The Demon King, reborn in Japan as a monk

Seeing that he had achieved his goal, Ishihara Akira didn't waste any more time. He first altered the memories in the minds of Yang Yuan, his maid, and the guards outside the door, erasing the fact that he had come. Only then did he release the soul suppression and illusion control over the maid and the guards at the door, activate his Divine Speed ​​Technique, and return to his and Qin Mengyao's home.

Qin Mengyao wasn't too surprised. After glancing at him, she continued to cultivate her own techniques and strengthen her power.

As for Ishihara Akira, he smiled and walked to the side, sat on the recliner he had made himself, closed his eyes, and began to ponder the things recorded in the Future Amitabha Sutra again, of course, without forgetting to coordinate them with the Past Amitabha Sutra.

After all, both scriptures come from the Great Zen Temple and are techniques related to the soul. It's inevitable that there might be some key points hidden within them that can be combined. It would be better to study them more thoroughly.

As for the Dao of No Birth and the Dao of Emptiness?

His original purpose in seeking them was for the Future Scripture of No Birth in the hands of the Eternal Mother and the Vacuum Dharma King, as well as the faith of the people that they had collected for Crown Prince Yang Yuan. Now that he has obtained the complete Future Scripture of No Birth from the source—Yang Yuan, he naturally has other arrangements for the two of them, as well as the Path of No Birth and the Path of Vacuum that they control.

After all, when it comes to the ability to collect faith, I, who am just running my own business, am indeed not as good as those who are involved in religion.

Therefore, before they have cultivated the Ninefold Light Wheel of the Future Unborn Sutra and perfected the Future Unborn Sutra, they are still very valuable and can be recruited and utilized.

However, those are things to be done later, and there's no need to rush to get them done on this day.

Besides, even if he has now obtained the way to contact the Eternal Mother and the Vacuum Dharma King from Yang Yuan, he would still need to make preparations to easily suppress them. It would be better to wait until they are fat enough before slaughtering and eating them.

……

In the blink of an eye, time has come to the world of Yangshen, the New Year of the Great Qian Dynasty.

"Forget it, don't practice today. After all, it's the New Year, taking a day off is fine. Besides, there's a balance to training. Being too diligent might not achieve the desired results." That morning, Ishihara Akira persuaded Qin Mengyao, who wanted to get up and practice.

"What else can we do if we don't practice? We can't just stay at home all day." Qin Mengyao listened to the advice and lay down again.

"We can stroll around the streets, buy some things, get familiar with the customs and culture of this world, or try some of the unique snacks of this world. If that doesn't work, we can watch some variety shows or something. There are plenty of things we can do. If there's really nothing that interests us, we can come back and stay in bed and practice our cultivation together." Shi Yuanzhang chuckled, holding Qin Mengyao's breasts, which had become even firmer and more elastic since she entered the Skin Refining Realm.

"Do we still have any money?" Qin Mengyao didn't object and started asking about their livelihood again.

"Don't worry, although it's not much and can't compare to those big businessmen or high-ranking officials, it's still enough to buy another house or support a few servants without any problem," Ishihara Akira said confidently.

After all, he had just made a fortune from Crown Prince Yang Yuan, so he was not short of money for the time being and did not need to worry about making a living.

"OK then."

After lying in bed for a while, the two got up, dressed, and washed up. Feeling relaxed, they left home together and strolled around Yujing City, which was already filled with the festive atmosphere of the New Year.

"It seems that the New Year in this world is not much different from the one back home?" Qin Mengyao whispered to Ishihara Akira as they walked along the road, enjoying the lively atmosphere of the city and observing the living conditions of the people around them.

"What difference could there be? The mere existence of the concept of 'year' is enough to show that this world and your world are essentially branches of the same civilization. It's just that this world has developed more dramatically and is more powerful, while your world has gradually weakened with the passage of time. In essence, there isn't much difference between you. Otherwise, this world wouldn't have so many classics and historical texts that you are familiar with."

