Demon Capital Slayer

Chapter 89 Offering Loyalty
Shock waves can travel further in water.

Similarly, fluctuations in the spiritual realm can travel even further in the Netherworld.

As always, all public officials were on duty for the Supernatural Disaster Countermeasures Division.

Suddenly, they noticed that the Xuanwu (Black Tortoise) on the city model, which was engraved with a transparent Bagua (Eight Trigrams), had become inexplicably agitated.

"Senior?" Shiraishi Ichiki asked in surprise.

Then, he witnessed the entire process of the turtle turning its belly up.

Everyone started screaming and panicking, but Section Chief Jinguji Mai stared blankly at the spot where Genbu had last stopped.

That's the very center of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams).

At the same time, the bells of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican suddenly rang thirteen times in a row. The clergy looked in astonishment toward the church and saw a somewhat familiar bald old man who had somehow climbed to a high place. He was wearing only a thin silk nightgown and was shouting loudly down in a very ancient language.

That was Latin, a sacred language that had died out, and the old bald man who climbed to the top of the church in just his pajamas and went mad... was the current Pope.

The chaos intensified instantly.

Across the sea from the Vatican, scientists and spiritual practitioners in Area 51 watched as the Doomsday Clock began to dance the cha-cha in front of everyone. The hands moved forward one notch and backward three notches until all three hands pointed to twelve o'clock at the same time. Then it stopped moving, and it was the turn of the other people in Area 51 to start fidgeting.

The Himalayas, the defense line of Kyushu, the first long wall.

At the same time, the Nine Netherworld Celestial Movement Instrument released nine dragon pearls. These self-illuminating crystalline gems floated quietly, illuminating the entire Exploration Hall.

A white-haired, youthful-looking Taoist priest with a long beard stood silently in place, holding three freshly picked human whiskers in his hand.

Behind him, the young Taoist boy carrying a double-edged sword was much more straightforward, his mouth agape as wide as a light bulb could fit inside.

The young Taoist was still quite young, but his older senior brother reacted much faster. In less than half a breath, he had scrambled and crawled more than a hundred meters away, and was now shouting for help with a sharp crack.

Seeing that his senior brother had already gone to call for help, the young Taoist boy stopped rushing and gently tugged at the long-bearded Taoist's sleeve.

"Master, does it hurt?"

"Ugh--"

The Taoist sighed and looked down at the beard he had just plucked.

“I feel bad.”

Many things happen in the world every moment, but the young people on the far eastern island are currently unaware of them.

When Yujian opened his eyes, only a few minutes had passed in real time.

Looking at the messy test site, he felt very puzzled.

That's it? What just happened?
I feel like I've forgotten something very important, but I can't remember it no matter how hard I try.

He was only brought back to his senses when he heard a woman's voice from ahead.

"Um, may I ask, young man, did you successfully absorb the spirit?"

Motoko Steel House, who was lying prostrate on the ground, managed to force a smile.

"Gotcha." Yu Jian thought for a moment and figured that eating it should also count as catching it, just like how the Big Bad Wolf used his stomach to capture Little Red Riding Hood.

Has anything strange happened?

"Just catch up with the prey, the ordinary kind." Yujian selectively stated some of the facts.

To everyone's surprise, Motoko Hideya was extremely satisfied with the answer and clapped her hands repeatedly.

"Very good, that's it, that's enough."

"That concludes today's test for Suzune-chan."

"Young people, work is over. Go change your clothes, Ciao (goodbye)!"

Yu Jian was still in a daze when he was escorted out at lightning speed.

So, does this mean I've become a cultivator?

It seems like nothing has changed.

The use of the sixth sense has become more fluid and natural, and the sensitivity seems to have improved as well, but there have been virtually no physical changes. Considering that successfully absorbing the spirit only marks the beginning of the cultivation path, the lack of noticeable changes doesn't seem surprising.
besides……

With a slight wave of his hand, Yu Jian could clearly perceive the movement of all the wind and water within his surroundings, even though he was only touching the air.

Immediately afterwards, the strands of hair floated up slightly at an angle defying gravity, with faint electric arcs dancing between them, like the bright static electricity generated when you take off a sweater in winter.

Yu Jian pondered silently. It seemed that not only wind and water, but other things were also within his influence. It seemed that as long as he put in more effort, he could make a substantial change.

That 'energy' exists within the boy's body; its essence is what cultivators in East Asia call spiritual power, a power from the underworld that has been tamed and harmonized by his own will.

The feeling of mobilizing spiritual power is very peculiar, like having an invisible arm, but without needing to go through nerves, muscles or other physical tissues. You can use your thoughts to drive its actions simply by moving your mind.

But what can Yu Jian do with spiritual power?
After all, he doesn't know a single spell.

As she pondered, Tenyu Rinne, who was beside her, cast a strange glance at her.

The girl had probably misunderstood something, because just now, Motoko Hideya had handed a large file bag along with a small envelope to Mitsurugi.

Currently, the development of the internet itself is still limited, but computerized management has begun to be promoted, and large companies' payroll systems are gradually becoming electronic, with payroll being paid via bank transfer.

