Chapter 68: New Grudges Old Scores, Blue Oni Attacks (Seeking Follow-up Reads)

Zhou Zhenyu fell heavily to the ground.

The nurse nearby saw this and immediately stepped forward, trying to stop Uesugi Toru.

Uesugi Toru let them block the space between himself and Zhou Zhenyu; he merely looked down at Zhou Zhenyu, who lay on the ground with a somewhat inexplicably dazed expression,

"Are you more clear-headed now, Old Zhou?"

"I... I..."

Zhou Zhenyu recalled the words he had just spoken, feeling only incredulity.

He covered his face, murmuring in pain and bewilderment: "Yumeko has only just passed away; how did I have the face to say such things?"

—It seems Old Zhou has sobered up under my Personality Correction Fist.

Uesugi Toru let out a slight breath of relief.

Heart Poison, although extremely terrifying once it takes root and erupts, enough to make all who see it shudder with cold, at least in the early stage just after being planted it is not an unsolvable existence.

He just now noticed Zhou Zhenyu's emotions had become abnormal, so he tried throwing a punch to see if he could shock him awake.

But... how exactly does Heart Poison spread? Zhou Zhenyu merely met with his ex-girlfriend for a dozen or so minutes.

Zhou Zhenyu shook his head, wiped away the blood stains at the corner of his mouth, waved off the two or three nurses, and said: "I just felt that I was somewhat not quite normal."

"It's fine now." Uesugi Toru shook his head. "Old Zhou, you'd better seize the time to leave Tokyo; this place has been having far too many strange incidents lately."

Without asking the reason, Zhou Zhenyu slowly nodded: "Many thanks."

"However, after I go back I indeed have to pull myself together properly." After a long silence, Zhou Zhenyu said seriously, "This is the end of one chapter of my life, and also the new starting point of another."

Uesugi Toru smiled: "Then, Old Zhou, wishing you a safe journey."

The two walked side by side to the hospital doorway.

Uesugi Toru stood in place, while Zhou Zhenyu waved at him, turned, and walked into the stream of traffic, disappearing into the steel jungle in the blink of an eye.

He stood silently in place, waiting for Shizuka Mami.

Suddenly, a wind blew.

Uesugi Toru used a finger to brush aside the strands of hair covering his eyes, raised his head, and discovered that the originally misty Tokyo sky had already been covered over by leaden dark clouds.

It's going to rain.

Shizuka Mami was very punctual; she said half an hour, and she would absolutely not be early by a single minute nor late by a single minute.

Uesugi Toru got into the old bread van and saw Shizuka Mami, looking every bit the workplace elite, hand him a small iron box.

Shizuka Mami: "Inside is the commission reward Nanjo Shao Shu gave you."

Uesugi Toru opened it.

Inside the iron box, a crystal-clear, small red ball, within which a living flame seemed to leap, was fixed precisely in the center of the box.

A prompt instantly popped up—

【Sōgen Fire's Essence】

【Quality: Excellent】

【Effect: Depending on the method of use, can grant different special attributes to weapons or props.】

【Usage Method 1: Directly inject Spirit Power. Use on a designated weapon or prop, granting it "Weak Scorch Attribute".】

【Usage Method 2: Find an experienced craftsman to forge it. This method will, on the basis of Method 1, grant the weapon or prop one additional unknown attribute.】

【—Sōgen Fire's Essence, a rare treasure.】

Craftsman?

Uesugi Toru's first thought was a blacksmith, but the blacksmith has already left Arakawa Village, whereabouts unknown.

However, he did leave behind an apprentice with a very quiet speaking voice.

Uesugi Toru examined the prerequisite "experienced", feeling somewhat uncertain.

Although that little guy looks young in age, a yokai's appearance cannot be calculated by common sense.

He temporarily closed the iron box, slipped it into his pocket, and decided that no matter what he still had to go find that little guy first to take a look.

After all, the effect of granting one extra attribute is still quite tempting.

"I've accepted the reward." Uesugi Toru asked, "Then, Ms. Shizuka, can you tell me the commission details in detail?"

"First, I must declare one thing."

Shizuka Mami said: "I am only responsible for delivering you to the destination; everything else I absolutely do not care about."

"As it should be."

Uesugi Toru nodded—transforming into a yokai is not something that can be shown to others in the first place.

"Mm, then I'll first inform you of the target's basic situation." Shizuka Mafuyu, expression calm, ran another red light. "The target spirit is named Baka Bayashi; its strength is between One-Star Half and Two-Star."

"Baka Bayashi?" Uesugi Toru, expressionless, tapped his knuckles against his knee. "When did it appear?"

"The past two days."

