I'm a thankful fox in Tokyo

Chapter 305: The Trees in the Courtyard Don’t Know Who Has Gone

"Ancestor of Arima?"

After listening to Higashino Yu's explanation, Imagawa Kashiwagi was also surprised. After walking back and forth in the room and hesitating for a moment, he decided to sit down and kneel opposite Higashino Yu and Arima Norimune, bowing slightly.

"If possible, please let me be there too!"

After that, he asked again: "But will this affect Arima's ancestors? I heard in some local legends that spirits seem to be affected by living people."

"That won't happen. The old man is an ancient swordsman and a leading general. He has been on the battlefield for a long time and has a big heart. Don't worry that he will be shocked. As long as you don't get scared, it will be fine."

"Please do not worry."

Imagawa Kashiwagi said seriously, "The last time I went to Mrs. Sakurada's house with the president and you, I couldn't go with you because my family's store was short of staff. I accepted Mrs. Sakurada's hospitality, but I couldn't say goodbye to her in the last stage of her life. I always felt very sorry. I can only go to Sensoji Temple to pray for her to make up for it."

"Now that we have to fulfill the last wish of our ancestors, I should not stand aside as a friend."

When Arima Norimune heard what he said, he knelt down and bowed solemnly.

Although Arima Tadayasu was his ancestor who lived for many generations, he always treated Arima as his grandson. Even though he did not think highly of his talent in swordsmanship, he still taught him everything he knew and taught him seriously. Therefore, even the heartless Arima Norimune respected and loved this ancestor with whom he had not lived for long.

As the last disciple of Arima Tadayasu, Higashino Yu also bowed solemnly to express his gratitude.

Then Arima Zemune took out the sword box and placed it on the table. Dongye Yu touched the sword box with his gentle magic power. After a moment, a warm white light enveloped the sword box, and light spots like fireflies flowed out of the sword box.

There was a flash of light, and an old man wearing old white clothes and with his hair casually tied in a bun appeared before him.

However, unexpectedly, Arima Tadayoshi did not greet Higashino Yu and others as cheerfully as usual, but looked at the three young men in front of him with some confusion.

"Excuse me, who are the three Excellencies?"

Although Imagawa Kashiwagi was somewhat puzzled as to why the first thing the ancestor of the Arima family said was to ask who Arima was, he still bowed slightly very politely.

"Hello, Mr. Arima. I am Arima's classmate, Imagawa Kashiwagi. It's our first meeting. Thank you for your guidance."

Arima Tadayoshi frowned and pondered, as if thinking about what the boy in front of him was mumbling. Not only was his accent very strange, but the content of his words was also difficult to understand.

Arima Norimune came closer and pointed at himself and said, "Ancestor Tadayasu, I am Norimune, your descendant."

"Ze Zong?" Arima Tadayasu looked at him carefully for a moment and shook his head: "I have never heard of it."

Arima Norimune was silent for a few seconds, then looked at Higashino Yu: "Ayu, has Ancestor Zhongkang forgotten again?"

Previously, Arima Tadayasu often forgot that he was dead, so Arima Zemune also got used to his ancestor's forgetfulness.

Dong Yeyu also felt puzzled. After thinking for a long time, he found a possible reason: "Perhaps it is a sign that the soul power is about to be exhausted."

After thinking about it, I introduced myself to Arima Tadayasu, but after listening, he still couldn't remember.

Dongye Yu blamed himself in his heart. It was his fault for not thinking it through carefully. Firstly, he did not expect that the loss of soul power would lead to gradual loss of memory - he really didn't know that.

This was the first time I had encountered a situation where a soul had exhausted its energy due to staying in the world for too long. I had never heard of it before and there was no record to refer to.

Second, the teacher said at that time that he wanted to go back to Fuzhishan to take a look, but he forgot that times have changed and Fuzhishan is no longer the small town it used to be. Many old sites have been demolished and turned into modern buildings.

Now the only thing that has not changed its location is probably the small castle tower.

If the normal school gradually loses its memory, loses itself, and finally forgets everything and disappears, leaving only regrets and unfinished business, then I cannot escape the blame.

Dong Ye Yu sighed, no longer hoping that he could remember, and just asked.

"You may have forgotten, but you said before that you wanted to go back to Fukuchiyama, so we brought you to Fukuchiyama, but we don't know where exactly you want to see. Is it the Fukuchiyama Castle? Or your old house? Or somewhere else?"

"Fukuchiyama."

Upon hearing this, Arima Tadayasu was stunned for a moment and looked at the handsome and energetic young man in front of him. What nonsense is this kid talking about? Hasn't he been in charge of Fukuchiyama all the time?