However, society is still more accustomed to using cash, and many small and medium-sized companies still use cash to pay monthly salaries, usually in envelopes like these.

Auntie, you can't do that.JPG
Just as Yu Jian was about to open it to take a look, he figured it probably wasn't money; the feel and shape of the envelope were similar to... a photograph?
drip.

The horn blared, and Yasuno Ryotaro appeared in his familiar black luxury car. He rolled down the window, glanced at Mitsurugi, and froze. He then forcefully removed his sunglasses and examined him closely once more.

Yu Jian's lips twitched, not because of the other party's strange expression, but because this tall, muscular bodyguard had a pair of funny little eyes hidden under his sunglasses, which looked even more amusing in contrast to his thick eyebrows.

No wonder he always wears sunglasses...

"puff."

Mikasa turned her head and saw Tenyu Rinne pretending nothing was wrong, as if what she had just heard was just an illusion.

Anno Ryo didn't seem to care, but he still looked at Mitsurugi for several seconds, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just nodded and silently opened the car door for them.

But for some reason, he deliberately bypassed the sword and returned to the driver's seat from the other side.

The road remained quiet. Today's experience was truly bizarre, and neither Yujian nor Tianyu Lingyin had any intention of speaking.

As agreed, they will go to Tianyu's house to meet up with Baihexiang.

But just now, Lily called to say that she had learned something at the library and would be back later, so we rescheduled to meet at school next Monday.

In the car, Mitsurugi opened the file bag that Motoko had given him.

Inside were some materials about basic common sense of cultivation, which were basically an overview of the Netherworld and the basic rules that a person with spiritual abilities should abide by.

In addition, there is a CD.

As someone from a later era, Yu Jian found the disc to be quite peculiar.

This technology will be obsolete in later generations, but it is now an advanced high-tech product. It can store a large amount of digital information, which can be converted into far more than just one or two books.

So, what could be inside?

He was very curious about this.

But let's look at the envelope first.

Mikage opened the envelope, and sure enough, there were several photos inside. Upon closer inspection, they turned out to be photos of Chiba Hideyoshi.

"Uncle... how come it's that person?" Tianyu Lingyin, who couldn't help but peek from the side, subconsciously let out a soft exclamation.

"That's decisive," Yu Jian muttered to himself.

After choosing to form an alliance, Motoko Hideya immediately showed a tendency to completely side with them. While it's unclear how much sincerity was involved, this behavior speaks volumes.

So, what do I have that would make them want to invest in me?
Yu Jian remained silent for half a second before stopping thinking about such meaningless things.

For accomplices attracted by profits, as long as they maintain their leading position in strength and firmly hold the power of distribution and discourse, they don't need to consider too many other things.

Therefore, what he needs to do now is to find a way to gain enough influence.

Based on strength...

Refocusing attention on the photograph, one sees Hideyoshi Chiba bowing respectfully to someone in a dogeza (a type of prostration).

The term "dogeza" simply means kneeling down. In Japan, it is generally used to express the deepest apology, while in the past it was a sign of submission.

The shooting angle was very discreet, probably taken secretly, so the person's full appearance wasn't captured in the photo. However, from the corner that was visible, it could be deduced that the person was wearing Wu clothing, and was accompanied by many subordinates wearing floral shirts and black suits.

Is this outfit typical of the Yakuza?

The Chiba family are exorcist swordsmen with ties to the underworld, so why would they act so subservient to the Yakuza?

Unless, of course, the other side isn't an ordinary Yakuza either...

Monsters and the underworld? The black gloves of cultivation forces? Or something else entirely.

“That’s the spirit sword my father used before,” Tianyu Lingyin suddenly said, interrupting his thoughts.

With a slightly trembling hand, the girl pointed to a particularly long and slender katana placed not far in front of Chiba Hideyoshi in the photo.

Miken hadn't noticed before, but judging from the current situation, Chiba Hideyoshi should be presenting this sword to the other party as a gift.

"How could that be? That's no ordinary spirit sword. It's the most precious heirloom sword of the Chiba family, a famous sword that once slew many powerful demons in the hands of the senior swordsmen of the Hokushin Dream School."

Amane Suzune could hardly believe her eyes.

She slowly uttered the name of the sword in an incredulous voice.

"I dreamt of Kirimi."

Amane Rinne's attention was focused on the famous sword, but Mitsurugi was looking at the Yakuza in the photos.

The group's clothing styles were similar but not entirely uniform, as they were, after all, just a dynamic social group from the grassroots.

Without exception, each of them wore a brass brooch on their chest or collar, even the leader whose full appearance wasn't captured in the photo.

The brooch is not complicated in design. It resembles a Hannya mask used in Noh performances. It looks like a horned, ferocious demon face, but the empty eye sockets make the demon face look like a skull, making it even more terrifying.

“It seems that the Chiba family has submitted to another power,” Miken concluded.

But why? Even if they choose to side with someone else, why would they need to harm someone who has already become estranged from the family?

I heard from Senior Tianyu before that the sword should have been retrieved by them long ago.

Even if the dean disagrees with the decision, the other party can simply act first and inform them later, since the items are already in their hands.

Therefore, there must be other reasons behind this.

(End of this chapter)