They landed steadily.
The sensation of weightlessness was fleeting. Ren Suo felt as if he had blinked and been transported from the Dong Chengling family ho to the outside. If nothing else, Dong Chengling's "driving" skills had improved significantly; Ren Suo, the passenger, felt obliged to give a five-star rating.
Unlike the dim, cheap, light blue sky of the Mysterious Country, the place before Ren Suo was brightly lit. The beautiful sunshine covered the earth like a gossar veil, making one feel lazy in the slightly chilly winter air.
Although it was already November, and the mid-latitude regions of the northern hemisphere had gradually shifted to shorter days and longer nights, Flourishing Sakura Tokyo's ti zone was one hour ahead of Sky Capital. In the Mysterious Country, it was around seven in the morning, while in Tokyo, it was already eight.
"Shush."
Qiao Muyi pressed Ren Suo's shoulder and leaned out to look. Ren Suo followed, peeking over her shoulder to observe the differences from the ga world.
With a brief recollection, he matched this place to the ga's scenery—he hadn't guessed wrong; it was indeed a shrine.
Not far off stood a vermilion torii gate, possibly with the character for "open" on it. Stone lanterns stood guard around the periter. A pristine and grand hall sat to one side, its stone floors and pebbled pathways exceptionally neat and free of debris. The vermilion railings surrounding the grand hall sparkled under the sunlight, evidence of regular cleaning.
However, a quick glance by Ren Suo revealed no shrine maidens or Shinto priests. Perhaps they hadn't started work yet, or maybe they wouldn't be working at all. After all, it was a small shrine hidden in a residential area of a large city, where clergy likely only appeared during festivals and other special occasions.
The shrine was not deserted; three elderly n in casual clothes were strolling around and were also about to leave.
Today was November 20th, a Tuesday in Flourishing Sakura. No one delved deeply into its true aning, but in modern tis, it probably implied that "one should work energetically." Eight in the morning was already commuting ti for many Flourishing Sakura salaryn. Those able to stroll leisurely at this hour in casual clothes were mostly either wealthy retired Tokyoites with substantial pensions or tourists from other areas, so there was no need to be cautious.
As Ren Suo was thinking, a sweep of black crossed his view; soft hair brushed his nose, tickling him and making him instinctively step back two paces.
Qiao Muyi turned her head to look at him, gathered her hair, and said irritably, "The mont we're in a foreign land, you start trying to take advantage of ? I didn't say anything just now, and Little Suo, you just kept sticking close to ."
Ren Suo smiled sheepishly. He had been too focused on the scenery and hadn't realized he was so close to Qiao Muyi. Suddenly recalling sothing, he asked, "Why are you calling Little Suo again? Weren't you calling Ren Suo just fine a mont ago?"
Qiao Muyi stuck out her tongue playfully, made a cute face, and huffed, "I like calling you Little Suo, got a problem? You can call Sister Qiao too; I don't mind being called a bit younger."
Ren Suo felt a bit down. "Calling you Sister Qiao... I think I'd feel sick."
"...Oh." Qiao Muyi's smile faded slightly. She glanced at Ren Suo and then turned her head away.
Ren Suo had a bad feeling; he heard from his Listening Headphones that Qiao Muyi's Desire Resonance was unhappy.
Although this wasn't the ga anymore, the main mission still existed: find clues and purify Filth and Resentnt. He didn't want to disrupt the planned ga plot with a "careless mistake," especially since the current ga's plot was already like walking on thin ice. Any further mishap, even with the Mini-World Ga Console's powerful Destiny correction ability, could lead to other unforeseen events.
Other gas didn't matter; even if accidents happened, it wasn't his concern. But not this ti—Ren Suo had to fully control the real-life plot to have any chance of seizing a sliver of hope.
"I an, the wise and brave, beautiful and powerful Miss Qiao Muyi, how could I call you sister?" Now that no one else was around, Ren Suo decided to go for broke. He leaned in and said, "It makes us sound like we're really close."
"So, we're not close then?" Qiao Muyi glanced at him.
Ren Suo hesitated for a mont. This wasn't in the strategy guide. "Seventy percent close?"
"How close is seventy percent? Close enough for to call you Little Suo?" Qiao Muyi asked, smiling.
Ren Suo hesitated, but Qiao Muyi didn't tease him further. Adopting a serious expression, she said, "Alright, alright, I won't call you Little Suo anymore."
