Encountering a Ghost at School Again

Having said that, before Yotsuya Miko could react, an invisible force lifted her bodily off the ground. The tears at the corners of her eyes turned to ash and scattered. After that, no more tears would come.

"I saw your extraordinary talent, which is why I made you my disciple. You should know, there are few people of my caliber."

He spoke with a hint of emotion.

"But Heaven and Earth are merciless. Even I cannot escape death. Still, my true teachings must be passed on to someone. Are you willing?"

Yotsuya Miko had no idea what this Ghost was planning, and naturally refused. Yet an invisible force bent her body down, making her kneel on the ground and bow.

"Miko is willing."

She hadn't said those words, yet they had indeed come out of her mouth.

"Zhang Qiudao" smiled with satisfaction.

"Good, good, good. You shall be the first true disciple of my sect, and its last. Though you're a little older, your talent should make up for it. Since that's settled, there's no time to lose. I should teach you the ways of cultivation."

"Miko, do you know how many cultivation techniques my sect has?"

"I don't. I ask Master to enlighten me."

No, I don't want to know at all.

Yotsuya Miko's struggle was plain in her golden eyes, yet her controlled body couldn't respond in the slightest, as if it didn't belong to her.

By now, utter despair had enveloped her.

Am I going to die?

"My sect has three cultivation techniques that can reach the Enlightenment Realm. The first is the White Bone Spirit Transformation True Method: refine bone into spirit, and all things are born from bone. The second is the Crimson Marrow Sea Absorption Heart Technique: refine blood into a sea, and as long as the sea of blood remains, you will never die. The third is the Nine Nether Profound Soul Treasure Record: refine the soul into a divine spirit, and the spirit will live forever. Which technique would you like to cultivate, my disciple?"

"Zhang Qiudao" looked at her kindly and released his hold on her.

"If you want to leave this illusion, then choose one, my dear disciple."

Without the force holding her up, Yotsuya Miko's legs gave way, and she slumped to the ground.

"If you're going to kill me, then do it."

She had no experience with cultivation, and had no idea what was happening to her. From her perspective, she had simply been caught by this powerful "Ghost," which was forcing her to do strange things.

"Anything is fine. I can't escape anyway."

"If you want to leave this illusion, then choose one, my dear disciple."

"Zhang Qiudao" continued smiling as he repeated those words, as if he had completely lost his mind.

"I won't choose anything."

"If you want to leave this illusion, then choose one, my dear disciple."

"..."

Yotsuya Miko stared at him, this strangely named old man. He kept speaking in a language she couldn't understand, yet she understood every word.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Zhang Qiudao, the Myriad Transformation Devil Venerable of the Xuanhui Realm."

"Why... do you want to take me as your disciple?"

"You have the talent to see."

"What is the Xuanhui Realm?"

"If..."

"Zhang Qiudao" repeated his earlier words, and Yotsuya Miko began to understand a little.

So she steeled herself and got back to her feet.

"What is a cultivation technique?"

"If..."

"What is the Enlightenment Realm?"

"If..."

"...What will happen if I choose a cultivation technique?"

"If..."

There was no response. Yotsuya Miko sighed and looked around. Apart from her and the old man, there was nothing but pure white.

She was still wearing what she'd had on before bed.

"I choose..."

Miko didn't know what would happen if she refused to make a choice.

For now, she truly had no other choice.

Hesitating, she finally chose the technique she could more or less understand.

"The Nine... Nether... Profound Soul Treasure Record."

She struggled to pronounce the words, imitating the old man's speech.

"The Nine Nether Profound Soul Treasure Record? Good, good, good! Since that's settled, I shall pass on its methods to you. Remember, the Nine Nether Profound Soul Treasure Record uses living souls as its material. Without living souls, it's difficult to make progress. When you've cultivated a wisp of Profound Nether Qi, come back and find me."

With that, he tapped Yotsuya Miko on the forehead.

"Remember this: Nine Nether evil spirits plague the mortal world; souls are extracted and refined, leaving the underworld empty. The Mysterious Soul is hard-won, its years long; once the Dao is attained, Heaven and Earth will be at ease."

"Wake up!"

In bed, Yotsuya Miko suddenly opened her eyes and threw off the covers. The Ghost that had been resting on her abdomen was gone. For some reason, several buttons on her neatly fastened clothes had come undone, revealing her snow-white navel.

She stared blankly for a few seconds, then let out a breath of relief and pulled the covers back over herself.