Although the Tao Te Ching and the I Ching are absent, many Confucian classics still exist in this world. So, sometimes Ishihara Akira would wonder if he should release the Tao Te Ching and the I Ching from his mind and claim the positions of the Taoist Ancestor and the Master of the I Ching in this world…

The final conclusion is that doing it is fine, and one can even gain various benefits by taking advantage of the Qi Yun of the Child of the Era, namely Yi Zi. However, correspondingly, there will be more troubles, such as the attention of figures like Meng Shenji, Xu Yi, the Daoist Master of Creation, and Tai Zhi. Therefore, if one really wants to do it, one must at least wait until one has passed the tribulation of lightning and reached the realm of the Creator.

Moreover, it's best to do it quickly; otherwise, if we wait until Hong Yi passes the imperial examination and enters officialdom before releasing the Book of Changes, he might not be able to achieve his goal...

"Fortunately, there are still two or three months until the Awakening of Insects. Although it is also the day when the imperial examinations officially begin, it is time to start making moves and release the Book of Changes..." Ishihara Akira thought to himself.

"So I need to go back and find Su Mu again to ask her to help me set up a bookstore or something, so that it will be easier to promote and distribute my copy of the Book of Changes."

……

The streets were bustling. Although there were no temple fairs with rows of snacks like in later generations, or rather, today was not the day of the temple fair, and tomorrow, the first day of the Lunar New Year, was the normal opening day, there were still street performers and food vendors everywhere, filling the streets and alleys with shouts and the aroma of food.

Naturally, there were also many people out shopping for New Year's goods, and the crowds were so dense that it resembled the situation on the Tokyo subway during rush hour in later years. In short, it was very crowded.

As a result, the number of petty thieves has also increased.

Just as the two were enjoying their stroll, Qin Mengyao suddenly reached out and grabbed a hand, looking at the other person with a cold gaze.

"Break his claws so he won't come out and harm people again." Ishihara Akira glanced at the thief indifferently, showing no sympathy, and said coldly.

Whether it was due to his profound cultivation of the Heavenly Demon Path or the increased distracting thoughts from recently consuming Prince Yang Yuan's fivefold halo of faith, Ishihara Akira, though outwardly appearing normal and still sporting his lecherous old man look, was increasingly displaying the demeanor of a demon when faced with such matters.

"It was my fault for not recognizing your greatness and disturbing you both. I deserve to die. Please, sir, have my elderly parents and young children to support and spare me this time. I promise I will never steal again. Please, sir." The thief was startled by Ishihara Akira's cold storage and immediately knelt down on the ground with a thud, kowtowing and begging for mercy.

Seeing that there was something interesting to watch, the people around also stopped and watched the scene with great interest.

Indeed, watching the excitement is in the nature of all humankind.

Chapter 443 Stealing

In the end, Qin Mengyao, being kind-hearted, didn't make things too difficult for the thief. She simply asked someone to find a constable, who handed the thief over to him, and then Qin Mengyao continued strolling around the streets.

They watched the street performers and bought snacks, and by the afternoon, Shi Yuanzhang was starting to regret bringing Qin Mengyao shopping. Qin Mengyao finally ended the shopping trip, spending money on some New Year's goods and new clothes for herself and Shi Yuanzhang before returning home with a satisfied expression…

Sure enough, just like all humans in the heavens love watching a spectacle, roughly 99% of the women in the heavens, if not all, enjoy shopping. Their previous lack of interest wasn't because they didn't want to, but likely due to social reasons—for example, the Southern Song, Ming, and Qing dynasties all began to suppress women, emphasizing the "Three Obediences and Four Virtues," preventing women from showing their faces in public, thus suppressing their natural instincts; or perhaps it was poverty…

After all, they can't even afford to eat, and they have to make a living. Where would a young lady like her have the time to wander around the streets carefree?

Aren't you afraid Hanako will take it away?

