The next morning.
Yang Tao, who was sound asleep, instantly woke up because he heard someone unzipping his tent.
A figure slipped in and sat quietly beside him.
'Miko? No, she wouldn't be so bold... Could it be Elisa?'
He opened his eyes and met the gaze of the elementary schooler.
"You're awake."
The elementary schooler showed no sign of panic, her eyes calmly fixed on him.
Yang Tao: "..."
He sat up straight, looked at the emotionless, cunning elementary schooler in front of him, and said, "What brings you here so early in the morning?"
"You are very strong!"
"Yes, do you want my help?"
The elementary schooler nodded.
"Then what's the price?"
Hozuki Yayoi tilted her head slightly, a thoughtful expression on her face, then said very seriously, "If you're willing, you can wait for me for a few years, and when I grow up, I can be your girlfriend."
Hearing her words, Yang Tao suddenly felt a sense of defeat, but fortunately, this elementary schooler didn't sell her sister to him.
What Yang Tao didn't know was that the elementary schooler had already 'sold' her sister to her childhood friend, Keitarō.
"You child..."
"Never mind, tell me, where do you live?"
"Machida."
Machida is next to Miko's city, and the river they were at served as the boundary between the two cities.
'It wouldn't be bad to go to the neighboring city and earn some exploration points.'
"Let's go, let's eat first, then we can discuss the ghost exorcism."
...
An hour later.
Yang Tao drove Elisa and Miko towards the city where Hozuki Yayoi lived.
Yurikawa Hana, sitting in the back seat, said excitedly, "It's been years since I've been to Machida! We definitely have to go shopping in the commercial district later."
Miko reached out and held back the excited Yurikawa Hana, saying with a serious expression, "Hana-chan, Mr. Yang has important business."
"Ah? No shopping?"
Yurikawa Hana's mood immediately plummeted. Yang Tao, who was driving, smiled and said, "That's not it. Let's go check out the situation first."
If Hozuki Yayoi's ghosts were stronger than those in Miko's world, then it would be a great opportunity for Elisa to improve her strength.
Following Eiko's car, the group didn't head to the city center but instead arrived in front of a shrine located in a suburban area.
They parked the car.
This shrine was identical to the one where the Great Fox God resided, with a long staircase leading up to a red torii gate at its end.
The surrounding trees were lush and green, showing no signs of anything amiss.
The elementary schooler jumped out of their car and scurried over to Yang Tao.
"This place enshrines Kishimojin, who purifies infant spirits, but the excessive number of infant spirits has caused Kishimojin to turn into an evil spirit. This is the strongest evil spirit I know of."
Yang Tao nodded slightly, but he couldn't help but inwardly complain, 'These Japanese shrines are practically becoming Boss spawn points...'
While there were cases of righteous gods being corrupted in China, those only happened during great upheavals, like in 'Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio'...
"Let's go, let's go up and check out the situation first."
The group walked up the steps towards the shrine dedicated to Kishimojin.
Keitarō's expression was a bit grim; he had witnessed Kishimojin's power, and the number of small ghosts under Kishimojin's command was countless.
If it weren't for Yang Tao's violent ghost-exorcism methods last night, he would never have brought Eiko here today.
It didn't take long for them to reach the torii gate.
The spacious courtyard was filled with large and small statues of Jizo Bodhisattva. The statues bore the marks of weathering, clearly having been placed there for several years.
All these statues faced the room in the center of the shrine, and it was obvious they were suppressing something inside.
Yang Tao looked at the house filled with ghostly aura and softly asked, "Elisa, do you have confidence?"
Elisa looked at him with a strange gaze and said, "Have you not paid attention to me for a long time?"
He looked at the 1000 HP bar above Elisa's head. The last time he saw her, it was already over 10,000. Clearly, Elisa had now reached the second or even third stage.
Yang Tao could only show a helpless expression and say, "My energy perception is very poor."
Elisa nodded slightly, looked at the distant shrine, and said, "The strength is decent, but I can handle it..."
"Alright then, it's a good chance for me to see how much you've grown during this time."
Elisa, who had been expressionless, suddenly showed a faint smile.
"You'll be surprised!"
She walked straight towards the shrine.
Seeing Elisa walking towards the shrine alone, Keitarō quickly said, "Don't go over there, it's too dangerous!"
The elementary schooler looked thoughtfully at Elisa's back and asked, "Uncle, is this big sister also an exorcist?"
Clearly, with the elementary schooler and Keitarō's strength and so-called spiritual vision, they couldn't see through Elisa's disguise. Even Miko, who knew Elisa wasn't human, usually couldn't tell the difference either.
"An exorcist? Not exactly, but she can also exorcise ghosts..."
Perhaps sensing the danger, the dilapidated wooden door of the shrine slowly opened, and a dense black aura emanated from within.
Some dark clouds appeared in the originally clear sky, obscuring the sunlight.
Elisa, however, paid no mind and continued to walk step by step towards the gradually forming black shadow at the shrine's entrance.
A black figure resembling a monk appeared in front of the small house of the shrine, its body densely covered with infant-like evil spirits.
These little ghosts constantly drilled in and out of his body, making giggling sounds: "Has someone else come? Hehe, little girl, would you mind staying and helping me take care of these lovely children?"
"Mommy... Mommy..."
"I'm hungry..."
"I want to eat..."
The countless infant voices made people feel an uncontrollable sense of irritation.
[HP: 3400 / 3400]
Its HP was slightly higher than the Great Fox God they encountered before, but its actual combat ability remained unknown.
Miko's body trembled slightly as she reached out and grabbed Yang Tao's arm. The ghostly aura emanating from Kishimojin and the dense swarm of little ghosts made her feel as if she would be swallowed at any moment.
"Don't be afraid, Elisa can handle it..."
As soon as he finished speaking, surging flames erupted from under Elisa's feet and rapidly spread outwards, quickly cracking the previously ordinary ground.
The surrounding Jizo Bodhisattva statues also became more dilapidated and decayed, their expressions even turning incredibly ferocious, with two lines of blood tears flowing from their eyes.
The vibrant trees nearby were engulfed by the fierce flames, instantly turning into distorted withered trees.
[HP: 21200 / 21200]
The elementary schooler, who had been expressionless all this time, finally showed a shocked expression.
She had never expected that the girl who had been with her all along was actually an evil spirit.
Yang Tao was equally shocked, not by Elisa's HP, but by the appearance of the Brother San along with the Inner World, and Sadako standing beside the Brother San...