Chapter 59: Musachi: Yixuan is someone who could become my mother! (Patreon)

The next morning, when Musachi got up and came downstairs for breakfast, he found that Rina had already parked her luxury car outside the bookstore, standing there waiting for him.

In a place like Sixth Street, Rina's elegant bearing drew no small amount of attention, though people quickly grew used to it.

The residents of Sixth Street all knew that the bookstore's owner seemed to be quite close with some wealthy family's young lady — even the car outside had apparently been a gift from her.

Of course, Musachi had no idea people were spreading rumors like this behind his back, or he would have protested loudly.

Why do you have to say something so ridiculous that also happens to be true!

"Good morning, Musachi." Rina folded her hands elegantly in front of her and bowed slightly upon seeing him.

"You're here already?" Musachi looked a little surprised.

"Please get in first — I'll go over the mission details on the way."

Musachi nodded at that.

Once Musachi was in the car, it pulled slowly out of Sixth Street and began heading toward Hollow Zero.

In the back seat, Rina had already prepared breakfast for him.

"Sorry, since time was tight, I could only buy you something outside. I'd actually wanted to cook myself..." Rina said, a trace of regret on her face.

Musachi couldn't help twitching the corner of his mouth.

"No, I think this is just fine. Cooking would've been too much trouble anyway," he said, taking a sip of the soy milk beside him.

It was a good thing this had been bought outside — if Rina had made it herself, what got added to the soy milk instead of red dates might well have been some kind of miracle gadget.

Rina had real talent when it came to cooking — talent, in this case, meaning creativity. She always managed to produce food that left people slack-jawed, and anyone who saw it would react as though they'd never seen the world before, marveling that such a thing could even be called food.

Of course, her cooking had improved a lot by now — at least the results no longer looked quite so indescribable. The lethality, however, had only gotten more extreme.

"I've got the general gist of the mission already — just tell me the details for today," Musachi said, leaning back against his seat.

"Understood."

"By the way, you can relax more when you're with me, Rina. You don't have to sit so stiff, or you'll wear yourself out." Watching how ramrod-straight she sat, Musachi smiled and reached over, pulling at her shoulder until she leaned back against the seat.

"Then forgive my manners." Rina laughed softly and let herself settle back.

Compared to how she was with others, Rina always relaxed a little without meaning to when she was around Musachi — the two of them were already quite familiar with each other, after all.

And Musachi never cared much for that kind of formality anyway.

Being called "Master" the normal way felt completely unsatisfying — nowhere near as fun as having Round Shark call him "Master" with that thoroughly unimpressed look on her face!

"After several rounds of clearing operations, the route from Hollow Zero to the fallen district has mostly been swept clean. That said, even after all that clearing, quite a few Etherals have regrouped. So today, the Proxy's job is to guide the members of Yunkui Mountain and Hollow Special Operations Section 6 to the destination. Wherever combat can't be avoided, the Yunkui Mountain and Section 6 members will handle it, so as to preserve as much of the two Void Hunter investigators' combat strength as possible."

"Pity — if the Defense Force's machines could just drive in there, we wouldn't need to go through all this trouble," Musachi said, shaking his head with some regret.

Ordinarily, Etherals of this level would only require dispatching the Defense Force. But the terrain inside the crater was too complex, ill-suited for military vehicles, so there was no choice but to rely on the two Void Hunters.

"Once this job's over I should get to rest for a while — it's honestly been exhausting. These past few days I can clearly feel my shoulders are sore when I wake up in the morning." Rina couldn't help complaining a little as she said this.

"That does sound rough. Well, you're doing this for the mayor, so it makes sense to be run off your feet," Musachi said with a smile, though through the rearview mirror his gaze had drifted to Rina's chest.

I have a feeling the real cause of that soreness is something else entirely...

Musachi had never seen anything quite that size — even Remielle and Yixuan seemed to come up a little short compared to Rina.

And besides, most of the actual work had been handled by Lycaon; Rina had only taken on a small part of it.

Even so, it had left her somewhat worn out.

"Mm—" While Rina was driving, a pleasant sensation suddenly spread from her shoulder, and she let out a soft, helpless murmur.

It was only then that she realized a pair of hands had reached over from behind the seat, pressing and kneading gently at the hollow of her shoulder.

"Since there's nothing else to do right now, let me loosen you up a bit. How's my technique? I actually studied a blind masseuse's methods specifically for this!" Musachi said, grinning.

Through the rearview mirror, Rina could see the smile on his face.

"It feels wonderful, but it feels a bit improper," Rina said, the corner of her mouth curling up. How was a maid supposed to let her master massage her shoulders?

"It's just the two of us, so it's fine. I'll give you a proper massage sometime when we get the chance — my technique will leave you feeling completely at ease." Musachi said this, and Rina, up front, nodded — though a blush was slowly rising on her cheeks.

