Chapter 92: Kagome Hall (Twenty)

“It seems… it’s you again, Toriumi.”

The bespectacled man was tall and thin. His high-necked suit hugged his slim frame tightly.

His hair was meticulously combed, giving off the typical aura of a high-ranking elite civil servant.

“Hahaha, if it isn’t Usami! Long time no see. Looks like you’ve gotten promoted again…”

“If possible, please stop calling me. Get to the point…”

The man frowned deeply, the creases between his brows forming the shape of a river.

“What happened this time?”

Toriumi Kotaro still wore a bitter smile. He explained the situation to the bespectacled man, and the two continued to discuss something.

Fang Jing didn’t pay attention to them. Grasping the Vinaya Mirror, he truly felt the vast amount of Yin Energy hidden within it. He concentrated a little, and a massive surge of Yin Energy was absorbed into his body.

“60 points of Growth Value. Good. So this trip wasn’t a waste. I collected a total of 75 points of Growth Value.”

He didn’t need to worry about running short now. Even though the journey had been full of troubles, it was finally over.

“Can… I have my mirror back now?”

The slightly displeased voice of Toriumi Arisu came from behind him.

“Here.”

Since the Yin Energy was gone, the mirror was useless to him. Fang Jing had no intention of keeping it. The mirror felt even more unsettling than the previous Defiled Temple.

“But I don’t understand. Why did your blood destroy the Mirror World? Toriumi, who exactly are you?”

“That’s what I want to ask you! An ordinary person couldn’t do the things you can either!”

“I’m just an ordinary martial arts enthusiast.”

“That is not ordinary…”

Her tone was exceptionally strange.

“It really is ordinary. Anybody who practiced martial arts for years could do it.”

Not just anyone… but training for decades with good talent and aptitude might bring someone close to his level from two months ago. Fang Jing’s expression remained calm as he asked, “You came here with Uncle Toriumi. It wasn’t just a simple invitation, was it? I get the feeling both of you knew something would happen here.”

“No, we couldn’t have known. If we truly understood, we wouldn’t have ended up in such a mess.”

Hearing this, Toriumi Arisu’s voice turned somewhat detached. “However, about your question on ‘blood’… the truth is simple. Do you remember the dream you had inside Kagome Hall? The girl in that dream… she was my great-grandmother. The villagers accused her… called her a Witch… and perhaps they weren’t entirely wrong.”

“Wait a minute, wasn’t that girl killed inside the mansion?”

Fang Jing recalled his dream. He remembered the woman being shot in the chest.

“The bullet struck the Vinaya Mirror.”

Toriumi Arisu lifted the mirror in her hand and pointed to a crack on its surface.

“She didn’t die. With Atsumu’s help, she escaped down the mountain. Later, the escaped girl met a man, had children with him… that’s another story.”

“She did inherit some kind of power. Calling her a ‘Witch’ isn’t entirely unreasonable. But my great-grandmother did no evil. She was framed, which is why the villagers hated her so much.”

“Kagome Hall was built by her father as a place for her to rest. It was also a secluded refuge to hide from those chasing her… but they eventually found her anyway.”

The young woman sighed wistfully.

Fang Jing found this rather interesting. But another thought occurred to him, and he decided it best to confirm something else with her.

He told her about the paranormal incidents he had encountered and asked if there was any solution.

Yuasa Junichi and Enshoen kept searching for ways to fight curses and spirits, but they found nothing substantial. His trip had serendipitously led him to meet Toriumi Arisu.

So, he hoped to get more information from her as a potential lead.

Yuasa Junichi and Enshoen’s ideas might not be wrong. This world was full of various paranormal phenomena involving death, disappearances, and curses.

Yet ordinary people lived life as usual. The world seemed so calm and peaceful. That meant some force must secretly maintain this fragile balance.

Toriumi Arisu shook her head. She chose her words carefully, sounding regretful. “Besides humans, other… ‘different beings’ exist in this world. Most people are unaware of them. Only a few, born with the Spirit Medium Constitution, can sense such abnormal things. Yet, mediums don’t have the ability to fight these ‘different beings’…”

However, their ability to sense danger means they can prepare, unlike ordinary people who remain oblivious. Throughout history, many revered fortune-tellers, spirit-talkers, and priests were mainly such mediums.

“It seems an ordinary person faced with such things truly has no recourse at all.”

Fang Jing also sighed. “Toriumi… you must be a Medium, then?”

“No. I’m no Medium.”

Seeing his expression, a flicker of pity crossed Toriumi Arisu’s eyes. She revealed something she had intended to keep hidden.

“My situation… is because my great-grandmother was a direct descendant of that Witch. My blood merely suppresses this specific mirror. Against other paranormal phenomena… it’s useless. Furthermore, the Witch’s blood in me is very diluted. It cannot compare to that of a true Witch.”

“However… I do know this. In this country, there exists a group called the Clans. Their bloodlines contain immense power. The Clans are few and very rare. But each Clan possesses abilities of unfathomable depth. Nishizuka… if you wish to solve your troubles, seeking help from these people is your only option.”

“The problem is, where would I even look for them?”

“Unfortunately, asking me is useless.”

Toriumi Arisu shook her head helplessly. She truly knew nothing about it. Yet she felt she owed him for his help during this ordeal.

As they were about to part ways, she passed on some crucial information.

Supernatural phenomena did exist in this world. They always had. But in ordinary times, they were isolated cases. They hadn’t become severe enough to threaten human existence.

These phenomena were collectively called “Strange Phenomenon”. Given that name, they naturally involved bizarre, unusual occurrences. However, among these Strange Phenomenon incidents, two types of dangerous sources appeared frequently.

“The first are the Nocturnal. Some call them Nocturnal Species. In ancient times, the Kingdom of Wa called them ‘Demons’ or ‘Yōkai’. Dynasties changed, the ages rolled on… many Nocturnal Species perished. A few hid deep in remote mountains and forests… or in otherworldly places far removed from humans…”

“The second is Evil Filth. Its forms are complex too. Things like ghosts and vengeful spirits count as part of Evil Filth. However, most Evil Filth born from dead people’s clinging thoughts are harmless. The truly dreadful things are the deeper, fundamental corruptions…”

Nocturnal and Evil Filth were more like classifications, ways of understanding. They weren’t strict biological categories. Human logic and common sense crumbled when applied to them.

Besides the Nocturnal and Evil Filth, there was a creature within the Strange Phenomenon known as the Third Category. And it was the most dangerous of all.

Toriumi Arisu knew little about this Third Category and offered no further details.

② City of Drift