-456- [ Taizan Fukun Ritual ]

"————!"

At that moment, Rozen's eyes widened significantly, and his expression underwent a dramatic change, altering the entire atmosphere around him.

What did Kurahashi Genji just say?

Tsuchimikado Yakou has been reincarnated?

And furthermore, he has reincarnated as the current son of the head of the Tsuchimikado clan?

Does this mean...

"Tsuchimikado Akikan."

Kurahashi Genji calmly stated his thoughts.

"Currently, many in the industry of onmyoji believe that you are the reincarnation of Tsuchimikado Yakou."

That's right. This was what Kurahashi Genji wanted to convey.

"Whoo—!"

A gust of wind blew by, bringing with it a chill.

Rozen still hadn't turned around, but he could sense Kurahashi Genji's gaze on his back.

Rozen remained silent for a while, then suddenly smiled.

"I see now. I finally understand why the head of the Kurahashi clan was so blatantly observing me from the beginning and even engaged me in a jujutsu battle, not hesitating to 'lower your status.'"

Rozen's words were calm but carried a hint of mockery.

"Originally, I thought you, the head, were observing the performance of the next generation of your own family. Little did I know there was this hidden reason behind it."

He continued, his tone now laced with sarcasm.

"But, Mr Kurahashi, do you really believe in such rumors?"

Rozen raised this question.

"Reincarnation, you know? Doesn't that go against the essence of Common-Style, which excludes all religious aspects?"

Since Common-Style excludes all religious aspects, it implies one thing.

"The modern world of jujutsu doesn't acknowledge the existence of souls, so the idea of reincarnation is nothing more than baseless speculation, right?"

Rozen directed this skepticism toward the man currently at the pinnacle of the jujutsu world.

In response, Kurahashi Genji maintained his expressionless face, but his gaze towards Rozen seemed to contain an inexplicable gleam.

Then, Kurahashi Genji began to speak.

"Indeed, in Common-Style, we do not acknowledge the existence of souls, and we even consider any research related to souls as taboo. Once it's touched upon, it would inevitably become a crime, leading to arrests by jujutsu crime investigators."

Kurahashi Genji's voice resounded slowly.

"However, that is, at best, the perspective of the modern jujutsu world. In the era of Yakou, Common-Style simply did not exist. People believed in Imperial-Style, not Common-Style."

Imperial-Style and Common-Style were completely different concepts.

Imperial-Style was not as streamlined as Common-Style; it was more complex, diverse, primitive, and extensive.

Modern Common-Style had merely pruned away the parts of Imperial-Style that were difficult to learn and corrected them to make them suitable for widespread use.

In other words, Common-Style, as its name implied, was a versatile jujutsu that ordinary onmyoji could easily master, belonging to the simplified and understandable category within Imperial-Style.

Imperial-Style, on the other hand, contained combat-oriented spells, and a significant portion of its jujutsu were classified as dangerous forbidden techniques, not to be used.

While Common-Style didn't acknowledge the existence of souls, that didn't mean Imperial-Style shared the same stance.

Within Imperial-Style, there were many jujutsu related to souls.

Kurahashi Genji deliberately or inadvertently brought up this point.

"You also know that Yakou died in the final grand ritual, right?"

Kurahashi Genji said quietly.

"But in the industry, many onmyoji believe that Yakou's last grand ritual was actually a success."

If it was indeed a success, then what was the effect of this grand ritual?

Quite simple.

"Soul reincarnation."

Kurahashi Genji stated impassively.

"Through a once-in-a-lifetime grand ritual, Tsuchimikado Yakou managed to reincarnate his own soul, and it reincarnated into the future where his 'Onmyoudou' would be greatly propagated, into the descendants of the Tsuchimikado family. That's the source of the rumor."

However, this rumor wasn't baseless.

Because in the history of the Tsuchimikado family, such an event indeed took place.

"Abe no Seimei."

Kurahashi Genji mentioned this name.

Legend has it that this ancestor of the Tsuchimikado family once developed a high-level ritual related to "souls" that could be used to resurrect humans.

This was a myth recorded even in books.

"Seimei once performed this ritual, exchanging the lives of his disciple and a monk to successfully resurrect them. This ritual has been passed down within the Tsuchimikado family and became a ritual performed by generations. The altar is located on the Tsuchimikado family's ancestral grounds."

Kurahashi Genji gazed at Rozen's back and explained, word by word.

"As the head of the Tsuchimikado family, Tsuchimikado Yakou naturally inherited this ritual and incorporated it into Imperial-Style, refining and altering it over time. Eventually, it ceased to be a simple ceremony and became a genuine jujutsu ritual with the power of resurrection."

This was the reason why people believed in this rumor.

"The ritual is called—'Taizan Fukun Ritual.'"

Kurahashi Genji's voice became as if it was coming from a distant horizon, filled with an unreal sensation.

"A forbidden jujutsu ritual capable of manipulating souls. This is the grand ritual that Tsuchimikado Yakou performed at the end of his life."

In this way, people began to suspect that Tsuchimikado Yakou's ritual wasn't a failure at all but a success, and that his soul had indeed reincarnated into his own descendants.

In fact, even now, the Tsuchimikado family continued to hold the 'Taizan Fukun Ritual,' but it was merely a ceremony and didn't possess the actual effects of a jujutsu ritual, unlike in the past.

Kurahashi Genji might have mentioned this to test something, given his scrutinizing gaze towards Rozen.

Rozen closed his eyes.

What was he thinking at this moment? No one knew.

However, the question Rozen wanted to ask still found its way out.

"Does the Head of the Kurahashi family believe it?"

Rozen asked with a calm tone.

"Do you believe that I am the reincarnation of Yakou?"

This statement made Kurahashi Genji fall silent.

Then...

"At least, considering your performance and talent in jujutsu, and your composed attitude in handling a test like this, I think the rumor holds some credibility," Kurahashi Genji said indifferently.

"I hope that when we meet again, you won't disappoint my expectations, Tsuchimikado Akikan."

Leaving behind these mysterious words, Kurahashi Genji departed.

Feeling the disappearance of the spiritual energy behind him, Rozen couldn't help but lift his head and open his eyes.

Then, he murmured, "This is truly an unexpected development..."