Chapter 122: Pure Imperial Hina Epic, The Ju-hina Yako Master’s Death Rattle
Blood-red soul fire flickered in its hollow, pitch-black eye sockets, a golden crown adorning its head, borne atop the Ju-Hina Yako Master.
After its initial frenzy, it seemed to have calmed slightly, not charging in recklessly, but its mouth continuously mumbled, “I’ll kill you.”
As time briefly passed, the deep, water-like grudge finally spread throughout the entire Hina Matsuri Domain, making Shangshan Che’s ankles tingle.
He looked down and saw his reflection in the dark water.
Shangshan Che temporarily suppressed the surging fighting spirit in his heart, once again flashing to dodge falling cherry blossom petals. With each breath, he retreated dozens of meters, measuring the approximate range of the “Hina Matsuri Domain” midway.
Thirty meters!
The Hina Matsuri Domain was a circle with a radius of thirty meters—within it were cherry blossom petals that would trigger instant death upon ten touches, and a deep grudge that continuously weakened anyone who remained inside.
—So, was long-distance combat the opponent’s weakness?
With a flash, the ferocious White Hannya transformed into a captivating Four-tailed Fox.
Shangshan Che raised his fingertip.
A simple five-pointed star lit up, and a fist-sized, deep-red fireball shot towards the Ju-Hina Yako Master.
However, the anticipated dodge and explosive impact did not occur.
A wide, six-panel folding screen surrounded the Ju-Hina Yako Master. With a slight movement, it swallowed all the incoming fireballs from afar.
“Normal Onmyōdō can’t harm this guy… To achieve victory, only close-quarters combat will do!”
The White Hannya gripped the Kaga Kiyomitsu again, finally ceasing the Jade Heart Incantation it had been maintaining within its body.
In an instant, surging and violent Spirit, Energy, and Vitality erupted from Shangshan Che’s body.
Everything around him became incredibly clear; he could even feel that the Ju-Hina Yako Master’s movements were at least three parts slower.
Shangshan Che tilted the Kaga Kiyomitsu upwards, assuming an impeccable Three-stage Thrust stance.
Surging Corona Qi rushed into the four extremities of his physical body, then transformed into a fine stream that meticulously filled every nerve ending in his limbs.
His toes lightly touched the ground.
Terrifying spiderweb-like cracks spread across the Hongyuan Temple’s bluestone plaza due to the counter-force. At the ends of the cracks, old bluestones were shaken loose and flew up.
Before the flying bluestones in mid-air could fall, the instigator of it all had already transformed into an illusion invisible to the naked eye, unhesitatingly stepping within thirty meters of the Ju-Hina Yako Master.
“Hoo—Hah—”
Shangshan Che exhaled, and fine arcs of electricity crackled along with a hurricane-like breathing sound, his already extreme speed breaking through once more.
Corona Breathing Technique—Fifth Form!
A pale torrent crashed into the Hina Matsuri Domain, flowing with cherry blossom petals and grudges, tearing the dark water of resentment in half from the edges, clearly dividing it.
The blood-red soul fire in the Ju-Hina Yako Master’s eye sockets flickered slightly. Through the Hina Matsuri Domain, it precisely pinpointed Shangshan Che’s location.
“Die—!”
It roared, raising a colossal, blood-colored arm holding a long Tachi, slashing towards Shangshan Che’s neck at the exact moment he attacked!
Another hand drew a bow and arrow, and in the instant that was too quick for a normal person to react, it pulled a White Bone arrow filled with resentment into a full moon shape and shot it forth.
Furthermore, giant hands played mournful music, attempting to disrupt Shangshan Che’s perception and spirit; other giant hands poured from golden cups into the water of resentment at their feet, adding poison and tears.
At that moment, the White Hannya raised its intensely hot yet chillingly cold eyes.
The Kaga Kiyomitsu, enveloped in a pale color, slashed straight upwards. A tremendous force erupted, deflecting the falling Tachi by a hair’s breadth to its side.
