Chapter 95: Feeling A Bit Nervous For The First Time? Spirit Condensing Technique And Jade Heart Art
Shizuma Mafuyu glared fiercely at the two bickering behind her and shouted, “Shut up, you lovebirds! I’m about to start explaining the commission details!”
With a snap, and very quickly, Shangshan Che and Lili Zi immediately returned to their seats and sat in silence, quietly awaiting Shizuma Mafuyu’s next words.
That level of synchronicity, are you guys going to pilot an EVA…
Shizuma Mafuyu’s eyebrows twitched as she watched.
However, her professional demeanor was still strong, and within two seconds, she calmed down and said, “This mission is a one-star commission that covers a wide area but is not very dangerous or urgent.”
“The target demon is most likely a Living Being, a special type of Vengeful Spirit. It won’t be as aggressive as ordinary Vengeful Spirits, nor will it specifically target and kill people, but it will broadly and gradually drain people’s souls.”
“After people in that area reported it, the Special Affairs Office confirmed that many individuals were experiencing fatigue simultaneously, but it wasn’t severe, and no other demons were found.”
Shizuma Mafuyu paused, “Therefore, the target has been confirmed as a single Living Being between one-star and one-and-a-half star.”
Lili Zi memorized her words verbatim, then emphasized the key points and asked, “Are there any other precautions?”
Shizuma Mafuyu started the van and said as she drove, “Besides that, Living Beings dislike fire and loud noises, and they are very sensitive to other demons. However, light doesn’t bother them.”
“So, be careful not to alert it before you encounter it, and also…”
Before long, all the precautions were explained. Lili Zi nodded repeatedly, her hand never leaving the hilt of the Tachi at her waist.
Shangshan Che stared at Lili Zi, who had her eyes closed, for a while and noticed that her demeanor had changed again compared to before.
It was as if… the perpetually training, highly competitive King Lili Zi had suddenly disappeared, leaving behind only an unremarkable new Agent of the Special Affairs Office.
Strange.
Shangshan Che asked curiously, “Are you nervous about facing a demon for the first time?”
“Nervous?”
Lili Zi retorted, “Why would I be nervous? Shangshan Jun, you don’t happen to think that me remembering everything Mafuyu-sister said is a sign of anxiety, do you?”
She said calmly, “Even a lion uses its full strength to catch a rabbit. Moreover, the opponent is a soul-devouring demon. We can’t be too careful. Shangshan Jun, you should understand this principle.”
Then why—
“Ah, I get it.” Lili Zi opened her eyes and smiled at him. The Spirit, Energy, and Vitality in her smile was no different from that of Kitano Runa, a super otaku high school girl.
“—You’re wondering why I seem so ‘weak,’ right?”
That was it.
With her pointing it out, Shangshan Che understood what was unusual.
That was that Lili Zi’s Spirit, Energy, and Vitality were extremely bland, to the point of being considered weak.
This was different from her previous demeanor. While a person’s demeanor is relatively fixed in the short term, their Spirit, Energy, and Vitality can change with mood, time, or even the weather.
Lili Zi now was like a normal high school girl whose Spirit, Energy, and Vitality had declined to the point where one would suspect she was a hikikomori.
“That’s because I’m using a new technique I’ve just researched. I call it the Spirit Condensing Technique.” Lili Zi glanced at Shangshan Che and snorted, “Aren’t you the same, Shangshan Jun?”
Shangshan Che knew she was referring to “Afterimage,” and indeed, changes in his mental state didn’t escape her notice.
“Simply put, when you use it, you can gradually accumulate and compress your own Spirit, Energy, and Vitality, and then unleash it all at once, resulting in a sword strike far stronger than normal.”
Lili Zi explained as if it were nothing.
Then, as if remembering something, she raised a finger, “And that little trick about demeanor I mentioned earlier, I’ve named it the Jade Heart Art.”
“How about it, want to learn?”
Lili Zi leaned towards him and blinked.
Shangshan Che thought for a moment and realized that these two small techniques could actually be linked. First, using the Jade Heart Art to conceal an outwardly sharp demeanor, and then using the Spirit Condensing Technique would be more efficient.
Damn it, this Lili Zi… not only is she a genius, but she works so hard!
However, this did not prevent Shangshan Che from bowing his head in admiration, “Che has wandered half his life, only regretting not meeting a wise ruler…”
Lili Zi lifted his hands, “My loyal subject, please rise.”
Shizuma Mafuyu, sitting in the front, felt like her molars were about to shatter. She thought that if these two continued to show off, her blood pressure would spike immediately.
So she interrupted stiffly, “Speaking of which, this Breathing Technique is really hard to practice.”
