Shrines are Japanese religious buildings dedicated to the worship and enshrinement of various deities in Shintoism. Similar to Buddhist temples and Taoist monasteries in China, they are the oldest type of religious architecture in Japan, predating mosques by a considerable margin. Because Japanese shrines have practiced a system of "reconstruction" since the 7th century, rebuilding every few decades, most shrines are well-preserved, and almost every shrine has a long history.

Japan's archipelago is dotted with shrines, with five extremely famous ones in Tokyo alone: ​​Meiji Shrine, which enshrines Emperor Meiji and Empress Shōken; Ueno Tōshō-gū Shrine, which enshrines Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu; Niki Shrine, which enshrines the Sanno Matsuri, one of the three major festivals of Edo; Hanazono Inari Shrine, which enshrines the god Inari; and the most infamous of all, Yasukuni Shrine.

These five shrines are arguably the most frequently visited shrines by the citizens of Tokyo. Whether it's for death, marriage, or any other major life event, they all come here, including the high-ranking members of the imperial family and ministers.

But Tokyo has more than just these five shrines.

In the endless concrete jungle and steel castles, there are always one or two izakayas hidden in alleys, and an ancient shrine that was already being praised by court nobles in the Heian period. They are located in the bustling city, but they have their own kind of tranquil and profound beauty, different from the mundane.

For example, the Ichinomi-bun Shrine.

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Wei Yue went out early in the morning to a high-end "Gofukuya" shop on the streets of Shinjuku to purchase two "iromuji" kimonos, paying 1 million yen for each. The owner of the "Gofukuya" shop personally went to the King's Castle Suite at the Hilton Hotel to take the measurements for the two distinguished guests, and then had the shop assistant deliver the clothes.

“If there were enough time, we should have it custom-made. You always worry about the size not fitting when buying ready-made clothes.” Wei Yue said, standing in front of the mirror and touching her right arm. “But I have already sent a letter of invitation to senior Terashima Moriyoshi, and the time cannot be changed. There’s nothing I can do about it.”

Duanmu Ci looked at the neatly folded "Colorless Earth" in front of him and asked, "Why are we wearing this? Although visiting a shrine is a solemn matter, it seems that everyone is just wearing ordinary clothes. Except for some special ceremonies, it's rare to see people wearing these."

Wei Yue turned around from in front of the mirror. "Terashima Moriyoshi-senpai is a conservative person. If you want to visit his shrine, you must wear these things, otherwise you won't be able to see him."

"Iromuji" is a slightly more upscale everyday formal wear than "Komon". "Muji" means without a pattern. Just like the literal meaning, "Iromuji" refers to a type of kimono where the entire garment is only a single color other than black and has no pattern.

Wearing a "colorless" outfit to visit someone is undoubtedly a sign of respect and importance.

Left with no other choice, Duanmu Ci had to follow local customs and adapt to the host's wishes, so he also changed into a "colorless ground" garment. Although this garment is a Japanese national characteristic, its name clearly indicates its significant connection to China. It undoubtedly originated in the Wu region and was transmitted to Japan, where it underwent some minor modifications to become their "national characteristic."

This is probably a national-level "copycat trend".

Similar "knock-offs" have occurred many times in Japanese history, such as in the tea ceremony, swordsmanship, calligraphy, and so on.

Ichinenbun Shrine is located in Shinjuku Ward, not far from the Hilton Hotel, so Duanmu Ci and Wei Yue did not take a car but walked to visit it. According to Wei Yue, this was also a way of showing respect.

The two were dressed in matching all-black "iromuji" (a type of Japanese dress), with white socks and wooden clogs, and each held a small folding fan, looking like figures from an ancient painting. Actually, their attire is nothing unusual on the streets of Japan and wouldn't attract the same attention as it would in China. Some high school students dress similarly for their coming-of-age ceremonies, but passersby generally choose to ignore them, considering it a waste of time to even glance at them.

However, things are different now because the people are different.

Passersby in Shinjuku saw the two people walking together in ancient clothes and it reminded them of Pan Yue and Xiahou Zhan walking together on the road to Luoyang, a pair of figures known as "the linked jade discs".

The term "lianbi" refers to two beautiful jades joined together, or it can refer to people or things that are equally beautiful.

Clearly, in the eyes of passersby, Duanmu Ci and Wei Yue were the so-called "Lian Bi". If they were holding a long sword instead of a small folding fan, they would look like handsome young samurai from the Edo period!

Centered on "Lianbi", the street within a 20-meter radius seemed to be filmed in slow motion, time passed slowly, and everyone's pace slowed down as well, which seemed strangely eerie.

"I told you not to go out dressed like this, but you wouldn't listen!" Duanmu Ci muttered a complaint under his breath, his eyes fixed straight ahead.

"How can you blame me, Duanmu-jun? It's just that Duanmu-jun's charm is so dazzling. In the end, it should be Duanmu-jun's fault!" Wei Yue replied in a low voice.

"Hurry up and leave. Your current identity is still something you can't show in the light of day. It would be bad if your retainers and subordinates found out," Duanmu Ci kindly suggested. "Or you could cover your face."

"Hehe." Wei Yue forced a smile. "Let's hurry up."

However, life is often full of disappointments. Just as the two were about to quicken their pace, a middle-aged man in a suit and tie suddenly blocked their way, bowed deeply, and handed over a business card while maintaining the posture. "My name is Watanabe Ichiro. It's a pleasure to meet you. Please take care of me!"

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