From that sliver of an opportunity, Shangshan Che withdrew the Kaga Kiyomitsu, splitting the resultant splashing water of resentment and the White Bone arrow aimed at his heart into two halves without obstruction.
The arrow passed through Shangshan Che’s fluttering hair near his temple and instantly vanished into the faintly starlit night.
It wasn’t over yet.
The Ju-Hina Yako Master seemed to sense something and tried to retract its other giant arms, simultaneously calling the folding screen closer.
But Shangshan Che was far faster.
The tip of the Kaga Kiyomitsu’s blade traced a nearly pure white arc. Before the afterimages of the previous two slashes had faded or their residual effects had dispersed, it turned for a third time, executing a third, nearly impossible diagonal slash.
Natural Reason School—Three-stage Thrust!
The golden cup fell with a clatter into the water of resentment that had already reached its ankles, losing its original divine color, becoming an ordinary cup with no further sound.
Following closely, the giant arm, outwardly pristine but inwardly rotten and festering, slowly separated from the body at its root, transforming into a pool of pus amidst the Ju-Hina Yako Master’s enraged roar.
The cut was as smooth as a mirror, showing no bumps or folds, as if it had always been that way.
“You! Deserve to die!”
The soul fire in the Ju-Hina Yako Master’s eye sockets surged, its voice hoarse as it declared word by word.
Within the Hina Matsuri Domain, the number of cherry blossom petals suddenly increased. The petals that had been falling in mid-air now dropped as if pulled by several times their weight.
Seeing this, Shangshan Che decisively turned and retreated, with no intention of comparing the number of cherry blossom petals to his own reaction speed.
The Ju-Hina Yako Master stared intently at him, the luxurious crown on its head suddenly gleaming, its vast spiritual power surging like tides.
“Come out!”
It rasped.
Then, one after another, semi-transparent phantoms stained with black and red appeared behind the Ju-Hina Yako Master.
Servants wearing conical hats shook themselves awake and stepped onto Hina horses pulling carts with oxwheel hubs.
The Left and Right Ministers and the Five-member Band reappeared, the former blocking the Ju-Hina Yako Master impassively, while the latter played their music as usual, invigorating everyone’s spirits.
And then, rotating and rising, pure crystal mirrors, smooth as water but reflecting nothing, replaced the six-panel folding screens.
The Ju-Hina Yako Master loosened its grip, discarding its instruments and bow, and from somewhere produced Daito, Dagger, and various other melee weapons, gripping them in its palms, all aimed at the nearby Shangshan Che.
“Are you bullying me because my bell is on cooldown?”
Shangshan Che chuckled, “But too bad, summoning so many kin in front of me without reservation, do you have enough spiritual power left?”
He transformed into a tall, handsome Four-tailed Fox, gazing at the many black and red phantoms. The spiritual power, half-recovered from the Spirit Control Technique’s absorption, was instantly depleted.
However, the effect was immediate!
Soul Seal!
Several undetectable soul threads spanned the distance of space, tightly connecting the Left and Right Ministers, the Hina horses beneath the servants’ feet, and Shangshan Che.
In an instant, the Left and Right Ministers, who had been protecting the Ju-Hina Yako Master, exchanged a silent glance and took several steps back in unison, raising their swords and bows towards the giant humanoid that had summoned them.
The Hina horses neighed, kicking their hooves and throwing off the servants on their backs, then stomping down heavily, crushing the servants who hadn’t yet understood what was happening into muddy water with each step.
The Ju-Hina Yako Master’s mouth hung open slightly, it looked around in confusion, unable to understand why the humanoids it had summoned were suddenly fighting amongst themselves.
Shangshan Che clapped his hands, and the Left and Right Ministers quickly left the Hina Matsuri Domain.
One drew a bow and arrow, aiming at the Ju-Hina Yako Master; the other, holding a Tachi, stood shoulder to shoulder with Shangshan Che.
Thus, the situation had reversed once more.
Shangshan Che felt the aura of the two, thinking, “These two ministers are much stronger now than they were when they existed independently before fusion.”
