Serving as an Accomplice to a Tiger

The spiritual pressure sense instantly covered the entire mansion, and Asuka felt a shiver run through his soul.

The ghostly aura was incredibly strong, almost as powerful as the Upper Moon demon from that day!

Asuka's eyes sharpened instantly as she swept them toward Fujino Genkuro, who was leading the way.

Is this man, who claims to be a doctor and proactively provides clues, really alright?

"Mr. Fujino," he said in a low voice, the dark green blade of his sword beginning to gleam with an eerie light, "are the people inside truly your relatives?"

Fujino Genkuro, who was rambling on about his relatives' situation, was startled by Asuka's cold tone and sudden action, and the words he was about to say got stuck in his throat.

He was horrified to discover that the two female companions beside this man had also drawn samurai swords that gleamed with a cold light from their bags, which made him feel that something was wrong!

"You! What are you doing?!" He stared at the gentle female reporter, Shinobu Kocho, whose unfathomable smile sent chills down his spine. "Why...why are you carrying knives? Who are you people? Ronin? Bandits?"

Dr. Fujino appeared both agitated and confused, instinctively spreading his arms to protect the large house with its doors tightly shut behind him.

The situation was urgent, and Asuka had no time to explain, let alone reassure a suspicious outsider.

"Kanao! Keep an eye on him!"

Kanao responded immediately, her movements swift as the wind. In a flash, she was right next to Fujino, placing her hand on his shoulder.

Fujino panicked and tried to break free, but the little girl's strength was far greater than he had imagined, rendering this adult man completely immobile! He could only watch in utter horror as Asuka rapidly approached the mansion!

He tried to shout a warning, but Kanao stuffed a handkerchief into his mouth, and he could only make muffled whimpering sounds.

As Kanao made her move to control Fujino Genkuro, Asuka had already rushed to the wooden door.

Without the slightest hesitation, he raised his foot and kicked hard!

Bang--!!

The bolt snapped open with his immense force! The wooden door swung open, kicking up a cloud of dust!

Inside the courtyard, several people were sitting cross-legged on prayer mats.

An elderly woman with white hair and cloudy eyes, accompanied by a middle-aged couple with blank expressions and several curious and restless children behind them, respectfully bowed to the person in front of them, listening to his teachings.

The person in front of her was dressed in coarse monk's robes and was speaking in a low voice. Clearly, the family had not yet recovered from the sudden incident of the bird breaking into the house.

With just one glance, the bird pinpointed the source of the ghostly aura.

The monk was emanating a chilling, bloody stench, the intensity of which even the Lower Moon demon, Enmu, could not match!

Whoosh—! The Zanpakuto hurtled towards them!

Asuka was too lazy to listen to what the other person was saying, and didn't care whether what she did counted as a sneak attack from behind.

He had only one thought: to cut off the demon's head before it could react!

The scoundrel tore a deep green halo through the air; it was a hybrid sword technique combining the breathing of wind and the breathing of fire, which he had not yet named.

"die!"

However, this lightning-fast, ruthless, and decisive strike was stopped by Asuka herself just as it was about to touch flesh.

Not right.

This demon's reaction... is far too slow?

Throughout the entire process, the monk never turned around. Faced with such a chilling killing intent, even the weakest ghost should have the instinct to dodge or resist, right?

The bird forcefully twisted the blade and slammed the back of the knife hard into the monk's shoulder and neck!

boom! !

"Ouch--!!"

A dull thud rang out, and the monk immediately let out a short, miserable scream as he spun out of the air!

He landed heavily in a corner of the courtyard, curling up in pain under the horrified gazes of the old woman and her family, groaning and complaining as if he couldn't even catch his breath.

The bird hopped down in front of him and frowned when it saw his eyes rolling back, looking like he was about to faint and in a sorry state.

He activated his spiritual pressure perception again and finally discovered something at such close range.

This monk is a human being.

The extremely dense ghostly aura came entirely from the object he was holding in his arms.

A crystal-clear, ice-blue Buddha statue, as if carved from ice.

It sits cross-legged, its face serene, with every detail clearly visible.

Strangely, in this not-too-cold late autumn season, this ice Buddha showed no signs of melting at all...