That's why I had to suppress my inner thoughts and act like someone without desires, doing mundane, tedious work every day to try and support myself and my family.

Then the two of them kneaded dough, made fillings, and wrapped dumplings together. They stayed up all night to welcome the New Year, and that marked the end of their first New Year in the Yangshen world.

The two returned to their old ways—one practicing martial arts naked in the courtyard amidst the snow and ice, while the other sat on a recliner with a hand warmer, admiring the scenery or pondering the various martial arts techniques and classics they had acquired, trying their best to digest and understand them to enhance their foundation in preparation for the upcoming Awakening of Insects.

It was also during this period that Ishihara Sho found the deductive application of the Future Unborn Sutra mentioned in the original work.

In other words, combined with the data calculation function of computers and the supernatural powers of the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination and the power of knowing past lives, Ishihara Akira, while not claiming that he can make accurate predictions now, is still capable of understanding Yin and Yang, knowing human affairs, and avoiding death and prolonging life, just like Yuan Shoucheng in Journey to the West.

……

"Rumble..."

"Huh? It's not even the Awakening of Insects yet, why is there thunder all of a sudden?" Ishihara Akira, who had just finished writing the last stroke of the last character in the Book of Changes, was taken aback and looked up at the outside of the house, muttering to himself.

Moreover, he could see clearly that there was not a single thundercloud in the sky at this time, so where did the thunder come from?

"It can't be because of the I Ching, can it?" Ishihara Akira asked hesitantly.

But upon further reflection, it doesn't seem impossible.

After all, legend has it that when Cangjie, the ancestor of writing, created characters, the sky was filled with torrential rain and ghosts and gods howled, making the scene resemble a ghostly realm. Although what I am doing now is not creating characters, it is blatantly stealing the aura of Hong Yi, the son of the era, as well as his opportunity to achieve enlightenment. As a great world, it has no reason not to give some kind of reaction, right?

Especially after Ishihara Akira, fearing he hadn't done enough, left his name—Shi Yi—in the opening of his handwritten copy of the I Ching, which he had chosen to seize destiny, this kind of thing became even more likely.

"Mengyao, I'm going out for a bit." However, Shi Yuanzhang didn't care too much. As long as it wasn't divine retribution that struck him down with lightning, he wasn't worried about the consequences of what he had already caused.

Since it's already written down, you can't just burn it, can you?

He's not that free.

Therefore, after saying hello to Qin Mengyao, who was about to officially break through to the Dao Xiantian Refining Organs Realm and the Great Perfection of the Manipulation Realm, he took the handwritten manuscript of the Book of Changes and left home, heading once again to Sanhua Tower, which he had visited before.

……

"Here, this is what I want you to print and distribute." Ishihara Akira placed his manuscript on the table and sat down proudly.

After all, the I Ching is now considered his work...

Although it is only in the world of Yang Shen, the author's identity, or rather, the confidence of the author who created the Book of Changes, the foremost of all classics, still needs to be established. Naturally, he should be a little proud, otherwise it is easy for people to think that he lacks confidence, thus leading to some unnecessary associations.

Especially given the possibility that Hong Yi might also produce an I Ching in the future, these possibilities must be eliminated.

He wanted everyone to recognize him as the true author of the I Ching, and in doing so, he gathered the vital energy of humanity upon himself.

"The Book of Changes?" Su Mu picked up the manuscript that Ishihara Akira had placed on the table, murmured the title on the manuscript, then removed the cover and looked at the contents inside—

"The hexagram Qian: Great success, advantageous to be firm. First Nine: Hidden dragon, do not act. Second Nine: Dragon appears in the field, advantageous to see a great man. Third Nine: The superior man is constantly diligent, vigilant at night, without blame. Fourth Nine: Perhaps leaping in the abyss, without blame. Fifth Nine: Flying dragon in the sky, advantageous to see a great man. Top Nine: Overbearing dragon, no regret. Use Nine: Seeing a group of dragons without a head, auspicious."