The Four-tailed Fox grinned at the increasingly distressed Ju-Hina Yako Master and gave a peace sign, “How do you like being ridden? New, isn’t it?”
Although the Ju-Hina Yako Master didn’t understand the meaning of “ridden,” it clearly saw that the Left and Right Ministers, who could only appear due to its summoning, were now by the enemy’s side.
It raised its remaining five arms, brandishing swords and roaring at the sky as it charged forward.
“I will cut you into pieces, sever you, torture you! So that you can never find peace!”
Shangshan Che composed himself, issuing instructions through the Soul Seal,
“Left Minister, shoot.”
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Without any time for sound to travel through the air, the Left Minister fired three arrows at lightning speed the moment Shangshan Che’s thought formed—two to the chest, one to the head—towards the Ju-Hina Yako Master.
Bang, bang, bang!
Unfortunately, the constantly rotating pure crystal mirrors precisely blocked the arrows’ trajectory, reflecting them back towards the Left Minister with nearly perfect angles and no loss of speed.
Shangshan Che, once again transformed into the White Hannya, cut through the three arrows and narrowed his eyes, “Compared to the screen that absorbed ranged attacks before, it’s now a mirror that can perfectly parry ranged attacks?”
“Left Minister, go attack the other minions.”
After a brief respite, the Corona Qi within Shangshan Che, depleted from the previous outburst, was replenished.
He raised the Kaga Kiyomitsu, this time assuming a perfectly balanced, upright stance, “Right Minister, let’s go!”
The silent Right Minister followed closely behind Shangshan Che, stepping into the Hina Matsuri Domain, which was highly corrosive to it.
“Die!”
The Ju-Hina Yako Master looked down from above at Shangshan Che and the Right Minister, both less than half its height, and swung its Daitō, which was over three meters long, down like a falling star.
“Too slow.”
Shangshan Che squatted, letting the Daitō whistle over his head.
He was about to close the distance further when his body suddenly stiffened.
A chilling sense of death spread from the crown of his head to his entire body. The surrounding water of resentment immediately began to boil as if a catalyst had been added.
Shangshan Che realized then that the Daitō’s slash was not meant to injure him, but to mask the sound of the cherry blossom petals falling from above it.
But even knowing what had happened, it was useless. The cherry blossom petals seemed to possess a special magic, pinning Shangshan Che firmly in place, unable to move.
“Hee hee! Die for me!”
The Ju-Hina Yako Master laughed twistedly, its other giant arm, holding a Dagger, thrusting directly at him with crude force.
The Dagger, engraved with a petal mark, instantly magnified in Shangshan Che’s eyes.
He had already seen its trajectory but was utterly unable to dodge.
At the critical moment, Shangshan Che heard the sound of a Knife falling into the water, then felt someone forcefully push him out of the Hina Matsuri Domain.
The still silent Right Minister exchanged a look with the flying Shangshan Che.
In the next moment, the Dagger, propelled by immense force, pierced and tore it into two halves. While its body was still in mid-air, it dissolved into motes of light.
Not far away, Shangshan Che, who had been hard-controlled by the cherry blossom petals until now, finally regained his ability to move.
He spat, and said with complete calmness, “I almost mistook you for an unthinking demon without reason just now. That was my mistake.”
—Right Minister, your death will not be in vain.
Shangshan Che exhaled, walking step by step towards the Ju-Hina Yako Master, whose expression of rage had completely vanished, replaced by indifference and coldness.
The stone slabs beneath his feet shattered inch by inch. The Ghost God wearing a pale mask and its sword transformed into a blur of white, piercing into the domain filled with falling cherry blossoms.
Dagger, Daitō, and the longest Naginata successively whizzed past Shangshan Che’s body or head. After that, the almost-touching cherry blossom petals were incinerated by small fireballs shooting skyward.
—I won’t fall in the same place twice!
Shangshan Che stepped on the water of resentment that had unknowingly reached his calves, his pupils shrinking to pinpricks. With a leap, he landed on the blade of a Wakizashi that was slashing towards him.
Dragonfly touch!
An extremely subtle burst of Inner Force erupted from Shangshan Che’s feet.
