Chapter 41: The Adult of Two Shaku Two Sun Two Bu Two Rin

The Eight Shaku Figure was struck as if by lightning, frozen in place.

She stared at the evil ghost face suddenly appearing before her, her thoughts instantly falling into chaos.

Uesugi Toru gave her no chance to react at all; he guessed the Eight Shaku Adult was at least one star or above, and even if he wanted to subdue her, that would have to wait until after he beat her.

He fully activated the Kiai Technique, and amidst a shout, he drew Kaga Kiyomitsu's blade into afterimages.

This strike, with speed beyond thirty-five points of Physique—can you take it!

The answer the Eight Shaku Figure gave was—

No reaction at all!

That's right, neither resisting nor dodging, but instead being pressed in place by the Fear Smile and roar, hard-eating this strike!

The blade sliced through the Eight Shaku Figure's abdomen with almost no obstruction, making her entire body fade by several points; perhaps after a few more strikes, this Mononoke called the Eight Shaku Adult could be exorcised.

"Popopo—!"

The Eight Shaku Figure let out a cry of pain, while Uesugi Toru forcibly stopped the motion of his next strike, looking somewhat puzzled at the Eight Shaku Adult who made no reaction or movement.

What the hell is going on?

Uesugi Toru was also confused; it was his first time seeing a Mononoke get slashed without fighting back.

Was it because of my 9 points of Charm? Or was the famous Eight Shaku Adult a follower of the Sword Saint Sect?

And when Uesugi Toru shifted his gaze to the top of the Eight Shaku Figure's head, he finally realized.

It turned out that the half-star above this Eight Shaku Adult's head was completely empty. She was now nearly a Zero-Star Stray Spirit; being able to take his strike without dying was already a sign of tenacious vitality.

Looking closer, Uesugi Toru could even see the label 【Eight Shaku Figure on the Brink of Dispersal (Zero-Star)】.

Now everything was clear.

The Eight Shaku Adult hadn't dared approach just now not because of courtesy before force, but because she knew her strength was weak and needed to wait for the right moment.

Likewise, when he had previously transformed into Hannya to come here, it wasn't because the Eight Shaku Adult thought his Charm was too low, but because she simply didn't dare appear!

Reaching this thought, Uesugi Toru stood up, pressing the blade against the Eight Shaku Figure's neck and said: "I ask, you answer. If you can't answer by the count of ten, the blade comes down."

"—Why are you so weak?"

The Eight Shaku Figure stared at the terrifying Hannya mask before her, regretting her carelessness, and cried out with a sobbing voice: "popopo……"

"Eight!" The blade came another fraction closer to her neck, and Kaga Kiyomitsu trembled happily.

Uesugi Toru shouted: "Crying? Crying counts as time too!"

The Eight Shaku Figure instantly stopped crying, sobbing through tears: "Be… because, not long after the factory landed, no one in Arakawa Village remembered me anymore, and no one has come here for a long time; if a Mononoke is forgotten, it will only disperse."

The factory, still that blood-sweat factory exploiting workers, could be called the source of all evil in Arakawa Ghost Village.

Uesugi Toru narrowed his eyes, withdrawing the blade by two fractions: "I'll give you ten more seconds, continue from the factory."

The Eight Shaku Figure's body trembled slightly: "Since that factory appeared, the farmland was polluted, residents died, fled, or went mad, and the original village was just abandoned like that."

"Do you know about that factory?"

"I do……"

"Who's inside?"

"Peasants, inspectors supervising the peasants, and the Factory Master."

"Tell me in detail."

"The peasants were all forcibly taken to work; the four inspectors were stronger and more cruel than I originally was, and the terrifying Factory Master only returned to inspect the factory once every few months."

"How many such factories are there?"

"I heard there are several hundred……"

Over a hundred Zero-Star workers, four inspectors of at least One-Star Half, and a mysterious Factory Master, possibly with an Everworld Capitalist Alliance behind them.

The Eight Shaku Figure's words made Uesugi Toru once again temporarily abandon the idea of attacking the factory.

In troubled times, it's better not to actively cause trouble.

But looking at it this way, the Eight Shaku Adult really was pitiful; as a Mononoke known by every household in Genjitsu, she had fallen so low as to face dispersal in Chang Shi because she was forgotten.

