Chapter 116: The Truth of the Chi, the Only Way to Leave Kisaragi Station (8.1k, please vote for monthly tickets!)

A bone-chilling cold spread with the wind, quickly covering Uesugi Toru's entire body.

Three stars!

Without a doubt, the Snow Woman's rank was at least three stars or higher!

The woman likewise stood on the ice and snow wearing tall wooden geta, her black hair falling like a waterfall; even an extremely loose furisode kimono could not fully conceal the allure of her figure.

The thin paper lanterns swayed, emitting specks of faint light, illuminating that indifferent face devoid of joy or sorrow.

The Snow Woman gazed at Uesugi Toru with an utterly unfluctuating gaze for a good while, then, after surveying his attire, spoke lightly,

"Shrine Priest, what brings you here?"

A voice as clear as a spring fell, and the surrounding cold instantly dissipated.

The feeling of being spied upon also faded away with it.

Uesugi Toru did his best to keep his mental state calm and replied, "I have heard there is a mountain inn here. I am a rootless outsider; may I stay here?"

The Snow Woman glanced lightly at the Adult hiding behind Uesugi Toru and nodded slightly to him: "Certainly."

"Those without malice are all welcome."

She walked past Uesugi Toru's side with graceful steps, lightly flipping the sign at the inn's entrance to show 【Open for Business】.

Then she extended five fingers smoother and whiter than white jade to push open the heavy wooden door, casting the dim, warm light from the spacious lobby outward.

On the left side of the threshold stood small Shika; clear water poured from a bamboo pipe into a water bowl, causing the dark green bamboo pipe to emit soft thumping sounds, cycling back and forth.

The lobby was spacious and had sufficient depth; a wooden staircase spiraled upward to the inn's upper floor.

Of course, what most attracted the gaze was the front desk near the right side of the threshold.

—A girl dressed in a light blue sailor uniform with a large bow and mid-calf socks, a complete JK outfit, stood at the front desk; upon seeing Uesugi Toru enter the threshold, she smiled and greeted him.

Uesugi Toru examined this sailor uniform and discovered that it actually bore a school badge he did not recognize.

Thus he immediately understood that the era this girl was in when she mistakenly entered here must also have been over a decade ago, or even several decades ago.

Because nowadays, whether high school or junior high school, sailor uniforms are rarely used as school uniforms anymore, having been changed to Western-style uniforms, and JKs mostly wear short skirts rather than long skirts reaching roughly to the knees.

Uesugi Toru recalled the attire of Kogawa Keizo and the others he had just seen, finding that their clothing styles were also long outdated.

"In other words, these people at least all come from the Millennium like Ye Chun?"

Similarly, this smiling front desk JK's soul also had some deficiency, though not as obvious as Kogawa Keizo and the others.

This proved that soul deficiency was a common phenomenon among the Stranger Souls staying at Kisaragi Station, while Ye Chun with a complete soul was the anomaly.

The Snow Woman stepped forward, glanced back at the Adult who had appeared at some unknown time, and said lightly to her, "Handle check-in for these two."

The JK nodded and handled the process with extreme proficiency.

Only when she picked up the fountain pen did she hesitate and ask, "What should I call you two?"

"Toru." Uesugi Toru pointed to the Adult who was still shorter than the wooden cabinet, "She is called Adult."

The JK nodded, bowed, and handed over two keys with wooden talismans bearing their names using both hands: "Enjoy your stay."

Uesugi Toru took the keys and found they were ordinary brass keys, with no panel prompt popping up on them.

Immediately the JK continued, "Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served daily; the timetable is posted on the doorframe leading to the second floor, and latecomers will not be waited for. After ten o'clock is the inn's curfew; please try not to go out, and do not make overly loud noises in your rooms."

Uesugi Toru nodded, indicating he understood.

For now, this mountain inn seemed to have nothing strange about it.

—Stranger Souls who mistakenly entered Kisaragi Station paid their lodging fees through labor, and the Snow Woman provided them with a safe place to stay; this was very reasonable logic.

Just as Uesugi Toru was thinking this, a string of prompts suddenly popped up before his eyes—

【Since you have successfully stayed at the mountain inn, Side Quest Two progress calculation begins; the following tasks are now issued.】

【Task 1: Stay Maintained (Completed)】

【Task 2: Explore the mountain inn at least 20%, current Exploration Degree: 3%.】

【Task 3: Discover the Snow Woman's true purpose, current progress: 0%.】

These tasks... the first two were practically freebies.