He actually used the short Wakizashi, flashing past him, as a platform to exert a second burst of force, leaping over the pure crystal mirrors blocking the Ju-Hina Yako Master’s legs and abdomen, and reaching its monstrous face.
The results of days of harsh training under Lili Zi were now evident.
“You—”
The Ju-Hina Yako Master, utterly unable to comprehend how this situation had occurred, was momentarily speechless.
At this point, it was out of its old strength and had not yet gained new strength.
But at most, this would have only cost one pure crystal mirror to shatter… Who would have thought that this thing, whether human or demon, could achieve such a feat.
“Hello, and then goodbye.”
The White Hannya grinned at it, raising the Kaga Kiyomitsu high, a pale color descending from its clear blade.
Then, it swung down with full force!
This was a perfectly balanced, true sword strike—
Tang Bamboo Stance!
The long-awaited Corona Qi erupted in this instant, all of it, leaving not a single trace. The Spirit, Energy, and Vitality, condensed into a single line by the Spirit Condensing Technique, attached to the blade, descending with the cold blade light.
The Ju-Hina Yako Master suddenly opened its mouth, and a crimson light shot out from the depths of its dark throat, piercing through Shangshan Che’s chest, bringing forth shattered blood and bone.
But this did not alter the trajectory of the Kaga Kiyomitsu’s descent in the slightest.
The Blade of Parting, which had once slain the Eight Sufferings, severed the golden crown, split the hardest humanoid skull, cut through the rotten flesh and bone within, and then severed the humanoid soul and the grudges contained within—
Finally, it split the Ju-Hina Yako Master in two!
The Naginata, which had attacked from Shangshan Che’s back, severed his legs, but it was already too late.
Biting the blade of the Kaga Kiyomitsu with his teeth, and supporting himself with his hands on the ground, Shangshan Che quietly watched the colossal, towering Ju-Hina Yako Master sway and fall.
In the rising dust, the severed humanoid twitched and murmured.
“Yako… I’m sorry…”
“We can finally come to accompany you…”
In a daze, Shangshan Che heard the apologetic voices of the fifteen humanoids.
But by the time he came back to his senses, all he saw was the Ju-Hina Yako Master, which had already turned into a pool of rotten blood and mud.
Shangshan Che stared at the corpse of the Ju-Hina Yako Master for a while before realizing his chest was empty, and the air he inhaled leaked out with a puff.
His original legs had been cleanly severed at the last moment and had fallen to the side.
“Hiss…”
Fortunately, Shangshan Che was currently in his White Hannya form. These two severe injuries instantly brought him over twenty points of Physique gain.
As a result, Shangshan Che’s Physique attribute leaped to a terrifying 94 points, greatly enhancing his physical strength and recovery abilities. The blood that was about to spurt out instantly stopped.
Otherwise, with these two large wounds, Shangshan Che would have been bled dry within half a minute.
“Even in death, they have to leave last words.”
Shangshan Che’s brow twitched with pain. He threw aside the Kaga Kiyomitsu, which was trembling with gluttonous satisfaction, and crawled with both hands towards his severed feet.
Sitting down, he picked up the smoothly cut and intact feet and placed them towards the severed ends at his ankles.
Fortunately, the Ju-Hina Yako Master had enough strength, and the Naginata it used was sharp enough. Otherwise, Shangshan Che’s feet would have either had uneven ends like the surface of the moon or exploded into bloody mist.
Either way, it would have likely required a Great Onmyoji to use Onmyōdō to regrow his feet.
Warmth and excruciating, itching pain erupted at the severed ends of his ankles. Shangshan Che’s forehead bulged with veins, and he beckoned Two-Foot Adult.
“Po! Che Adult! Why do you have a big hole in your chest?!”
The usually languid Two-Foot Adult’s face changed dramatically upon appearing. A trace of fear crossed her delicate features, but the next moment she gritted her teeth and stood in front of Shangshan Che, her eyes fierce.
Shangshan Che smiled at this and pulled her into his arms, “Don’t be afraid, the enemy is dead. Let me hold you and recover for a while.”
