Chapter 114: Promotion Choices: The Driver Of Heart’s Supernatural Phenomenon, The Snow Woman In The Mountains
“They are the Soul Devouring Path, the God Bestowal Path, and the Obsession Path.”
Two-Foot Adult held up a finger and said, “First is the Soul Devouring Path. When I was in Arakawa Village, most of the yokai I saw grew stronger through this method.”
“—Plundering others to strengthen oneself. Simply put, after killing other yokai, you devour them whole, and they become your nourishment.”
“This is the simplest and most brutal way to get stronger.”
As Two-Foot Adult’s words fell, a panel appeared before Shangshan Che—
【 Shikigami Promotion: Soul Devouring Path】
【 Promotion Method: Have Shikigami Hachishaku-sama devour living souls, spiritual beings, or supernatural phenomena. The better the devoured yokai or supernatural phenomena of the same type, the better the effect.】
“However, such a direct method will surely have equally direct consequences.”
Two-Foot Adult’s finger twirled at the tip of her tail. She thought for a moment and said,
“I remember there was a scarecrow yokai in Arakawa Village that guarded the farmland, but because it devoured too many messy low-level ones, it lost its mind and self-destructed. Later, everyone seemed to call it ‘Twisting and Turning’ and avoided it.”
Twisting and Turning?
So it was because of excessive soul devouring that it turned into a supernatural phenomenon driven only by instinct.
Shangshan Che stared at the panel that continued to display subsequent content.
【 Drawback: Requires a high Willpower attribute for the shikigami. If Willpower is insufficient, it may fall into a state of “self-confusion” or “berserk.”】
Did Two-Foot Adult seem to have a high Willpower attribute?
Shangshan Che didn’t think so.
“Second is the God Bestowal Path… although I’ve only heard a little about this method,” Two-Foot Adult said, scratching her cheek with some embarrassment. “Although I am enshrined in a temple, people don’t seem to show me much respect or worship.”
That’s only natural, isn’t it?
Shangshan Che was speechless. If you want villagers to worship you, at the very least, you should guarantee favorable weather and peace for the region, if not outright protection.
But this Two-Foot Adult… she probably hasn’t done anything serious besides sneaking into the village to steal snacks and sleeping all day.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have started in a temple only to barely reach one-and-a-half star after living for so long.
She’s a prime example of someone who slacks off, lazes around, and lives off her resources.
【 Shikigami Promotion: God Bestowal Path】
【 Promotion Method: Forge a tablet for Shikigami Hachishaku-sama, allowing her to receive incense and wish power offerings. The more incense and wish power, the better the effect.】
【 Drawback: None】
Clearly, the God Bestowal Path is the orthodox route for shikigami promotion, but it’s quite difficult.
Not only is the word “tablet” glowing, implying it requires special materials to craft, but more importantly, a way must be found to get people to worship Two-Foot Adult. Otherwise, the tablet would be useless even if left for a hundred years.
“But… the Special Affairs Office probably has quite a few shikigami promoted through this method. I can ask Sister Nanjo for an empty slot later, and let Two-Foot Adult leech off someone else’s incense.”
Shangshan Che thought to himself that since he had the right to the “seed,” he might as well use it.
“As for the third one… po~”
Two-Foot Adult’s sudden perverted giggle interrupted Shangshan Che’s thoughts. He took a deep breath after seeing the tip of her tail, which was already wet with drool, and pulled his own tail back.
“Ah…” Two-Foot Adult reached out a little dejectedly, but she quickly turned serious. “Adult Che! This third method is currently the most realistic and fastest way for me to get stronger.”
She spread her legs slightly, clasped her hands on her chest, and said earnestly, “Obsession Path! As the name suggests, it’s about fulfilling our ‘unfulfilled wishes from before we were alive.’ Although some shikigami disappear into Buddhahood after their dying wishes are fulfilled, some shikigami can continuously fulfill them and become stronger!”
The girl raised her small face. “Po! And I happen to be the latter!”