Before Ren Suo could smile, Qiao Muyi continued, "But I won't call you Ren Suo either. Otherwise, if people from the Martial Soul Hall notice us chatting, even you might get discovered."
"I call you Little Suo because I don't want to get you into trouble!" Qiao Muyi said earnestly.
Ren Suo raised an eyebrow; he wasn't stupid. "Then why did you call that before?"
"Because it was fun! It sounded like you were my little underling." Qiao Muyi blinked. "Oh, right, and most importantly, I think a nickna like that helps bring friends closer, you know."
The most important reason was definitely just because it was fun! The part about bringing friends closer was probably just sothing she ca up with on the spot!
Ren Suo didn't dwell on it further, instead pondering seriously, "But you have a point. I can't call you Qiao Muyi either. There are definitely many Flourishing Sakura People who understand the language of the Mysterious Country. It would be really stupid if our nas gave us away."
"So, what aliases should we use?" Ren Suo looked at himself and Qiao Muyi. "We can't exactly co up with proper fake nas right now. How about we pretend to be older sister and younger brother, or older brother and younger sister?"
"Why not sisters?"
Qiao Muyi retorted, then said quite seriously, "If you wore won's clothing, it would be foolproof. No one would ever connect a Flourishing Sakura crossdressing pervert with Ren Suo from Heavenly Lotus Academy."
"You make a good point, but I refuse," Ren Suo stated.
"I don't like pretending to be siblings either," Qiao Muyi also refused.
"Why not?"
"No reason."
Ren Suo gazed intently into Qiao Muyi's eyes, causing her to turn her head away and huff, "What are you looking at? Haven't you seen a great beauty before?"
From the Listening Headphones, Ren Suo could only tell that Qiao Muyi genuinely didn't want to pretend to be siblings. As for why, he couldn't discern anything more. However, it wasn't a major issue, so he went with the flow and continued, "Then how about we pretend to be mother and son?"
Qiao Muyi narrowed her eyes, giving him an icy look. Ren Suo imdiately knew she disliked that suggestion, so he quickly changed it. "Then how about husband and wife?"
Qiao Muyi remained silent, still looking at him with narrowed eyes.
Her stare made Ren Suo feel uneasy. Since Qiao Muyi wasn't speaking, he naturally couldn't hear her Desire Resonance and didn't know if she liked this suggestion. He thought long and hard and finally said, "Forget it. Let's not pretend to have any kind of improper relationship. I'll just call you by your given na, Muyi?"
Hearing Ren Suo abandon the previous options, Qiao Muyi sighed in relief but also felt a pang of disappointnt. I'm not saying anything, so why don't you just hurry up and confirm it? Do you really expect to say cheerfully, 'Sure, sure, son, I'll be your mother!' or 'Sure, sure, husband, I'll be your wife!'?
"How is that different from Qiao Muyi?" Qiao Muyi said grumpily. "Muyi isn't Ma Yi; it's too distinctive. My na is only three characters long. If you call out two of them, anyone paying attention will likely figure it out, and I'll basically be exposed."
Ren Suo spread his hands. "Then should I call you Muzi? I heard won in Flourishing Sakura like to add 'zi' to their nas?"
"That's an old-fashioned practice. People nad girls like that forty or fifty years ago, just like how girls in our country were nad 'Cui Hua' or 'Xiao Hong'." Qiao Muyi disagreed. "Besides, my surna isn't Li, so why call Muzi?"
Ren Suo was exasperated; even choosing a fake na was this troubleso. Just then, however, Qiao Muyi repeated the na 'Muzi' a few tis. Suddenly, her eyes lit up, and she said, "I don't like Muzi, but Young Master Mu sounds good. I like that title, and it definitely won't be linked to my real na. If you call Young Master, I'll respond imdiately."
Young Master Mu... or Young Master Mu (admired)?
Before Ren Suo could voice any objections to this title, Qiao Muyi looked at him and said, "Now, I can't call you Ren Suo, and you don't like calling you Little Suo, so I'll just call you Xiao Suo."
Xiao Suo... Xiao Suo (little lock)?
Ren Suo wanted to say sothing, but seeing how pleased Qiao Muyi was with these nas, he ultimately kept his mouth shut.
He was thoroughly resigned to the Mini-World Ga Console's arrangents and peculiar sense of humor. At this point, as long as the Mini-World Ga Console didn't make him go to Thailand for gender reassignnt and beco a real Maid nad Xiao Suo, Ren Suo would be eternally grateful to it.
