The Legend of Tokyo Taoist

Chapter 149: Training trip (22)

Kuroda Nobunaga drove along the road in the fields. He stared at the darkness ahead where the headlights could not reach and asked, "You guys are always able to find some strange places. Such a vast field is unheard of in Japan."

Qian Xiaoyi said: "Are you interested? I can tell you where this is."

Kuroda Nobunaga said, "Forget it. If you know too much about some things, you will not be able to sleep. Just call me if you have anything to say. You don't need to tell me anything else."

Inuyama Heita leaned back in his seat. Because it was a truck, the passenger seat was spacious, more than enough for two people. He sighed, "I never expected that Mr. Kuroda would come."

Qian Xiaoyi smiled and said, "I told you before that I found a car that is willing to take me to the village. This village is too remote, and no car is willing to run except for the rural bus. Fortunately, Mr. Kuroda is engaged in long-distance transportation. Because of the incident in the Jiuma Tunnel, this truck has become a little different. Thanks to him driving for several hours from another place, I was able to ride back here. Mr. Kuroda has seen that world, and he is not an ordinary person who knows nothing. I am not afraid of bad things if I call him over."

Upon hearing this, Inuyama Heita said politely, "Oh, so that's how it is. Thank you very much, Mr. Kuroda!" Since he was wearing a seat belt in the car, he would have bowed 60 degrees otherwise.

Kuroda Nobunaga waved his hand and said, "I have money too, no need to thank me. I didn't intend to take it, but Mr. Qian persuaded me."

Qian Xiaoyi said, "After all, you suddenly left your post while working, so you have to pay for lost wages. If something like this happens again in the future, I won't be able to bother you again."

"No problem." Kuroda Nobunaga said generously, "Leave it to me! By the way...how is Nuhumaru?"

Qian Xiaoyi said: "I recently passed the motorcycle driving test, and I ride it for a spin when I have time. It's pretty good."

"That's good." Kuroda Nobunaga nodded and said no more.

Qian Xiaoyi turned to Inuyama Heita, looked him over, and said, "By the way, you actually brought a guest on board?"

Inuyama Heita immediately felt a chill in his spine. Could it be that the scarecrows were clinging to him and had followed him? He quickly looked around, but Qian Xiaoyi stopped him, "Don't move."

Qian Xiaoyi stretched out his hand and pinched Inuyama Heita's back, pulling out a pure white fox. The fox kept struggling, but seeing that it had no way to break free, it could only look at Qian Xiaoyi with a flattering look.

When Inuyama Heita saw the fox, his face changed. No wonder he was wondering why those scarecrows kept chasing him. It turned out that the culprit was this fox? ! Such a big fox was lying behind him, but he had never noticed it.

Qian Xiaoyi stared at the fox and said, "Because the shrine is abandoned and the magic circle is gone, if you stay here it will just slowly dissipate, so you want to run away with it? You are such a clever little ghost."

The fox made a whimpering sound, its eyes full of flattery.

Qian Xiaoyi grinned: "Are you begging me? Then you will be called Xiaobai from now on, how about that?"

The fox nodded quickly. Its keen intuition told it who it could and could not mess with. The man in front of it was not the brat next to it. It would be better to just admit defeat.

Qian Xiaoyi took out a jade pendant and put it on the forehead of the well-behaved fox, sucking it in. Inuyama Heita asked nervously, "Is it really okay?"

He was really teased by this fox during his special training these days.

Qian Xiaoyi said, "It's a fox spirit from a regular shrine after all. No matter how naughty it is, it won't have bad intentions. You can take it in and find a fox statue to worship it." Inuyama Heita nodded and was about to feel at ease when Qian Xiaoyi continued, "It's good that we don't need to find a place to train you. You can continue to play together."

Inuyama Heita's face fell. That was not just playing together. He was simply being played.

After a while, the car finally drove out of the field and onto the road, which meant that they had left the ghost realm and arrived in the real world.

Inuyama Heita was exhausted and fell asleep leaning against the seat. Qian Xiaoyi used his mobile phone to light up and study something in his notebook. The car was extremely quiet with only the slight snoring of Inuyama Heita.

After arriving in the city, Kuroda Nobunaga said goodbye to them and returned to his work. This trip had wasted a lot of time for him.

Qian Xiaoyi and his companion found a hotel and stayed there for the night. Then they went to the station the next day, waiting to meet up with the others and return to Tokyo together.

While waiting, Inuyama Heita asked, "Brother Oto, has the magic circle in the village been broken?"

Qian Xiaoyi nodded: "Yes, it should be. The magic circle takes a long time to work. The foxes destroyed the scarecrows, which changed the Feng Shui pattern. The power accumulated by the magic circle was also lost. The aura of the entire area was destroyed. Even if we make another magic circle, we can't reproduce the previous effect."

Inuyama Heita asked in confusion: "But why would the foxes in reality attack the scarecrow? Could Xiaobai also control them?"

Qian Xiaoyi explained: "Twenty years ago, in order to set up the magic circle, the village hunted and drove away the foxes that symbolize the shrine, and cleared them out of the area. However, foxes are creatures that are mostly spiritual animals, whether in Japan or other countries, which means they are very smart, so it is possible that they still hold a grudge after so long.

Moreover, the common understanding of fox demon worship may have also influenced foxes. After all, they are also living creatures, and it is normal for them to have their own thoughts. Perhaps they also have the same common understanding as humans?"

"What will happen to the village next?" asked Inuyama Heita.

Qian Xiaoyi said, "Just like the formation taking effect, it will also take a long time for it to become ineffective. Perhaps in a few years, the young people in the village will not be able to stand that kind of life and will choose to leave again. After some time, the village will probably become like other places, gradually losing its vitality and then aging."

Inuyama Heita sighed, "Did we really do the right thing? This village that was once so vibrant, just because of our meddling, it's..."

Qian Xiaoyi smiled and said, "You are still struggling with this? To be honest, after I came to Tokyo, I actually wanted to go back to the mountains many times. Life in this city is not as comfortable as where I live. The food is average, the buildings are crowded, and it is hard to make money. Many people are polite in front of others, but they are all kinds of weird and exclusive behind others... But this does not mean that they can magnify people's emotions to harm others and benefit themselves, and they use this method. For an exorcist like me, this is already an act of attack. What's wrong with fighting back?"

Inuyama Heita scratched his head, agreeing with the reason. However, he felt a little melancholy when he thought that the beautiful village would be abandoned in the future.

"Hey! Inuyama, Mr. Qian!"

In the distance, Kawasaki and his friends came over carrying large and small bags. Qian Xiaoyi stood up from his chair and said, "Let's go. After a few days of enjoying the quiet life in the countryside, it's time to go back to the bustling metropolis. I kind of miss the car exhaust in Tokyo."

They met up and boarded the return train.

(End of this chapter)