Two-Foot Adult blinked. Upon seeing the softened, giant corpse of the Ju-Hina Yako Master not far away, she swallowed with difficulty. She said nothing more, merely holding Shangshan Che tightly.
With the added recovery effect of Two-Foot Adult, Shangshan Che finally felt his injuries begin to gradually heal, little by little.
He slowly exhaled a breath mixed with blood mist and silently checked the continuously appearing prompts—
【You have slain the Ju-Hina Yako Master （Three-Star ）（Incomplete）, and obtained 499 Soul Ash! 】
【You killed the Emperor Doll (**Quality: Two-and-a-Half Star**), obtaining 99 points of Soul Ash!】
【You used Kaga Kiyomitsu – Blade of Parting to slay the Ju-Hina Yako Master (**Quality: Three-Star**)!】
【The quality of your Kaga Kiyomitsu – Blade of Parting is increasing to Epic Grade…】
Even a broken Three-Star is still a Three-Star, makes sense.
At least the Epic promotion quest for Kaga Kiyomitsu is done, and there’s no need to bother Sister Nanjo anymore.
Shangshan Che glanced at Kaga Kiyomitsu, which was lying on the ground and vibrating as if trying to stand up, and shook his head, continuing to look down.
【Your skill, Corona Breathing Technique Proficiency +200!】
【Your skill, Natural Reason School Proficiency +200!】
【Your skill, Five Thunder Technique – Spirit Resonance Proficiency +100!】
The proficiency increase for the three skills was not bad, saving several days of hard practice.
Shangshan Che mused – this was because the Ju-Hina Yako Master was not proficient in swordsmanship. If the opponent had been the wax figure in Edo Castle, this battle might have increased the Natural Reason School proficiency by seven or eight hundred points.
However, if the opponent had been that Oni Warrior, he probably wouldn’t have been able to win either.
Without indulging in further fantasies, Shangshan Che looked at the last two pieces of equipment dropped by the Ju-Hina Yako Master.
【You obtained, Bloodstained Broken Hina Crown!】
Shangshan Che silently took it out and examined the faded headdress in his hand, which looked identical to the crown on the Ju-Hina Yako Master’s head but was half shattered and stained with viscous blood.
【Bloodstained Broken Hina Crown】
【Quality: Superb】
【Effect: When the Hina Crown is worn on the head, it permanently summons 5 Hina dolls. The stronger the user’s Willpower and Spiritual Arts Attribute, the more powerful the summoned Hina dolls. Can only be used once every two days.】
【—A delicate headdress once worn by the Ju-Hina Yako Master, but it is now shattered beyond recognition after a fierce battle.】
It’s a summoning equipment similar to the Koma-inu Bell.
The only difference is that the bell requires Charm and Spiritual Arts Attribute, while this Hina Crown requires Willpower and Spiritual Arts Attribute.
And there’s no random summoning, but a fixed summoning of 5 Hina dolls – this makes Shangshan Che, an unlucky person, feel quite friendly towards it.
As for the restriction of being usable only once every two days… don’t ask for too much from equipment of only Superb quality.
Under the curious gaze of Two-Foot Adult, Shangshan Che put away the headdress and turned to what should have been the second major gain from this battle.
【You obtained, Pure Imperial Hina!】
Shangshan Che stared at the four characters surrounded by dazzling purple light and took out this equipment.
Huh?
Shangshan Che was stunned and quickly held up the snow-white kimono, preventing his blood from staining it.
He repeatedly examined the kimono, which had no trace of any color other than white, with a perplexed expression.
This… isn’t this a “shiromuku”?
The so-called shiromuku is a pure white kimono that a bride wears in a traditional Japanese wedding. After wearing this kimono, she will drink sake with the groom in the shrine ceremony, completing the “San-kon no Gi,” symbolizing the completion of the wedding.
But why would killing the Ju-Hina Yako Master drop this kind of equipment?
Shangshan Che had Two-Foot Adult, whose face had inexplicably turned red, hold the equipment while he started looking at its attributes.