There's definitely something more to what he's saying...

Before long, the car arrived at Scott Outpost.

Unlike their previous covert operation, this one was an official mission, so naturally they could enter through Scott Outpost proper.

Compared to the wilderness routes, this path was also somewhat safer.

Of course, with the recent surge in Ether concentration, even the safe route was far more dangerous than it used to be.

Combat along the way was unavoidable.

By the time Musachi arrived, the members of Hollow Special Operations Section 6 and Yunkui Mountain were already there.

"Sorry, did I keep you waiting?" Musachi greeted Yixuan and Hoshimi Miyabi.

"Not at all, we only just got here ourselves." Yixuan smiled.

"I'll be counting on you today." Hoshimi Miyabi nodded as well.

"Good morning, Proxy. Oh, right — let me introduce you. This is Junior Brother Ye Shiyuan, Ye Shunguang's elder brother!" Ju Fufu said, dragging a young man over by the arm.

"A pleasure to meet you, Proxy. I'm Ye Shiyuan." He nodded, looking somewhat aloof.

"Likewise." Musachi nodded in return.

"Alright, enough small talk — let's get moving. The sooner we leave, the sooner we're back, and who knows, maybe we'll even make it back in time for lunch." Yixuan glanced around at everyone gathered and made the suggestion.

"Agreed." Hoshimi Miyabi's ears twitched.

"Food? Are we eating?" Beside her, Soukaku ignored every other word and latched onto that one alone.

"Soukaku, that's after we finish the mission." Tsukishiro Yanagi tugged at her helplessly, and visibly, the previously excited Soukaku wilted.

She'd only just eaten, but the blow of not being able to have something delicious right now was still too much to bear.

Seeing this, Musachi shook his head helplessly. "Fine, let's tide you over with this for now." He said, expertly unwrapping a piece of candy and popping a lollipop into Soukaku's mouth.

Instantly, Soukaku's eyes lit up, and she grinned, nodding at him happily.

This Proxy — what a good person!

Tsukishiro Yanagi shook her head helplessly, then shot Musachi an odd look — though out of politeness, she didn't ask why he just happened to be carrying lollipops around...

Only then did it occur to Musachi how strange that must look. Why would a normal person just carry lollipops on them? Made him seem like some kind of weirdo...

Still, he didn't bother explaining. Instead, he quietly pulled out another lollipop and popped it into his own mouth.

At that, Tsukishiro Yanagi's expression finally settled back to normal.

"Alright, let's move out." Musachi waved a hand to both groups.

"Move out, move out! Let these Etherals see just how fierce Yunkui Mountain's tiger really is! Rrrawr! Let the power of technique surge — a million strong!" Ju Fufu declared, thoroughly fired up — she'd been thoroughly absorbed in reading manga these past couple of days.

She loved the art style too — this was exactly the version of herself she dreamed of becoming!

Mighty and domineering!

"Heh heh..." Watching Ju Fufu, Ye Shiyuan beside her couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing.

"Hm? Junior Brother Ye, you got some objection to Yunkui Mountain's Tiger King?" Ju Fufu's gaze turned sharp, her appetite for court intrigue rising fast!

Watching her expression, Musachi nearly lost it too — mostly because right now she looked eerily like a CS pro player he used to know.

There's no turning back once the arrow's loosed!

"No, I just think Senior Sister Fufu looks really cool, that's all. Couldn't help myself." Ye Shiyuan said, mouth twitching, resigned.

"That's more like it. Oh, and from now on, don't call me Fufu anymore — it's way too cute a name, doesn't suit a big tiger like me at all... I need a cooler nickname. Something that can command legions! Mighty Tiger King? No, no, too tacky. Tiger King? Too common, won't do—"

"How about the Tiger-Breaking King?" Musachi suggested, watching her rack her brain.

"Tiger-Breaking King? Great name! No wonder you're the shopkeeper — running a bookstore really does make you cultured!" Hearing the title, Ju Fufu lit up, looking at Musachi and giving him a thumbs-up.

"Heh heh, once I unify the martial world, I'll appoint you as the Tiger-Breaking King's foremost Guardian!" Ju Fufu said, grinning.

"Then I'll look forward to that eagerly — everything for the Tiger-Breaking King!" Musachi said, raising a hand.

"Not bad, not bad — you really know how to play along." Ju Fufu said with a grin.

Watching her antics, Yixuan couldn't help herself and gave her a helpless knock on the head.

"Master, stop knocking my head! I'm the Tiger-Breaking King, and the senior disciple of Yunkui Mountain — I have dignity to uphold!" Ju Fufu protested.

The protest did no good; soon enough Yixuan knocked her again.

Mm. That settled her down.

She hadn't taken the throne yet — Yunkui Mountain still answered to Yixuan and Yixuan for now. Best to bide her time and lie low.

