Chapter 179: Mikawa Province’s King Kujira Master Craftsman Nearby! Kin Everywhere? Soul Ash Everywhere!
“Lord Yoshimoto, stop first!”
On the slightly desolate wilderness, Shangshan Che immediately yanked the reins in his hand and ordered, causing the horse beneath him to neigh softly and halt its steps.
Because he had already smelled the rotten stench.
This rotten stench, though faint and light now from a distant distance, was profoundly deep, exceptionally intense and stimulating.
It was the kind of smell that, once smelled, could never be forgotten.
This was not a physiological smell, but more like one from the genes, an unacceptable taste for humans…
—The rotten stench of a same-species corpse would probably be exceptionally intense, far stronger than any other smell.
When humans approach the dead bodies of their own kind, there’s a high probability of triggering this mechanism.
Just like warning those around to stay away from potential danger.
Shangshan Che’s gaze was indifferent.
If he was not mistaken, everyone in that village should have already died, and not just one day ago.
Otherwise, with the current weather, the smell couldn’t drift this far.
Moreover, ordinary people probably couldn’t survive in such harsh conditions either.
Not to mention that there might be Affliction Kin in the village, the culprit behind the mass deaths.
Shangshan Che lowered his head, looking at the horse beneath him, which was merely robust but otherwise useless—if there was plague spread by Affliction Kin in that village, they might not be able to resist it either.
And Imagawa Yoshimoto, she hadn’t established Qi Circulation yet and could also be invaded by the virus, so he’d have to teach her hand-in-hand how to use Internal Qi to “seal” herself later.
Imagawa Yoshimoto beside him saw this and promptly pulled her reins as well, asking, “Tetsu-kun, what’s wrong?”
Shangshan Che dismounted, led it toward a nearby fairly thick old tree, took out a rein about as thick as a small arm from the Storage Bag to tie it up, then asked,
“Lord Yoshimoto, besides the village, did you see anything else? Anyone?”
Imagawa Yoshimoto didn’t ask why, led her horse over as well, and answered: “Yes, I just happened to see a few figures wandering at the village entrance.”
Wandering at the village entrance in such harsh conditions, and several of them?
“Those figures aren’t human.”
Shangshan Che then took out the Blood-Stained Chick Crown, controlled it by injecting a bit of Spiritual Power into it, summoning six swaying One-Star Dolls holding Pitchforks and Hoes.
The reason he didn’t summon more well-equipped and better-trained One-and-a-Half Star soldier Dolls.
Was because Shangshan Che felt that One-Star Dolls were sufficient for guarding the horses and scouting the way for them.
No need to waste too much Spiritual Power on summoning cannon fodder—the Sengoku Period was not like the Mortal Realm; just this bit of Spiritual Power would take Shangshan Che several hours to recover.
Imagawa Yoshimoto’s eyes widened slightly, curiously examining the exquisite Dolls that could understand human speech, thinking how nice it would be if she could summon them to guard the door in the future.
“You four, protect the horses from any harm whatsoever.”
Shangshan Che instructed the Dolls,
“The remaining two will walk ahead of us later.”
Clang clang.
Several Dolls, some wearing raincoats and others draped in tattered Haoris, nodded exaggeratedly toward him, then split up according to the orders.
After doing all this, having fully checked that his Qi Circulation was fine, Shangshan Che looked at Imagawa Yoshimoto, who hadn’t said an extra word, and asked,
“Lord Yoshimoto, do you know how to use Internal Qi to filter the inhaled air first?”
Imagawa Yoshimoto hesitated first, then shook her head.
Because she feared learning it incompletely and causing some accident.
Shangshan Che didn’t dawdle, directly applying his hand to transfer Qi Barrier to her body surface,
“I’ll establish a temporary Qi Circulation; Lord Yoshimoto, just attach your Internal Qi to it to maintain its operation.”
“Okay.”
Several minutes later, as Imagawa Yoshimoto steadily transported Internal Qi into the temporary circulation, she heard Shangshan Che’s voice again,
“If possible, Lord Yoshimoto, you’d better keep the smell isolated outside as well.”