But in the end he didn't scold him. Although he didn't remember who this guy was, he inexplicably had a sense of familiarity, as if a voice in his heart told him that he could trust him.

And this Japanese-style room seems quite strange.
He suddenly stood up and looked around curiously at the exquisite furnishings in the room, which were completely different from those in his memory.

Is this the residence of a certain Wangoku daimyo?
Although Fukuchiyama is located in an important place, it is not a big city, so there is no such a mansion for the rich and powerful.
He felt a headache as he thought about it, as if he had forgotten something important. He thought for a long time but still could not get the answer. He just felt irritated and went to the window.

Subconsciously, he reached out and touched the clear window made of large pieces of glass. He was amazed at its luxury, but also felt a little uncomfortable, after all, there were often hungry farmers under his rule.
Then his eyes fell on the Tianshui River outside the window.

"Is this the Fukugami River?"

He frowned, and suddenly images of swords and sabers flashed through his mind. The world before his eyes seemed to be distorted. One moment it was a strange and luxurious Japanese-style room, and the next moment it was a muddy and bloody battlefield. In front of him were countless warriors with swords raised and murderous intent.

The old man looked calm, and just as he was about to touch his waist, the warriors disappeared again.

Arima Tadayoshi immediately realized that something was wrong. He recalled everything the young men around him had just said and was sure that he had forgotten something.

He tried to ponder and recall, his eyes roaming back and forth along the extremely familiar Fukugami River before finally settling on a huge rock: "Are you back here?"

"Do you remember this place?" Dong Yeyu quickly stood up and followed: "Do you remember anything?"

Arima Tadayasu was silent for a long time before answering.

"When I was young, I fell in love with a farm girl named Qiuzi, and I often met her here."

He showed a nostalgic look and stretched out his broad and bony fingers: "Look, do you see that huge rock that looks like a platform? When the hydrangeas were in bloom, we sat on the rock and watched the moon."

Dong Yeyu and others followed the old man's instructions and saw a flat boulder covered with moss by the river. The silver-gray moonlight was shining through the gaps between the leaves, making people imagine the comfort of sitting on the stone and looking up at the moon.

There are many wild hydrangeas growing around, and clusters of purple flowers like hydrangeas sway in the moonlight.

"The hydrangeas are blooming again this year, they are so beautiful, but Qiuzi is probably a married woman now. I wonder if she is still in the village. It would be nice if she could see her." In the feudal era of the island country, samurai and farmers were two parallel classes. It was impossible for them to intermarry, and even becoming a concubine was a luxury. Even Ma Zhongkang could not break this rule.

The girl named Akiko fell in love with someone who was not her right at that time, and naturally nothing would come of it in the end.

In ancient times, lovers would either hang themselves or live apart, and it was rare for them to end up together.

Dong Yeyu was quite moved when he thought of this. A very appropriate poem suddenly came to his mind, and he murmured softly: "Maybe this is it, the trees in the garden are unaware that people have gone, and they still bloom the old flowers in spring."

Arima Tadayasu clapped his hands and sighed, "What a good poem. Was it written by you, Higashino-kun?"

Dong Yeyu smiled with shame and shook his head: "I don't have such talent. This poem was written by a poet named Cen Shen from the Tang Dynasty in China."

Arima Norimune scratched his head. He didn't know much about Shenzhou and was very confused. Wasn't that a wild flower? What did it have to do with the garden tree?
Imagawa Kashiwagi, who loves reading, has never heard of this poem, but that does not prevent him from showing a look of admiration. Higashino-kun is really knowledgeable.

"I guess this poet has also experienced such a separation."

The old man thought about it, nodded slightly, and remained calm - he had actually never heard of this poet.

After saying this, he put his hands in his sleeves, and his expression fell into deep thought again. His memory seemed to have returned to the time when war was raging.

Dong Yeyu waited for a while and asked, "Is your wish to come here and take a look?"

Arima Tadayasu shook his head and said, "Although I don't know why I came back here, I do feel nostalgic and a little happy, but there are still things in my heart that I can't let go of."

"Can you tell me what it is?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Higashino, my body seems to be a little strange and I can't remember it for the time being." Arima Tadayasu bowed slightly, an apologetic look on his old face.

Isn't it here?
Dong Yeyu pondered for a moment and thought of an idea, "How about this, I'll take you around Fuchi Mountain tonight, maybe we can find the place you really want to go?"

