Chapter 121: The Guardian Spirit
A hired soldier arrived at the entrance of the mansion. The attending servant took a glance at the time and said, "You have arrived late."
"I got delayed for a while."
"What held you up?"
"The red light, the old lady, the person pretending to be hit, and there was a man and a woman fighting over a man on the roadside. Couldn't resist and watched for a little while."
The servant took a deep breath and asked, "Did you bring what I asked for?"
"Here."
"I want to check," the servant opened the refrigerator, and confirmed that it was indeed a fresh heart. "Is this heart a little big?"
"Isn't it good to be a little bigger? It's just the perfect match."
"Come with me," the servant said without saying much, leading the hired soldier onto the elevator.
The elevator reached the top floor. After going through a few inspections, the hired soldier arrived in front of a bedroom. The servant took the box and said to the soldier, "Your payment is in the next room. Go and collect it yourself."
"Wait a moment," the hired soldier said. "I need to talk about something. There were some issues at the hospital, and I need to clarify them."
The servant hesitated, "I will go and inform them."
After a moment, the door opened and the hired soldier removed all his weapons. He entered a room filled with treasures and saw an old man lying on a sickbed, struggling to breathe.
All over his body, there were the words "death" written. If there was a blood bar above his head, it would now be empty, like a bottle with a hole, slowly losing life, as time dwindled second by second...
The box containing the heart was held by the old person, resembling a pirate who had acquired a treasure. His mood was good, perhaps because he had found a glimmer of hope for survival. His expression at this moment was relaxed, and a hint of redness appeared on his pale face.
With hope, people can always survive... regardless of how dirty and opportunistic the source of that hope may be.
"What do you want to report?" Mito asked cheerfully, not minding a slight delay in time.
"It's not really about wanting to report, but more out of curiosity," the hired soldier pondered, rubbing their chin. "I've read some reports stating that Mito-sama has been searching for a suitable heart for over thirty years. But how did you determine that this little girl's heart is definitely compatible?"
Mito Yoriichiro spoke, "Curiosity is not a good quality, hired soldier."
"Not only out of curiosity, but I also wanted to know this way..."
"I see," nodded Mito, realizing that there are many people in the world who lack organs. "You want to replace an organ."
The hired soldier remained noncommittal and simply asked, "Is it through a foundation?"
Mito Yoriichiro leaned against the bed and explained, "Foundations are only one of many ways. We obtain data and acquire bodies and store organs through various funds. This is the main means of acquiring them, and it is reasonable and legal. However, my situation is not like the others... *cough cough* My heart has a birth defect, and finding a compatible heart through ordinary methods is completely impossible. So, I have no choice but to rely on something... mysterious."
The hired soldier asked eagerly, "Which kind of mystery? I've heard about a magical mirror that knows everything."
Mito shook his head and said, "No, that's not true. The magical mirror is just a gossip-loving demon that only cares about romantic relationships. It's completely worthless."
The hired soldier asked again, "The mouth of truth? The fountain of truth? Or turtle shell divination?"
Mito Yoriichiro denied everything, saying, "It has some usefulness, but only a little bit."
The hired soldier insisted, "So, is it useful or not?"
Mito whispered sadly, "It was useful... but it didn't help me at all." He continued, "But in the end, I found something precious called 'Jian'."
The hired soldier had never heard of it.
"Once upon a time, there was a creature with the face of a person and the body of a cow. It was known as a magical monster. It had the power to speak prophecies that were destined to come true. The word 'Jian' can be broken down into the characters for 'person' and 'cow.' This creature was mentioned in the ancient book called 'Shan Hai Jing' and was revered as a god of flying creatures. The female 'Jian' had prophecies that were always correct, but most of the time, they were mysterious and unclear. On the other hand, the male 'Jian' would teach people how to avoid disasters." Mito Yoriichiro explained, "The 'Jian' I encountered was a male."
The hired soldier asked, "Did it speak?"
"No, it only told me how to live a long life, but refused to tell me how to cure myself," Mito proudly recounted. "But it surely knows. The more it kept silent, the more I wanted to know. So I pretended to give up, but secretly followed it, discovered its whereabouts, and successfully captured it by threatening the lives of the family living in its residence. I obtained the 'Jian', which allowed me to successfully avoid multiple disasters. In the end, I indeed inherited the position as the head of the Mito family and gained the status I have today."
The hired soldier listened and found it absurd, "How can there be such a convenient monster?"
Mito Yoriichiro laughed heartily, "In this world, there are always some people who have such good luck, whether it's Urashima Taro who went to the Dragon Palace or the woodcutter who played chess with the immortal. They all had amazing experiences, but some missed out, while others didn't seize the opportunity... It's a pity that this particular 'Jian' has long been gone. I never found a second one, but before it died, it left me plenty of prophecies, telling me where I could find a suitable heart for me."
