Courtyard House: Time Traveler Not Yet a Ghost

The first small banner moved forward slightly, its tip pointing upwards, as if it were raising a hand.

"You, go to Tokyo, to the Yasukuni Shrine." He Damin stared at Obana and said, word by word, "Those memorial tablets, especially those of Class A war criminals, eat them one by one. Don't rush, take your time, one a year is fine, let them disappear without a trace. If anyone dares to put any more in... eat them all together."

Koban trembled, and a black light flashed, as if it understood.

The second small banner was moved forward.

"You, go to the Yamaguchi-gumi headquarters. Find their boss, what's his name again... oh right, the leader. Possess him and cause trouble in his mind every day. Make him fight with the Inagawa-kai, make him provoke the police, and make him bring down the Yamaguchi-gumi until it's gone."

The third small banner was moved over.

"Go to Sumiyoshi-kai and, like the second brother, cause as much trouble as you can."

Page 4: "Inagawa Meeting, same as above."

Fifthly: "Go to the Japanese cabinet, find a few right-wing members of parliament, and possess them. Make them talk nonsense during meetings, make them publicly curse the Emperor, and make them lose their own positions."

Sixth page: "Go to the military's secret base, to those guys who research killing weapons. Make them have nightmares at night, dreaming that they're being blown to pieces by bombs. It would be best if a few of them died of fright."

For the remaining three, He Damin also arranged places for them: one was to a small shrine to enshrine war criminals, another was to a right-wing school, and the third was to be sent to keep an eye on the Japanese Imperial Palace, "to whisper in the emperor's ear and make him have nightmares about atomic bombs."

Upon hearing this, the nine small banners trembled together, flashing a burst of black light, as if they were shouting "Yes, sir!" in unison.

Looking at them, He Damin felt incredibly content. He waved his hand: "Go."

Nine streaks of black light shot up with a "whoosh," like nine arrows released from a bow, breaking through the barrier of the Yin-Yang space and disappearing in the blink of an eye.

He Damin stood still, able to sense nine faint auras flying eastward, growing ever more distant. With his cultivation level, he could only barely catch a glimpse of them.

"Three days," he estimated in his mind. "At most three days, I should be able to get to Japan."

Then Japan will be in for a good time. Those yakuza bosses and right-wing politicians will never dream that a vengeful demon is crawling all over them.

He looked up at the large banner still floating in mid-air, reached out and beckoned it down. The banner slowly descended and lay in his palm, much lighter than before. He gently patted the banner: "Thank you for your hard work. I'll feed you more spirits later."

The banner shook, as if to say, "It's not hard work."

He Damin sent the banner back to the sky above hell, then turned and left the Yin-Yang space.

The study was the same as always; the computer screen was lit, and the satellite icon was still slowly rotating. The sky outside the window was still dark and gloomy, and the sound of the sea breeze was a little louder than before, "whooshing," like someone was crying.

He sat down in the chair, picked up the iced tea on the table, and took a sip. The icy tea slid down his throat, making him shiver. He opened the map on his computer, found the area for Japan, and zoomed in. Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya… each city was marked with a red dot—his previously marked destinations.

"These red spots will turn black in three days." He stroked his chin and chuckled twice.

With a creak, the study door opened.

Chen Xueru walked in wearing a beige bathrobe, her hair was messy, her eyes were squinting, and she was holding an enamel cup in her hand, which was steaming hot and smelled of milk.

"Why aren't you asleep yet?" She walked up behind He Damin, handed him the cup, and placed her hand on his shoulder, her cold fingers seeping through his shirt. "What are you thinking about now?"

He Damin took the milk, took a big gulp, and felt the warm milk flow down his throat, making him feel cozy. "Nothing much, just thinking about business."

Chen Xueru hugged him from behind, her face pressed against his back, her hair brushing against his neck, tickling him. "Business, business, you think about business all day long, don't you get tired?" Her voice was soft, with a nasal tone from just waking up. "I just woke up and looked for you, I thought you fell under the bed."

He Damin laughed and grabbed her hand: "Isn't this fine?"

Chen Xueru's hands were soft, her palms a little rough from her past work in the textile factory. He Damin stroked her hands, suddenly feeling at ease. All the scheming and fighting outside seemed less important compared to the warmth in his arms at this moment.

"Let's go to sleep," Chen Xueru said, pulling his arm. "It's almost dawn."

He Damin turned off the computer and followed her outside. The dim yellow light in the corridor cast two long shadows on the floor.

As He Damin reached the bedroom door, he glanced back out the window. The sky was already tinged with the pale light of dawn, and the navigation lights on the sea were still shining, like a few lonely stars.

He knew that at this very moment, in the far east, nine eerie lights were silently piercing through the clouds, heading towards those dens of evil. Before long, that place would become a true hell on earth.

But he didn't tell Chen Xueru any of this.

Some things are better left for a man to bear alone.

He closed the door, locking away the darkness and secrets. Inside the bedroom, Chen Xueru had already crawled into bed, patting the spot beside her, her eyes sparkling: "Come on, I've warmed up the bed for you."

He Damin smiled, took off his shoes, and lay down. Chen Xueru immediately wrapped herself around him like an octopus, resting her head on his chest, her warm breath brushing against his skin.