"Silly girl, have you forgotten? Years ago Yunkui Mountain was already the foremost of the great sects... once you become the sect's leader, you'd be, for all intents and purposes, the head of the martial world." Yixuan sighed.

How could her eldest disciple be so slow on the uptake...

"Oh really?" Hearing this, Ju Fufu went blank for a moment, then put on a wretched, crying face. "So my grand plan to conquer the martial world is over before it even started? Wuwuwu... 'the campaign unfinished, the general dies first'... how does the next line go...?" She trailed off midway, looking helplessly to Musachi for help.

"Fufu, I don't pay much attention to your schooling, but I really do think we should find you a tutor to catch up once we're back." Yixuan sighed — who even knew how many times today already.

It was one thing to goof around like this normally, but acting this silly today of all days — wasn't it embarrassing for Yunkui Mountain?

"No, please, Master... those old tutors you find are so strict, and they even punish me by making me copy texts, it's awful! I'd rather fight Etherals than sit through class!!! And as Yunkui Mountain's senior disciple, isn't it enough that I can fight?" Hearing this, Ju Fufu threw her arms around Yixuan's waist and let herself be dragged along.

There was, however, one thing that was actually true.

And that was that, as senior disciple, Ju Fufu really could fight.

Being tiger-kin, and having always trained diligently on top of that, meant that among the current younger generation, Ju Fufu's combat strength was genuinely the highest — it was just that her usual antics made the other Yunkui Mountain disciples overlook it.

After all... a tiger-headed little thing like her was simply too cute for anyone to take seriously.

"Depends on how you perform." Watching her fuss and pout, Yixuan couldn't help tugging at the corner of her own mouth, then left it at that.

"Then I'm really going to give it everything today!" Ju Fufu said, clenching her fists.

"Careful — Etherals ahead, can't avoid them." Just then, Musachi gave the warning.

"Leave it to me!" Without a second thought, Ju Fufu shot forward in a blur.

Seeing this, Tsukishiro Yanagi and the others moved to follow, but Yixuan stopped them.

"Don't worry — Fufu might look unreliable, but she's genuinely talented when it comes to cultivation. It's just a few Etherals, they won't hurt her."

"Hu Wei, let's go!"

At that moment, past the bend, several massive shapes appeared in front of Ju Fufu.

Two large Farbauti, one Hati, and several Tyrfing.

"Seems like the Ether activity in Hollow Zero really has spiked lately..." Musachi raised an eyebrow, eyeing the Etherals.

Three Tier-3 Etherals clustering together in Hollow Zero wasn't unheard of, but it was strange for them to show up so soon after leaving Scott Outpost.

This route had been swept clean several times over already.

Still, Ju Fufu truly lived up to her title as Yunkui Mountain's senior disciple — small and cute as she looked, her actual combat strength was nothing to laugh at.

Three Tier-3 Etherals plus several Tyrfing.

A lineup like this would already be tough for an ordinary Agent to handle.

This wasn't some game, either — the Farbauti inside Hollow Zero were genuinely as tall as small buildings, and even among ordinary Etherals they counted as a handful.

And yet, massive as it was, when Ju Fufu swung her tiger's tail like a meteor hammer, the creature staggered, let out a deafening roar, and crashed straight to the ground.

Meanwhile, the Hati beside it, trying to sneak in an attack, got kicked flying by Ju Fufu — sent tumbling off like a stray dog booted off the road.

In just a single minute, Ju Fufu had cleared out every Ethereal there without any trouble.

"As expected of a Yunkui Mountain expert — genuinely impressive." Nearby, Asaba Harumasa muttered, watching the whole thing unfold.

"So, so, Master, was I awesome or what?" Having easily defeated a handful of Etherals, Ju Fufu bounced back over to Yixuan's side, fishing for praise.

Her ears twitched without her meaning them to, and the tail behind her swished back and forth like a little fan.

"Really good." Yixuan nodded, then couldn't help but pat her on the head.

That was when she caught the deeply wronged look on Ju Fufu's face.

"Alright, alright — to your teacher, you'll always be a child. No need to sulk..." Yixuan said, pulling out every line every mother has ever used.

Coming out of Yixuan's mouth, that kind of overflowing motherliness was somehow entirely convincing...

As far as Musachi was concerned, Yixuan really could pass for someone's mother!

Though admittedly, that particular brand of motherly love tended to curdle a bit.

"Oh..." With no way around it — pure bloodline pressure left Ju Fufu unable to argue — she could only nod.

"Once I find a disciple of my own someday... I'm going to say exactly that to them too!" she muttered under her breath.

Perhaps because of the heightened Ether concentration, the group ran into several waves of Etherals before reaching their destination.

Compared to before, the Ether concentration in Hollow Zero had indeed climbed noticeably higher.

Even with Musachi guiding the way, they still had to fight through a handful of skirmishes, none too large, none too small.

