It is not unusual that members of the underclasses, the untouchables who work with the untouchable, would come to the Temple. After all, even the monks produce night soils, and, well, there had been blood on the stones that had needed scrubbing away.

What is unusual is that one of them would approach a monk directly. Even they stand so far above as to prompt fear of reprisal. But this news could not wait.

It did not, and it was passed from mouth to ear to mouth to ear until, by the time Lady Sun had started her descent from the skies, the monks had had the body brought in and bathed, and Chou-sin had begun to say prayers over it.

And with him was his faithful attendant.

Jihen had only met the man who lay before them once, but in that meeting it was apparent that he was a man of great importance.

Jihen struggled with a pressing sadness that filled his heart… A master like this… beheaded and left…

In this world of suffering… the suffering was winning.

Chou-sin's prayers continue, the specifics of the wording exceeding the understanding of the GM animating him as a puppet, but not likely that of others who pull upon his strings.

For what it is worth, the body of Bokushi has been tended well. The stains of soil and blood have been washed away, the wounds bound as if they were made to still-living flesh, robes arranged so as to conceal even those efforts. His voluminous beard had even been trimmed, so that the raggedness left by his passing was pared away.

Other monks stand in array, their heads bowed as they, too, chant in honor of their fallen elder brother.

Jihen takes his turns in the round of prayers and recitations of the Tao, his heart filling with sadness and compassion for the world with each round of supplication.

Who was this man in life? What had caused this end? Did it matter? Perhaps it both did and didn’t… What it meant to those left behind would be different for those who looked for the truth.

Whatever it was… it was not good. This and the other signs compounded upon one another as Jihen reflected on the imbalance in the world.

A single tear escaped his eye as he opened his eyes to see the resting monk on the floor in front of him. Surely even the Fortunes would shed a tear for the world in its current state…


——————

D12, Meditation, EA | 8k4 ⇒ 45 (TN: 20)

Stonily, his frame bent by age and time, Abbot Do likewise stood steps behind Chou-sin and delivered his own silent prayers, that the Fortune of Fire and Thunder would embrace this brother of heroes and favor him as one who walked the way.

At a convenient point in the event, Chou-sin remarks as if in an aside "Will this need to be told to the Court, or just to certain persons in it?"

Jihen looked to the other master for a moment while thinking.

After an appropriate pause for deference he replied.

“It would seem prudent to let at least the Imperial Families know… Bokushi’s appearance corresponded closely with the arrival of Tatsuya-sama and his son… With the attack the night before last and now the alleged disappearance of the son…”

He paused, “I can’t help but think Tatsuya-sama may still be in danger.”

Abbot Do raised an eyebrow. "Man's always in danger. But you'd do right to whisper it in Lady Seppun's ear. And maybe Lord Otomo's, to boot."

Chou-sin looks to Jihen. "Will you address the former, Brother?" he asks. "I know you've formed a relationship with her."

Jihen nodded deeply in acknowledgment.

“I will do so as quickly as I can… She is often quite busy during the afternoon hours. I will see when she has a moment to spare.”

He looked back to the body in front of him.

“What do we know of Master Bokushi that could be related to these events?” He asked the pair of older masters.

Chou-sin shakes his head.

"The Lady Seppun, as the Lord Otomo, will know what to make of the news," he says. "I will speak to the latter of them."

"Ain't my place to say. Bokushi was as one new-born, and now he returns to the wheel. He has overcome great temptation, and has chosen the Way over the world itself. We can only hope to do likewise."

Jihen nodded at the masters comments.

“He followed the Way.”

At that he bowed his head in reverence.

"He followed the Way."