Chapter 87: What is the Crisis of the Trio's Disbandment Related to Remielle, Hoshimi Miyabi, and Ye Shunguang? (Patreon)

"Tch... Fine, fine, I get it..."

Just then, an impatient look crossed White-Haired Guang's face. As Musachi and Yixuan watched, Ye Shunguang's white hair slowly faded to brown.

Her gaze lost its sharp edge too and softened.

"Shifu... I'm sorry. She came out on her own again..."

Ye Shunguang mumbled, not quite daring to meet Yixuan's eyes.

Her small hands twisted the hem of her clothes, the picture of someone who'd caused trouble.

"Ahem. Never mind, it's not your fault. Ye Shunguang, tidy up and change your clothes. It's time we left."

Yixuan looked at Ye Shunguang's sheepish face, sighed despite herself, and said nothing more, only telling her to get changed.

"Mm-hm."

While Ye Shunguang changed, Musachi and Yixuan stepped out of the room.

"What did the doctor say?"

Musachi leaned against the corridor railing and asked Yixuan, curious.

"Nothing much. Every indicator looks incredibly normal. She's even a little overnourished. The doctor said she could cut back on protein for a while..."

Yixuan sounded helpless.

"That just means our Shifu Yixuan raises kids well. Everyone else's are undernourished."

Musachi raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe the Qingming Sword's influence is something medicine can't detect. Either way, I'll keep a closer eye on her from now on."

Yixuan shook her head and spoke carefully once more.

She had nearly lost her own sister to the Qingming Sword once, so Yixuan carried a touch of PTSD about it, and she was overly cautious around the sword.

"Come on, don't overthink it. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Maybe the Qingming Sword's side effects will just vanish someday, who knows?"

Musachi pursed his lips. Watching Yixuan fret like a mother hen, he couldn't help adding:

"You're great in every way, but you worry too much sometimes. Too much of a maternal streak isn't always a good thing."

"Do I?"

Yixuan sounded unsure of herself.

A woman who'd never married or even dated, where would she get a maternal streak...

Even as she thought it, she noticed a small child passing by. Her eyes stayed fixed on the toddler's unsteady steps and the metal cart ahead of him. If he stumbled, she'd be the first to catch him and keep his head from cracking against something hard.

Only after the child had gone back into a ward did Yixuan's gaze return.

"What kind of parents let a child wander around a place like this? What if he gets hurt?"

She couldn't help complaining.

Then she caught the look in Musachi's eyes. It was subtle.

"I think that's just human nature, isn't it?"

Yixuan met Musachi's you-really-want-to-keep-arguing-this look, turned her head away, and answered stubbornly.

"Mm-hm, it really is human nature. Mama Yixuan sure does worry a lot."

Musachi teased.

"Say that again and I'll hit you. Don't think I won't hit a disciple."

Yixuan stuck out a fist in exasperation and waved it in front of Musachi's face.

This guy... why does he get cheekier every day...

While the two of them traded jabs, Ye Shunguang came out of the room, changed. Seeing her, Musachi turned to Yixuan:

"Time to go?"

Yixuan nodded.

"Where to?"

Ye Shunguang asked, curious.

"My place, of course. I've already had everyone at home get things ready. We're having dinner there tonight."

Musachi grinned at Ye Shunguang.

"Okay."

Musachi and Yixuan walked side by side, with Ye Shunguang trailing behind them.

Passing one of the wards, Musachi and Yixuan both glanced inside, as if by agreement.

It was the intensive care ward from earlier.

All the onlookers had gone. Only a pale but fairly handsome young man lay in the bed, and beside him sat a girl, clumsy but completely earnest, trying to peel an apple in one long strip and snapping it every time.

"Actually, apples are fine without peeling..."

The young man said it very carefully.

The girl just glared at him, puffed up, then cut the apple with the knife and fed him the pieces.

He had no idea what he'd said wrong, so he just ate and didn't dare say another word.

There was something he hadn't said, though.

He didn't actually like apples...

But watching this pampered young lady, who had clearly never touched a knife before, peel one for him, he kept it to himself.

"So this is the real 'survive a great calamity and good fortune follows'..."

Musachi remarked, his expression odd.

"A hero saving the damsel really is a classic setup, especially in this day and age."

Yixuan said with a smile.

Only Ye Shunguang was lost, with no idea what they were talking about.

She didn't ask, though.