Uesugi Toru pondered for a while, but then heard the Eight Shaku Figure beside him say with a sobbing voice: "Ask quickly, I'll say anything."

Uesugi Toru found it a bit amusing, so he ended his transformation state, wearing that face with 9 points of Charm, and asked again: "Then I ask you, are you willing to do big things with me from now on?"

Seeing the fierce Hannya before her suddenly turn back into that handsome Sword Saint, the Eight Shaku Figure was stunned for a moment.

Uesugi Toru raised an eyebrow, not expecting that this Eight Shaku Adult staying in Meiji-era Arakawa Village would be almost identical to the more widely circulated manga image of the current era.

—White hat, black hair, beautiful appearance.

—More importantly, she was eating up the Charm attribute.

The Eight Shaku Figure stopped crying, thinking to herself that there was actually such a good thing, and nodded like a chicken pecking at rice: "Willing, I'm willing!"

Anyway, even if left alone, she would disperse soon enough.

And the Eight Shaku Figure boasted to herself that she couldn't match this Sword Saint who could turn into a Hannya, so she might as well quickly submit and lie down to enjoy herself.

As for why it was said the Sword Saint turned into a Hannya, rather than a Hannya disguising as a Sword Saint… the answer is that one's worldview follows one's features.

"But I've already become an Earth-bound Spirit of Arakawa Village." The Eight Shaku Figure pointed at the broken Jizo Statue lying in the temple, saying, "Without a 【Vessel】, I cannot leave the range of Arakawa Village."

"That's simple."

Uesugi Toru took out a Mini Jizo Statue from his Storage Backpack, placed it before the Eight Shaku Figure, and lightly shook the gleaming blade tip of Kaga Kiyomitsu: "Do you go in yourself, or do I help you in?"

"No need for your help, I can move myself."

The Eight Shaku Figure hadn't even had time to be shocked before she saw the swaying blade, so she hurriedly squeezed out a stiff smile at him, transforming into a mist and drilling into the Jizo Statue.

The next moment, a prompt popped up before Uesugi Toru's eyes.

【One-Star Half Mononoke "Eight Shaku Figure" is attempting to actively become your Shikigami. Do you agree?】

【You chose to agree.】

【You have subdued the One-Star Half Mononoke "Eight Shaku Figure"!】

【You have subdued your first Shikigami, reward Prop "Universal Possession Vessel Prototype" ×1!】

【Side Quest One—the Jizo Statue's damage is complete!】

【You may select to claim this Side Quest's reward immediately! Or wait to claim Accumulated Reward after multiple Tasks are completed!】

【You have chosen, Accumulated Task Reward.】

About a minute or two later, the shaking Jizo Statue stabilized completely, also indicating that Eight Shaku Figure's success in using it as a "Vessel."

Generally speaking, if an Onmyoji wants to subdue Mononoke and Yokai as Shikigami, they need to sign a Qiyuan with them using Yin-Yang Technique, then use a Vessel matching their affinity to collect the Shikigami.

In this process, not only is Yin-Yang Technique difficult to learn, but a Vessel capable of containing the target Mononoke or Yokai is also very hard to find.

This also led many Onmyoji to use part of their own flesh as the Shikigami's Vessel, constantly damaging their flesh and consuming their lifespan to contain the Shikigami.

After feeling a subtle yet incomparably tough sensing connection arise in his heart, Uesugi Toru attempted to trigger it, speaking in his heart:

"Come out, Eight Shaku Adult!"

The next moment, the Mini Jizo Statue glowed faintly, and Eight Shaku Figure, already Uesugi Toru's Shikigami, drilled out again.

Uesugi Toru stood before him, a white-hatted, black-haired little loli not yet as tall as his leg, and was stunned for a moment.

This is... that Eight Shaku Adult from just now?

Uesugi Toru gestured at her height and found it was almost exactly one quarter of the original.

"This is clearly an Adult of two shaku two fen two cun two li!"

At this time, Eight Shaku... oh no, now should say Two Shaku Adult.

Two Shaku Adult also discovered her own change, letting out a soft "popopo?!" cry.

At this time, a translucent Prompt also appeared beside Two Shaku Adult.

【Click to view Shikigami Panel】

Uesugi Toru used his mind to click.

End of Chapter