The pile of salt beside the bed had been disturbed at some point, scattering everywhere. At least Yotsuya Miko knew that this stuff was completely useless against Ghosts.

After straightening her clothes, she went back to the washbasin to wash up. The black handprints on the mirror and the Ghost that had lingered there were gone too, as if they had never been there.

But clearly, not everything had disappeared.

For example, Miko now knew all too well that something had been stuffed into her mind: the thing called the "Nine Nether Profound Soul Treasure Record," along with the vast amount of information it contained, filled her head, impossible to forget.

It described how people could become powerful through Soul Bodies, and she could now see those Soul Bodies clearly.

"As I thought, in the end, I still..."

Yotsuya Miko thought about what the powerful Ghost had put into her mind... No, perhaps he wasn't a Ghost. He had called himself the "Myriad Transformation Devil Venerable."

"Should I cultivate it?"

The girl considered the question, then answered decisively.

"Even if I die, I'll never cultivate something this creepy. Absolutely not."

Hopefully, the flag she'd just raised wouldn't come down too soon.

Chapter 3: Encountering a Ghost at School Again

From the time she left home in the morning until she reached school, the sun shone brightly, and the scenery was picturesque. That vibrant scene of life, with all things thriving, was still vivid in her mind.

For a moment, Yotsuya Miko felt as if she'd returned to the world of the living.

But it was clear that the feeling wouldn't last long.

After being hit by her friend Yurikawa Hana's chest in the school corridor, and having her spirit worn down by a string of Ghostly scares the previous night, she nearly collapsed right there. As she was about to greet her friend, she spotted something she absolutely did not want to see outside the third-floor window.

"Hey,"

Miko turned her expressionless face toward the window,

"this is the third floor, right?"

"Isn't that obvious?"

Yurikawa Hana looked at her, puzzled.

"Did you hit your head when you got scared just now?"

"No,"

Miko shook her head at the empty window,

"I'm sure it's just..."

As she spoke, a female Ghost with long, disheveled hair and eyes even bigger than those of a Karsland doll leaned her head to one side and peered at Miko from outside the window. Her pupils took up almost her entire eyeballs.

As if it had noticed Miko looking, the female Ghost passed through the wall from outside, then slowly walked toward Yotsuya Miko.

A monster with a pitch-black mouth, which looked like it must have smelled terrible, pushed its head between Yotsuya Miko and Yurikawa Hana. Its head was bent almost ninety degrees as it greeted Miko.

"Good morning."

Its mouth gaped open, and as it spoke, its teeth and lips trembled.

"Tea...cher..."

Yotsuya Miko pretended not to see it, ignoring the drawn-out "teacher" completely.

Seeing this, the female Ghost brought its head even closer to Yotsuya Miko's face, nearly pressing its black-breathed mouth against the tip of her nose.

"Good morning..."

As I thought...

Yotsuya Miko's heart sank. The corners of her eyes didn't well with tears again—she'd already been driven to the brink by last night's events.

She could see it so clearly.

In an instant, a great many things flashed through her mind.

Last night, Eye-Eye, the heavy rain, the Ghost, Zhang Qiudao, the cultivation technique, the Nine Nether Profound Soul Treasure Record...

Shattered fragments churned in her thoughts.

She understood one thing perfectly: she couldn't escape these things anymore.

Their eyes met...

What should I do?

She racked her brain for an idea. Then she suddenly remembered the "Nine Nether Profound Soul Treasure Record," which had already been carved deep into her mind.

I absolutely won't...

"Mi...Miko?"

Watching Yotsuya Miko stare at her expressionlessly, Yurikawa Hana looked confused. From her perspective, she couldn't see the Ghosts, so Miko's behavior seemed rather strange.

"What's wrong? Why are you staring at me like that?"

"Hey, are you listening?"

Yotsuya Miko was lost in thought. Besides, she was at a loss over what to do about the female Ghost in front of her.

"Can you see me?"

The female Ghost kept speaking, opening and closing its mouth.

"Can you..."

It repeated the words, but when Yotsuya Miko continued to look completely unfazed, it finally gave up.

"You can't see me..."

It looked disappointed, then withdrew and passed through the wall, leaving Yotsuya Miko and Yurikawa Hana.

Thank goodness, it's gone.

Only then did Yotsuya Miko look toward Yurikawa Hana, ready to ask what she'd said just now.

To her surprise, Hana struck a bashful pose.

"Could it be..."

Hana touched her index fingers together in front of her chest, her cheeks flushing.

"I..."

"Are you going to confess to me?"

"..."