Great Yin-Yang Art Remnant Chapter: Imperial Spirit

As soon as he stepped out of the bushes, before Uesugi Tetsu could speak, the two apprentices squatting by the stream saw him and started chattering excitedly.

This outfit was incredibly effective.

Uesugi Tetsu feigned surprise and asked them, "Are you workshop apprentices here? Why are you so shabby?"

The two apprentices quickly nodded, knelt before him, and began to wail.

Although their tone sounded a bit strange, Uesugi Tetsu understood the general meaning.

It was all about how heartless the workshop owner was, how he exploited their rest time, and never let them leave the cramped workspace...

So Uesugi Tetsu sighed, "How pitiful, truly pitiful."

Bowing and taking the two apprentices' hands, Uesugi Tetsu said sincerely, "Come to our factory. Not only do we strictly enforce an eight-hour workday, but we also prohibit consecutive shifts, offer comprehensive social insurance, and pay piece rates on top of a base salary."

The apprentices were confused by the many new terms, but they were certain about one thing.

That was, the person before them was willing to lead them out of this hell!

"Thank you... thank you!"

By the time Uesugi Tetsu helped them up, the apprentices were sobbing uncontrollably.

"Then come with me," Uesugi Tetsu said. "I'll lead you to a new life."

[You have killed the scattered wandering soul "Clumsy Worker Apprentice" and obtained 7 Soul Ash.]

[You have killed the scattered wandering soul "Clumsy Worker Apprentice" and obtained 6 Soul Ash.]

In the dark thatched hut, Uesugi Tetsu, having completed his backstab, gently wiped the bloodstains from his wood-chopping knife with a cloth.

There was one thing he hadn't lied about.

That was, wasn't death also a kind of new life?

"I didn't expect them to be so easy to fool. As expected of a low-level monster with the prefix 'clumsy'."

He sighed, and after confirming he had no bloodstains on him, Uesugi Tetsu returned to his original spot, using his Hundred-Eyed Demon eyes to monitor the workshop, waiting for apprentices to sneak out for a break.

After waiting for several hours and repeating the same trick twice more, Uesugi Tetsu, having dealt with five workshop apprentices, decided to stop for now.

It was best not to rush things, otherwise, the foreman might notice something was wrong too early.

Besides, it was already past midnight, and Uesugi Tetsu needed to sleep. Not only did he have to attend school normally, but practicing the Ki-ai Technique and swordsmanship tomorrow would require a lot of energy.

However, this life still had to be put to good use.

So Uesugi Tetsu exited Arakawa Ghost Village and entered Edo Castle, beginning to explore brazenly.

The result was as expected. After searching two corpses that had nothing and gaining 1% exploration progress, he was decapitated by a passing Sengoku Ronin in three sword strikes.

But last time it was two strikes, and this time it was three. That was already a full fifty percent improvement!

Uesugi Tetsu sat up, clutching his neck, and shook his head. He felt like he was starting to get used to being beheaded.

Picking up his phone, as Uesugi Tetsu expected, his fellow overworked netizens had indeed replied late at night.

[Work to Death]: Based on your description, it sounds like a Sengoku-era ronin or samurai, but why are they wearing Noh masks? Is it cosplay from a CP convention?

Noh masks?

What were those?

Uesugi Tetsu searched online and found that they were similar in spirit to Peking Opera and Kunqu Opera from his hometown.

So they were opera performers.

[Moon Sand Chan]: What does this have to do with Noh?

[Work to Death]: You little brat really don't understand traditional culture at all. Based on your description, this samurai is wearing a "Fangxiangshi" Noh mask.

Uesugi Tetsu's expression froze slightly, and the force with which he gripped his phone unconsciously increased.

Fangxiangshi?

Perhaps his description was unclear, and the other party mistook the dye on his face for a mask...

But whether it was dye or a mask, the overworked netizen didn't know that the "Fangxiangshi" was the final boss of Edo Castle.

Uesugi Tetsu suddenly found it somewhat absurd.

The first time he entered Edo Castle, the moment he pushed open the gate at the spawn point, he had already come face-to-face with the final boss.

