The Legend of Tokyo Taoist

Chapter 311 The New Year Begins (8)

"I say...what on earth do you want to buy?"

After searching the shelves, Qian Xiaoyi didn't want anything. Xingchang Ran had lost his temper at this moment. He sat back on the recliner with dead eyes and said, "You don't want to buy this, and you don't want to buy that... You can't be..."

Just when Inuyama Heita and Qian Xiaoyi thought that the other party had seen through the fact that they had no money, Xingchang's eyes suddenly became stern and he said, "Are you guys here to gather information? Do you want to open a store and do the same business as me? I advise you that this business is not that easy to do."

"No." Qian Xiaoyi waved his hand and said, "You misunderstood. Of course I know where the difficulty of this business lies. In addition to having skills, you also need to have familiar connections. Otherwise, I don't even know where to get the materials. And I don't understand the knowledge of your schools of thought. How can I open a store? So you don't have to worry about me stealing your business."

"Then what exactly are you here for?" Xingchang Rang asked suspiciously, "I've already taken out all my good stuff. You don't want the materials, and you don't want the finished products. If you want to make Chinese magic tools or spells, you can definitely do it yourself... I can't figure out what else you need? Are you just here to take a look?"

"No, what I'm interested in has already been shown from the beginning." Qian Xiaoyi pointed at the monkey's paw with the middle finger raised on the shelf and said, "The idea behind that thing is an urban legend, right? If I'm not mistaken, you're studying urban legends."

Upon hearing this, Xingchang's expression changed slightly, but he quickly returned to normal and said disdainfully, "Tsk~ What's so strange about this? It's normal for me to be interested in urban legends. After all, my old man died at the hands of the Slit Woman, so of course I'm curious."

"Do you also want to kill the slit-mouthed woman?" Qian Xiaoyi asked, "Just like the monk from Liuliyuan?"

"I don't want to die." Xingchang Rang said, "Besides, I'm more curious about what kind of existence she is and why our Xingchang family's sealing method doesn't work than killing her. The more I study the notes left by my grandfather, the more I feel that thing is not a monster in the traditional sense, but more like..."

At this point, Xingchang suddenly woke up from his thoughts and said, "Anyway, I am indeed researching urban legends, but I haven't made any progress so far. The monkey's paw is just a failed imitation."

"You have actually figured out something, right?" Qian Xiaoyi stared at the star field and said, "For example... urban legends are not unique."

"You..." Xingchang showed surprise in his eyes.

Qian Xiaoyi continued, "Because they don't have a so-called true body, your family's traditional method cannot seal them. You already know this, right? Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to make something like a monkey's paw to verify it. It's called a failure, but it's actually just a test product."

"Wait, you think so too?" Xingchang stood up excitedly, supporting himself on the table with both hands, and said, "Yes, I think so. The monsters in urban legends don't have any real bodies! They are ghosts formed by people's thoughts! So they can't be sealed at all! Mr. Qian, you really know that!"

"But this brings up a new problem..." He paced back and forth behind the counter, a look of fear on his face. "If the ghosts in urban legends are formed in this way, then what about gods? Could gods also exist in this way..."

He never dared to voice this idea out loud, and even once suspected that he had embarked on an evil path, because once he spoke out, it might destroy the entire exorcist world... no, the entire metaphysical world's cognition, and he couldn't bear the consequences of that. Perhaps before he could start to promote this theory, the Hoshiba family would be secretly eliminated.

Until today, he met Qian Xiaoyi, who thought the same thing. It was like seeing a light in the darkness. Although it was weak, at least he no longer felt lonely, so he was very excited. "Sure enough, only real researchers can perceive this fact." Qian Xiaoyi thought: "Those classical families dare not question the existence of gods, so they can't take that step. Therefore, if a classical family wants to become a cognitive family, their biggest enemy is themselves."

Qian Xiaoyi admired the predecessors of the cognitive school. Decades ago, how did they bear the pressure of the entire industry and the risk of destroying their own cultivation to make this theory public? They were also regarded as evil and unfilial by everyone at that time, right?
"Mr. Qian, since you know this, you must know more, right?" Xingchang said enthusiastically, "Please tell me! I can pay any price."

Qian Xiaoyi suddenly asked: "So how is your spiritual power now?"

Xingchang was stunned for a moment, and his mind quickly cooled down. He carefully felt the spiritual power contained in his body, and then replied: "Fortunately, it is functioning normally."

"Oh, that's good." Qian Xiaoyi nodded. This meant that the other party had not yet realized that it was not just gods and urban legends that were like this, but other things as well. If he had really guessed this fact, then he should have collapsed cognitively and his spiritual power should have dissipated.

Qian Xiaoyi had a good impression of this guy who had grasped the basics of cognitive theory. It was like everyone around him was playing chess, but Qian Xiaoyi was playing Go, and then he suddenly met someone with the same interest. The two naturally felt a sense of familiarity as soon as they met.

But Qian Xiaoyi didn't intend to convert the other party into a cognitive school all at once. First, doing so would destroy the results of the other party's hard work in these years of cultivation. If he was not careful, he would even be resented. He needed to let him do it slowly. Second,...

"Information is also charged." Qian Xiaoyi said, "I do know something about that aspect, but I don't need the stuff in your store. I need an equivalent exchange. I want your research materials on the category of 'monsters', and I need you to help me look up something. If you know what it is, that would be great."

"Information exchange?" Xing Changrang nodded: "Fair enough, what do you want to ask?"

"There is a monster called Onikouchi... do you know about it?"

……

"So that's how it is... I have some idea of ​​the truth behind those monsters."

Qian Xiaoyi and Inuyama Heita walked out of the Hoshiba family. He had just had a round of communication with Hoshiba. Qian Xiaoyi already had a guess about the true forms of those ghosts. All he had to do next was wait for the right opportunity to verify it.

"Go back~" Qian Xiaoyi turned to Inuyama Heita and said, "Enjoy the last two days of vacation. The next two days of work will be very busy."

Inuyama Heita sighed. This vacation felt like it had just begun but it was already over. It felt too short, as if nothing had been done. It was really frustrating...

(End of this chapter)