Next is the second hexagram, Kun.

The third hexagram is "Tun"...

Su Mu didn't let go of the last chapter, "The Hexagram of Incomplete Completion." Or rather, from the moment she saw the opening, she was immediately captivated, as if she had received some kind of trigger, which made her unable to stop and keep turning the pages of the book until the end.

Then Su Mu closed his eyes, and his aura surged in a way that Ishihara Akane could clearly perceive...

He truly seized the opportunity and achieved a breakthrough, leaving Ishihara Akira, who personally wrote the I Ching, speechless.

"Is this what those people who have been to concerts are saying—that the atmosphere and emotions you experience at a live concert are completely different from listening to music on a device? That's why some people cry while listening to music now, and some get so high that they experience oxygen deprivation and even faint?"

It really is true that at first glance it's astounding, but upon closer inspection it's already quite ordinary.

Unfortunately, I am not from this world, so I cannot experience the shock Su Mu felt when he first encountered the Book of Changes, nor could I feel the emotion or gain the insight that led to a breakthrough in my martial arts and spiritual realm.

After a while, Su Mu's energy calmed down, and he opened his eyes again.

"Did you really write this book?" Su Mu asked Ishihara Sho, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.

They really don't consider themselves outsiders, starting to question us right away.

"Of course I wrote it. You didn't see the same content with anyone else, did you?" Ishihara Akira retorted without any guilt.

He may not be the creator, but he is the one who wrote these words. He is not afraid to confront anyone!

"I never expected you to have such great talent. Just based on this book and its contents, I dare say that your future achievements will definitely not be lower than those of the ancient sages. At the very least, you will reach the realm of a Seventh Tribulation Creator. If you have enough opportunities and favorable conditions, even reaching the Yang God realm is not impossible." Su Mu replied with a face full of joy and admiration.

"Then I'll take your kind words," Ishihara Akira said with a smile. "But what I really want to know is when the publishing house will be able to print it and distribute it worldwide!"

Chapter 444 Training

"Printing is simple; it can be done in three days at most. But distributing it worldwide is difficult," Su Mu said, shaking his head.

As she said, printing was indeed simple. After all, with the help of Taoist magic, the typesetting was really easy. It didn't even take a day to complete the typesetting, then the ink and paper were prepared for printing and distribution...

This is not the modern society with smooth transportation and developed logistics like in the real world. Even if dragon horses exist, they are only the mounts and playthings of a few high-ranking officials and nobles. Ordinary merchants cannot afford such livestock with the bloodline of demons or even divine beasts. Therefore, transportation still relies mainly on primitive tools - horse-drawn carriages and ships.

Therefore, it's relatively easy to arrange things in nearby areas, such as the area around Yujing City, or even the Central Plains, within half a month. However, it would take at least a month to arrange things in the prefectures and counties in the four directions.

And this is just the fabric; when it comes to sales, that's even more of a problem...

It's not that there's nowhere to sell it. Since the goods can be made, there must be somewhere to sell them. So, the sales here refer to the general public's understanding of the I Ching!

After all, Shi Yuanzhang was not a celebrity, and Shi Yi, who used the pseudonym, was also an unknown person. Not to mention the reputation of Confucian scholars, he had never even taken the imperial examinations and had no official title. Why would anyone buy the book just because of the name of the Book of Changes or the name of Shi Yi?

Therefore, in Confucian circles, or rather, in ancient academic circles, an author's reputation still greatly helped in book sales.

If none of these are available, then we can only rely on other means or luck to make this happen.

"How about this: find a few renowned scholars or Confucianists, give them the Book of Changes, and then ask them to use their reputation to help promote it and expand its influence?" Ishihara Akira said after thinking for a moment.

To put it bluntly, it's about getting celebrities to endorse the I Ching in order to increase the acceptance of the I Ching among ordinary people and students.