Chapter 146: Hachishakusama

Having dealt with the fiend, Fang You no longer had any inclination to rest. He slung his pack back over his shoulders and resumed his journey according to the location provided by Abe Seiya.

The map given by Abe Seimei merely marked out a stretch of route, without indicating what lay at its destination. He only knew that an old friend was waiting for Fang You there.

As Fang You walked out of the inn, Kamo no Mumyo, who had followed behind him, asked, "Might I be so bold as to ask your esteemed name?"

"Fang You, third disciple of Mount Mao!"

With that, Fang You departed on the spot.

"Fang You?" Kamo no Mumyo mused over the name, nodding involuntarily. "Truly an extraordinary man of the East!"

Walking through the night, Fang You's thoughts remained preoccupied with Zhang Shengnan. Although her countless calls lit up his phone screen, Fang You merely brushed them off with excuses.

For some reason, Fang You felt that meeting this old friend soon would be of profound significance.

The night was silent as death, with a bright moon hanging in the sky. The chill of the night air was biting, and the surroundings were completely devoid of sound, accompanied only by the streetlamps. The pale yellow glow filled the streets, making one feel somewhat relaxed and refreshed, yet equally desolate and alone.

Fang You walked along the tranquil road, his mind a tempest of swirling emotions, still dwelling upon Abe Seimei.

His feelings toward Abe Seimei could be described as both enemy and friend.

On one hand, he harbored deep vigilance regarding Abe Seimei's actions; on the other, he felt a kindred-spirit resonance.

*Since the world does not understand me, I shall walk the Great Dao within my heart, asking only for a clear and untroubled conscience!*

Fang You then thought of his fatal destiny as the bearer of the Heavenly Annihilation curse—destined to walk through life utterly alone, bringing death to his parents.

He thought of Zhang Shengnan, whose birth was fraught with numerous trials and tribulations. Perhaps if he and Shengnan were to stay together, they could truly complement one another. He could resolve calamities and hardships for her, and perhaps she could safely live by his side. With his abilities, he might genuinely be able to defy the heavens, change fate, and break free from the solitary destiny of the Heavenly Annihilation curse.

On the cross-marked zebra crossing of a Tokyo street, a sudden shout rang out from the distance: "Run! Run for your lives, a monster!"

In the distance, a Japanese teenager was dragging a young girl by the hand, running wildly down the street.

Seeing this, Fang You asked with a puzzled frown, "What are those two poor souls running from ahead?"

"It's... it's the legendary Hachishaku-sama! If we don't run, we're dead!"

***

"Hachishaku-sama?" Fang You recalled records in the Qimen Dunjia. The so-called Hachishaku-sama stood a full eight feet tall and usually appeared as a woman. Her strength was immense, and her appearance was often heralded by a strange *po-po-po* sound.

Once, a man working in the countryside looked up and happened to encounter a woman standing eight feet tall as she passed his fields.

Curious, the man looked up and inadvertently locked eyes with her.

Overwhelming terror caused the man to drop his farming tools and flee back home.

However, ever after that, the sound of *po-po-po* would constantly follow him.

When sleeping at night, there would occasionally be knocking at the door, yet when the man opened it, nothing was there.

Just as the man was perplexed, he accidentally looked up to find a huge face staring straight at him. It was none other than the eight-foot-tall woman he had encountered during the day.

The man tried to slam the door shut, but it was already too late. The woman reached out with a massive hand, grabbed him, and dragged him out of the house. Beneath the bright moonlight, she tore him directly in two, and then vanished into the moonlight with an eerie, chilling laugh.

Hachishaku-sama was a yōkai in Tokyo that specifically preyed upon men. Once encountered, one must never make eye contact with her, otherwise one would inevitably be targeted by Hachishaku-sama until tragically tormented to death.

Thinking of this, Fang You pinched two paper talismans between his fingers and shouted to the boy and girl in front of him, "Run this way! I am an Onmyōji, I can save you!"

"Are you an Onmyōji-sama? That is simply wonderful!" the boy and girl cried out as they ran toward Fang You.

Gradually, right behind them, the distinct sound of *po-po-po* could indeed be heard echoing.

Then, around the corner, a massive figure emerged. Looking closely, it was a female wearing a white dress and a huge wide-brimmed hat.

Just as the legends said, this female stood as tall as a two-story building. Disregarding her colossal proportions, she looked like an ordinary, pure young maiden, but her towering stature made the woman before them terrifying beyond measure.

"Onmyōji-sama, please save us!" the girl cried, trailing behind the boy.

At this moment, Fang You could vaguely perceive that this yōkai called Hachishaku-sama was exuding a shroud of black resentment.

It seemed this Hachishaku-sama belonged to the category of fiends formed by the agglomeration of deep resentment.

There was no time to lose; Fang You formed a fire curse seal with his hand and struck instantly!

Two tongues of fire shot straight forward!

***

Yet the very next second, the yōkai Hachishaku-sama vanished into thin air!

Fang You was left momentarily stunned.

However, the boy behind him spoke as if he were entirely accustomed to it, saying, "She's vanished again!"

Fang You turned around and asked, "How on earth did you two provoke this yōkai?"

The boy said between pants, "My name is Kouta, and this is my younger sister, Yuuka."

"I have some understanding of yōkai like Hachishaku-sama, though I am not entirely clear on the methods to deal with her," Fang You said calmly. "Judging by what I've seen, she appears to be a construct of concentrated resentment."

"I encountered this thing in the countryside. At the time, I went to stay at my grandparents' house during summer vacation. One day while I was playing in the courtyard, a gust of wind blew a hat out of nowhere and dropped it into the yard.

"I picked up the hat. It was truly an enormous hat; it was unimaginable that any woman could wear something so large.

"Right at that moment, a voice came from afar—a gentle voice, whispering softly, *'Can you return my hat to me?'*

"I smiled and turned my head, thinking there must be a gentle young lady waiting for me.

"Instead, what I saw was a woman resembling a monster. Her entire body was as colossal as a Shura demon, and her huge eyes sent tremors straight through my heart.

"I froze in place, too terrified to move. Yet that towering female directly extended a long right arm, snatched the hat from my hands, and gave a faint smile.

" *'We will meet again, you know,'* the eight-foot-tall female said just like that.

"When I finally snapped out of it, I rushed to find my grandfather. He was panic-stricken, telling me that I had encountered the legendary Hachishaku-sama. If I remained there, I would inevitably be killed by Hachishaku-sama within three days!

"Grandfather found a spellcaster to pray and offer blessings for me. But afterward, the spellcaster told my grandfather that he could not resolve Hachishaku-sama's curse and that the child must be sent away to the city and never return to the countryside.

"Thus, they rushed me back to the city where I studied under the cover of night, and I enjoyed a period of peace. However, gradually, one day, Hachishaku-sama appeared once more—right before my eyes!"