Tokyo Knights: The Odd Jobs X Files

Li Xin was too lazy to argue with this cunning woman anymore. He just wanted to finish this job as soon as possible, so he said to Nogami Saeko, "The old shrine maiden and her granddaughter are at the shrine up there, right? I'm going up now."

"and many more!"

Saeko Nogami called out to Li Xin.

Li Xin stopped and looked at Nogami Saeko, wondering if she had anything else to say.

Saeko Nogami tossed her hair and said, "As I said, that old shrine maiden is highly respected, and many people have received her kindness. So, besides you, there are two other people here to protect her. Once they arrive, you can all go up together."

"they?"

Li Xin frowned slightly. In Japanese, the pronunciation of "he" and "she" is different, which means that the people invited to serve as protectors of the inheritance ceremony, just like Li Xin, are two women.

"Yes, them!"

Nogami Saeko emphasized the word "she," and as soon as she finished speaking, Li Xin noticed two footsteps approaching from two different directions, clearly not from the same direction.

Li Xin patiently waited for his two helpers to arrive. When they approached and revealed themselves, Li Xin turned to Nogami Saeko and said, "This is going too far! How could you involve a minor in this kind of thing!"

Because he realized that the so-called helpers were actually two high school girls dressed in sailor uniforms.

Both high school girls were wearing sailor uniforms, but the styles were different. One girl was wearing an all-black sailor uniform, while the other was wearing a white top and a black long skirt.

The girl in the all-black sailor uniform was beautiful and had a good figure. Her long black hair was simply tied into a ponytail with a rope. She held a long samurai sword in her hand, and the end of the hilt was adorned with a tuft of white hair as a tassel, which was very rare for a samurai sword.

The other girl, dressed in a white and black sailor uniform, was just as beautiful as the girl in the all-black sailor uniform next to her. She also had long, shiny black hair with bangs, but it was naturally draped over her shoulders. She had a cold demeanor, and her beautiful face seemed to be frozen, making her appear exceptionally indifferent.

Upon hearing Li Xin's words, Nogami Saeko rolled her eyes and said to Li Xin, "Don't underestimate them."

As she spoke, Saeko Nogami walked over to the two high school girls, put her arms around their shoulders, and said to Li Xin, "Don't let their youth fool you, they are both very strong. Instead of worrying about their strength, you should worry about whether you will hold them back later."

Seeing that Nogami Saeko was speaking seriously, Li Xin couldn't help but take another look at the two of them. The girl with the single ponytail nodded slightly to Li Xin as a greeting, while the girl with bangs had a cold expression. She glanced at the torii gate on the steps and said to Li Xin and the girl with the single ponytail, "The ceremony is about to begin. Let's go up. Don't keep the high priestess waiting."

Li Xin and the girl with the single ponytail nodded, and Nogami Saeko said to Li Xin and the two girls, "You two go up, I won't go."

It wasn't that Saeko Nogami wanted to slack off, but she knew that if she went up there, she wouldn't be able to help, and would instead become a burden.

She had met both girls before, having worked with them on special missions. From those missions, Nogami Saeko fully understood one thing: she was of no help in those kinds of situations. Her marksmanship, knife throwing, and hand-to-hand combat skills, which she was usually so proud of, were useless against those things and could only be a burden.

Saeko Nogami is not the kind of person who insists on doing something she knows is impossible, so she decisively chose to withdraw from this mission.

"okay, I get it."

Li Xin nodded to Nogami Saeko, and then walked with the girl with the single ponytail and the girl with bangs towards the torii gate at the end of the steps.

Behind the torii gate was a dilapidated shrine that looked like it was rarely maintained. Upon seeing this scene, the girl with bangs showed a change in expression for the first time, appearing somewhat forlorn.

"Let's go in. The High Priestess should already be waiting for us in the main hall."

The girl with bangs said.

The shrine has three main buildings: the main hall, the offering hall, and the worship hall. The main hall is where the "divine body" is enshrined and is the most sacred part of the shrine. Generally, humans are not allowed to enter. This time, the old shrine maiden is going to pass on her spiritual power to her granddaughter, and a ceremony needs to be held under the witness of the gods. Therefore, they should be preparing for the ceremony in the main hall now.