The third panel popped up—
【 Shikigami Promotion: Obsession Path】
【 Promotion Method: Fulfill Shikigami Hachishaku-sama’s obsessions. The more Hachishaku-sama’s own obsessions are satisfied, the better the effect.】
【 Drawback: May cause the shikigami to become deeply engrossed in obsessions and unable to extricate themselves.】
Shangshan Che’s face darkened slightly. He knew what kind of “obsessions” Two-Foot Adult had, as she had hinted at it more than once.
Ever since she saw the Three-tailed Fox’s transformation, she had become even more unrestrained.
The other day, when he was letting Two-Foot Adult out at the Special Affairs Office, he forgot to put her back.
As a result, after he finished training with Lili Zi, he discovered Two-Foot Adult squatting with Kitano Runa, engrossed in browsing a certain pink manga app on his mobile phone.
Furthermore, she had favorited all items tagged “Hachishaku-sama.”
If she could already escape from the Ksitigarbha Statue placed in the storage bag, Shangshan Che feared that one day he would be woken up or “sucked awake” by Two-Foot Adult sitting on him.
“Po! As long as Adult Che sacrifices a little bit of himself, I can help even more in the future!”
Two-Foot Adult blinked her big eyes, her gaze full of expectation. “Of course, if Adult Che is willing to become like this now, the effect should be even better!”
“Absolutely not!”
Shangshan Che grabbed Two-Foot Adult with a “hand-splitting strike” and threw her in front of him, coldly snorting, “Don’t even think about things that will hinder cultivation.”
“I will help you take the God Bestowal Path later. Pay attention if there are any problems.”
Two-Foot Adult immediately put on a sour face.
But Shangshan Che wouldn’t indulge her any further. He waved his fan and used his spiritual power to push Two-Foot Adult forward, saying, “It’s time to get down to business. Today, let’s explore the remaining unexplored areas. There should be new discoveries.”
“Po…”
Two-Foot Adult replied weakly from the front, but she didn’t make any more small moves. She had always been good at distinguishing when Shangshan Che was not joking.
The two walked in silence in the opposite direction of Isanuki Tunnel.
After a long while, Shangshan Che’s ears twitched. He heard an engine sound faintly coming from the secluded mountain forest in the distance.
“Finally!”
He let out a long sigh, called Two-Foot Adult over, and whispered in her ear, “Let’s do this first, and then…”
A dozen seconds later, Two-Foot Adult nodded, indicating she understood, and grinned, giving him a thumbs-up.
Shangshan Che immediately mobilized his spiritual power and used “Thousand Faces” to transform himself into the appearance of a young boy, while suppressing his spiritual power fluctuations to the lowest point and remaining silent.
He put on a vacant expression, placed his hand in Two-Foot Adult’s palm, and pretended to be a “boy’s living soul” bewitched by this supernatural phenomenon.
Two-Foot Adult happily held Shangshan Che’s warm little hand. Soon, they saw a black SUV with its low beams on, slowly approaching from the end of the road.
She immediately stopped walking, her expression one of surprise and uncertainty, and cautiously stared at the car.
Sizzling…
The SUV stopped in front of them.
Then, a middle-aged driver wearing a leather jacket and work pants got out of the driver’s seat. Upon seeing them, he first looked around left and right, then showed a concerned expression.
“Two children, are you lost? Where are your adults?”
Two-Foot Adult did not conceal her aura and immediately adopted a possessive stance, blocking Shangshan Che. She said slowly, “We got separated… it’s just the two of us now.”
The leather-jacketed driver’s expression remained unchanged. He sneered inwardly, “A lesser demon, quite capable of pretending.”
He continued to speak gently, “If you don’t mind, I know the way out of this place.”
From the outside, one could not tell the difference between the leather-jacketed driver and an ordinary living soul—no spiritual power fluctuations, no demonic aura, wearing modern human clothes, and even driving a car.
This is one of the important differences between supernatural phenomena and demons.
Two-Foot Adult, at the right moment, showed a hint of “greed” towards the “living soul” before her. She feigned hesitation and nodded, “Then we’ll trouble you, uncle.”
“It’s nothing, it’s nothing.”
The leather-jacketed driver personally opened the rear door for them. After watching them get into the car, he showed a rare, eerie smile.
It’s been a long time since he’d met new passengers.
The driver got into the driver’s seat and started the engine.
