The next day, in the hospital ward.
After hearing about my experience at Itakura's house, my uncle praised me for being reliable and a natural for this line of work. He earnestly persuaded me to stay and make money here, not forgetting to brainwash me and give me a little lecture.
"Lu Cheng, do you know Japan has only a little over 100 million people, but their religious believers number more than 200 million?"
I really didn't know that. Surprised, I asked, "Why twice as many?"
My uncle smacked his lips. "Simple! Most people believe in not just one god—maybe two or three, or even more." He chuckled. "Otherwise, where do you think I made all that money over the years?"
I opened my mouth but chose to stay silent.
"You still don't believe me? It's true, there's data. Let me tell you, the Japanese are pretty ambiguous about faith. In other words… they worship any god. So don't worry about being a foreigner."
He slapped my shoulder hard. "Don't worry you can't do it. If you can convince them, the money will pour in. We uncle and nephew can go back to China and live like kings! And don't feel guilty. Praying to gods and Buddhas is mostly about peace of mind. If you make them feel better, what's wrong with charging a little psychological comfort fee?"
I rolled my eyes, unable to agree with my uncle's crooked logic.
He went on about how "foreign monks chant better scriptures," how we were monks from the Tang Dynasty, and our bells rang louder than local ones. As long as we worked together, we'd be unstoppable.
I was getting fed up with his rambling—fortunately, his phone rang.
His playful expression faded, and he became more serious. As soon as he answered, I heard incoherent shouting from the other end, loud enough for me to pick up even from a distance.
My uncle frowned slightly, turned to me, and mouthed a word… Itakura.
My heart skipped a beat. I immediately leaned in to listen.
"Calm down, speak slowly. I can't understand you if you talk so fast."
After a few deep breaths, the voice on the phone said, "Mr. Lu, it's bad! The statue… the statue cracked again!"
My uncle and I froze, exchanging glances. Cracked again?
My uncle's brow furrowed tightly. "Itakura-san, this isn't a funny joke. We inspected yesterday's Daikokuten statue—there were no quality or workmanship issues. The marks… looked more like they were made by someone. We already replaced it for you yesterday."
His tone was sharp; you could tell he was somewhat angry.
"Mr. Lu, I'm not joking! You know my situation. Who in my family has the strength to do that to a statue? And you know we haven't had any guests lately."
My uncle was speechless. He clearly knew Itakura's circumstances.
"Mr… Mr. Lu, could you please ask the psychic from yesterday to come again? This time… it's worse than last time. We're all terrified. I'll pay you. Please!"
Psychic? I froze, pointing to my nose. My uncle nodded.
"…Let me think about it."
My uncle hung up with a frown and looked at me. We both realized something was wrong.
Itakura wasn't faking fear. His teeth were chattering as he spoke—you could tell how scared he was.
"Maybe… we should leave this alone. It really feels off."
My uncle frowned. I hesitated. "That… wouldn't be right. Didn't you say Itakura recommended your workshop to many tourists when he ran his minshuku, bringing you lots of business? We can't just ignore him."
I was worried about my uncle's business. It was always hard for foreigners to build connections in a foreign land.
"But…" My uncle looked hesitant. I knew he was worried about me, so I smiled. "It's okay. I'll just go take a look. If something feels wrong, I'll leave right away."
"Alright then…"
My uncle reluctantly agreed. Without delay, I headed to Itakura's house.
I hadn't told my uncle about the strange things I'd noticed there yesterday. I'd been too flustered at the time, and then he'd rambled on nonstop, leaving me no chance to mention anything else.
Before long, I arrived at Itakura's place.
To be honest, even though I sensed something was wrong, I still wanted to come—partly for my uncle's business, and partly out of curiosity.
Why do other people's statues stay fine, but yours keep having problems?
It didn't make sense.
"Please, I beg you!"
As soon as I pressed the doorbell, Itakura opened the door. Without a word, he bowed 90 degrees, startling me. I quickly told him to stand up. When he straightened, I saw… his face was as white as a sheet.
My heart skipped a few beats. I didn't waste words and gestured for him to lead me to the statue.
When we entered the shrine room and saw the Daikokuten statue, my heart pounded violently again.
"What happened here?"
"We… we don't know. It was like this when we woke up this morning." Itakura looked like he was about to cry.
If they hadn't tampered with it, it was no wonder he was scared.
The Daikokuten statue was now covered in dense cracks, like a spiderweb. Even more eerie, every single crack was perfectly straight—just like yesterday's statue, as if cut with a ruler, with no branching lines at all.
A picture flashed in my mind: someone holding a sharp blade, furiously hacking at the statue in rage…
But who could feel such intense anger toward an inanimate statue?
Itakura Masami and Maoto also appeared at the door. Mother and son huddled together, fear written all over their faces, too scared to step inside.
I hesitated, then reached out to touch the statue. Itakura backed away in terror.
Crash!
The moment my hand made contact, the statue shattered completely. Amid the breaking sound came Masami's scream. My hand trembled, and I quickly pulled it back, watching as the half-meter-tall statue turned to pieces on the floor.
I stared at my finger in disbelief.
When I'd touched the statue, I'd felt a bone-chilling cold. Now, the tip of that finger was bright red, as if frozen instantly!
"Itakura, are you going to tell me the truth or not?"
My heart racing, my voice turned cold—I even dropped the honorific "san."
"I… I will. Can… can we talk somewhere else?"
I walked straight out of the room and sat down in the sunny area across from the U-shaped courtyard. The Itakura family followed me closely.
Itakura signaled with his eyes. Masami immediately took Maoto elsewhere, returning a moment later.
"Something… has indeed been happening here lately."
Itakura spoke with obvious embarrassment and reluctance.
I felt angry. Something had happened, and yesterday I asked you—you said nothing was wrong!
But seeing his expression, I knew he felt guilty. I suppressed my anger and let him continue.
"Some strange things started happening at my house a while ago, so I suspended the minshuku for a time. I didn't dare take in guests randomly, for their safety. I thought we could handle it, but now it's getting weirder and weirder…"
Itakura looked miserable. Masami beside him also wore a worried expression.
They'd mentioned this before. After Japan's economic bubble burst, Itakura was laid off by his company. To support his family, especially his young son, he had to find another way.
Though he'd finally found a new job, his income dropped sharply. The minshuku had become his main source of income.
If it couldn't operate anymore, the whole family would face enormous financial pressure.