The Legend of Tokyo Taoist

Chapter 323 The Child I Pushed (12)

Although there were several retired gangsters in the bathhouse, Qian Xiaoyi and Zhang Chunfa spoke in Chinese, which no one could understand. Moreover, those gangsters were chatting on the other side, so they had no time to pay attention to them and naturally had no fear of being eavesdropped.

"Yes." Zhang Chunfa frowned, revealing a painful expression, and said: "Anyway, it's all past events. I don't know why you want to ask about what happened that year, but I can only tell you that those things are in the past."

He put on his sunglasses again, as if that made him feel more comfortable.

Zhang Chunfa didn't want to say it, and Qian Xiaoyi couldn't force him. Perhaps those memories were the source of Zhang Chunfa's pain.

"Since you don't want to mention it, Brother Zhang, I won't ask. Every family has its own problems." Qian Xiaoyi said, "But I'm curious. Is it true that my master saved your life in Hong Kong 20 years ago?"

Zhang Chunfa nodded: "Yes, it happened. If it wasn't for your master, not only would I lose my other eye, but I would also lose my life. It can be said that without him, I wouldn't be who I am today... Didn't Taoist Lingkong tell you about that?"

"He didn't tell me the details, he just said that he had helped you before." Qian Xiaoyi said.

Zhang Chunfa sighed: "Then he just doesn't want to tell you."

Qian Xiaoyi looked at Zhang Chunfa and continued to ask, "I don't need to ask about this matter, but there is one more thing. When he went to Hong Kong, was there another person with him? Who was that person?"

Zhang Chunfa was silent for a while, then answered the question irrelevantly: "...After I came to Japan, I joined the Yakuza here through connections. Although I haven't done anything wicked, one thing is certain."

"That is, no matter what image the Jidao people have in the eyes of ordinary people, whether they are loyal and brave or benevolent and righteous, they are all the same kind of people."

"——Flop, scumbag, that's what it means to be a gangster. No matter how well packaged you are, you're still like that."

"Do you see those old ghosts over there? They always brag about how kind and law-abiding they were when they were young, but in fact, they are all scum who rely on violence and suck the blood of civilians."

"Collecting protection money is for safety? Diulei Laomou, without these gangsters, we would have been safe a long time ago."

Zhang Chunfa pointed at his nose and said to Qian Xiaoyi, "Look at me, everyone says that I am a righteous man. My compatriots in this area all come to me when they have problems. But what is the truth? I make money from them through this. This is my job. The higher-ups asked me, a 'fellow villager', to take care of my fellow countrymen from China, and then sell the unsaleable shops to them, rent out the land, and let them borrow money from me, even at high interest rates, and they still have to be grateful to me... See? I am also a scumbag, you know what?"

Qian Xiaoyi looked at the excited Zhang Chunfa calmly without saying anything, but waited for him to calm down.

Zhang Chunfa seemed to realize his own loss of composure. He took a deep breath and said, "I've told you so much just to tell you that I'm very grateful to your master. If he hadn't saved me, I wouldn't have had the chance to take a bath with you here. So if you have any difficulties, you can tell me and I'll waive your rent for another year. But you'd better not investigate that matter anymore and don't look for that person. We, the Jidao who ordinary people think we can't afford to offend, are nothing in his eyes. You can't beat him."

"But... you are actually very unwilling, right?"

Qian Xiaoyi said, "Although I don't know what happened that made you come to Japan, I can see that you don't want this kind of life. Don't you want to make a change?" Zhang Chunfa smiled bitterly and said, "When I was young, I liked watching movies. Brother Xiao Ma was my idol. He wore the same sunglasses. I wanted to imitate him and say 'I have principles, I want to make a name for myself, and I must take back what I lost'... But it's too late. It's been so long. I have a wife and children now, and I have a lot of people to support. What can I do?"

He waved his hands in a bored manner: "Sorry, I didn't lose my temper with you just now. Look at me now. I'm already a useless person. I help the higher-ups to support a bunch of old men and go around collecting rent and debts. You want me to fight? I don't have that ability. It's better to say... now the Yakuza in Japan are all like this. The organization is full of old people. In order to seek change, they can only try to whitewash themselves and run various formal companies, engage in real estate, construction, and open stores... But fighting and killing are really not allowed now."

"I understand." Qian Xiaoyi nodded, got up from the pool, and said, "If that's the case, forget it. As for the rent exemption, there's no need for that. I've already earned enough money for the rent."

Zhang Chunfa forced a smile and said, "I forgot that you are now a psychic detective and a big star. You must be rich. Don't you want to soak for a while? Go to the sauna? I'll call someone... Oh, you are also a Taoist priest... You really don't want to soak?"

"No need. The water in this pool is too hot. I feel a little dizzy after soaking in it." Qian Xiaoyi said.

Zhang Chunfa nodded and said, "Okay, Rongzi is at the door, tell him to take you home, I'll soak for a while."

He rolled over and laid down on the edge of the pool, letting out a contented sigh.

After Zhang Chunfa turned over, Qian Xiaoyi stared at his back for a while before leaving the bath.

On the way out of the bathhouse, Qian Xiaoyi recalled the tattoo on Zhang Chunfa's back - it was a tattoo of a monster, with a big mouth whose true appearance could not be seen, open and occupying the entire back. In the middle of the upper and lower rows of fangs, there was a Ukiyo-e style woman with a charming smile, and her lower body was connected to the monster's mouth, like the monster's tongue, tempting the prey to come closer.

That is——the monster [Ghost One Mouth].

Qian Xiaoyi put on his clothes and walked out of the bathhouse. He took Zhang Chunfa's car back to Shanwailou and then left on a motorcycle.

"Sure enough, my guess was right." On the motorcycle, Qian Xiaoyi thought: "If the real body of [Yunwaijing] Tanuki is the TV station of WTV, and the various staff responsible for disseminating information... then the real body of Guiyikou is of course the underworld."

Pachinko gambling machines, sex shops, narcotics shops, and even some arcades are all places that have connections with the Yakuza. Some of them collect protection fees, and some simply have Yakuza backgrounds. Therefore, it is normal that Guiyikou's true identity is actually this gang of gangsters.

However, what he didn't expect was that Zhang Chunfa was actually one of them. He originally wanted to entrust Zhang Chunfa to look up relevant information, but after seeing the tattoo on his back, it was no longer necessary.

"Oh, interesting... man-made monsters." Qian Xiaoyi's eyes showed fighting spirit, and he murmured, "How many things are there that I don't know? Things are getting interesting."

He rode his motorcycle at full speed towards the office.

(End of this chapter)