My name is Levi, and I work in anime.

For some reason, the Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic that the boy practiced was exceptionally compatible with the Yin-Yang body. Every time the two bodies replenished each other's bodily fluids, the boy's recovery ability and power increased by a factor of several times, far exceeding that of other girls.

Especially when Shiki and Iori couldn't hold on any longer and fainted after muttering "they're like monsters," the "Ryougi" who took their place was like an older sister to them.

Li Wei even suspected that if he stayed in Guanbuzi City and stayed with her, he would eventually be able to reach the source.

He had asked Ryougi before what the way to reach the Root was. As a result, Shiki got angry and wouldn't look at him. Ryougi stared at him gently until the boy felt inexplicably guilty. The most outrageous thing was that Ori directly joked that he had already gone deep into the Root.

How come I didn't know about this?

Lost in thought, Li Wei took out his phone to ask Hirazuka-nee for leave.

……

On the other side, the Hiratsuka residence.

Upon hearing the phone ring, the older single female teacher, like a wild dog unleashed, instantly teleported to her phone, grabbed it, and checked the caller's information—just as Li Wei had specially noted the sound of the Two Elements' enhancement, Hiratsuka Shizuka had also specially noted Li Wei's notification sound.

"Go for it, Hiratsuka Shizuka. He's just a teenager who's been going through puberty since he was three. Kids this age are full of brains. If you just show a little bit of your charm, you'll have him all to yourself!"

"My parents, maternal grandparents, paternal grandparents and other relatives are all very satisfied with Avi. There's no need to worry about the family background at all. They'll probably confirm the relationship today and meet the parents tomorrow. When my cousin first got married, she said that if I didn't find a boyfriend soon, she would quit. Actually, I'm just picking the best quality one and personally cultivating the one who suits my taste the most!"

"Mmm, mmm, that's definitely it. He can't possibly deny it when he's heavily pregnant, right? Then I can force him to marry me, hehehehehe... Ah~ Ahhh~ Hehehehe~ Hiratsuka Shizuka, 27 years old, unmarried... Hehehehehehe... If I work hard, maybe I can achieve my life goal of getting married before I'm 30, hehehehehe..."

Then take a deep breath, calm yourself down, suppress the surging blood in your veins, and then gently press the answer button.

"Hello? Hiratsuka-nee, it's me, Li Wei."

Li Wei, on the other end of the phone, had no idea what was happening on the other end. He had no idea that Hiratsuka Shizuka was trying on the newly bought "Victory" lingerie, nor that this idiot was calculating the best time to get pregnant and get married, and he was even more unaware that a certain older, marriage-hungry female teacher had even lost her shoes while running.

"Yes, I know it's you. Is there something you need for my call over the weekend?" Xiaojing's voice was deliberately calm.

"I'll be going to Guanbuzi City for a while next week and won't be able to come to school for the time being. I hope I can ask for leave."

"...So where do you live?"

“I’ll live in Ryougi’s house.” Li Wei’s answer was so natural, as if discussing the sun rising in the east and setting in the west, the second floor being built on the first floor, or Ryougi’s liking for Li Wei being as self-evident as it was.

"So what do you need Liangyi for?"

"It'll probably just be some life advice," Li Wei said, then suddenly remembered that the Hiratsuka family and Shichiya Huangli were somewhat related, so he added, "You might have to give a gift later."

"..." Hiratsuka Shizuka fell silent.

All the wedding scenes I had just imagined shattered instantly. The bride in her wedding dress was replaced by the faces of the bride and groom. I could only sit in the relatives' section, forcing a smile and clapping to bless the newlyweds.

Then comes the ten months of pregnancy and childbirth, followed by a happy family of three, with her only role being to help take care of the child. Who knows, by the time she's forty, the same age as Totsuki Nata, Li Wei's son will already have a girlfriend, while she'll still be single.

She collapsed to the ground in an "orz" pose, radiating a great deal of negative emotion.

What is invisible to the naked eye of normal people is that countless intense or negative emotions, generated by a large number of people like her recently due to emotional entanglements or other reasons, are drifting away from their bodies and sinking underground, flowing along the underground spiritual veins to the same place.

