116: Chapter 116 Stories in the "Revolving Lantern" (Part 1)

"Before a person dies, their life flashes before their eyes like a revolving lantern. Those painful, joyful, and vivid memories all replay before them again..."

Mia remembered this was something a charming male butler from an anime she had watched before said, mysterious and full of imagination.

She wanted to look down at the undulating mountain path but sighed helplessly. Even inside Fujiwara Chiyo's body, she still couldn't see...

She had just washed her face by the stream. Reflected in the water was a somewhat youthful-looking young shrine maiden, appearing about seventeen or eighteen years old. She wore a traditional Tang-style shrine maiden outfit, white fabric adorned with a red border, a red skirt. The tightly cinched waist accentuated the girl's lovely figure, and the heavy "burden" on her chest proved from the side that the girl was usually well-nourished. Her small feet, clad in sandalwood geta, were covered with white cotton socks. Paired with waist-length hair, she looked pure and serene.

Mia felt her current state was a bit strange. She could both empathize with the girl's feelings and perform some actions that didn't affect the main storyline.

But she couldn't help being drawn towards the temple deep in the mountains.

Thinking about all the things she would encounter later, locked inside this body, she really didn't have the slightest bit of fondness for this "Shrine Maiden" experience ticket.

She casually touched the [Custom Fujifilm X100 Camera] hanging behind the girl's waist. She had already loaded it with the most powerful attack film, the [Zero-Type] film. The [kagura bell] was also hanging at her waist, but it seemed Mia didn't know how to use it.

The destination was soon reached amidst the girl's complaints. Mia discovered that this soul vessel had its own lines this time. In comparison, Mia herself was more like an audience member locked inside the shrine maiden's body.

After passing through a massive, ancient red torii gate, the temple's mountain gate came into view. A young, handsome Monk received her. The Monk and his gentle, beautiful little wife received her. Wait, this Monk was clearly Kukai. Wasn't his wife already possessed and taken over by a demon? And by those other three guys...

Did the [Bloodstained Hand Wrap] on her trigger this plot, or was this originally the shrine maiden's experience?

The genmaicha tea tasted good, but the dose of sedative was a bit high.

When Mia opened her eyes again, the shrine maiden girl Chiyo carrying her had been tied up like a zongzi in the center of a magical sacrificial ritual. Incense candles burned around her, creating an eerie scene. Kukai's wife had turned into a pale-faced corpse, lying within the sacrificial magic circle. Blood filled the grooves carved into the circle's diagram.

This scene was familiar to Mia. Every time, the Original Owner had similar operations (calling him Luo Yu still felt a bit awkward to her), tying her to the altar, holding the book with the grimoire cover titled *One Hundred Ways to Torture Mia*, randomly selecting a method, and the means were much bloodier and crueler than this. He could even tear your soul apart.

She felt the force binding her soul had greatly weakened. After a moment's thought, she detached from Fujiwara Chiyo's body, used the Tang Clan's [Illusionary Body Veil], then summoned the [Blood Rose]'s small stool to support her perky buttocks. Her qi spread downward to cover her "mount," hiding them both. Sitting there with her legs crossed, one hand supporting her chubby-cheeked face, she continued watching the tragic story Fujiwara Chiyo experienced.

The demon ghost emerged from Kukai's wife's body, then used evil arts to pull out Fujiwara Chiyo's divine soul. The moment it extracted Fujiwara Chiyo, the demon ghost paused. Then, it began cackling weirdly as it gnawed on her soul. After devouring it completely, it carefully burrowed into the shrine maiden's body.

Then, a demonic wind rose. The new shrine maiden—Fujiwara Chiyo—was born. Her clear eyes became filled with lewdness and wickedness. The elegant shrine maiden outfit on her body took on a strange allure the way she wore it.

Kukai was still hoping the demon ghost would revive his wife as promised earlier. He wailed, cursing the demon ghost for breaking its promise. This cowardly appearance bore no resemblance to the imposing might of the later evil Monk Kukai Numoku.

The newly born Fujiwara Chiyo cradled Kukai's bald head against her chest, softly comforting him as if singing an ancient lullaby. Slowly, Kukai cried himself to sleep in her arms.

The Chiyo possessed by the demon ghost got up and walked towards the three guarding the door outside, beckoning them to enter the "main hall." Then, the defilement naturally began...

"Sigh..." Mia silently sighed. Activating the [Illusionary Body Veil], she moved over to Kukai, who had fallen asleep under the [Tranquil Soul Curse], dragged him to a corner, and tied [The Deceased Wife's Longing] to his thin hand.

She just quietly watched the few people engaged in unspeakable acts, adopting a bystander mentality that since it had already happened and couldn't be changed, she might as well keep watching. (survival maintenance system inquiry: Have you been corrupted by Tuaner lately?) Gritting her teeth, she listened, waiting for the farce of the three men and one ghost to end.

At the same time, she patiently waited for the change in Kukai, now wearing the hand wrap.

Mia waited from dusk until midnight, precisely the time of day when a shrine maiden's magic is strongest.

Fujiwara Chiyo, covered in filth, crawled out from between the two swordsmen and one ninja sleeping soundly. Not caring about her disheveled state, she spoke towards Mia in the corner, "Seen enough? Was it good?" Her previously clear, melodious voice now sounded cloyingly sweet and dangerous.

"Pah—" Mia spat. "Finished performing your self-directed, self-acted farce with three puppets?—Yin Ghost?"

"I originally wanted to lock you in this body to experience my pleasure, but you had to be a killjoy and slip out." The Fujiwara Chiyo possessed by the Yin Ghost licked her lips. "In my world, I set the rules. Can you escape my grasp?"

Her three teammates behind her stood up swaying like marionettes, surrounding Mia who had revealed herself.

Mia sighed again. "You couldn't control my small movements when you locked me in Fujiwara Chiyo's body. Distracted controlling a few puppets, you couldn't stop me from leaving her body. What gives you the confidence to say your rules are the rules?"

With that, her hand swept over her body. Wherever Mia's jade-like hand passed, her previous set of black leather mixed with lace and sheer gauze appeared. "You died early, didn't see the later death matches. Can't blame you for that..."

"Arrogant!" Fujiwara Chiyo and the Uesugi Ryosuke, Shimazu Hayato, and Hattori Hanzo she controlled all pounced on Mia together.

Mia tilted her head slightly, letting out a laugh of exasperation.

She ran her bone-armored fingertip over the lace choker at her neck. As her finger brushed past the blood-red gemstone, it burst with a sinister red light. A blade slowly drew out from between her sternum. The sharp edge split the skin but left no bloodstain. Silvery mist swirled like liquid along the blade's surface; as the entire Tang sword was gradually drawn out, mercury-like ripples flowed across the blade. Each slight tremor sent waves of soul-stirring ripples.

[Soul Blade: One Person]!!

She casually slashed diagonally. A flash of cold light, and the entire "main hall" was cleaved into upper and lower halves by Mia's diagonal slash from shoulder to back, as if all sin was annihilated in that single stroke...