A thin layer of white frost had formed on its surface, and wisps of cold air were constantly emanating from it, covering the ground near it with a light white mist.

"Ouch...it hurts so much...murder! Murder! Robbers! Bandits!"

The monk struggled, writhing on the ground with tears streaming down his face, muttering incoherent curses.

Even so, he still held the jade Buddha tightly, as if afraid of bumping or damaging it, as if it were more important than his own life.

"Master! Master, are you alright?"

The elderly woman who owned the house tried to step forward to check, but was frightened by the bird's cold eyes and the still gleaming blade and shrank back. The family huddled together, trembling, watching this sudden change in terror.

The middle-aged man behind the old woman mustered his courage and stepped forward, shielding the family behind him. Trembling, he demanded, "Who are you people?! In broad daylight, armed with weapons... you assaulted monks who were spreading Buddhist teachings! Is there no law left?!"

That being said, in this desolate wilderness, if they were to encounter ruthless bandits... the man dared not imagine what the consequences would be; he could only do his best to protect his family.

Ignoring the family's astonishment, the bird stepped forward and walked to the monk who was writhing like a maggot:

"I'll only ask once, where did this thing come from?"

"Wh...what is this?!" The monk's eyes flashed as he forcefully shielded the ice Buddha behind his back, roaring with a fierce but weak voice, "This is the sacred image of the Buddha of Eternal Bliss! A treasure bestowed by the Master! It can dispel calamities and bring blessings to all beings!"

"You uncouth brutes, ignorant of the true Buddha, dare to desecrate sacred objects! You will surely be punished by Heaven!"

Faced with the monk's vague and evasive answers, Asuka's patience had run out.

The ghostly aura emanating from this ice Buddha is so intense and pure that it could not have been created by an ordinary evil spirit... It must be a creation of some powerful blood demon magic!

The monk was full of lies, so he clearly knew the truth.

Time is of the essence; the culprit lurking in the shadows is likely nearby.

"I don't have time to waste with you." Asuka's eyes flashed, and her wrist suddenly sank down.

puff!

"Asuka!!" Shinobu's eyes widened, and she quickly tried to stop him.

The thief stabbed with precision and ruthlessness.

However, the expected blood splattering did not occur.

The bird's blade clung tightly to the monk's fingers, digging deep into the muddy ground between them.

The piercingly sharp blade sliced ​​through the monk's fingers, drawing out thin lines of blood, but ultimately failed to pierce his palm.

The sudden pain and fear of death made the monk tremble violently. He could no longer care about protecting the ice Buddha and instinctively tried to pull his hand away.

"You can move, but the next knife will stab your palm, and the one after that will pierce your back," Asuka said coldly. "Now explain yourself: what's the deal with this Buddha statue? And who are you?"

The monk was in so much pain that he was covered in sweat and his face was as pale as paper.

His lips trembled, his eyes filled with terror, and he finally broke down, wailing, "Spare me...spare me, sir! I'll talk! I'll talk!"

"I'm just a lowly novice monk running errands, but this is truly a sacred object of our sect! We...we spread our teachings outside, and it's all thanks to the divine grace of our leader that we can gain people's trust! I really didn't lie!"

"Are you a monk from the Eternal Bliss Sect? What are you planning to do here?" Feibiao pressed, bringing the blade even closer to the monk's fingertips.

The monk wept uncontrollably, no longer daring to conceal the truth:

"Indeed! Indeed!"

He pointed to the homeowners, the middle-aged woman with a blank expression: "Miss Saya has been depressed because of her child's problems. We're just doing a good deed, coming to comfort her!"

"Doing good deeds?"

"Indeed!" The monk hurriedly used his other hand to push the ice Buddha aside, and spoke in a trembling voice, "The so-called 'peaceful and tranquil mind traverses the mortal world, those who observe freely attain liberation'..."

Stop talking nonsense and get to the point.

"Okay, okay... In other words, as long as Miss Saya sincerely studies Buddhism, she can meet the Master! At that time, all her suffering will disappear!"

Now Asuka understood and exchanged a glance with Shinobu, who was frowning.

This guy is here to seduce respectable women.