Under Uesugi Ginji's driving, the van quickly followed a road with a fairly good road and crossed the ridges into the mountains.

Uesugi Ginji didn't care much about the conversation between Uesugi Maki and Aoba in the car behind him. Even when he heard that Aoba had two girlfriends at one time, he just smiled and regarded it as a child's nonsense.

Who has never been ridiculous when he was young? When he grows up, he will naturally mature.

But what Uesugi Ginji didn't know is that if he was more mature, he might not be able to compare with Aoba.

The dialogue car between Aoba and Uesugi Maki echoed like this. After Uesugi Ginji drove, he quickly entered the mountains. He could see the village built on the hillside from afar.

The village is not big, with only 20 or 30 families at most. However, Uesugi Ginji's car did not drive towards the place where the 20 or 30 families lived, but instead drove in the opposite direction and along the road to the mountain opposite the village.

"Where are we going?" Aoye asked in confusion.

"Of course I'm going home. Brother Aoba wouldn't think that the Uesugi family lives in the village, right?" Uesugi Maki said with a smile at Aoba.

"Isn't it?" Qingye said in confusion.

"Although the Uesugi family is also a member of the village, they do not live in the village, but on the mountain opposite." Uesugi Maki helped Aoba solve her doubts.

"Why should I live on the mountain? Instead of living in the village? Wouldn't it be inconvenient to live on the mountain?" Qingye frowned and said.

"Because the Uesugi family is a big landlord, in order to show the difference between ordinary villagers, the Uesugi family cannot live in the village." Uesugi Maki said with obvious disdain in his tone.

"Maki, don't talk nonsense." Uesugi Ginji said helplessly in the face of the sarcasm in his daughter's tone.

"Hi, I won't say it." After being told by his father, Maki Uesugi turned his head and looked aside in anger.

"Uncle Ginji, can you tell me why?" So Aoba had no choice but to ask Ginji Uesugi.

"Actually, this is nothing. It is said that the ancestors of the Uesugi family were famous Onmyoji. Because of the devil's destruction, they often suffered revenge from ghosts. In order not to implicate the villagers, they settled their homes on the mountain! But that's just a legend and cannot be regarded as true. However, the Uesugi family is indeed the family with the most land nearby. Many of the nearby mountains belong to the Uesugi family, so the reason why the Uesugi family lives in the mountains is to better protect their own land! After all, the population of the Uesugi family is getting smaller and smaller now." Uesugi Ginji smiled, and said in a bleak tone.

"So that's how it is!" Qingye nodded.

"By the way, I heard that there is a temple dedicated to Shikigami in the Uesugi family nearby. When I was a child, I sneaked in. Should we go there to see it later?" Uesugi Maki suddenly remembered something, and suddenly became energetic and said to Aoba.

"Maki, how many times have I told you, don't go to the temple casually." Uesugi Ginji suddenly became stern, no longer as gentle as before, and scolded his daughter.

"Oh, I understand." Uesugi Maki agreed casually, but seeing her constantly winking at Aoba, she knew that she didn't take her father's warning to her at all.

Aoye had no choice but to nod his head helplessly, so he agreed to Uesugi Maki's invitation. After all, he was also very curious about the Shikigami of the Uesugi family.

Moreover, with Aoba's understanding of Uesugi Maki in a short period of time, it is certain that even if she refuses, she will go there by herself. If something happens, it will be bad! Perhaps in Uesugi Maki's eyes, the so-called Onmyoji Shikigami and other legends are just some legends, but Aoba knows very well that this world is far from as simple as ordinary people see.

In this way, the van started in the mountains and quickly followed the road to enter a mountain opposite the village. After walking for a while, the van stopped after a shadowy building complex appeared on the surface.

"Okay. We'll be here, get off!" Uesugi Ginji said, parked the van in a parking lot full of weeds.

"Is this the Uesugi family? It looks like it is a big family!" Aoba got out of the car and looked at the building complex in front of him with thoughtful thoughts.

"What big family? It used to be a big family, but it's not now. Brother Aoba doesn't think that the yard here is very large, there are only three people usually! But now there are two of us." Uesugi Maki said to Aoba.

"Does there usually be three people living here?" Qingye looked at the vast building complex in front of him, and felt a little incredible.

"Not counting. Usually, my father and I and Miss Sato are here! But Miss Sato will have to go back to the village home to stay in the evening, so the real ones who live here are me and my father." Uesugi Ginji said with emotion.

As long as you see this complex, you may imagine how prosperous the Uesugi family was when it was at its peak, but now there are only three or two big cats left, so how can it not be sad!

"Brother Aoye, don't look like this. Grandpa's stubborn old man is still thinking about family glory all day long and wants to carry forward the family. I really don't know what he thinks. It's an era now. How many people are willing to stay in the mountains just to worship the Shikigami who doesn't know whether it exists or not!" Uesugi Maki said with an unhappy expression.

"Okay, Maki, remember not to say this in front of grandpa." Uesugi Ginji sighed, but he also knew that what his daughter was saying was the truth. If he had not passed away by his beloved wife, he would not have been discouraged and returned to his hometown alone to accompany his father. He said that his elder brother's family is now traveling abroad now, and even the father asked them to come back this time, saying that there was something important to him!

Therefore, the times have changed, and many things have changed, not only the changes in the world, but also the changes in people's hearts.

"I know, dad, I won't talk nonsense in front of my grandfather. Brother Aoba, let's go in! Where do you like to live? Just choose a room by yourself. There are no other rooms here, but there are many rooms. But after choosing, you have to clean up first. Most of the rooms here have not been living in for more than ten years." Uesugi Maki pushed Aoba to the building complex in front of him.

In Aoye's hands were carrying two people's salutes.

