Leaving aside Xiao Xiuying's profuse thanks to Kano and his companion, the two of them eventually returned to the Crown car.
He found a place to turn around and sped toward downtown Hailar-with all that taken care of, they could make it back just in time for lunch.
"So, baby, what did you make of it?" The Slit-Mouthed Woman turned down the car radio so Shoichi Kano could hear her clearly. "What that bug cursed spirit said earlier."
"What did it say?" Shoichi Kano noticed a complicated intersection up ahead, with pedestrians and vehicles weaving through one another. He instinctively tapped the brakes a few times to slow down. "You mean all that stuff about a khan being born?"
"Yes."
"That seems pretty straightforward." Shoichi Kano tapped the horn a few times. Once he was sure the pedestrians ahead had left him a gap, he turned the steering wheel halfway around to aim the car into it, and the black sedan slipped swiftly through. "Tengen's barrier broke. Cursed spirits aren't confined to Japan anymore, so they could be born in China too."
"That 'khan' the leech mentioned was probably a high-level cursed spirit born around here."
"If it can make low-level cursed spirits instinctively submit to it..." The Slit-Mouthed Woman settled into a more relaxed position. "It should be above Grade 1. It could even be Special Grade."
"Still, that has nothing to do with us. Let the staff here deal with that headache," Shoichi Kano muttered.
"True."
The Crown car finally returned to downtown Hailar and pulled into the parking lot of the hotel Zhao Qingshan had booked for them.
"Come on, let's find somewhere to eat," Shoichi Kano said with a smile.
At first, Kano had wanted to try some local specialties with Miss Slit-Mouthed Woman-beef or lamb, for instance, or Mongolian milk tea. Other dairy products would have been fine too.
But once they found a decent-looking restaurant and ordered a few dishes, they discovered that the portions were downright terrifying. The portion sizes in Northeast China cuisine went without saying, and some of Inner Mongolia's specialties were also famous for their generous servings.
Hailar was both part of Inner Mongolia and geographically within Northeast China, so its food had been influenced by a blend of both cuisines-and at least when it came to portion sizes, the results were absolutely terrifying.
Kano stared, dumbfounded, at the little mountain of lamb offal stir-fried with scallions piled on the plate in front of him. They would probably have to invite Mitsuri Kanroji over to finish this.
Meanwhile, the Slit-Mouthed Woman was staring blankly at the braised bones and small lamb chops in front of her. These weren't things she could pick up with chopsticks; she had to take the more uninhibited approach of holding them and gnawing on them. She had already removed her mask, but after opening her mouth several times, she still couldn't find a suitable angle to bite.
If she opened her mouth as wide as it would go and snapped every stitch Shoichi Kano had put in, she could naturally tear a huge chunk of meat off the bone-the only problem was that she might scare someone.
But if she ate slowly and daintily, it would take her forever to finish even one braised bone.
Fortunately, the servers at this restaurant were very courteous. After bringing their Mongolian milk tea to the table, one of them noticed the Slit-Mouthed Woman's difficulty eating.
The young waiter didn't notice her clearly inhuman gray pupils and white eyes, only the black stitches at the corners of her mouth, and supplied a perfectly reasonable explanation on his own. "Has this young lady been injured and found it difficult to eat? Would you like me to cut this up for you?"
Before the Slit-Mouthed Woman could respond, Shoichi Kano answered for her. "Sorry for the trouble."
"Of course." The young man deftly put on disposable gloves and quickly pulled the meat off the braised bones and lamb chops by hand, making sure to separate all the meat from the bones.
Afterward, he even borrowed a carving knife from another waiter who was slicing beef for some diners and swiftly cut the meat he had pulled off into small, similarly sized pieces. Only then did he give a slight bow with a smile. "There you are. Please enjoy your meal."
Only then did Miss Slit-Mouthed Woman manage a halting "Thank you" in Chinese.
