Chapter 87: Jing Ke’s Dagger For Assassinating Qin, Kaga Kiyomitsu’s Blade Tip
It seems it’s not that mountain inn.
Shangshan Che arrived at the doorway of the tiled house and looked down to see a black and white blanket.
The black area of the blanket on the right was stained with dirt, dust, and various weeds, while the white area facing the sliding door was spotless.
Shangshan Che understood and first placed his feet on the black blanket to wipe the dirt and debris from his shoes, then stepped onto the stairs from the white blanket and opened the sliding door.
Above the door, a black cat-shaped wind chime swayed.
“Yo—welcome~”
A drawn-out, melodious welcome came from the left side of the entrance hall.
Shangshan Che shifted his gaze from the empty shelves and the empty yet exceptionally tidy aisle to the man wearing a strange Noh mask, a white and gold God of Wealth hat, and holding a Ukiyo-e folding fan painted with turbulent waves.
Beside the man, a large armchair was slowly rocking, suggesting he had just stood up from it.
A moment later, the words 【???】 appeared above the man’s head.
Shangshan Che felt a surge of caution in his heart; it was the first time he had seen a name box with question marks.
He clasped his hands into fists and politely asked, “Are you the boss of this mountain shop, sir?”
“Tha—at I am.”
The man replied in his exaggerated tone, shaking his Ukiyo-e folding fan and pacing back and forth. “If you don’t mind, you can call me ‘Katsumi’.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the name box above the man’s head changed from three question marks to—【Katsumi（Four-Star）】.
Four-Star! A Ghost God level being!
Shangshan Che’s pupils contracted. Whether in the Eternal World or the Mortal Realm, it was his first time facing a four-star entity directly. The Fang Xiang Shi incident didn’t count because he didn’t see anything before his head was cut off.
A mere two-star map like Kisaragi Station wouldn’t have four-star Ghost Gods, not even as a hidden boss, especially since this man who called himself Katsumi was friendly.
So…
Shangshan Che touched the Walker token at his waist, had it acted up again?
With this thought, Shangshan Che lowered his stance slightly and asked in a calm tone, “Your Excellency Katsumi…”
“Ah! You shouldn’t use the title ‘Your Excellency’.” Katsumi shook his head. “I am merely a humble traveling merchant. I would be honored if a Walker could address me by my full name.”
—He had called him “guest” just moments ago, but after seeing the Walker token at his waist, he changed his address.
What exactly is this “Walker”?
Shangshan Che pondered for a moment, then no longer demurred and asked, “Katsumi, I came in after seeing your sign that boasted of ‘Wonders of the World, Stocking Everything’, but why are there no goods in the shop?”
“That, of course, requires a price!”
Katsumi snapped his folding fan shut. “However, since you are a Walker, and the first guest I’ve encountered in this unfamiliar place, it wouldn’t be impossible to allow you to browse some shelves.”
With a sound of Noh play’s exclusive, mysterious music, the previously empty shelves were instantly filled with all sorts of strange goods.
There were old mirrors, worn-out straw sandals, blood-stained wine cups… a veritable collection of odds and ends.
Wait.
Shangshan Che narrowed his eyes and noticed that each item had its own plaque—
【Demon-Slaying Mirror from the University of Tokyo Gate of Heian-kyo】
【Hojo Tokiyuki’s Straw Sandals】
【Wine Cup Used by Uesugi Kenshin Before His Death】
Junk, just junk?! Is it really just junk?!
Shangshan Che continued to look to the side and saw items like 【Oda Nobunaga’s Haori】, 【Yamata no Orochi’s Severed Tail】, and even 【Jing Ke’s Dagger Used to Assassinate Qin Shi Huang】—legendary historical and mythical artifacts.
He couldn’t help but stammer, “How, how did you get these?”
Seriously, if you can get your hands on the dagger Jing Ke used for his assassination, were you standing there watching it happen?
“Having put up such an arrogant sign, I naturally must have items worthy of it.”
Katsumi’s voice was like a smiling fox. “So, Walker, have you taken a liking to any of them?”
—To be honest, I want them all!
Shangshan Che had no doubt that the artifacts on these shelves were at least of Epic, if not Legendary, quality.
Assuming they were all genuine.
But then again, even though Shangshan Che didn’t know the specific prices of these artifacts, he could infer them by recalling the price of ordinary Epic weapons from the blacksmith shop.
—The prices of these items would surely be astronomically high, easily thousands of Soul Ash!
“I don’t see any prices marked on the goods, Katsumi. How do you sell things in your shop?”
“My apologies, my apologies! I had forgotten that.” Katsumi shook his head. “I usually trade with the demons I encounter in the wilderness, and I judge their prices.
“However, for a Walker like yourself, you would likely possess a common currency, wouldn’t you?”
Saying this, Katsumi conjured a glass bottle filled with black powder out of thin air as if performing a magic trick and placed it before Shangshan Che.
Shangshan Che picked up the bottle and examined it closely.
Soul Incense Ash? No, that’s not right. Looking at it, it seems more like… Soul Ash.
Shangshan Che glanced at his current Soul Ash reserve—833 points.
He also willed it, and 100 points of Soul Ash materialized in his palm. He extended his hand to Katsumi, “Is it this item?”
“As expected of a Walker!” Katsumi exclaimed with extreme exaggeration, shaking his head and swaying. “I’ve rarely seen Soul Ash of such high purity.”
He held up two pale pink fingers. “Your Soul Ash can be used at twice its value. This is about a hundred portions, so let’s consider it two hundred portions.”
Double usage?
Shangshan Che’s thoughts stirred. Could he find some good deals in this shop?
As if he could read his mind, Katsumi chuckled. “If I’m not mistaken, the Daito you wear at your waist is a replica of Kaga Kiyomitsu’s, isn’t it? In that case, I have an item that would perfectly complement it.”
Under Shangshan Che’s gaze, Katsumi retrieved a square piece of silk from under the counter, carefully unfolded it, revealing a blade tip about the length of a little finger.
The entire blade tip was smooth as a mirror, ageless, and even the broken edge had no unevenness or burrs, as if it was cast that way from the start, being only this small.
And when he looked towards the small blade section, Shangshan Che’s eyes felt a slight sting.
He was stunned for a moment, then his eyebrows shot up, his surprise evident even beneath his mask.
Because the prompt that appeared above this blade tip was—
【Kaga Kiyomitsu’s Blade Tip】!
Legend has it that Kaga Kiyomitsu, held by Okita Soji, had its blade tip broken at the Battle of Ikedaya and its blade sustained multiple scratches, rendering it irreparable. This Daito was thus lost to the currents of history.
Before entering, Shangshan Che never imagined he would witness a part of the genuine Kaga Kiyomitsu in such an outwardly unremarkable general store.
The Kaga Kiyomitsu at his waist hummed and vibrated, eager to be closer to that broken blade tip.
