Chapter 257: The Man with Seven Scars on His Chest

"Create a 'Gensokyo' using the 'realm of common sense and uncommon sense'! This is your mission!"

Jia Ji rattled off everything he remembered about future events, like pouring beans from a bamboo tube, to Yagumo Shizu, who was only barely peeking through a tiny gap in the boundary, her true form shyly hidden inside, listening in silence.

Roughly five hundred years from now, Amaterasu will completely overpower Onmyo Muyu; with the human population exploding and fear of yōkai dwindling, new yōkai grow rarer while existing ones vanish faster, causing their power to collapse rapidly.

The yōkai sage who manipulates boundaries planned and executed a yōkai expansion project, utterly forging the boundary between illusion and reality around what was once called "Gensokyo"—a mere wilderness autonomous zone—and logically created Gensokyo in its truest sense.

Of course, the resistance and setbacks were numerous; even large numbers of yōkai united in opposition, forcing the sage to strike hard.

Perhaps it was precisely at this time that the first sin bags were created.

Otherwise, Jia Ji would have definitely been assigned position 001 of the Zuidai Gap.

Until Meiji 18 (1885), sages including Yagumo Shizu and Matara created the Hakurei Great Barrier, separating Gensokyo from the outside world.

Jia Ji, once started, went all the way—he dumped every major event before the Spell Card Rule was established, including operations like seeking out the Dragon God Hakurei, down to the smallest detail.

Since there'd be no more setbacks later anyway, he'd just save Yagumo Shizu a thousand years of detours.

Meanwhile, Yagumo Shizu, hidden within the gap, felt her emotions were beyond description.

She vaguely recalled this guy called himself an "information connoisseur," but the sheer flood of information and trivia poured into her was overwhelming.

"That's about it… when you build the Hakurei Great Barrier, be sure to call me. That Dragon God may be a human dragon, but you can't handle him—let me take care of it…"

If his memory was correct, the yōkai sages, having violated heavenly law, wagered their very existence and swore an oath to the Dragon God to forever preserve peace within Gensokyo, causing it to retreat.

Its rank is at least one level higher than the sages; its combat feel likely rivals Tsukuyomi's. But after so much time has passed in this world, Jia Ji returning now would easily crush a mere Dragon God.

Even without fighting, just showing up for the spectacle would be fine.

In fact, if you searched the remote regions of Shikoku now, you might even find traces of the Dragon God—the supreme deity of Gensokyo.

But such laborious work? Jia Ji naturally had no interest—he'd wait; when the time came, the Dragon God would come to him.

Jia Ji: "One more thing… Gensokyo must have a shrine maiden."

Yagumo Shizu: "?"

Jia Ji: "The shrine maiden must expose her armpits… no, she must be skilled at exorcising yōkai, preferably specializing in hand-to-hand combat."

Yagumo Shizu: "Do you even hear what you're saying?"

What shrine maiden wears an armpit-exposing outfit? Does he have a thing for that?

"Heh, in Gensokyo, you can't be bound by common sense. How can a shrine maiden punch without exposing her armpits? Do you think she'll rely on spiritual power and Yin-Yang magic? That's about it… the 'Gensokyo Non-One-Day-Building Plan' ends here. That's all."

Beneath the vast starry sky, in the Mochitsuki mansion, a muscular man clapped his hands to himself.

He was already imagining the scene: "Hakurei Shrine Maiden: Foolish yōkai, how does it feel to be struck by the Hakurei Hundred Crack Fist, Tenba Wind God Kick, and Friendship Smash Palm? XD"

Heh, that'd be hilarious.

Yagumo Shizu sighed with a wry smile; her usually alluring, delicate face bore a rare trace of melancholy toward the future and fate—her prospects looked grim.

"Crunch crunch"

Jia Ji, his throat dry from talking, picked up a plump, round peach from the fruit tray beside him and bit into it—one of the moon rabbits' daily rations.

The honey-colored flesh gleamed like agate; juice and fiber burst in layers on his tongue, a nectar-like sweetness exploding from his taste buds, prompting an involuntary sigh of satisfaction—he hadn't eaten properly in ages.

Top-grade moon peach.

Packed with juice.

"Try this! They say the peaches from the Moon Capital were transplanted from Heaven—even the Celestials say they're delicious."

Jia Ji tossed one into the gap; a dull thud echoed, as if it had hit something.

The next instant, the boundary yōkai poked half her body out, annoyed—her golden hair streaked with juice, her ever-present folding fan clenched tightly, creaking under her grip.

Though he'd meant only to help her, why did he somehow make her so irritable?

Leaving aside other things, if she followed Jia Ji's demands, the future would surely diverge from his description—it'd become a mess. But given Yagumo Shizu's nature, she could never ignore a better path just because it was inconvenient.

This feeling of being completely outmaneuvered, utterly controlled, made the yōkai sage deeply uneasy.

Yet, the yōkai girl suddenly smiled faintly—as if eagerly awaiting something. To return the favor, she pointed at the man before her and spoke decisively.

"Haven't you noticed what's happened to yourself?"

Hearing Yagumo Shizu say that, Jia Ji blinked—he'd been dreaming, so his memories were fragmented, but he vaguely recalled being beaten badly, though he'd fully recovered after treatment.

He trusted both Yagumo Shizu and Yagami Eirin; even if he'd been halfway to hell, they'd pull him back. And with events piling up, he'd had no time to check himself thoroughly.

"Actually… we never had to lift a finger…"

Yagumo Shizu smiled sweetly: "It was the immortal spirit, Konpaku Youmu, who saved you~"

What?!

How did a mere fatal wound draw Youmu's attention?

"Wait, where's my 970, 00-level Qi and 930, 00-level spiritual power dual-core drive?"

In barely a second, Jia Ji noticed—the two separate blue bars he could toggle between had merged into one single, massive bar.

A unique power slowly flowed through his entire body; an unusual radiance glimmered in his eyes, and the world seemed to have transformed.

For the first time, he saw the world with such clarity—his awareness instantly scanned hundreds of meters around him.

Sounds, dust, air vibrations, invisible magnetic and electric fields, even various energy radiations—all laid bare before his perception. He felt his very essence of power had changed.

"Wait!"

And… Jia Ji tore open his shirt—and froze in shock. Seven holes had appeared on his chest?!

Whether intentional or not, Youmu had indeed dripped her blood onto him in the pattern of the Big Dipper.

So… the fourth disciple of the Northern Star Fist, Ken Shi Lang, no longer has seven scars—but now I, Jia Ji, do?

Is… this right?

So there absolutely must be a "man with seven scars on his chest," right?

(End of Chapter)