Chapter 38 The Long Sword Thirsts for Blood, It Must Feed the Hero's Courage

So, having already taken leave, Li Wei bought a train ticket to Guanbuzi City that afternoon, expecting to arrive that evening. His motto was "speak and do," and he was decisive and efficient.

"Well then, I'm off. Lucy, take good care of the house."

The boy stroked his pet's head as usual, then turned his gaze to Arcueid: "Enjoy your school days as usual while I'm not around. Your body hasn't fully recovered yet, so don't act impulsively. If you notice anything unusual, let me know immediately."

It's unclear what the True Ancestor's physical structure is like, but her need for magic is unusually high. Even though she's been given drugs far exceeding human limits, Arcueid's body still hasn't returned to its peak condition.

This won't do. Li Wei has already used up almost all the methods he can, and Arcueid has made it clear that he can't drink too much human blood. If all else fails, then replenishing mana will be the only option left.

The saying "one drop of blood equals ten drops of blood" is a joke among ordinary people, but it's really true for magicians.

This guy seems rather secretive, and appears to have developed a great interest in the internet, even making online friends. When asked what he's been reading lately, he won't say, giving off the same expression as a teenage boy who just bought some erotic books and happened to see his parents.

It doesn't matter anymore; I don't have time to argue with her about this right now.

And so, Li Wei set off for Ryougi's house with only a backpack, some daily necessities, cash, change, and bank cards.

No other things are needed; the Ryougi family has prepared their own.

……

After several hours of travel, Li Wei once again arrived at Guanbuzi City, a place he was familiar with.

In Japan, the Ryougi family, along with the Asakami, Nanaya, and Wujing families, are known as the four great exorcism families. They are also the only one of these four families that has remained standing to this day and has a place in both the real and the real worlds.

The Asagami family is in decline, and its branch family, the Asagami family, has been incorporated into the main family. The family only has some status and position in the surface world, and no one in the inner world has long been found.

The Wu family fell into ruin even earlier, with only three women left to eke out a living. If no new men were to be born to help them have children, they would probably disappear completely by the next generation.

The Shichiya family was also in dire straits. Eight years ago, the anthropomorphic creature Tono Makihisa attacked the Shichiya family and almost wiped out everyone in the family. Only the head of the family, Shichiya Kori, and his son, Shichiya Shiki, managed to escape. Later, with the help of Li Wei, Shichiya killed Tono Makihisa, but he himself was seriously injured and could not recover.

Despite relying on Li Wei's medical skills and his love for his son, Huang Li eventually succumbed to his illness after many years.

“I wonder what Mr. Huang Li wants to see me about. Is it to help take care of Zhigui?” Li Wei’s thoughts wandered: “But he is studying at the Clock Tower in England now. I heard he is doing very well there and is even getting along very well with the agent of the Burial Agency. They are about to get married. He doesn’t need me to take special care of him.”

Thinking about this all the way, the taxi the boy was in arrived at its destination.

This was a very large, spacious, and quite luxurious Japanese-style mansion, which, compared to Li Wei's own house, clearly demonstrated the Ryougi family's status as local tyrants in Kanbuko City. Ryougi, her parents, brothers, and their servants all lived here.

The boy had visited this place many times before, and Ryougi's parents were quite satisfied with him. He had a high degree of autonomy and status in the Ryougi family, and even had his own maid.

As a family that manages to maintain both its inner and outer worlds, the Ryougi family is surrounded by a large number of surveillance devices. As soon as the boy got out of the taxi, the gate of the mansion was already fully opened, and two rows of servants stood on both sides of the gate, bowing to the boy with a solemn attitude.

They were all dressed in traditional Japanese kimonos, showcasing their family's rich history and making one feel as if they had been transported back to the Edo period hundreds of years ago.

“Long time no see, Fujino.” Li Wei immediately recognized the name of the maid assigned to him by the Ryougi family, who was standing at the front—Asagami Fujino.

Originally a member of the Asagami family, a fellow exorcist family, she suffered bullying at the hands of the Asagami family. During elementary school, she was also oppressed by delinquents and refused treatment for her appendicitis. Eventually, she and her mother were forcibly taken away by Ryougi and Li Wei. After graduating from elementary school, she returned to her hometown of Kanbuko City with Ryougi.

