Chapter 1

In Japan, Tokyo, Suginami Ward.

In a public park.

The moon hung high, the night sky was tranquil, and the only sounds were the chirping of insects, making the park seem especially deep and quiet.

Qiao Qiao was walking on a park path, pulling a suitcase, with only the moonlight illuminating the way.

Ahead, a huge cherry tree came into Qiao Qiao's view.

"This vengeful spirit has been troubling us for over a month."

By Qiao Qiao's side was a man in a dark blue uniform, the park's security manager, named Fujisawa Saburo.

As they walked forward, Fujisawa Saburo explained the situation.

The vengeful spirit had appeared in the park for over a month, causing many security personnel to be injured, and almost led to a homeless person falling into the lake and dying.

If it weren't for the budget, Fujisawa Saburo would have long sought help from a major shrine to exorcise the spirit.

But now, it was good that Qiao Qiao was here. He was said to be a highly efficient exorcist, with low fees and good service, more cost-effective than any shrine or temple.

However,

Fujisawa Saburo sized up Qiao Qiao.

This young man looked to be under twenty and was even wearing a high school uniform.

He was pulling a large black suitcase, and no one knew what was inside.

Fujisawa Saburo had once had the fortune to witness an exorcism by a high-ranking monk at Senso-ji Temple.

The monk's palm descended, and the light of Buddha shone, purifying Fujisawa Saburo's heart even from two streets away.

He wondered what school this young man belonged to.

From his words and actions, he didn't seem to be a monk.

Was he a shrine priest?

Or a master from the Onmyōryō?

Could he witness a miracle tonight?

Speaking of which, this suitcase seemed quite heavy. Could it contain ritual objects?

While he was lost in thought, Fujisawa Saburo was stopped by Qiao Qiao's hand.

"What's wrong, Mr. Qiao?"

Fujisawa Saburo was puzzled.

But soon, he understood why.

Under the cherry tree, a woman seemed to be standing.

She wore a red dress, had long black hair covering her face, and her skin was pale.

The woman slowly, very slowly, lifted her head, revealing eyes without whites, staring intently at Qiao Qiao and Fujisawa Saburo.

"Give it back, give it back."

The woman's voice didn't come from her throat but from her body.

It was hoarse, low, and piercing.

"Give me my child back!"

She lunged forward, and red liquid dripped from her dress. Through the torn fabric, one could see that her abdomen was empty, a terrifying sight.

"Master!"

Fujisawa Saburo, frightened, quickly hid behind Qiao Qiao.

This was his first time seeing a ghost in person.

Qiao Qiao remained still.

"Mr. Fujisawa, in my country, there is a proverb."

Ignoring the approaching female ghost,

Qiao Qiao put down his suitcase and said to Fujisawa Saburo,

"The best way to overcome fear is to face it. If you don't dare to face it, you will fear it for the rest of your life."

Hearing Qiao Qiao's words, Fujisawa Saburo seemed to regain some confidence.

That's right, I have an exorcist by my side.

The two of us don't need to fear a female ghost!

Fujisawa Saburo peeked out.

The ghost's face was right in front of him.

"Ah! Namo Amida Buddha, God protect, Tōshō Daigongen shield!"

Fujisawa Saburo fell to the ground, frantically reciting the names of various deities.

Then,

Fujisawa Saburo noticed that the ghost seemed to have stopped moving?

No, not stopped moving.

She tried to move forward but seemed to have hit a barrier, unable to advance even an inch.

Could it be the master's spiritual barrier?

Fujisawa Saburo had read about it online.

Powerful exorcists had extremely high spiritual power, enough to repel all ghosts and even protect a sacred land.

"Master?"

In response to Fujisawa Saburo's question, Qiao Qiao took out a notebook from his pocket.

"The effective range is 180 meters, and the degree of demonization is estimated to be around 30%. Hmm, it seems today's preparation was not in vain."

Ignoring the struggling ghost, Qiao Qiao put away the notebook.

"Just in case, Mr. Fujisawa, let me ask, did you buy insurance for that cherry tree?"

Fujisawa Saburo nodded, not understanding why.

"Then let's begin."

With that, Qiao Qiao's suitcase clicked open.

He took out a long, black cylindrical object.

It was a rocket launcher.

Confirming no one was behind him, he disengaged the safety and pulled the trigger, all in one smooth motion without hesitation.

Whoosh

The rocket, trailing a long tail, flew past the red-dressed woman and toward the cherry tree.

Just as the rocket seemed about to hit the tree, it exploded.

The warhead split upon explosion, and the fuel inside quickly spread, forming a suspended aerosol, like a dense fog, enveloping the entire cherry tree.

The ghost seemed to sense something and paused in her struggle.

The next moment, the fuse detonated.

Instantly, the fog was dispelled by flames, and at the center of the cherry tree, the intense heat vaporized all living things. The pressure difference caused by the rapid consumption of air created a tangible shockwave that disturbed Qiao Qiao's hair and clothes.

Fujisawa Saburo squinted, the explosion far exceeding his expectations.

A mushroom cloud rose from the ground, illuminating the entire park.

After the explosion, all was silent, even the summer insects fell silent.

The night wind blew, dispersing the smoke.

Where the cherry tree once stood, nothing remained.

The cherry tree, the grass, the red-dressed woman,

Nothing remained.

Only the ground, plowed and scorched, emitted a burnt smell.

"Master, what, what is this?"

Fujisawa Saburo was stunned.

His eyes couldn't leave the rocket launcher.

"It's a rocket launcher."

Qiao Qiao answered seriously.

Fujisawa Saburo knew about exorcisms using Buddhist law, using shikigami, and even thought using garlic and crosses might be fine.

But a rocket launcher???

"This is the 11-type 93mm single-soldier rocket launcher, with a minimum range of 25 meters and a maximum direct range of 200 meters. It uses a mechanical sight and can fire smoke, incendiary, and fuel-air explosives. I used the exorcism fuel-air explosive, which can clear all vengeful spirits within a 50 square meter radius."

Seeing that Fujisawa Saburo didn't understand, Qiao Qiao added,

"No, what I mean is—"

Fujisawa Saburo glanced at the scorched cherry tree.

What was cleared wasn't just the vengeful spirit.

"Was the vengeful spirit purified like this?"

It looked like a physical method; could it really harm a spirit?

"Actually, the vengeful spirit was just a manifestation. The real culprit was the cherry tree, which absorbed the surrounding spiritual energy and yin qi, becoming a half-demon and controlling nearby spirits for its own use."

Qiao Qiao scratched the back of his head and explained.

"So I directly destroyed the cherry tree, and the spirits naturally dissipated."

Remembering something, Qiao Qiao turned around.

"By the way, Mr. Fujisawa, the fee is 100,000 yen for the appearance, plus 500,000 yen for the exorcism equipment, totaling 600,000 yen."

The yen is the currency of Japan.

It is roughly equivalent to 6 RMB for 100 yen.

600,000 yen is about 30,000 RMB.

"600,000 yen?"

Faced with the rather expensive price, Fujisawa Saburo was a bit surprised and wanted to say something more.

But seeing the black hole of the rocket launcher pointed at him,

He obediently took out his wallet.

"Thank you for your business."

Qiao Qiao smiled.