【Pure Imperial Hina】
【Quality: Epic】
【Effect 1: Pure Lapis Lazuli. When the wearer takes fatal damage, a “Pure Lapis Lazuli Light Barrier” will activate for 10 seconds. During the activation of the Pure Lapis Lazuli Light Barrier, the wearer is also immune to all curses, poisoning, and mental attack effects.】
【Effect 2: Pure Light. The wearer’s Stamina and Spiritual Power recovery speed +100%. When “Pure Lapis Lazuli” is triggered, the wearer’s injury recovery speed will be additionally accelerated by 500% for the next three minutes.】
【Effect 3: Unbreakable. The Pure Imperial Hina is extremely difficult to pierce or cut with swords and is also immune to most water and fire erosion.】
【Restriction 1: Can only be equipped by females.】
【Restriction 2: The “Pure Imperial Hina” will generate “Compatibility” with the wearer. The higher the compatibility, the stronger all effects of the Pure Imperial Hina. When compatibility reaches 100%, a hidden effect will be triggered.】
【—Under the cherry blossom tree, the girl’s voice was cheerful and noisy; it was a summer the dolls could never return to.】
An Epic equipment that combines both defense and recovery.
It would have been quite good.
Shangshan Che’s mouth twitched slightly – but why did this thing *have* to be worn by a female?
Although its use in reality is logical based on “shiromuku,” retaining such a tradition even when it becomes equipment is a bit narrow-minded, isn’t it?
He looked at Two-Foot Adult, who was staring blankly at the Pure Imperial Hina, and thought that he was practically giving her this Epic equipment for free.
Lili Zi wouldn’t mind, but having a swordsman wear such clumsy and bulky clothing would be a burden.
As for Sister Nanjo, not only would ordinary Epic equipment likely have little effect on her, but the headline “Nanjo Emi wears a shiromuku” alone would be enough to explode with millions of views, so it’s unnecessary.
Tsk, perhaps it wouldn’t have been an unacceptable consequence if he had changed his personality a bit when he obtained the Three-Tailed Fox Incarnation… the beauty of strength is far more beautiful than being male or female.
As for whether this Pure Imperial Hina recognizes the talent effect of the Four-Tailed Fox Incarnation “Thousand Faces,” Shangshan Che believed it most likely wouldn’t.
Because Thousand Faces is at most a disguise, not a fundamental change.
Shangshan Che grabbed the Pure Imperial Hina and said to Two-Foot Adult, “Try it on later when you have time to see if it fits.”
“Mm… po? Po.”
Two-Foot Adult clasped her hands tightly and replied in a voice as faint as a mosquito’s hum.
Shangshan Che didn’t think much of it, his mind preoccupied with the severe pain in his ankles and chest, so he had no energy to worry about other things.
Holding Two-Foot Adult like this, not long after feeling his injuries recover to a certain extent, Shangshan Che transformed back into his human form.
…
About half an hour later, a grand and blazing Buddhist light pierced the night sky, descending from hundreds of meters high directly onto the corpse of the Ju-Hina Yako Master, instantly burning more than half of it.
Wrathful King Kong.
But without needing to look down, Huijue already understood the entire situation.
The monk, draped in a Kesa but still adorned with those peculiar earrings, necklaces, and pendants, suppressed his anger and bowed deeply to Shangshan Che, who was sitting not far away.
“Benefactor Shangshan, you acted to save me in my moment of crisis, Huijue is immensely grateful.”
“It’s not really about saving me, I wanted to fight this demon myself, and partly it was for my own reasons.” Shangshan Che pointed at his not-yet-healed feet, “However, my legs are broken and it’s inconvenient to move, so I can’t check on the situation of others at Hongyuan Temple.”
Huijue straightened up and didn’t offer any more words of thanks.
He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them, the muscle contours on his body, like coiling dragons, slowly contracted, and he visibly relaxed, “Fortunately, everyone just fainted and is unharmed. They can be cleansed with Buddhist chanting later.”
Shangshan Che smiled, “That’s good then.”
