Tokyo, the shady intelligence of private detectives

Chapter 166 Realistic Sculpture

The old monk slowly took a sip of tea. "I did not see that person. This was told to me by Abululi."

"Benefactor Liuli wanted to choose a place to live in seclusion. She originally chose an island, but later, due to certain concerns, she wanted to find a quiet place near Tokyo, so she found this place."

"When the outer courtyard was being built, a friend of hers came with her once and saw the pair of stone statues of the Daoist practitioner. This friend was skilled in carving, and the female statue in the cliff was carved by him."

Masahiro Hanyu was even more puzzled, "Why would her friend do this?"

The old monk said, "That's what I asked you, Benefactor Liuli, at the time: why did you alter the human-faced stone statue in the ancient spirit field? This is an act of disrespect towards the practice of cultivation!"

"That's how Master Liuli explained it back then, so I no longer had any doubts."

She said that her friend was a hermit who had reached the deepest level of spiritual practice.

"This person believed that the physical body is merely a temporary dwelling, and that gender is a distinction made in the mortal world. In the ultimate state, yin and yang unite in harmony, without distinction between male and female, and one achieves perfect harmony. That statue is the external manifestation of this principle. However—"

The old monk paused for a moment, then said, "But the body was sculpted so realistically that even the direction of the muscles and the undulation of the bones were depicted in the finest detail. The distinction between male and female was especially striking, almost tangible. It was a sight to behold, yet also breathtaking."

Yuzuru Masahiro shared the same sentiment; the statue's body was sculpted too realistically, so realistically that it didn't seem like a sculpture at all, but rather like—

—Just like a real person.

This thought struck him: Had the sculptor seen hermaphrodites and carefully observed their private parts? Otherwise, how could he have sculpted them so perfectly!

He looked out the window; the last rays of twilight were fading along the ridgeline, and darkness was about to fall.

He stood up and bowed respectfully to the old monk: "Thank you, Master. I have troubled you greatly today, so I must take my leave now."

The old monk escorted her to the corridor, clasped his hands in the twilight, and said, "If you find Benefactor Liuli, please inform her to come to the temple for a few days, so that this humble monk will not worry about her."

Masahiro Hanyu nodded in agreement and turned to walk out along the path he had come from.

As he passed the pond, he glanced sideways at the male statue. The statue's shadow had completely disappeared into the darkness, with only the outline of its face illuminated by the oil lamps lit under the eaves.

Who could Abu Ruri's friend be, obsessed with carving stone statue bodies? For some reason, he thought of Toyotomi Kazusuke at this moment.

Leaving the temple, as the moon rose, he returned to the deserted mountain road where he had gotten off the bus, where a lone black taxi was parked.

As Masahiro Hanyu approached, the roof light inside the car flickered on and off; this was the taxi the investigation department was tracking and protecting him from.

The tracking device he had swallowed was no longer usable after it was excreted. Miyazawa Keiko gave him two more tracking devices to facilitate the investigation department's tracking and protection of him.

One can be swallowed, and the other can be carried externally.

Unwilling to be constantly monitored by the investigation department, Masahiro Hanyu inserted the external tracking device into the lining of his shoe heel.

He opened the back door and got in. The driver didn't start the engine immediately, but instead turned around.

The man's face was familiar; he was the taxi driver from when he investigated the case of Madam Feng Qing's assassin.

"Mr. Yuzuru, you've come to such a desolate place; you must have found some clues. Should I report this to headquarters?"

"Not for now. I found out some things, but it's not clear yet. I'll talk to you after I confirm." Masahiro Yuzuru didn't want to share anything about Aburi, since it was a private commission he had taken on.

The driver was silent for two seconds, then stopped asking questions, handed him a note, and turned around to start the car.

"Mr. Yuzuru, this is my pager number. You can call me if you don't want to be followed and protected by the investigation department, so you don't have to take the stairs."

With a deep, rumbling engine, the taxi returned to the city.

Masahiro Hanyu sighed. The investigation team was indeed capable; he had managed to escape the apartment by taking the stairs and jumping out of the window, yet they still managed to find him.

It was already 9 p.m. when he got back to the city. Masahiro Hanyu called Mizuki Abu downstairs at his apartment building.

Shui Lian's voice was filled with suppressed anxiety: "What clues have you found?"

"I've made a discovery." Masahiro Hanyu lowered his voice. "The tea your sister often drinks is a specialty of Sado Island. You should know that island, right?"

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone. "Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture—I've heard my sister mention it before. Is that the island where she lived in seclusion? Why did she keep it from me?"

Masahiro Hanyu said, "The sacred tea of ​​the Fusei-kai is a specialty tea of ​​Sado Island. Sado is coming again."

Abu Shuilian was silent for a few seconds again, then asked, "What do you need me to do?"

Masahiro Hanyu: "It would be best if you went to Sado Island yourself, to the place where your sister lived. Perhaps she left some clues."

Abu Shuilian didn't hesitate: "Okay, I'll go tomorrow. Also, I've already made some efforts in secret, and you should soon have a specific work arrangement in the Fusheng Association."

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, his pager rang. It was an unfamiliar number, and Masahiro Hanyu called back.

Shirakawa Manchun's voice came through: "Mr. Yamamoto, His Holiness Hakumo has assigned you to work in the Ministry of Intelligence."

Masahiro Hanyu yawned, "Okay, I'll do my best."

I don't know what method Abu Shuilian used, but she managed to get him into such a crucial department of the Fusheng Association so quickly.

Baihe Wanchun said solemnly, "For a newcomer to be transferred to work in the intelligence department is a great trust that the Dharma King has in you."

"Your next task mainly consists of two parts. First, continue to increase Miss Mio's trust and reliance on you and the Fusheng Association. You can figure out the methods yourself, and the Fusheng Association can cooperate."

"Second, you need to find someone who has betrayed the Fusheng Society. This person is hidden among the people who transcribe scriptures for the White Peach Dharma King. The location is in the Yunqu Mountains, in a manor belonging to the Fudō Vajra Temple. You must use all your personal time to find this traitor."

A person who copies scriptures!

Masahiro Hanyu immediately thought of Nako Yonemura, and at the same time, he also thought of the conversation he had overheard.

Was Baihe Wanchun sending him to investigate those who betrayed the Fusheng Society a test?

Shirakawa Manchun continued, "Someone will assist you in completing this task. Once you arrive at Fudo Kongo-ji Temple on Mount Kumotori, give your name, and someone will contact you."

"Fudo Kongo-ji Temple on Mount Kumotori! Okay, I've got it." Masahiro Hanyu's tone remained completely emotionless.

After hanging up, he immediately called Yui Satsuki and told her about Shirakawa Manharu's arrangements.

After discussing it, the two decided that Masahiro Hanyu would go to the Fudo Kongoji Temple Manor on Mount Kumotri today to find out what it was all about.

Condition!

At the same time, Yui Satsuki will contact the investigation department to prevent any accidents and protect Masahiro Hanyu's safety.

Yuzuru Hanyu put down the phone, lay on the bed, and pondered what preparations he should make if he were to go to Kumotori Mountain. Just then, his pager rang again, from an unfamiliar number.

He returned the call, "Hello, who paged me?"

A man's voice: "Hello, Mr. Yamamoto, it's me."

Then the man's voice changed to a woman's voice, "When are you coming to Fudo Kongo Temple? I'm the one assisting you with the investigation!"

Masahiro Hanyu frowned. It was Toyotomi Kazusuke!