Chapter 224: The Disciple
Chapter 224: The Disciple
This was unexpected! Quite a pleasant surprise too!
Fang Jing hadn’t anticipated such a bizarre occurrence either.
He originally only intended to use the girl before him as a test subject for an experimental trial.
Who would have guessed the gem pendant on her unexpected absorbed the power of the “Ghost Mask” attached to her body, swallowed all the fluctuations of his own Resonance Field, and ultimately produced a searing red “Blood Orb” right where her heart was.
It wasn’t an actual, physical orb inside her heart. It was an existence suspended between illusion and reality – something that, for reasons unknown, could produce wave-like pulsations similar to his own “Primal Rage Resonance Field,” rippling outwards like water disturbed by a stone.
This “Blood Orb” was like a miniature Resonance Field! It seemed like a knockoff version of his “Primal Rage Resonance Field,” a smaller-scale force field.
“…Both the Resonance Field and the Ghost Mask attached to Maeda were completely absorbed by the red gem. Finally, this blood orb condensed within Maeda’s body. No, to me, this looks more like a ‘Seed.'”
The “Blood Orb” near Maeda’s heart pulsed and contracted like the heart itself. Pale red waves radiated out frequently, spreading ripples of vibration through the rotating magnetic field.
What was even more fascinating was that the Primal Rage Resonance Field within himself could connect to this Magnetic Field Seed within Maeda through these pulsations.
This sensation was deeply strange. Fang Jing discovered he could feel the fluctuations of the magnetic field inside her. Even more, he could casually manipulate and control this “Magnetic Field Seed.”
“This really is quite intriguing!”
A hint of amusement gleamed in Fang Jing’s eyes.
He realized one thing: Maeda’s abnormality was almost certainly linked to the ruby pendant at her chest.
Understanding this, he didn’t hesitate. He took the gem pendant directly from her.
“This thing is quite special…”
The ruby pendant felt ice-cold to the touch, a sensation emanating from the Yin Energy contained within the gem.
His fingertip brushed it, and a notification for 5 points of Growth Value transferred directly to him.
The gem set in the pendant was beautiful, crystalline and clear. Even after absorbing the Growth Value, he could still sense an indescribable power within it.
This gem was exceedingly unique; otherwise, it couldn’t have accomplished what it did.
“I need to study this properly.”
The ruby pendant held quite a few mysteries. Fang Jing felt a need for “in-depth” research.
He took out his phone, snapped a picture of the pendant, and sent it to Ōsumi of the Sunao-gumi, instructing him to quickly find a master counterfeiter to make a replica.
“And ‘Maeda’ herself… she seems to have recovered now.”
Maeda had fallen into a peaceful sleep, and the twitching of her limbs had ceased.
Fang Jing examined her once more and confirmed her sleep had stabilized.
Though physically fine, she hadn’t woken up yet and remained deeply unconscious.
“Breathing and pulse normalized. That should be alright then!”
Relieved for the moment, he returned to the second floor to continue his research.
The investigation at this stage still hadn’t yielded definitive results. However, Fang Jing gained a vital insight: he might possess a way to personally help Shiori out of her life-threatening coma. Yet, he wasn’t in a hurry to leave the Literature and History Archives Hall… at least, he hadn’t fully resolved the issues immediately at hand.
(Besides, I can’t be certain if the Resonance Field can completely purge such an abnormal Strange Phenomenon. What happened with Maeda could very well have been just a coincidence…)
—The source of the tainted stream remained unclear. If he couldn’t solve the problem at its root, merely dealing with the downstream consequences might not fully resolve the current situation.
He planned to go to Naomori Town the next day for a field survey. If nothing else turned up, he’d return to the city and test his Primal Rage Resonance Field again.
Fang Jing sorted through materials, lost deep in thought.
…
That night, in a dilapidated, abandoned shack, deserted and lonely.
A man, his face swathed in bandages, sat on the porch.
Dressed in a blue yukata like those provided by inns, he held a bottle of alcohol in one hand, his gaze fixed on the moon overhead.
“The Shikigami sent to retrieve the Collection Artifact appear to have failed. Strange… who would interfere at this moment?”
He spoke softly, but his tone carried a peculiar edge.
“It seems… I’ll need to handle this personally.”
An icy chill seeped into the man’s voice.
————————
The next day, as planned, Fang Jing bid farewell to Nagareyama Yosuke upon his arrival at the Archives and formally left the Literature and History Archives Hall.
Sometime before he departed, probably around five or six in the morning, Maeda must have quietly pushed open a first-floor window and slipped out of the Archives Hall wordlessly.
“Probably still half-asleep, completely forgetting her pendant was gone!”
He didn’t dwell on it too much. He hadn’t slept at all the previous night, pouring all his energy into combing through the documents.
He had meticulously read through all the Fubian region’s literature he could find that night.
The sheer volume of information was immense. Just reading it wasn’t enough; careful organization was essential. Fubian itself was a region with a deep, fascinating history.
Its notoriety stemmed from households in its villages known as “Tsukimono-suji” lineages.
These lineage families were shunned by others. Among the most infamous was the “Inugami-suji,” lineages reputed to command “Dog Gods” (Inugami).
