Chapter 71: The Gathering

Since childhood, Hirakawa Shun had been immersed in and developed a hobby for collecting. He preferred antiques, wood carvings, and various artworks or curios that caught his personal interest.

“Mr. Kinugawa can be considered a genius in the wood carving industry… Most of his wood carvings have a cold, eerie beauty. Young Nishizuka, the wood carving you have is part of a series by Mr. Kinugawa, and I have collected several pieces from that series as well.”

This bald middle-aged man was a genuine collector, very knowledgeable about Kinugawa’s works.

“As for this ‘wood carving,’ you might think it’s a carved Buddhist statue, but it’s actually not a Buddhist statue at all…”

Hirakawa Shun said with a smile, “Its true form is an artistic style called ‘Moguro’.”

“Moguro?”

Hatakena Gensai and Fang Jing looked quite puzzled, both showing expressions of someone lacking cultural knowledge.

Hirakawa Shun smiled and said, “Yes, the origin of Moguro has a long history. It was originally a type of clay sculpture from the Song Dynasty on the mainland, often made as child-shaped toys—people in the Song Dynasty would offer Moguro during the Qixi Festival, praying for children and hoping to give birth to boys.”

“Mr. Hirakawa, by Song Dynasty, you mean China’s Song Dynasty, right?”

Hatakena Gensai stroked his chin and said, “So… this wooden statue made by Kinugawa is actually a Song Dynasty Moguro figure, not a carved Buddhist statue.”

“That’s right. Kinugawa once brought his works to an exhibition held by a friend. Everyone saw this kind of wood carving for the first time and found it very novel. When someone asked him about his inspiration, he said he got it from the Song Dynasty Moguro clay sculptures…”

Hirakawa Shun was very knowledgeable and spoke in an interesting way, making him a great conversation partner.

However, he had other matters to attend to now and seemed to be in a bit of a hurry. He didn’t chat with them for long and planned to leave after acquiring the item.

He seemed to have collected other wood carvings by Kinugawa as well. In the end, he bought this “Moguro” for eight hundred thousand yen.

Fang Jing didn’t pay much attention to it. Kinugawa was just a locally somewhat famous wood carver, not a top-tier master, so the offer wasn’t particularly high. Moreover, his intention in getting to know this person wasn’t for such a small amount of money.

Just as Hirakawa Shun was about to leave, Fang Jing slowly spoke up, making his request in a sincere tone.

“Mr. Hirakawa, I am very interested in Teacher Kinugawa’s works. I have a presumptuous request—I would like to see the works by Teacher Kinugawa that you have collected.”

Fang Jing explained frankly that Kinugawa himself didn’t have many works, and it was rare to have a chance to see them, so he hoped to view Hirakawa Shun’s collection.

“Well…”

Hirakawa Shun frowned slightly. He had just met this young man named Nishizuka Tsukasa and wasn’t very familiar with him, so he naturally had some reservations about the request.

“Mr. Hirakawa, if it’s about Nishizuka, I can vouch for his character.”

Hatakena Gensai patted his shoulder.

“I’ve heard that Nishizuka has always been a top student at school and has performed exceptionally well.”

Fang Jing’s mouth opened slightly. He hadn’t expected that Hatakena Gensai would know about him. Probably, he had also privately asked around about Fang Jing. After all, a student suddenly bringing a wood carving to his antique shop would naturally make him curious.

“By the way… Mr. Hirakawa, I previously went to the nearby Semma City and saw several wood carvings there that closely resemble these.”

Fang Jing then brought out his trump card. He took out several photos from his pocket, pictures of the three “Moguro” retrieved from the Defiled Temple, taken with his family’s instant camera—these three Moguro wood carvings had different postures, manners, and movements. At a glance, one could tell they were three distinct styles of wood carvings.

“This… could these also be Moguro?”

Hirakawa Shun was both surprised and excited. He thought for a moment, then took out a business card and solemnly handed it to Fang Jing.

“Young Nishizuka, next Saturday… I plan to invite a few friends to hold a small collection exhibition at the ‘Kagome Hall’ residence.”

“Collection exhibition?”

“Haha… that might be a bit of an exaggeration. It’s just a small private gathering, with fellow enthusiasts who love collecting. If you’re interested, you can call this number. It would be great if you could come.”

After explaining the details of the collection gathering to Fang Jing, Hirakawa Shun carefully put away the photos as if they were treasures and warmly invited him to attend the small gathering held at the Kagome Hall residence on time.

Fang Jing hadn’t expected this wealthy collector to be so easy to talk to. He personally had no interest in these wood carvings, but Kinugawa’s works were different because he might be able to gain more “Yin Energy” through this opportunity.

Yin Energy, also known as Growth Value, was the fastest way for him to strengthen himself.

Even if he didn’t qualify to become a Fang Hunter, Fang Jing had no intention of giving up. In this world full of hidden dangers, where a small mistake could lead to a mysterious death, his only choice was to become stronger through any means he could find. Ordinary people who weren’t like him didn’t understand the other side of this world; they lived carefree lives in a web of falsehoods.

Since there was a chance, there was no reason to hold back.

Mr. Hirakawa Shun, being a collector and an enthusiast of Kinugawa’s wood carvings, naturally had many valuable wood carvings, as well as other antiques and artworks. With this reason, he wouldn’t miss this trip.

…

Kagome Hall. This was a name Fang Jing had never heard before, and it didn’t appear in Nishizuka Tsukasa’s memories either.

According to Hirakawa Shun, it was a piece of land located at the foothills of the suburbs in this city that hadn’t been fully developed.

The Hirakawa Family spent a large sum to buy an old Western-style mansion on a mountain near a small settlement called Aishū Village.

Kagome Hall seemed to be a rather remote rural area. Fortunately, he could find it on the city map and confirmed that both the train and bus could take him directly there.

A week wasn’t particularly long, but it wasn’t short either.

On Friday, Fang Jing dialed the number on the back of the business card.

The voice that answered the phone sounded somewhat old, very polite, giving the impression of a well-mannered elderly person.

“Hello, my name is Nishizuka Tsukasa. I’d like to speak with Mr. Hirakawa Shun.”

“Hello, is this Mr. Nishizuka Tsukasa?”

The old man, upon hearing his name, spoke seriously, “I see. I’ve heard about Mr. Nishizuka from Young Master Shun… Mr. Nishizuka, are you planning to attend the gathering at ‘Kagome Hall’ on Saturday?”

“Exactly.”

“In that case, are you living in the city? Do you need me to send a driver to pick you up?”

“No… no need to trouble yourself.”

Fang Jing smiled and said, “I know where Kagome Hall is, but I’m not very clear about this Aishū Village.”

“I understand, sir. Since you know the way to Kagome Hall, please go to the bus stop at Kagome Hall. I will arrange for someone to pick you up then.”

Things seemed to be going quite smoothly. Coincidentally, the salon gathering was scheduled for Saturday.

The elderly man on the phone, who spoke like an old gentleman, told him that the host, Hirakawa Shun, had considered the timing and set it for Saturday afternoon, Sunday, and Monday.

Guests attending the gathering could adjust according to their own schedules. The old man also advised him to arrive at the Kagome Hall for the gathering on Saturday afternoon to be right on time.