic.

Perhaps because it was so sudden, she hugged her shoulders.

"But you're right, I'm still pursuing that path, because as a Buddha, I can naturally make everyone gentler, bring light to the world, let the sun shine gently, and make light everywhere. In that case, the food everyone makes will also taste much better."

"It sounds like the last one is more important."

"I'm so sorry."

Lushena sighed, “But if I persist, I might be killed by Eriri, causing her to suffer. That would make me the worst person, and I don’t want that… Anyway, it’s all incomprehensible. Whether I’m just a manufactured thing or not, whatever the meaning of my birth, I have no idea why I’m pursuing Buddhahood. It might just be a passing fancy.”

"Is it really?"

When Novia asked him a question, Lushena lowered his gaze.

On the barefoot street, small goods on the stalls fluttered in the wind, while her gaze remained unfocused.

“If Eriri and everyone else are safe and sound, then I’ll be content. Because I think you are much more important than me, who is meaningless. So I think it’s okay to give up my pursuit. No matter how you look at it, it’s the right thing to do. But I…”

Perhaps it was because the words he was about to say were somewhat cold and dark that Lushana dared not look up and directly confront Novia's question.

"I don't want to be right this way. I want to make a mistake properly, even just once. I don't want to disappear... I'm sorry, I said something very selfish."

This answer made Novia smile: "If you're serious, then I have no reason to stop you. Everyone has selfish thoughts, but that's also a testament to life. Whether the choice is right or wrong, as long as it truly comes from the heart, that's enough."

The unexpected answer made Vairocana raise his head.

"Is it okay to be selfish?"

"Of course, you haven't become a Buddha yet, have you?"

Novia reached out her hand to Vairocana. “I can be selfish too. In India, there were many immortals and gods who didn’t understand what I did. But I thought that even if it was just one step forward, it would be worth it.”

Although that road was often difficult and often dark.

The will of Brahman seemed to be advising the former Novia and Gautama, 'You should stay there.'

People come, people go.

Even if it weren't for the war-torn Bharata, it would be a perfectly normal sight.

They died too quickly, 'died' too quickly.

"In that case, I'm under a lot of pressure..."

"That's also a form of selfishness."

Novia smiled and said, “I think people are not born to drag shackles, but to spread their wings. Harshness can only frighten people’s hearts. The biting north wind cannot blow away a traveler’s coat. When the sun shines on people, it can gradually warm them up and make them take off their coats automatically. How about that? As the master of the Himalayas, you want to go further and become the sun. What about such selfishness?”

"Is it really possible?"

"of course."

Their hands clasped firmly together, and Novia continued speaking.

"So, are you ready to go to Eri's place?"

"Huh?! Together?!"

"Only you."

Novia asserted forcefully, then stood up.

"If I go, I'll get out of control!"

"You can do whatever you want."

Upon hearing this, Vairocana covered his face with one hand and looked away, because the words implied "selfishness."

"...Um, so, are we going to suffer together?"

"That era is over."

Novia turned and glanced at Lushena, "Whether you're good or bad now, you can't survive without fighting."

Lushana thought to himself that he had taken a strange detour.

As a god worshipped by people, he was loved by all, and he brought joy and happiness to all. However, he could not make himself happy. He even followed the example of the renuncians with Gautama, living like a man in the forest, enduring the heat and cold, learning to starve, and numbing his body.

However, I guess I'm just like them now—whatever happens, I'm willing to continue down this path.

At least this way I feel comfortable.

Siddhartha Gautama, I don't understand your feelings at that time.

However, I will probably never forget the conversation between myself and my teacher today, which was 'your' own moment.

Therefore, before attaining Buddhahood, I will carry out his will, correct his faults, win all his victories, and protect his reputation and glory.

Novia's will is the direction in which I, 'Lushena', move forward.

……

Then, in some world, in a normally functioning apartment in Tokyo.