The van fell silent, and Shangshan Che and Lili Zi exchanged glances.
Lili Zi was the first to comfort her, “It’s only the first day. Breathing Techniques take time to get started with, but Mafuyu-sister, please don’t neglect practicing because it’s troublesome, or I’ll have wasted all my time teaching you when you end up staying up all night.”
Shizuma Mafuyu was almost internally injured by her anger, “Miss Tokugawa, thank you very much…”
Lili Zi replied earnestly, “It’s okay, no need to thank me.”
But it was precisely this earnest reply, free of any fault, that made Shizuma Mafuyu almost spit out a mouthful of blood.
—How could she, so seriously, utter such an ominous blessing!
Not long after, the van arrived at the parking lot near the destination, and they quickly turned off the headlights and engine.
Shizuma Mafuyu took out two radios, “You both know how to use these, right?”
The two nodded, and then heard Shizuma Mafuyu continue, “Although this is a simple and clear one-star commission, you must maintain regular contact. If you encounter danger outside the mission scope, just leave.”
Shangshan Che nodded, then looked around and noticed that there were almost no lights on in the surrounding rooms, and the street was both dark and quiet.
He asked,
“What about you, Ms. Shizuma? Isn’t it dangerous for you to stay here alone?”
“Don’t worry.”
Shizuma Mafuyu smiled, lifted the hem of her jacket, revealing the cold metallic gleam beneath her white shirt.
At her waist, she wore a small handgun, with three magazines inserted beside it.
In addition, a bulletproof vest that pulsed with faint Spiritual Power was visible beneath her shirt.
“SIG P230 modified version, magazine capacity 8 rounds, effective range 80 meters, total weight 550 grams, fires etched bullets with special damage against spirits and demons.”
Shizuma Mafuyu rattled off the handgun’s specifications by heart. She confirmed the safety was properly engaged and said, “Junior Officer Nanjo said that during special times, special measures are necessary.”
If it weren’t for the frequent demon appearances before the First Wave, the Special Affairs Office would never have issued a gun to a fresh recruit like Shizuma Mafuyu, who hadn’t even been there for a month, even with Nanjo Emi’s guarantee.
Shangshan Che was relieved when he saw that her hand didn’t tremble at all as she rested it on the gun. It seemed Shizuma Mafuyu had indeed practiced at the shooting range.
If that was the case, then he had to take this seriously too.
Shangshan Che materialized the Hannya Mask in his left hand, out of sight of the other two, and hung it at his waist, selecting the “Ghost God Weak” copy talent.
When no special circumstances arise, the “Ghost God Weak” copy talent is definitely more versatile than “Greed, Anger, Ignorance Weak” and “Berserk.”
Greed, Anger, Ignorance can easily deal extremely high damage, but only if the target has emotions like joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness. It’s debatable whether demons like Living Beings even have independent thought.
As for Berserk, that’s even more…
In an instant, Shangshan Che felt his physical strength increase severalfold, and his sensory range almost doubled—
Shangshan Che
Physique: 20→31
Willpower: 9→11
Charm: 9→5
Spiritual Arts: 1→2
But in contrast, his entire demeanor became cold and fierce, causing his Charm to drop to 5 points.
Lili Zi’s nose twitched. When she turned and saw Shangshan Che’s Charm at “5,” she was taken aback and showed a subtle expression.
But she didn’t say anything extra, nor did she inform Shizuma Mafuyu of the situation. Instead, she patted Shangshan Che’s back, signaling him to get out of the car quickly.
Clatter— the rusted car door was shut.
In the night, where moonlight and starlight were both obscured, a cold wind blew.
Lili Zi wrapped her windbreaker tighter and asked in a low voice, “Shangshan Jun, what should we do next?”
Shangshan Che understood that Lili Zi was placing all the command authority on him, as the more experienced person.
He pondered for a moment, recalling that Living Beings were sensitive to fire, sound, and the aura of demons.
—Then the Hundred-Eyed Ghost Eyeball wouldn’t be very useful.
“Lili Zi, what’s your detection range for demons?”
“In this silent, dark environment, it’s about three hundred meters in diameter,” Lili Zi quickly turned her head, gathering information about the surroundings, and added, “But if the target looks at me, I can pinpoint its location immediately.”
What kind of human radar is this?
Shangshan Che’s mouth twitched, “Then let’s find a vantage point and try to wait for it.”
A Living Being wanders over a large area in a single night, so as long as they stay at a vantage point, Lili Zi would definitely be able to detect it—it’s just a matter of time.
Just as Shangshan Che was about to take a step, he found his hand being held by Lili Zi.