"Nah, hero-saves-damsel depends on looks too. If he's handsome, it's a debt too big to repay and she has to offer herself. If he's ugly, it's 'I'll be your ox and horse in the next life.'"

Musachi griped.

"I can't follow what you young people think anymore. Where do you get all these ideas..."

Yixuan grumbled too.

Walking behind them, Ye Shunguang burst into giggles.

"Got any thoughts, Ye Shunguang?"

Musachi turned to the girl snickering beside them.

"Not really. If someone saved my life, I'd definitely feel quite fond of them. But whether to offer myself is up to the people involved, right?"

Ye Shunguang tilted her head.

"I don't mean saving a life obliges you to marry them. I mean that even if you don't repay it, there's no need for that 'next life as an ox and horse' line. If you really mean it, find a way to repay them in this life. Repaying in the next life basically means we're even in this one, doesn't it? Lines like that always sound a bit hypocritical to me."

Musachi said as he walked.

He'd wanted to complain about that 'ox and horse in the next life' thing for ages.

"True. Compared to some vague next life, it's better to repay it in this one."

Ye Shunguang nodded in agreement.

As for the young man in the ward, whether he'd end up enjoying his happy ending was up to what came next.

The natural goodwill that comes from being saved could be worn away if nothing built on it afterward.

After all, two people living together face far too many things.

Liking someone and falling in love can be a whim, but once two people live together for the long haul, they have to face the test of daily life.

Luckily, the young lady's family was well off, so material worries were probably out. What remained was the two of them wearing down their rough edges against each other.

After leaving the hospital, Musachi and Yixuan took the driver's seat and the passenger seat, with Ye Shunguang in the back.

As she got into the car, Ye Shunguang let out a breath.

"It was just a checkup. Why did it feel more nerve-racking than going into a Hollow?"

Musachi watched Ye Shunguang in the back seat through the rearview mirror, curious.

"Because I know there's nothing wrong with my body, but coming to the hospital again and again is just so stifling."

Ye Shunguang sighed.

If she'd been more stubborn, she really could have skipped the hospital. But she was soft-natured by temperament, and she knew Yixuan meant well.

"You seem reluctant. Let me guess. It's the other personality inside you, right? You're torn, not sure how to get her to get along with other people?"

Musachi raised an eyebrow. Seeing that Ye Shunguang seemed to have something on her mind, he said it straight out.

Ye Shunguang glanced at Musachi in surprise, not understanding how he'd guessed.

"Surprised I could guess? I know that feeling pretty well myself."

Musachi said with a grin.

"You've been through something similar, Musachi?"

Ye Shunguang suddenly grew curious.

"More or less. Before I answer, let me ask you something. What do you think of the white-haired one inside you?"

"The white-haired one? Oh, you mean her..."

Ye Shunguang froze for a moment at Musachi's words before realizing he meant her other self.

"Honestly, even though her showing up has caused me some trouble, I don't actually dislike her. I know she's looking out for me. At our core, we're two sides of one person, and there's no irreconcilable conflict between us. I'm just not used to her suddenly appearing. But I don't dislike her. On the contrary, I think she does things I never dare to do... and, well... she's kind of cool..."

Ye Shunguang scratched her cheek, embarrassed.

She knew her other self could hear every word.

In truth, White-Haired Guang and Ye Shunguang couldn't be cleanly separated. Call White-Haired Guang another personality of Ye Shunguang, or another projection of her true inner self, and it comes to the same thing. Apart from their different styles, they were still one person.

That was a fundamental difference from Musachi's own past...

"Since you don't dislike her, just accept her. Think about how to live together from here. That beats fighting to the death."

Musachi said, a trace of nostalgia in his eyes.

"You seem to know a lot about this."

Yixuan, beside him, grew curious too.

"How should I put it? I can't explain the details to you two. Just think of me as someone who once had a split mind. Back then, I split off a personality completely different from mine."

Musachi's expression turned strange as he spoke.

He was naturally talking about the will he'd had as an Enchainer, born when he became an Ethereal.

"And in the end?"

Ye Shunguang asked, curious...

"In the end? To the death, of course. Our thinking was completely opposed, like fire and water. So in the end I killed him. Thinking back, it was one hell of a drawn-out fight..."

Even Musachi clicked his tongue.

Fighting his own Enchainer will had been truly exhausting. Looking back now, though, it almost felt like reminiscing about the bitter days to savor the sweet ones.

Or rather... it was a little hard to keep a straight face over.

