The Legend of Tokyo Taoist

Chapter 741: The Narrow Gate (12)

There were not many people in the blues bar because it was not yet opening time.

Qian Xiaoyi was sitting at the bar, chatting with Maria, while waiting for someone.

After a while, Mike, who had changed into a bartender's uniform, came out of the inner room. He put on round sunglasses and nodded to the two of them: "Sorry to have kept you waiting."

Qian Xiaoyi asked, "Okay, tell me, Mike, what you saw and heard at the Church of St. Mary."

Because of Qian Xiaoyi's request, Mike had already been to Father Zhiye's church before, and was now preparing to report the situation to Qian Xiaoyi.

After Mike walked into the bar, he pushed his sunglasses with his fingers, put his hands on the bar, and said, "To be honest... According to my personal feeling, this church is really good. Although it is not as gorgeous and solemn as those cathedrals, it is not worse than other churches in Tokyo."

"Can you tell me about it in detail? I haven't done any in-depth research on the church and don't know much about it." Qian Xiaoyi said.

Mike said, "Mr. Qian, you know, there are many Christian religious groups in Japan, and a large part of them are... how should I put it, they are probably not orthodox sects. Do you understand what I mean?"

"Yeah." Qian Xiaoyi nodded.

He knew what Mike meant. There were indeed many small religious groups here claiming to be Christian. When Qian Xiaoyi first arrived here, he met many people who were preaching to him. These groups had no certification from the orthodox Church, no formal religious rituals, and even different doctrines. There were all kinds of strange variations, but they could exist legally in Japan.

Moreover, quite a number of groups have to pay taxes at every turn. The more moderate ones only need to pay one twentieth of their monthly income, while the stricter ones have to pay one tenth of all income, or even more. In this respect, they are in line with "tradition".

So, Mike's hesitation to speak was very obvious.

"Father Kamino's church is unexpectedly formal," Mike said. "It's the most orthodox church I've seen since I came here. Both the ceremony and the atmosphere are very similar to the formal church in my hometown. It's a reassuring place."

Seeing Mike sinking into despair, Qian Xiaoyi said, "Hey, don't get sucked in, Mike. I didn't ask you to go there to join them."

"I know, Mr. Qian, my mission." Mike said seriously, "So I also talked with Father Kamiya. His words and actions undoubtedly show that he is a real priest. He is humble and polite to everyone and often helps those poor believers. From these situations alone, I really can't see what evil he is doing."

Qian Xiaoyi said: "Of course I know he is a real priest. After all, if he was just a liar, he wouldn't have such a good reputation in the industry. But even among the official clergy, there are many who appear glamorous on the surface but do shameful things in secret. Maybe he is such a person? Tell me about the situation of other believers in the church."

Mike sighed: "Speaking of this, they are all a group of pitiful and kind people... We even performed the Eucharist together at that time, which was really touching..."

Seeing that if this continued, this guy would take that side, Qian Xiaoyi quickly said: "Just tell me about your investigation."

Mike finally began to tell Qian Xiaoyi about the believers in the church. Even though he had only been there for a short time, he still felt the warmth of brothers and sisters from the other people in the church. After the ceremony, the believers gathered together and talked about the things around them, just like friends talking about family matters. No matter rich or poor, everyone shared the pain for others. If they encountered something difficult to solve in life, others would even take the initiative to help, just like a big family.

No, even in a big family, there will be some quarrels and conflicts between relatives. It is not perfect like this.

As a new believer, Mike also told others about his own experience, including how he was deceived into going abroad to Japan to work and earn money, and how he was helped by kind-hearted people when he was left with nowhere else to go.

Of course, he didn't give any specific information.

Mike himself is a believer and is well-versed in various scriptures, which brings him closer to others. So after hearing his story, others showed enough concern and sympathy, which did not seem fake at all.

In the church, Mike felt the warmth of other people for the first time, apart from the bar.

"You know what, Mr. Qian?" Mike said excitedly, "After I came to Tokyo, I felt very uneasy because the people here are so cold and indifferent. Even though they don't show it on the surface, many people regard me as an outsider, as a non-human existence... But in that church, I didn't feel that I was excluded. This is so rare in Tokyo."

"The priest...is a good man!" said Mike.

Maria, who had been listening silently for a long time, sighed and said, "If that Father Kamino is really the kind of villain who says one thing on the surface and does another behind the scenes, then his acting is too good, isn't it? Although Mike is very strong, he is very sensitive inside, especially to other people's gazes."

"Don't say that, Ms. Maria..." Mike scratched his cheek embarrassedly.

"Is that so..." Qian Xiaoyi fell into deep thought. If Father Kamiya was really a devout believer as Mike described, then from a cognitive perspective, he could not be connected with a cult like the Church of Hope.

After all, as a respected local exorcist, although Qian Xiaoyi has never dealt with him, his strength should be very good. Just like a Buddhist monk, the stronger the person, the more devout his faith should be. Without sufficient faith, his ability cannot be supported at all.

On the contrary, those guys with evil intentions are generally very weak, such as the Ghost Vine Master that Qian Xiaoyi met at the beginning.

"Did I deduce it wrong?" Qian Xiaoyi crossed his arms, frowned, and thought: "It seems that you can't become a detective just by reading two mystery novels... So the priest's appearance there is really just a coincidence? Did Fumu Yin really come to that area because he wanted to ask the priest for help?"

Once the previous line of thought was overturned, Father Kamino's words became more reliable and had almost no flaws.

"Okay, let's not worry about the priest for now." Qian Xiaoyi asked, "Mike, how are your fellow believers doing? Did you remember to ask about them?"

(End of this chapter)