21st Century Necromancer-Chapter 538 - 534: Scenery of Kyoto (Please Subscribe, Please Vote for Monthly Tickets)

Carrying the authentic Kyobashi that he just bought under Suzuhime's guidance, Chen Yu strolled along the streets of Kyoto with her.

"Ever since Emperor Kanmu relocated the capital during the Heian Period, Kyoto has remained Japan's capital. Various Buddhist temples and shrines with long heritage have collectively safeguarded the tranquility of Kyoto." Passing by a shrine, Suzuhime's voice was melodious and pleasing as she introduced Kyoto's temples and shrines to Chen Yu, "Kennin-ji, once the residence of Master Isshu; Kiyomizu-dera, where the Thousand-Armed Guanyin is enshrined; Kinkaku-ji, built by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu; Ninna-Shrine, a former Royal Palace Temple; Kodai-ji, which honors Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Kitano no Matsukasa... and the head temple of the Jodo Shinshu sect, the west Hongan-ji. These Buddhist temples are truly scenic spots worth visiting."

Listening to Suzuhime's words, Chen Yu couldn't help but smile, "You keep saying Buddhist temples are worth visiting, but you don't mention a word about Kyoto's shrines. Among the 22 shrines from the past, the upper seven and lower eight are mostly in Kyoto, right? Isn't the Thousand Torii Gates at the entrance of Inari Taisha one of Kyoto's most famous attractions?"

"That may be so, but shrines are, after all, the dwellings of deities, unlike those bald-headed ones who only worship clay and wooden images in Buddhist temples," Suzuhime said with her usual playful nature, deliberately belittling Buddhism.

"Even if they are clay and wooden statues, as long as they are worshipped with devotion and the incense continues to burn, they too will exhibit clairvoyance and show holiness. Weren't you originally just a bell and became a Tsukumogami due to people's devotion?" Chen Yu did not wish to argue with her over this opinion; he simply pointed it out before asking, "Speaking of which, do you know where the Seimei Shrine is? I'm quite interested in this Great Onmyoji."

"Abe no Seimei, huh? His shrine is towards the Kyoto Imperial Palace area, and it's quite a distance from here!" Suzuhime naturally felt a bit upset being pointed out by Chen Yu, but because the Inari God tasked her to take good care of Chen Yu, she naturally did not dare to act up in front of him.

Even though she complained about the long walk to Seimei Shrine, Suzuhime still led Chen Yu in the direction of Seimei Shrine. Although they were currently in Nakagyo District, crossing to the Kamigyo District where Seimei Shrine was located meant traversing almost half of Kyoto. However, for a Tsukumogami and a demigod, the distance was not an issue.

As they made their way to Seimei Shrine, Chen Yu also inquired Suzuhime about Abe no Seimei, "Was that Great Onmyoji really the offspring of a White Fox and a human? Speaking of which, I have yet to see a yokai. Do yokai really exist in this world?"

"Yokai do exist, of course. If you count it that way, a Tsukumogami like me is also a type of yokai," replied Suzuhime, who as a Tsukumogami naturally had the right to speak on this matter, "But the heyday of yokai was during the Heian Period. However, since Seimei protected Heian-kyo and Minamoto no Yorimitsu killed Shuten-doji, yokai gradually disappeared. In recent times, most yokai have changed to look like humans and live in human society. You wouldn't notice them if you're not looking closely."

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Hearing what Suzuhime said, Chen Yu was not surprised, but living alongside yokai in human society? That really piqued his curiosity about their lifestyle.

However, while he found that intriguing, Chen Yu was more concerned with the question he had asked previously, "So what you're saying is, Abe no Seimei was indeed a child of a White Fox?"

"There was no such talk when Abe no Seimei was alive. Back then, people only knew he was a very powerful Onmyoji," Suzuhime shook her head, not particularly impressed with the claim that Abe no Seimei was the son of a White Fox, "But it's true that Seimei was formidable. During his time guarding Heian-kyo, he effectively ended the history of the city belonging to humans by day and to demons by night."

One could not help but say that for Suzuhime, who had lived in Kyoto for at least a few hundred years, the various histories of Kyoto were like cherished treasures she could enumerate. If she were willing to speak, conversing with her about these topics was indeed a very delightful enjoyment.

"So, are you saying that when Watanabe no Tsuna cut off Ibaraki-doji's arm back then, it was purely because Ibaraki-doji was toying with him?" Chen Yu was also curious about the true story behind this well-known tale in Japan, and how Watanabe no Tsuna managed to sever the arm of a Great Yokai that should be at least of Legendary-rank.

With a smile, Suzuhime nodded and said, "Yes, back then Minamoto no Yorimitsu was only of Legendary-rank himself, and although his Four Heavenly Kings were formidable, they had not yet reached the strength they would later display when slaying Shuten-doji on Mount Oe. So at that time, it was merely a jest from Ibaraki-doji. Otherwise, Ibaraki-doji would not have been able to retrieve his arm so easily afterward."

"The truth behind legends often turns out to be disappointing." The reality of the legend wasn't a surprise to Chen Yu. However, he was quite interested in how Shuten-doji was later slain by Minamoto no Yorimitsu, but just as he was about to ask this question, they had already arrived at the gate of Seimei Shrine.

Looking at the Seimei Kikyo Seal hanging on the Torii Gate at the entrance of the shrine, Chen Yu couldn't help but look over the shrine with amusement and asked Suzuhime beside him, "Is this place really the former residence of Abe no Seimei?"

"Indeed, Emperor Ichijo had ordered it to be built over the former residence of Abe no Seimei, but after a thousand years and the ravages of war, this place is no longer the original shrine," Suzuhime obviously understood what Chen Yu was getting at. Still, there are so many legends and stories about Abe no Seimei, the Great Onmyoji, that not even she could claim to know them all.

Deflecting that question, Suzuhime curiously asked Chen Yu, "Mr. Chen Yu, would you like to pay a visit inside?"

Suzuhime was curious to see if Chen Yu would pay respects to the Onmyoji who was considered the most powerful in Japanese history according to legend.

"Let's go in and take a look. After all, this place is one of Kyoto's famous attractions; having come to Kyoto, how could I not visit the shrine of this Great Onmyoji?" said Chen Yu as he and Suzuhime entered Seimei Shrine together.

Seimei Shrine itself was not very large. Although the shrine originally occupied vast lands, it gradually shrank due to wars and events like Toyotomi Hideyoshi's Kyoto renovation and ended up nearly desolate. Even the current shrine was restored during the Taisho era by descendants of the Abe family, which made Chen Yu, who had wanted to admire the former grandeur of the Great Onmyoji, terribly disappointed.

On the contrary, what surprised him was the Yakuyoke Peach inside the shrine, gleaming from the countless touches of visitors. The bronze-cast peach seemed to have absorbed so many people's hopes and wishes that it appeared to possess a hint of spiritual nature, suggesting that given time, it could potentially become a new Tsukumogami.