The black SUV skillfully turned around and drove back the way it came.
Time passed quietly. The SUV weaved and turned, the road becoming narrower and narrower, and the trees around them becoming more and more numerous.
The night was deep, and the mountains were desolate.
The leather-jacketed driver slowly raised an eyebrow. He just remembered that the one person and one demon in the back seat had not made any noise yet.
Usually, at this point, the people in the back seat would question him about taking the wrong turn.
Although that adult didn’t allow him to harm the passengers, it shouldn’t be a problem to scare them or steal some fear.
The leather-jacketed driver showed a stiff, sinister smile and reached out to adjust the askew rearview mirror.
Then, to his horror, he discovered that the unremarkable little boy in the back seat had vanished at some point!
In his place stood a four-tailed fox, with a vermilion daito slung at its waist, wearing a pale white Hannya Mask, draped in a luxurious priest’s robe, with its eyes curved and staring at him with a smile that was not a smile!?
The little demon in the white dress from before bowed respectfully to the four-tailed fox, silent.
A Great Demon?!
He had been tricked! He let this kind of creature into the car?!
The leather-jacketed driver was so terrified by the spiritual power fluctuation that his body stiffened. He could only instinctively pull the handbrake and slam on the brakes, causing the SUV to skid to a halt on the narrow mountain road.
Screech—!
The tires rubbed against the cement ground, leaving a series of black marks and emitting a chilling, piercing sound.
Shangshan Che hugged Two-Foot Adult, who was almost thrown out, and asked softly, “Mr. Driver, aren’t we continuing? The passengers are anxiously waiting.”
In the driver’s seat, the leather-jacketed driver, whose pupils were now completely filled with white, turned around in horror and shrunk back.
In an instant, cold sweat covered his entire body.
Shangshan Che took out the Kaga Kiyomitsu from his waist and tried to draw it, but found that Kaga Kiyomitsu was still unmoving.
【 Kaga Kiyomitsu – Imitation Change in Progress: 99%】
“Mmm…”
The progress bar for Kaga Kiyomitsu had been stuck at 99% for two days, and it still wasn’t ready. What was it changing?
Shangshan Che regretfully put away his daito and took out his folding fan instead.
He stared at the trembling leather-jacketed driver, let out a hearty laugh, thought for a moment, rolled down the car window, and aimed the unopened folding fan at the trees not far away.
The next moment, a simple five-pointed star lit up at the tip of the fan.
A stone the size of a fist, with a violent whistling sound, broke several trees.
The leather-jacketed driver trembled again.
Shangshan Che reached out again. A miniature fireball, water ball, metal blade, and vines rotated above his palm, illuminating the leather-jacketed driver’s eyes with a multitude of colors.
He smiled gently,
“Mr. Driver? I think the car can still start, right?”
“It can start, it can start!”
After answering with extreme nervousness, the leather-jacketed driver quickly turned back and tried to start the SUV several times before successfully restarting it.
“D-Driver,” the driver stammered, “where should we go?”
Shangshan Che satisfiedly put away his basic Onmyōdō, which was more for scaring and looking good than anything else. He said slowly, “Wherever you originally intended to go, that’s where we’ll continue.”
The driver’s expression stiffened. “This…”
Shangshan Che’s voice turned cold. “What? Mr. Driver, do you have any unspeakable difficulties? Perhaps you could tell us, and we’ll help you solve them.”
“Gulp…”
The leather-jacketed driver swallowed with difficulty and forced a dry laugh. “Nothing of the sort, sir. Please sit tight, I’ll definitely take you there.”
He took a deep breath. Between his life and his promise, he unhesitatingly chose the former.
This Great Demon, the Four-tailed Fox… just looking at it was terrifying. The spiritual power emanating from it felt like it would devour him, and it could even control the Five Elements.
The SUV’s engine rumbled, and it turned back towards the Mountain Inn.
Shangshan Che sat in the back seat and winked at Two-Foot Adult.
Meaning: Had she planted a mark on him?
Two-Foot Adult nodded slightly.
Earlier, Shangshan Che had hesitated, but ultimately decided not to plant a Soul Seal on the leather-jacketed driver.
