boyutpedia Page 306
Page 306
“Hehe…” Lu Zizhen rubbed his forehead and continued, “Tamamo-no-Mae… It’s hard to imagine that she is another evil spirit from hundreds of years ago.”
"A new era, a new era... truly deserving of the name."
While saying the words "new era," Lu Zizhen's eyes never left Dou Tang.
She was certain that the so-called new era was inseparable from Dou Tang.
Dou Tang then looked at Xue Qing and asked, "So, is there any other information? Has it harmed anyone? Is it humanoid or a fox?"
Xueqing took out her phone.
"See for yourself."
The phone screen showed a video, a surveillance video from Nikko National Park.
Dou Tang took the phone and started recording.
In the video, a woman dressed in a kimono walks along the wooden boardwalk, looking no different from an ordinary person, but with an exceptionally beautiful face.
She stood for a long time in front of a large group of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva statues, admiring them like an ordinary tourist. As the snowflakes fell, she bowed slightly, her beauty like a painting.
"Wow, she's quite pretty." Lu Zizhen clicked her tongue.
Dou Tang ignored her and continued watching.
The woman in her full clothes looked at the information board next to her, seemingly amused by what was on it, and slightly raised her hand, pointing to the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattvas.
"boom--"
From the woman's slender fingertips, countless wind blades suddenly burst forth. These wind blades sliced through the snow curtain, tore through the air, and struck the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva statues with a loud bang.
Pebbles flew everywhere, snowflakes filled the air, but the woman did not stop; instead, she continued to move her fingers as if conducting an orchestra.
Countless wind blades emerged, shattering all the thousand Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva statues standing in the mountains. The woman laughed gleefully as the rubble and dust enveloped her lower body, making it seem as if she were standing on a cloud.
"Tsk tsk tsk, what amazing magic." Lu Zizhen's eyes lit up: "It's like they were born with it. I really admire the power of these monsters."
"It's like a superpower."
Dou Tang remained silent, feeling that the woman in full clothes looked too familiar.
But how could that be...? Surely the people I killed before couldn't have been resurrected in this world?
It doesn't match up at all.
Yes, Dou Tang did kill Tamamo-no-Mae, but that was in his previous life.
In her previous life, Tamamo-no-Mae traveled across the ocean from Japan back to China, where she provoked Chinese exorcists and killed many people with resentment and hatred.
Dou Tang fought it in the mountains of Henan and finally killed it by the Qi River.
That is... next to the ancient city of Chaoge.
Dou Tang didn't want to recall those things at that moment, so he shook his head and continued reading.
After destroying the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva statue, the woman in her cloak seemed to have vented her anger enough and began to walk gracefully down the mountain until she was out of the area visible to the cameras.
"Where did this guy go?" Dou Tang asked Xue Qing.
“Tochigi City,” Xueqing replied. “Tochigi City is just down the mountain. If she wants to enter society, she will definitely go to Tochigi City.”
“Tochigi City…” Toudou frowned. “What about those hot spring towns outside Nikko National Park? Have you checked them?”
"No," Xue Qing shook her head. "To be precise, there's absolutely no trace of them, no demonic power, and nothing unusual..."
"If it's Tamamo-no-Mae from history, who concealed her identity from the imperial court's onmyoji and remained a concubine for a long time before being exposed, then our investigation..."
It's perfectly reasonable that they couldn't find her using any means.
“But you are different.” Xue Qing looked at Dou Tang firmly and said, “Your sense of evil spirits far exceeds that of the evil spirits themselves. Such a great demon will definitely not escape your senses.”
"So you want me to step in and resolve Tamamo-no-Mae's matter..." Dou Tang nodded.
“Okay, sure, and I’m really looking forward to meeting Tamamo-no-Mae.”
Dou Tang narrowed his eyes, his gaze filled with curiosity and a hint of doubt.
A great yokai who looks exactly like the one I saw in my past life... and a fake Kiryu who knows his own fighting style. In this world, it seems that things about my past are slowly emerging.
why?
Finding Tamamo-no-Mae is essential; I must meet her and find out if she is indeed the one I know.
Dou Tang returned the phone to Xue Qing and asked, "When can we go?"
