The Exorcism Club's headquarters was set up in Osaka City, not far from Kobe City. After all, the region was limited in size, and the distance between cities was quite short. Therefore, it was only after understanding this that Yang Jian realized why President Mishima was so eager to resolve the Ghost Door Knocker incident.
Because the next area of activity for that malevolent spirit could well be Osaka City.
Once it arrived, the situation in Japan would completely spiral out of control.
After all, relocating the headquarters was not sothing that could be done easily in a few days or months, just as Yang Jian had experienced with the Ghost Painting incident before. Cao Yanhua had been focused on resolving the Ghost Painting issue, not moving the headquarters.
The location of the banquet had been arranged in an old mansion with a historical vibe.
This place still retained the architectural style of pavilions and towers. The courtyard had babbling streams and an antique charm. In the modern city, such a place was extrely rare. And the person who owned such a residence must have been very high in status.
Yang Jian got out of the car and followed Wang Xin into the old mansion.
Yet as soon as he entered, he frowned slightly and looked in a certain direction of the mansion that made him feel sowhat uneasy.
It was as if his Ghost Eye was giving him so kind of warning.
"Mister Yang, please co this way," Wang Xin said politely. His face was all smiles, seeming genuinely happy without any trace of insincerity.
"What is this place?" Yang Jian asked.
Wang Xin replied, "This is an area specially designated for VIPs. Only soone of your stature, Mister Yang, is qualified to enter. It is also open to visitors from outside on specific holidays."
"I feel disquieted," Yang Jian said bluntly.
Wang Xin's face showed a subtle change as he imdiately replied, "It might just be other mbers of the Exorcism Club. Please do not take offense, Mister Yang; this place is absolutely safe. I can guarantee it with my life."
He was secretly shocked.
Yang Jian had perceived the anomaly just upon entering. It was no surprise he had resolved the Door Knocking Ghost incident so quickly with such a sharp intuition.
"Let's hope so. When does the banquet start?" Yang Jian asked.
"In half an hour. Before that, soone will guide Mister Yang to bathe," said Wang Xin.
"No need. I took a hot spring bath earlier; I'm not dirty," Yang Jian replied.
He certainly didn't want to bathe on soone else's turf, especially as it could be a ploy to inspect his physical condition. Moreover, he now had a slowly decaying wound on his arm, a side effect of using the Firewood Knife, so he needed to be even more cautious.
"In that case, I'll have Keiko continue to take care of you," said Wang Xin.
At that mont, a petite and cute young woman with an eye-catching figure, dressed in a traditional kimono, walked over with a smile.
She was Keiko, the girl Yang Jian had previously left at the Hot Spring Hotel outside Kobe City.
The Exorcism Club operated very cautiously, clearly having brought her back ahead of ti.
"Mister Yang, we et again," Keiko approached, her eyes squinted in a smile, radiating warmth and happiness.
She had thought she would not see Yang Jian again so soon and was surprised that the occasion arose so quickly.
Yang Jian glanced at her and frowned slightly, "It seems so things are out of your control, too. Was this also an order from the Exorcism Club?"
"No, this was Keiko's own idea. I just wanted to thank Mister Yang in person. If it weren't for you, I would have been in trouble this ti. Mister Yang may seem indifferent on the outside, but you're actually a very gentle person. I'm really very, very lucky to have t you," Keiko said with a smile, seriously.
"A person who knows gratitude is indeed hard to dislike," Yang Jian said with a steady gaze, "You're much better than so of the others I've t before."
"Thank you for the complint, Mister Yang. Keiko is very happy," she added with another smile.
At this ti, Yang Jian glanced at the group leader nad Wang Xin beside him, then spoke, "I won't take anyone from your club, after all, I can't be at ease with your people infiltrating my company. But if you need to contact in the future, let her do it. Compared to others, Keiko seems a bit more trustworthy."
"Yes, Mister Yang, I understand," Wang Xin said with a smile, nodding his head imdiately in agreent.
He knew that Yang Jian was taking care of Keiko and at the sa ti, sending a signal of goodwill, hinting at the possibility of future cooperation.