Besides, Xiao Suo was better than Little Suo. In the dialect of the Lianjiang District, 'Little Suo' was equivalent to 'idiot.' Compared to that, being called Xiao Suo wasn't unacceptable.
"By the way, can you speak Japanese?" Qiao Muyi suddenly asked.
Ren Suo shook his head. "I've never learned it."
Qiao Muyi said, "Aren't you quite close with Zhao Huo? I rember Zhao Huo has Japanese N1 proficiency—the highest level in the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. I thought since you hang out with him so much, you would've picked up sothing..."
Ren Suo continued to shake his head. "Zhao Huo is already in his twenties, still watches ani, collects figurines, follows new Magical Girl series, and is even romantically entangled with three won. His life is quite full. Aside from mooching food and drinks off him, I rarely hang out with him."
Qiao Muyi glanced at Ren Suo. Considering your own otaku tendencies and romantic entanglents, do you really have the right to look down on Zhao Huo?
"In that case, I'll have to teach you Japanese," Qiao Muyi sighed. "Because Japan has experienced frequent disaster events this month, many dostic travel agencies have urgently suspended all Flourishing Sakura tour groups. Now, there are very few travelers from the Mysterious Country in Tokyo. Most of the Mysterious Country people who have stayed are students studying in Flourishing Sakura or those employed there."
"Our skin color and appearance are quite similar to the locals. Even if soone thinks we look like people from the Mysterious Country, it won't draw much attention—there are plenty of students from the Mysterious Country here. However, soone from the Mysterious Country who can't speak Japanese might not be able to blend in."
"Later, when we're moving around, you don't need to speak. Just follow behind and don't reveal your identity as soone from the Mysterious Country."
Ren Suo only knew that disaster events were happening worldwide, but he didn't know that the situation in Flourishing Sakura was severe enough to impact its tourism industry.
No wonder those people from the Tactical Bureau, Watchers, and Martial Soul Hall wanted to skin Qiao Muyi alive. Even Flourishing Sakura, a major tourist destination, had suffered significant losses due to these disaster events. It was likely that all countries had been overwheld by such incidents during this period.
Qiao Muyi looked at Ren Suo again and said, "Although we've fled from the Mysterious Country to Tokyo, according to you, this is a joint manhunt by all major Supernatural Forces, including the Tactical Bureau Watchers, the Martial Soul Hall, and the Wizard Council. They'll probably mobilize their dostic forces soon to try and find ."
"But unlike , they aren't looking for you, Xiao Suo. Besides, if a Cultivator from the Mysterious Country like you suddenly appears in Tokyo and gets noticed, it would be hard to explain when you return ho. It's better to maintain a low profile and pretend you don't know well."
"If sothing really were to happen to , you, hidden in the shadows, might still be able to find a way to save —though I will never allow myself to reach such a state."
Ren Suo nodded, pulled the hood of his jacket up to cover his hair and bangs, then took out a white mask and put it on. He adjusted the Listening Headphones hanging around his neck and asked, "Is this okay?"
Qiao Muyi was slightly taken aback. The person in front of her seed to blur, becoming utterly plain and inconspicuous, making it difficult to even tell if they were male or female.
Ren Suo... you... Do you really have a talent for cross-dressing...?
Qiao Muyi increasingly felt that having Ren Suo disguise himself as a woman was a good idea. However, since Ren Suo was unwilling, she couldn't force him. She rely made a ntal note of this hidden trait of his and said, "Take out your phone."
Ren Suo obediently handed over his phone. Qiao Muyi sohow managed to pry open the SIM card slot with her fingernail and removed the SIM card.
Back at the Dong Chengling Family ho, after removing her own SIM card, she had even thrown her phone out the window. As the Deputy Director of the Tactical Bureau, she knew that when the Bureau aid to capture criminals, they would directly use satellites to lock onto the target's phone location. Her own phone was already unusable.
Using Ren Suo's phone now was a bit risky, but it was mostly safe after removing the SIM card. Then, Qiao Muyi led Ren Suo away from the shrine. Ren Suo glanced at the wall densely covered with ema prayer plaques as he followed Qiao Muyi down the long, sloping stairway lined with vermilion railings.
As they were leaving, he saw soone standing on the stairway taking photos. A nearby sign inford Ren Suo that the shrine they had just been in was called Suga Shrine, located in the Shinjuku District of Tokyo.