Her current identity is Liangyi's maid—she will become Liwei's once Liwei returns home.

According to Japanese family tradition, she will most likely be brought along as part of the dowry when the couple gets married.

"Long time no see, Lord Li Wei."

The girl with long purple hair bowed meticulously to Li Wei, her cool and beautiful face revealing a look of joy: "Miss is already waiting in Mr. Huang Li's room. I will now lead the way."

"Thank you for your help, Fujino."

"My duty."

The maids from the Liangyi family, who were part of the bride's dowry, walked in front to clear the way for the young man, while the other maids followed behind Li Wei, forming a rather grand procession.

Because he disliked being restrained, Li Wei wore only casual clothes and was surrounded by traditional maids, which looked rather incongruous.

However, that's not the point. Soon, led by Fujino, the boy arrived at the Ryougi family's guest room—the room where Mr. Shichiya Kuri was bedridden.

There, he immediately saw his favorite girl, his best brother, his most tolerant older sister, his belongings, his psychologist, and his own eyes—the Yin and Yang.

They had so many titles that there wasn't enough room to sit them all.

At any other time, Li Wei would have first poured out his heart to Liang Yi, and then had a warm conversation. But now there were more important things to do.

So the two exchanged a glance, and everything was understood without a word.

"You've arrived, Mr. Gentleman."

Lying on his sickbed, his body at its limit, emaciated and powerless, the head of the Shichiya family, Shichiya Huangli, looked at Li Wei as he pushed open the door and said this with a smile on his face.

It's hard to imagine that this thin, withered man in front of you was actually a notorious serial killer who was famous in Japan more than a decade ago. Mentioning his name could stop children from crying at night.

Anyone who sees this scene can only sigh that, since ancient times, beauties and famous generals are not allowed to grow old in this world.

“I’ve arrived, Mr. Huang Li.” Li Wei immediately sat down at the head of the Qi Ye family’s bedside, gently took his slender arm, and took his pulse.

His pulse was weak and his breath was barely perceptible; he had at most a month left to live.

In fact, Huang Li had already suffered a fatal wound in a battle with Tono Shinji a few years ago in order to protect his child, and it is a medical miracle that he is still alive.

“I am already very satisfied, Mr. Gentleman.” Facing Li Wei, Huang Li used his special address to say this: “I am very relieved about Zhigui. I have no way to repay your help to our family. I hope you can accept my last gift.”

Li Wei followed his gaze to the head of the bed, where a long knife lay horizontally.

With overwhelming momentum, the long sword thirsted for blood; seemingly calm, yet the sound of thunder could be faintly heard.

The sign next to it had a line of small print: "Dojigiri - Yasutsuna!"

Chapter 39 Come on, follow me inside (Bonus chapter with razor blades)

“This is…” Li Wei was somewhat surprised, as he had never seen this long sword before.

Although the Shichiya family has been murderers for generations, their weapons are all strange, and it seems that none of them actually use long swords.

"It's called Dojigiri Yasutsuna. It was a trophy that the ancestors of the Nanaya family obtained by chance a long time ago and have treasured it ever since."

Mr. Huang Li's voice was weak, yet tinged with a hint of pride, as if he were proud of the group's glory: "This is the legendary sword of the famous general Minamoto no Yorimitsu. He once used this sword to slay the great yokai Shuten-dōji, who was famous throughout Japan. When Tono Shinji attacked the Nanaya family, it was partly because he didn't trust me, and partly because he wanted to use it to suppress the rebellious impulse inherited from Ibaraki-dōji in his own family. But unfortunately, an inanimate object alone is not enough to do all this, so he failed and lost his life along with it."

There wasn't much hatred in his tone. Perhaps for someone from a family of assassins, the killing of each other in the underworld was just normal.

Dojigiri Yasutsuna is a weapon that anyone familiar with Japanese history would have heard of. Its fame is second only to the Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi, making it one of the most renowned weapons in the world.

It had been missing for many years, but it turned out that the Shichiya family had kept it very well all this time.

"I can't accept it, this is too precious."