"I am truly grateful for Mister Yang's care," Keiko bowed deeply, visibly moved.
Yang Jian's words were enough to ensure her safety in the future, that she wouldn't be sacrificed arbitrarily, and at the sa ti, her status and treatnt would imdiately soar several levels. For an ordinary person, this was akin to skyrocketing to success, especially since the social hierarchy in Japan is quite severe.
Without the care of an important personage, it's hard for the junior to make a na for themselves.
"It's nothing," Yang Jian waved his hand, indicating he didn't mind in the least, and then strode forward.
At that mont, Wang Xin ca over and said softly, "Keiko, seize this opportunity and don't let the club down. Mister Yang's presence is the only place where you can prove your worth. Don't beco arrogant or complacent, rember that in the PR departnt, you're not the most outstanding mber. The sole reason you were chosen is because you align with Mister Yang's preferences."
This was both a warning and a reminder.
"I understand," Keiko nodded sowhat nervously.
"Glad you understand, now go and take good care of Mister Yang," Wang Xin said quickly before glancing aningfully.
Keiko bowed and then ran after Yang Jian who was ahead.
Wang Xin did not follow. He walked off in another direction because he had his own work to attend to.
"This is the place."
Yang Jian was not familiar with the area, but quickly arrived at a rather secluded backyard where few people ventured, and where he didn't encounter a single soul on the way.
Yet, an unsettling feeling seed to emanate from this very spot.
It was a traditional-style house, square in shape, with sliding doors instead of more secure lockable ones. Hidden surveillance caras were installed nearby, giving the impression that it was not a particularly important location.
But Yang Jian didn't believe that there were no problems here.
"Mister Yang, please wait for Keiko," called Keiko from behind, apparently having caught up.
Yang Jian ignored her and continued walking directly toward the detached house.
He paid no attention to the surrounding caras.
He had no intention of hiding; he was just curious to see for himself what had caught his attention. He knew that this was where he was supposed to attend a banquet, and if he didn't clear things up, he probably wouldn't be able to participate peacefully in the banquet and would definitely have to find an excuse to leave.
"Are you lost, sir?"
Before he could get closer, a voice suddenly rang out from nearby, and a middle-aged man wearing a kimono appeared under the eaves of the house, smiling.
Yang Jian furrowed his brows, unable to understand the words spoken as there was no translator beside him and Nagase hadn't followed.
"This area is currently closed to the public and off-limits to visitors; I hope you can understand," the kimono-clad middle-aged man said in a friendly tone.
Still unable to understand, Yang Jian's gaze lingered on the room behind the man.
"Mister Yang," Keiko ran up hurriedly and found him.
"Perfect timing, see that person in front? Tell him to repeat what he just said and then translate it for ," Yang Jian said directly.
To his surprise, Keiko looked aghast, "Person? Mister Yang, there's only Keiko here, no one else."
Hmm?
No one?
Yang Jian first glanced at Keiko with a slightly astonished look, half-convinced she was joking.
But soon he realized that sothing was amiss.
Keiko had no reason to pretend as if she saw nothing.
The only possibility was that she truly did not see it.
"Is it only visible to , or am I unaffected and that's why I can see it?" Yang Jian imdiately focused on the middle-aged man under the eaves.
This person was likely a ghost master whose supernatural power had affected this house, possibly creating an effect similar to the Ghost Domain.
Yang Jian could do this as well.
Having no choice, Yang Jian repeated what the man had just said as best he could. Although his pronunciation wasn't quite accurate, Keiko should be able to understand.
"Tell , what does this an?"
Keiko covered her mouth and chuckled, obviously amused by Yang Jian's strange pronunciation, and then said, "It ans the guests are being asked to leave."
"What's in that room?" Yang Jian asked directly while having Keiko translate.
The man under the eaves said, "An ominous artifact. If the guest is interested, it might be displayed at the banquet later, but rash investigation is not permitted."
An ominous artifact?
Yang Jian's expression shifted slightly; he hadn't expected such an object here, and it seed quite special, or else it wouldn't be ntioned for the banquet.
"That object makes feel uneasy."
