novelraw Chapter 210-1: Failed Shrine Maiden, Ancient Heavenly Enma (1)
Chapter 210-1: Failed Shrine Maiden, Ancient Heavenly Enma (1)
[You try to rouse the courtesan, but all you get in return is even louder snoring.]
[Staring at the lamp’s orange glow on the table, you can’t help thinking of that surging pitch-black flame, and a surge of malice stirs in your heart.]
[Do you want to kill her?]
Lin Xun pressed ‘No.’
Not every shell could restore memories. Even if the courtesan’s shell had any, the chance they would point directly to the No-Illusions Shrine was so low it was negligible.
[You shake off the thought, leave the private room, and head downstairs.]
[The first floor is even livelier than when you arrived. Dozens of noble guests are seated, watching a woman dancing on the raised platform, her face covered by a thin veil.]
[The woman wears a snow-white short-sleeved kimono on top and bright red hakama below. In her hand is a cypress fan. Her graceful dance is mesmerizing and breathtakingly beautiful.]
[The collar of her robe is cut rather low, and she wears no undergarment beneath. When she moves, her rounded charms occasionally peek into view, prompting applause and cheers from the guests below.]
[At some point, the gatekeeper appeared at your side, looking at you in puzzlement, as if surprised by how quickly you had finished, clearly, the older instructor was as experienced as her reputation suggested.][The gatekeeper bowed low, waiting for you to pay the 10,000 Spirit Essence fee.]
[You flew into a rage and slapped him so hard he spun around three times.]
[Pointing toward the second-floor room, you gestured for the gatekeeper to get up there and check.]
[Clutching his face, he scampered upstairs…]
[Not long after, he rushed back down and fell to his knees, bowing repeatedly to apologize. The instructor had gotten drunk and failed to serve you properly. This was the Pleasure Quarter’s fault. He would select a beautiful courtesan for you free of charge as an apology.]
[Do you wish to accept the gatekeeper’s compensation?]
[You shook your head and pointed to the woman dancing gracefully on the stage.]
[The gatekeeper looked troubled and explained that although she was a shrine maiden rejected by a small mountain shrine and no longer held any priestly office, she was still no ordinary courtesan, and she only performed, not offered her body.]
[You again flew into a rage, delivering another slap that sent him spinning.]
[Holding his face, he swallowed two broken teeth and tearfully held up his fingers, indicating the shrine maiden’s fee was 200,000 Spirit Essence.]
[Do you agree to the gatekeeper’s price?]
“So expensive… Looks like I’ll have to freeload.”
Lin Xun hadn’t wanted to do it, but with no money in his pouch, he had no other choice.
[Seeing you nod in agreement, the gatekeeper scurried up onto the stage. Before long, he led the beautiful young shrine maiden over to you.]
[Blushing, the maiden took your hand and led you to the top floor of the pavilion, into a luxurious chamber.]
[She removed her thin veil, revealing her delicate features, and asked whether the samurai lord wished first to admire her dance, or to proceed straight to battle.]
[You shook your head, picked up the sake on the table, and began pouring it into her mouth…]
[Before long, you had her drinking until her eyes were misty and her cheeks flushed pink.]
[Seizing the opportunity, you questioned her about her background, slipping in inquiries about the No-Illusions Shrine.]
[Overcome by the sake, the maiden suspected nothing and revealed everything she knew.]
[She was born to a poor household. Her only asset was her beauty. One day, she heard a small shrine outside the city was recruiting shrine maidens and applied.]
[Even though it was a little-known shrine with few worshippers, the requirements for selection were extremely strict.]
[First, the candidate’s background had to be noble. Even if a commoner possessed celestial beauty, she would never be chosen.]
[Second, the shrine maiden had to be a virgin. Anyone who had already participated in ‘Yoruza’ (the custom of sleeping with clients) would never be accepted.]
[She had failed both requirements and, unsurprisingly, did not become a shrine maiden. But as her family was on the brink of starvation, she had no choice but to come to the Pleasure Quarter to perform, borrowing the title of shrine maiden to raise her price.]
[As for the No-Illusions Shrine, she had only heard another applicant mention it. It was a prosperous shrine, already large enough to be called a great shrine, only one step below a grand temple.]
[She did not know the shrine’s exact location, only that it was not in this city…]
[Having finished her tale, the maiden began to undress and timidly serve you…]
[…]
[Long after, you fastened your belt with a satisfied expression, feeling deeply content.]
Lin Xun frowned.
“The No-Illusions Shrine isn’t in this city… Looks like this hidden quest really will be difficult. Just finding the shrine will take a lot of work.”
[After the lovemaking ended, you suddenly noticed the maiden’s hands behind her back making some kind of motion. A faint thread of dark, nearly imperceptible black mist seeped from your body into the floor.]
[A sense of dread seized you. You roughly shoved the maiden away. As she stared up at you in terror, you drew the short wakizashi and thrust it straight into her chest.]
[You have defeated the Fire-Worshipping Failed Shrine Maiden. Your experience has increased slightly.]
[You have obtained Kagura Cypress Fan (Junk).]
[You looked down at the dead maiden’s body…]
[Fire-Worshipping Failed Shrine Maiden shell: A shrine maiden rejected by her shrine. Strictly speaking, she was not truly a shrine maiden at all, but a courtesan using the title to inflate her worth. Unfortunately, she perished in bloom due to a certain crude samurai’s merciless betrayal. Cause of death: a fatal stab through the chest. Compatibility: 117% (+55%).]
[Do you wish to possess this shell?]
[You have accumulated the third stack of Karmic Fire!]
“Hmm?”
Lin Xun frowned. He didn’t know what that fake shrine maiden had been trying to pull, but it was definitely nothing good.
After killing her in counterattack, he hadn’t expected his Karmic Fire stacks to increase at that moment.
The growth of Karmic Fire stacks was certainly a good thing, he just still hadn’t figured out exactly how they accumulated or how to use them.
Placing the shrine maiden in the Shell Slots did not trigger any memories to surface.
Lin Xun could only open the panel to check.
The shrine maiden’s attributes were absolutely terrible, and she had no skills. She appeared completely ordinary, aside from her outward appearance, she was utterly useless.
Lin Xun knew there had to be some hidden secret in it. He switched to the Chunin shell and began stealthily searching the entire pavilion.
There were many guests in the pavilion, and some of the private rooms even had guards posted outside.
He picked a few unguarded rooms and dispatched several guests but did not obtain any other useful information.
However, after killing one courtesan, he managed to learn some secret information from her memories.
The pavilion had a basement level below the main floors. Normally, no one was allowed near it, and only the proprietor and a few senior attendants could enter.
If any courtesans came close, they would be beaten and punished.
Lin Xun narrowed his eyes. It looked like the clue was in the basement.