The Correct Way for a Master to Fight

"What exactly did you see?"

"Y-Yokai! So many yokai! They just appeared out of nowhere, all over the mountain..."

"Did this all happen today? Specifically, when did they appear? Did you notice any signs beforehand?"

"Just yokai! So, so many yokai... and snakes! Really big snakes!"

"So you just ran straight down the mountain? What about the others on the mountain? How are they?"

"I-I don't know, there were so many yokai, we couldn't do anything, the yokai just suddenly appeared on the mountain..."

Looking at the soldier in front of him, who seemed genuinely terrified, his face pale, his speech stuttering, and his body trembling, Gu Mo finally couldn't help but twitch his lips. He waved his hand, a bit of a headache and helpless, and instructed—

"Take him down and let him rest properly. He's probably scared stiff."

This was the first person who had fled down the mountain and reported the news of the Yokai causing trouble in the Viper's Divine Realm. He was originally a soldier guarding Saito Dosan's residence, but now he seemed completely out of sorts from fear. Gu Mo had originally hoped to get some useful information from him.

After all, he didn't believe those things just grew out of the ground. Even Yokai attracted by Spirit Stones should have some signs beforehand. Besides, there hadn't been any problems for so long before this, and Saito Dosan hadn't just started collecting Spirit Stones now.

Since there hadn't been any problems before, it meant that the Viper's security measures were quite effective. Yet, such a sudden change had occurred recently... Hmm, even if he attributed it to the butterfly effect he brought, that explanation was a bit too vague.

If he were to trace the specific cause, Gu Mo was more suspicious that something else had changed on the mountain recently, or perhaps, like in those cliché movies, everything was fine before, but someone had recently broken a taboo.

However, the result of his questioning was what he saw.

He didn't know if the soldier was truly this scared, or what, but all the soldier could do was repeat himself... To summarize: there were indeed Yokai, but he only knew that Yokai had appeared on the mountain and were causing trouble. As for what exactly happened, how many Yokai there were, or what happened to the others on the mountain...

Emmmm, he knew absolutely nothing about any of that.

That was the situation. As for what the specific situation was, that remained to be seen.

"Lord Gu Mo, what should we do now... Should we immediately gather men and go up the mountain to investigate?" Tokichiro, standing nearby, watched as the distraught soldier was led away. He spoke softly, his voice full of worry, asking for Gu Mo's opinion.

Although Tokichiro called Gu Mo by a familiar address because of Gu Mo's insistence and to build rapport, it was only in private. The proper etiquette and distance were always maintained, and in front of others, he would even consciously correct his address.

He could build rapport in private, but he couldn't go too far. Otherwise, even if the other party didn't care, it couldn't withstand the jealousy and attacks of those with ulterior motives... Tokichiro was well-experienced in this, having suffered such hardships before.

After all, he wasn't born a Spirit Stone merchant and had only started serving recently. In his earlier years, he had already wandered through places like Owari Province, Mikawa Province, and Suruga, acting as a Ronin seeking a Samurai position. Later, he successfully entered the service of Matsushita Kahei in Totomi Province.

Because he was a very sharp person, diligent in his work, and proactively pushed himself, he was naturally quickly noticed by his lord and highly valued. Kahei was quite fond of this clever monkey and was willing to promote him... But his lord's regard couldn't overcome the jealousy of those with ulterior motives—

Although Kahei protected him repeatedly, when more and more retainers slandered, defamed, and hurt him, he was also forced by pressure to give him up.

When he was dismissed, the monkey didn't even know what had happened. It was Kahei's kind but helpless explanation that made him, who had only known how to work hard, understand. He was still very grateful for Kahei's repeated protection and promotion at that time, and he also learned from the experience, becoming more worldly and smooth in some aspects.

"This... no rush."

Gu Mo looked up at the sky. Perhaps it was because most of the setting sun had already sunk behind the western mountains, and the sky was gradually darkening. This was the last moment of twilight, the moment before nightfall. Soon, it would be completely dark.

"It's already very late today. It's not very safe to travel at night at this hour, let alone explore the mountain. Let's set off tomorrow morning."

Tokichiro opened his mouth, then nodded with a bitter expression.

Although he was very anxious, what the other party said was also very reasonable. Yokai wouldn't be afraid just because there were many people; they would only become more excited because there were more prey. They weren't unintelligent beasts, but in some aspects, they were even more terrifying than beasts that acted on instinct and experience.

In contrast, for humans, night combat was not a favorable home-field advantage. Even in broad daylight, inexperienced soldiers would panic and lose their composure when facing Yokai, let alone at night with limited visibility, having to face the intricate environment of the deep mountains.

