Chapter 654: The Weight of a Promise (Part 1)
Facing Gen Jixiang’s questioning, Su Jiu did not appear flustered. She slightly raised her head to look up and asked faintly, “What do you mean, Miss Gen? I don’t quite understand.”
She was certain no one had noticed the arrow she ordered Feng to shoot. Even if they were staring at her, they absolutely couldn’t have detected it. The other party was likely bluffing, perhaps due to some reason that had alerted them.
“Miss Lu is quite interesting. There are only the two of us here, so why pretend not to know?”
Gen Jixiang wore an expression that clearly conveyed, “Stop pretending, I’ve seen through your little tricks.” Then, as if to gain Su Jiu’s trust, she displayed the patterns on her sleeve, chuckling softly and saying, “I won’t hide anything from you, little lady. We are from the Fujiwara family. If you hand over half of the corpse to me, not only can I help you clean up the matter with Kamishiro Yuichi, but I can also offer you the friendship of the Fujiwara family.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Su Jiu casually glanced at the embroidered patterns, slowly shook her head, and replied before turning to leave. That person was indeed a big trouble…
The woman before her was completely unyielding. Gen Jixiang’s eyes revealed a trace of annoyance, but she didn’t speak further. After all, she only guessed that Su Jiu was involved, and everything was based on the sensing brought by Anzu: there had been some unusual fluctuations on the other party’s person before.
“Since you’re hiding your strength, then…”
Watching Su Jiu’s receding figure, a testing idea arose in her mind. Her eyes narrowed, her silver snake transformed into a slender short sword, and she stomped her feet. Her body flashed as she lunged towards Su Jiu’s back, aiming to stab her.
The speed was exceptionally fast. In an instant, she reached the position of Su Jiu’s back, then abruptly stopped. She was only a few inches away from actually piercing her. The strong wind blew Su Jiu’s mid-length JK skirt, and her waist-length green silk flowed forward wantonly. Without any apparent movement from Su Jiu, after a moment, she finally turned as if realizing it belatedly. She lowered her head to look at the sword blade and said in a deep voice, “Miss Gen, even if your status is very high, killing someone on the street is probably not appropriate, is it?”
“Bad woman.”
E Huo glared at Gen Jixiang with displeasure. If Su Jiu hadn’t held him back, he would have likely pulled out his short flame blade and charged forward to teach her a lesson.
“Why would they react like this…”
Seeing Su Jiu’s reaction, Gen Jixiang’s brows remained tightly furrowed. She retracted her sword, fell silent for a moment, casually tossed a storage bag from her pocket, and showed a smile, saying, “It was my rudeness. Inside are some War General level medicinal ingredients, worth tens of millions of yen. Consider it an apology gift. Please do not report to the embassy.”
“Stop these tests.”
Su Jiu replied faintly. She did not refuse, accepting the storage bag with her left hand and tucking it into her pocket before turning and pulling E Huo’s hand as they walked forward.
Watching Su Jiu’s retreating back, Gen Jixiang’s expression was as calm as a deep pool. The person gave her a strange feeling; she didn’t seem to lack strength, yet she didn’t evade that sword…
“Young Lady, what should we do next? Should we go meet up with that Sir from the Kamishiro Family, or…”
As she pondered, the bodyguard bowed and stepped forward cautiously, asking.
“Let’s meet up first. They’ve locked onto the target, and there should be results soon.”
Gen Jixiang flicked the short sword in her hand, and it transformed back into a small snake, coiling around her wrist. She also turned and walked towards Kamishiro Yuichi and the others.
…
“Finally gone. What a troublesome woman.”
Sensing that the prying gaze from behind had disappeared, Su Jiu slowly retracted her right hand’s fingernails. Had the other party dared to advance an inch further, they would have faced the sharp blade in her hand.
Su Jiu knew the other party wanted to test her, but she dared not gamble whether they had truly discovered anything. Being careful was always a good thing.
“Now is not the time to deal with this woman’s probing. I can’t stay in Kobe…”
Sighing, Su Jiu walked further away. She held E Huo’s hand, her pace not fast but much quicker than usual.
“Mama, it’s snowing again.”
Snowflakes began to drift down from the sky again, and the cold swept through this not-so-lively city. Su Jiu stopped, bent down, and tied the scarf Bai Zhi had given E Huo, then patted his head and said softly, “In the Sakura country, there are legends that snow is to pave the way for envoys from Yama’s Hall, taking away ghosts lingering in the mortal world. People will also prepare roasted beans and scatter them outside their doors…”
“E Huo is not a hungry ghost, he’s full. He doesn’t want to be taken away by an envoy. Mama also needs to be full, so she won’t be taken.”
E Huo nodded as if he understood, and took out a small cake from his bear pocket to give to Su Jiu. He looked a bit clumsy, but it gave a very heartwarming feeling. Mama’s words were a little different from usual.
Su Jiu pursed her lips, patted his head, and for the first time, she didn’t complain. Instead, she stood up gently and said, “No one will take E Huo away, and Mama won’t leave, but…”
“Those who choose this path will be taken away by the envoy.”
Fine snow drifted aimlessly above their heads. The sky was always hazy, making it impossible to tell the time. After walking for an unknown duration, the two arrived at the depths of the old city.
The small paths were mostly deserted, a stark contrast to the bustling city center. Su Jiu and E Huo simply walked silently, their leather shoes leaving small footprints on the light snow. From a few small eateries at the beginning, the shops became fewer and fewer. In the cold weather, no steam could be seen, and not even a homeless person sheltering in an unfinished building was visible, making it feel like a ghost realm.
