Chapter Ten: The Golden Body Dharma Form

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“Slap.”
A thick stack of autopsy reports was slammed onto the desk. Professor Okouchi sat behind it, and on the nearby computer screen was a research paper on esophageal cardia surgery. The old professor’s face, aged and austere, revealed little emotion, but his deep triangular eyes emitted an inexplicable meaning. “Sit down, Mr. Uesugi.”

“Yes, Professor.” Uesugi Muneyuki sat opposite Professor Okouchi, feeling somewhat uneasy.

They had just returned from the scene. After Uesugi’s thunderous responses, judgments, and interrogations, the police had nothing more to say. Yet, even so, the veteran officer Tanaka did not immediately follow Uesugi’s theory. They said they would request an administrative autopsy to determine whether the death was truly a double-suicide as Uesugi speculated.

The real problem arose when Uesugi questioned the nearby neighbors and residents. Instead of apologies or shame, he was met with angry insults—especially from the woman with the vegetable basket, who led the chorus with accusations like, “We are the real victims,” “We’ve tolerated them for so long,” and “Those with dementia shouldn’t trouble others.” They all turned on Uesugi, and it wasn’t until several inspection chiefs and Tanaka restored order that the crowd dispersed.

At this moment, the long-hidden Professor Okouchi finally appeared, signaling Uesugi to stop, and the two returned to Tokyo Medical and Dental University by police escort.

Now, Uesugi increasingly understood what Professor Okouchi meant by “this country is sick.” When the professor seriously asked him to sit down, Uesugi himself felt anxious—uncertain how the old man perceived him.

Okouchi straightened his posture, hands resting on his thighs beneath the desk, elbows pressing the armrests as he leaned back. He stared at Uesugi for a full one minute and fifty-five seconds. When Uesugi’s expression grew slightly uneasy, the professor finally spoke slowly, “A very impressive autopsy and a most elegant deduction. Mr. Uesugi, perhaps you truly are a prodigy in this field.”

“I’m flattered, but that’s too generous, Professor.” Uesugi still couldn’t grasp what Okouchi was implying and simply parried.

“Actually, I’m curious—how did you discover the deceased committed suicide by swallowing sleeping pills?” The professor scrutinized Uesugi’s face intently, sunlight from the window behind making his old, cloudy eyes even sharper. “And how did you know about the victim’s lifestyle before death?”

“Well, while preparing, I overheard neighbors discussing the deceased. Inside the house, I noticed sleeping pills. From the police station chief, I learned the victim had purchased and consumed large amounts of sleeping pills, so I deduced the death was due to an overdose.” Uesugi recited the answer he had prepared.

“Not enough!” Okouchi closed his eyes and shook his head in disappointment. “That’s inference, not evidence. Mr. Uesugi, we are forensic doctors, not detectives! Police like intricate reasoning, but as forensic doctors, should we be like them? You’ve seen the quality of local precincts—they only use their limited experience and knowledge of the victim’s relationships to guess the case. You’re young; don’t emulate them.”

“Yes, Professor.” Uesugi was scolded again, feeling a bit frustrated. After all, he couldn’t tell Okouchi that these findings were revealed by the dead’s spirit—they were not mere conjectures but ironclad facts!

“Well… but I said it was indeed a brilliant autopsy.” The professor’s tone shifted immediately. He closed his eyes and leaned back further. “Though the precinct refuses to admit defeat and has sent the body for an administrative autopsy, in my decades of experience, the autopsy results will likely match your conclusions closely—even if not perfectly. Mr. Uesugi, if one in ten forensic doctors in all Japan were like you… I don’t understand, really don’t understand.”

Okouchi sighed, unsure whether he meant he didn’t understand why a genius like Uesugi ended up in forensics, why forensic medicine held such low status in Japan, or what gave Uesugi such confidence to make judgments so boldly.

Uesugi was about to speak when Okouchi opened his eyes, and he immediately fell silent.

In Japanese society, the strict rules between seniors and juniors or teachers and students are rigid. Uesugi still needed to make a career in forensics. Although Okouchi was stern and unsmiling, offering no favors, he was a leading figure in the field, highly influential, and posed no harm to Uesugi’s future.

“In that case, I’ll teach you something.” Okouchi took the report. “Being too sharp is not always good.”

“I am eager to learn, Professor.” Uesugi sat up straight, hands folded between his legs like a serious student.

“There were five police officers present today: Deputy Inspector Tanaka, Police Station Chief Ito, Inspection Chief Kuwahara, Inspection Chief Naito, and Miss Kosaka. Tanaka and Ito believed it was suicide; Kuwahara and Naito believed it was homicide. Kosaka… better not mention her. Mr. Uesugi, do you understand why?” Okouchi spoke slowly.

