"How is that possible?" I chuckled coldly, "I am the Bai Ze!"
As I spoke, I observed Yao Yao's expression, but she acted as if she hadn't heard, turning her face away.
I walked over to the car and saw Chen Ke holding a car interior ornament that looked like it was made of ceramic.
"Look at this little thing, doesn't it resemble the stone carving of Bai Ze from the underground forest?" Chen Ke asked.
There was a resemblance, but it wasn't the same.
"I recognize this, it's called a Kappa," I said, having seen related anime.
Kappa is a mythical creature from Japanese folklore, possessing a bird's beak, a frog's limbs, a monkey's body, and a turtle's shell, like a chimera of various animals, as if radiated.
Legend has it that a Kappa's weakness is a small concave dish on its head, usually filled with water. If one can trick the Kappa into bowing its head, causing the water in the dish to spill out, the Kappa will die.
This ornament Kappa also had a small dish on its head, which might have contained water earlier. Perhaps due to the recent collision with our car, the water had splashed out.
As for why such an item would be placed in the car, I speculated it was likely to encourage the driver to be more steady and temper their character, similar to Fujiwara Takuya keeping a cup of water in his car and attempting to drift down a mountain without spilling it.
"It's quite nice, you keep it," I said.
"Thank you, boss."
I then checked the back seat and the trunk. There were three scabbards in the back seat and a complete samurai sword, possibly a spare. In the trunk were a pair of bronze maces, which I had seen before. Besides these, there was a wooden box. Upon opening it, I found some four-pointed shuriken, likely ninja stars. Fortunately, they were too rushed chasing us to use them; had they employed shuriken, the fox demon would not have been able to defend itself.
These would be considered spoils of war, all to be taken. As for the destroyed chicken farm, I had to seek help from Lin Chi and obtained the contact information of a local Shigeru representative, asking them to send someone to handle the aftermath.
The group returned to the base at Ganjiang Building. Yao Yao said nothing, simply washed her hands, and chose to go back to sleep.
I lit a cigarette and sat on the sofa beside the bed. After a while, seeing she still showed no signs of waking, I decided to speak first, "Don't you have anything to say to me?"
Yao Yao turned her head and glanced at me, "What is there to say?"
"About Bai Ze."
Yao Yao lazily turned over to face me, propping her head up with her hand. "I've heard. They say you are the reincarnation of Bai Ze. What, do you want to show off to me? Or give me a lecture?"
"...You really think I'm the reincarnation of Bai Ze?" I asked, frowning.
"That's what everyone outside is saying, so I just assume you are." Yao Yao smiled.
"But I know, I am not." I said.
"How do you know you aren't?" Yao Yao asked. "Do you hold a monopoly on truth? Are everyone's guesses, or rather, speculations, all wrong?"
She's anxious, see, she's anxious!
"The Little King of Hell and the Whale God both described the characteristics of Bai Ze to me in detail, which is why I know I am not," I said in a low voice.
Yao Yao's smile faded, and she slowly sat up from the bed. After a pause, she said, "Then tell me, what are the characteristics of Bai Ze?"
"Firstly, when Bai Ze reincarnates, its gender changes each time. Last time it was Zeng Gong Wenzheng. This time, it would definitely be a female identity, which immediately rules me out." I took a sip of cold herbal tea and continued, "Secondly, Bai Ze is a demon, but when it reincarnates, it appears in human form. Therefore, its aura after reincarnation is between human and demon, meaning two strong auras above the shoulders, and one weak aura above the head."
The former was told to me by the Whale God, and the latter by the Little King of Hell.
Yao Yao nodded. "Perhaps. I don't know."
"You really don't know?"
"Know what?" Yao Yao asked again.
Does she truly not know she is Bai Ze? Or perhaps, Bai Ze hasn't awakened within her yet?