Don't force me to use my right fist.

The old man, who had already realized from their brief exchange that Saya was not the simple mortal he appeared to be, looked at him with expectant eyes. He had a premonition that Saya would definitely challenge him again.

Just as the old man had predicted, after hearing what he said, Sawabe took another step forward without hesitation.

This time, however, Sōyu did not take out the Tsukuyomi Blade again, nor did he even take out his most proficient diamond sword.

Having faced the old man empty-handed, Saga clasped his hands together in a gesture of seeking guidance, and then charged towards the old man.

The old man was not surprised to see Saya rushing towards him. His withered hand gripped the hilt of the long sword once more, and he transformed into a sword light that seemed to cut through space. Almost instantly, he passed Saya and stood behind him.

The silver-white blade trembled slightly, yet it wasn't stained with the opponent's blood as expected. Sawa, standing behind the old man, had a gash on his waist, but he seemed completely oblivious to the pain. Clenching his fist, he turned and delivered a punch to the old man's back.

The fierce wind of the punch struck the unsuspecting old man, but Sōyu frowned. He should have landed a successful blow, but he felt as if he had stepped into a trap.

Just as Saya had anticipated, the old man's short sword had somehow already blocked the path of Saya's fist. After deflecting Saya's attack, the long sword held by the old man used the force to slash down at Saya's body with a speed that Saya could hardly react to.

"Coach, I want to learn Kendo."

Sōyu felt that if he had the chance, he would definitely want to cling to the old man's leg and say something like that, but right now, he clearly couldn't afford to lose here.

His body transformed into a cherry blossom-like particle effect and disappeared from the spot. To the old man's astonishment, Sōyū's outstretched right fist stopped at the tip of his nose.

"This time, I won."

Having dodged the old man's seemingly inevitable attack with the help of the invincible Ender Pearl, and arrived in front of him, Sōyū withdrew his fist and politely clasped his hands in greeting to the old man once more.

Chapter 414 Sword Cuts Through Confusion

Saya considered this a sparring match that ended there, since his opponent had given up the chance to pursue him, allowing him to begin the second round. Therefore, respecting his opponent's wishes, Saya did not throw the punch directly, even though he clearly had a Shikon Jewel shard within him.

"It is this old man who has lost."

The old man was as straightforward as Saya had expected. Even if Saya hadn't defeated him through swordsmanship, a loss was a loss, and there was no room for excuses. (The last sentence appears to be unrelated and possibly a fragment from another text.)

"You flatter me." whl

Having won, Sōyū wasn't in a hurry to go inside. Instead, he wandered aimlessly through the enormous mansion like a headless fly. Wasn't there a ready-made NPC who could provide clues?

"So, now, may I ask you some questions, sir? I'm quite curious about the things in this house."

Sōyū threw down a wooden stake at the gate and sat on it. It seemed that what was inside wouldn't be able to come out anytime soon, so it would obviously be more useful for him to gather information outside for a while.

“Young man, although you have proven your strength, I still have to remind you that the things in this house are too dangerous, at least for a creature like you, you absolutely need to be careful.”

Seeing that Saya didn't seem to be in a hurry to go in, the white-haired old man also didn't rush to do the same as Saya. He leaned against the door and started talking to him.

He was only trying to prevent others from entering and losing their lives in vain. As for the monster inside, he didn't consider it something he needed to protect.

That filthy perfection, corrupted by power, deliberately mimicked the appearance of the long-deceased young lady. If he weren't too powerful to defeat it, he wouldn't have simply been standing guard at the door.

"So, old man, you're not in cahoots with the monsters here?"

After listening to his words, Zuoyou was completely certain of his guess. It wasn't hard to tell from the old man's words that he didn't object to someone going in to deal with what was clearly somewhat...

"Of course. The reason I'm guarding this place is simply to stop these guys from continuing to drain the life force from the surrounding area. After all, this used to be the young lady's favorite courtyard, and it can't be destroyed because of this."

