【Wine Ci】Ksitigarbha Statue

Abe Seimei draws the talismans in the early morning, and it is not until the evening that the youkai he is looking for—or the shikigami—responds and arrives.After all, the contract with the big monster is not the same as that of the grass and tree elves. Qingming knows it well, but after all, she has nothing to do, so she just waits calmly.

The sunset climbs over the wooden corridor from the courtyard and spills into the room with the sliding door open.

Seimei was drinking with Minamoto when Shuten-douji walked in.When he saw him, he just nodded slightly.On the contrary, Boya was startled: "The shikigami you are looking for is him? When did you accept such a difficult guy as a shikigami?"

Seimei just smiled and didn't answer.Shuten-douji sat down opposite them very naturally, poured a glass of wine on his own, and frowned when he finished drinking, commenting: "It's terrible."

The owner of the wine was very angry.

Jiu Tun asked: "What do you want me to do? You are very busy. It seems that you don't seem to be in a hurry to ask me to return your favor, Abe Seimei."

Qingming replied with a smile: "If my life and death are really at stake, I'm afraid you will have to collect my body when you come over."

Jiu Tun sneered.

"I have something for you."

Seimei said so.

The onmyoji made a formula and drew a talisman in the void.A small spirit image appeared in the chaotic and gentle sky shrouded in the evening light.It emits a faint white light and is translucent. After careful identification, it can still be seen that it is a young monk with his eyes closed and chanting sutras.

Jiu Tun recognized it.With a little surprise, he raised his eyebrows: "Ksitigarbha?"

Seimei lowered her eyebrows.This expression made the Onmyoji look as compassionate as the Ksitigarbha Ksitigarbha.He said softly: "That's right—it's 'Royal Soul'."

Jiu Tun-douji knew what Onmyoji said about soul control.

There will be a soul after death, and it will return to the underworld to wait for the next reincarnation.Ghosts don't have souls.They have an unlimited and wanton life, and naturally they have to repay it with the emptiness after death.For ghosts, death represents the end, nothing is taken away, nothing is left behind. ——If there is, it is just the obsession buried in the fragments of power that disappear in the vast world.

After the death of ghosts, chaotic obsessions and grievances will always gather in places where Yin Qi is strong.Part of it becomes part of the yin qi, while the other part can be picked up by onmyojis and refined into souls that can be used by living ghost shikigami.

Just like Shuten-douji never thought that he would sign a contract with a human being, he also never thought that there would be a day when he would use his soul.

He reached out to the phantom.

Yuhun flashed.The phantom is like a stream of power flowing into the evil spirit around Jiu Tun.Jiu Tun looked down at the palm of his hand and clenched his fists—he half-closed his eyes, and the ghost gourd behind his back suddenly rose up, attacking Qingming involuntarily.

Qingming quickly pinched the formula to set up an enchantment.After the demonic energy shattered the barrier, Jiu Tun withdrew his offensive, and the desperate confrontation between attack and defense was fleeting. The ghost held the ghost gourd safely behind his back, and said, "It's not bad."

Boya shouted: "You bastard—what are you doing?!"

"What are you worried about? It won't kill you." Jiu Tun raised his eyebrows, and looked at the unsurprised onmyoji in front of him, "Abe Seimei, I have accepted this thing. Tell me, what do you want me to do?" .”

Qingming smiled slightly: "It's just a gift to you, not an exchange."

"Hey. Are you stupid for thinking of me? If you want to get something from you, you will be extorted for it sooner or later. Why don't you make it clear from the beginning that it's another matter whether you agree or not—— I don't have any free time to accompany you around the corner."

"Hmm. There is indeed something I would like to entrust to you. Boya, do you remember the Soto-sama I told you about?"

Boya replied hesitantly: "That Mr. Soto, who disappeared three years ago and returned to Kyoto last week, is already gray-haired and old?"

"Yes, it has been found out that the old man is indeed Mr. Soto, not some monster in disguise. Boya, it is precisely because of this that I came to you. Last night, Mr. Soto passed away. It is natural aging, Endless."

Yuan Boya was taken aback, and murmured: "But I remember that he and I are of the same age... It's just a few years older than me."

Seimei solemnly said to Jiu Tun: "It is precisely this matter that I want you to investigate."

Shuten was playing with the wine cup containing the wine.Hearing Qingming's words, this big ghost showed an extremely sarcastic and dangerous smile: "Why, Abe Seimei, after all, did you ask me to do the work of an onmyoji? Occasionally fight for you and kill a few A little demon with no eyes is no problem—do you really think that this uncle can be driven by mere mediocrity?"

Seimei didn't seem to notice Jiu Tun's aggressive, death-like aura; he explained to himself: "I sent other means to check. But they didn't come back without exception. From the contacted The message sent by the paper man... that place, time has been disordered. Maybe it is possible to go back to the past, or maybe it is to enter a place where time flies like an illusion. What is worse is that the implicated place is expanding. The implicated Soto-sama is not the only one, maybe...among hundreds of victims, he is the only one who came back."

Jiu Tun said casually: "Are you an Onmyoji? You can check it yourself. When you are about to lose your life, don't worry, I will still come to save you."

Qingming smiled wryly and shook her head: "The matter of the rift in the underworld has not been completely resolved, and I cannot leave the capital."

"Oh? So the place where the accident happened wasn't near the capital?——Anyway, my uncle is not interested in this matter, and he doesn't bother to intervene."

Shuten-douji was unmoved.Boya said angrily: "What do you beg him to do? Just leave it to me, Qingming. You stay in Kyoto, and I will go. Where is that place? Did you find out?"

Seimei nodded, "It's in Ibaraki County in Settsu."

"--What did you say?"

Shuten-douji spoke suddenly.His voice was cold, and his gaze was like a gloomy snake.Boya shuddered, Seimei replied: "The place where the accident happened is Settsu Ibaraki."

Jiu Tun clicked his tongue, drank the wine in the glass, stood up and said: "Okay, I understand. My uncle will go and have a look. Let's go."

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure disappeared.The purple mist dissipated, and a small piece of paper figurine fell on the ground.Qingming picked up the paper figurine, and Boya was taken aback for a moment before he seemed to realize: "This is...he agreed?"

"Correct."

"Inexplicable." Boya muttered, watching Qingming put the paper figurine back into a booklet with curiosity again, "Qingming, what is this?"

"Shikigami--sorry, I can't show this to Boya for the time being. When the results of the investigation come out, Shuten-douji may come to the door in person, and the paper figurine and name as the medium will not be used for the time being. Well, Boya, it's still early , let's continue drinking."

"Shuten-douji said... is this wine really bad?"

"No, on the contrary, it's very good."