Without any embarrassment about his little trick being exposed, Matsushita fawned, "A Great Magus is indeed a Great Magus, with perception far surpassing ordinary people. You four may enter."
As soon as Matsushita finished speaking, the wooden door was pulled open again, and several people dressed in Japanese traditional clothing entered.
There were four of them, men and women, two men and two women.
These four came to the small wooden table opposite Chen Long and his party and sat down. Their expressions varied: some with admiration, some with disdain, some in meditation with closed eyes, and one woman whose eyes never left Chen Long.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the room was somewhat awkward.
Seeing this, Matsushita quickly intervened to smooth things over, saying, "Great Magus, please allow me to introduce you. This is the Shinto priest of the Tokyo Shrine, Master Uegami Shinji, the most famous Shinto priest in all of Tokyo."
As soon as Matsushita finished speaking, Shinji leaned forward and said respectfully, "Greetings, Great Magus. I am Uegami Shinji. I was fortunate enough to witness your feat of sealing the demon. We implore your assistance with this matter."
As it happened, Uegami Shinji had a certain connection with Chen Long's family.
The location where Bo Gang's Hell Gate appeared was the shrine where Uegami Shinji served.
Although Uegami Shinji's ancestors had been Shinto priests for generations, his essence was no different from that of an ordinary person. However, after experiencing that disaster and seeing a legendary demon appear before his very eyes, its colossal, immovable form and the destructive power of its every movement, Shinji's worldview was profoundly shaken.
After the demon was sealed and everything returned to peace, Shinji discovered that his body had undergone some subtle changes. Initially, he was somewhat panicked, but soon, his panic turned into elation.
He returned to the shrine and took out the so-called magic scrolls passed down by his ancestors.
Shinji had always scoffed at these scrolls, not only because the content was incomplete but also because they were recorded in ancient Chinese characters, which his small brain could not comprehend.
But things were different now.
Through Shinji's unremitting efforts, he actually managed to decipher a few relatively complete magic incantations, and with them, Shinji successfully cast spells.
Although they were all low-level magic, this achievement propelled Shinji to become one of the most famous figures in Tokyo.
Matsushita continued his introductions, "This is Master Hongshu, a hereditary Onmyoji, and Miss Lilith and Miss Bai Baihe. One is a Miko and the other a fortune-teller; both are very renowned."
After Matsushita's introduction, the Onmyoji named Hongshu looked at Chen Long arrogantly and said, "We have all introduced ourselves. Don't you intend to introduce yourself, Great Magus?"
Hongshu deliberately emphasized the words "Great Magus," the intent being self-evident.
Before Chen Long could speak, Shinji could not stand it and exclaimed loudly, "Hongshu, you are most disrespectful!"
Faced with Shinji's reprimand, Hongshu said dismissively, "A self-taught outsider has the nerve to boss us around here?"
"You!"
Hongshu was utterly merciless. Shinji was genuinely angry but helpless. As the other party said, he was indeed a self-taught outsider, and he could not compare to someone like Hongshu, whose lineage was hereditary.
"Enough."
Just as Shinji was flushed with anger and speechless, Lilith, the Miko who had been meditating with closed eyes, slowly said, "We have gathered here today not to bicker with each other, right, Miss Bai Baihe?"
Suddenly called by name, Bai Baihe jolted, snapped back to attention, and quickly nodded, "Yes, yes, yes. The important matter comes first, the important matter."
With two people stepping in to mediate, the matter should have been put to rest.
But Hongshu was too obnoxious, and he refused to let it go.
"Yes, the important matter is important, but we also need to know if there is genuine substance. We don't want someone just trying to pass themselves off."
Xiao Yu, listening from the side, felt increasingly that something was wrong. The other party was clearly making veiled criticisms.
Furious, Xiao Yu was about to show him true magic when she was stopped by her father.
Her father glanced at Hongshu casually and said, "Onmyoji, merely a superficial study of Qi magic, a hodgepodge. To dare call yourselves orthodox is simply laughable."
"What did you say!"
Her father's words struck a nerve with all the Onmyoji.
For so many years, how many Onmyoji had wanted to deny this, to change, to break free from the shadow of Chinese Qi magic and forge their own path.
But forging one's own path was never easy. At least, looking at the current situation of Onmyoji, finding their own way seemed a distant prospect.
Seeing their strong reaction, her father did not want to say anything more to these individuals, especially since some of them were tainted with dark energy.
Her father stood up and walked towards the door without looking back. Tru, seeing his master leave, immediately stood up and followed, with Xiao Yu close behind.
Chen Long, after exchanging a few pleasantries with Matsushita and asking him to send the meals to their guest rooms, also left.
Initially, Matsushita wore a smile, but after Chen Long's family departed, he pulled the wooden door shut, turned around, and his expression immediately changed. He angrily berated the four people, "Look at what you've done!"
Seeing Matsushita's furious demeanor, the four were somewhat intimidated, but they still tried their best to maintain their composure. Hongshu, as the Onmyoji, said nonchalantly, "Sir, are you perhaps overreacting? He's just a grumpy old man. Who knows if he actually has any skills? He might just be a charlatan with nothing but a flashy appearance."
"You're talking nonsense!"
Seeing Hongshu stubbornly refuse to budge, Matsushita was beside himself with anger.
"Even Americans treat him with respect! What right do you have to be so aggressive? I'm telling you, Hongshu, today's situation is all your fault. If the plan goes awry, you'll be in serious trouble!"
Although Matsushita had been extremely polite and wore a smile like a good-natured person when facing Chen Long's family, his true identity was the president of the Japanese Sakura Association.
This Sakura Association was similar to the American Magic Association. The difference was that the American Magic Association was officially established by the government and recruited talented individuals from around the world in an official capacity.
Perhaps seeing the limitations of official channels, Japan's Sakura Association operated privately, formed by Japan's four major magical powers. These four powers were Japan's top shrine, the Astrological Tower, the Sato family—the most prominent Onmyoji lineage—and a Buddhist temple. These four powers gathered the dispersed Onmyoji, fortune-tellers, Shinto priests, Miko, and monks in Japan, forming a massive force.
However, this was merely what was publicly declared. The true backing of the Sakura Association remained the Japanese government.
This could be seen from the fact that Matsushita Kanamura was the first to meet Chen Long's family upon their arrival in Tokyo. After all, Blake had dealt directly with the Japanese government. Yet, only Matsushita showed up. Who would believe that he had no official background?