Li Xin nodded and followed the two girls into the main hall. The main hall was not large, indicating that even when the incense was plentiful, this shrine was not a large shrine.

Upon entering the main hall, the first thing the three saw was a beautiful girl of sixteen or seventeen, sitting quietly on a futon with her eyes closed. Behind her, an old woman with white hair smiled slightly as she saw Li Xin and the others enter and said, "You've come."

The old woman looked kind and gentle, with her eyes narrowed to slits and a cheerful smile, giving off the vibe of a friendly neighborhood grandma.

The beautiful girl was dressed in a red and white shrine maiden outfit, and she looked very holy, with an otherworldly aura.

This should be the target I'm protecting.

Looking at the young witch, Li Xin thought to himself, then glanced at the altar behind the two of them, on which was enshrined a vermilion feather.

In a shrine, the most important thing is the "divine body," which is usually a symbolic object, considered to be the embodiment or dwelling place of the god. Of course, other objects are also enshrined, such as mountains, giant rocks, forests, and other natural creations. In this shrine, the "divine body" should be that vermilion feather.

Upon seeing the old woman, the girl with bangs spoke first, bowing respectfully and saying, "Ise Grand Shrine Priestess Kijuu Arashi greets the Great Priestess!"

The title "Great Witch" is not a rank of witch, but rather a common name. This old witch helped many people and made many contributions when she was young. She was highly respected in her old age, so she was called "Great Witch" by other witches.

Li Xin glanced at the girl with bangs, not expecting that she was also a priestess.

That makes sense, though. It's only natural that other priestesses would come to help when the old priestess is in trouble.

Upon hearing the girl with bangs introduce herself, the old woman smiled and said, "Did Feng send you?"

Gui Zhoulan bowed his head and said, "Yes, it was Lord Feng who sent me to protect you. You once taught the young Lord Feng, and he has always remembered your kindness. He asked me to ensure that you complete the entire ceremony."

The old witch smiled slightly: "That's thoughtful of you."

After Gui Zhoulan introduced himself, the girl with the single ponytail continued, "Izayama Yomi, I have come to protect the priestess on the orders of the head of the family."

The old shrine maiden smiled at Isayama Yomi as well: "Please thank Gagaku for me."

The old shrine maiden's name, Yaraku, is Tsuchimiya Yaraku. He is the head of the Tsuchimiya family, a famous exorcist family in Japan. The Isayama family is a branch of the Tsuchimiya family, so the Isayama family has always followed the Tsuchimiya family's lead. This time, the Isayama Yomi Society came here to protect the old shrine maiden on the orders of the Tsuchimiya family head.

After Gui Zhoulan and Isayama Yomi finished introducing themselves, only Li Xin remained silent. Li Xin stepped forward and said, "'X', I'm here to protect your granddaughter, hired by Detective Nogami Saeko of the Metropolitan Police Department."

"..."

The old priestess, Yomi Isayama, and Kijuu Arashi were taken aback; this person's answer was so different from the others'...

The old witch was the first to react, and she smiled and said, "Thank you for your trouble."

Regardless of their reasons for coming, since they're here to help, she can't help but give them a friendly welcome.

After the three had all introduced themselves, the old witch said to them, "My granddaughter has entered a meditative state. After I begin the ceremony, I would appreciate it if the three of you could handle all the matters on my behalf."

She didn't explain much, after all, the people who came here should already know what they were going to do.

"High Priestess, you flatter me."

Gui Zhoulan bowed to the old witch.

The old witch smiled slightly, and a circular magic circle suddenly appeared beneath her feet, enveloping herself, the young witch, and the "divine body" she was worshipping.

The old shrine maiden knelt down gently, raised the Kagura bell, and while shaking it to make a clear sound, she softly chanted a blessing.

Of the three, only Gui Zhoulan was a priestess. She could clearly sense that the old priestess's powerful spiritual energy was flowing towards the enshrined "divine body," and then slowly flowing into the young priestess through the "divine body."

Unlike other sorcerers, shrine maidens cultivate spiritual power through unwavering faith. Therefore, the spiritual power cultivated by shrine maidens cannot be directly passed on; it must be transferred through the deity they worship, or more precisely, through the "divine body" that is the embodiment of the deity. This is something that Kijuu Arashi, a shrine maiden of the Ise Grand Shrine, is very familiar with.