The man under the eaves said, "That is normal. Every ghost master who cos here says so. You're just the quickest to detect it. But now you should leave. Please don't make this difficult for , okay?"
Yang Jian understood the gist of what the man said through Keiko's translation.
He did not dwell on exploring what was in the house because he did not want any trouble. If his curiosity could not be satisfied, then so be it; he was not one to make unreasonable trouble.
With that, he took a deep look and then turned away.
Keiko was sowhat puzzled; she hadn't seen anyone under the eaves of that house from beginning to end. It was completely empty.
This was an unexplainable supernatural phenonon.
After Yang Jian left, the person under the eaves also disappeared without a trace, as if he had never existed, and the prior events seed like an illusion.
But it was not an illusion.
Indeed, there had been soone there, but that person was not under the eaves; he was inside the room... because a faint scent of a decomposing corpse wafted from the dim room, as if soone had died there long ago. The body had not been tended to for so ti, and no eerie noises could be heard.
He did not seem like a living ghost master.
"Mister Yang, the banquet is this way." Keiko followed closely, not wanting to lose him again, and hastily showed Yang Jian the way.
At the sa ti.
The courtyard also saw the arrival of many people, so mbers of the Exorcism Club, others seemingly invited to the banquet, and so accompanying them, appearing to be influential figures.
Yang Jian's arrival seed to attract these people's attention.
Despite it being his first ti in Osaka, it seed his dossier had been secretly circulated.
"I am exceedingly happy to et the renowned Mister Yang today."
An older gentleman in a suit imdiately ca forward, bowing with a smile and offering his na card, "This is my na card. Please feel free to ask for my assistance if needed; no need to stand on ceremony, as it is my honor to interact with a figure like yourself."
Yang Jian took the na card casually and checked it; it was written in Chinese.
He was also a club president, though not of the Exorcism Club; he was a very famous business tycoon. Even back ho, Yang Jian had heard of this man's enterprise.
"Quite a friendly attitude," Yang Jian said, sowhat surprised.
In theory, this man was a leading business tycoon; unexpectedly, he was so humble before Yang Jian.
It seed that in Japan, the status of a ghost master was higher than he had imagined.
Back ho, wealthy businessn with any standing probably wouldn't bother with the likes of Yang Jian.
Of course, it was also possible that these top-tier businessn knew too much and therefore felt awe.
Other people noticed Yang Jian taking the na card, and they hurried over, neglecting their dignity to greet him respectfully and offer their na cards, hoping to make a familiar face.
He took them all without pretense, glancing briefly at each one.
Incredible—these people almost spanned all of Japan's industries, all were leaders, the very top of their conglorates.
"If Mister Yang dislikes this scene, he can go to the banquet hall. There's no need to pay attention to them," Keiko whispered softly.
Yang Jian nodded and extracted himself from the networking.
However, as soon as he arrived at the banquet hall, he saw a familiar figure.
It was Yamazaki, whom he had seen not long ago in Kobe City.
Yamazaki stord in from outside with big strides, looking pale and upset, as if shocked or angry.
Yang Jian noticed him, and he noticed Yang Jian.
At that mont, Yamazaki's eyes were exceptionally dark, lacking the composure from their previous greeting and instead reflecting a feeling of hostility.
"It must not have been easy to get out of Kobe City alive, Mister Yamazaki," Yang Jian said with a light smile, as if guessing the other had suffered a setback.
Yamazaki wanted to step forward and say sothing, but he was stopped by the person next to him. He snorted heavily and turned away.
At this mont, Yang Jian felt it strange.
Why would they invite soone like Yamazaki to this banquet?
And it wasn't just him; it seed there were other ghost masters invited too; he just didn't recognize them.
"Could this be a trap?" Yang Jian's paranoid imagination began to act up.
Obviously.
This couldn't be the Exorcism Club's trap; it looked more like an important, grand gathering. Although he was part of it, it was clearly not held just for him.
President Mishima had sothing else planned for him.
Yang Jian checked the ti.
He still had ti to return to Dachang City to start the trade with the Ghost Cabinet. He might as well eat first before leaving since the transportation of the Ghost Door Knocker needed to be arranged by the Exorcism Club.
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