There is not much time left for the old man. Since there is no way to accurately locate the place where Shifan wants to go, he can only visit all the places he might want to go. Anyway, he can use Yin Shen to take Shifan out for a tour and visit all the famous historical attractions in Fukuchiyama in one night.

Arima Tadayasu thought for a moment and nodded: "In that case, thank you for your help." He really couldn't remember. Whenever he started to think about it, all kinds of chaotic scenes would appear before his eyes, which was almost driving him crazy.

"Will the teacher agree if we go out so late?" Arima Norimune frowned.

"Even if Oura-sensei agrees, there are still safety risks."

Imagawa Kashiwagi glanced at Higashino Yu with a worried look on his face: "This is in the mountains, and there are no cars. If Higashino-kun goes out alone, he might get into danger. I heard there are bears in the deep mountains here."

"Why don't we find a driver who's willing to take us to the town we passed by when we arrived here?"

If that happens, I’m afraid I won’t be able to finish the walk before dawn.

Dong Yeyu shook his head and smiled to comfort him: "Have you forgotten that I am a demon exorcist?"

As he spoke, he stretched out a finger, and in the astonished gaze of the two men and the ghost, a faint blue fox fire bloomed. The fox fire danced back and forth on the fingertips like an elf, and finally fell into the palm of his hand and disappeared.

"I can send my shikigami to protect the teacher. I just need to stay in the room and keep in touch with the shikigami at all times."

"Is that so?" Imagawa Kashiwagi nodded thoughtfully, "That's a good idea."

Arima Norimune stood there for a moment, thinking of the super cool swordsmanship he had used in the kendo competition before. In his mind, he seemed to have constructed a scene in which he would become a city hero after learning these spells, fight against bad guys, save damsels in distress, and then have beautiful girls throw themselves into his arms.

Without any hesitation, he came over with a smile and patted Dong Yeyu's shoulder in a rather servile manner: "Ayu, we are good friends and good brothers, right?"

Higashino Yu glanced at him and immediately saw through the boy's delusion. Arima Zeomune was not a bad person in the strict sense, and was even very loyal to his friends, but it was also true that his small head controlled the big head.

If he were allowed to learn how to practice and learn magic, this kid might use it to do some obscene things.

Thinking of this, Dong Yeyu decisively refused to teach him: "The practice of a demon hunter requires talent."

"What talent? I have a horse that must have it, good brother, good brother, teach me."

When it comes to the happiness of his lower body, Arima Norimune is really risking it all, showing an unprecedentedly flattering expression, and he's almost kneeling down.

Imagawa Kashiwagi was actually quite interested in cultivation, but he was not as shameless as Arima Zemune, so he was too embarrassed to speak up. When he heard Higashino Yu say that talent was required, he came over and listened carefully.

Dong Yeyu asked: "For example, demon hunters are born with the ability to sense the spirit of heaven and earth. This is one of the necessary conditions for cultivation. Can you do it?"

This is indeed the innate condition required for spiritual practice. Most people will never learn to sit and forget in their entire life, and among those who have learned to sit and forget, nine out of ten will not be able to sense the spiritual inspiration of heaven and earth.

Of course, this is just a statement. No matter whether Ma Zezong has talent or not, he cannot let this kid practice. As a friend, I can ensure that he will be rich and healthy for the rest of his life, and even give him some magic medicine to prolong his life.

But just practice, don’t think about it.

Damn it, you’ve been thinking about having close contact with beautiful girls every day. Before, you even wanted to steal someone’s girl to become the Tauren Chieftain. How can you let him practice?
I'm afraid that if I learn magic in the morning, rumors of a yellow-haired flower thief will spread in Tokyo in the evening.

"This..." Arima Norimune was still unwilling to give up, "I, I can feel it, you see, there are all around us——"

Arima Tadayasu, who was standing by, couldn't bear to watch it anymore. He covered his face and sighed. "These are the descendants of my family? What a misfortune for our family."

Dong Yeyu shook his head and patted Arima Zezong on the shoulder, "Some things can't be forced."

"Okay, the time for the teacher training is short. I'll make some preparations and then send the shikigami to accompany the old man to Fukuchiyama City."

Higashino Yu ended the topic, took out his cell phone and sent a message to Jinguji Hiiragi Kagami and Asumi Sanae.

"Hiiragi Kagami, Sanae, I have to go out for something later. Are you free? If you are free, come downstairs now. I have something for you."

The demons at Mount Oe are lurking in the dark. If she leaves, the safety of Sanae and the others may not be guaranteed, so Higashino Yu decides to temporarily lend them the Chunyang Sword Box for self-defense.

(End of this chapter)