Gui Zhoulan said to Li Xin and Jianshan Huangquan, "Once the Great Priestess performs the inheritance ceremony, it cannot be stopped unless the ceremony ends. If the ceremony is forcibly terminated, it will exhaust the Great Priestess's already limited lifespan, and the Great Priestess's granddaughter will also be seriously injured. Therefore, we must protect them and not let them be disturbed in any way."

Just as Gui Zhoulan finished explaining the basics to Li Xin and Jianshan Huangquan, the tranquil atmosphere was suddenly shattered. Outside, a fierce wind swept through, making the doors, windows, and curtains of the main hall rattle loudly.

Below the steps outside the shrine, Saeko Nogami watched as the once clear night sky suddenly became overcast with dark clouds, accompanied by gusts of cold wind. Knowing that this place had become a place of trouble, she hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided to leave immediately—this was no longer a place for an ordinary person like her.

Outside the main hall, an arrogant voice came from outside: "Hahaha, you old hag, I've finally waited for you to die. You want to pass on your spiritual power? Not so easy!"

Unsettling rustling sounds came from all around the main hall. Izayama Yomi was the first to draw his samurai sword and rush out. He saw a cold wind blowing outside the main hall and heard a series of sounds, but he could not see anyone.

Gui Zhoulan slowly walked out of the main hall and said to Isayama Yomi, who was on high alert, "There's no need to look anymore. At most, they only dare to harass the High Priestess. They don't have the guts to appear in front of her in person. They don't even dare to approach this shrine."

"Highly respected" was the evaluation of the old witch when she was older. When she was young, people around her described her with four different words: brave and skilled in battle.

Using these four words to describe a priestess who serves the gods should be very inappropriate, but the old priestess was really powerful when she was young. She once killed many evil sorcerers who were causing trouble, and suppressed and sealed countless demons, making those evil spirits tremble with fear. The old priestess's existence is indispensable to maintaining the peace in Tokyo.

In other words, the old witch is nearing the end of her life and is preparing to pass on her immense spiritual power to her granddaughter. That's why those evil spirits who usually fear the old witch dare to come out, but they don't dare to reveal their true forms. Even the voice they just heard sounded neither male nor female, as if it had been deliberately concealed to avoid being recognized.

Everyone knows that the old witch has a fierce personality. Who knows if she will give up the inheritance ceremony and risk her remaining lifespan to kill them all if she is really provoked?

Evil sorcerers who live long lives are cowards; they wouldn't risk their lives for a trivial grudge.

Isayama Yomi looked at Kijuu Arashi with suspicion. Weren't they here to protect the old priestess? If no one dared to come over, what were they doing here?

Suddenly, a white figure appeared behind Isayama Yomi, raising a giant axe to strike at him. Isayama Yomi reacted swiftly, thrusting his hand back to strike the figure behind him, but he didn't feel the impact on his body. Looking back, he saw a piece of paper falling behind him.

Gently picking up the paper figure from the ground, Gui Zhoulan said to Jianshan Huangquan, "They don't dare to come in person, but they still have the guts to use some tricks to disrupt the progress of the inheritance ceremony."

The paper figure in his hand spontaneously combusted without fire. Gui Zhoulan said softly, "Don't be careless. Although the other party doesn't dare to appear in front of us personally, it doesn't mean they don't have other means to attack us."

Those who could have a grudge against the old witch must be at least top-tier sorcerers. Those below that level are not even worthy of being enemies with the old witch. Even if these sorcerers' methods are just the tip of the iceberg, they are enough to make these two young juniors be on high alert.

Izayama Yomi nodded slightly. Although it was her first time meeting Kijuu Arashi, they were of similar age and naturally found it easier to get along. Moreover, Kijuu Arashi was a shrine maiden at Ise Grand Shrine, one of the most famous and reputable shrines in Japan. It was a highly trusted institution. In contrast, the man left behind in the main hall was less reassuring.

Inside the main hall, Li Xin did not rush out with Izayama Yomi and Kiju Ran. His mission was to protect the young priestess. If that was the case, why rush out? What if someone used a diversionary tactic to ambush the young priestess while he was away? Wouldn't he have to return the money?

