33 The Mental State Of A Master

Baishi Shū was unable to speak a word when he saw the things on the old abbot's phone. 

He had no idea why he had become a hot topic on the internet again. After all, he did not think going around Tokyo on his bike and eliminating eight evil spirits in one night was something commendable. In fact, he was confident that if any eminent or elder monk were given the same opportunity, they would be able to do much more than him.

"Anyway, it is nothing to write home about," Baishi Shū said before returning the phone to the old abbot. 

After that, he closed his eyes and turned his focus toward enhancing the cells in his body. He had completed 70% of the body cultivation method and succeeded in enhancing more than 150 types of cells. He needed another two days and then he could finish off the remaining 30%. At that time, he would have the strongest appendix. 

...

Tokyo, Shibuya, a parking lot. 

The area was cordoned off, with a small group of uniformed men and police cars crowding around a sedan in the corner. A scene like this was obviously very eye-catching in a bustling town. All the passersby were jostling each other and asking questions, but due to the parking lots in Japan having a unique design, they could not see anything. 

Anyone who got near the vehicle had a pale complexion. A pair of middle-aged couples slowly walked up to the car with their hearts thumping in their mouths. When they got near, they suddenly jerked around and began throwing up on the ground. They could not be blamed, however, as the scene was very gruesome. 

There was blood all over the car. From the roof liner to the passenger seats to the windscreen, it was everywhere, swathes of brownish blood greeting them as far as their eyes could reach. The police watched the couple sympathetically, their stomachs flip-flopping like fish on land. 

"Inspector Aoki… this, this…" 

The couple took the napkin handed to them by an officer and wiped their mouths. For a few minutes, they kept their heads low. By the time they raised their heads, their eyes were red-rimmed and their whole frames were quivering, no words able to form on their tongues. 

"Mr. Ikeda, I suppose your son is in there," Inspector Aoki said hesitantly. When he first arrived at the scene, he was shocked as well. He wasn't sure how the coroner was going to confirm the identity of the corpse, given its condition. Fortunately, the coroner was able to extract a small piece of DNA from the pile of meat pulp and successfully identified the deceased. 

"There are two victims. One is your son, Ikeda Shinn, and the other is his girlfriend, Sagawa Masami. Miss Masami's parents are already here and are now in the police station giving their statement. The estimated time of death for the two of them, according to the report, is 2:00 a.m. last night. We have run through all the surveillance cameras, and we found out that your son and Miss Sagawa Masami did not leave the parking lot after they came out of a pub and parted ways with their friends. Their bodies were discovered this morning when a cleaner was cleaning the parking lot. He looked through the window and it was then that he sensed something was amiss…" Inspector Aoki said. 

The couple choked on their sobs. Mr. Ikeda could barely stand up straight, while Mrs. Ikeda was on the verge of passing out. 

"Inspector Aoki… Please be honest with me… It is not a human being that killed my son, am I correct?" Mr. Ikeda asked in a strangled voice, his red-rimmed eyes fixed on the inspector. 

After all, no matter how sadistic or cold-blooded the murderer was, there was no way he or she could have mutilated their bodies to this extent. It was very apparent that they must have run into some kind of monster. 

"Yes," Inspector Aoki nodded. 

"The police department has flagged this case as a paranormal event and handed it over to Meiji Shrine for further investigation. Rest assured Mr. and Mrs. Ikeda, all the shrine priests at Meiji Shrine are very experienced in dealing with exactly this kind of situation. I am sure they will be able to bring the perpetrator to justice." 

"Thank you, thank you…" Mr. Ikeda said as he gave a deep bow. 

The Meiji Shrine was the largest and most famous shrine in Tokyo. It was located in Shibuya, and the shrine priests often cooperated with the Shibuya police department in investigating a paranormal event. 

Mr. and Mrs. Ikeda were very confident in the capabilities of the Meiji Shrine but that did not change the fact that their son was dead. 

Guided by the police, Mr. and Mrs. Ikeda went to the police station to make their statement. While they were on their way there, Mr. Ikeda's back became slightly hunched. No one knew whether he did it on purpose or it was done unconsciously, but he looked as if he had aged decades in one night. 

Ikeda Shinn was his only son, his hope and pride. He had raised him with great care since he was young to become the next head of the Ikeda family. He had never expected that his son would meet his end at the hand of a monster. 

As Mr. Ikeda held onto his wife with one hand, he balled his other hand tightly, his fingers turning white. 

Without a doubt, Mr. Ikeda had full faith in Meiji Shrine. However, he was deeply suspicious about what kind of shrine priest they would dispatch.

He was the president of Kondo Private Junior High School, so he knew about the paranormal incident that had occurred at the girls dormitory three years ago. At the time, the school board decided to invite an eminent monk from Asakusa Kannon Temple, one of the most famous temples in Tokyo. The monk came and he successfully apprehended the evil spirit in the end.

However, three years later, the evil spirit returned. According to Headmaster Takai, the pen fairy had not entirely been eliminated. It had just gone into hiding after the monk chased it away.

Mr. Ikeda worried that the shrine priest from the Meiji Shrine would do the same thing. He was just an ordinary person, there was no way he could tell if the shrine priest really had done his job or not.

At the same time, if the monster did not get the punishment it deserved, his son would not be able to die in peace. 

"Takai… Baishi…" Mr. Ikeda pulled out his phone and called Headmaster Takai. 

"Hello, Takai? Sorry to bother you, but can I get Master Baishi's contact number? If it is possible, I would like to personally pay him a visit. My son has passed away recently. He was killed by a monster... What, you are with him right now? That's great! Can you do me a favor and inform him? I would like to hire him to help me exorcise the evil spirit that killed my son. I will pay him 50 million yen for his service, but I have one condition. I want to be around Master Baishi and see for myself that the evil spirit has been destroyed."

...

Shibuya, Yoyogi Forest, inside Reimei Temple, which was still very small but looked slightly better after some renovation. The Takai Family was paying homage to the Buddha statue. 

As promised, after Marie Takai's sister was in better shape, Headmaster Takai brought his family and paid a formal visit to Reimei Temple on the weekend. However, neither the Takai family nor Baishi Shū had anticipated Mr. Ikeda's call. 

Headmaster Takai returned to the temple after he hung up the phone. He greeted Baishi Shū with reverence and said, "Master Baishi, I have something that I need to discuss with you." 

Truth to be told, Baishi Shū felt a little awkward when Headmaster Takai addressed him as "Master Baishi". It wasn't because of Headmaster Takai's respectful attitude, it was just that he felt he was still not good enough to be called a master in his current state. 

"What's wrong, Headmaster Takai?" Baishi Shū asked. 

"That was my superior, Mr. Ikeda. He is the president of Kondo Junior High School and he wishes to pay you a visit later," Headmaster Takai replied. 

"Something terrible has happened to his family, as his son was killed by an evil spirit. He hopes that you could help him eliminate the evil spirit. He is willing to pay 50 million yen for your services. However, he has one condition. He wishes to stay by your side and see the evil spirit get exorcised in front of him, with his own eyes."

"No problem at all," Baishi Shū nodded slightly with a calm face, earning himself a respectful gaze from Headmaster Takai. 

He was greatly astonished at Baishi Shu's composed attitude towards the massive amount of remuneration. He was still so young and not only did he possess great spiritual power, but he also had an aloof attitude. 

'Master Baishi absolutely deserves the title of a master!' Headmaster Takai thought inwardly. 

On the other hand, Baishi Shū felt he could not control himself anymore. He asked, "When will Mr. Ikeda come? I will go and get ready."