The Legend of Tokyo Taoist

Chapter 805: Enemy in Honnoji Part 24 ()

Qian Xiaoyi said: "Of course I know. What you mean is that Xiaoju has become the core of the Huangquan House urban legend here, so she cannot be eliminated by ordinary means, just like other urban legends. But, I never thought of eliminating her to curb your power."

Ashiya Yoshisuke looked at the wine in the glass and said, "Of course. If you destroy her, you will have an enemy like me who will never give up. If you control her, you will control me... Am I right?"

"We have no choice but to do this." Qian Xiaoyi said, "After all, who would have thought that the leader of the exorcist camp, the famous Ashiya Yoshisuke, would actually be a traitor?"

Ashiya Jisuke asked, "You said I'm a traitor?"

Qian Xiaoyi asked: "If not, why did you watch the Hundred Ghosts grow so big? You should have known about this organization a long time ago, right? And the theory of cognitive school, was it also told to you by someone?"

"Haha... cognitive theory, the source of everything..." Ashiya Yoshisuke laughed bitterly. He drank up the wine in the glass like an ordinary drunk old man, and then poured another glass. Then he said: "You don't know... what happened."

"I'd like to hear more about it." Qian Xiaoyi showed interest.

Ashiya Yoshisuke's eyes began to wander, as if he was reminiscing about the past. He said, "Those were supposed to be my most glorious days, but I never expected...it would turn out like that..."

That was after the beginning of the new millennium, when Ashiya Yoshisuke's reputation in the world of exorcists was at its highest. He worked hard in Tokyo for more than ten years and finally washed away the Ashiya family's reputation of being feared by everyone.

Yoshisuke Ashiya said: "Although Ashiya Michiman is as famous as Abe Haruaki, compared to the more famous Abe Haruaki, Ashiya Michiman can be said to be a synonym for being hated by people and ghosts. When he is mentioned, negative words such as "curse", "conspiracy" and "evil" are associated with him. In every story, as long as this great Onmyoji is involved, he always plays the villain. This made me very dissatisfied when I was young, so I came to Tokyo and started to be active in the industry as an exorcist."

Qian Xiaoyi smiled and said, "I didn't expect that you became an exorcist for this reason?"

"Everyone has a youthful past." Ashiya Jisuke looked at Qian Xiaoyi and said, "Just like you now, you are not afraid of anything, even if it means breaking the sky."

"Are you saying that I'm too young? So I can't see the big picture?" Qian Xiaoyi didn't care and continued to ask: "So, what made you change your mind from a passionate young man to the person you hate the most? Lord Ashiya."

He placed special emphasis on the pronunciation of the two words "Luwu".

As if Ashiya Yoshisuke didn't hear the implicit meaning of Qian Xiaoyi's words, he said: "I have been active since the late 1980s. I have experienced the most glorious era in Japan. In that era, everyone was dreaming in the economic bubble, and everything was so beautiful, but once the dream was shattered, those monsters and demons would follow. After the economic bubble burst, the economy went downhill, negative emotions filled the whole of Japan, all kinds of monsters and demons emerged, and the era of exorcists began." "Because people's hearts are gloomy, the belief in ghosts and gods has become popular?" Qian Xiaoyi said: "It's no wonder, because everyone wants to find a spiritual sustenance because of the unsatisfactory reality, so the misfortune of ordinary people is actually the luck of the exorcist industry. It's really ironic~"

"Who says it's not true~" Ashiya Yoshisuke said, "At that time, all kinds of metaphysical schools were popular, including qigong, superpowers, UFOs, aliens... countless sects emerged like mushrooms after rain. Thanks to that era, many capable exorcists began to emerge, and I was one of them. Because of the glory of Ashiya's descendants, I was able to stand out from the others..."

"I'm afraid it's not just because of this reputation?" Qian Xiaoyi said, "It's also because of your own abilities."

Ashiya Yoshisuke smiled and said, "Don't look at me like this. I keep saying that I want to clear my name. I am actually quite proud of the Ashiya family. After all, the Ashiya family's Yin-Yang arts have been innovated and improved generation after generation. In terms of research, they have long surpassed other Japanese exorcist families. I am absolutely confident in this. Among my peers of the same period, there are only a few who can catch my eye."

"Then, they all died." Qian Xiaoyi said.

Ashiya Yoshisuke was silent. He sighed, lowered his head and took a sip of wine.

"Can you tell me how they died?" Qian Xiaoyi asked curiously, "I think the reason is definitely not what you said, right? Killed by the Slit-mouthed Girl Group... Although I know that the classical exorcists will suffer a great loss due to insufficient information when facing new types of ghosts such as urban legends, but, since you are the top exorcists, even if you are seriously injured, you must have ways to save your lives, so what happened in between?"

Ashiya Yoshisuke looked at the wine glass and said, "I've said before that because of the emergence of those strange groups, the exorcists' business has improved, but the power of those ghosts has also become stronger. Sometimes multiple exorcists are needed to deal with them. At that time, many exorcists with insufficient strength were unable to save themselves after encountering emergencies and died in the commissions. Then a magical phenomenon occurred. The exorcists of different schools who used to be solitary began to work together to communicate."

Qian Xiaoyi nodded. He also understood the environment in Japan. Due to various historical factors, religious beliefs in Japan have always been in a very chaotic state. Buddhism and Shintoism are the two largest forces, but Shintoism itself has a strong regional nature. Shintoism in different places often worship different things. It is only because of political factors that they are integrated into one religious system. In fact, there are still many different factions.

Then, after modern times, various cultures invaded, which led to various changes in the religions here.

The exorcists who are closely related to religion have also inherited this chaotic pattern. Almost all traditional exorcist families, big and small, have their own school of thought and theories, which cannot be unified. This has led to almost no academic communication between schools, and everyone has his own set of practices.

It was not until the advent of the information age, coupled with the special characteristics of the 1990s, that exorcists finally broke down barriers and began to communicate.

"In addition to these things, there is another factor that brings the exorcists together." Ashiya Yoshisuke said: "[Urban Legend], the ancient enemy of the exorcists, has evolved after the advent of a new era."

(End of this chapter)