A Baka Bayashi that appeared in the past two days... this can no longer be described as coincidence, right?

Although Baka Bayashi is one of the "Honjo Seven Wonders", barely counting as a local spirit neighboring Arakawa Ward.

But at this critical juncture, the Special Affairs Division in neighboring Sumida Ward could not possibly sit idle and let such a classic Mononoke slip over.

Uesugi Toru is eighty to ninety percent certain that this Baka Bayashi is the very one he ran into at Kisaragi Station.

But that makes it even stranger; the distance between Kisaragi Station and Tokyo is not just a star and a half.

While stuck in traffic, Shizuka Mami took out several clear photos and documents and handed them to Uesugi Toru,

"—Nanjo Shao Shu said, this Baka Bayashi may have been accidentally swept into Arakawa Ward by the 【Deep Ocean Current】 while crossing into reality, so it bears not-light injuries."

"—However, relative to that, it seems to have also obtained an opportunity in the current, mastering a new ability."

Deep Ocean Current?

Uesugi Toru looked at the documents, which read: "Both the Genjitsu and the Chang Shi are merely Continents, floating and sinking in the Deep Ocean."

With such an analogy, he understood that this Deep Ocean Current was largely the same as the ocean currents in Reality.

"In Legend, the Stupid Hayashi can only transform into a drum-beating Yokai, but now it's different; it seems able to phantasmalize into many Yokai and possess their abilities."

"Among them, the strongest Yokai it phantasmalized is a special Hannya."

Uesugi Toru flipped through the photos, and then he saw among them one that looked exactly like himself, yet was merely empty-handed, making the appearance of a Roar.

Confirmed. This is the Stupid Hayashi that he himself encountered.

Fortunately the Special Affairs Division discovered it early and confirmed it as a Stupid Hayashi; otherwise he would have had to bear an unwarranted black pot, and at that time everyone would have shouted to beat him.

Uesugi Toru coldly smiled twice, devoid of emotion.

What a coincidence, let's settle the new grudges and old accounts together...

"I understand the specific situation."

Uesugi Toru placed the photos and documents together in the van, and while polishing his Kiai Technique, he casually looked out the window.

At this moment the bread van happened to pass in front of the Special Affairs Division entrance, and the retreating figures of Shizuku and Kondo Tomoya flashed by.

Shizuku seemed to sense something, smiled and looked back, waving at him through the van's non-reflective black glass.

Kondo Tomoya, who was handing over work to his subordinates, took a moment to ask,

"—Tokugawa, what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

Tokugawa Ririko exhaled a Qi Sword over one meter long, then turned her head, coldly looking toward about two hundred meters behind.

At the corner two hundred meters away, Niishima Yuta, wearing a trench coat, immediately averted his gaze and walked away quickly, cursing "monster" in his heart.

"Tokugawa Ririko's Perception is too strong, and Kondo Tomoya is beside her... hard to make a move, Temporarily Exclude."

"Still, find Uesugi Toru first."

In the Shadows, the clicking Qigui raised his hand again, condensing a Translucent Water Mirror in his palm, wanting to use it to scry Uesugi Toru's location.

—This is one of the Three Choices of innate talents he Gained after transforming into a Qigui, Water Mirror Scrying.

But... Slap!

The Qigui's Water Mirror instantly shattered and exploded, even leaving a trace of Blood Stain on his cheek.

Unable to scry.

Niishima Yuta fell Silent; this was still the First time he had encountered such a violent Water Mirror Reaction.

Then, change the scrying Target to "the person Uesugi Toru values most."

This time, because the Target was Blur, the Spirit Power Quantity required to Consume presented a geometric multiples increase; if judged by the Qigui's original Spirit Power Quantity inside his body, it was absolutely insufficient.

But Niishima Yuta grinned, Without Hesitation Taking Out a black Medicine Pill from his trench coat Pocket and Throwing it into his Mouth.

Thus Life Force and Lifespan Burned crazily, exchanging for a Temporary increase in Spirit Power.

The Water Mirror's divination result came out.

"Tokugawa Ririko..."

Niishima Yuta's face twitched; he didn't expect to actually scry the same Target.

Helpless, he could only Exclude Shizuku and conduct a second Water Mirror Scrying.

A moment later, Niishima Yuta's expression became incomparably gloomy,

"Nanjo Ai."

He breathed heavily, his eyes revealing Misfortune light.

Taking Out the last Medicine Pill from his pocket, Niishima Yuta discovered that this time the Spirit Power Consumed was somewhat less than the previous two times.

The Qigui grinned pleasantly: "An Ordinary Person."

On the Water Mirror, what appeared was clearly a young man's face.

End of Chapter