"Anytime is fine, but where would you like to stay? Tochigi City? Or a hot spring town near Nikko National Park?"
"A hot spring town!" Lu Zizhen raised her hand decisively: "I'm going too! I want to soak in a hot spring!"
Her eyes lit up as she looked at Dou Tang: "Hey, is it okay if it's just the two of us this time?"
Dou Tang shook his head, thinking of the potential threat posed by the fake Kiryu: "We also need to bring Huaiyin along."
“Damn it, you siscon…” Lu Zizhen scoffed.
"However... given the current state of the association, won't there be problems if we suddenly go out to find Tamamo-no-Mae?" Dou Tang asked worriedly.
"No, no, no." Lu Zizhen perked up again: "This lousy place can still function without anyone. You're just an outside helper. Going out won't cause any problems."
She pointed at Xueqing, her eyes resolute and decisive: "It's settled then. We'll leave next Monday. Xueqing, you arrange the best hot spring hotel for me! Not the kind with boiling water, I want a natural hot spring!"
"I have plenty of money!"
Chapter 199 The Eve of Chaos
"A hot spring trip..." Huaiyin asked in surprise, "At this time? Why so suddenly?"
Lu Zizhen said smugly, "Of course it's not just a hot spring trip, we're also going to catch monsters!"
At the Kiryu residence, Toudou, Jiko, and Kane sat together, discussing their trip to Tochigi City.
To be precise, it was Lu Zizhen and Huaiyin who were discussing it, while Dou Tang, a decisive person, was already packing his bags.
For him, going out was always an incredibly simple matter. He would pack the necessary luggage, set off, check out a place to stay along the way, and once he arrived, he would quickly rest before throwing himself into the search for evil spirits, without any hesitation.
"The monster we're going to catch this time is the infamous Tamamo-no-Mae." Lu Zizhen took out her phone and showed Huaiyin the video, while Dou Tang packed his and Huaiyin's luggage.
He twisted his wrist and asked, "What happened to the evil spirits around Tokyo that you mentioned before?"
“There has been no follow-up news.” When the topic came up, Lu Zizhen was also somewhat worried. “This means that those evil spirits are likely purposeful and organized. They have already lurked around Tokyo and are a major destabilizing factor.”
"Perhaps the division within the association caused their unrest. The weakening of the association's control over Tokyo presents them with an opportunity."
Upon hearing this, Dou Tang seemed to understand something and said, "Are they waiting for an opportunity?"
"possible."
Dou Tang nodded to indicate that he understood, then moved the suitcase to the door and said, "In that case, let's give them a chance. It's better to lure them out than to alert them."
Dou Tang wanted to say something more, but suddenly frowned and turned to look at the front door.
"Ding-dong..." The doorbell rang the next second after he looked at his front door.
Lu Zizhen noticed something was wrong with him and tried to get up, but Dou Tang stopped her with a gesture.
Resentment... a somewhat familiar resentment.
He arrived at the door silently, able to shield his senses until he was this close. Dou Tang had encountered this situation before.
He walked to the door, slowly opened it, and clicked his tongue when he saw the person outside.
Standing outside the door was a pale, bloodless man in a suit.
The man in the suit was holding a long brocade box, which was obviously for storing weapons.
Upon seeing Dou Tang open the door, the man in the suit immediately knelt on one knee, presented the brocade box with both hands, and said in a hoarse and lifeless voice: "This is my latest work."
"Although it's less than one-thousandth, it's still better than before."
It was that same person who delivered the sword again...
Dou Tang coldly stared at the resentful walking corpse in front of him and said, "That guy still refuses to show himself? He won't reveal a single piece of information?"
“My family says…it’s not the right time yet.” The suit-clad zombie lowered his head deeply, not daring to meet Dou Tang’s gaze.
Behind the door, Huaiyin and Lu Zizhen watched this scene with suspicion, especially Lu Zizhen, whose suspicion was tinged with hostility.
Dou Tang snorted, reached out and opened the brocade box. As expected, it contained another broad and thick Han sword. Dou Tang picked it up, gripped the hilt, and drew it out.
"bass!"
A flash of cold light appeared as the longsword was drawn, accompanied by a melodious chime.