A mere 20% Exploration Degree; surely once Uesugi Toru wandered around a few floors of the inn he could complete it, and visiting more rooms could even over-fulfill the task.

So the key point definitely lay in Task 3—the Snow Woman herself.

Uesugi Toru breathed a sigh of relief; fortunately he had not rashly attacked the driver or the Snow Woman—this Side Quest Two was not an exorcism-type task against yokai.

But it made sense; Kisaragi Station was only a Two-Star Map, and if it issued a task directly pitting one against a Snow Woman of Three-Star Level or higher, the difficulty would be too excessive.

Moreover, the Snow Woman could communicate normally; if unnecessary, Uesugi Toru did not want to face off against a Three-Star Level yokai who was not skilled in melee combat and whose methods were unknown.

—Fighting melee yokai like white bones and wax figures could significantly increase proficiency.

But what was the point of opposing the Snow Woman?

Yin-Yang Technique proficiency was not gained through fighting.

If he wanted Soul Ash, going to Edo Castle to bully yokai around two stars was the right way, and Shizuku would help him make up the proficiency.

"Then the Isanuki Tunnel should be a similar exploration-type task, without too much difficulty."

Uesugi Toru nodded silently; now the other tasks only needed some time to complete, only the mystery surrounding Ye Chun had no clue yet.

And Ye Chun was probably also staying in this inn.

The Snow Woman's cold voice interrupted Uesugi Toru's contemplation: "How will you two pay your lodging fees?"

Hearing what Kogawa Keizo said before, lodging fees at the inn were usually paid with labor or knowledge; only if neither was available would body heat or even the soul be forcibly taken.

Thus Uesugi Toru pointed to the Adult: "Adult is a Mononoke who has survived for hundreds of years; can she pay our lodging fees with stories?"

Upon hearing the words "hundreds of years," a hint of surprise finally appeared in the Snow Woman's indifferent gaze.

She slowly nodded, without speaking.

"Please also allow me to stay by her side." Uesugi Toru picked up the Adult; he was not at ease leaving his own Shikigami alone with a Three-Star Snow Woman, "If I am not by her side, she will be too nervous to speak."

The Snow Woman lowered her eyes indifferently and nodded.

Uesugi Toru was slightly stunned, discovering that this mountain inn's proprietress was unexpectedly easy to talk to.

This was not very similar to the Yuki-onna described by Kogawa Keizo and the others; aside from having an equally cold personality, the one before him was even easier to communicate with than the Yuki-onna in the legends who married a human man.

It seemed Kogawa Keizo and the others' perspective was limited, and the information they provided was not necessarily completely accurate.

"Since the room fee is a story, allow me to take the two of you upstairs."

The Yuki-onna waved her hand, twisting her waist as she walked toward the stairs at the deepest part of the lobby.

But before she could take two steps, hurried footsteps and the sound of shoving came from the stairway, and two terrified faces and familiar clothing appeared simultaneously.

Uesugi Toru's eyes narrowed slightly.

It was precisely that man and woman named Nagashima and Takada whom he had killed not long ago, and as expected, their souls were even more fragmented than when they had met before.

Uesugi Toru's previous guess was confirmed by these two.

—In Kisaragi Station, stranger souls who stray here can indeed revive after death, but as the corresponding price of revival, their souls would lack a piece.

As for what happens when lacking a soul in Chang Shi, Uesugi Toru did not know much, and this was not very important.

However, if there is no soul, even killing them cannot extract Soul Ash...

Uesugi Toru's breathing suddenly stagnated, numerous clues flashing through his mind like lightning.

Souls can be converted into Soul Ash; after death they lack souls; and slaying Chi...

... cannot drop Soul Ash.

—Chi are transformed from stranger souls that have died too many times.

Uesugi Toru's scalp felt somewhat numb — thinking like this, just how many people had mistakenly entered this Kisaragi Station, then died again and again, repeatedly and endlessly?

But why could high-star Chi drop Soul Ash... Before Uesugi Toru could continue thinking, he felt a cold gaze land on him.

He reacted immediately and explained: "These two seem to have run into me while leaving, but on their own they mistook me for a yokai who would drag them back to the inn and attacked me."

Uesugi Toru spread his hands: "Left with no choice, I could only strike back."

At the same time, he opportunely showed curiosity: "But I remember, these two were clearly killed by me."