Because he hadn’t met the Innkeeper of the Mountain Inn, nor did he know the relationship between the driver and the Innkeeper. If he rashly tried to control the driver and caused the Mountain Inn mission to fail, it would be a loss.
After all, the driver’s only use, besides taking them to the inn, was the SUV he held.
A vehicle was a key item for completing the other side quest, Isanuki Tunnel.
After the inn mission was over, it wouldn’t be impossible to find the driver through Two-Foot Adult’s mark and snatch the car.
This was the most prudent course of action.
After the car had driven for a while longer, Shangshan Che suddenly spoke, his voice quiet and distant, “Mr. Driver, how much do you know about our destination, that ancient mountain inn?”
As soon as he asked this, Shangshan Che could clearly feel the driver’s body tremble with shock. Then he heard the driver reply in a hoarse voice,
“Actually, I don’t know much either. I just have a simple agreement with the owner there—if I encounter a living soul outside, I should take them to the inn.”
He said cautiously, “This way, I can get a bowl of Soul Broth after the living soul dies.”
Shangshan Che narrowed his eyes. It seemed the inn wasn’t very friendly towards living souls, which were ordinary people who had strayed into the Eternal World.
Souls go in, broth comes out. How friendly could it be?
He asked again, “So, Mr. Driver, have you encountered many living souls recently?”
“No… very few, almost none, one could say.”
Upon realizing that the powerful Four-tailed Fox in the back seat seemed capable of normal conversation and wasn’t as aggressively hostile as the other supernatural phenomena at Kisaragi Station, the driver gradually relaxed.
“Many years ago, I used to encounter complete or incomplete living souls every day. But in recent years, I might not even encounter one in a month of driving around.”
The driver smacked his lips nostalgically. “The taste of the Soul Broth that one person made is truly unforgettable.”
Shangshan Che responded, “That one person?”
The driver immediately fell silent and tried to brush it off with a laugh.
But Shangshan Che didn’t give him the chance. He repeated with emphasis, “That one person, the owner of the inn. I assume Mr. Driver knows them, perhaps introduce us?”
“Uh…”
After glimpsing the terrifying White Hannya Mask in the rearview mirror, the driver reluctantly spoke. “That person… is the innkeeper who has been around for at least a hundred years, a powerful and indifferent Snow Woman who commands wind and snow.”
“Apart from her title, I know nothing else.”
The driver tentatively applied pressure. “But perhaps… she might be even stronger than you, sir.”
“Haha.”
Shangshan Che let out a hearty laugh. “That would be even better.”
The driver shrunk his neck and swallowed the rest of his words.
Shangshan Che didn’t press further. Instead, he fell into thought. A Snow Woman was not a yokai or a supernatural phenomenon that would appear in Kisaragi Station’s supernatural phenomena.
In any version, Kisaragi Station completely lacked any information related to “Snow Woman.”
So, was the Snow Woman an outsider?
But the driver also mentioned that the inn had existed for over a hundred years, while Ye Chun only created the supernatural phenomenon of “Kisaragi Station” twenty years ago.
Thinking about it this way, perhaps for the Snow Woman, Kisaragi Station and Ye Chun are the newcomers.
The uncertain variables have increased again…
“It seems this side quest isn’t as simple as destroying this so-called inn.”
Shangshan Che tapped his folding fan.
Under these circumstances with a large number of unknowns, the priority is to gather information and ponder the true meaning of this riddle-like side quest.
Otherwise, it would be too late if I discovered after destroying the inn that this mission is the same as “subduing Two-Foot Adult.”
So, staying at that inn for two nights might not be a bad idea.
When Shangshan Che fell into thought, he forgot that Two-Foot Adult was leaning close beside him. He subconsciously stroked the small hand Two-Foot Adult had placed on his leg at some point, envisioning various possibilities in his mind.
Two-Foot Adult covered her mouth with her other hand, on the verge of giggling.
After sitting on the train for another twenty minutes, the driver suddenly spoke,
“Adult, we’re almost there.”
Shangshan Che looked up and saw that a thin layer of frost had already formed on the mountain forest ground outside the train window. The temperature that entered the car through the window also dropped by several degrees.
He looked back and found that the path they had come from was also covered in this scene.