“Tanaka and Ito are experienced senior officers who based their judgment on experience, while Naito and Kuwahara relied on investigation and reasoning?” Uesugi ventured his thought.

“Wrong.” Okouchi shook his head. “You are completely mistaken.”

“Professor?”

“Tanaka is a non-career deputy inspector in his forties, and Ito is nearly fifty, an inspection chief. For them, the outcome of this case is irrelevant, so they naturally assumed suicide.”

“Kuwahara and Naito are different. They are younger, still have hopes for promotion. Making a contribution in an investigation may mean little to veterans like Tanaka and Ito, but for younger officers, it counts as an achievement. So they instinctively believed it was homicide.”

“Understanding this explains why these officers came to such different conclusions. From the start, your assumptions were wrong.”

Uesugi was stunned. Upon reflection, it did seem true.

He had been mistaken from the beginning. The police officers’ conclusions had nothing to do with experience or skill but were tied solely to their personal interests.

“The police are bureaucrats by nature, just as the doctors and professors in this hospital are bureaucrats. Their official duties just happen to be law enforcement or medical care.” Okouchi’s deep triangular eyes brimmed with disdain and disgust. “But fundamentally, they are bureaucrats. To understand them, look at their interests and positions. Generally, personal interest outweighs faction interest, which outweighs national interest. Remember that.”

“Sometimes, the interests of solving cases or saving lives coincide with personal interests. Then, they become defenders of the people's welfare. But often, they do not. Like in hospitals, some cancer patients receive top care, while others are swiftly transferred.” Okouchi said, “In the future, you will encounter all kinds of police and people. Don’t be reckless and impulsive like these two times. You faced Tanaka this time. If it had been a core member from the Metropolitan Police Department, it wouldn’t be so easy.”

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“I know you’re straightforward, which isn’t bad—I admire that. But there are some things you don’t yet understand. Do you know why I served only one term as Minister of Medicine? If I had lost my medical qualifications, would I still have the chance to speak frankly? The streets are full of ordinary housewives and idle onlookers. Imagine if it were Director Tsubaki or Professor Maezono—if you embarrassed them, what would happen?”

Okouchi’s words sent Uesugi into deep thought. He grasped the meaning behind the old professor’s final remark.

In short, grassroots officers like Tanaka have little pride. After a couple of confrontations, they admit defeat. But if it were elite core members from the Metropolitan Police Department, things would be far more complicated. Their pride is not easily offended, and admitting mistakes is extremely difficult.

“Thank you, Professor. I will remember.” Uesugi knew this was a life lesson disguised as a class.

“Hmm, you smelled the stench of death today, didn’t you? Not pleasant. Go rest early. If the corpse smell lingers, try smelling excrement.” Okouchi signaled Uesugi it was time to leave.

Just as the stench of death is etched into human DNA as a warning of nearby danger, the smell of feces signals relative safety, ending the genetic alarm and freeing one from the grip of death’s odor.

What a fascinating, scent-related piece of trivia, Uesugi thought wryly.

—End of scent trivia—

While all surgical colleagues were still working overtime, Uesugi left work shortly after three in the afternoon and returned to his apartment in Bunkyo Ward.

Habitually, he hung his clothes on a hanger and sniffed his sleeve, wondering if he had picked up the corpse stench.

After a long sniff, satisfied there was no strange odor, Uesugi took a shower, changed into clean clothes, and slightly parted the curtains to gaze outside.

The bustling metropolis of Tokyo and the scholarly air of Bunkyo flowed in simultaneously through the narrow gap. A faint ray of sunlight touched Uesugi’s face, adding life to his cold, sharp eyes. Along with the sunlight, Uesugi raised his right hand.

The Golden Body Manifestation—Aizen Myo-o.

Aizen Myo-o is a special deity in esoteric Buddhism, dwelling in the samadhi of great love and great desire. This figure represents “intense affection.” Folk belief holds that Aizen Myo-o blesses smooth romantic relationships; some say he is an incarnation of Dainichi Nyorai, others claim he is a transformation of other bodhisattvas like Vajra Bodhisattva—opinions vary.

He regards human desires and troubles as wisdom leading to enlightenment, hoping beings awaken from desire and ultimately attain Buddhahood.

In Japan, people believe worshipping Aizen Myo-o blesses marriages and romantic love, and also exam success. The most famous devotee was Kanetsugu Naoe, the “Greatest Retainer of the Uesugi,” whose helmet bore a large “Love” character representing Aizen Myo-o.