"Death is not the true end — this is a special rule unique to this place."

After the Yuki-onna gave a simple explanation, she softly questioned the two: "Don't you know loud noise is strictly forbidden in the lobby?"

As her words fell, Uesugi Toru saw the two fall silent like winter cicadas, covering their mouths and forcing all sound back down.

At the same time, a prompt popped up —

【Ascertained the Yuki-onna's true purpose, current progress: 10%.】

Uesugi Toru could feel the way the two looked at him was like looking at a stranger; it was very obvious they had lost their memories, yet their reaction to the Yuki-onna's words was so great.

Why was this?

Temporarily pressing the doubt into his heart, Uesugi Toru followed the Yuki-onna upstairs, and only after passing a full four floors did he enter the carpeted corridor.

Each floor of the inn was very spacious, but there were not many rooms, at most about seven or eight.

Uesugi Toru stopped before the room marked "606" — this inn was also quite strange; clearly the architectural style was traditional Japanese, but the room numbers and doors were filled with a strong modern style.

Watching the two-shaku Adult hand the key to the Yuki-onna to let her open the door, Uesugi Toru was about to follow inside, but felt a gaze vaguely watching him from behind.

He suddenly turned his head, clearly seeing that half-familiar face at the corner not far away.

—Ye Chun!

The latter's exposed half-head trembled, as if not expecting to be discovered, and hurriedly shrank back, followed by a burst of hurried footsteps echoing in the corridor.

Uesugi Toru didn't think twice and rushed over, crossing dozens of meters of corridor in two or three seconds, rounding the corner to reach the place where Ye Chun had just been peeking at him.

But all that was left for him was a tightly shut door.

"605..."

Uesugi Toru didn't say much; after memorizing the room number, he turned around.

After returning to the room, Uesugi Toru saw the two-shaku Adult and the Yuki-onna had already removed their shoes and geta, sitting on the tatami.

Even the Yuki-onna was brewing tea for him.

The ice-cold tea water drew an arc, falling into the cup, and along with the Yuki-onna's words came: "I hope Lord Toru has no superfluous thoughts."

Uesugi Toru sat down unconcerned, picked up the teacup and drank it in one gulp: "Just ran into an acquaintance."

A deep chill instantly rose within his body, making Uesugi Toru shiver.

He looked at the other two cups still steaming with hot vapor, fell silent for a moment, then raised his thumb: "Very good."

The Yuki-onna responded noncommittally, looking at the two-shaku Adult: "Lord Two-Shaku, please tell the story."

"Oh! Okay."

For the two-shaku Adult, pulling out a few good stories from over a hundred years of knowledge was simply easy; soon, she recounted the past events in a gentle, flowing manner.

The Yuki-onna sat in place, listening quietly without a word, occasionally revealing a trace of elegant smile.

Uesugi Toru sat at a distance watching the two, simultaneously taking advantage of gaps to silently cultivate the Breathing Technique.

"A three-star Yuki-onna, strength absolutely sufficient... perhaps after my two avatars advance, she would be a good Shikigami candidate." Uesugi Toru thought silently, "More importantly, this quiet personality happens to complement the two-shaku Adult."

He just happened to still have one Universal Possession Vessel unused.

But it was just a passing thought.

Given this Yuki-onna's personality, even if he defeated her, he might not necessarily be able to subdue her as a Shikigami; at most it would just be an additional possible choice.

Glancing at the Mountain Inn Exploration Degree which had already reached 30%, Uesugi Toru placed his gaze on "Ascertain the Yuki-onna's true purpose."

"Later, go ask Kogawa Keizo first."

Uesugi Toru closed his eyes, entering a half-cultivation state along with the sound of the two-shaku Adult telling the story.

Soon, a night passed.

—After the First Wave, the time flow between Genjitsu and Chang Shi changed again.

Not that the gap became larger, but the time flow ratio became closer to 1:1; both Arakawa Village and Edo Castle were the same.

It was just that Kisaragi Station seemed to have suffered some mishap, and the difference in time flow between it and Genjitsu had grown even greater.

Unfortunately, practicing Breathing Technique and Yin-Yang Technique within Kisaragi Station yielded half the result with twice the effort, ruthlessly crushing Uesugi Toru's idea of using this loophole to grind Proficiency.

Early the next day, nearly half an hour had passed since the Snow Woman left, satisfied after hearing the story.