The Inugami itself referred to a dog Ghost. Centered around Shikoku, the Inugami commanded by such lineages was said to be used as a “cursed object” to Curse opponents, afflicting outsiders.
Another interpretation was that “Tsukimono-suji” lineages utilized Tsukimono – entities like the “Dog God lineage” (Inugami-suji), “Snake God lineage” (Jashin-suji), or “Monkey God lineage” (Sarugami-suji) – these attached spirits could bring prosperity to families or accumulate vast wealth.
Of course, most of these were likely myths born from public envy.
For instance, when an impoverished family within a village suddenly became wealthy, or a family had a member with strange behavior or a disability, neighbors often branded them a “Tsukimono household.”
However, these were merely interpretations scholars gave to phenomena found in folk tales. As for the actual truth, no one knew.
“Apart from the ‘Tsukimono lineage’ theory, there’s another rumor…”
Fang Jing recalled information recorded in research books focusing on Fubian’s folk stories and legends.
It was said that villagers from a specific village (in the present-day northeastern part of Fubian) murdered passing merchants. They severed the victim’s right hand and fashioned it into an “External Method Box.”
Families holding such a box would supposedly gain rapid wealth.
The bodies of the murdered merchants were dumped into a nearby deep gorge.
Naturally, tales of the External Method Box were considered baseless rumors, devoid of proof. On the other hand, the story subtly hinted at the villagers’ true secret for prosperity: robbing travelers.
The story of travelers being attacked and robbed was almost certainly more than just an eerie folktale.
Near Naomori Town, there existed a place called “Tezuka” – a memorial stone tablet erected to appease the spirits, believed to enshrine the severed hands contained within the “External Method Boxes” discarded by those villagers.
It was rumored that the lineages of those villagers were almost entirely wiped out.
The current Naomori Town was formed by people who migrated to the area later.
Someone excavated a large box from the river plain, filled to the brim with mummified-severed hands.
The moment it opened, someone noticed one hand was still wriggling.
The people realized the box was dangerous. They sought out a mystic.
This mystic, a revered monk, warned them the object held an ominous origin. While discarding it was an option, the consequences of forcibly acquired gains could not be repaid by those present.
Therefore, he proposed building a “Tezuka” (Hand Mound), placing it at a crossroads where all passersby could pay their respects.
Perhaps thanks to the monk’s suggestion, Naomori Town enjoyed smooth sailing thereafter.
“And on the other hand… the origins of ‘Hunterghost’ are also tied to this town…”
Lacking detailed records, the specifics were hard to pin down. However, the Hunterghost incident at the time affected several cities. Ultimately, the Crisis was mitigated only after the intervention of the Clan’s Dharma Protectors.
“Wait!!”
Suddenly, a loud shout came from behind him.
Fang Jing turned his face and saw the girl who had chased after him, her face flushed red.
“Give my thing back to me!”
“Haha! I don’t really understand what you’re talking about.”
The smile on Fang Jing’s lips remained unchanged.
“Stop pretending to be dumb! You’re the one who stole my pendant, right?”
When she got up in a hurry to leave, she hadn’t noticed the missing pendant. Only after coming to her senses did she realize her thing was gone.
Taking advantage of the museum’s opening hours, she sneaked in again but found nothing.
Later, she realized it might be related to Fang Jing, so she hurriedly chased after him.
“The pendant you mentioned… it wouldn’t be this one, would it?”
Fang Jing took out the pendant adorned with a Ruby from his pocket.
“I found this inside the museum. I was wondering whose it was.”
“That’s mine!”
she said impatiently.
“Then, how can you prove it?”
Fang Jing asked in return.
“…”
She glared at Fang Jing angrily, pressed her lips tightly together, and said slowly, “That was a gift from my father. The design is very unique; I heard it was left by my grandmother. Please give it back to me.”
“I can give it back to you.”
Fang Jing nodded, then said in a deep voice, “But you have to agree to one condition: become my disciple.”
“What? Disciple!”
She shook her head and exclaimed, “I don’t understand what you’re saying at all.”
In an instant, she looked up and found the man in front of her had disappeared.
“I’m right here.”
A hand tapped her on the right shoulder.
Maeda was startled.
“H-how did you do that!”
It was too strange. The man had been about ten meters away, then vanished in the blink of an eye, only to reappear behind her.
She turned around and asked in a lowered voice, “I’m asking you, what kind of person are you?”
“Just an ordinary martial artist.”
Fang Jing chuckled. “You have talent. I like you. Are you interested in being my disciple?”
Well, strictly speaking, more like test subject and disciple number one.
“Martial artist…”
Maeda’s eyes showed a look of disgust.
“I’m not interested at all.”
“I see. Speaking of which, young people these days really aren’t interested in martial arts, are they?”
As soon as he finished speaking, Maeda’s vision blurred, and she noticed Fang Jing had vanished from in front of her. She turned her head again and found he had reappeared several meters away.
“Well then, goodbye for now, Maeda.”
He waved his hand casually and strode forward, making as if to leave.
“Wait! At least give me back my thing before you go!”
Maeda started running after him from behind, but no matter how hard she chased, she couldn’t catch up with the man who was walking faster and faster ahead.