Shangshan Che, whose eye corner had begun twitching slightly, warned, then took out her full set of Modern Armor for her to wear.
Once she was fully armored, Shangshan Che also put on the Hannya Mask, Folding Fan, and Five Thunder Pearl.
After making full preparations, they slowly advanced the Dolls toward the Village.
“Tetsu-kun, do you mean everyone in that village…”
Imagawa Yoshimoto had already drawn the Sōza Samonji at her waist, her hawk-like eyes constantly scanning the surroundings, missing no detail.
Thus, the crooked beams, dried black bloodstains, and the increasingly clear shadowy faces as they approached all entered her view.
So she asked this question.
Shangshan Che gripped the Five Thunder Pearl, continuously accumulating the tiny electric currents from his breathing onto it: “I’m afraid so.”
Imagawa Yoshimoto fell silent.
Before the two even entered the village, just stepping into a range of about two to three hundred meters, Shangshan Che already felt the rotten stench rushing into his nostrils was beyond what ordinary people could bear.
Next, scattered rotting incomplete corpses and limbs appeared in various strange poses on the farmland and wilderness around the village outskirts.
Closer in, White Bones connected with blackened flesh strands were everywhere; Shangshan Che even had to glance at the ground before each step.
On the small path leading to the mostly intact village doorway, there was nothing but corpses, corpses, and more corpses.
The cold silence of Death permeated the air.
Imagawa Yoshimoto, who had been on battlefields before, roughly understood why Shangshan Che had made her isolate the smell.
The two stood beside the village Plaque on the ground, which had become extremely soft and mushy from some unknown sticky substance.
Moments later, having taken in everything in her field of view, Imagawa Yoshimoto gripped her Tachi tightly and hoarsely spoke,
“Tetsu-kun, is there still any need to go in?”
Shangshan Che knew she said this because she felt there were no living people inside, so he explained,
“There are still quite a few Affliction Kin inside; this is a good chance to learn about them.”
“As you say.”
Just as Imagawa Yoshimoto finished speaking, the edge of her peripheral vision caught another wriggling black shadow.
She immediately pointed and said in a lowered voice: “Tetsu-kun! Over there!”
Shangshan Che nodded, making no big noise, staying alert while having the Dolls scout ahead—they followed the path the Dolls had taken.
In less than two minutes, the two approached the spot Imagawa Yoshimoto had pointed to earlier.
Then, Shangshan Che saw a scene he probably would never forget in his life—
In the half-collapsed ruins, three Demons about child-height, their bodies constantly rotting and oozing pus yet with abnormally twisted pleasant expressions, were all bent over, using their stinking sticky hands to vie for something.
—【Affliction Kin·Kuobiko（Half-Star）】.
“Sorry… kill me… sorry… kill me…”
And this faint, almost inaudible voice came precisely from the object being fought over—
A girl who looked only eight or nine years old, her lower body gone, her whole body corroded and pitted with rot, no longer bleeding, moving her half-remaining lips.
The girl’s eyes were murky, just endlessly murmuring this one sentence, utterly indifferent to the Kuobiko fighting over her.
She was probably long blind and mad, with only this last faint breath not yet gone.
Shangshan Che lowered his eyes, releasing the Lightning accumulated on the Five Thunder Pearl.
“Lightning.”
Three streaks of cold white Lightning shot out silently, landing precisely on the three Kuobiko emitting giggling laughs, abruptly halting their laughter.
In their place came shrill howls as if to pierce the heavens, calling all nearby kin.
“Eeeerrrr—!”
Shangshan Che deliberately controlled the Lightning’s power so these Half-Star Kuobiko wouldn’t die immediately but continuously endure the torment of being burned by Lightning.
Before stepping forward, he glanced at Imagawa Yoshimoto and saw that although her upper face was sunk in shadow, she still stood firmly in place, not acting on her own.
Only after he moved did Imagawa Yoshimoto quickly follow.
Shangshan Che immediately walked to the front of the girl collapsed on the ground.