Uesugi Toru plucked the Soul Thread, summoning Kogawa Keizo to the doorway of Room 606 to see him.

Boom boom boom.

Soon after, knocking sounded at the door.

Uesugi Toru opened the door and saw Kogawa Keizo standing at the doorway, head held high and chest out, ramrod straight.

"Good morning! Toru-sama!"

He gave Uesugi Toru a clumsy military salute.

Uesugi Toru's mouth twitched, fearing that he might blurt out something like "favor" or "loyalty" later.

However useful this Soul Seal was, over a long period he could control at most thirty or forty Ordinary People; if replaced by ordinary Yokai and the like, that number would likely decrease severalfold.

Uesugi Toru nodded and said,

"Take me to your room to have a look."

"Yes!"

Following Kogawa Keizo, they arrived before the room marked "403"; Kogawa opened the door for him, then reached inside: "Toru-sama, please enter."

This room...

Uesugi Toru had not even walked in before he noticed something amiss.

Because inside Kogawa Keizo's room, everywhere was carved with dense small characters, such as "No noise in the lobby" or "No contact with Yokai."

And these words appeared not just once, as if reminding someone, repeating endlessly.

Entering the Threshold, one could even see on the table a clear and deep engraving: "Escape the hotel, find Kisaragi Station."

Uesugi Toru casually picked up a Teacup and found that even the bottom had a line of small writing: "My name is Kogawa Keizo."

—Without a doubt, Kogawa Keizo was using the method of carving words in the room to make up for his Memory Loss, telling his next self what to do and what not to do.

As for how this "next self" came to be... the two in the lobby earlier were a fine example.

It seemed that the loss of the Soul would cause severe Memory Loss—not only losing one's life memories after entering Kisaragi Station, but even those from before entering the station.

Otherwise Kogawa Keizo would have no need to do something as foolish as carving his own name.

And why the Mindless had no Awareness could now be explained.

—Once all memories were lost, one would naturally become like that.

After figuring this out, Uesugi Toru found that the Progress Bar for "Uncovering the Snow Woman's True Purpose" had risen by 5%.

Immediately afterward, Uesugi Toru had Kogawa bring him all the inscribed utensils in this room, and for those he could not bring, have them copied onto paper.

Soon, Uesugi Toru had clarified Kogawa Keizo's train of thought.

From the terror of first mistakenly entering Kisaragi Station, to the relief of being brought to the hotel by the driver, then to the despair of wanting to leave the hotel, to leave this other world, yet being unable to do so no matter what.

Die, revive, die, revive... Kogawa Keizo had repeated this process probably over ten times.

Uesugi Toru put down the last Spoon and asked: "But you successfully escaped the hotel twice, yet the final result was still waking up in the hotel again?"

"It seems so."

Kogawa Keizo's face darkened.

Kisaragi Station was unlike other Chang Shi regions; ordinary Yokai and Stranger Souls seemingly could not leave by normal means.

And abnormal means...

Think about how these people mistakenly entered it.

—Riding a whistling Train, passing through the Tunnel in complete ignorance, then arriving at Kisaragi Station and being trapped there ever since.

Uesugi Toru narrowed his eyes.

The Correct Answer should already be obvious.

—Riding any Transportation Item, then passing through the Isanuki Tunnel, one could escape this special Area.

But how could Ordinary People possibly know this?

And even the Train sent by Ye Chun had passed through the Tunnel before arriving at Kisaragi Station; even if one boarded it, it was impossible to pass through the Tunnel in reverse again.

The only possibility lay with the Mononoke driver's SUV.

"I'm leaving; there's no need to look anymore."

Uesugi Toru left the room, letting Kogawa Keizo move freely, while he would stroll around the hotel during his free time, raising the Exploration Degree as much as possible.

"Is that driver's location still clear?"

Hearing the question, Adult Ni-Shaku nodded: "Although it's quite far from here, the location is very precise."

And as he passed a most ordinary corner, a black shadow wearing a Hood suddenly rushed out and slammed hard into Uesugi Toru's side.

Immediately, Uesugi Toru felt a crumpled Paper Ball stuffed into his palm.

He didn't think much of it, directly reached out and gripped the black shadow's Collar, lifting the person into midair, not letting them escape as they wished.

The Hood slipped down.

"Huh?!"

The black shadow... no, now it should be said that Ye Chun had not expected at all that, despite having used all her strength to bump into him and rushing around the corner at such speed, she could still be caught.