Dou Tang examined the blade closely, scrutinizing even the edges of the patterns on the blade, and then discovered that everything was...
There is no other one like it in my memory.
If it weren't for the absence of the marks left by years of wear and tear on the sword, he would have thought it was his own.
Dou Tang sheathed his longsword, nodded, and said, "Please say thank you for me."
The man in the suit stood up, hugged the brocade box tightly, and bowed deeply: "I apologize for disturbing you, Mr. Ren. Goodbye."
He then turned around, walked quickly to the end of the corridor, and disappeared downstairs.
Dou Tang closed the door and sighed.
Lu Zizhen came running over, her eyes shining, and said, "Good heavens, a demon actually gave you a sword? So that's how you got your sword, you're quite something!"
"...To be honest, I don't know either." Dou Tang squinted, his whole body exuding unease. "I don't even know if that person is friend or foe, yet I've already received three swords."
"Brother, can I use that one you had before?" Huaiyin suddenly asked.
Her eyes were full of hope, and Dou Tang couldn't refuse. He agreed, "Sure, you can take it and use it, but you might not be used to it."
"I want one too..." Lu Zizhen grabbed Dou Tang's hand, trying to look cute.
Dou Tang flicked her on the forehead: "Go play your old man's Tai Chi sword in the park."
Lu Zizhen rubbed her forehead, looking somewhat disappointed, and pouted as she returned to the sofa.
"Hey, little sister, let's make a deal. I'll trade you two swords filled with talismans." She approached Huaiyin with a mischievous grin and reached out to hug her.
Huaiyin dodged her clutches and quickly ran to where Doutang had left his sword. He hugged his old sword to his chest, as nimbly as a squirrel defending its food.
Undeterred, Lu Zizhen continued to chase after him with a mischievous grin.
………………
West of Tochigi City, outside Nikko National Park, there is a series of hot spring inns along the road. These inns, together with various amusement parks, form a street full of old Japanese flavor.
The street winds its way along the mountainside, and every night it looks like a giant, glowing dragon resting in the mountains, with each house being its scales and the countless lit hot spring pools being the shallows where the dragon lies prone.
It was evening, and many amusement stalls, the kind you only see at temple fairs, were set up on both sides of the street. Some vacationers enjoyed the snow while having fun, and could also soak in hot springs when they got back in the evening. It was the busiest time of day for business here.
In the narrow alley between the two hot spring inns, Tamamo-no-Mae was hiding, observing everything on the street like a curious child.
"Are those...candy-coated fruits? And goldfish in a transparent cloth? Hmm...what's that little light-up thing?"
She looked at herself for a long time, then looked at her own kimono and felt that she was too out of place, so she waved her hand lightly.
The gorgeous kimono suddenly shrank, and in just a few seconds, it transformed into modern clothing worn by passersby outside.
A white crew neck shirt paired with a denim jacket, dark blue jeans, and black sneakers—it looked extremely ordinary.
She reached up and gathered her hair up, her hip-length hair curled into a ball, revealing her beautiful nape.
She cautiously walked out of the alley, took a couple of tentative steps on the street, and only after realizing that no one was paying attention to her did she breathe a sigh of relief and start strolling around the street with an open and confident demeanor.
As a fox, her attention seemed to be too easily distracted. She was soon drawn to the various stalls on the street and began to browse them with great interest.
Until we turned a bend in the mountain road, Tokyo, which had been hidden by the valley, came into view.
She could no longer look away.
The enormous crown that covered the entire city of Tokyo held her gaze captive.
The countless patterns on the crown kept rotating, and a desolate field caught her attention, causing her heart to tremble.
Deep inside, a fear that didn't seem to belong to me suddenly arose.
Chapter 200 Tamamo-no-Mae Only Wants a Peaceful Life
Tamamo-no-Mae suddenly felt dizzy and unsteady on her feet, then fell with a thud onto a nearby stall.
"Hey! Hey, miss, are you alright?!" The toy vendor was startled when he saw this.
Tamamo-no-Mae hurriedly waved her hand, but felt so dizzy that she couldn't speak. She could only force herself to stay awake and quickly left the stall, staggering away into the distance.