The range of influence was so large.
It seemed this Snow Woman was more powerful than he had imagined.
And just as Shangshan Che was about to look away, he saw a corner of a slightly trembling brown garment next to a tree not far away.
Perhaps under the cover of the deep night, ordinary people would hardly notice this hidden flaw, but this night was no different from daytime for Shangshan Che.
And with moving clothing appearing in the mountain forest, there was no need to explain the target.
Aside from Ye Chun, this was the first time he had discovered a living soul in Kisaragi Station.
Shangshan Che said with interest,
“Stop the car.”
The driver confusedly stepped on the brakes and asked, “Adult, why is this…”
Shangshan Che: “Look, there are a few people hiding behind the trees over there, can’t you see them?”
The SUV stopped instantly.
The driver put on a fierce expression, skillfully pulled out a long-handled axe from under the seat, opened the door, and muttered, “More people trying to escape…”
Shangshan Che was stunned by this smooth series of moves. He wondered if he had triggered some mechanism of the driver’s supernatural phenomenon.
Soon, he heard hushed conversations coming from the mountain forest.
There should be a total of two men and one woman.
“He found us, he definitely found us!”
“Nagashima, don’t move. We didn’t make any sound and hid first, how could he have found us?”
“Shhh, don’t talk. The driver’s hearing and eyesight are those of a normal person. Stay silent.”
Shangshan Che chuckled after listening. From those few words, the positions of these people were precisely exposed in his mind.
However, he thought the driver must have a strength of around Two-Star, otherwise, he wouldn’t have allowed a One-and-a-Half Star Two-Foot Adult onto the car.
But to have the eyesight and hearing of only a normal person—supernatural phenomena are truly bizarre.
Shangshan Che shook his head and tugged at Two-Foot Adult’s hand: “Let’s go, get off.”
“Po.”
Two-Foot Adult was still confused, but she obediently followed behind Shangshan Che as he got off the car.
Instantly, Shangshan Che heard dialogue that he could barely hear, but was even more tense and frightened.
“Fox? What kind of demon is that… What do we do?”
“Hey, Ogawa, is that Horse-Brained Music, Taiko Bell, or High-Speed Grandpa?”
“None of them! Damn it, it’s a new demon I’ve never seen before, we’re really finished…”
After a brief moment of panic from the three, Shangshan Che heard them say,
“—There’s no choice, we can only split up and see who can get away. I’ll count to three, and we’ll all rush out in different directions. We’ll count whoever survives as a success!”
“One.”
“Two.”
“Found you.”
Above the dense bushes, a pale Hannya Mask, illuminated by the moonlight, appeared in the center of the three’s vision without any warning, its pleasant voice echoing.
The two men and one woman squatted in the bushes, their expressions of terror completely frozen. They stared at this Ghost God’s Appearance floating in the air, feeling their breath catch and their blood turn to ice.
“Hmm?”
Shangshan Che didn’t hear the expected screams and blinked his eyes in confusion.
Huh, shouldn’t there usually be a scene of a woman screaming and men running away? Could it be that I’ve watched too many cliché horror movies, leading to stereotypes?
Oh… it seems I’m still wearing the Hannya Mask. The effect of this Ghost God’s Appearance, even if halved, could still forcefully cause paralysis in ordinary people.
My mistake, my mistake.
Shangshan Che observed the three for a while and said helpfully, “The driver hasn’t found you yet. Aren’t you going to escape quickly while you have the chance?”
After these words, the three seemed to be released from control and scrambled away in different directions with terrified expressions.
Shangshan Che watched their clumsy movements and pouted, “You’re running even slower than I did back then.”
“And it’s too late to run now.”
He raised his finger, and the simplest five-pointed star lit up at his fingertip.
Basic Onmyōdō · Wood.
Several vines, about as thick as his finger, suddenly shot out from the ground, lunging forward and binding the three’s ankles, causing them to fall flat on their faces.
Then, the vines rapidly intertwined, securely binding their ankles.
Shangshan Che nodded in satisfaction. Basic Onmyōdō was quite effective for such trivial tasks. For example, Earth manipulation could control a small amount of earth and stone, and Wood manipulation could control a little…
“Damn it! Damn it!”
