Ghost Courtesan

The heavy curtain of night descended slowly, yet the city beneath the brilliant lights remained as bright as day.

The coy laughter of mysterious women mingled with the strumming of shamisen, drifting out from the pleasure quarters along with the scent of sake.

The city that never slept, with its endless song and dance, was infinitely glamorous, yet hidden behind the luxury of wine and gold was a foundation built upon countless tears and blood.

"Jingxian Temple is just ahead. All the courtesans from the pleasure houses and the faded Ghost Courtesans are buried directly there."

Luna pointed toward the quiet, eerie, and ominous temple ahead.

Unlike the bustling, brightly lit pleasure district, this place held only desolation.

It was as if they were two completely opposite worlds.

"Such intense resentment... this is the true source of the grudge." Looking at the temple ahead, the resentment soared into the sky.

During the day, the temple's Buddhist light masked it, but now that night had fallen, the Buddhist light was instead suppressed.

"Does this temple have any monks?" Kikyo had rarely seen such massive resentment and immediately asked Luna.

"No, there are only countless pleasure house women buried hastily in Jingxian Temple."

"I see..."

The courtesans and the faded Ghost Courtesans were simply buried here in a rush, with nothing else to their names. How was this any different from a mass grave?

It was no wonder the resentment was so strong; it was all the lingering grudges of those female souls.

"The one who gave me the demon curse must be a monster formed from the soul-resentment of the predecessors buried in Jingxian Temple."

Speaking of this, Luna wore a look of lingering fear.

As a member of a pleasure house, a Ghost Courtesan was naturally Luna's goal as well.

However, no matter how hard she tried, Luna was still a little short of becoming a Ghost Courtesan, lacking that bit of unique charm.

But this was not something easily compensated for; there were many beautiful and hardworking women in the pleasure houses, not just Luna.

Yet Luna was unwilling to accept this...

By chance, Luna came to this Jingxian Temple, where countless predecessors were buried, in the dead of night. Her unwillingness drew out a monster.

A beautiful female ghost, a monster transformed from the soul-resentment of a faded Ghost Courtesan buried here.

In response to Luna's unwillingness, the monster helped her gain a charm full of temptation.

However, this help was not free...

"So many resentful spirits..."

The moment she stepped into Jingxian Temple, Yae Sakura discovered many female resentful spirits.

"Be careful..." Kikyo took the bow from her back and stood beside Yae Sakura.

Yae Sakura kept her right hand firmly on her Spirit Blade; for these spiritual monsters, the Spirit Blade was a weapon that countered them quite effectively.

As for the little fox Higokumaru, she wore a relaxed expression on her face; her Fox Fire was no joke.

Only Luna, though terrified, followed closely behind the two women and one fox.

When Yae Sakura, the two women, and the fox had completely entered Jingxian Temple, they discovered that this burial ground, which had appeared dead and silent to the naked eye, was now filled with drifting resentful spirits dancing elegantly.

The temple had also completely changed, transforming into a luxurious, beautiful pleasure house and a Flower Night Path.

Inside the pleasure house, those resentful spirits seemed to be indulging in the dreams of the past.

Before long, a massive figure dressed in a gorgeous kimono suddenly appeared before them. The figure was about a dozen meters tall, dressed as a Ghost Courtesan, but with blue skin and a head of long, snow-white hair.

These were the wandering spirits of women gathered here by their obsessions, forming the appearance of a Ghost Courtesan...

"Youth fades easily, a good man is hard to find..."

It was actually... a Great Demon-level resentful spirit...

[Bounty Mission: Exorcise the Ghost Courtesan]

[Mission Requirements: Resentment and unwillingness have worn away the remaining joy; the lamenting spirits are imprisoned on this shore, unable to leave. Please awaken their souls, which are indulging in illusions, and let them depart for the other shore.]

[Reward: 200 Crystals, 30 Mechanical Experience Chips (Purple), 50 Skill Points, 100,000 Gold Coins]

[Accept?]

"Kikyo, can you exorcise them?" Yae Sakura looked at Kikyo.

"Exorcising a Great Demon-level resentful spirit is somewhat difficult. Of course, it mainly depends on the weight of their obsession." Kikyo was not entirely certain; exorcism was different from extermination.

"However, if we can make her obsession collapse and force her to recall the past, there shouldn't be any problem."

"Make her obsession collapse?" Yae Sakura was stunned.

"Just hit her until it hurts!"

"You should have said so earlier... But this resentful spirit's strength is too poor. Higokumaru, you go!" Yae Sakura looked at the little fox on her shoulder, not intending to take action herself.

This was a spiritual monster. Although Yae Sakura's Spirit Blade and sword energy could restrain her, fighting wasn't very comfortable, and most importantly... this monster made Yae Sakura feel a little bit unable to bring herself to strike.

"Big sister, leave it to Higokumaru!" Hearing this, Higokumaru accepted immediately. Looking at the giant Ghost Courtesan in front of her, the little fox left Yae Sakura's shoulder and immediately transformed into a giant fox the same size as her.

"Be careful not to actually destroy her. Just make her lose the ability to resist." Fearing that Higokumaru wouldn't know her own strength, she quickly added a reminder.

"Understood!"

Higokumaru, now a fire fox, stood majestically in front of the Ghost Courtesan. Her entire body burned with high-temperature Fox Fire, and the surroundings began to grow hot.

"Who goes there..."

The Ghost Courtesan looked at the suddenly appearing Higokumaru, but before she could even ask, the giant flame fox pounced directly onto her.

Immediately following this, a super-giant pillar of fire, nearly thirty meters in diameter, erupted with Higokumaru at its center. The pillar of fire rose from the ground, shooting straight into the sky!

Under this massive pillar of fire, the entire Jingxian Temple instantly turned to ash.

The pillar of fire shot into the clouds, illuminating the entire Bungo Province!

If Higokumaru hadn't been mindful of Yae Sakura and Kikyo, even the three of them might have been injured.

"Damn it!"

Watching Higokumaru's actions, Yae Sakura was stunned!

I told you to be careful not to hurt her, and you come at her with such a powerful move right away?

"My god..."

Kikyo immediately set up a sealing barrier. Although Higokumaru's flames had been carefully directed, the temperature was still very high. Yae Sakura and Kikyo were fine, but Luna was just an ordinary person.

"Ah..."

The giant pillar of fire enveloped the Ghost Courtesan. As a resentful spirit, she was naturally afraid of fire, let alone powerful Fox Fire. Even a Great Demon-level resentful spirit couldn't fully withstand it.

However...

"The resentment is dissipating in the flames..."

Kikyo watched the Ghost Courtesan in the flames with great surprise. As she screamed... the resentment on her body was being purified by the flames...

Higokumaru's Fox Fire could actually burn away resentment...