Unless they could gather a large army to sweep through, if the numbers were slightly smaller, the plan of going up the mountain overnight would not only fail to solve the problem but would also only provide the Yokai with a midnight snack...

"Let's get ready first. We'll set off early tomorrow morning." Gu Mo sighed. A new scenario was about to begin, but his ability growth seemed insufficient.

Compared to when the scenario at Thirteenth Cherry Village ended, how much had he grown?

—His Strength attribute had increased by one point...

—He had gained a Guardian Spirit that felt like an imaginary friend...

—He had firmly grasped two Onmyoji Magic Talisman Skills, and some other Skills he was learning but whose Proficiency wasn't high enough, and he also had a certain understanding of basic swordsmanship...

Hmm, it seemed that was it. Gu Mo, racking his brain, suddenly felt a little worried. This level of growth didn't seem to be enough to hold up. He pondered and thought about it again, then turned around and walked back into the house, leaving Tokichiro and the local officials who were originally stationed at Sagiyama Castle, assisting in managing the castle.

They all looked worried, their brows furrowed, and their faces unconsciously wrinkled into a bitter gourd expression. After all, this was an unexpected disaster.

The next morning.

The sun rose as usual.

Not long after the morning sun leaped over the horizon, a team that had been ready to go for a long time left the castle and headed straight into the mountains. The number of people wasn't particularly large, but they were all experienced elites, not a single raw recruit, and they were equipped with everything they could be.

Things like armor, and Matchlock Guns, of course, Matchlock Guns weren't cannons, but the term for arquebuses in this Sengoku Period.

Gu Mo wasn't familiar with Sengoku history and didn't know if it was a deviation in this world's plane or something, but at this time, this type of firearm had indeed begun to show a trend of popularization. He did a little research and found that the forces under the various Daimyo basically had them equipped, it was just a matter of more or less.

Although from a later perspective, there were still many shortcomings of this kind, at this time, it was already truly rare. He didn't plan to let these excellent military provisions gather dust in the warehouse, but directly put them to use...

If they weren't used when fighting Yokai on the mountain, then when would they be used? This thing wasn't bought to be hoarded and wait for appreciation.

Riding on his horse, Gu Mo traveled while lowering his head to examine the roughly made Matchlock Gun in his hand. Finally, he shook his head. The use of this thing didn't quite align with his ideas. It was only advantageous when equipped by soldiers on a large scale. However, in non-battlefield confrontations, using this thing alone against an enemy was quite unwise.

The operation was slightly complicated, and the reloading speed was too slow...

It felt like it wasn't even as good as using a bow and arrow...

He glanced at the black-haired girl beside him, watching Hidechiyo with the longbow on her back. Gu Mo exhaled and put down the Matchlock Gun. As expected, gameplay could not be equated with reality. In the game, even if he couldn't directly spray bullets, he could fire a shot per second.

It was as if pulling the trigger would directly shoot, and as long as there was ammunition, there was no need to reload or perform complex operations, which was why firearms and cannons had practical value.

But in reality, it wasn't that easy.

Marching along, it wasn't long before the group reached the mountainside. Ahead, a camp shrouded in mist appeared. This was the barracks of the soldiers who originally guarded the mountain, set up at a treacherous point halfway up to block the path.

Behind the camp, faintly visible buildings nestled against the mountain could be seen – beautiful and refined, with layered, soaring eaves, giving a sense of taking flight.

Building such a luxurious mansion on this rocky mountain, and taking two to three years to do it, felt a bit like a waste of labor and resources... But after thinking about why that old man did it, Gu Mo felt he could understand. If such a massive construction project hadn't served as a visible cover, the act of hiding a large number of Spirit Stones here would likely have been exposed long ago.

"This is it! Kill them!"

Looking at the silhouettes of clearly non-human beings in the misty, dim camp, Gu Mo also saw some familiar figures. He glanced back at the group of Matchlock Ashigaru behind him and noticed that some of the soldiers looked solemn, others were nervous, but none showed fear or panic.

They had all faced Yokai before; they were experienced. With his thoughts racing, he immediately gave the order.

The Matchlock Ashigaru behind him quickly advanced, simultaneously raising their matchlock guns in unison at the front. The tactic was simple: first, bombard with firearms to inflict as much damage as possible, then see if there was time to reload for a second round depending on the distance. If there was, so much the better. If not, they would engage with cold steel.

Bang! Bang bang!

A barrage of gunshots, dense like firecrackers, crackled repeatedly, echoing through the empty mountain. Then came the strong smell of gunpowder smoke.