Just as he was about to take out Awakening Spirit Mist and ask her condition, he heard the intermittent dry murmurs constantly from her mouth,
“Sorry… kill me… sorry…”
The girl seemed completely unaware of the Kuobiko’s departure and his arrival.
Just repeating, repeating, as if that could free her from Pain and let her die sooner.
After reaching the half-collapsed room doorway, Shangshan Che couldn’t help seeing the large lock in the room forcibly corroded open and the two small wooden doors that should have been nailed shut.
And several other large and small hollow Skeletons scattered in the room.
“Tetsu-kun, is she still…”
Imagawa Yoshimoto had just stepped forward, not finished speaking, when she saw Shangshan Che draw the motionless Kaga Kiyomitsu and unhesitatingly slash across the girl’s slender blackened neck.
Pale Color rapidly spread and enveloped, calmly swallowing the endlessly repeating painful murmurs along with this incomplete petite Body.
Returning to peace.
Shangshan Che tsked in his heart.
—Even a village on the border of Mikawa Province had become like this.
Though it might be that this village was unlucky and encountered a large number of 【Kuobiko】, it was fully enough to show the severity of Affliction’s impact on Mikawa Province currently.
But one thing was very strange.
Why had Mikawa Province become like this, yet Affliction hadn’t spread the plague to To-ōmi Province… These Kuobiko had come all the way here; going a bit further shouldn’t be hard.
This should be simple for Affliction and its Kin.
Shangshan Che hadn’t figured it out yet.
—In any case, the plan to find two survivors in this village to question was hopeless.
Imagawa Yoshimoto, who had just arrived, mouth agape, silently lowered her raised hand.
“She couldn’t be saved?”
“She should have died long ago.”
Shangshan Che calmly replied, raising his head, his gaze cast toward the intact or collapsed houses, and the corners on both sides.
Thus, one after another Kuobiko, almost no different from before, with similarly cruelly pleasant smiles on their faces, poked their heads out from the Darkness.
Many Kuobiko even waved their incomplete blackened limbs like showing off new toys, calling out loudly while doing so.
—So, first turn all these Demons before their eyes into ash, not leaving a single one.
Shangshan Che thrust Kaga Kiyomitsu downward inverted, embedding the blade tip into the deep black blood and mud.
He said softly: “Little Jia, no need to hold back; fully expand the range of Sorrow of Parting.”
Kaga Kiyomitsu hummed coldly and hard, causing the Pale domain to rapidly expand in all directions, merely bypassing the spot where the two stood.
“Ur ur ur—!”
“Gu gaga—!”
In less than two seconds, the nearest Kuobiko all thudded to the ground, rolling around emitting child-like shrieks.
“This sound… really makes one angry just hearing it.”
Shangshan Che raised the Five Thunder Pearl, issuing rumbling breathing sounds, causing the Lightning on it to surge and erupt, like chains linking in all directions rampaging everywhere!
In an instant, dozens or hundreds of mere Zero-Star to Half-Star Kuobiko turned to flying ash.
Prompts popped up at the edge of his vision.
Shangshan Che acted as if he didn’t see them, estimating his Spiritual Power consumption, then temporarily withdrew the Five Thunder Pearl.
He then took out the tall Plain Spear forged by the blacksmith of Sunpu Castle from the Storage Bag.
“You two, stay here and protect her.”
Pausing, Shangshan Che lowered his head to Imagawa Yoshimoto, whose hand gripping her Tachi was trembling slightly, and said,
“Lord Yoshimoto, please wait a moment; I’ll be right back.”
“Mm.”
Imagawa Yoshimoto exhaled slightly, looked at the sun’s position, then added,
“Go quick and come back quick; it’s getting dark.”
Shangshan Che turned his eyes, violent Qi Barrier erupting from his toes, his whole body’s Skin Membrane emitting lively breathing sounds like it had Vitality, further accelerating Qi Circulation.
The Kuobiko not yet touched by Lightning or Sorrow of Parting saw Shangshan Che charging at them alone, recalling the humans who had done the same not long ago, and all emitted joyful calls.
