Hoshino Tanei and Kishiida Kizushi were in one group, while Takahashi Eirō and Kurokawa Saki were in the other. Each group had someone calm and level-headed, just in case something went wrong…
Su Mu wandered around inside the hospital, looking here and there as if he were out for a leisurely stroll.
Some of the mental patients would give him gifts when they saw him—either wildflowers, or bugs, and there was even one creepy old guy who tried to hand him his underwear…
Su Mu remained relatively composed, weaving his way through these patients whose strength was generally at E or F rank. He wondered why there were no high-level patients. Did they live separately?
Most of the medical staff here were E-rank, with a few D-ranks. That explanation made sense, after all, they had to ensure their own safety.
“By the way, how come you don’t have any patients at D-rank or above?” Su Mu asked a nurse he happened to come across.
“The highest we accept here is E-rank. Any higher than that, and they’re too hard to control.”
“Thanks.”
After Su Mu walked away, the nurse muttered to herself, “That young lady is quite polite…”
Su Mu made his way to the garden behind the inpatient building. Suddenly, he heard some very passionate gasping coming from the flower bushes—both a man’s and a woman’s, growing more and more urgent.
With the double whammy of being both a virgin in body and mind, his face instantly turned redder than a monkey’s rear end by a good three shades.
Just then, the sounds stopped abruptly. Two heads popped out from the bushes, four eyes staring at Su Mu for a full three seconds.
Su Mu was mortified. He could only pretend he hadn’t seen anything, strolling along while trying to make his escape.
What’s even crazier is that, seeing that Su Mu wasn’t going to stop them, those strange noises started up again…
Su Mu screamed internally: Brother, sister, I get that you’re horny, but could you please spare a thought for my mental state? The average of my soul and body is only nineteen and a half! I’m still a kid here!
…
Hoshino Tanei gripped the sheath of her katana, baring her teeth fiercely at the mental patients who were waving their arms and trying to scare her.
“What’s the point of being fierce now? At the beginning, you were so nice that they thought you were an easy target. Even if you act tough now, in their eyes, you’re just bluffing,” Kishiida Kizushi said. His cold gaze swept over everyone, and no one dared to lay a hand on him.
Hoshino Tanei was indignant. “Why are they like this? I didn’t mean any harm.”
“Cowardice and bullying the weak is human nature. If you don’t make yourself look strong and mean, there will always be someone who wants to push you around.”
“No, no, no, young lady, you’re wrong there.” Among the confined mental patients was an elderly man dressed neatly with a serious expression. He spoke up: “Cowardice and bullying the weak is what weaklings do. A true strong person only enjoys dueling with worthy opponents.”
Seeing how mysterious he looked, Hoshino Tanei became curious. “Which type are you, grandpa?”
“Grandpa?!?” The old man suddenly rushed over, grabbing the iron door and shaking it violently, shouting at the top of his lungs, “Please call me little bro! Please call me little bro!”
Hoshino Tanei was so frightened her face went pale. She grabbed Kishiida Kizushi’s arm and urged him, “Let’s go…”
“Don’t go, don’t go… Watch me shatter this cage that imprisons me with one sword strike! I shall fight you for three hundred rounds! Sword, come!” The old man’s tone was heroic, his movements pure chuunibyou. His raised right hand grasped at the air, as if he were actually waiting for a sword to fly into his hand.
The two, who had been about to leave, suddenly stopped. They couldn’t help but cover their mouths and giggle at the old man’s antics.
Then, something magical happened. The surrounding spiritual energy suddenly fluctuated violently, eventually condensing into a magnificent sword of light that appeared in the old man’s hand.
At the same time, the old man’s complexion became much rosier. He had actually broken through to D-rank!
With a loud “boom,” the cage door was truly cleaved open by his sword. The intense heat from the light sword even melted the broken edges into liquid.
“Die, you little thief!” the old man cried out, swinging his light sword decisively. Kishiida Kizushi and Hoshino Tanei, both D-ranks, felt immense pressure and could only join forces to defend themselves.
It was a simple sword strike, no complicated techniques, just the purest form of Sword Intent.
Yes, this old man had comprehended Sword Intent…
Those who could comprehend an “Intent” were invariably powerful figures who could shake the world.
Therefore, this strike was incredibly strong, far beyond what they could withstand.
In that critical moment, a beautiful figure appeared in front of them, using two fingers to clamp the light sword. She said calmly, “Disperse!”
The light sword actually dispersed, as if it were nothing.
The old man stepped back, his expression turning serious. “Young lady, impressive skill. Now witness my second strike.”
A second light sword condensed, even stronger than the first.
Su Mu: “Disperse.”
The old man: “…”
Not only did he not give up, but he also burst into loud laughter. “You are the first person in this world to survive two of my strikes. But if you think this means you’ve defeated me, you’re being too naive.”
He suddenly bit his own finger and smeared the blood all over his face, babbling incomprehensible incantations as he did so.
Su Mu was curious to see what other tricks he had up his sleeve. It’s not like he could just break through again… Oh, come on!
The old man’s aura suddenly surged. He actually broke through to C-rank in one go! His light sword grew much larger, and his Sword Intent shook dust from the walls. “Witness my third strike! This strike is named—Heaven’s Annihilation!”
A C-rank powerhouse’s Sword Intent attack. Su Mu no longer held back. His expression turned serious, and he filled his two fingers with spiritual energy.
Boom—
The surrounding walls instantly shattered and collapsed, leaving several large holes. The two fingers Su Mu used to clamp the light sword shifted slightly downward, and a tiny bit of blood seeped from his skin.
The old man fell silent. He stopped running his mouth.
Then, ten seconds later, he suddenly wailed, “Young man, you have no honor! Picking on an old man like me…”
Su Mu’s mouth twitched. Old timer, you sure change your tune fast. Weren’t you just telling that young lady to call you ‘little bro’ a moment ago?
But then again, this old man was full of chuunibyou lines in Chinese, and he even knew Teacher Ma’s secret mental techniques. Su Mu couldn’t help but wonder: could he be Chinese?
Thinking this, he tried speaking in Chinese: “Imperial Palace Jade Liquid Wine?” (A famous code phrase used to identify Chinese people online, from a classic sketch.)
The old man’s drooping head slowly lifted. His eyes gradually brightened, and his lips trembled, clearly overcome with emotion.
Su Mu thought: Looks like he is!
The old man’s chest heaved violently a few times. Then, with a “thump,” he suddenly fell to his knees and kowtouched heavily.
When he raised his head again, tears welled up before he could even speak.
“Huh?” Su Mu panicked and leaped to the side. “Old timer, you can’t do that! If you can’t beat me, don’t try to shorten my life!”
It wasn’t just him. Hoshino Tanei, Kishiida Kizushi, and the medical staff who had rushed over after hearing the commotion were all dumbfounded.
Why would this old man just kneel like that?
The old man calmed his surging emotions, then suddenly let out a silly laugh like a child. “Great-Grandma! Your great-grandson has finally found you!”
He then fixed his gaze, sweeping it coldly across the faces of the other mental patients, and bellowed sternly, “My minions! Kneel before the Great-Grandma!”
Boom!
They all knelt down in perfect unison. “Great-Grandma!”
Their voices were loud, piercing the very clouds!
Su Mu rolled his eyes and nearly fainted on the spot: Finally, I’ve become someone’s great-grandma…