Fierce, angry roars resounded. In the strange, misty camp ahead, the Yokai, who seemed to be aimlessly wandering back and forth, were instantly heavily damaged. As low-level cannon fodder, they weren't made of bronze skin and iron bones; they could be harmed by bows, arrows, and swords, let alone firearm projectiles.

Several of them had just sensed the presence of living beings and turned their heads when they were mowed down in a crackling fusillade.

However, most of the casualties were small Yokai like Hungry Ghosts. Only one or two ordinary Yokai fell. The rest were either not wounded or only lightly injured, and they were thoroughly enraged.

With contorted faces and crimson eyes, the Yokai all turned around and rushed roaring towards the mountain path outside the camp!

The groups of soldiers also quickly lowered their matchlock guns, drew their cold weapons, and prepared to engage... but one figure was faster than them.

Hidechiyo drew her sword and, light as a swallow, flew past the soldiers' formation on the mountain path, landing at the very front. With a swift stroke, she beheaded a Yokai that was charging the fastest and most aggressively. Perhaps the blade was too fast and sharp, but the headless, burly body still surged forward for over ten steps before finally collapsing!

—Blood gushed from its neck, staining the surrounding ground crimson.

Using the momentum of her swing, the girl had no intention of withdrawing. Instead, she spun forward, the flashing cold light of her blade carving out a wide arc of swirling spiritual energy that cleanly sliced two other pouncing Lesser Hungry Ghosts into two parts, swift and decisive.

A Greater Hungry Ghost, larger than a human and with a grotesquely huge head that looked like it could swallow a person whole, let out a sharp, piercing cry. But just as it leaped, a fist-sized fireball whistled through the air, leaving a spiral of intertwined flames, and struck it directly.

Screaming, the struck Greater Hungry Ghost rolled on the ground, its body catching fire. Although the remaining flames quickly died out in just one or two breaths, half of its body was charred black. The spot where the fireball hit was emitting black smoke and heat, the skin no longer revealing flesh and blood but instead a burnt, charred mess mixed with scarlet!

In Gu Mo's view, he could clearly see the Health Bar displayed above this Greater Hungry Ghost's head; it had been reduced by nearly half in an instant.

He imperceptibly furrowed his brow. Another talisman drawn with profound patterns appeared in his hand. With a wave, the talisman, which should have been light and weightless, immediately ignited after leaving his hand, transforming into a fist-sized fireball identical to the previous one!

Boom!

It struck the Greater Hungry Ghost's head again, completely removing the other half of its Health Bar.

A pretty good performance. Compared to the way he had to rely on wits and courage even against Lesser Hungry Ghosts, Gu Mo seemed much more relaxed and at ease now. However, he himself wore a look of helplessness.

He knew his own situation. Last night, he had intensified his training, maxing out the Proficiency of "Fire Bullet Talisman," which he had almost no left of, and truly mastering the skill. In terms of use, this seemed to be the indispensable Fireball spell common in general Master profession skills, just with an Eastern twist.

But it took two Fire Bullet Talismans to kill one Greater Hungry Ghost, and that was with the fire attribute damage bonus amplified by his Guardian Spirit...

Moreover, he hadn't yet mastered special powers like Spiritual Power and couldn't directly "biu" fire bullets. He could only use them by expending physical and mental energy beforehand and combining them with materials to create Spirit Talismans. But the quantity was always very limited.

"Need to increase magic power... add Intelligence or Spirit? Or both?"

Thinking this in his mind, he simply drew the sword at his waist, slapped a Spirit Talisman onto the blade, and the already cold and sharp edge suddenly glowed with a faint, pure light. This was the effective power that could purify defilement, a pure attribute that dealt true damage to things from Tokoyo.

The number of direct attacking Fire Bullet Talismans was limited, and their killing power was also limited. He couldn't just "biu" his way through and had to conserve them.

Another Greater Hungry Ghost charged at him. Although its gaping maw was incredibly terrifying and its ferocious pouncing, clawing, and biting looked scary, perhaps because his body had begun to form instincts, or perhaps because the muscle memory caused by Minamoto no Raikou's pain was working.

He directly sidestepped, and in the instant they brushed past each other, he countered with an upward slash!

The blade was fast and sharp. As the pure light flashed, the effective power broke through the Yokai Energy and Yokai Power defenses of the creature from Tokoyo. The Greater Hungry Ghost was directly split into left and right halves, its belly torn open and its intestines spilled everywhere.

Turning to glance, Gu Mo twitched his mouth and silently tightened his grip on the sword at his waist.

This was still better. "Biuing" for half a day wasn't as effective as drawing his sword, enchanting it, and giving the opponent a fierce cut... As expected, this was the correct way for a Master to fight! He had enlightened!