After walking for a few minutes, they left the residential area and found a convenience store. Inside the store, there was an ATM. Qiao Muyi walked over, took out her wallet, inserted a card, and withdrew money.
Because travelers from the Mysterious Country contributed significantly to the GDP of Flourishing Sakura's tourism industry, all ATMs in Flourishing Sakura convenience stores accepted UnionPay cards for withdrawing yen. They even supported Alipay and WeChat paynts—truly, "money makes the world go round."
Ren Suo was startled for a mont and hurriedly walked over. "Won't you be discovered withdrawing money here?"
"No, this card has nothing to do with . It's a savings card my neighbor opened in her son's na. The money in it is just New Year's Money his mother—my neighbor—deposited, so it's very clean and untraceable to ." Qiao Muyi said this while looking at the ATM. She didn't switch to the Xuan Wen interface, directly using the Japanese one.
Ren Suo blinked. "Then why do you have this card? And how do you know the PIN?"
Qiao Muyi glanced at him. "Because... my neighbor's son likes ."
"Huh?"
"He likes , so he gave his most precious New Year's Money savings card, saying it was a betrothal gift." Qiao Muyi glanced proudly at Ren Suo, as if to say, 'See, I have admirers too,' and 'You should learn a thing or two.'
"I just kept it for fun initially. I told him the money in the card wasn't enough and advised him to study hard, earn more New Year's Money, and save it up. I didn't expect to actually use it here."
Ren Suo asked, "How... old is he?"
"About ten? Anyway, he's a really cute little fatty. I love pinching his cheeks."
Laughter tinged Qiao Muyi's voice. "I had planned that if he was silly enough to wait until he received his New Year's pocket money before asking for the savings card back to deposit more, I would have doubled the money in it. Then, I would have told his mother—my neighbor—that she had a foolish son. I'd have her give Little Fatty a good scolding to stop him from casually handing over his bank card to anyone."
Ren Suo silently mourned for that Little Fatty in his heart, while also singing praises for his courage.
Is a smartphone not fun? Is a ga console not fun? Is a computer not fun? Of all people to like, why did you have to fall for Qiao Muyi...?
Even though Little Fatty would end up receiving double the New Year's Money, he would still get a good thrashing from his mom with a cane.
Indeed, liking Qiao Muyi would inevitably lead to being miserably taken advantage of by her.
"However, if I can make it back safely this ti, I'll imdiately multiply the original amount in the card tenfold and return it to him."
Ren Suo nodded. "That's definitely the right thing to do. After all, this card saved us in a critical mont."
His bank card and Dong Chengling's were unusable. They had no yen in cash, and in Flourishing Sakura Tokyo, they were practically helpless. Now that they had so starting capital, it ant they could still struggle to survive in the steel jungle of Tokyo through normal ans.
"That's not the reason at all."
Qiao Muyi took the yen dispensed by the ATM, retrieved the bank card, and smiled faintly. "I'm returning the bank card because I'm calling off the 'engagent'."
Ren Suo retorted, "And then you'll tell Little Fatty you don't like weaklings and brutally humiliate him. Will he then vow to train hard and study diligently, only to return in ten years shouting 'Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river,' right?"
Although Ren Suo was joking, he felt that Qiao Muyi was genuinely capable of doing sothing like that—even when she was being kind to others, she often chose very strange thods.
"It's not that complicated."
Qiao Muyi tilted her head, glanced at Ren Suo, and with a slight smile, said, "It's simply because I can't be his bride anymore."
"True, the age gap is too wide. That's like an old cow eating young grass—no, more like a young cow eating old grass..."
Exiting the convenience store, Ren Suo rubbed his waist, which was aching from being pinched, making him look as if his kidneys were severely depleted.
anwhile, Qiao Muyi was installing a Dharma Card in Ren Suo's phone. This would enable his phone to access 4G internet through the docomo network, supposedly with unlimited data for the next seven days, according to the advertisent.
Qiao Muyi opened the map on her phone, leaned against the wall, and dug through her mories, quickly marking 33 investigation points on the map.
These 33 places were locations recorded by the Tactical Bureau where disaster events had occurred this month. If she wanted to find clues by investigating these disasters, these 33 spots were the best starting points.
However, rembering these 33 locations was already her limit. She couldn't quite recall what had happened at each specific place, nor could she decide where to begin her investigation.
Just then, a finger reached over from the side, nudged the map, and tapped a marker at the farthest point to the Northeast.
"Let's investigate here first."
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