The Legend of Tokyo Taoist

Chapter 123: Yellow Springs House (4)

"Is it actually here..."

The Nuhuomaru slowly stopped outside a street full of neon lights. If you ask where in Tokyo has the richest nightlife, it must be Shinjuku. The famous Kabukicho is located in the most prosperous area here.

The compass needle pointed to a small alley full of lanterns and small shops with signs. From here, it was not convenient for the motorcycle to enter, so the two of them got off the motorcycle and started walking into the alley. Inuyama Heita didn't react to this. He had entered a ghost area once before in a similar place in Shibuya, so he was familiar with it.

"Take this talisman with you." Qian Xiaoyi handed him a yellow talisman folded into a triangle and said, "Otherwise, be careful not to lose him."

Inuyama Heita was a little puzzled: "Lost?"

"Of course, everyone's mental state is different." Qian Xiaoyi said, "So even if two people are together, they may enter the ghost realm at different times. Think about it, isn't this often the case in ghost stories? Two people are walking together, and the person in front suddenly turns around and finds that the person behind is gone. Or, the person behind suddenly finds that the person in front is silent while walking, and other strange scenes..."

"I understand. Please stop talking." Inuyama Heita got goosebumps. "It was nothing. It just felt a little weird when you mentioned that scene."

"You need to practice your courage." Qian Xiaoyi shook his head and said to Ajian who was following behind him, "And you, don't come out this time. Stay in the jade pendant and don't show up. Got it?"

Ah Jian was very confused: "Ah? Why? Don't you need me to come out and give you a warning this time?"

"This time we might be facing other exorcists." Qian Xiaoyi said, "The last time I saw the ghost vine, it reminded me that places like Tokyo are full of people of all kinds, so there must be some people who practice evil arts. If they see you... as a spirit with intelligence, you can be used in many ways, such as refining ghosts, raising corpses, or even directly refining magic tools. Fatty, you don't want your body to be done to by evildoers, do you?"

"Aiya!!! I don't want to enter the BE line!" Ajian screamed and shrank into the jade pendant.

The two continued to move forward, just like the time in Shibuya, guided by the compass, they slowly walked from the brightly lit alley to a deserted dark alley. Everything around them became strange and distorted. At this time, the letter paper tied to the compass suddenly began to flutter, like a living thing.

"Oh~ Got it, got it." Qian Xiaoyi untied the ink line from the compass, and the two pieces of letter paper flew up with a "swish", quickly folded themselves, and turned into two origami flying birds. The two birds had square heads and looked very funny. They impatiently used their beaks to comb out the marks just made by the ink line, and seemed a little unhappy. There was an identical strange pattern on the backs of the two paper birds. The pattern was composed of five horizontal lines and four vertical lines crossed, and seemed to have some special meaning.

"This is..." Inuyama Heita was very surprised. The ordinary letter paper turned into a flying bird after arriving in the ghost realm. He seemed to have seen the pattern behind the bird somewhere, but he couldn't remember it for a while.

"Shikigami." Qian Xiaoyi said, "It should be the method of Onmyoji. Don't say you haven't heard of it."

"Onmyoji!" The familiar yet unfamiliar name surprised Inuyama Heita. He said it was familiar because in Japan, as long as there is a film or TV work about ancient gods and demons, there is a high probability that the profession of Onmyoji will appear. It is almost well-known. When it comes to exorcising demons, the first thing that every Japanese thinks of is definitely this profession.

But the reason why it is unfamiliar is that in modern times, basically no ordinary people have ever seen the existence of Onmyoji. Since the Meiji government abolished Onmyoji and turned to Shintoism more than a hundred years ago, the profession of Onmyoji has gradually faded out of people's lives, and people can only see it on TV programs.

After Qian Xiaoyi's reminder, he also thought of the meaning of the pattern on the flying bird. It was a symbol created by Ashiya Doman, the mortal enemy of the great Onmyoji Abe Haruaki in ancient legends.

Ashiya Doman is also a great Onmyoji, but he appears as a villain in most stories about Abe Haruaki. His appearance is often closely related to "conspiracy", so Inuyama Heita couldn't help but feel nervous.

Qian Xiaoyi did not have the stereotype of Inuyama Heita. To him, both Abe Haruaki and Ashiya Doman were just foreign wizards. He smiled and said, "Rather than a letter, it's better to say it's a messenger. Then, lead the way, little one."

Hearing this, two square-headed birds flapped their wings quickly and hovered in the air like hummingbirds, then slowly led the two people towards the depths of the alley.

"Brother Otoko, that's something related to Ashiya Doman." Inuyama Heita said in a low voice.

"It doesn't matter." Qian Xiaoyi said, "Whether they are good or bad is up to them. They invited us directly instead of attacking us secretly, which means they still want to talk, so we don't have to worry about safety issues, probably."

"Don't add an approximation!" Inuyama Heita said, "It sounds more and more terrifying!"

Qian Xiaoyi smiled and said, "Okay, let's talk about something else. Speaking of the buildings in the ghost realm, there are actually related legends in various places. Did you know?"

"Uh, for example?" Inuyama Heita's attention was immediately diverted.

Qian Xiaoyi said: "The most famous one is the 'Magnificent Haunted House' plot. There is a similar story in many places around the world. It is said that a lost traveler is traveling in the wilderness at night and unexpectedly encounters a magnificent building. This building can be an inn, or a family who is holding a wedding, or simply a magnificent villa, anyway, it is something similar. When the traveler enters, he will be warmly entertained by the host, with delicious food and drinks, and some versions even have maids actively accompany him, but no matter what the version is, they all have the same ending..."

"Dead?" Inuyama Heita swallowed.

Qian Xiaoyi said, "No, they will wake up the next day and find themselves sleeping in a grave, or in a dilapidated haunted house. At this time, they will feel very uncomfortable and nauseous, and will keep vomiting, vomiting a bunch of cockroaches, mice or other disgusting fragments. That is the delicious food they ate the night before. So, this story tells us... Don't eat anything carelessly in the ghost realm. Who knows what you will eat with relish."

"I won't eat it!" Inuyama Heita shook his head.

After Qian Xiaoyi's heartwarming story ended, the two flying birds brought them to their destination, which was an izakaya standing at the end of an alley. Bright yellow cylindrical lanterns were hung on both sides of the door. Above the door curtain, the two big characters "Huangquan" were written. The rich aroma of wine and lively sounds came from inside, and one could seem to imagine the scene of people toasting each other.

"We're here. Let's go in and meet the mysterious Onmyoji." Qian Xiaoyi took the lead and walked in.

(End of this chapter)