After taking a detour into an alley and walking for a long time through winding paths, a few minutes later, Su Jiu stopped as she looked at the unfinished building ahead, piercing through the unfinished building with no ceiling. Finally, her gaze moved down with the fine snow, landing on the steps ahead, on a figure whitened by the fine snow. She then closed her eyes slightly and sighed, “Trading magic crystals, I won’t take advantage of you. We are even from now on.”
“Cough cough…”
The figure wrapped in white snow coughed twice, then gently placed the person in his hands down. He performed a Sakura samurai bow: “I thank you, Miss Su.”
The chest of the female corpse also had a dark red hue. The moment it was placed down, the thin snow was stained by the black blood, looking quite gruesome. After the bow, Ibaraki’s figure seemed to have faded a bit more. He took two steps back, slowly sat down before a roof beam, and stared blankly at the snowy sky, his entire being appearing apathetic.
“What do you plan to do next? You have a tracking mark on you, and with your condition, you won’t be able to hide for long.” Su Jiu slowly opened her eyes, lowered her head, and asked softly, looking at the ethereal soul before her.
“At sunset, I will dissipate. Shōtoku, that fool…”
Hearing Su Jiu’s words, Ibaraki tiredly turned his head to look at the female corpse, a rare trace of tenderness appearing in his eyes. He wanted Su Jiu to take the corpse away and bury it properly, but he didn’t know what price to offer. He… was penniless.
Su Jiu quietly asked, “Is it worth it to do this much for a corpse?” With the internet being so developed now, the other party likely knew long ago that her best friend’s corpse had been dug up, which is why she went mad wanting to get out. Su Jiu inwardly questioned if she would go mad for a corpse. She dared not think about it; just the thought made her feel suffocated.
“Heh heh… When I close my eyes, I can’t see my own appearance, but her face always appears.”
Hearing this, Ibaraki was stunned for a moment. He slowly closed his eyes, but a smile curved his lips, and he chuckled twice. His mind seemed to traverse a century, and the scenery around him shifted. It was the first time the two met. When Evil Immortals invaded, great demons who refused to submit were gathered by the Sakura royal family of that time to jointly resist the invasion of the “Ghosts.” He enjoyed making friends. As the esteemed Ghost Lord, he always wore a black kimono with plain borders; humans of strength respectfully called him the Black Monarch. She, on the other hand, loved drinking, wore a simple white cloth dress, and always charged to the front when resisting demons whose minds were corrupted. Some called her the “White Madman.” It was a temple festival, also with light snow. He was tricked by that old fellow, Wheel Specter, into playing. He wore a Kitsune mask for the first time, curiously looking at the surrounding stalls, and finally stopped at a Sakura pastry shop. This Sakura flavor was very similar to the taste of his hometown.
“Shopkeeper, one box.”
“Boss, I want the last box!”
Just as he was about to take a box from the shopkeeper, his hand touched a cold one. He suddenly looked up and saw a tipsy girl tilting her head to look at him. Their eyes met, and it felt as if time had frozen. He didn’t understand what that feeling was, only that it felt strange. In the end, the Sakura pastry was bought by the two of them together, and they ate it on the way back.
…
“Hey! Blockhead, Sakura pastry tastes best with this homemade sake. Want some?”
“Mmm.”
“Blockhead, don’t just keep saying ‘mmm’! It makes me sound so silly.”
“Okay.”
“Remember in the future, Sakura pastry is meant to be eaten with sake, got it?”
“I will remember.”
…
The two were silent for a moment. Ibaraki opened his eyes, but no sound came out of his mouth. His throat felt as if it were being choked by pliers, or perhaps, as if his pride, something not particularly valuable to him, was being twisted.
“Farewell.”
Su Jiu sighed and turned around, appearing as if she were about to leave. Ibaraki looked at Su Jiu’s back, and the feeling of being choked intensified. He knew that if she truly left, it would all be over. Shōtoku’s corpse would be taken by those people as material for promotion, crushed to extract essence blood… Finally, it seemed as if the pliers loosened slightly. He supported himself with both hands on the ground and managed to stand up. After a moment, he forcefully knelt in Su Jiu’s direction. “Pfft!” A hoarse sound echoed in the empty path: “I… I wish to ask Miss Su to bury Shōtoku’s remains.”
Turning back, Su Jiu gave him a deep look. She sighed but did not immediately agree to his request: “She was also stabbed, and that old Taoist priest placed a tracking mark on her. I can’t take her.”
Ibaraki remained silent, only kowtowing towards her repeatedly. Even with a one-in-ten-thousand chance, he wanted to try. This was his obsession and his promise.
“I also have family, I have a child. Without any reward, you expect me to help you? I’m not a saint…”
Shaking her head, Su Jiu said faintly, then took E Huo’s hand and walked towards the path ahead. Glancing at the increasingly dark sky, she thought to herself: It’s coming to an end. She had helped this much, and without taking Shōtoku’s corpse and its magic crystal as per the mission requirements, she had already done more than enough. Taking another step forward, she found Ibaraki shakily approaching her. Just as she was about to frown, she saw him extend his hand, holding a snow-white magic crystal. The scent of blood mingled with alcohol filled Su Jiu’s nostrils.
“Miss Su, is this magic crystal acceptable?”
On the desolate ground, fine snow fell quietly. The man’s hoarse voice suddenly rang out, his eyes filled with an indescribable sadness.
“This is…”
Su Jiu thought of something, her pupils widening slightly. Before she could turn her head, text appeared in her mind.
[ (Sakura) Mission: Lost Soul ]
[ Status: Completed ]
[ Reward: Shōtoku Magic Crystal, Pure Child’s Heart. Can be used with Ibaraki’s Magic Crystal to allow any qualifying phantom from Shōtoku’s Pot to evolve to War God Level. ]