Even though he knew the reason why Zigong redeemed people and Zilu accepted cattle, Li Wei still subconsciously refused.

"Please accept this, sir. This is the only thing I can do to repay you."

Before Li Wei could return the Dojigiri, Mr. Huang Li grabbed his wrist and said decisively, "To be honest, I also had selfish motives at first, wanting to leave it to Shiki. But ever since the ancestors of the Nanaya family obtained it, no one has been able to truly unleash its power, causing a pearl to be cast into the dark and gold to be covered in dust."

"Besides, I am better at using iron rods than long swords, while Shiki prefers short blades. If I give the Dojigiri to him, it will just be left to gather dust at home."

On countless nights when only a dim lamp was lit, the successive heads of the Nanaya family had heard the Dojigiri emitting bloodthirsty howls alone in the warehouse, as if yearning for the arrival of someone who could truly wield it.

If this knife had a soul, it would probably prefer to be wielded by a hero like Mr. Gentleman to kill enemies, rather than be displayed on a shelf as a showpiece to flaunt family wealth.

A clay pot is bound to break at the well, and a general is bound to die on the battlefield. Back then, I led the Qiye family to abandon their assassination careers and return to Qiye Village so that this child could live a normal life.

Leaving this knife in Zhigui's hands will only bring trouble to his life.

“I originally wanted to attend your wedding with Miss Ryougi, but unfortunately this body is not capable enough, so I won’t be able to see that day.” Mr. Huang Li said very seriously, “In the end, no matter how precious a weapon is, if no one uses it, it’s no different from scrap metal. Accept it, consider it a congratulatory gift from the Qiye family for your future marriage.”

Having said all that, Li Wei couldn't find a reason to refuse.

“In that case, I will accept it.” The boy assured him, “Please rest assured, if Zhigui ever needs anything in the future, as long as I am still here, I will definitely lend a helping hand.”

Upon hearing this promise, a look of relief finally appeared on Mr. Huang Li's face, which had been ravaged by pain.

A gentleman's promise is as good as his bond; Li Wei would never betray the promise he made.

Mr. Huang Li seemed to have been relieved of a heavy burden, and his whole demeanor became much more cheerful.

His son, Shichiya Shiki, wouldn't arrive in Japan until tomorrow, so Li Wei had no intention of disturbing his peace. After giving him a few words of advice and leaving some calming medicine, he left the room with Ryougi.

……

"Ah, that feels so good..."

Lying in the Ryougi family's hot spring, Li Wei immersed himself in the hot water from head to toe, and couldn't help but let out a comfortable sigh.

As the local tyrant of Kanbushi City, the Ryougi family even has a natural hot spring inside their premises, revealing their wealth and power.

Li Wei had enjoyed this place before. Although his own bathtub was also very large, it was still far inferior to Ryougi's; there was simply no comparison.

Soaking in such a hot spring for a while can wash away the fatigue of traveling for several hours.

"Do you like it? Why don't you just move in?"

The person who made this tempting suggestion, and who was also soaking in the hot spring next to the boy, was none other than his favorite person—Ryougi.

The two held hands, just as close as they were back in kindergarten—or rather, even closer than before.

Even when we were kids, we couldn't just lie up straight in the hot spring like we do now, and we were too lazy to even bring a towel.

"Forget it, there's a lot going on in Tokyo. If I really leave, things will turn upside down in no time." Li Wei shook his head, rejecting this very tempting offer.

For teenagers, if they really want to live a more comfortable life, it's actually very simple: just be more selfish and mind your own business.

Unfortunately, that would mean Li Wei wouldn't be Li Wei, and he would be failing his teacher's teachings.

When poor, one should cultivate one's own virtue; when successful, one should help others.

"Hmph~" Shi snorted with great dissatisfaction.

However, Li Wei, who knew his close friend well, knew very well that there was no anger in his voice at all; on the contrary, he could detect a hint of pride.

It's basically saying, "He's definitely the man I've set my sights on."

"Let's go. We've been soaking for too long. Staying any longer will only make things worse for your health." Shaking his head, the boy pulled Ryougi out of the hot spring, carefully dried her off, and then helped her get dressed to avoid catching a cold.