Chapter 94: Lili Zi’s Sleep Research Method
Shangshan Che had just been thinking in Edo Castle moments ago whether Restless Ones might emerge following the undulating tide, and right after, he actually spotted two of them on his own balcony.
“But even so, they shouldn’t have landed precisely on the balcony…”
Shangshan Che was speechless. Could his home be some kind of qi-gathering spot, the ultimate rotten feng shui location?
Wait, it didn’t seem impossible.
Just yesterday, an Ox Demon had been gnawed down to scraps by Old Man Ghost, and now Restless Ones had come. In a few more days, would that pair of White Bone Wax Figures show up right at his doorway?
He pondered for a moment and decided to tell Sister Nanjo about the situation later, so she could find some Onmyōdō expert to check it out.
Although it might destroy the “balcony monster spawn point,” Shangshan Che wasn’t the type to greedily cling to such minor gains.
He didn’t want to wake up every time to demons dancing wildly in his home.
If Old Man Ghost couldn’t hold out one day, the one who’d be done for would be him, lying in bed exploring the Eternal World.
By the time Shangshan Che refocused his gaze, he was shocked to discover that the two Restless Ones had already been pinned to the ground by Old Man Ghost in these few seconds and were being voraciously devoured.
As Old Man Ghost chomped away, the two Restless Ones let out gurgling blood bubble sounds.
Fortunately, these demons descending from the Eternal World left few traces after death, or Shangshan Che would have to worry about the cleanliness of his home.
Shangshan Che closed the window and thought: “They’re so pathetic. So weak yet they dared to challenge Old Man Ghost?”
Moreover, he noticed that the two Restless Ones hadn’t dropped any equipment or items—pure penniless ghosts, it seemed.
He picked up the earpiece and released the mute plug from Nanjo Emi’s mouth: “Hello, hello, is Sister Nanjo still there?”
Nanjo Emi had no complaints about being instantly muted. Instead, she immediately asked: “What happened?”
So Shangshan Che recounted in detail what had just occurred, plus his speculation about the condition of Restless Ones after the tide’s arrival.
Of course, Shangshan Che didn’t mention anything about traversing the Eternal World.
He also swapped Old Man Ghost’s role for his own—Nanjo Emi vaguely sensing Old Man Ghost’s existence was one thing, but him admitting it outright was another.
“Understood.” Nanjo Emi’s tone was uncharacteristically serious. “Whether your speculation is correct or not, I thank you first on behalf of the entire Special Affairs Office.”
“No need for that. Just send more commissions to confirm demon presences.”
Shangshan Che pulled out the excuse he’d thought of earlier: “I just started with Corona Breathing Technique yesterday. My hands are really itching.”
He didn’t emphasize “high-star commissions” but “confirming demon presence” because Shangshan Che didn’t want to run trips for nothing.
There were only a few hours until his next entry into the Eternal World anyway. Earning less Soul Ash was fine; the key was not wasting time.
“That’s easy.” After hearing this, Nanjo Emi added: “Also, don’t go telling everyone you practice Breathing Technique. If you don’t say anything, no one will care, but if you talk too much, even your little girlfriend’s side will have a hard time.”
Shangshan Che was helpless: “Lili Zi isn’t my gir… whatever, Sister Nanjo, think what you like.”
“Then I’ll have Mafuyu pick you up and take you there. She’ll brief you on the details—”
Midway through, Nanjo Emi’s voice suddenly cut off, followed by several unfamiliar or familiar voices in the earpiece, sounding chaotic.
A good while later, she spoke again,
“Uh, your little girlfriend says she wants to come too. She wants to know your thoughts.”
Huh?
Shangshan Che was stunned. It was past 2 a.m. now, and Lili Zi still wasn’t asleep?
Keep in mind, Lili Zi hadn’t consecutively started Breathing Technique like he did yesterday, breaking through Natural Reason School to gain a full 6 points of constitution, and she’d been cultivating for so long while guiding him…
He blurted out: “Don’t you value your life?”
Realizing Nanjo Emi was still on the line, Shangshan Che coughed twice: “I meant Lili Zi.”
Moments later, Nanjo Emi relayed: “She says she’s researching how many hours a day to sleep and how many times for the most benefit to cultivation. She says not to worry.”
Now, Shangshan Che truly didn’t know what to say.
Researching sleep methods… only she could come up with that.
“—So, Shangshan Jun, your answer?”
“What star commission?”
“One-Star.”
The answer was obvious.
……
The van arrived across from his home forty minutes later.
Shangshan Che glanced at Old Man Ghost and saw the old man still slowly chewing on the balcony, with a scrawny leg left after eating so long—truly not wasteful.
As he headed out, Shangshan Che couldn’t resist half-turning back.
—He sensed that Old Man Ghost’s qi had changed somewhat from the start. It wasn’t a clear increase, but it was definitely stronger than at first.
Could Old Man Ghost get stronger just by eating demons?
If that was true, maybe wanting to eat him was a ruse, and the real purpose was guarding the balcony monster cage for new demon drops…
Raising Old Man Ghost to higher stars would be trouble, but calling Special Affairs Office people to deal with him would be too wasteful.
The inexplicable speculation disrupted Shangshan Che’s thoughts.
So much so that when he opened the door and got in the van, he didn’t notice he’d plopped right into Lili Zi’s lap, where she was already sitting with eyes closed, waiting.
“Pfft—”
Lili Zi, eyes closed, nearly choked from Shangshan Che’s sit.
She circulated her Breathing Technique to catch her breath, taking several seconds before saying: “Shangshan Jun, this is premeditated murder. If you can’t stand me, just say so.”
Shangshan Che felt awkwardly embarrassed for the first time in a while: “Misunderstanding, total misunderstanding.”
He suggested: “Lili Zi, if you don’t mind, you can sit in the back too.”
She’d said this to him before, so it wasn’t offensive now.
Shizuma Mafuyu in the driver’s seat mentally went “Hm?” and glanced in the rearview mirror, thinking the young couple played quite boldly, but they wouldn’t really do it in front of an outsider like her…
Before Shizuma Mafuyu’s thought finished, she saw Lili Zi say okay, then without another word, drop a Mount Tai crush onto Shangshan Che’s lap.
Shangshan Che’s vision went black instantly: “Pfft—!”
Even though his constitution far exceeded Lili Zi’s, he couldn’t withstand her precisely targeting the Breathing Technique transition point.
Sitting there guaranteed he’d choke.
Lili Zi, nestled in Shangshan Che’s lap against his shoulder, turned and smiled: “There, now we’re even.”
Shizuma Mafuyu, witnessing it all, said nothing and just gripped the steering wheel tighter.
Hardened—her fist hardened.
—Damn it, why hadn’t she dated anyone even though she was about to graduate university? High school and junior high were all test prep, university was research projects, and now at Special Affairs Office, work filled almost all her off time with those messes.
Though this was Shizuma Mafuyu’s own choice, and she knew the consequences.
But… why did it hurt so much!?