Hiss, so cold.
She’s been practicing Breathing Techniques for so long, why is her hand still so cold?
“Shhh, don’t speak.”
“Quietly sense the circulation of Qi within me,” Lili Zi followed up, her Qi gently conveying, “Your Breath Concealment technique is terrible. In this environment, you’re like a furnace, and you might scare it away.”
So, it was the Breath Concealment that caused her fingers to be icy cold.
Shangshan Che nodded and shut his mouth, trying his best to imitate while walking.
Your skill, Corona Breathing Technique proficiency is increasing…
Before long, the two arrived at the rooftop of the tallest building in the vicinity.
Fortunately, the rooftop door was ajar; otherwise, Shangshan Che would have had to climb over the wall again, as the sound of using a crowbar to open the door would have been too loud.
There were few miscellaneous items on the rooftop, seemingly because it was cleaned regularly, with only an iron cabinet standing in the corner.
The two crouched down simultaneously, only their noses and above protruding from the rooftop wall.
After holding Lili Zi’s cold hand silently for about ten minutes, she whispered, “If you’ve learned it, I’ll go to the other side.”
After hastily drawing some Soul Incense Ash from the half-star pool and taking it, Shangshan Che, having learned most of it, let go.
Then he saw Lili Zi slowly wriggling towards the other side of the rooftop like a large crab.
The waiting time, when one can do nothing, always passes very slowly. After what felt like over an hour to Shangshan Che, Lili Zi touched him and said,
“It’s here, it’s here, Shangshan Jun, look—”
Pulled by her to change their angle, Shangshan Che looked in the direction of the girl’s finger.
Under the dim streetlights, a blurry silhouette slowly drifted into a household, then floated out again after only a few dozen seconds, and only under the next street lamp could it be clearly seen.
After this silhouette moved back and forth several times, information about the target finally appeared in Shangshan Che’s eyes—
Living Being, One-Star
A one-star Living Being, appearing late at night. The mission intelligence was completely accurate.
Shangshan Che whispered to the girl beside him, covering his mouth to prevent the sound from spreading too much, “When it goes to a more open area, prepare to make your move.”
Lili Zi nodded, “Then do we need to switch to another…”
Before she could finish her sentence, Shangshan Che saw her expression suddenly change, and felt her hastily pull his hand as they silently rushed towards the iron cabinet in the corner of the rooftop.
In less than two seconds, the two of them squeezed inside together.
There was already a large broom inside the iron cabinet, and with the Tachi Lili Zi wore at her waist, the already cramped space meant the two were practically pressed against each other.
Lili Zi quickly closed the iron door, leaving only three or four small gaps to observe the outside.
At the same time, she covered Shangshan Che’s mouth and made a “shushing” gesture, making him swallow his questions and confusion.
After exhaling slightly hot breath, Lili Zi suppressed her rapidly fluctuating heartbeat and quickly wrote on Shangshan Che’s palm,
‘There’s another Living Being.’
Another one?!
Shangshan Che’s eyes lit up—that meant over a hundred more Soul Ash was coming his way!
This trip was definitely worth it.
But Lili Zi’s expression was somewhat solemn. The usual investigations by the Special Affairs Office had not mentioned the appearance of a second Living Being.
But it appeared tonight.
Regardless, this was absolutely not normal.
If not for seeing Shangshan Che’s fearless face beside her, Lili Zi would have wanted to abandon the mission then and there.
‘It’s not far from us, it might float over later, so try to conceal your aura and don’t speak.’
After writing this, Lili Zi awkwardly shifted her body, half of her pressing against Shangshan Che.
Shangshan Che, feeling soft and hard things repeatedly brushing against his left arm, felt nothing. He just wanted to defeat two Living Beings later and happily collect the Soul Ash.
Women? They only affect the speed of his draw.
Lili Zi had no other thoughts. She just felt that the Tachi was inconvenient. The hilt was almost piercing her kidney. She should bring a Daito next time.
‘It’s close.’
Lili Zi wrote again.
Shangshan Che flipped her palm over: ‘I’ll make my move later, you keep watch.’
Nodding towards Shangshan Che, whose nose was almost touching hers, Lili Zi chose to trust him unconditionally in an area she was unfamiliar with.
Warm breaths intertwined in the cold iron cabinet, gradually warming the small space, but the two of them focused their attention entirely on the unexpected Living Being.
About half a minute later, a blurry silhouette passed through the railing at the edge of the rooftop, likely heading towards the dense apartment buildings ahead.
Shangshan Che patiently waited for it to float to the center of the rooftop.
Then, he pushed open the iron door with the gentlest of force.
He charged out like a thunderbolt!
