Great, we're doomed now!

But beyond these six people, within the illumination of the streetlights, there were more than a dozen people with strange clothing waiting!

"Don't mind them, they're just here to create a lively atmosphere."

"Atmosphere group?"

Jianzi and the others glanced at each other silently, their expressions slightly complicated.

It was truly atmospheric... It was a professional team with an average age of thirty or older, dressed in priestly robes, holding ritual implements, carrying small palanquins, and with the sacred spirits enshrined on them.

—When these people appear in the deep mountains late at night, the atmosphere is already at its peak!

"We...we...we're just here to participate in the test of courage, right?"

Chika's two friends grasped each other's hands, their voices trembling: "There's nothing extra involved like a sacrifice, is there?!"

"We're just holding a test of courage and incidentally looking up urban legends, it's not like we're performing any rituals..."

"Even I think Lord Ye Shou's reaction was a bit excessive."

The girls all thought Ye Shou was making a big fuss, but all they got in return was a disdainful smirk.

The ghosts in "The Visible Girl" are mostly vengeful spirits of the dead, possessing little supernatural power, and generally only prey on humans who can see them. Although there are occasional exceptions, such as the mountain spirit with an enormous form, the overall principle remains "ignorance is bliss."

People with strong willpower have nothing to fear once they understand this principle.

But regardless, it's a world with supernatural powers, especially around the female protagonist, Yotsuya Miko, where the probability of encountering powerful ghosts and monsters is even greater.

Ye Shou never fights a battle unprepared!

It's not that these priests are necessarily reliable, but if something goes wrong... the priests are essentially mocking the evil spirits, giving them time to deal with the situation calmly.

It might sound a bit unethical, but Ye Shou usually refers to it as "efficiency" and "cost-effectiveness."

"You asked me to postpone the test of courage for three days just to gather manpower?"

Chika couldn't stand her childhood friend anymore: "You're such a grown-up, yet you're still afraid of ghosts?"

That's all superstition! You're exaggerating!

Superstition? Who was it that swore they were coming to find Su Nuo?

"As I said, I only invited these masters to create an atmosphere."

And a shield in crucial moments—of course, you can't say that directly.

"Ruri-chan, you should say something to him too! This is terrifying; even someone who wasn't scared before will be frightened now!"

“I think this is the real test of courage, Miss Chika.”

Liuli naturally defended Ye Shou, saying, "Isn't it better to be as realistic as possible?"

"Well……"

Chika couldn't argue with her and was desperately looking for a way to retaliate when she suddenly saw something strange.

"Speaking of which, that box is way too long...it must be at least three meters long, right? What's inside?"

"Hmm?" Liuli turned around in surprise and found that on the palanquin guarded by the mages, in addition to the stone statue that served as the guardian deity, there was also an exquisite wooden box that was almost three meters long. It seemed to be used as a sacrificial offering to the accompanying deity. The patterns inlaid on its exterior and the exquisite lacquer finish made it look very old.

"That's... Lord Ye Shou, do you know him?"

"Of course, and you should know that as well."

Ye Shou glanced back, and one of the priests, perhaps understanding what he meant, immediately and his companions carefully lifted the box down.

Qianhua stepped forward and said, "Liuli, help me open the lid, hehe, let me see inside—huh?"

The two girls moved closer, but just as Ruri was about to touch her, the priest stopped her, much to the surprise of the two high school girls.

"Did we do something wrong?"

"No, it's just... women can't be touched; it's a rule passed down through generations of the shrine."

"...Is that so? Then there's nothing we can do." Chika scratched her head sheepishly, and Ruri's face also showed disappointment.

Although curious, the two were not so assertive as to challenge "tradition," and everyone present took it for granted—after all, this was Japan, where feudal traditions were accepted openly and naturally in many places.

Hearing this, Ye Shou spoke up: "Of course we should respect other people's rules—if it's genuine."

"Ugh?"

"Ok?"

Everyone, including the priest, was taken aback.

"But this one is a fake, so there's no need to worry about it."

Ye Shou walked over and smiled slightly: "Open it."

Liuli's eyes flashed, and she placed her hand on it without hesitation. She always carried out Ye Shou's orders to the letter without any discount.

The priest glanced at the maid's hand, hesitated, and then looked up, just in time to meet Ye Shou's sharp gaze, even in the darkness.

"Isn't it a fake?"

"Yes, the original is of utmost importance and of course cannot leave the shrine... This is just an Edo-era replica."

The priests bowed their heads deeply and lifted the box upwards.

Qianhua opened her mouth slightly, then turned to look at Ye Shou with a hint of unease: "This..."

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing...hehe!"