The old man turned to look at the house shrouded in darkness behind him, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes. He shook his head and then replied to Saya.

He's only protecting this house; who cares about the tree spirit inside?

"Well, if I may be so bold as to ask another question, sir, your current situation suggests you've been resurrected as a spirit through some kind of power, right?"

After confirming once again that the aura emanating from the old man in front of him originated from a corrupted fragment of the Shikon Jewel, Saya asked him with a hint of doubt.

"You guessed right, I am not a living being, but just a soul that still has lingering attachment to the present world. As for why I was resurrected, I am not quite sure."

He stretched out his withered, yellowed hand and clenched it into a fist, feeling the vibrant energy flowing within him, a energy even more powerful than when he was alive.

No one knew better than himself that he had already died from the exhaustion of his lifespan, but there was one thing he was very clear about.

"But since you've figured that out, there's something else I need to remind you. If I'm not mistaken, the monster in this house behind me is also a spirit resurrected by this power, just like me."

The old man, who clearly remembered that this tree spirit should have been eliminated by his young mistress, became serious. Although he didn't know what had happened, since it was the young mistress's enemy, it was naturally someone he needed to deal with.

"So that means the thing inside was also revived by the fragments of the Shikon Jewel, right?"

Saya pinched his chin. The information the old man gave was quite useful. If it was the spirit of a demon, then it would explain why the house had become like this.

To be honest, the effect of the Shikon Jewel shards is actually quite overpowered. They ignore the time of death and the specific cause of death; as long as the body can be found...

However, there was one thing that Zuoyou still couldn't understand, or rather, he had been puzzled ever since he met the old man.

"The Shikon Jewel? What is that? Is it related to the source of my resurrection?"

The old man clearly didn't know why he had been resurrected, and seemed quite interested in the Shikon Jewel that Saya had mentioned.

If I can be resurrected using this power, then could my young lady also...?

Thinking of this, a glint of light flashed in the old man's eyes.

"This is exactly the question I wanted to ask you, sir. If I'm not mistaken, the force that brought you back to life should be evil and full of filth. But why don't I sense any influence from that thing on you?"

This was exactly what Saya was concerned about. He could tell that the Shikon Jewel inside the white-haired old man was clearly a product of corruption, yet he hadn't shown any negative emotions or state, which was obviously unreasonable.

If it could truly achieve the goal of recruiting people without any side effects, then this fragment would be far more powerful than the thing in his memory.

The old man frowned. Could power really be categorized as either good or evil? But he actually had an answer in his heart as to why he wasn't affected.

"I think the reason I wasn't affected is probably because I'm a swordsman."

The old man looked down at the two samurai swords at his waist.

"A true swordsman's sword can cut through all confusion."

Chapter 415 This is an anomaly!

Zuoyou hadn't expected the old man in front of him to give him such an answer.

However, upon further reflection, Sawa felt that it did not make no sense.

When you pursue and study something to the extreme, you may eventually reach a state of perfect tranquility.

The power of the Shikon Jewel shards is, in essence, just temptation. Even if they are tainted, as long as one can resist their allure, one will not fall into corruption.

"Excuse me, sir, may I ask your name? I'm so sorry that I haven't been able to find out your name despite bothering you all this time."

Saya grew increasingly respectful towards the old man. Putting everything else aside, the fact that he could break free from the influence of the Shikon Jewel with his clear swordsmanship was enough to earn Saya's utmost respect.

"Oh, by the way, my name is Sōyū. I'm a lost traveler, so please call me whatever you like."

Following the rule of introducing oneself before asking someone's name, Sawa told the old man in front of him his name.

If we knew his name, we might be able to find out what school of swordsmanship he belonged to. With such high swordsmanship skills, there's no reason why he wouldn't leave a mark on history.

"A name? After being dead for so long, it's just a code name."

The old man with graying temples stroked his beard and slowly uttered his real name, as if he had forgotten it himself.

