I Became a Monk in Japan and Exorcised Demons of Other’s Housewives - Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Grow Bigger and Stronger, and Create Greater Glory!

Lu Jin watched the couple leave the temple, his eyes filled with contemplation.

The husband’s name was Kamizumi Kyota, and the wife’s name was Kamizumi Kumiko.

They had come to Yakushi Temple to pray, solely to ask for a child.

This young couple had been married for a while but had yet to conceive.

They weren’t in a rush, as they were still young, and their careers were on the rise. Having children wasn’t a priority.

However, the husband’s mother was eager for a grandchild and had been pressuring them to have a baby as soon as possible.

Left with no choice, the couple had gone for medical checkups.

But the elderly woman was a devout Buddhist and held strong taboos against hospitals.

Upon hearing that the temple’s head monk was a capable master, she insisted the couple visit Yakushi Temple to pray for good health and fertility.

For some reason, Lu Jin had a feeling he hadn’t seen the last of these two.

Perhaps it was just an illusion, born from the woman’s meaningful, flirtatious gaze before she left.

With a personality like hers, if she had set her sights on him, she certainly wouldn’t give up so easily.

Lu Jin shook his head. He had seen plenty in his lifetime.

He had even exorcised demons—why should he be afraid of a married woman?

There was nothing to worry about.

If fate allowed, he would follow through. If not, he wouldn’t force it.

After all, he was a monk, not a bandit.

He muttered under his breath,

“The temple’s reputation is growing.”

He needed to find a way to cash in on it quickly.

His plan was to rake in a good sum and use it to renovate Yakushi Temple.

The temple was old, with some areas dilapidated and even hazardous due to years of neglect.

In Japan, buildings were traditionally made of wood.

The advantage was that they were lightweight, eco-friendly, and earthquake-resistant.

The downside? Susceptibility to moisture and decay.

Yakushi Temple was quite large, and a full renovation would cost at least a hundred million yen.

Since his master’s time, they had only repaired the most essential areas.

The abandoned sections, untouched for years, had long become uninhabitable.

He planned to secure enough funds to restore the entire temple.

And while he was at it, he’d re-gild the Buddha statues in the main hall.

Clothes make the man; gold makes the Buddha.

A temple’s spiritual efficacy was one thing, but attracting worshippers was another.

If people passed by but didn’t enter, what use was divine power?

A well-maintained, dignified temple would naturally draw in more devotees.

He wasn’t content with simply maintaining what he had.

He wanted Yakushi Temple to become famous.

To expand, grow stronger, and reach new heights.

His ambition? To make it the most renowned temple in Japan.

Renovation was one thing—another pressing matter was recruiting disciples.

Right now, Yakushi Temple relied solely on him. Without him, it would have collapsed long ago.

But he couldn’t be the one handling every issue personally.

That would be completely beneath him.

Having a few disciples, even just to run errands, would be helpful.

However, recruiting disciples wasn’t so simple.

This tied into Japan’s system of private temple ownership.

In Japan, monks were allowed to eat meat, drink alcohol, and even marry and have children.

As a result, temples in Japan were privately owned properties.

They were passed down through families from generation to generation.

With tens of thousands of temples across Japan, that meant tens of thousands of monks—each belonging to a long-standing noble lineage.

The benefit? Stable succession.

No fear of lacking heirs to continue the temple’s legacy.

The downside? A rigid class system.

One temple, one family.

This meant that becoming a monk in Japan was incredibly difficult.

You either inherited the position from your family,

Or, like his father, you had to find an heirless temple and marry into it to take over and study Buddhism.

An unconventional form of apprenticeship.

If Lu Jin wanted to take in disciples, he had to ensure their livelihood.

In other words, he had to support them.

Otherwise, why would anyone work for him for free?

Being a monk in Japan was essentially just another job.

High salaries and social prestige made them highly desirable in marriage.

If the compensation wasn’t good, no one would bother.

Even though Japan’s economy had been struggling in recent years,

Supporting a single disciple would cost at least five million yen per year.

Ten disciples? Fifty million yen annually.

And this wasn’t a one-time expense—it was a yearly cost.

Of course, once the disciples were trained, they could conduct rituals, bringing in stable income for the temple.

A temple’s monk count was often a testament to its strength and reputation.

If a temple was famous enough, people would willingly donate money to study Buddhism there.

That alone could bring in over a hundred million yen per year.

But only a select few prestigious temples enjoyed such benefits.

Yakushi Temple, at best, was just mildly well-known—far from reaching that level.

Even if he paid people to come, they might not be interested.

“Taking in disciples… what a headache.”

Lu Jin calculated the temple’s recent expenses.

Ever since his reputation spread, people had frequently hired him for exorcisms and rituals.

The income was quite substantial.

But it wasn’t like he had jobs every day.

On average, he made about two to three million yen per month.

With the temple’s current finances, he could easily support one disciple.

Two would be a stretch.

“You have to spend money to make money.”

Though it pained him a bit, Lu Jin decided to recruit at least one disciple to help manage the temple.

That way, he would have more time to exorcise evil spirits.

And, at the same time, boost Yakushi Temple’s reputation.

However, his disciple would definitely have to be a woman.