He saw that the man who had run the farthest, presumably named Ogawa, pulled out a sharp small knife from his waist and was desperately cutting at the vines on his ankle.
“Stop, stop, stop.” Shangshan Che aimed his folding fan at him, letting the bright fireball illuminate Ogawa Kei’s eyes. “If you move again, you’ll die.”
These direct words were very effective. As soon as they were spoken, Ogawa Kei immediately threw his small knife aside and raised his hands.
The other two also covered their mouths, not daring to struggle further.
Ten seconds later, the driver, holding the long-handled axe, approached with bloodshot eyes, grinding his teeth and whispering,
“You guys who were trying to escape…”
But as the driver in the leather jacket got a little closer, he saw that the three who had tried to escape were sitting obediently on the ground, while Shangshan Che stood conspicuously in front of him.
Shangshan Che looked at him: “Mister Driver, I’d like to ask these people a few questions. Do you have any objections?”
The bloodshot color in the driver’s eyes quickly faded. He lowered his hand and let out a sigh of relief,
“Of course not, Adult.”
He hesitated for a moment, then finally said, “If, after you finish asking, you don’t do anything else to them, please return them to the inn.”
Beneath the mask, Shangshan Che narrowed his eyes.
He didn’t say much, just nodded silently.
Seeing him nod, the three all showed expressions of absent-minded despair.
“Then, Mister Driver, please leave.” Shangshan Che pointed at the three. “They seem very afraid of you.”
Although his tone was still gentle, this was not a request but a command.
The driver nodded, casting a fierce glance at the three one last time before leaving with his axe.
After a moment, the sound of the SUV starting up was heard, and then it drove away.
Two-Foot Adult, who was hanging on a tree at some point, stared at the only woman among the three and said doubtfully,
“Che Adult, her soul seems…”
“—All three of them have incomplete souls.”
Shangshan Che removed the Hannya Mask with his hand. The sudden change in his charm value stunned the three, who were still in a state of fear and unease.
Shangshan Che shifted his gaze to Ogawa Kei, whose soul was missing at least half, and wondered why he still retained all his normal human functions.
Earlier, Nü had only needed to take less than a tenth of a living being’s soul to turn them into a vegetable, or even kill them.
How had this guy managed to survive until now?
Could it be that there are special rules within Kisaragi Station?
After thinking for a moment, Shangshan Che snapped his fingers: “Next, I will ask each of you three some questions. If you answer well, it’s not impossible that I’ll let you go.”
Hearing this, the other two couldn’t help but show joy, but only Ogawa Kei’s expression remained grim.
—Then I’ll start by questioning you.
Shangshan Che used Basic Earth Onmyōdō to raise an earth wall, then led Ogawa Kei to a slightly more distant spot.
Ogawa Kei followed behind him and said, “Ask away. I’ll tell you truthfully whatever I know.”
“Tell the truth,” this would become clear later.
However, this guy was quite tough. After seeing the driver who was so respectful to him, he could still speak with such an attitude.
Shangshan Che turned around and smiled: “First, let me introduce myself. I am a demon from outside Kisaragi Station, the Four-tailed Fox.”
Ogawa Kei said stiffly, “Ogawa Kei.”
Shangshan Che didn’t beat around the bush and got straight to the point: “How did you three enter Kisaragi Station?”
“Kisaragi Station?”
Ogawa Kei first showed a confused expression, then shook his head: “Never heard of it.”
Shangshan Che continued to ask, “Then how did you three come into contact with the inn? Were you kidnapped by this driver?”
Ogawa Kei shook his head again: “I forgot.”
Shangshan Che continued to ask several basic questions, but Ogawa Kei kept shaking his head, having forgotten everything.
Trying to play amnesia with me, huh.
By this point, Shangshan Che could no longer suppress the urge to use the Soul Seal—he had originally worried that using the Soul Seal rashly might damage their incomplete souls.
But now it seemed…
Soul Seal, startup!
With a negligible consumption of spiritual power, Shangshan Che saw Ogawa Kei’s eyes instantly change from the confusion of knowing nothing to extreme clarity.