One thought from the Enchainer had let Fantasy Manifestation revive his consciousness, and that set the two of them against each other in fierce conflict.

Then, because Musachi and the Enchainer Musachi were both rightful masters of this body, both held control over it...

There's no need to spell out the result...

If you really thought about it, the present Musachi was the heart demon of the Enchainer Musachi from back then.

It's just that this heart demon killed the original and took its place.

"So if you hadn't won back then, Musachi, the one I'd be meeting now is an evil Musachi?"

Ye Shunguang said, curious.

"Yep. Or rather, a demon lord, more like. Maybe I'd be a major obstacle on your cultivation path, the kind you absolutely must eliminate."

Musachi said with a grin.

Fantasy Manifestation was simply too overpowering. Musachi didn't dare imagine what disaster that Enchainer Musachi would have brought humanity if he hadn't killed his other self back then.

He didn't doubt that humanity could take him down if it fought with everything it had, but what it would cost was hard to say.

Soon, Musachi brought Yixuan and Ye Shunguang to the Hollow Special Operations Section.

"Aren't we going back to the shop? What are we doing here...?"

Ye Shunguang watched, curious.

"Picking someone up. Since we're having dinner tonight, she'll be furious if I don't call her. I stood her up earlier today, after all."

As Musachi spoke, a figure came out of the Section building. She opened the car door and sat down next to Ye Shunguang.

"Hello."

Sensing Ye Shunguang's gaze, Hoshimi Miyabi pressed her lips together, then gave her a nod.

"Hello. I didn't expect the person Musachi meant was Miss Hoshimi Miyabi."

Ye Shunguang studied Hoshimi Miyabi with interest.

She hadn't expected Musachi and Miyabi to be this close. She'd assumed they were only acquaintances.

But... she really was as cold and aloof as the rumors said, this Void Hunter...

She looked a bit hard to get along with...

Ye Shunguang observed Miyabi, seated right beside her, and the atmosphere felt awkward.

Then Musachi looked at Miyabi in the rearview mirror with a grin:

"On my way here I passed a melon stall. The honeydew melons there were big and round. They looked delicious."

"Okay."

Ye Shunguang couldn't tell if she was imagining it, but the corner of Miyabi's mouth seemed to curl up for a second.

And why did Musachi bring that up specifically...

Ten minutes later, she understood.

Watching Miyabi hug a honeydew melon, the corners of her mouth plainly upturned, Ye Shunguang broke into a bit of a sweat.

Why does she look kind of cute?

This isn't the Hoshimi Miyabi I pictured at all.

Didn't everyone on Inter-Knot say this Void Hunter was ice-cold? Why does she look a little... dopey and adorable now?

"Shifu Yixuan, I didn't expect to see you again so soon."

Miyabi said to Yixuan in the front seat.

"Mm... I suppose that means we're fated, Miyabi. We keep running into each other by coincidence."

Yixuan said with a smile.

Yixuan was fond of Miyabi.

They counted as friends, but Yixuan treated Miyabi a bit like a younger sister.

After all, though their strength was about equal, Yixuan was a few years older than Miyabi.

The car looped through music by Song Queen Cersea and Astra Yao. Between that and the group's desultory chatter, Musachi soon drove them to Sixth Street.

After all the commotion, it was nearly evening.

"Shopkeeper, you're back~"

Sunna and Aria were minding the shop, while Nangong helped in the kitchen upstairs.

Musachi had invited Miyabi, Yixuan, and the others for dinner partly to treat them, but there was another reason: the three little ones' time working at the shop was up.

From today on, they wouldn't need to come in every day. Like before, they'd only help promote the shop when events were held.

It wasn't quite a farewell dinner, but Musachi wanted to put a full stop on this working arrangement.

"All right, tidy up and get ready to close. It's late, so there probably won't be any more customers. Then we'll head upstairs to eat. Big Sister Beli and Big Sister Remielle should have dinner ready by now."

Musachi waved a hand and said to Sunna and Aria with a grin.

"Okay~"

Sunna and Aria nodded.

On the way upstairs, Musachi glanced at Yixuan, Miyabi, and Ye Shunguang following behind.

He noticed something interesting.

Just like last time, everyone in this room apart from the three little ones seemed to have Void Hunter-level combat power...

Musachi, Beli, Miyabi, and Remielle needed no explanation. Four bona fide Void Hunters.

Yixuan didn't hold the title, but her achievements and strength both qualified.

