Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes

Ping Shenglong silently continued searching.

Kurosaki is right. Even if Taira no Ryu is certain that the culprit is a real ghost story, he cannot show it.

That would only make subordinates and superiors think he is incompetent and use excuses to avoid responsibility.

Unless he can find some conclusive evidence, the kind of irrefutable proof that leaves the other party with no choice but to believe him.

Next, it is necessary to collect an extremely complete chain of evidence to persuade Minister Iwaki.

In that case, someone would naturally step in to shield him from the storms of the outside world, and he might even gain access to some of the country's core secrets.

He, Pyeong Seong-ryong, also wanted to take it a step further.

Only that way

But if he really can't find a complete chain of clues, he wouldn't mind betting the rest of his life on the gambling table.

Ping Shenglong continued to rummage through the files, ignoring the strange smell of the papers that had aged over the years and the stale smell of expired insect repellent packets.

"Wait... S30! That's the kind of serial number the minister was talking about, right? Showa 30!"

Kurosaki excitedly rummaged through a large stack of documents and then dug out a pile of old files.

"At least we've found the corresponding year! Quick, let's check if it's in this pile first. If not, we'll keep looking!"

Kurosaki placed the items on the ground separately, then sat down cross-legged and eagerly began to browse and search.

Ping Shenglong sat down and opened one of the documents, which contained some blurry writing.

It's so old that all you can tell is that it's a copy made from blue-purple carbon paper, and the writing has become extremely blurry over time.

Given his age, if it weren't for his work and frequent contact with old files, he probably wouldn't even know about carbon paper, a thing that has long been obsolete.

But it's okay.

Ping Shenglong took out a portable ultraviolet lamp, turned it on, and shone it on the key areas to aid his reading.

For a moment, the archives room fell silent, with only the sound of the two people flipping through the pages.

[Regarding the disappearances following the June 11 Komagome Academy fire]

found it.

Ping Shenglong narrowed his eyes and read it word by word, line by line.

On June 14th, I visited the Nobi family. The missing student, Nobi Tomoaki, had not returned. The school still refused to acknowledge any connection to his disappearance. His younger brother, Nobi Tomoshin, had temporarily suspended his studies and was deeply affected.

[After visiting the Muto family's neighbor, Okubo Kanade, it was confirmed that Muto Tetsuro's adopted son is named Ueda Yoshi, and comes from a small village in Mie Prefecture. An adoption record exists, and a request has been made to conduct further investigations in Mie Prefecture.]

[Approval denied, this is the end of the process]

There's a lot of information inside, but Ping Shenglong only needs a few words.

【Yoshi Ueda】

Is this the name of Tetsuro Muto's adopted son?

I already knew he came from Mie Prefecture, and now I know even more that it's a small village under its jurisdiction.

"You mean, this reporter really didn't continue the investigation?"

Kurosaki suddenly spoke up.

Ping Shenglong turned his head; he had already squatted down beside him and read the report together.

Do you think he continued his investigation privately and kept records of it?

"That's possible," Kurosaki said, though he wasn't entirely confident.

“Your supernatural reasoning might not work this time.” Ping Shenglong shook his head. “I asked this reporter about his information before. He died of illness not long after this incident, and he had no children and left no belongings.”

Kurosaki shrugged: "Having this record is good. At least we know the location and name, which will make it much easier to search in Mie Prefecture."

That's what they say, but Ping Shenglong knows very well that it would be difficult to find a little boy from nearly a hundred years ago from the local authorities based on this information alone.

Even though Muto seemed to have gone through all the adoption procedures at the time.

"Start with the adoption records to narrow down the scope as much as possible. They will definitely show which village the people came from."

"I think so too."

Without delay, Taira no Ryu told Yoshino, the department head, and left the newspaper office with the original document, heading to Mie Prefecture.

Just as I set off, the phone rang.

"Minister, yes, I understand, I'll be there."

After hanging up the phone, Ping Shenglong silently parked his car on the side of the road.

"The situation is escalating very quickly. I need to attend a press conference and a question-and-answer session with the Education Committee this afternoon, so I can't go to Mie Prefecture for the time being."

"Tsk, don't they know this is a waste of time?" Kurosaki said with disgust, as he hated this kind of formality that delayed important matters.

Ping Shenglong showed no sign of frustration or anger at the interruption of his investigation, remaining remarkably calm, perhaps because he was already accustomed to such rules of the game.

"I'll take you to the station."

"Huh? I'm going to investigate by myself?"

“I will stay in Tokyo to help you find the village where Ueda Yoshi is located, while you can go to Mie Prefecture first and use your ‘ghost story thinking’ to take a look.”

"Okay, anyway, I was planning to do it alone, but you're the one who's going to interfere."

Kurosaki waved his hand, accepting the outcome.

Ping Shenglong glanced at the date.

Saturday, April 4.

There will be a foreign visit from America on April 18.

He gave a military order to resolve the issue by April 15th.

There is less than a week left.

Chapter 68: Miracle Muramasa

"Finally—we're here! Come to think of it, it's been ten years since I last left Tokyo."

Tsu City, Mie Prefecture.

After tidying himself up a bit and looking less disheveled, Kurosaki Chimei walked out of Tsu Station alone and stretched lazily in the afternoon sun.

He didn't know how many days he would stay here, because he had come in a hurry and had brought almost no luggage, except for his tattered little bag.

Since someone will reimburse him, he can just stay in a hotel.

Buy whatever you need, and then give the invoice to Ping Sheng Long.

"Master Richeng, we've troubled you to come here in person this time. We've tried everything, but it still didn't work."

"Namo Myoho Renge Kyo, it was my duty to come here. You should have informed Benmyoji Temple much earlier. Alas, let's go. I hope it's not too late."