Shangshan Che nodded with satisfaction: “Then tell me what you know.”
“Yes!”
Ogawa Kei stood up straight.
He spoke clearly and at a moderate pace, “At eight o’clock tonight, Nagashima, Takada, and I planned to sneak out of the inn while the innkeeper was away, and then look for railroad tracks and a train, waiting for an opportunity to escape this place.”
Ogawa Kei said sternly, “Besides the basic plan, there are a few key points.”
“Point One: You cannot come into contact with any demons other than the innkeeper, as it will result in death.”
“Point Two: The inn is suspicious, and we need to find an opportunity to escape. After escaping, we must find a place called Kisaragi Station. Only trains that pass through there can take us back.”
Shangshan Che laughed—he hadn’t heard of Kisaragi Station? He was still pretending to be ignorant earlier.
Ogawa Kei continued, “Point Three: Although the innkeeper looks human, he is still a demon who will kill people.”
It felt like a rule-based supernatural phenomenon.
Shangshan Che raised his eyebrows and asked, “Are there any points to note regarding the inn itself?”
“Naturally.” Ogawa Kei thought for a while before saying, “Although the innkeeper accepts people like us and guarantees basic accommodation and food, it is not without a price.”
“—To stay at the inn long-term, you must either provide basic labor or offer knowledge that the innkeeper has never seen before. If you are both lazy and unlearned, your body temperature, and even your soul, will be forcibly extracted as payment. People have died because of this.”
So, their incomplete souls were due to this reason?
Shangshan Che didn’t think so.
Moreover, judging by this, the mountain inn seemed not bad.
Then why did they risk so much to escape the inn?
Shangshan Che asked this question.
Ogawa Kei’s answer was: “Because after I woke up, I saw the words ‘must escape the inn’ next to my name.”
The information in this sentence was a bit…
Shangshan Che frowned and raised his hand, signaling: “Wait a moment.”
Because he heard the sound of two people stepping on leaves and branches. It was obvious that those two had broken the vines binding them.
“Two-Foot Adult didn’t stop them either, just waited to watch the show…”
Shangshan Che shook his head and said to Ogawa Kei, “Wait here for me.”
“Yes!”
Shangshan Che’s figure instantly disappeared.
But in less than half a minute, he reappeared before Ogawa Kei, carrying three figures in his hands.
With his left hand, he bound two escapees with ashen faces using vines. With his right hand, he held Two-Foot Adult by the scruff of her neck.
Two-Foot Adult honestly confessed her mistake: “Che Adult, I’m sorry, I was wrong! I was just curious why they were trembling so much while cutting the vines and why they were cutting them so desperately, so I wanted to see what would happen after they escaped…”
*Clatter.*
Two-Foot Adult was placed on the ground. She breathed a sigh of relief and rubbed her large tail.
Shangshan Che turned his gaze to the man and woman in his hands, whose eyes were still filled with fear of him. Logically, his charm value of 15 points should have played a significant role.
Not to mention making them bow down immediately, but at least they shouldn’t have shown so much fear and hostility.
But now, his powerful charm seemed to be as if it didn’t exist.
“This question is indeed worth pondering.”
Shangshan Che swept his gaze over the two with a cold look and said lightly, “I believe I said before that if you run around, you’ll die, right?”
After hearing this, the two showed no reaction of people facing death. Instead, they revealed a look of relief.
This further confirmed Shangshan Che’s guess.
He asked from the side, “Ogawa, are you unable to be killed, or can you be resurrected by some means after death?”
“As you suspected, Che Adult!” Ogawa Kei said, imitating him. “After we die, we revive in our own rooms in the inn after a period of time, so we don’t fear death.”
Shangshan Che nodded with pleasantness, “So that’s why, resurrection is your confidence.”
The two immediately showed expressions of shock, looking at their companions with whom they had decided to escape together in disbelief,
“Ogawa! What are you saying!?”
“Have you been controlled by this fox demon!?”
Hearing this, Ogawa Kei’s expression turned ferocious, and he slapped the two of them a few times: “What disrespectful things are you two saying! Use honorifics and titles for me! Let me tell you, in my heart, there is only Che Adult as my sun!”
