The Legend of Tokyo Taoist

Chapter 701 Hope and Despair (4)

The next day, the cracking of the Killing Stone was immediately reported by major news media that rushed to the scene and became a hot headline.

"According to legend, the monster Tamamonomae is sealed in the Killing Stone. Does the crack of the Killing Stone foreshadow some disaster? For this reason, we specially invited Professor Yoshida from the Department of Geology at the University of Tokyo..."

"From a scientific point of view, this incident does not represent any so-called disaster omen. The porous structure of this rock is not very strong. From its cross section, we can see that it was broken due to natural factors. The gas stored in the holes expands and contracts due to the temperature difference between day and night. There is no supernatural force. According to detection, there are no signs of activity in the nearby volcanoes. Please rest assured, people nearby, this is just a common phenomenon. Some media friends, please stop spreading strange remarks, which will cause unnecessary panic..."

In Lingkong Office, the two people watched the report on the TV program nervously. They checked out and ran away early in the morning, fearing that someone would link them to the broken Killing Stone. After all, that thing is public property and a legal scenic wonder. If it is damaged by human beings, compensation will be required.

"Did you see that, Heitaro?" Qian Xiaoyi pointed at the TV with a look of relief on his face and said, "I said that the stone had nothing to do with us! It can't be traced back to us at all!"

Inuyama Heita ruthlessly exposed Qian Xiaoyi's pretense of calmness: "Brother Yi, that's not what you said when you ran away this morning."

Qian Xiaoyi argued, "No one knows that the broken stone will crack just like that! Even if it has something to do with our magic circle, it's just that the stone itself has a problem. You saw it, right? The contents of the stone had been hollowed out a long time ago! It would have cracked in two sooner or later, and we just happened to encounter it."

Inuyama Heita sighed and said, "But if we don't touch it, it won't break at this time, right?"

"Anyway...anyway." Qian Xiaoyi said calmly, "As long as they don't find out about us, it'll be fine!"

God knows how much money this famous "landscape" will cost to compensate! Even Qian Xiaoyi is a little scared now. He doesn't have much money to pay for it. Paying money is a small matter. He is a foreigner. It would be terrible if he was deported.

"So, what's going on with that stone?" Inuyama Heita asked in confusion, "What's inside it? Is it really the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox? Why did it become like that?"

Qian Xiaoyi shook his head: "It doesn't matter whether there is a nine-tailed fox or not. The thing inside has obviously been triggered by someone, so it has changed from a [Killing Stone] that embodies the public's cognition to a completely normal stone. It has been destroyed by someone a long time ago, and it is only a matter of time before it cracks."

"Did the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox get killed? Who was it?" Inuyama Heita still couldn't figure it out: "Was it someone related to the Hundred Demons?"

"Almost." Qian Xiaoyi said dimly, but thanks to this investigation, he had a very important guess, but whether it was correct or not would have to wait until the right time to verify it.

There was peace and tranquility for a few days. During that time, Qian Xiaoyi even took the time to take Inuyama Heita out to do two exorcism commissions without ghosts. It was his last time doing his regular job in a long time. Apart from that, everything was calm. However, Qian Xiaoyi knew that this was just an appearance. Under the calm sea, undercurrents had already been surging.

In the evening, in the [Blues] bar, it was still early and there were not many customers. Only Qian Xiaoyi was sitting at the bar, eating curry rice.

"You are such a heartless person." Maria was still wearing heavy makeup. He complained to Qian Xiaoyi, "You didn't come to see me for such a long time. I was so sad. I even introduced you to several clients, but you didn't have time. I was asked about them for a long time."

Qian Xiaoyi has become immune to Maria's tricks. This is Maria's unique bad taste. She just wants to see others show embarrassed expressions. Among those who are familiar with Maria, only Inuyama Heita can fall for it. Qian Xiaoyi smiled and apologized, "Ahaha, sorry, I have a lot of things to do recently. I was on a business trip some time ago and was very busy. Didn't I contact you as soon as I had time these two days? The client is also very satisfied. Congratulations, congratulations."

"If someone hadn't contacted you, would you have known to come back?" Maria teased Qian Xiaoyi in the tone of a resentful woman.

Qian Xiaoyi immediately changed the subject: "Speaking of this, Maria, have you found out about that person's situation?"

Hearing the main topic, Maria stopped teasing Qian Xiaoyi and said seriously, "Of course, I have always been concerned about little brother Inuyama's affairs."

As he spoke, he took out his cell phone, found a photo, and pushed it to Qian Xiaoyi. The photo showed a homeless man with two bags of plastic bottles and cans beside him. In the photo, he was turning his head to look at something beside the street, and he was so absorbed in it that he didn't notice that he was being secretly photographed.

"Is this him?" Qian Xiaoyi asked doubtfully.

"Don't underestimate my abilities, big sister." Maria pushed another photo onto the table. This photo showed a man in a suit, looking very high-spirited.

Maria said, "This is the photo you gave me. I am sure that this is Inuyama Heita's father, Inuyama Jun. This photo was taken by Mr. Kuroda's friend. In order to confirm his identity, he called out his name. As a result, when he heard it, he didn't even want the bottle on the ground and ran away."

"When was this filmed? Where was he found?" Qian Xiaoyi asked, "Where is he now?"

Maria said, "The photo was taken a few days ago near an overpass in Banqiao District. He should live nearby. But we startled him and he ran very fast, so we lost him. There's nothing we can do about it. After all, not everyone is a professional detective like you, so it's inevitable that there will be some mistakes."

Qian Xiaoyi really wanted to say that he was not a detective, but he was keenly aware that saying so would probably only lead to more ridicule, so he did not respond.

"It's okay." Qian Xiaoyi looked at the photo carefully, nodded, and said, "I will go and investigate in person. Please help me thank Mr. Kuroda's friend."

He was about to leave after saying that. Looking at his back, Maria teased, "So you have admitted that you are a detective?"

Qian Xiaoyi staggered and turned back, saying, "No! Don't talk nonsense! I'm not a detective!"

After watching Qian Xiaoyi leave the bar, Maria laughed and said, "You're obviously doing detective work. You're really not honest. But I don't hate this type of person..."

(End of this chapter)