Rotten and foul Qi spread toward Shangshan Che, trying to drill into his Body through his orifices and pores.
“Hee hee!”
“Hee hee!”
The Kuobiko even started fighting among themselves to decide who got which part of Shangshan Che.
Then, a Plain Spear wrapped in blazing solar corona Qi Barrier and frenzied Lightning descended from the sky!
Crushing all these rotting, twisted Kuobiko that continuously spread skin-corroding plague—
Utterly extinguishing them!
Boom!
Visible pure white Qi Barrier shot skyward at extreme speed in various parts of the village, continuously turning these child-like Demons’ laughter into ashes on the ground.
Then swallowed clean by the spreading Sorrow of Parting along with the polluted Flesh and Blood and buildings, leaving no trace.
Rumble—!
The sky wasn’t dark yet, but the final thunderclap had quietly faded in this nameless village on the Mikawa Province border.
Shangshan Che dragged his unscathed body and Plain Spear back before the slightly stunned Imagawa Yoshimoto, softly saying to her,
“Mission accomplished.”
At this moment.
The buildings originally polluted by numerous Kuobiko, and the severed limbs scattered in various corners, had mostly vanished.
As for those Kuobiko that made her nauseous just seeing them, not a single one remained; they had completely perished at Tetsu-kun’s spear tip…
Imagawa Yoshimoto’s thoughts hadn’t stopped when her ears twitched slightly.
Immediately, her arm, engraved with massive Muscle Memory, swung Sōza Samonji backward.
Slash!
“Ughk!”
The Kuobiko that leaped fiercely from the last rotting Wooden Cabinet about to be swallowed—the one that could be called a fish that slipped the net—was bisected with one slash.
A few drops of black blood splattered out, landing on Imagawa Yoshimoto’s Armor.
At this point, she understood what had happened in that instant, but Imagawa Yoshimoto showed little expression, just swinging her blade to flick off all the bloodstains.
—She was never some weak woman.
—Beneath this seemingly frail young Imagawa Clan Head’s exterior was a Body capable of slashing to Myōgamura!
Whether politics or Cultivation, Imagawa Yoshimoto had never slacked!
Shangshan Che, about to swing his Plain Spear, slowly lowered his hand and sighed in relief.
Imagawa Yoshimoto, seeing his expression, sheathed her Tachi and asked: “What, surprised?”
Shangshan Che let go, returning the Plain Spear to the Storage Bag,
“Just surprised that Lord Yoshimoto could make such correct and quick responses in this environment.”
After all, the usual Imagawa Yoshimoto was very particular about personal and vassals’ hygiene environments.
At the Imagawa Residence, Shangshan Che often saw Imagawa Yoshimoto scold Okabe Motonobu over hygiene until she couldn’t hold her head up.
Imagawa Yoshimoto scanned around again, confirming no lingering threats, then replied: “I’m not like those noble young ladies who are delicate and call for guards at the slightest thing.”
“Etiquette and cleanliness are indeed important, but not essential… especially in this situation.”
Imagawa Yoshimoto had just said two sentences when she heavily exhaled: “Enough of this.”
“Tetsu-kun, the sun is about to set; before that, we’d best find a decent place to stay—if clouds rise at night, it’ll be trouble.”
“Yes.”
Shangshan Che nodded, pulling Kaga Kiyomitsu from the now hardened soil, then looked at the popped Prompt.
【You killed large numbers of Affliction Kin·Kuobiko（Zero-Star/Half-Star）, gaining 211 Soul Ash total!】
Compared to ordinary Demons, Affliction Kin give notably less Soul Ash.
This was similar to the Chi at Kisaragi Station before.
With Chi, the less intelligence they had, the less Soul Ash gained from slaying them.
—To some extent, the Soul Ash gained from exorcising Demons is probably related to “soul quantity.”
And Affliction Kin, as Demons created by Affliction, naturally having little “soul” themselves was normal.
Though individual Kin drop little Soul Ash, their numbers make up for it.
