The Legend of Tokyo Taoist

Chapter 698 Hope and Despair

If the topic of great demons is mentioned in Japan, there are definitely a few names that cannot be avoided, such as the famous Shuten-doji, Tsuchigumo, Tengu, etc. Among these great demons, there is one who even left "remains" in reality. It is a rock called "Killing Stone", which has always existed in Tochigi Prefecture in the Tokyo metropolitan area. The name of that great demon is Tamamonomae.

If you have no impression of this name, then the name [Nine-tailed Demon Fox] may be more widely known.

There are many versions of the legend about this monster. Some say that it is a monster native to Japan, and some say that it is Su Daji from the Shang Dynasty of China who fled to Japan to cause trouble. But no matter which version of the legend it is, she was killed by the Onmyoji and the army in the end. After her death, her resentment did not dissipate, and she turned into a killing stone. Her resentment would kill all living things that approached her.

Today, this stone is placed safely near a volcanic hot spring in Tochigi Prefecture, surrounded by shimeji ropes, and a wooden pillar is erected with the words "Killing Stone" engraved on it.

But no matter how Qian Xiaoyi looked at it, it was just an ordinary stone.

"Is this the Killing Stone?" Qian Xiaoyi stood on the other side of the rope, stroking his chin and carefully observing the plain-looking rock. He did not sense any strange aura, so he murmured, "Could it be that this place is just like many other scenic spots, where they just randomly found a strange-shaped stone and added a legend to it to attract tourists?"

He was at the "Kishoishi Garden" in Tochigi Prefecture, which is also a local tourist attraction. Many tourists who come to experience the hot springs will visit this so-called "Kishoishi". Qian Xiaoyi brought Inuyama Heita to investigate two days after returning to Tokyo.

"Maybe it's not this one?" Inuyama Heita said, "According to the legend, there seem to be many Killing Stones?"

According to the legend, after the nine-tailed fox was defeated, it turned into the Killing Stone. It was full of resentment and often killed passing birds, beasts, humans and livestock. By chance, a monk who happened to pass by saw this situation, so he smashed the Killing Stone with his Zen stick. The stones of the Killing Stone flew and landed in several places, so there is not just one Killing Stone.

There are even many temples that enshrine some so-called killing stones, and I heard that the legend of the killing stones has a certain scientific basis. It is said that the killing stones only appear near volcanoes and have a porous structure, so they can occasionally store some toxic gases erupted from volcanoes. After absorbing heat and expanding, the gases will be released. Once a living thing approaches, it may inhale these toxic gases, leading to death.

Qian Xiaoyi suddenly remembered that he seemed to have seen a Noh play with the same plot. Last year, when he was competing with Ryuko Kidou and Suzuna, he watched several Noh plays for free at the Noh Theater where Koichirō Yulin was, and one of them was "The Killing Stone".

But he couldn't understand it then, and he still can't understand it now.

Qian Xiaoyi turned around and asked, "Ajian, can you feel any aura?"

"Let me see, let me see~" Ah Jian popped his head out, squinted his eyes and looked for a while, then shrugged: "Don't mention the golden-haired beast-eared nine-tailed loli, even ordinary resentment can't be seen. Maybe it's just like what you said, Brother Yi, this stone is just a gimmick made by a nearby merchant or scenic spot?"

Ignoring Ah Jian's previous nerdy remarks, Qian Xiaoyi stroked his chin and thought for a while, then said, "Maybe that's the case... But we still have to wait until tonight to see the details. It's also possible that the time is not right, so some things can't be revealed. This situation also exists... Forget it, let's go back to the hotel first."

They booked a room in a hot spring hotel nearby. To be honest, the experience in these Japanese hot spring hotels is actually similar. Qian Xiaoyi, who just came back from Mount Osore, naturally did not come here because he likes hot spring hotels. Although he does not hate taking a hot spring bath, he is not an avid hot spring lover.

The reason why he came here was because of the conversation he had with Granny Tao a few days ago. Granny Tao told him a very important piece of information. "Nirvana Fire?" In the ward, Qian Xiaoyi looked at Granny Tao in confusion: "What does it mean? As a psychic, shouldn't you explore the translator's past and see some fragmented scenes in his consciousness? Could it be that he has experienced a fire before?"

"No, that's not what I meant by the fire of nirvana." Granny Tao shook her head. She said, "That translator...his past has become blurred and shrouded in a ball of flame. I can't read any images from him."

Qian Xiaoyi fell into deep thought. Several possibilities came to his mind, but he was not sure which one it was. What if he guessed wrong? It would be a single wrong move and the whole game would be lost. He really wanted to know what role the translator who accompanied Jingde played.

However, based on the current clues, no conclusion can be drawn. At this time, Granny Tao said, "Maybe there is another piece of information that can help you, but that is just my intuition. It is up to you whether you believe it or not."

"What?" Qian Xiaoyi raised his head. As Granny Tao was a top psychic, Qian Xiaoyi was willing to believe in her intuition. That was her subconscious based on her lifelong experience, so its accuracy should be quite high.

Granny Tao said, "After helping that person summon the embryo of the last nest, I lost contact with him. Originally, he had only contacted me unilaterally, so I didn't have his contact information... But one day, by chance, I saw a piece of news. Because it was somewhat related to supernatural events, I paid a little attention to it..."

Qian Xiaoyi sighed and said, "Grandma, stop keeping me in suspense and tell me quickly. Your mysterious tone is like telling a horror story to amuse your grandson."

"Haha~ Sorry, that's what happens when you get old." Granny Tao smiled and said, "I hope young people can spend more time with me... Well, I'll just get straight to the point - the news is that a fire broke out at a hot spring hotel near the Killing Stone, and a male tourist died in the fire. I only paid attention to this news because there were rumors that the Killing Stone had killed people again."

"Fire..." Qian Xiaoyi murmured.

Granny Tao added: "If it was before, I wouldn't pay too much attention to it, but just now, after you showed me that photo, I noticed the burns on the face of the man in the corner, plus the flames I saw from the translator next to that man... My intuition tells me that there may be a relationship between them."

"Really?" Qian Xiaoyi nodded: "I see, I'll go take a look."

Although there was no basis and she was only relying on Granny Tao's intuition, just based on the famous legend of the Killing Stone, that place was definitely worth a visit for Qian Xiaoyi. After all, Jingde had probably traveled all over Japan in the past, even to remote places like Baihu Village, so it was normal for his traces to appear anywhere.

"The Killing Stone..." Qian Xiaoyi had a plan. It seemed that the place was near Tokyo and not far from the city, so it would not be troublesome.

Back to the present, Qian Xiaoyi has brought Inuyama Heita to the place that Grandma Tao mentioned. The hot spring hotel they are staying in is the one where the fire broke out that year. It has been rebuilt now. Qian Xiaoyi feels it necessary to investigate what happened that year.

(End of this chapter)