Uesugi Toru stared at the girl for a moment, whose Qi Fen was completely different from the Ye Chun he had seen before, and smiled: "Caught you."

Even though she realized the other party was a monster and likewise a Stranger, Ye Chun still couldn't help but blush at this face so close to Uesugi Toru.

She turned her head and stammered: "Can, can you let me down?"

"Of course."

Uesugi Toru smiled and nodded; the performance of the three people at the hotel earlier and the Snow Woman had almost made him think his face with 15 points of Charm was useless.

Now it seems, the lethality and affinity were still considerable.

He effortlessly lifted the girl in his hand: "On the premise that you tell me what you want to do."

"It's all written on the note..." Ye Chun muttered softly, "If I'd known I'd be caught, I would've put the paper ball by the doorway in advance."

Uesugi Toru unfolded the paper ball with one hand, and what he said left Ye Chun stunned: "Then if I hear footsteps, I'll come out and catch you too."

This, this is a yokai?

It seems what others said was right, the power of yokai truly isn't something us ordinary people can compare to.

Ye Chun thought somewhat dejectedly, yet her gaze couldn't help but be drawn to the White Hannya Mask at Uesugi Toru's waist.

This Evil Ghost Mask is so handsome.

She couldn't help but think.

At the same time, Uesugi Toru unfolded the note—

【Go to Underground Floor 1 at dawn, there might be what you want there.】

Fine, you're playing riddles with me again, right?

But this time it doesn't matter, because the riddle-speaker himself has been caught by me.

Uesugi Toru waved the note in front of Ye Chun's eyes and asked: "Explain, what does it say up there?"

Ye Chun opened her mouth—she had originally noticed Uesugi Toru was different from these ordinary lodgers, so she wanted to use him as this variable to disrupt the inn's order, thereby creating an opportunity for her own escape.

Ye Chun heard many other lodgers say that as long as they return to Kisaragi Station and board the train there, they can go back.

This isn't just one person's words, but something verified by multiple people in different places at different times.

And when that driver brought her here, she clearly remembered the route.

But now circumstances are stronger than people.

Ye Chun had no doubt that if she started playing dumb right now, she would definitely be killed or eaten by this fox yokai before her eyes.

Even if he was handsomely beyond compare.

Because yokai are yokai, they kill easily.

This was also something she confirmed after hearing from multiple lodgers.

So the girl spoke somewhat reluctantly: "Someone saw the mistress often going alone to Underground Floor 1 at dawn, because I saw you looking for something, so I wanted to let you go there..."

Without any concealment, Ye Chun poured out her true purpose based on intuition as well: "Once you restrain the mistress and disrupt the order, I can sneak out from here."

After hearing this, Uesugi Toru put her on the ground and nodded cheerfully: "I'm glad to see you're so honest, Ye Chun."

He could clearly see Ye Chun's face stiffen, not expecting her real name to be spoken out.

Uesugi Toru looked Ye Chun over again, confirming her soul was complete and whole, not missing a piece, and such a Ye Chun wanting to leave the inn had only one reason.

Go home.

So... it's the Snow Woman not letting them leave the inn?

He glanced at the 【Underground Floor 1】 written on the note again—no matter what Ye Chun's thoughts were, the fact that she had assisted him was real.

So Uesugi Toru put away the note and said to Ye Chun standing nervously in place: "If you believe me, don't try alone during this time, I'll take you back."

After speaking, Uesugi Toru, who had played the riddle-speaker, turned and walked away, leaving the dazed Ye Chun in place.

Gazing at the back of the four-tailed fox leaving while wagging its tail, Ye Chun fell into deep confusion for a moment,

"Should I... trust him?"

Although reason told her not to trust the words of a yokai she'd only met once, intuition in the dark kept repeating such words in her heart—

He, can be trusted.

In the time after, Uesugi Toru and Adult Ni-jou wandered leisurely in the inn, and when it was time they tasted the inn's traditional dishes, looking exactly like sightseeing tourists.

Other lodgers, upon seeing them, kept their distance, with eyes holding unbearable anxiety and fear.

Uesugi Toru knew that was the result of those words carved several times.

And that sentence actually wasn't wrong—among the yokai and mononoke outside the inn, which one isn't a killer who blinks not?

Uesugi Toru, having already collected enough information, didn't plan to exchange anything with them, and after brushing the inn's exploration degree to 60%, he brought Adult Ni-jou back to the room to wait for dawn.

