Tokyo Daoist

In a private room of a Chinese restaurant in Tokyo, Japan, two men were talking intimately.

"Brother Zhang, thank you so much this time. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't even be able to find a place to stay right now. Your little brother offers you a toast," said a young man in his twenties, raising his glass.

"Brother Qian, you're being too formal! Your master is my savior. If it weren't for him, I would have been killed long ago. You've come to my territory, so you're right to come to me with problems. We're all countrymen, and we should help each other when we're abroad. Don't be fooled by the polite smiles of these Japanese people; they're experts at exclusion..." The man with large sunglasses and a slicked-back hairstyle in the private room clinked his glass with the young man's and downed the drink in one gulp... coconut milk.

"Yes, yes, Brother Zhang, if you ever need help with anything, you can come to me too. Anyone you introduce, I'll give a 50% discount!" the young man said, smiling as they drank coconut milk and chatted happily.

After exchanging toasts and drinking for a while, the young man bid farewell to Brother Zhang, who was wearing sunglasses, and left the restaurant.

This person is our protagonist, Qian Xiaoyi. His parents died early, leaving him with only a relative who was neither too close nor too distant. By seniority, he should call this person... grand-nephew. Although this grand-nephew was more than forty years older than him, seniority was seniority, so neither of them mentioned it. Qian Xiaoyi grew up with this grand-nephew from childhood until he was twenty-three.

This grand-nephew's secular surname was also Qian. When he was young, his family was poor, so he was sent to a nearby Taoist temple as an apprentice. His master gave him the Taoist name Lingkong, and everyone called him Daoist Lingkong. Over time, no one knew his secular name anymore.

He served as a Taoist priest for decades and inherited the skills of demon-slaying and monster-subduing from his sect. He had traveled extensively in his early years, but now it was modern society. In China, it was stipulated that after the founding of the People's Republic of China, supernatural beings were not allowed to exist, and everything had to be based on facts and science. In this world, many things exist if you believe in them and don't if you don't. In such a materialistic social environment, there were no longer any ghosts or monsters to catch in China.

Daoist Lingkong's peers, if they had other skills, all changed professions. Some opened online stores, some did live streaming, some delivered food, and some became big bosses developing real estate. The remaining Daoist Lingkong stayed in his dilapidated temple, occasionally performing rituals to make a living. He adopted Qian Xiaoyi as his disciple to prevent his skills from being lost. However, with the skills to slay dragons but no dragons to slay in the world, the master and disciple lived increasingly frugally.

One morning, Daoist Lingkong fell asleep forever in his bed and never woke up. However, Qian Xiaoyi didn't feel particularly sad because he had received a dream the night before. In the dream, Qian Xiaoyi was eating when Daoist Lingkong suddenly appeared before him.

"Xiaoyi, I just had a great idea!" the old man said with a beaming smile.

Qian Xiaoyi looked skeptical: "What is it? Don't tell me you want me to do live streaming again. I can't learn that. Last time we did a live stream at someone's house, we almost got beaten up."

Daoist Lingkong said indignantly upon hearing this: "Ah, you silly boy, why were you shouting so loudly when you said 'Like and subscribe, 666, fellow viewers'! Everyone could hear you."

Qian Xiaoyi sneered: "In any case, I don't believe you can come up with any good ideas!"

Seeing that his disciple didn't believe him, Daoist Lingkong wasn't annoyed and continued on his own: "Listen to me. We have all these great skills, but the mainland is too peaceful. We can't encounter any demons or monsters. Even if there are one or two, they'll be snatched up by our peers, and it won't be our turn, right?"

"Yeah, that's why I regret not studying hard in high school and going to college, spending every night learning those things from you," Qian Xiaoyi rolled his eyes, annoyed.

Daoist Lingkong coughed twice: "Don't interrupt! Cough, cough... This enlightened atmosphere in our mainland doesn't foster ghosts. So why don't you go to those oppressive social environments? The more feudal and oppressive the place, the more work we'll have!"

"Get real~" Qian Xiaoyi said unhappily: "Our sect's reputation is so small, it's a mere offshoot of the major sects. Not to mention Hong Kong and Taiwan, Southeast Asia is probably already occupied by various sects. How can we compete for business! Are you expecting me to be like Ip Man and shout 'I want to fight ten people' and kick down doors to become famous? Besides, unlike the mainland, we don't have money to go there, so we definitely won't be able to stay in places with good security. Ghosts would want to go there. Isn't it good to just muddle along in the mainland?"

"Ah, who told you to go there!" the old man hit him: "If you want good security, isn't that easy? The place I'm sending you to, you don't have to worry about seniority, the social environment is oppressive, which easily breeds ghosts, and the security is also good!"

"Are you saying..."

"That's right! Japan~" Daoist Lingkong said with his hands on his hips and a smile: "It just occurred to me. Since it's hard to find work in the mainland and surrounding areas, and places too far away are not within our cultural sphere, why not go to Japan? It's perfect."

"But we don't know Japanese!" Qian Xiaoyi exclaimed: "I'm fine, my mind works fast, and I'll learn it in a few days. You're so old, I'll teach you 'hello' and 'how are you,' and you still can't remember. You can't even use a smartphone properly. How will we communicate when we get there? What about visa documents and such?"

Daoist Lingkong smiled and said: "Don't worry about the visa. I have an old friend named Zhang Chunfa on my phone. I saved him in Hong Kong years ago, and he's now developing in Tokyo, Japan. I've seen his face; this person is very loyal. He can help you sort out those things. And it's not that we are going; it's just you going. You have great talent in this... very great talent. Carry on the reputation of our sect well in the future, at least there are still places in this world where it can be used, so as not to let a pearl be covered in dust."

"What are you talking about!" Qian Xiaoyi sensed something was wrong: "What exactly do you mean! Why am I going alone?"

The old man smiled slightly, waved his hand, and vanished like smoke.

Qian Xiaoyi suddenly realized he was dreaming. The moment he realized it, he woke up. Opening his eyes, he saw the warm morning sun shining through the window. Qian Xiaoyi hurriedly jumped out of bed and ran to Daoist Lingkong's room, understanding everything.

Having experienced many funerals, Qian Xiaoyi had long understood the laws of life and death. Moreover, the old man had passed away peacefully, so he didn't act like a grieving child. Following the familiar routine, he quietly held a simple funeral for Daoist Lingkong by himself.

Afterward, he taught himself Japanese for two years. In the meantime, he contacted the Zhang Chunfa mentioned by the old man, who was the Brother Zhang who liked to wear sunglasses, and obtained a long-term visa to go abroad. Then, Qian Xiaoyi, now twenty-five years old, arrived in Tokyo, which led to the scene at the beginning.

They had been in contact over the phone, and Qian Xiaoyi hadn't expected Brother Zhang to be a handsome middle-aged man with great demeanor. He had always thought he would be a greasy, overweight middle-aged man. At the restaurant, Qian Xiaoyi was about to down several bottles of baijiu like he would in China to express his gratitude, but to his surprise, Brother Zhang didn't drink at all, and they both drank several bottles of coconut milk.

Brother Zhang was indeed as loyal and pragmatic as Daoist Lingkong. Not only did he help Qian Xiaoyi obtain a long-term visa, but he also helped him rent a second-floor apartment in Roppongi, Tokyo, as his office and paid his rent for a year, showing utmost kindness.

With a good start, Qian Xiaoyi felt invigorated, believing that with his skills, he was now:

The sea is wide enough for fish to leap, the sky is high enough for birds to fly! Now is the time for me, Qian Xiaoyi, to achieve great things!