Chapter 7 of 10

Chapter 7

15 min read3,810 words

After arranging everything as instructed by Chi Shangzhen, Shan Xiaoming felt relieved, no longer worrying about those mysterious entities beyond his control. He immediately began to improve the environment within the relief center. Indeed, he was quite skilled in internal affairs, and in just one day, he managed to bring order to the chaotic relief center. At this time, news of the second atomic bomb being dropped by the Americans spread, causing considerable panic among the disaster victims in the relief center.

After Chi Shangzhen helped Shan Xiaoming resolve the ghostly issues, he decided to stay at the relief center. He was given a single room, unlike the other disaster victims who had to live in tents. Even the six people, including Yamada Kuma, benefited from his presence and were able to move into a house. Although they had to share the space, it was a significant improvement for the six who had never lived in a building before, and they were quite excited about it.

When Chi Shangzhen heard the news of the atomic bomb being dropped on Nagasaki, he immediately realized that Japan was close to surrendering. If Japan surrendered, the value of the money he held would drastically depreciate. He couldn't accept this, so after hearing the news, he asked Shan Xiaoming to quickly help him obtain new identification and introduce him to the bank personnel in Iwahara City, as he needed to conduct some transactions.

Indeed, having connections in high places made things easier. Soon, Shan Xiaoming delivered Chi Shangzhen's new identification and offered to accompany him to the bank to verify it. Shan Xiaoming thought that Chi Shangzhen would be there to reissue his deposit and withdrawal stamps, given the significant disaster in Hiroshima Prefecture, which likely caused him to lose his stamps. (In this era, Japanese banking relied entirely on stamps, with the account holder having two stamps: one for regular transactions and one for cash transactions.)

After Chi Shangzhen confirmed that his stamps and certificates were intact, Shan Xiaoming stopped pressing the matter and instead arranged a meeting with the president of the Imperial Bank in Iwahara City. Chi Shangzhen understood that Shan Xiaoming was trying to build a good relationship with him.

With Shan Xiaoming's assistance, Chi Shangzhen's banking transactions went smoothly, primarily because the amount of money he wanted to exchange was substantial. He intended to convert the six million yen in his savings account and the 1.2 million yen in cash into US dollars. This made the bank president, Kato Naizan, somewhat suspicious, but since Chi Shangzhen had all his stamps and certificates, along with the proof provided by Shan Xiaoming, Kato Naizan processed the exchange.

Leaving the bank, Chi Shangzhen carried a box containing 80,000 US dollars in cash and headed back. He had converted the six million yen into US dollars and left it in the bank, while the 1.2 million yen in cash was converted into 80,000 US dollars in cash. He was truly grateful to Shan Xiaoming for this; without his prior notice, it would have been impossible to exchange such a large amount of foreign currency, especially given the recent significant damage inflicted by the Americans on Japan. Fortunately, the exchange was completed smoothly.

It's no wonder Chi Shangzhen was in such a hurry to complete the exchange, as the Japanese yen would depreciate significantly after the war, potentially devaluing his capital entirely.

As he approached a deserted path near the relief center, Chi Shangzhen stored the box of money in his ring's storage space. Carrying so much money outside was very unsafe, and since he had not yet cultivated any energy within his body and was still an ordinary person, he had no effective means to deal with potential dangers. Therefore, keeping valuables in the ring's storage space was the safest option.

Inside the Iwahara City relief center, Yamada Kuma was lecturing the others. Despite being the youngest among them, in Japan, no one cared about age; what mattered was one's status and position. Yamada Kuma, as the leader of the group, had no qualms about scolding the other five.

"Damn it, Yagorou, you fool! Look at your performance yesterday; it was absolutely terrible. The first time the master gave us a task, you were so cowardly. It's a disgrace. Fortunately, the master didn't say anything because of you. If your performance left the master with the impression that we are not reliable, you should have committed seppuku. You were so scared by those ghosts that you fell to the ground. Are you unaware of what the master does? The master is a great onmyoji. Onmyoji deal with ghosts and spirits. If we, as the master's followers, are so cowardly, how can we serve the master? If you are afraid, leave. The master doesn't need a coward like you."

After Yamada Kuma finished speaking, the other four—Shimada Masahiro, Koi Tetsu, Iiguchi Koji, and Miura Shiro—all nodded in agreement, showing no signs of speaking up for their previous camaraderie. They fully agreed with Yamada Kuma's words.

Yagorou, who was kneeling, kept his head bowed, not daring to say a word. He knew his performance yesterday was terrible. He never expected to be so frightened by the ghostly faces in the wind that he fell to the ground. It was truly embarrassing. He had always thought he was brave, but yesterday's incident made him realize his cowardice, and he deeply regretted it.

For a long time, no one spoke. Then, Yagorou looked up at Yamada Kuma and the other four.

"Please give me another chance, I promise I won't be cowardly again. Please believe me." He bowed deeply.

Yamada Kuma was about to comment on Yagorou's words when, before he could say anything, Yagorou suddenly raised his head, drew a short tanto from his waist, and plunged it into his left hand. The blade pierced through his palm, and blood splattered everywhere. Faced with this, Yamada Kuma and the other four were initially shocked but then acted as if it was expected.

Seeing Yagorou's self-punishment, Yamada Kuma said nothing more, only stating, "This time, I'll let it go. I won't pursue it further, but you must go to the master and apologize. Understand?"

"Hai, thank you, group leader. I will go to the master and apologize."

When Chi Shangzhen returned to his room in the relief center, Yagorou was already there. Opening the door, Chi Shangzhen saw Yagorou bowing with his head to the ground, holding a tanto in his hands, with a blood-soaked bandage on his left hand.

"Master, I come to apologize for my cowardice yesterday. The group leader has already punished me, and now I punish myself."

Hearing Yagorou's words and seeing his bleeding left hand, Chi Shangzhen was at a loss for words. He had indeed seen Yagorou fall to the ground in fear yesterday, but he thought it was a normal human reaction and didn't think much of it. However, seeing this scene now, he gained a new understanding of the Japanese people. This nation had a strong sense of ambition, shame, and status. He needed to slowly understand and integrate into this culture.

"Go, the punishment from Yamada is enough. I believe you won't repeat your mistake."

"Hai, thank you for your trust, Master. Yagorou will always follow you."

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