Although the exact time in Chang Shi couldn't be known, there was a clock in the inn room, and judging time by that would do.

Tick, tock.

Accompanied by the clock hands ticking to twelve, Uesugi Toru, who had also brushed over ten points of breathing proficiency, opened his eyes in the darkness.

Now was the inn's curfew time, so outside was naturally silent and quiet.

When wandering around the inn before, Uesugi Toru had already turned the entire inn's route into a map engraved in his brain.

The so-called entrance to Underground Floor 1 he had naturally discovered too—a plain and ordinary floorboard concealed by Yin-Yang Technique.

Ordinary people naturally couldn't discover it, but this spiritual power fluctuation, though faint, couldn't escape his eyes.

After tossing Adult Ni-jou, who was using his tail as a soft bed, back into the Jizo Statue in one go, Uesugi Toru opened the room door soundlessly.

Because he had long wedged small vines at the door hinge, opening the door wouldn't make a creaking sound.

Uesugi Toru likewise didn't wear geta that would make noise in great detail, but instead turned into a shota form with a smaller target, wearing tabi and tiptoeing out of the room.

Circulating the Jade Heart Technique, absorbing the overflowing Jing Shen into his body, stopping the cultivation of the breathing technique, then converging spiritual power fluctuation.

Next, it was time to reveal the little secret the Snow Woman didn't want people to discover.

Silently going down to the empty first floor, Uesugi Toru breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, wiping the sweat from his temples.

That short while just now could be called the peak moment of his exertion technique.

Because even using a bit more force might cause the wooden stairs to creak and alert the Snow Woman.

"It's just like playing a horror game..."

Uesugi Toru held his breath and focused, and soon found that floorboard concealed by Yin-Yang Technique.

If his guess was correct, this floorboard was merely a simple illusion, and he could walk straight into it—Uesugi Toru had seen similar Yin-Yang Techniques in the Common Onmyojutsu Encyclopedia.

Uesugi Toru probed it with his foot, then his entire body vanished into it.

Gurgle gurgle gurgle…

It was as if the sound of something boiling and bubbling echoed within the cramped space.

The moment Uesugi Toru walked in, he frowned deeply—the resentment in this space was far too severe, nearly inducing a phenomenon that corroded his mind and spirit.

After stepping down several stairs, Uesugi Toru landed on the ground, silently peeking his gaze out from around the corner.

Beneath the bleak purple light, blue flames burned slowly, and unknown purple liquid churned in the huge sand pot, continuously emitting deep, thick resentment and unwillingness outward.

Under the bleak purple light, the Snow Woman, still wearing that snow-white kimono, expressionlessly stirred the huge soup ladle, then continuously threw the stranger souls, mutilated to the extreme beside her, into it, boiling them into soup.

Thus, resentment erupted.

Uesugi Toru never expected the Snow Woman would actually commit an act like a witch in a novel story, and so forgot to move his gaze away from her.

The Snow Woman's motion of stirring the Soul Soup paused slightly.

But after only a moment she continued the motion, merely saying coldly: "Lord Toru, peeping is not a polite act, nor is it something a Shrine Priest should do."

Boiling others into Soul Soup isn't something one should do either, is it…

Uesugi Toru knew he had been exposed due to his mistake.

But the progress of "Uncovering the Snow Woman's True Purpose" had suddenly become 40%; this trip was obviously worth it.

He walked out, removed the Thousand Faces disguise, and before he could speak, heard the Snow Woman continue: "I suppose you are curious, right?"

The Snow Woman's indifferent voice came: "Occasionally when someone mistakenly enters here, they will be curious about what happened here, and what this concubine is doing."

"This is very normal; curiosity is the common nature of intelligent creatures."

Uesugi Toru raised his eyes alertly—the Snow Woman's words were too many; she was using speech to buy time.

But Uesugi Toru was also happy to do so.

His purpose was not to fight and kill, but merely to find out what the Snow Woman wanted to do; this situation was actually to his advantage.

The Snow Woman skillfully controlled the fire, inputting spirit power into the Soul Soup, and said,

"This concubine built the inn to shelter these humans... these stranger souls, without noble thoughts, nor for any evil purpose."

The indifferent voice came,

"To be precise, it is like rearing small animals."

Uesugi Toru shook the folding fan in his hand, gazing at the resentments suffering torment one by one in the sand pot: "Then, what are you doing now?"

End of Chapter