Just then, Mito suddenly remembered something from the past. He said, "But it also said another thing back then..."
Clearly, this sentence didn't hold much significance for Mito Yoriichiro. After a long time of reminiscing, he finally remembered it and whispered to himself.
"It said..."
"This heart is not something I can desire. He advised me to give up early. There will be a terrible guardian by this girl's side."
"Give up? Hahaha... How ridiculous."
Mito Yoriichiro gently touched the box beside him and burst into a hearty laughter.
"Guardian, huh?" The mercenary pondered, "This prophecy seems somewhat accurate, doesn't it?"
"In that case, I truly believe it. But I have thought about it for a long time and could not find any other possibility. This guardian deity can only be Sakurai Shiru's father, Sakurai Akira."
Mito Yoriichiro raised an eyebrow, and it was clear that this elderly man's heart carried icy cold blood, flowing like a venomous snake.
"So, I want to destroy him."
He opened his mouth and suddenly began to speak about how he had carefully planned and orchestrated the destruction described in the prophecy step by step.
"I purposely had someone dig up Sakurai Akira, forcing him to give up his promising job, and then fired him!"
"Due to connections, they suppressed him and he couldn't find a new job. This made it impossible for him to get a loan, do any business, and ruined his reputation in the community. He had no choice but to take the wrong path!"
"Knowing that he would ultimately plan to deceive others, deliberately luring multiple victims to trap him, leaving behind a criminal record with no chance of turning back!"
"It was all arranged by me."
"To make him fail!"
"Without any money, how will he save his daughter? He can't even afford his daughter to stay in the hospital!"
"This way, sooner or later his daughter will die. And when his daughter dies, he will completely lose his emotional support. Once I give him a little bit of sweetness, he will obediently give me that heart!"
"What guardian spirit? It's just a turtle in the water tank!"
Mito spoke proudly, telling about all his years of planning and scheming. He used his money, status, and power to effortlessly try to destroy a family and an ordinary person, just like crushing an ant.
The soldier asked with confusion, "Why not just steal directly? Going through such a big circle seems unnecessary."
"I'm waiting, waiting for her to grow up a little more. A young heart cannot bear the burden of an adult," Mito took a breath of oxygen, calming his excited mind. "But my body can't sustain it anymore. No matter what, the heart transplant surgery must be done sooner."
The soldier nodded with understanding, "So that's how it is, I have already learned everything."
After Mito Yoriichiro said so much, once his emotions calmed down, he also started to feel tired.
"Since you've asked all the questions you wanted to, let's leave now. Once I've finished my heart surgery, we can talk about your contract issues... I believe you wouldn't want to go back to the non-blood mainland, right? That chaotic political regime and the bloody world of mercenaries are not as good as staying in Yingzhou and enjoying a comfortable life."
"That is not necessary."
"Hmph!" Mito's face darkened. "Mercenaries are all crazy, and you're no exception."
"No, when I said not necessary, I meant..." the mercenary spoke casually, "You don't need surgery anymore."
Mito Yoriichiro's face remained unchanged, like a sick lion, but he could still growl fiercely, showing his teeth.
"I don't have time to listen to jokes like that..."
"This heart doesn't belong to Sakurai Shiru."
"What?" Mito Yoriichiro's face turned suddenly pale.
"This is a pig's heart that I just bought from the fresh food market," the mercenary shrugged, "It's a heart of a beast, perfect for someone like you."
Mito Yoriichiro immediately opened the box and looked at the heart, which was one size bigger. His face changed slightly, "No, you're tricking me! You're tricking me!"
The mercenary smiled but said nothing.
"Where is the heart?" Mito Yoriichiro panicked, but in the next moment, he regained his composure. He smashed the box on the ground and angrily shouted, "Are you trying to raise the price? I'll give you ten times, ten times!!"
"This is not about money," the mercenary shook his head, "This heart is extremely precious, it's one of a kind in the whole world. How can a small man like you have the right to possess it?"
Mito Yoriichiro struggled to catch his breath, holding onto his chest. With determination, he gritted his teeth and said, "If you don't hand over the heart, you won't leave here unscathed! And your comrades, I have something that can expose all of you..."
The mercenary lifted his hand and took off the mask from his face. Bai Wei, the leader of the Black Rose Order, was exceptionally skilled in makeup and disguise. He removed his coat and in the blink of an eye, transformed from a scruffy individual into a refined and distinguished Eastern gentleman.
The emperor's voice was deep and rich, "Go on, I am listening."
Mito Yoriichiro's face was filled with surprise, "You... who are you?!"
Bai Wei introduced himself without hesitation, "I am the guardian of the little girl."
Translator: Volume 15 has been translated and published on Amazon (https://amzn.to/3UJvsWa).
