Chapter 10

After a night's rest, Chi Shangzhen clearly felt his body had recovered. He no longer felt the deep fatigue that had plagued him yesterday. He also noticed something else: the energy that had entered his body last night had automatically circulated throughout the night, subtly reinforcing his meridians, organs, bones, and blood. This change made him quite happy, as the continuous circulation of energy would gradually strengthen his body over time. The longer this process continued, the stronger his body would become. However, there was a downside: as the energy circulated through his meridians, reinforcing his body, it was also being consumed. Although the amount consumed was not much, at his current level of energy, it would be depleted in less than a hundred days. Once the energy was gone, his meridians would wither, and his cultivation level would drop. Of course, he could control the energy to prevent it from circulating, but then he would not be able to strengthen his body or advance beyond his current Wandering Ghost Realm. It seemed like a vicious cycle.

This vicious cycle that Chi Shangzhen faced would not have occurred in ancient times. In those days, cultivators could use the energy within their bodies to reinforce themselves while continuously absorbing stray energy from the environment. This energy would be refined through the meridians and transformed into pure energy for their use. The rate at which they absorbed energy was much higher than the rate at which it was consumed, so the situation Chi Shangzhen faced would never have arisen in ancient times.

After using his mental energy to inspect his body, Chi Shangzhen understood his current predicament: he lacked an external source of energy. For now, he could only rely on the heavenly crystals he had, but this was not a long-term solution. He needed to find a stable source of energy for his cultivation as soon as possible. He also needed to test whether the depleted high-quality crystals could absorb electrical energy, which was crucial for his future growth and advancement. He couldn't afford to delay.

After finishing his morning hygiene routine and eating the breakfast delivered by Yamada Kuma, Chi Shangzhen was about to ask Yamada Kuma to clear the table when Yamada Kuma came in to report.

"Sir, Mr. Yamashita is here to visit. Would you like to see him?"

Hearing Yamada Kuma's words, Chi Shangzhen immediately remembered what Mifunaro had told him about Yamashita Akira visiting yesterday. He didn't know what it was about, but it seemed urgent, so he decided to meet him.

"Yes, please bring Mr. Yamashita in."

After instructing Yamada Kuma, he sat down. He was still not used to the Japanese custom of kneeling, so he sat cross-legged and waited for Yamashita Akira.

Yamada Kuma led Yamashita Akira into the room and began clearing the breakfast dishes. Seeing the state of the room, Yamashita Akira immediately bowed deeply and apologized.

"Mr. Chi, I am truly sorry for disturbing your breakfast. I am deeply apologetic, but I have an urgent matter that requires your help. Please do not blame me for my rudeness. I am truly sorry."

He bowed deeply again, and Chi Shangzhen's eyebrows twitched. In his previous life, he had studied in Japan, but the etiquette there was not as strict as it was in this era. The formal and rigorous manners of the Japanese in this time were quite different, and the extreme respect shown by subordinates to superiors made him scratch his head. However, it also strengthened his resolve to become a superior himself, not for any other reason but because he didn't want to bow and greet people every time he saw someone he knew. He didn't want to tire himself out.

After a simple bow in return, Chi Shangzhen began to ask about Yamashita Akira's purpose. He didn't want to beat around the bush; if he could help, he would, and if he couldn't, there was no point in wasting time.

Once Yamada Kuma had cleared the dishes and left, Yamashita Akira solemnly explained his reason for visiting.

"Mr. Chi, please listen to me. I am an orphan who was raised by the villagers in my village. When I was young, a ghost caused chaos in the village, and over twenty people died. The village head had to personally invite a Shinto priest to seal the ghost. The ghost was sealed in the well of the village shrine, and the village head built a new shrine to avoid the old one. The villagers living near the old shrine were also relocated to prevent them from accidentally breaking the seal and releasing the ghost. After that, our village lived in peace. Although everyone knew about the sealed ghost, they gradually forgot about it, and even the younger generation born in recent years didn't know about the ghost's existence. They only knew that the old shrine was forbidden."

As he spoke, Chi Shangzhen could see the tremor in Yamashita Akira's voice, indicating that the memory of the ghost's terror had left a deep and unconscious fear in his heart.