"Okay. Aoye, please follow Maki to choose a room now. After choosing a room later, let Maki take you to the yard where his father lives. My father and I will wait for you there." Uesugi Ginji shouted at the backs of the two.

"Okay, Uncle Yinji." Aoye agreed immediately.

"I understand Dad, let's go and choose a room first." Uesugi Maki replied.

In this way, under the leadership of Maki Uesugi, Aoba followed her and entered the building belonging to the Uesugi family.

Unfortunately, the huge Uesugi family now has only three or two big cats and kittens left. These buildings that witnessed the prosperous Uesugi family's past have to slowly become dilapidated after losing their maintenance.

Aoba followed Uesugi Maki through one room after another. But everything she saw was a dilapidated scene. Even if these houses were cleaned up, they would not be able to live in, because some of them were either half of the roof or big holes on the walls.

If you want to live in such a house, you can only repair it after it is rebuilt.

So Uesugi Maki did not stay in front of these houses at all, but continued to walk inside with Aoba.

"Let's go, Brother Aoba. The houses here are all the houses on the outside and are the most seriously damaged. Although there are many houses that can be lived in, they are almost all inside. We have to walk a little longer." Uesugi Maki explained to Aoba.

So Aoye, the person in charge of holding the two men, had to continue walking towards the depths of the Uesugi family.

Until a moment later, the house I saw was not so dilapidated. Instead, it gradually looked like someone was cleaning up occasionally.

"Okay, that's it. This is the core area of ​​the Uesugi family. Grandpa lives there. There is also the place where my father lives there. Where is my room here? Where does Brother Aoba want to live? Do you have any ideas?" Uesugi Maki took Aoba to a square in front of the main hall that seemed very important. He pointed around and said to Aoba.

It seems that the core area of ​​the Uesugi family should be centered on this hall.

"I can live anywhere. Sister Maki, do you have any places to recommend?" Aoye asked while looking around curiously.

"Recommended? Actually, living here is the same everywhere. Since you don't have a place you particularly like, it's better to live next door to me so that we can go to the temple together in the evening." Uesugi Maki has not forgotten about the adventure of going to the temple, nor do you know how she is so curious as such a big person.

"Sister Maki, didn't you say that you were there when you were a child? Is there anything special there? You actually want to go there now?" So Aoba, who had some questions, asked her questions directly.

"Is it special? It's just Brother Aoba, do you know what grandpa asked us to come back this time?" Uesugi Maki said with a mysterious feeling.

"I really don't know this. Does Sister Maki know what?" Aoye shook her head and asked.

"Since my dad is not here now, I'll tell you to listen to. Dad doesn't let me tell you about these things casually. Although you are not an outsider, I still don't want my dad to know that I told you to others!" Uesugi Maki hesitated for a moment before making up his mind.

"Don't worry, Sister Maki, I won't tell you." Aoye immediately nodded and promised.

"In fact, the legend says that the Uesugi family enshrines a Shikigami in the temple. This Shikigami is different from most Shikigamis in the Onmyoji family. It is a very gentle Shikigami. Therefore, even after the Uesugi family lost the person who could control it, it did not kill all the bloodlines of the entire Onmyoji family and rebel like other Shikigamis in the Onmyoji family. Instead, it thanked the kindness of the previous masters, chose to stay in the family and accept worship in the temple. At the same time, as long as the descendants of the Uesugi family reappeared and the people who could control it, it would be willing to continue to serve the Uesugi family." Uesugi Maki told a past story of the Uesugi family.

"So there is such a thing." Qingye nodded gently.

"It's just a legend. No one has seen those things like Onmyoji and Shikigami. Who knows the truth or false?" Uesugi Maki said with a disdainful look on his face.

"Okay, then does this have anything to do with us coming back?" Qingye nodded and continued to ask.

"Of course it's related. Since then, the Uesugi family will hold a ritual meeting every ten years, allowing Shikigami to check the bloodlines of the family's children to see if anyone can control it!" Uesugi Maki shrugged and said.

"In other words, it will be a Dharma Assembly once every ten years?" Qingye nodded in understanding.

"That's right, during the last Dharma Assembly, I was still a junior high school student. I was very excited to sit there watching the adults busy for a long time, but I didn't see any Shikigami, or there is no Shikigami in this world. I was so second-rate back then, and I really believed in Shikigami or something." Uesugi Maki said with a look of unbearable look back on the past.

"So you don't believe in Shikigami anymore?" Aoba looked at Uesugi Maki and said.

"Of course I don't believe it anymore. Who would believe this kind of thing without any sign? "Usugi Maki said firmly.

"Then why do you still have to come back to attend this Dharma Assembly? Instead of not showing up like my uncle, the whole family has not appeared. I think that is a sign of really not believing!" Qingye said with a smile.

"I just want to take the opportunity to come back and see my dad!" Uesugi Maki said hesitantly.

"Is that so? Why do you have to secretly go to a temple at night? Doesn't this mean you are actually very unwilling to accept it? You are unwilling to be not selected by Shikigami?" Aoba looked at Uesugi Maki and said seriously.

"How could it be, how could I believe the nonsense of Shikigami? This is just an adventure, an adventure, an adult's activity. Brother Aoba is afraid of ghosts and dare not go?" Uesugi Maki skillfully changed the topic. He really had the style of an adult, but the dodge in his eyes could not escape Aoba's eyes no matter what.

"Tonight? Well, I'll go with you!" Aoye smiled, not taking up the new questions that Uesugi Maki had thrown out to change the topic, but just nodded and answered.

"Okay, then we'll make up for it." Uesugi Maki did not continue to investigate whether Aoba was afraid of ghosts, but immediately finalized the matter.

Then he took Aoye toward her own room and prepared to find a room for Aoye next to her room. (To be continued.)
Chapter completed!