novelraw Chapter 294: Perfecting the Story
Chapter 294: Perfecting the Story
The location Yuzamozen pointed out was very close to the Kurahashi family's Onmyoryo; it was the Kyoto Museum.
In this era of unparalleled chaos, where some had already begun to smash, loot, and pillage, shops and banks had become prime targets. Only places like museums were left mostly deserted.
After all, during times of peace and prosperity, antiques could fetch a hefty price. But in times of true turmoil, such items were practically useless, serving no purpose other than taking up space.
Because of this, Cangqiao Qingci arrived here without encountering the slightest bit of trouble.
The management staff had long since fled in a hurry. The only person remaining was a sweeping old man, who was painstakingly cleaning up the glass shards bit by bit.
The old man saw Cangqiao Qingci approach and spoke slowly, "The jade and gold display cases have already been looted empty. The metal cases are in the back. As for the rest, I doubt you'd have much interest in them!"
Hearing this, Cangqiao Qingci's eyes blanked for a moment before he quickly recovered.
This sweeping old man had actually mistaken him for a robber!
He looked at the other party and noticed the old man methodically sweeping up the glass on the floor. It seemed that this place had also been visited by rioters not too long ago!
"I am not here to rob the place," Cangqiao Qingci explained. He then saw an even more terrified expression surface on the old man's face, leaving him feeling somewhat helpless. He had no idea what the old man was imagining to warrant such a look."I would like to know, where is the Historical and Cultural Archives?" Cangqiao Qingci asked again. He watched as the old man visibly let out a sigh of relief, though his expression grew increasingly bizarre.
"It is over there on the left. Everything is perfectly preserved. None of the people who broke in wanted to steal ancient books..."
Hearing those words, Cangqiao Qingci gave a slight nod. "Thank you for the guidance!"
He immediately walked deeper inside, leaving the old man behind to stare at his back with an inexplicable expression.
'Heian Period, Record of One Hundred Yokai...' Cangqiao Qingci thought as he searched along the way. Finally, inside a very inconspicuous cabinet, he found the thread-bound book that looked somewhat blurred with age.
He immediately unfurled his Painted Fan. With a scatter of Pure Qi, the book that had been resting inside the glass display case instantly appeared in his hand.
Originally, Cangqiao Qingci had planned to go over and read it with Yuzamozen, but upon further thought, he realized it wasn't necessary. Reading it alongside her might not be as comfortable as reading it alone.
Thus, he simply found a quiet corner in the room and slowly opened the "Record of One Hundred Yokai" in his hands. With a wave of his hand, Pure Qi cascaded out, and a special edict descended!
"By the order of Lord Seimei, open the Secret historical records!"
His hands formed a specific hand seal. The book before him seemed to dissolve in a flash of Light, its ancient and worn pages vanishing, transforming into a unique historical tome that appeared to be made of leather!
"Record of One Hundred Yokai: Heian Period"
This was the name of the book, and the recorder was none other than the last of the three great Onmyoji of the Abe family, Abe Ariyo!
On the very first page, he had written: "During the Bakumatsu Period, Ghosts and Monsters ran rampant. However, Onmyodo fell into decline, manifesting the State of Heaven and Earth's Silence. Therefore, I record this book to enlighten future generations."
This sentence was actually very explicit. It meant that this great Onmyoji feared their legacy would eventually Sever entirely, so he specifically wrote down these records to leave a trail for his descendants to follow!
This caused Cangqiao Qingci's expression to worsen, because Yuzamozen... had said the exact same thing! Only her words had been clearer, more definitive, and infinitely more filled with Despair!
She had even claimed that the true reason behind the decline of Onmyodo in Japan actually stemmed from the Daoist Sects of the Central Plains. Due to that terrifying disaster, all mystical matters had been sealed away, and their Onmyodo was merely collateral damage caught in the crossfire.
Cangqiao Qingci did not want to believe it. If it were truly the case, it would be far too terrifying. The crisis they would have to face in the future could be infinitely more horrifying!
But now, these records forced him to believe her words...
He continued to flip through the pages. The very first page contained a record:
[Encho 21 (AD 921) · Kyoto
The head of the Onmyoryo, Abe no Seimei, observed the celestial phenomena of the night sky and saw a Blood Glow looming in the Seven Mansions of Vermilion Bird. He thus reported to Emperor Daigo: "An Omen Star is initiating a Rushing Palace, Resentment is gathering, and the Hundred Demon Night Parade is fast approaching."
The Emperor decreed that Seimei guard the capital.
Seimei used the Kikyo Seal to seal the four directions of the Imperial Palace, yet he tacitly allowed the myriad ghosts to roam the streets—"Not all ghosts are evil; human hearts breeding Resentment are the true nests of ghosts"! ]
Reading this, Cangqiao Qingci froze. He thought back to his own observation of the celestial phenomena just two nights ago. The blood-red hue of the Seven Mansions of Vermilion Bird in the sky had even been accompanied by the appearance of a Blood Moon. Wasn't that the exact same situation?
In fact, the current situation was even more critical, terrifying, and tense than it had been during the Heian period!
Did that mean this era's Hundred Demon Night Parade had already begun to emerge?