"I'm just an old man who guards the house, so I don't really have any titles. But if you really want to call me, then call me Soul Demon Chronicle." The old man, who hadn't introduced himself in a long time, spoke the name with a nostalgic tone, completely unaware of the jaw-dropping expression on Sōyū's face next to him.

"Wait, wait a minute, could you please repeat your name? I think I might have misheard you?"

Saya forced himself to remain calm, pursed his lips, and asked the old man again.

"Hmm? Is there something wrong with what I said? Or do you recognize my name? I, Soul Demon Chronicle, am just an old man who has spent my whole life guarding homes. I shouldn't be famous, should I?"

Looking in confusion towards Zuoyou, the old man exchanged a glance with him, clearly puzzled. Zuoyou hadn't reacted much when he had just revealed his identity as a ghost, so why was he reacting so strongly after he mentioned his name? The old man, who didn't know why Zuoyou was reacting this way, clearly conveyed his confusion to Zuoyou.

Sōyū raised an eyebrow and pointed to the house behind the old man.

Clinging to a last shred of hope, Saya asked the question, only to receive an even more bewildered nod from the old man. He was clearly hearing his own name for the first time, so how did the old man know the origin of the house behind him?

Could it be that his name became famous after his death because of something?

The old man named Soul Demon Chronicle was completely baffled by Saya's actions and could only wait for him to recover from his astonishment and explain. Meanwhile, Saya quickly pieced together all the mysteries and clues, not only solving the mystery of the house's familiarity but also finding the source of why Japan was experiencing famine in this era.

If he's not mistaken, the tree spirit formed from the cherry blossom tree inside is the main reason why the crops here can't bloom.

As for the old man in front of him, it's no wonder that Saya didn't recognize him immediately; after all, compared to his granddaughter, very little information about him was known.

"A dual-wielding green swordsman, I should have thought of that sooner."

Sawa covered his face. While all the mysteries had been solved, it also brought him new troubles.

Since this old man is said to be Youmu's grandfather, then don't tell him that the youkai he's about to face in the yard will be some pink-haired, gluttonous monster, right?

This is hardly good news for him.

"Young friend, what has happened that has troubled you so much?" The old man had high hopes for Zuo You, especially given Zuo You's talent; if he were to practice swordsmanship, he might even be able to pass on his skills. Therefore, seeing his troubled expression, the old man asked out of concern.

Sawa took a deep breath and came to his senses.

If that's the case, then this is practically an anomaly, right? Where's that red and white shrine maiden? Is she just sitting there doing nothing? Come out and help, do something useful!

Sawa, who just wanted to shout out his grievances, could only suppress his impulse with a forced smile after glancing at the old man in front of him.

The plot has definitely been changed. Although it's an anomaly, he's not in any great barrier, so there's no point in expecting any red or white shrine maidens.

However, he still had to take action on things that needed to be done. Who knows when success would come from relying on others? It was faster and more reliable to rely on his own hands.

"Let's put aside these irrelevant matters for now, sir. I only wish to ask one thing: is the cherry blossom tree in this house about to bloom?"

Having completely calmed down, Saya turned his attention back to the huge cherry blossom tree in the house. If that tree started to bloom, its impact on the nearby creatures would likely extend far beyond what was visible.

"Oh? You've noticed too? The reason this place is like this is because of its existence?"

When the old man heard Saya's question, his expression also became serious. He looked up at the cherry blossom tree, which was still able to block out the sky even with only bare branches left, before answering Saya's question.

"Even though I've been preventing living things from dying around it to provide it with nutrients, it does seem to be nearing its final flowering stage. Did you come here to stop it too?"

He sighed with some regret. Swordsmanship has its limits, at least for the old man. So even though his sword could cut through confusion, he couldn't completely kill the tree demon that was much stronger than him.

However, Sōyū's arrival gave him a glimmer of hope. If it was this young man, perhaps he could come up with a solution.

Chapter 416 I Can Also Disregard Martial Morality

"Hmm, so that means this thing has nothing to do with your young lady, right?"