Near the exit, two men exchanged a few words with a monk, then led him onto a car and hurriedly drove away.

"."

Kurosaki Chimei pretended to wait for a car, and only after the car drove away did he rub his chin, his eyes revealing a thoughtful expression.

The two men had radiating burn scars on their hands, thick calluses, and unusually large second joints on their index fingers. There was also a faint smell of pine resin.

Blacksmith? Hunter? Do these two professions still exist?

"By the way, this is Mie Prefecture, the birthplace of Muramasa swords. Are these two traditional sword makers?"

Traditional knife makers need to hammer the blade blank and expose it to high temperatures for a long time, and they also need to use pine resin to maintain the blade, all of which match the marks on the two people just now.

However, there are very few traditional sword makers in Japan now. Most of them are already quite old and mostly serve as mascots, telling stories for sword museums and sword-making sites.

It's so rare to see someone in their prime like this.

"When did swordsmiths get involved with Nichiren monks?"

Kurosaki's old habit of being curious resurfaced, and he was itching to get his hands on something, but he was still able to prioritize and didn't actually chase after them.

Suppressing my curiosity for the time being, I took a taxi to the hotel I had booked.

Ping Shenglong is probably still dealing with reporters and superiors and hasn't sent him any further information, so he needs to reorganize the previous materials himself and check if there are any details that have been missed.

Mie Prefecture has 14 cities and 15 towns, with a total population of over one million.

Trying to find something that happened nearly a hundred years ago among more than a million people is undoubtedly like finding a needle in a haystack.

But for Kurosaki, who dedicated his life to searching for ghost stories, it was a rare guiding light.

He wasn't afraid of trouble, he was afraid of having no hope.

He's been searching for so many years, exploring every ghost story in Tokyo, big and small. If it weren't for his parents' inheritance and insurance, he would have starved to death long ago.

"Let's start with our old profession and see if there are any strange tales in Mie Prefecture that fit the timeline."

Inside the hotel, Kurosaki pulled out his notebook, rubbing his hands together in anticipation, and began the first step, following the train of thought he had previously organized.

Sunset, in a desolate wilderness.

"This is the place. According to our ancestors' records, this is the location that Master Facheng chose for us. It draws in clear water, gathers righteous energy, and suppresses the power of evil spirits."

The middle-aged man pointed to a dilapidated-looking hut in the woods and said.

“Our direct lineage has been worshipping Myoho Muramasa for many years, and we have been using the methods of Master Hosei to deceive the past. From the fifth generation to the eighth generation, we have been living in seclusion and no accidents have occurred.”

"But not long ago, my daughter was chosen by the Myōhō Muramasa and became the ninth Muramasa!"

“I tried to continue deceiving Myōhō Muramasa using the methods of my ancestors, but... but the situation is completely different from what my ancestors recorded, and my daughter’s condition has become even more serious!”

"I could only barely suppress it by following the last method left behind by Master Facheng: sacrificing blood to the demon blade..."

Ri Cheng shook his head, clasped his hands, and sighed: "Namo Myoho Renge Kyo, feeding a sword with blood and drinking poison to quench thirst, the demon sword that Senji Muramasa raised for his own selfish desires has finally reached the point of devouring its master."

The middle-aged man arranged for his cousin to wait outside the door, and then he brought Richeng into the house.

The interior was very simple, with no furniture at all, and only a blocked well opening.

The man activated the mechanism and then moved the obstruction at the wellhead, revealing a hidden world inside.

Ri Cheng's expression was solemn. He touched a trace of red water stain stuck to the edge of the well and rubbed it between his fingertips.

"The legendary evil energy materializing? How is that possible?"

He murmured something, making sure the man didn't hear, and followed him inside with a serious expression.

"Taki, Taki? How are you? Are you feeling any better?"

Inside the well was a small, damp room with a water channel running through it.

In the middle of the ditch, there was a larger hole, and several thick iron chains extended from the earthen wall, binding a knife that looked very old.

Muramasa, the magic sword of the demon sword.

"dad."

The girl knelt on the futon, with long, jet-black hair, a delicate face, and a pale complexion like snow. She wore a dark blue modified kimono.

"This is the high monk of Honmyoji Temple, Nichijo. Monk, she is my daughter, Muramasa Taki, who was chosen by Lord Myōhō Muramasa as the ninth Muramasa."

Seeing his daughter's pale face, the man felt both heartache and helplessness. He could only quickly introduce Richeng and then look at the latter with pleading eyes, hoping that he could find a solution.

Richeng didn't look at him, but stared intently at the locked knife, his forehead covered in cold sweat, and his breathing gradually became rapid.

“The situation is more serious than I imagined.” Ri Cheng slowly exhaled and looked at the two of them seriously. “If we are not careful, we may repeat the mistakes of the third and fourth Muramasa.”

Upon hearing this, the man's face turned extremely terrified, his legs went weak, and he couldn't help but kneel down in front of Ri Cheng, grabbing his sleeve.

"Master, Master, you must save Taki! I'm willing to pay any price!"

"dad."

Muramasa Taki grabbed the man's sleeve, and Asahishō revealed a calm smile: "Master Asahishō, I am not afraid of death, but please do not let the demon sword be born, otherwise the sins of my Muramasa family will never be repaid for eternity. For this, I am willing to cooperate in doing anything."

Nichijo stared at Muramasa Takii's eyes, which seemed to have seen through life and death, his expression shifted slightly, and he slowly sighed.

"Namo Myoho Renge Kyo. Your current situation is far beyond my capabilities. There are no longer any extraordinary beings in this world, not even my master."

Ri Cheng clasped his hands together, his tone extremely solemn: "The seal here has been completely corroded by demonic energy and is about to collapse. Our only chance now is to bring Myoho Muramasa with us."

"Come with me back to Honmyoji Temple."