Watching the old witch chanting incantations within the glowing magic circle, Li Xin, not being a sorcerer, had no idea what was going on. After thinking for a moment, he applied his "Bright Jade True Qi" to his eyes, hoping to see if he could figure it out.

Sure enough, when Li Xin circulated the "Mingyu True Qi" to his eyes, he saw a ball of light as bright as the sun on the old witch. The ball of light continuously distributed power to the crimson feather that was being worshipped, and the feather also distributed a gentle power that flowed continuously to the young witch.

In Li Xin's vision, the faint orb of light around the young witch was growing stronger, which was clearly the so-called inheritance ritual.

Sensing Li Xin's gaze, the old witch, who had been shaking the bell and chanting incantations with her eyes closed, suddenly opened her eyes and looked at Li Xin without leaving a trace.

This internal force is...

Before the old witch could think further, Li Xin, who was using the "Bright Jade True Qi" in his eyes, suddenly noticed something. He reached out to grab the young witch, but there was nothing there. However, when Li Xin squeezed his hand, a small black snake immediately appeared in his hand. Seeing that Li Xin had ruined its plan, the snake opened its mouth wide and tried to bite Li Xin's wrist. But Li Xin quickly flicked his wrist, and the "Bright Jade True Qi" exploded, whipping the snake to the ground like a whip, killing it instantly.

Seriously, don't underestimate a country boy's experience in catching snakes, you bastard!

Seeing Li Xin kill the black snake, the old witch closed her eyes in relief, thinking to herself, "So it really is that martial art..."

Chapter Seventy-Seven: A Fine Blade!

After killing the black snake, Li Xin didn't have time to examine it carefully before a figure rushed into the main hall. The person was wearing a set of armor from the Japanese Warring States period, with a mask covering their face so that their features were not visible. However, a strong stench of corpses told Li Xin that this was definitely not a living person.

The armored warrior, wielding a katana, slashed at the young priestess without a word (he couldn't speak anyway)—compared to the unfathomable old priestess, this young priestess was the real pushover. Killing her would not only cause the old priestess's ritual to fail, but also force her to experience the pain of losing a loved one.

However, the young priestess was Li Xin's target for protection, so how could he allow the armored warrior to harm her? He quickly used the black snake's corpse as a weapon, whipping it like a whip at the armored warrior's katana, wrapping it around the katana and pulling hard.

The katana flew out of his hand and landed on a pillar in the main hall. Taking advantage of the armored warrior's confusion, Li Xin quickly followed up, leaping behind him and twisting his helmeted head, giving it a full 180-degree spin.

Of course, having witnessed the methods of the "Nine Chrysanthemums Faction," Li Xin did not dare to be careless. He twisted the opponent's hands and feet 360 degrees as well. Thinking that it was still not safe enough, he pulled the samurai sword off the pillar and dismembered the armored samurai into eight pieces before throwing him out of the main hall.

After cutting down the armored warrior, Li Xin looked at the katana in his hand. The blade was bent into an unrecognizable shape. He wanted to throw it away, but considering that he had no other weapons, he could only hold onto it for the time being.

Tsk, I should have borrowed the Water-Slaying Sword from my first love. With the Water-Slaying Sword, I wouldn't be in this embarrassing situation.

The Water-Splitting Sword in my mind is still my first love's family heirloom. Putting aside whether he would be willing to lend it to me, even if he were, could I keep borrowing it forever? So, I still need to find a way to get a soft sword like the Water-Splitting Sword.

Li Xin regretted his lack of preparation. Of course, he didn't know beforehand that Nogami Saeko had set him up in such a big trap. He thought she was just an ordinary policewoman, so how difficult could her job be? But after the job started, he realized that Nogami Saeko was losing out big time by only paying him five million yen for such a dangerous job!

Just as Li Xin was pondering, the third attack on the main hall came again. Li Xin could only continue to deal with the third attack with his already dulled katana.

Outside the main hall, both Isayama Yomi and Kijuu Arashi sensed the battle inside, but neither of them could offer any assistance, as they were also exhausted from dealing with the situation.

Before the Yellow Springs of Isayama, a large group of evil spirits were displayed. Although they were of different shapes, they could be summed up in one word: disgusting.