Qianhua paused for a moment, then grinned foolishly at Ye Shou: "Thank you, Xiao Shou~ Then I won't be polite!"

She and Liuli slowly lifted the lid from either side. Under the streetlights, inside was a long, thin, and rusty iron blank. Although it was shaped like a sword, it looked as plain and unremarkable as construction waste. Yet, it was nestled in a luxurious silk cushion, creating an extremely incongruous scene.

The only unusual thing is its length.

It's a full two and a half meters tall, a level that is definitely not something a human could handle!

"This is……"

"This is a replica of a treasure passed down through generations at Kashima Shrine."

The priest spoke slowly and reverently: "His name is 'Golden Bronze Vajra,' and he is a venerable and powerful being."

"Wu Wengchui... isn't that Takemikazuchi? The divine body of the Heian period?"

The girls were all stunned, and Chika recoiled as if she'd been burned: "This...this isn't a national treasure?!"

“The genuine article is a national treasure, but this is a fake.”

Liuli remained calm and closed the box again.

She had no doubt about whether the thing was real or fake—if Ye Shou said it was fake, then it could only be fake.

"Hey... Mamoru, aren't you going a bit too far? I was just looking for an excuse to go out and have some fun... Sukuna and all that doesn't matter to me!"

"When playing tabletop role-playing games, you need to feel fully immersed to have a good time, right?"

"You just wanted to create a festive atmosphere, so you gave away national treasures..."

At this moment, Chika realized once again just how outrageous her childhood friend's influence was.

Compared to their shock, Ye Shou didn't find it particularly remarkable:

It is said to be an ancient sword with a history of thousands of years, but it is actually a straight sword from the mid-to-late Tang Dynasty. It was either a gift or a trade item that was passed down to Japan. At most, it is just that the style is quite unique.

This thing would be valuable in mainland China, but it might not be considered a "national treasure."

"It's getting late, let's get started." Ye Shou glanced at his watch.

As the initiator of the event, Qianhua first rolled her eyes at Ye Shou, then shook her head vigorously to calm down.

"Alright! Let's begin!"

There are no wild animals in these mountains. I had already placed glow sticks as markers on the road during the day. We split into two small teams and went up the mountain to meet at the shrine.

As for the priests... we hadn't considered this possibility... so we'll leave it to you to secretly vanquish demons and monsters for us!"

The priests looked at each other, feeling somewhat like they were being bossed around, but none of them complained.

Who told their shrine master to lose everything in real estate speculation, and now even the shrine's land has fallen into the hands of the Jiushi Group?

Even if it's just borrowing their treasures, or even turning the shrine into the Kuze family shrine, they'd have no choice but to accept their fate!

"Holy priests, please go ahead first. After all, there are girls involved, so it's better to be safe. Thank you for your trouble."

"We understand, please rest assured, Lord Kuze."

The white-robed priests were divided into three teams. The first team carried the palanquin ahead, followed by those holding various magical implements, and finally, the ancient sword guarded the divine body to bring up the rear.

It's not far from here to the shrine. With three priest processions going on tour, there's no need to worry about any wandering spirits.

The high school teams were quickly divided into groups by drawing lots, and Ye Shou and Yotsuya Miko were put in the same group.

Chika giggled, "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend time alone with a beautiful girl late at night, Mamoru~"

"Don't say that. Can't you see how troubled she is?" Ye Shoudai's childhood friend apologized to the somewhat nervous Jianzi. "Don't worry, we'll encounter priests frequently along the way, so there won't be any danger. Even if any unexpected situations arise, I'll try my best to handle them properly."

"Th-thank you..." Jianzi blinked, her expression relaxing considerably.

Ye Shou spoke in a serious and even somewhat formulaic manner, but surprisingly, it was very reassuring. Perhaps it was because when he spoke, there was no professional smile on his face to appease people; instead, he looked serious as if he were making a vow.

"Yotsuya-kun must be feeling uneasy, right? Well, there's nothing we can do about it, since you're alone with a guy you just met... How about we switch?"

Ruri thoughtfully offered suggestions to Miko, but to everyone's surprise, the high school girl shook her head and refused!

"There's no need for that. I think Senior Ye Shou is quite trustworthy... Please take good care of me tonight, Senior."

—Liuli glanced at Zi meaningfully.

……

Yay! ...

The giant mudskipper-like monster emitted a shrill scream that ordinary people couldn't hear, as if it were placed on a red-hot iron plate, its whole body convulsing and emitting wisps of black smoke, before it completely dissipated in a short while.

"..."

"Yotsuya-kun?"

"what?"

Hearing the call, Jianzi came to her senses and saw Ye Shouzheng looking at her with concern.