chsdbacks Page 127
Page 127
——Monthly Tickets/Recommendation Tickets——
Chapter 201 The Hermit of the White Fox Forest
An hour later, in the town's only tavern.
When Onoda rushed from his hotel to the pub, Daigo and Rena, who had changed into casual clothes, were already waiting for him.
"Onoda?"
Daigo gestured to Onoda, indicating that he was there.
"You finally came!"
He walked quickly to Daigo and Rena.
As Onoda sat down, he couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief.
This strange behavior, combined with the other party's previous pleas for help, gave Daigo a bad feeling.
I've been through so much with Lu Xuan.
Daigo wasn't sure about other things, but his intuition about dangerous things had reached an almost instinctive level.
"What on earth happened here? What could have scared you so much?"
Onoda is, after all, a well-informed and top-notch reporter.
Daigo simply couldn't imagine what could have happened to make the other person so terrified.
"Is it just the two of you who came?"
Instead of answering Daigo's question directly, Onoda didn't notice Rena's presence until after he sat down.
Although he had expected it, Onoda couldn't hide his disappointment at not seeing the external affairs manager from Galvin Company come along.
After the "Red Giant" incident, Onoda had some guesses about Lu Xuan's identity.
The reason he asked the Victory Team for help this time, and specifically requested Daigo to come over, was because of this.
They wanted to use Lu Xuan's power to resolve the crisis that was unfolding here.
"For now, it's just the two of us who came."
"Specific follow-up support requires us to first determine what happened on your end."
Daigo saw through Onoda's little scheme at a glance, but he didn't expose him.
"So, you first need to tell us what exactly happened here."
Upon hearing this, Onoda finally suppressed his unease and fear and began to slowly explain his experiences over the past period.
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The story begins when Xuena left Amami Oshima.
Ever since witnessing the existence of immortals, giant monsters, and red giants, Xuena has developed a strong interest in myths and legends that take place around the world.
It's worth noting that Xuena was originally extremely curious about stories like "urban legends".
When she began to study myths and legends from all over the world, she quickly discovered many real mythological prototypes through her own research and verification.
The "White Fox Forest" at the foot of Mount Fuji is one of them.
According to the folk tales and myths collected by Xuena, the name "White Fox Forest" can even be traced back to the Sengoku period in Japan.
At that time, the "White Fox Forest" was the territory of the fox spirit.
The villagers living nearby even worship a shrine to the white fox, praying for a bountiful harvest and peace in the name of "Inari God".
However, one day, the white fox living in this forest suddenly disappeared, and in its place came a ferocious and tyrannical demon.
This evil spirit feeds on human flesh and drinks human blood, growing stronger day by day.
Despite being the master of this forest, the white fox never showed itself until a powerful warrior arrived.
This samurai possessed a strong sense of justice and a thirst for evil, as well as the ability to slay demons and monsters.
At the urging of the nearby villagers, the samurai ventured alone into the forest to engage in a fierce battle with the man-eating demon.
The final outcome of that great battle remains unknown.
The only thing that has been recorded and passed down in writing is that after that warrior, this forest turned into a cannibal forest.
The evil spirits that once roamed this place have disappeared.
However, some plants in this forest have been corrupted, possessing the instinct to harm people and drink blood like demons.
Any outsider who ventures deep into the forest will be bewitched by the demonized plants, approach them, and ultimately become food for the monsters.
To keep outsiders at bay, the villagers living in the surrounding area designated the "White Fox Forest" as a forbidden area.
As time passed, the stories and myths of the past gradually faded away, while the legends and taboos of the "White Fox Forest" gradually became part of the local customs and traditions.
The first thing every visitor learns about here is the local customs and culture.
It seems that some unknown force is constantly spreading and transmitting these ancient taboos.
At first, Xuena did not realize the special nature of the "White Fox Forest".
Because of similar legends, there are at least eight hundred, if not a thousand, in Japan.
It's simply unrealistic to try to reconstruct what happened back then using such a few clues.
However, due to my professionalism as a journalist, and my own curiosity about such rumors...
Xuena arrived at the town of "White Fox Forest" without much expectation, intending to use this opportunity to write a report about the Warring States period.
But before Xuena could even begin writing, she seemed to have been targeted by some mysterious force.
On her very first night in the town, Xuena suddenly seemed to have changed her personality and made a long phone call with Onoda that lasted all night.
Her tone was full of emotion, which was completely unlike the usual Xue Na.
Unfortunately, Onoda didn't take the direct line seriously at the time.
I assumed the other person had just had a few drinks, and after earnestly telling them not to go out that night, I didn't say anything more.
