The Legend of Tokyo Taoist

Chapter 764: Enemy at Honnoji Temple (3)

"This is really..." Liuliyuan Hongming frowned, trying to find the flaw in this reasoning, but he couldn't find it for a while. Except for the lack of evidence, this conclusion could completely match the facts and any detail.

Hoshiba asked, "Is this when you started to doubt Mr. Ashiya?"

Qian Xiaoyi said: "No, I doubted it from the beginning."

"At the beginning?" Xingchang was a little puzzled: "You mean..."

"Since I came to Japan and learned about the existence of the Hundred Ghosts," Qian Xiaoyi said, "I have been suspicious of every exorcist, including you, Arang. In other words, I don't find clues and then find the enemy. Instead, I assume that everyone is an enemy, and then slowly eliminate their suspicion and identify the ones who can be won over."

Xingchang Rang complained: "You really don't mind the trouble... Isn't this tiring?"

Qian Xiaoyi smiled and said, "But if not, how can I guarantee that the person I know is not a ghost?"

Xingchang remained silent. Judging from Baigui's actions, Qian Xiaoyi's method was undoubtedly correct. After all, not only the highly respected Father Kamino, but even the descendant of the great Onmyoji could be Baigui...

"If that happens... it's going to be troublesome~" Xingba said exhaustedly, "If Mr. Ashiya is really an enemy, then the entire Exorcist Alliance he established will fall apart. It's simply hopeless."

Qian Xiaoyi consoled him, "I think this is a good thing. At least we don't have to go through the situation of being backstabbed when the alliance is going smoothly. The higher you stand, the harder you fall. Now it actually gives us some opportunities to deal with this matter."

"Now that you mention it...it seems to make some sense." Xingchang Rang said.

As the last member to join, Miba felt that her future was bleak. She sighed and asked, "If what you said is true, what should we do next? You don't have any evidence. Even if you reveal Ashiya Yoshisuke's identity, probably not many people will believe it, because because of the previous disclosure of knowledge, his reputation within the alliance is at its peak."

"That's right." Xingchang Ran seconded the motion. "And if we really fall out, we may not be able to defeat him with just a few of us. The Ashiya family has too deep a foundation. Whether it's his connections in reality or his strength in the ghost realm, we have no advantage. Although it may be a bit rude to say this, Xiaoyi, we locals are in a desperate situation. Do you, an outsider, have any solution?"

After Xingchangrang finished speaking, everyone in the ward fell silent. Even the leader of the Exorcist Alliance was an enemy. How could they play? Originally, after the alliance was formed, they felt that they were evenly matched, but now they suddenly became weak and hopeless.

Inuyama Heita asked: "Since he is the descendant of Ashiya Doman, can we let the descendants of Abe Haruaki deal with him?"

Hoshiba glanced at him and said, "You think too simply. The grudge between the two families a thousand years ago has long since disappeared with the decline of Onmyoji. It is impossible that the people of the Tsuchimikado family will stand up and fight to the death just because we say we want to deal with the Ashiya family."

Liuliyuan Hiroaki said: "What's more, we have no evidence to prove that Mr. Ashiya is a traitor. Everything is our own speculation. Not many exorcists will respond. On the contrary, once this news spreads, the other party may turn the tables and accuse us of being the spies of the Hundred Ghosts."

Miba also sighed and said, "Little brother Heitaro, you have been in the industry for too short a time and you don't know the situation in the east and west of Japan. If something happens in Kanto, the exorcists on the other side will only watch the fun. Without sufficient benefits, they will not come out to help."

Inuyama Heita's eyes widened: "Even if they knew that there was an organization called Hundred Demons that threatened the whole of Japan, they would not take action?" Everyone looked at him, and no one spoke. The darkness of reality was much heavier than this high school student imagined. Going to that place for help, at most using personal connections to pull in a few colleagues with whom they had good relationships, and letting the entire industry unite to help fight against the Hundred Demons, that was too difficult. After all, the power of the Hundred Demons had not yet developed to that place, and they did not feel threatened.

The barriers between regions in Japan are something that cannot be explained to outsiders.

Just when the room was filled with gloom and sadness, Qian Xiaoyi said, "Don't mention it, I actually have an idea that can attract some useful helpers."

"What did you say?" Everyone looked up and looked at Qian Xiaoyi.

"This brings us to the incident that happened nineteen years ago." Qian Xiaoyi took out an iron box covered with sealing talismans from his bag, opened it, and inside lay a pair of sharp scissors that were a little rusty.

Liuliyuan Hongming's breathing became heavy and he subconsciously moved his rosary beads. The moment he had been longing for finally arrived.

"Is this the Slit-Mouthed Woman?" Xing Chang looked at the scissors with shining eyes and asked curiously, "I've always wanted to ask, how did you seal her up?"

Liuliyuan Hiroaki's ears perked up.

Qian Xiaoyi said, "Using other urban legends... the details are considered the secret methods of our sect. Master Liuliyuan, don't be impatient. Your family has a connection with the Slit-Mouthed Woman. I will tell you how I did it later. I think you are qualified. But now, I want to tell you something more important - that is, what happened that year. Was it a trap created by someone with ulterior motives?"

Snap! The rosary in Liuliyuan Hongming's hand was broken by him, and the beads scattered on the ground, hitting the floor, making a rustling sound.

"Do you suspect Mr. Ashiya?" Hoshiba narrowed his eyes.

Qian Xiaoyi said: "Because out of the five people, he was the only one who survived."

If we only look at that incident, we would probably just conclude that it was an accident, but if we add in the many conditions we know now...

The people at the scene were not fools, they all thought of that possibility.

Qian Xiaoyi said, "Again, this is just a guess, without any evidence or responsibility. After all, I am not a professional detective... What I want to say is, assuming that what happened back then was not an accident but a trap, then were those five people at the time the ones who were most likely to discover the existence of the Hundred Ghosts? Or were they already aware of the existence of the Hundred Ghosts but did not choose to join, so they were gathered together and eliminated by an accident?"

Liuliyuan Hiroaki closed his eyes in pain. That accident could be said to be the nightmare of his life.

(End of this chapter)