113. The Day the Shrine Closed Its Doors

Page 1/3

Watching the shrine maiden approach his head with electrode patches, Chen Shang instinctively took two steps back.

“Tell me... don’t you have any normal methods for exorcism?” Chen Shang asked.

“What are you talking about? This is the normal way to exorcise spirits~” Hanayama Koyo maintained her unnervingly harmless smile. “Don’t worry~ You’re the man Chiyo-san brought here; I absolutely won’t let you die.”

“That still sounds terrifying...” Chen Shang instinctively wanted to refuse and considered whether to activate his calming hormones to ease his nerves.

At that moment, the door to the room was flung open again. Two burly men in kimonos rushed in and pinned Chen Shang down, one on each side.

“Alright, trying it won’t hurt~” Chen Shang had no choice but to activate his calming hormones, allowing Hanayama Koyo to smile as she placed the electrode pads on his head.

After all, since Chiyo kindly brought him here, he might as well play along a little.

A faint electric current passed through his mind, but it wasn't as painful as he had imagined. The sensation was like a gentle, delicate young maiden slipping slender fingers into his brain, softly caressing and stirring his thoughts.

Though strange, the feeling was surprisingly pleasant. Chen Shang felt the clutter in his mind dissipate, his consciousness becoming almost euphoric.

As the electric stimulation continued, Hanayama Koyo casually picked up a sacred talisman nearby and began to dance lightly, chanting softly under her breath.

The Hanayama family’s “exorcism service” was officially certified. It was certainly not a crude “electric shock therapy for internet addiction,” but a scientific psychological treatment combining special electrical instruments with the shrine maiden’s subtly suggestive dance, which was very effective in treating delusional paranoia.

Under the electric stimulation, the scene before Chen Shang’s eyes grew hazy. The dancing maiden seemed to multiply into countless figures swaying before him, and the mental fatigue caused by past hallucinations vanished completely.

“In the name of the Great Heavenly Wisdom... evil spirits begone...” the maiden chanted as if truly performing an exorcism.

If the client’s family waited in the adjacent room, they would probably hear the maiden’s chanting and footsteps, never suspecting the guest was undergoing a brain electroshock treatment.

The vision before Chen Shang’s eyes became increasingly blurry. Just as he was about to fully enjoy the experience, a strange aura suddenly erupted from within him.

Chen Shang could guarantee he had not consciously activated the “Abyssal Aura,” yet it triggered automatically without his awareness.

The salty scent of seawater mingled with a heavy incense fragrance brushed past his nostrils, while visions of illusions and mist faintly emerged before his eyes.

The two burly men restraining him were the first to be affected, their eyes rolling back as they half-kneeling collapsed to the ground with expressions of nausea.

Then, the shrine maiden abruptly stopped dancing and staggered to the floor.

“What... is this?”

Page 2/3

Hanayama Koyo, who had worked as a shrine maiden for nearly five years and never believed in ghosts or monsters, saw for the first time the visions that only those she called “delusional people” could perceive.

Frenziedly writhing eyeball phantoms, bizarre and distorted mist, viscous liquid seemingly seeping from the floor, incomprehensible murmurs that stirred unease... Hanayama Koyo felt as if she were trapped in a deep ocean, unable to breathe.

She instinctively grasped her slender neck, nearly squeezing it to the breaking point.

“Are you alright?!” Yaso Yichiyo sensed something wrong and decisively pushed open the door.

She then saw her close friend kneeling on the floor in a nearly self-strangling posture, eyes eerily rolled back.

Meanwhile, Chen Shang looked dazed, holding his forehead, the metal electrode patches still attached to his temples.

“Come find me...” faintly, Chen Shang seemed to hear a female voice say to him:

“...only... you...”

The voice was very muffled, as if spoken underwater, yet it carried a haunting resonance that pierced his mind.

This was the first time Chen Shang heard someone speak to him in a hallucination.

He felt nauseous, as if his very soul was being drawn out. He barely understood the words, but his mind seemed unable to bear the information conveyed, the sharp pain in his brain nearly pushing him to collapse.

“Wake up, quick!” At that moment, Chen Shang felt someone vigorously shaking his shoulders.

The hallucination along with the incense and seawater scent vanished. Yaso Yichiyo was suddenly in front of him, gripping his shoulders tightly.

Chen Shang took a deep breath, struggling to recover from the pain, then pointed guiltily at Hanayama Koyo not far away and whispered:

“I’m okay. It’s her...”

But the shrine maiden had completely lost consciousness, a bruised strangulation mark visible on her neck as she lay unconscious on the floor.

It seemed Hanayama Koyo had fallen into an even deeper hallucination than Chen Shang; she would not wake anytime soon. Yichiyo lifted her onto the bed, covered her with a blanket, and then left a text message apologizing.

When leaving the shrine, Yichiyo casually flipped the sign on the door to “Closed,” then frowned and asked:

“What did you do to her just now?”

“I didn’t do anything.” Chen Shang shook his heavy head and said seriously:

“I suddenly saw strange hallucinations during the exorcism, and a voice was speaking to me... When I woke up, I found Miss Hanayama had also fainted... That’s about it.”

Page 3/3

Chen Shang briefly recounted what had just happened, while Yichiyo’s expression grew grave.

“Let’s go.” Yichiyo naturally believed Chen Shang’s words, but she had nothing more to say.

Her mind was in turmoil. At this point, she could only wait for Hanayama Koyo to wake and then inquire about the situation.

“This matter is actually quite complicated.” Chen Shang saw through Yichiyo’s intentions and, hands in pockets, walked beside her, advising:

“You better not get involved.”

Yichiyo rolled her eyes at Chen Shang and muttered:

“Are you trying to treat me like an outsider again?”

“Of course~ Even I’m not confident I can handle this, so I don’t want to drag you into it.” Chen Shang furrowed his brow slightly, feigning nonchalance:

“If something happens to you, I’d feel guilty.”

Chen Shang’s words were not merely a joke; there was some sincerity behind them. After all, as one of Chen Shang’s valuable partners—no, tools—Yichiyo held an irreplaceable place in his heart.

“You... always know how to say the right things...” Yichiyo snorted coldly, her face flushing slightly as she looked away.

*Ring ring—* Just as the two were about to get into the car and leave the shrine, Yichiyo’s phone suddenly rang.

She glanced at the caller ID and then said:

“Headquarters, this is Chiyo speaking?”

“Miss, the investigation you requested has yielded some leads. I will send the detailed information via email for your review!”

“Thank you for your hard work.” Yichiyo politely responded, then hung up to check her inbox.

She opened a document and casually forwarded it to Chen Shang:

“Here’s the information you wanted. Keep it safe.”

Almost simultaneously, Chen Shang’s phone beeped with a new message.

“Got it~” Chen Shang eagerly opened the document and quickly skimmed through it.