Then, on the second night, when Xuena called Onoda again, she said in a very nervous tone that she had seen something unclean.
Under Onoda's persistent questioning, Xuena finally revealed her discovery.
It turns out that they were investigating the rumors surrounding the "White Fox Forest".
Based on old newspapers from over a decade ago, Xuena found the most recent urban legend that occurred in the "White Fox Forest"—the Hermit.
The hermit's name was "Kuzuno Jiro," and he was less than eight years old when he disappeared.
His parents went to great lengths to find their son, causing a huge uproar throughout the town and even placing large-scale newspaper ads.
Following this clue, Xuena easily found Kuzuha Jiro's parents.
But here's where the problem arose: while searching for the Kuzuha family, Xuena had asked a little boy nearby for directions.
So when Xue Na saw the family photo of the Ge Ye family, she was shocked to find that the little boy in it was the same little boy who had given her directions when she arrived.
More than ten years have passed, and the little boy's appearance has not changed at all. Even his clothes are exactly the same as they were back then.
——Monthly Tickets/Recommendation Tickets——
Chapter 202 Lord of the White Fox - Inari God
"Xena...is she seeing a ghost?"
When Daigo heard Onoda get to this point, he finally couldn't help but interject with a question.
For some reason, Daigo had a strange sense of déjà vu after hearing about the changes in Xena when she first arrived in the town.
Especially when Onoda emphasized the changes in Xue Na's emotions, Daigo glanced at Lina sitting next to him without leaving a trace.
Lina seems particularly emotional today.
"It's not as simple as just encountering a ghost."
Shaking his head to deny Daigo's guess, Onoda continued.
After realizing that she might have actually seen something unclean, Xuena immediately understood that the legend of the "White Fox Forest" might be true.
After all, the abnormalities that occurred to him only became apparent after he entered the town.
From initial fear to a determination to uncover the truth...
Sheena wasn't sure whether she was influenced by the "White Fox Forest" or simply had a rebellious streak triggered by this unknown situation.
In short, after reporting her situation to Onoda on the third night, Xuena began preparing for a more in-depth investigation.
This time, the target of Xuena's investigation is the "White Fox Forest".
When Onoda arrived in the town immediately, he learned that Xuena had completely disappeared.
Fortunately, Xuena did not completely lose her mind and left Onoda with relevant clues and an investigation report in advance.
Following the clues left by Xue Na, Onoda went to the Kuzuha family again.
Unlike the inexperienced Xue Na, Onoda immediately sensed the incongruity of the family after arriving at the Kuzuha family's house in the morning.
Despite taking the news of her son's disappearance very seriously.
But apart from the initial period of intense searching, the Kuzuha family parents did nothing else that was consistent with their public persona.
Yes, if these parents really value their son as much as they initially appeared.
Therefore, they would never again hesitate to ask a stranger for help in finding their son if the stranger wanted to reopen the case from back then.
Most importantly, the parents, like their son, did not grow old.
It's not that they've taken excellent care of themselves over the years, but rather that this couple simply hasn't aged.
Time seemed to have stood still for them; they looked exactly the same as they did more than a decade ago.
The subtle differences between these two are probably only discernible to Onoda, who has traveled extensively and seen a lot.
Based on the information and clues previously provided by Scherna.
Two different guesses almost simultaneously surfaced in Onoda's mind.
The first guess is quite simple.
The reason these parents didn't ask me and Xuena to help them find their son was because...
Perhaps their son has already returned.
However, the way their son returned was somewhat unusual, which is why they are still keeping his return a secret from the outside world.
The little boy that Xuena had seen earlier was not a ghost, but a real living person who existed in this house.
As for the secret to this family of three's youthful appearance?
It may have come from the mysterious "White Fox Forest".
The second guess is more of a conspiracy theory.
Perhaps the disappearance of the Kuzuha family's son was not a coincidence from the beginning.
The extensive reporting and search by Kuzuha's parents back then was purely an attempt to cover up their activities.
They knew a secret about the "White Fox Forest" and sacrificed their son using some kind of cult ritual to gain the ability to stay young forever.
In fact, this speculation is not without reason.
As early as when Xue Na told Onoda about the Kuzuha family's situation, he had someone specifically investigate the family's background.
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"The surname Ge Ye is very rare..."
"These surnames are usually found in certain shrines, and specifically in shrines that enshrine white foxes."
Seeing Daigo and Rena looking slightly stunned, Onoda, whose expression was a little uneasy, explained further.
"This small town has a shrine dedicated to Inari, the god of white foxes..."
"However, that shrine has long been abandoned and has not been maintained by anyone for a long time."
Hearing this, Lina, who hadn't said much from the beginning, finally spoke up.