Kano pulled the bowl of milk tea over and spooned some into his mouth.
Unlike the sweet milk tea found farther inland, this tea was salty. Its additions weren't tapioca pearls, either, but things like toasted millet and milk skin, giving it a richly layered texture. It just took a little getting used to the first time.
Unfortunately, even after Shoichi Kano had stuffed himself to the point of bursting, he still couldn't finish everything on the table. They had no choice but to pack it up and bring it back to the hotel, where they could give it to Zhao Qingshan for dinner when he returned.
Toward evening, Zhao Qingshan sent a message saying he had already smoothed things over with the local authorities and local power brokers. As long as Kano and his companion didn't go too far, there shouldn't be any problems.
"What about Bai Qizhi?" Kano asked by text.
A few minutes later, he received a reply. "Boss Bai hasn't contacted me yet. I reckon you'll have to wait a while longer."
"Some local friends gave me a few sightseeing shuttle tickets for the Morigler River scenic area. If you two are free tomorrow, you could go have a look. It's July, after all, and the grasslands look lovely right now." Before long, Zhao Qingshan's second text came in.
"Thank you, Boss Zhao. That was thoughtful of you." Since his employee had shown him goodwill, Kano naturally had to be polite in return.
"Which little girl are you flirting with now?" Seeing Shoichi Kano holding his keypad phone and tapping away, the Slit-Mouthed Woman grew curious and asked casually.
Kano gave a wry smile. "Mommy, don't you trust me? Since when have women ever liked me?"
"Except you, of course."
"Smooth talker!" The Slit-Mouthed Woman slammed the pillow she had been lying on into Shoichi Kano's face, carrying a faint waft of fragrance with it.
"Oh, right." Kano put the pillow back where it belonged and awkwardly changed the subject. "We've got nothing to do tomorrow anyway. Let's go visit one of the scenic spots around here."
"Where?" The Slit-Mouthed Woman tucked the pillow behind her lower back, her legs wrapped in the blanket provided by the hotel, and kept her eyes fixed on the television.
"You'll find out when we get there."
After visiting the Morigler River, the famous writer Lao She had once proclaimed it "the most winding river under heaven."
At least, when Shoichi Kano saw those words emblazoned in the visitor center, he remained skeptical. Plenty of scenic areas dressed themselves up with quotes from famous people, after all. Whether the scenery actually lived up to those claims was something he would have to see for himself.
The scenic area was located in Chen Barag Banner, Hulunbuir City, some distance from the Hailar District where they were staying, so Kano still had to drive the Crown car to its parking lot.
Unlike other scenic areas, this one didn't charge admission. Visitors only needed to buy tickets for the sightseeing shuttles provided there and pay for certain activities inside. That was all.
If they only wanted a quick look at the natural scenery, though, it would barely cost them anything.
Following the crowd, the two of them soon reached the vicinity of the ticket checkpoint at the sightseeing shuttle's departure station. Kano handed the Slit-Mouthed Woman one of the tickets Zhao Qingshan had brought them the previous night, making it easier for the staff to check that each passenger had a ticket.
Then Shoichi Kano happened to glance at another line waiting for the sightseeing shuttle's ticket inspection, and his face took on the very same expression Toji Fushiguro had worn during the battle in the Tombs of the Star Corridor.
"You've got to be kidding."
Because he had spotted two people who had absolutely no business being here-one was a teenage boy with his hair tied in a bun, a lock hanging down over his forehead, and narrow, foxlike eyes. Beside him stood a girl slightly shorter than he was, with dark brown, ear-length hair curling inward at the ends and a beauty mark at the corner of her eye.
Both wore ordinary summer clothes, and the boy with the bun even had a backpack slung over his shoulders. At first glance, they looked like tourists.
At that moment, the girl had an unlit cigarette dangling from the corner of her mouth and was chatting intermittently with her companion, while he simply listened with a smile and nodded from time to time.
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