Nagashima and Takada stared blankly at the suddenly changed Ogawa Kei, showing bitter expressions: “Are we, too, going to have our minds controlled by this fox demon and lose ourselves…”
Ogawa Kei roared, “You two!”
Shangshan Che pressed his palms down lightly, very satisfied with the effect of the Soul Seal.
He shook his head, “Didn’t I tell you, running around means death. I always keep my word, and now I’ll fulfill your wish to die.”
As his words fell, two faint Metal Element Blades swept across Nagashima and Takada’s necks, drawing deep bloody gashes.
The two spat blood, struggled for a moment, and soon fell to the ground, motionless.
Two-Foot Adult curiously walked forward upon seeing this, “Che Adult, do you think they will really resurrect?”
Resurrection, its importance is even comparable to “Longevity,” and has been pursued by countless emperors, generals, scholars, and magnates since ancient times.
It is a vision that one wishes to achieve but cannot.
But now, ordinary Living Souls can be resurrected just by casually encountering two of them in the Eternal World…
Two-Foot Adult had simply never heard of such a thing and found it incredibly miraculous.
“Certainly, it just depends on the method of ‘resurrection’.”
Shangshan Che stared at the two bodies that were gradually losing warmth, his pupils contracting slightly.
Because he saw that the man named Nagashima gradually began to become semi-transparent from the end of his body, then completely transparent, and thus gradually disappeared.
The woman named Takada became transparent a little slower than him, but within ten minutes, both of them completely disappeared before the eyes of the three, including their clothes.
Only a few scattered items like small knives and pliers were left at the scene.
Shangshan Che was clearly seeing this scene for the first time as well; he was stunned for a moment and murmured, “Can we… still be called humans like this?”
Probably not.
Shangshan Che withdrew his gaze from his pockmarked soul and turned towards the direction of the inn.
“Ogawa, you should go back to the inn first.”
“Yes!”
Ogawa Kei nodded seriously and was about to take a step when he heard Shangshan Che ask him, “By the way, has a girl named Ye Chun, about seventeen or eighteen years old, checked into the inn recently?”
“No,” Ogawa Kei shook his head. “A girl named Ren Shi checked in a few days ago, but she’s quite reclusive and hardly talks to anyone.”
Ren Shi.
Shangshan Che smiled, thinking he had found the right place; Ye Chun’s online alias was this.
“I understand, you may go now.”
He waved his hand, signaling Ogawa Kei to leave.
Ogawa Kei actually bowed to him before leaving—it was unclear if it was due to Shangshan Che deepening the Soul Seal again with his Spiritual Power.
After watching Ogawa leave, Shangshan Che breathed a sigh of relief and surveyed the faint yet ever-present frost and snow around him, “Next, I just need to wait for this innkeeper to appear.”
“Two-Foot Adult, you should go back first.”
Facing a Snow Woman whose Strength and methods were unknown, if she were to make a sudden move, Shangshan Che admitted he wouldn’t be able to firmly protect Two-Foot Adult.
Two-Foot Adult reluctantly put down her tail and obediently returned to the Ksitigarbha Statue, which was then thrown back into the Storage Bag.
Next, Shangshan Che attached a bell to his waist, wore armor on his arm, and also hung the Hannya Mask on his waist. In a fully armed state, he slowly walked towards the inn.
The closer he got to the mountain inn, the heavier the traces of ice and snow became.
By the time the inn, entirely constructed from logs, appeared in Shangshan Che’s sight, he was already able to leave a series of footprints in the snow.
There was slight movement inside the inn, but it was not noisy; the outside was incredibly quiet, where even a breath could be heard clearly.
The ancient, thick wooden door, full of a sense of age, was now tightly shut, with a large plaque hanging on it—
【Temporarily Closed】
Seeing this, Shangshan Che did not knock but stood by the doorway with his eyes closed, waiting quietly, and practicing his Breathing Technique.
Before long, he heard the sound of someone pacing and treading on snow behind him.
Shangshan Che turned his head and glimpsed in the darkness a cold figure with ice-blue pupils, black hair, and a broad kimono as flawless and white as her skin.
She was holding a Lantern, her eyes downcast, and she was appraising Shangshan Che with a detached gaze.
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