As for Ye Shunguang, she wasn't a Void Hunter yet, but she was the Qingming Sword master. If she ever wanted to become one, it looked like a sure thing...

After all, Musachi knew exactly how powerful Void Hunter weapons were.

Even an ordinary person who picked one up could unleash tremendous strength, as long as they could bear the cost.

Ye Shunguang was Yixuan's disciple and already strong in her own right. That meant that the moment she wielded the Qingming Sword, she could explode with overwhelming power, no less than Void Hunter level.

And the side effects?

With Musachi around, they really weren't a problem.

The side effects of Void Hunter weapons were, in essence, the weapon's karmic core eroding its wielder. But Musachi was an Enchainer himself, and a very unusual one.

He'd saved Yixuan's sister back then, so naturally he could shield Ye Shunguang from the effects too.

His method was clumsy for now, but there might be a once-and-for-all solution in the future. After all, he had the Creator's power inside him.

Musachi was already wondering whether he could NTR the Creator and turn its Enchainers into his own.

He'd even managed to control Nineveh, so controlling a few more Enchainers shouldn't be a big problem, right?

If it ever came to that, though, Musachi could truly say all Enchainers were his wings...

Of course, that was a matter for later. At the moment he could barely control even ordinary Ethereals smoothly.

"Hm? And this is..."

Upstairs, seeing Beli bustling about in the kitchen, Yixuan was momentarily puzzled.

Just then, Beli came out carrying the last pot of soup and looked at Yixuan, curious.

"Ahem, let me introduce you. This is our household cooking granny, Beli, and also a good friend of Remielle's. This is Shifu Yixuan of Yunkui Summit, and her disciple Ye Shunguang."

"So you're a Shifu from Yunkui Summit."

Realization dawned on Beli's face.

Even in her era, Yunkui Summit had been a famous name.

Then Beli shot Musachi a glare:

"And I'm not a cooking granny! Sounds like you're asking for a beating."

She waved the soup ladle in front of Musachi's forehead.

"Got it, cooking granny. No problem, cooking granny."

Faced with Musachi's shamelessness, Beli had no comeback. All she could do was glare at him again and say nothing.

Beside them, Yixuan looked at Beli and felt that she looked strangely familiar, but she didn't say anything.

Photographs of the first-generation Void Hunters from a century ago did survive. But in those photos, both Remielle and Beli were made up and dressed quite formally.

It looked nothing like how they dressed in casual clothes now.

And, to be honest, Musachi thought the Beli and Remielle in the photos weren't as pretty as they were today.

Makeup didn't do much for them.

Light makeup gave them a bit more poise and color, but heavy makeup only hid their natural features, and they came out looking worse than now.

"Oh right, tonight's dinner isn't only a treat for you all. It's also a celebration that the Angels of Delusion have finished their time working at the shop. You won't need to come every day anymore. As for what I promised you..."

Musachi handed a wrapped book to the three little ones.

"Thank you, Shopkeeper!"

Once they had the book, smiles broke out on the three little ones' faces.

"Hm... If I remember right, you're an idol group, aren't you? I don't really understand what you young people like."

Yixuan looked at the three little ones, curious.

Sunna nodded brightly:

"That's right! We're the Angels of Delusion! We're going to be a band for life!"

She said it happily.

Aria and Nangong beside her nodded happily too.

"How wonderful, the pure friendship between young girls..."

Remielle watched the scene with a doting-aunt smile.

Beside her, though, Musachi wore a strange expression.

Earlier, with nothing better to do, he'd counted on his fingers a little.

How long would the three little ones' group last?

And the result...

Well, no problem. It would last a long time, indeed. But there would be some setbacks along the way.

He hadn't worked out what the setbacks were, but he knew they involved the three people at this table...

As he thought it over, Musachi glanced at Remielle, then at Ye Shunguang and Miyabi.

Those three would stand in the way of the Angels of Delusion's breakup crisis?

But what could the three little ones breaking up possibly have to do with them? They had nothing to do with each other, surely?

"Why stress the word 'pure'? You make it sound like friendship isn't pure once you're past a certain age."

Musachi pursed his lips.

Seeing this, Remielle puffed out her cheeks, shot Musachi a glare, then looked at Beli.

She said nothing, but Musachi seemed to guess what she meant.

Remielle: Count your blessings. If Beli hadn't died so young, where would you come into it?

Musachi's eyes lit up, though, and he answered Remielle with the same look.

The meaning was just as clear: There's an upside like that?!