Just one small Village yielding around two hundred Soul Ash meant big cities would yield even more.
This way, he could quickly save up Soul Ash needed for Gacha Pulls.
This was barely, a negligible good news amid countless bad ones.
【You used Kaga Kiyomitsu·Blade of Parting to devour large numbers of Affliction Kin·Kuobiko; Kaga Kiyomitsu’s Quality has slightly improved!】
Previously, when Kaga Kiyomitsu promoted to Epic Grade, it was mentioned that slaying different kinds of Demons with it would yield greater improvement.
Otherwise, mere small fry not even reaching One-Star probably couldn’t affect it at all.
Just as Shangshan Che was about to close the Prompt and take Imagawa Yoshimoto back to the tethered horses, a scarlet Prompt slammed into view.
【Attention! Your prior actions may have drawn the notice of Eight Sufferings·Affliction!】
The simultaneous disappearance of large numbers of Kin… might draw Affliction’s attention.
But there was no choice.
Encounter Affliction Kin, and exorcise them.
This was only natural.
Shangshan Che sheathed Kaga Kiyomitsu, walked to the village edge, raised his hand, and released several large fireballs at spots not devoured by Sorrow of Parting.
Sending the village’s last traces along with the plague into the blazing inferno.
After mounting the slightly listless horses, Imagawa Yoshimoto looked back, deeply imprinting that Hell purified by Pale Color and Flames into her pupils.
—Fortunately, she met Tetsu-kun.
She thought in her heart.
Otherwise, with her prior level of attention to the Mikawa unrest, she would only have truly sent all of Mikawa Province into Hell in vain.
Shangshan Che sensed his consumed Spiritual Power for a moment, sighing helplessly.
In the Sengoku Period, Spiritual Power recovery was far too slow.
“Right, Lord Yoshimoto.” While trying to inject Qi Barrier into the horse beneath him to dispel the effects, he asked, “Can you sense Spiritual Power, even a tiny bit?”
If Imagawa Yoshimoto could sense Spiritual Power, he could teach her some incantations; perhaps in one or two years, the Koma-inu Bell could be handed to her to replace his guard duties.
But Imagawa Yoshimoto shook her head: “No, I can’t feel at all the Spiritual Energy Tetsu-kun mentioned… ‘Qi’ is everywhere, though.”
Pity.
Same absolute lack of Spiritual aptitude as Lili Zi.
Shangshan Che thought no more; after using solar corona Qi Barrier to clear the meridians of the two horses, he had temporarily restored them to vigorous state.
Though he didn’t know how long it would last, every moment counted.
“Lord Yoshimoto, let’s hurry and set off.”
“Mm.”
Imagawa Yoshimoto nodded solemnly.
Thus, the two continued deeper into Mikawa Province along the rough map route in Imagawa Yoshimoto’s mind.
Night soon fell, but fortunately the Silver Moon hung, providing faint light.
Along the way, they also saw many tragedies of corpses exposed roadside from various unknown plagues.
Shangshan Che could only use small fireballs to cremate them, slowing the plague’s spread.
Fortunately, winter was near, temperatures low.
Otherwise, the plague would have erupted massively everywhere, and the 62-day mission limit would probably shorten by half.
Shangshan Che looked up at the clouds about to obscure the Silver Moon.
He was fine, but the horse beneath him couldn’t see clearly.
“Lord Yoshimoto, how about we rest in these mountains tonight… I can dig a cave for us to shelter in.”
“No, wait.”
Imagawa Yoshimoto strained to squint, instinctively craning her neck, and only after a while confirmed the flickering candlelight high up.
“Tetsu-kun, I think I see another village.”
She quickly added,
“With firelight.”
Shangshan Che turned his head too, but saw nothing.
Before he could reply, he heard Imagawa Yoshimoto, eyes narrowed to slits, continue: “That village doorway has a Plaque, seems called…”
“—Yamajira Village.”
Yamajira?
Yamajira in Mikawa Province?
Almost reflexively, Shangshan Che linked it to another keyword.
—Master Craftsman!