Uesugi recognized the manifestation immediately for this reason. The Aizen Myo-o shown in the blue radiance stone was wrathful, with three faces and six arms, entirely red, crowned with a lion’s head, seated in full lotus on a red lotus flower.

The six arms held: upper left a fist, middle left a bell, lower left a bow; upper right a lotus flower, middle right a five-pointed vajra, lower right an arrow.

So, what exactly is going on?

Why Aizen Myo-o and not Bishamonten? I’m not part of the Naoe family either!

After manifesting the form, Uesugi still didn’t understand. He didn’t know what he should do next. Thinking carefully, the only thing he could do was…

Without hesitation, Uesugi tried to channel the “spirit force” he had gained from solving cases into the Golden Body Manifestation.

The blue spiritual energy flowed into the golden form, and Aizen Myo-o began to change.

The Golden Body Manifestation was activated!

Aizen, the king of great desire and attachment, appears wrathful to enemies but uses love to liberate sentient beings.

Endowed with justice and pure nature, he embodies the unity of purity and defilement, speaking profound wisdom.

Recalling these words, Uesugi felt the empowerment of the manifestation.

Through methods he barely understood, Uesugi activated the Golden Body Manifestation—Aizen Myo-o. This power would now be passively and permanently bestowed upon him.

The power of Aizen Myo-o could also be actively invoked, providing vast spirit force, allowing Uesugi to temporarily transform into the golden form to battle opponents. Different Golden Body Manifestations had varied attributes—some with special talents, others with unique spells.

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Currently, Uesugi had only the Aizen Myo-o manifestation. How to find, activate, or what types of manifestations existed was still a mystery to him.

Namu San! There was no system or white-bearded old man in a talisman to guide me!

Instinctively, Uesugi tried to transform fully into Aizen Myo-o. However, before completion, he had already consumed over thirty percent of the spirit force he had painstakingly gathered from solving two cases, so he immediately stopped the transformation.

He could not afford to squander such precious spirit force!

After disengaging the transformation, Uesugi was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled.

I knew it—since I’ve transmigrated, there must be some perks. Though no system or old man is guiding me, at least I now know what to do.

The current goals were clear: money, spirit force, power.

Uesugi extended his right hand, the blue spiritual energy blossomed, and the Aizen Myo-o manifestation empowered him from behind. His fist clenched tightly, radiating light.

I want it all!

Without hesitation, Uesugi called his elder brother, Uesugi Sadamune, who attended Waseda University.

Careful as he was, Uesugi wouldn’t casually reveal his supernatural abilities or flaunt his new power. But he needed to confirm one thing—whether others in this world possessed supernatural powers besides himself.

He was uncertain. At least during his schooling and occasional readings in history, he had never heard of such.

The call connected, and his brother’s steady, serious voice came through: “What is it?”

Sadamune was taciturn and engaged in archaeological research. Though not close, they were full siblings with no inheritance disputes. Uesugi considered him reliable.

“Brother, can you help me check something?” Uesugi said quietly. “Can you see if historical records or ancient books mention anyone with supernatural abilities?”

“...Why ask all of a sudden?” Sadamune pondered for a few seconds without an immediate answer.

“I’ve been studying autopsies recently, and unexpectedly saw a file describing autopsies on corpses exhibiting supernatural phenomena. However, the subsequent data seemed tampered with, so I thought you might know something.” Uesugi fabricated a reason. “Don’t you have many archives there?”

“I think I’ve seen something before… Give me some time, I’ll help you check.” Sadamune considered a bit more. “Might take weeks or months. After I finish this project, I’ll apply to access old historical archives. Maybe there’s something not deleted.”

“Okay.”

Several days later, at the Bunkyo Ward Otsuka Police Station, Criminal Division.

Inspection Chief Kuwahara, holding a thick autopsy report, approached Deputy Inspector Tanaka with a shocked expression.

“Tanaka-san! It’s incredible—just look at the autopsy report on the Ishizaka couple. Every detail matches exactly what Uesugi-san said!”

“Exactly? Impossible.” Tanaka straightened in his seat. “I know little brother Uesugi is talented, but ‘exactly’... close enough would be impressive enough...”

He was at a loss for words because the report truly matched every detail Uesugi had described—even more detailed than what the autopsy revealed!

Who exactly is this kid?

Before Tanaka and Kuwahara could react further, someone called from outside.

“Tanaka, Kuwahara, the section chief wants to see you.”

“It concerns that young forensic intern from Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Uesugi Muneyuki.”