"Later, I became the first person from our village to attend university. I still remember the day I left for school. The entire village came to see me off, their eyes filled with hope. My tuition was raised by the villagers, many of whom were very poor and could hardly afford meat or new clothes. The villagers pooled their meager savings to help me attend university with dignity. The old village head and several clan uncles even traveled dozens of miles to the market to buy me new clothes and shoes. One of the uncles personally drove a donkey cart to take me to school, and to avoid me being looked down upon by other students, he didn't even enter the school grounds. He just said a few encouraging words before leaving. At that moment, I swore to myself that I would succeed and make my village prosperous, so that the villagers could live a better life. Later, I was accepted into the civil service in Kihara City with excellent grades and was gradually promoted. Eventually, I became the mayor of Kihara City, responsible for the local government. During my time away, I did what I could to help the village, and every year when I returned for the ancestral worship, I saw the village improving and the villagers living better lives. Despite the village's prosperity, it remained peaceful and serene, and every time I returned, I felt my restless heart calm down."

Previously, Chi Shangzhen had always had a negative impression of the Japanese, which was a common bias among Chinese people. He had also viewed the Japanese through a colored lens, imagining them to be cold and indifferent. However, through his interactions with Yamada Kuma and the others, he realized that the Japanese could show genuine emotion beneath their cold exterior. This was something that people from other cultures found hard to understand, and only by being part of their community could one truly feel the unique bond and affection they shared. This was probably why people from other countries perceived the Japanese as cold, as they only showed their true feelings to their own people.

Chi Shangzhen could see the genuine emotion in Yamashita Akira's words. When he spoke about being sent off to school by the villagers, his eyes were red and filled with tears. When he spoke about becoming the mayor of Kihara City, his face was filled with pride and confidence. At that moment, Chi Shangzhen felt that Yamashita Akira was being his true self. Although years of political life had changed him, the village and the villagers who raised him still brought out his deepest, most genuine feelings. It seemed that no matter who you were, there was always something you cared about and wanted to protect. For Yamashita Akira, it was clearly his village and the villagers who raised him.

"Yesterday, I received an urgent letter from my hometown. A few days ago, on the anniversary of Hiroshima's suffering, a villager died under mysterious circumstances. The victim was one of my clan uncles. He gouged out his own eyes with his hands, bit off his tongue, and then cut out his heart with a knife. The heart he cut out had no blood in it, which terrified the villagers. This was just the beginning of their fear."

Hearing this, Chi Shangzhen knew that the ghost had regained some level of consciousness and was using brutal methods to harm people. This suggested that the ghost was either evolving into a Wandering Ghost or had already reached that level. It was harming people to replenish its energy. Sure enough, Yamashita Akira's next words confirmed his suspicions.

"The next day, another clan uncle died in the same way. What terrified the village elders the most was that both victims were among those who had assisted the Shinto priest in sealing the ghost. The elders realized that the sealed ghost had escaped and was seeking revenge. To stop the ghost from causing more harm, the old village head once again went to invite the Shinto priest from a neighboring village, but he found that the priest had passed away and had no descendants to carry on his legacy. When the old village head returned, he found that more villagers had died. With no other options, he wrote to me, asking me to find a way to save the village. He asked me to find a Shinto priest, but I don't know of any in Kihara City or even in Okayama Prefecture. So, I am asking you, Mr. Chi, to help us. I beg you, please help our village."

With that, Yamashita Akira bowed deeply, placing his hands flat on the ground.

Seeing Yamashita Akira kneeling and trembling, Chi Shangzhen knew he was silently crying. He could sense the urgency and desperation in his heart, a perception that had developed after the energy entered his body the previous night. He could feel the other person's emotional state, and he had sensed the same sincerity and passion in Mifunaro yesterday. Now, he felt the same anxiety and fear in Yamashita Akira.

"Alright, I'll take care of your village's problem."

Hearing Chi Shangzhen's words, Yamashita Akira lifted his head, his slightly wet cheeks showing that the mayor of Kihara City had been crying. His eyes were now filled with excitement.

"Thank you, Mr. Chi."

---

**End of Page**