Isayama Yomi, holding her family heirloom sword "Lion King," wore a solemn expression. So many evil spirits—even she found it troublesome.

“You are a member of the Tsuchimiya branch family, an expert in fighting evil spirits. These evil spirits are now entrusted to you.”

Gui Zhoulan said to Isayama Yomi, but she didn't say this to shift all the danger onto Isayama Yomi; rather, she was also facing great trouble.

Around Gui Zhoulan, twelve faceless and extremely strange-looking priests formed a formation, completely surrounding Gui Zhoulan.

Under the power of the formation, Gui Zhoulan was as if his body was bound by chains, unable to move an inch.

These priests are not living people, but shikigami. However, the spiritual power contained in each shikigami is almost the same as that of a senior priest. Among the evil sorcerers who want to destroy the inheritance ritual, there must be a famous Onmyoji in the evil path who can mobilize so many shikigami at once, but dares not show his face.

Fortunately, the Onmyoji didn't dare to show his face, otherwise, Oniju Arashi wouldn't have been able to handle it.

Without hesitation, Gui Zhoulan activated his ability, and a blade tip emerged from his palm, growing longer and longer until it finally transformed into a samurai sword, which he held in his hand.

The blade was dazzling and contained boundless spiritual power. Gui Zhoulan directly inserted the katana into the formation beneath his feet, urging the immense spiritual power contained within the katana to surge into the formation.

With a loud "boom," spiritual energy erupted, and the formation immediately collapsed. At the same time, the twelve priest shikigami that maintained the formation also dissipated along with it, leaving only the twelve sets of priest robes lying on the ground.

Gui Zhoulan directly slashed the clothes with her knife, rendering them unable to become shikigami. After doing all this, she felt exhausted and knelt on the ground, leaning on her knife.

The spiritual power on this katana was immense, and all Gui Zhoulan could do was guide its power, but even so it was extremely difficult. Fortunately, he managed to defeat all the shikigami.

While Oniju Arashi escaped, Isayama Yomi was caught in a fierce battle.

With Isayama Yomi's strength, she could easily handle these evil spirits one-on-one or even one-on-many. However, these evil spirits were too numerous, leaving her overwhelmed. If the battle continued in this chaotic manner, it was uncertain whether she would win or lose, but she would definitely be injured. And now, the night had only just begun, so how could she afford to be injured and lose her fighting ability so early?

Then, Izayama Yomi gritted her teeth and shouted, "Chaotic Crimson Lotus!"

In the vision of the spirit, a huge red monster was released from Isayama Yomi's longsword.

The monster was over three meters tall, shaped like a giant lion, with red fur like a lion's mane, and twelve eyes in three rows and four columns, making it awe-inspiring to behold.

Once unleashed, the monster, which Izayama Yomi called the Chaotic Crimson Lotus, roared loudly to declare its presence and then pounced on the disgusting evil spirits, tearing them apart.

Isayama Yomi felt much less pressured by Ran Honglian's powerful display of strength and quickly used his superb swordsmanship to kill the evil spirits that had been disturbed by Ran Honglian.

Ran Honglian is a spirit beast sealed in the treasured sword "Lion King" in her hand. It is essentially the same as an evil spirit, but much more powerful. However, freeing Ran Honglian to fight for her requires a great deal of spiritual power, which is also a huge burden for Isayama Yomi. She doesn't know how long the attack on the old priestess will continue. She originally wanted to conserve her spiritual power, but now it seems that she can't.

Before long, with the help of Luan Honglian, Izayama Yomi killed all the evil spirits. However, she was also panting heavily. Looking at Gui Zhoulan, she saw that Gui Zhoulan was not much better off than her, and Izayama Yomi couldn't help but smile bitterly.

She knew very well that those who attacked the shrine and tried to disrupt the traditional rituals were all well-known sorcerers. Normally, they could kill Isayama Yomi and Oniju Arashi with a single breath, but they were afraid of the old shrine maiden and dared not set foot in the shrine in person, so they used some underhanded tricks to harass her.

The people behind Isayama Yomi and Kijuu Arashi also knew this, which is why they sent out these two juniors. But now it seems they overestimated their juniors' strength.