Beneath this passage was an annotation by Abe Ariyo: "Ancestor Seimei studied under Hakudo Shonin of the Tang Dynasty and learned the Daoist Onmyodo Arts. He once said that an Onmyoji does not rely on God Power, but rather uses Talismans, Astrology, Rituals, and the like to invoke the rules of heaven and earth. Thus, they can seal Shikigami and guide Pure Qi to purify Resentment!"
"However, the so-called myriad ghosts are, in truth, the physical Yokai and Ghosts formed by the gathering of resentment born from Noble Infighting and Commoner Hardship. Aside from certain true Great Yokai, this is universally the case!" "Rather than destroying the Ghosts and Monsters, it is better to destroy the source of the Ghosts and Monsters!"
"I wished to kill all the nobles to diminish the source from which the Yokai and Ghosts are born, but I was stopped by the Kamo family... How tragic, how lamentable, what a pity!"
"If anyone reads this, remember never to trust those nobles... They are all the source of the Ghosts and Monsters!"
Reading this, Cangqiao Qingci was utterly dumbfounded.
'Good heavens, my Ancestor was this badass? He wanted to Sever the source of the Yokai and Ghosts by straight up preparing to kill all the nobles?'
'Looking at it this way, the suppression the Abe and Tsuchimikado families suffered later on wasn't unjust at all. This was way too extreme!'
'However, the Kamo family...' Cangqiao Qingci snapped out of his daze. 'If I am not mistaken, the Kamo family must be the family of Ancestor Seimei's teacher, Kamo Tadayuki, who is a descendant of the patriarch of Onmyodo, En no Ozuno!'
'It makes perfect sense that the Kamo family and the Abe family were ranked as the two great Onmyoji families during the Heian period!'
He continued reading. The following lines were still the words of Abe Ariyo:
"Various Yokai and Ghosts originate from their own inherent Resentment. For instance, the killing demons stem from battlefields; the Taka-onna stems from the resentment of unmarried women; the Shikome stems from resentful dead..."
"The Onmoraki is formed from the corpse qi of those who died unjustly, specializing in devouring derelict officials;
The Hashihime is born from a woman's Karmic Debt of Love, dragging people into the water to vent its obsession;
The Zashiki-warashi is originally a Benevolent Spirit, but if abused, it transforms into a blood-thirsty fiend."
Reading up to this point, Cangqiao Qingci finally realized something. Weren't these the exact Ghosts and Monsters that had appeared in Kyoto over the past two days? So this was where their origins were recorded!
No wonder Yuzamozen had said this book was important. It wasn't just a collection of Historical Materials; it was actually a Countermeasure Book!
Now that he knew how the Resentment was generated, he could rely on the countermeasures detailed in the "Book of the Golden Crow and Jade Rabbit" to figure out a solution!
He had to admit, this was indeed an incredibly crucial book!
Having read enough, Cangqiao Qingci prepared to leave with the book. However, he didn't expect the very next passage to stop him dead in his tracks:
[Tenkei 3 (AD 940) · Kyoto
The Great Yokai, the Nine-tailed Fox Yuzamozen, bewitched and threw the royal court into chaos.
Her demonic power originated from the greedy Wish Power of all living beings. Wherever she passed, "children's corpses piled into hills, and gold and stone were reduced to ashes."
Seimei's direct grandson, Abe no Yasuchika, used the "Sun and Moon Sealing Art" to suppress her in Nasuno, turning her demonic body into the Sessho-seki.
Yet, Yasuchika left a warning on his deathbed: "When the Stone Breaks, the Demon Returns; Only a Pure Heart Can Shatter Illusion."]
'Yuzamozen... She really isn't as innocent as she claims. That makes sense. If she were truly innocent, how could these pieces of the Sessho-seki have appeared in this Realm in such a manner?' Cangqiao Qingci thought slowly, his mind feeling much clearer.
He had already come to believe the general truth of the matter, but there were still many more details that needed to be investigated.
Just as Cangqiao Qingci was about to continue searching for more of these Secret stories that deeply fascinated him, a distinct knocking sound suddenly rang out from the door:
"Knock-knock! Mr. Cangqiao Qingci, are you still in there? I am Shiratori Hayato. Tokyo is looking for you!"
Hearing this, Cangqiao Qingci tucked the "Record of One Hundred Yokai" away, slipping it into his robes, and then slowly stood up.
He wasn't particularly surprised that he had been discovered. He had done quite a lot recently. Whether it was going to the Villa district to investigate the Onmoraki or letting the Zashiki-warashi go, it had all been done right under the noses of official personnel.
The Police would have undoubtedly reported this information up the chain of command. Now, it seemed the Government had finally arrived!
If he had previously been indifferent to such matters, he now felt that this interaction was absolutely necessary.
After all, something like the Hundred Demon Night Parade might sound rather romantic, but this romance was built upon the bloody foundation of countless dead Populace!
He felt that if he could borrow the strength of the Government, he might be able to minimize the casualties.
"I understand. Where are they? I can go with you!" Cangqiao Qingci declared. For the sake of the innocent Populace, he had to go and negotiate!
But for some unknown reason, when he thought of this, he suddenly felt that something wasn't quite right!
Would Tokyo really invest resources for the safety of the Populace?