He had met the Masters of Hongyuan Temple before, so it was best to know they were safe.
“Then, Benefactor Shangshan, it seems your injuries are more serious now.”
Huijue strode towards Shangshan Che, startling Two-Foot Adult into shrinking into a ball – the majestic appearance of the wrathful deity earlier had almost made her think she was going to die there.
Shangshan Che noticed this phenomenon and flicked Two-Foot Adult’s forehead, “What are you afraid of? Once the tablet is enshrined in the Buddhist hall, you’ll be a female Bodhisattva by extension, won’t you?”
This remark left Two-Foot Adult stunned. She thought about it and realized it made sense.
Thus, Two-Foot Adult’s inner panic subsided, and the faint Buddhist light emanating from her head increased slightly.
She jumped down from Shangshan Che’s embrace, clasped her hands together towards Huijue, who had already approached, and bowed.
Huijue stared at Two-Foot Adult, who looked like a Porcelain Doll, and naturally sensed the faint Buddhist incense emanating from her, immediately understanding that this was Shangshan Che’s Shikigami.
The monk scratched his head, and after all, clasped his hands together, showing a kind smile, and bowed in return, “Greetings, little layperson.”
Popo!
Two-Foot Adult is victorious!
Seeing that even the fearsome Buddhist Master was politely bowing to her, Two-Foot Adult placed her hands on her hips and smiled triumphantly at Shangshan Che before stepping aside.
Huijue looked down and saw Shangshan Che’s horrific injuries. After thinking for a moment, he said earnestly, “These injuries cannot be delayed; infection would be bad.”
“Benefactor Shangshan, I will take you to the hospital first.”
“—There’s no need for that, Master Huijue. The Special Affairs Office’s seeds will be handled by the Special Affairs Office.”
The aroma of coffee mixed with Mint Tobacco wafted over.
Nanjo Emi, who had inexplicably appeared behind Huijue, looked down at Shangshan Che’s body, raised an eyebrow, and asked, “How did you get yourself into this state? Didn’t I tell you to come to me if you encountered any problems?”
After a moment of silence, Nanjo Emi frowned, “Afraid of bothering me?”
“No.”
Shangshan Che pointed to Kaga Kiyomitsu, which was already stuck in a crack in the ground like Excalibur, and shifted the blame to the inarticulate Daito, “It said it wanted to engage in fierce battle with a powerful demon, so I granted its wish.”
Kaga Kiyomitsu vibrated in strong protest!
—It would never go against its master’s will and do such a wicked thing!
However, to the other two, its appearance seemed like agreement, so Nanjo Emi sighed, “Alright, let it slide this time. An ambulance will be here soon, and I’ll accompany you to the hospital afterward.”
Nanjo Emi then looked at the silent Huijue, “Master Huijue, you should attend to your own matters first.”
“Then I wish Benefactor Shangshan all the best. This humble monk shall take his leave now.”
Huijue clasped his hands together and bowed respectfully again, then hurried towards another side hall.
But as he walked away, the monk scratched his bald head again.
Generally, would a Superior from the Special Affairs Office care for their Subordinate this much?
—The ambulance arrived shortly.
Shangshan Che was lifted onto the ambulance, and Nanjo Emi once again picked up Kaga Kiyomitsu and stayed by his side.
Inside the ambulance, Nanjo Emi, cradling the buzzing Kaga Kiyomitsu, said calmly, “I will use the Water Clock Path Onmyōdō to temporarily stabilize your physical condition, so you can sleep soundly.”
Hearing this, Shangshan Che gave her a thumbs-up and, no longer able to keep his sleepy eyes open after a day of continuous exertion, closed his eyes and instantly fell asleep on the stretcher.
“Just like a child, so worrying…”
…
When Shangshan Che woke up again, he was stunned for a long time.
Because right in front of his nose, there was a fresh button with threads still attached.
And after that, two smooth hemispheres like suet jade were tightly squeezed together by a white shirt, and a black tie had accidentally slipped into them, semi-obscuring the deep, immense snow mountain.
