Chapter 39: Was It Really There

The Black Oni walked by Feng Biao without striking. It was so quick Feng Biao realized that the distance between them had already closed for it to deliver a lethal strike.

Yet it hadn't. It walked past him towards that thing without even glancing at him.

"Don't act like you didn't hear me. I don't feel like standing up right now, so come here."

The voice of a young man cut through the trees once again. It sounded friendly, it made the invitation from before genuine and the complaint about not wanting to stand understandable.

That was why Feng Biao felt comfortable walking towards something that he inherently knew was wrong. The wrongness of the thing was in the darkness it exuded. It didn't belong.

'No, it's not that it doesn't belong. It's that I don't belong.'

Without him standing there near it how would he feel fear from it?

Feng Biao could now see the creature that had spoken to him. It was shorter than the Black Oni, but still taller than the average man. Its skin was pale white, but it didn't seem sickly.

That might have been because its body seemed muscular but still lean. It wore no clothing on itself beyond a flowery sash tied around its waist.

"Finally made it slowpoke? Come and have a drink let's have some fun," said the white Oni gesturing towards Feng Biao offering him a cup. A cup filled with that liquid Feng Biao knew was famed for debilitating any who drank it.

"I would rather not."

"Suit yourself," said the white Oni drinking straight from a gourd.

In an instant, the Black Oni put down its cup and lunged at Feng Biao.

"Stop."

The white Oni looked at Feng Biao smirking.

"Still don't want to drink?"

Feng Biao seeing no other choice grabbed the cup and sat down. Evidently refusing to drink allowed the Black Oni to attack him.

'It should be fine though, right? [Indra's Indulgence] its description should apply to this, right?'

With only one way to find out, Feng Biao took a sip from the cup.

"It burns a bit, but it tastes good?"

It was odd that it "burned" in the first place.

'Normally I don't feel anything when I drink liquor, but this stuff is strong enough I can sort of feel it.'

"Now this is what it's all about. Let's chat to keep my mood up," said the white Oni.

"Shuten-Douji, I guess?" Feng Biao responded.

"Yeah, that's my name. No offense friend but don't bother giving me yours."

"Why not?"

"I'd forget. No need to worry, I won't forget you're a friend as long as we keep chatting."

Feng Biao was taken aback at how casual Shuten-Douji seemed. That still didn't make the feeling he exuded go away.

"You're afraid of me, huh?"

"I don't think I can beat you," Feng Biao retorted.

"So you wouldn't be afraid if you were stronger?"

"I don't know," Feng Biao said reluctantly. There was something off about Shuten-Douji.

'It feels like my Divinity is recoiling from just being near him.'

"Tell me, friend, what do you see when you look at me?"

Staring at Shuten-Douji Feng Biao saw the same image in his mind that had come before he saw him face to face.

"Darkness, there's a lot of darkness around you."

"Is that what's making you afraid?"

Feng Biao focused his Divinity into his eyes but the result was the same. Darkness blinded his mental image of Shuten-Douji. It was odd, he could see the physical Shuten-Douji, but there was something else there overlapping it.

'All I can tell is that darkness doesn't seem as scary as it once was. But the feeling I should run hasn't diminished'

"Sometimes the mind fills in holes, gaps, memories, and ideas get associated with things that are easier to understand. I'm familiar with that."

"To be honest, I don't really know who I am. I know my name, but I don't know myself. I feel like I forgot something really important," Shuten-Douji said chugging his gourd afterward.

"Maybe it's what you're drinking? This stuff rots the brain," Feng Biao said eager to look for an excuse to stop sipping.

"Yeah, I know this stuff makes me forgetful. I'm not stupid. I don't want to remember that's why I drink it. The funny thing is I don't remember why though."

"Talking with you reminds me. I used to talk with others on this mountain a lot. Yes, I had friends. Where are they now?"

Shuten-Douji began to grip his head. Squeezing it as if he was desperately trying to force out the memory he was searching for.

Feng Biao had a bad feeling and tried to distract him.

"What do you see when you look at me?"

Shuten-Douji put his hands down and looked towards Feng Biao. After a second he raised an eyebrow and his face seemed confused.

"Weird, your Mark is empty."

"Empty?"

"Give me one of the Marks," Shuten-Douji said towards the silent Black Oni. It immediately grabbed one of the hands from its sack and respectfully handed it to its ruler.

"See this," Shuten-Douji said pointing at the Mark, "this isn't empty."

Shuten-Douji then gripped Feng Biao's Mark. "But this, this is empty."

'Is it because they're from the dead?'

Interrupting his thoughts Feng Biao began to notice Oni slowly creeping into his view. All of them were yellow and they varied in size, but none of them looked especially healthy. They sat in random spots all indulging on the Oni-no-Ochoko.

The entire time Feng Biao had been taking small sips from his cup, but these Oni downed the liquor as if they had just run miles without a sip of water. Sneaking a glance at the Black Oni Feng Biao saw it was staring intently at him.

'Yellow Oni...'

It seemed to be using the strategy as him. Drinking, but only in sips, and not constantly. Feng Biao tried to think of a plan to keep it here and had an idea.

'Maybe this isn't the best idea, but I think it could work.'

"Say Shuten-Douji how would you feel about a drinking competition?"