"Go to bed earlier from now on," she muttered, her voice trailing off, "Don't always stay up late..."

He Damin gently patted her back, listening to her breathing gradually even out. The sky outside the window grew brighter and brighter, the sound of the sea breeze subsided, leaving only the heartbeat of the person beside him, steady and strong, one beat after another.

He closed his eyes, a smile playing on his lips.

As for Japan, let's leave it to those nine small banners.

All he wants now is a good night's sleep.

As the sky outside the window began to lighten with the first hint of dawn, He Damin drifted off to sleep. His dreams were filled with the image of nine small banners wandering the streets of Tokyo, like nine black, withered leaves, silently creeping into the torii gates of shrines, the offices of yakuza groups, and the studies of politicians. He saw Hideki Tojo's memorial tablet turn to ash at the touch of the banners, and he saw the head of the Yamaguchi-gumi suddenly convulse during a meeting, shouting "Long live the Emperor!" while wetting his pants.

When He Damin woke up, Chen Xueru was already in the kitchen frying eggs, oil splattering on the bottom of the pan, the aroma of coffee wafting into the bedroom. He Damin picked up his phone, and a satellite image popped up on the screen: beneath the torii gate of Yasukuni Shrine, a black mist was climbing up a wooden pillar, while in an office building in Ginza, Tokyo, a member of parliament wearing gold-rimmed glasses was bowing to thin air, his forehead hitting the desk with a loud thud.

"Awake?" Chen Xueru came in carrying a plate; the edges of the fried eggs were golden brown. "I just got news that several gangs in Japan had a shootout last night, and three leaders died." She squeezed ketchup into the plate, drawing a crooked smiley face. "Isn't that weird? Why did they suddenly start fighting?"

He Damin took a bite of the fried egg, the yolk dripping from the corner of his mouth. He didn't speak, but he knew in his heart that the second small banner had started working. The soul power fed back by the Soul Refining Banner was thicker than yesterday, flowing like warm syrup along the meridians, making his dantian feel warm and comfortable.

"Oh, right," Chen Xueru suddenly remembered something, and took out a note from her apron pocket, "While you were asleep yesterday, Sha Zhu called and said that the pheasant from Qin Huairu's family had caused trouble again. It stole Grandpa Li's chicken from the backyard and roasted it. Now it's trapped in the alley."

He Damin wiped his mouth, a cold smile playing on his lips. This stubborn guy was truly a man of his word. He got up, put on his coat, and casually finished the milk on the table: "I'll go check."

As he walked downstairs, Old Zhou was squatting by the door wiping his car. Seeing him come out, he handed him a hot steamed bun: "Mr. He, the news this morning said that the Japanese Prime Minister suddenly fainted in the Diet building, and I heard he was even shouting 'Have mercy!'"

He Damin got into the car, a steamed bun in his mouth. As he started the engine, he caught a glimpse of his own eyes in the rearview mirror—deep within his pupils, nine faint black wisps swirled. He stepped on the gas, and the black sedan shot down the mountainside like lightning, leaving the morning mist atop Victoria Peak behind.

The nine-flower banners in Tokyo are just getting warmed up, while the mess in Kyoto needs to be cleaned up.

Three days passed quietly, neither fast nor slow.

Tokyo time, the clock has just passed 2 a.m.

At this hour, the entire Japanese archipelago, except for a few still bustling nightlife districts, is mostly shrouded in a deep slumber, as if submerged in ink. The daytime hustle and bustle of the streets has long since receded like a receding tide. One by one, the dazzling neon lights have gone out, leaving only a few streetlights weakly illuminating the empty streets. Occasionally, a night taxi, its lonely yellow light flashing, will dart across the intersection, creating a gust of wind before quickly disappearing into the night. There are also some drunken night owls, their steps unsteady, humming off-key tunes, or supporting each other, grumbling and swearing as they make their way home.

But no one noticed that on this seemingly ordinary, peaceful night, nine almost invisible beams of light, like ghosts, had already reached several corners of Japan and silently taken root.

Tokyo Yasukuni Shrine

The first small banner fluttered above the dark roof of the Yasukuni Shrine's main hall, about thirty feet high. The light was so dim that it blended into the surrounding night, and it was almost invisible unless you looked closely.

It hung there, motionless, like a patient hunter, or perhaps waiting for some signal. Below, the shrine was so quiet you could hear your own heartbeat. Those vermilion torii gates, under the pale moonlight, didn't appear as solemn as they did during the day; instead, they exuded an indescribable eeriness, like gaping mouths. The stone lanterns standing on both sides of the approach path, dark and heavy, like the silent guards, had stood there for who knows how many years.

At 2:15 a.m., the small banner suddenly trembled slightly, as small as a willow leaf being blown by the wind.

Immediately afterwards—

"Buzz..."

A faint hum, yet seemingly capable of penetrating to the very core of one's being, rippled out from the small banner. An invisible ripple expanded in an instant, covering an area of ​​five kilometers in the blink of an eye! From the Kudanzaka hillside to the adjacent Kitanomaru Park, and further afield the Budokan and Nippon Budo University, everything was enveloped in this invisible net!

The Soul Banner Domain - Netherworld Ghost Realm, has been deployed!

Entering this field is like entering a completely different world.