There was even a Notorious Ethereal, the Dead End Butcher, blocking their path at one point.

Of course, a single Notorious Ethereal was nothing at all for this group.

After all, the people sent on this mission were the elite among elites!

The current Void Hunter leading Hollow Special Operations Section 6, plus one of Yunkui Mountain's Void Hunter-tier investigators along with her disciples.

"Here we are — this is the spot." Musachi looked ahead at the crater's mouth and turned to the two of them.

"Fufu, from here you all hold the rear. What's coming next is a bit much for you — I won't be able to look after your safety down there."

"Understood, Master!" The moment Yixuan finished speaking, Ju Fufu snapped to attention beside her and saluted.

Hoshimi Miyabi gave similar instructions to her own side.

The battle ahead would involve a considerable number of Notorious Etherals — anyone besides the Void Hunter-tier investigators risked getting swallowed up by them.

After all...

"There are way too many Etherals down there..." Standing at the mouth of the crater, Ju Fufu looked down at the scene below and clicked her tongue.

In the valley beneath the crater, a considerable number of Etherals had massed together.

Among them, Tier-3 Thanatos, Hati, Armored Hati, and other Etherals were countless; even the Dead End Butcher and its various mutant variants weren't rare here.

There were plenty of other powerful Ethereal types as well.

It could be said that any of these Etherals would be a serious threat inside any other Hollow — but unfortunately, this was Hollow Zero, the most dangerous of the four great Hollows.

Here, being Notorious counted for less than a dog's bark — Tier 5s and Tier 6s wandered around freely.

To borrow a comparison from Battle Through the Heavens: the other Hollows were like the backwater provinces of the Jia Ma Empire, while Hollow Zero was the Central Plains itself. A Dou Zong-tier Notorious Ethereal here counted for nothing at all.

"Even though Mayflower warned us ahead of time, seeing this many Notorious Etherals gathered here in person is still a little shocking." Yixuan raised an eyebrow at the scene below.

"Let's finish this quickly, Master Yixuan." Hoshimi Miyabi beside her was about to move in, but Yixuan stopped her.

"Wait. If we settle this with brute force alone, even if we succeed in the end, it'll cost us plenty. Let's try a different approach." Yixuan said, then called out, "Fufu."

"Yes, Master, coming!" Ju Fufu ran over to her side.

"Lay out these talismans in a killing formation. Before the real fight starts, let's thin out the small fry first." Yixuan said, handing her several talisman papers.

"Understood, Master!" Ju Fufu said, taking the talismans and walking off to distribute them among Ye Shunguang and the others.

"A Five Elements Killing Formation needs five people, doesn't it?" Musachi glanced at where everyone had taken their positions, then looked over at Yixuan.

"Hm?" Yixuan looked at him, surprised, unable to figure out how he knew that.

"Didn't you give me that book? I've been reading through the techniques in it whenever I have free time — I've dabbled a little in these formations too," Musachi said with a smile.

"You actually learned that?" Yixuan stared at him, astonished.

When she'd given Musachi that book of techniques, she'd never actually expected him to learn from it.

After all, that book contained no shortage of techniques that were quite difficult to master.

And this Five Elements Killing Formation was one of the harder ones.

Yixuan never imagined Musachi would actually be able to work it out.

"So the Proxy's divination skills come from Master Yixuan's teaching?" Hoshimi Miyabi asked, sounding a bit surprised as well.

"Heh heh, all thanks to the Proxy — a pie really did fall from the sky!" Soukaku chimed in cheerfully beside her.

"A pie? There's no such thing in my techniques." Yixuan looked bewildered by all of this.

"It's like this..." Tsukishiro Yanagi, seeing her confusion, explained what had happened during Musachi's earlier divination.

Listening to the explanation, Yixuan's expression flickered uncertainly; for a moment she just stared at Musachi, at a loss for words.

"So, got some talent, don't I?" Musachi looked at her smugly, grinning.

"Talent doesn't even begin to cover it. Honestly, if our founder could manifest and see this kind of divination ability from you, I think he'd want to recruit you into Yunkui Mountain on the spot..." Yixuan said, clicking her tongue in amazement.

"Alright, we'll deal with all that later. Since that's settled, you'll be one of the formation's anchor points, no objections, Musachi?" Yixuan glanced over, saw that Ju Fufu and the others were already in position, and turned to him, already gathering spiritual power for a talisman.

"Of course not." Musachi nodded, then before Yixuan could say another word, rubbed out a talisman of his own with a flick of power and strolled off toward one of the formation points on his own.

Yixuan: ?

Watching the way he condensed the talisman with Ether, her eyes went wide all over again.

That level of fluency — and you're telling me you only just started learning Yunkui Mountain techniques?

This was already more polished than plenty of Yunkui Mountain's own disciples!