Uesugi Tetsu had originally planned to become stronger and then hang that red-faced samurai up and beat him severely, but now it seemed like a distant dream.

[Moon Sand Chan]: Okay, got it. (Heart emoji.jpg)

After thanking the other party in the style of the original owner, Uesugi Tetsu, who had intended to go straight to sleep, quietly put down his phone, preparing to practice the Ki-ai Technique for another two hours.

Meanwhile, in the ruins of the burning Friendship Club branch.

Nanjō Emi, who had just finished her overtime, with a Hiyori Bō on her head and a cigarette in her mouth, mumbled with dead fish eyes, "Could the little guy have encountered a samurai ghost?"

She took a deep drag from her cigarette, then spat it out with a smack. "The world's too chaotic. I should teach him something useful first."

Beside Nanjō Emi, only Hasegawa Ken's upper body remained, covered in dust. His other half was nowhere to be found, likely buried under some rubble.

He, who used to smile so readily, would never smile again.

Fortunately, the Special Affairs Division had already promoted him to [Tokugyōsei] overnight. It would be engraved on his tombstone, fulfilling his last wish.

Annoyed, Nanjō Emi tore off the battle-damaged cloth strips that served as pants and began typing.

[Work To Death]: Kid, did you run into something unclean? Don't be scared, I'll teach you something now, guaranteed to keep you sleeping soundly.

Teach me something?

Uesugi Tetsu, who had just entered his breathing state, picked up his phone with a frown.

It's probably some low-tier folk sorcery.

But he didn't have time to learn this kind of thing now. Wouldn't it be easier to just ask Nanjō Emi directly?

Still, on the surface, he gave his online friend plenty of respect.

[Moon Sand-chan]: Big sis is awesome. (Expectant.jpg)

Nanjō Emi's lips curved into a smile. Thinking of the stuffed doll she had given him, she began typing rapidly, sending large blocks of text.

Uesugi Tetsu, who had only glanced at the messages and found them incomprehensible, was about to give a perfunctory reply before continuing his Ki-ai Technique practice when a notification popped up.

[Work To Death is imparting to you the incomplete Great Yin-Yang Art: Imperial Spirit...]

[Moon Sand-chan]: ?

["Moon Sand-chan" retracted a message]

[Moon Sand-chan]: Sorry, wrong button. Big sis, please continue.

Uesugi Tetsu quickly opened the window, and the cold wind rushed in, instantly clearing his head.

Ki-ai Technique? What Ki-ai Technique?

After scolding himself for the past few seconds, Uesugi Tetsu began to concentrate, memorizing and trying to understand the extensive text.

Uesugi Tetsu couldn't understand it at all, but that was fine. The system would help him understand. All he had to do was stare intently.

After a brief few minutes, as the large block of text stopped appearing, another notification popped up.

[You have learned the incomplete Great Yin-Yang Art: Imperial Spirit.]

[Imperial Spirit Technique (Untrained 0/100)]

[Effect: Commands the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, connecting with the spirits of all things.]

How mystical do these effect descriptions sound?

After absorbing the series of basic knowledge related to the Imperial Spirit Technique that had appeared in his mind, Uesugi Tetsu looked back at his phone.

[Work To Death]: This isn't some precious technique. It's fine if you want to teach it to a friend, just don't spread it online.

Uesugi Tetsu stared at the words "Great Yin-Yang Art" for a long time before replying with an "OK" in his confusion.

Could it be that my overworked friend is the heir to some great family, but was driven out for various reasons and became a salaryman...

After contemplating such a melodramatic plot, Uesugi Tetsu typed out a thank you before thinking about where he could possibly use this Imperial Spirit Technique.

The untrained level of the Imperial Spirit Technique didn't contain much knowledge. At most, it could only be used to warn unintelligent wandering spirits or allow the user to communicate with certain spiritual objects.

After a moment of thought, Uesugi Tetsu slapped his thigh. He thought of the stuffed doll Nanjō Emi had given him.

That stuffed doll, isn't it a spiritual object!

With that thought, Uesugi Tetsu pulled open his door and snatched the stuffed doll, which was spinning on a straw rope, into his palm.