Chapter 296: Chapter 296: Huan
“Strange Tales – Huan Ghost”

In rumors from the Shogunate Period, a certain general had a beautiful wife named Huan, who had a profound love of swords.

Because she spent a considerable amount of time practicing swordsmanship every day, her vitality was exceptionally hardy. She bore the general four strong and vigorous sons, all of whom became valiant and skilled generals when they came of age.

However, the war was ruthless.

The general was defeated.

When the bad news returned to them, the enemy was attacking simultaneously.

Something inconceivable occurred.

The woman, now over fifty years old, led the household guard, utilizing the strategically defensive layout of the General Mansion. She single-handedly killed hundreds of enemy soldiers and managed to delay their advance.

But faced with a massive army, all she could really do was buy some time.

During the resistance.

Suddenly, someone outside the mansion threw in a large burlap sack.

Upon opening it, they found the decapitated heads of the general and his four sons.

The morale of the mansion’s guards was devastated.

The time it took for the mansion to fall was significantly reduced.

But by the time the enemy troops breached the mansion, the woman had already hanged herself from a pagoda tree growing in shallow water within the courtyard.

Beneath her, the heads of her husband and sons were neatly arranged.

The Tachi that had taken the lives of hundreds of infantry was stuck in the centre, making the scene resemble a sort of demonic formation.

Then strange things started to happen.

The new general who took over this land considered the pagoda tree, where the former mistress had hanged herself, as an unclean object.

He had his subordinates haul it out by the roots.

However, anyone who touched the tree would become ill within a short time, catching a cold and dying the following day.

Those afflicted would faintly call out one name before they died — “Huan”.

Before long.

There was chaos in the general’s mansion again.

The new general, wielding the Tachi that belonged to the original mistress, murdered her entire family overnight and hanged himself from the tree the next morning.

The tale of Huan quickly spread, and no one dared to approach the General Mansion after that.

It wasn’t until recent times.

With the rise of hot spring inns, this place was transformed into a mountainous hot spring inn … The crooked neck tree was also preserved.

But the guests who came to bathe in the hot springs here, especially at dusk, would occasionally catch a glimpse of a middle-aged woman in the mist of the hot springs, holding a Tachi and weeping softly under the crooked neck tree.

[Strange Tales Level]: A+

[Trigger Method]: Find clues and trigger by exploring on your own

[Task]: Find the former General Mansion, reconcile Huan’s obsession under the pagoda tree.

[Rewards]: Special fate equipment – Demon Sword – Huan Ghost, you need to go to ‘store’ and use a certain number of strange tales points to obtain the right of ownership of the Demon Sword.

When the old lady finished her story.

Mia and Winry, who were waiting outside, arrived in turns taking advantage of the interval when the servers ‘refreshed’.

Abe stared at the demon sword wrapped around Mia’s spider thread.

“If this demon sword falls into Huan’s hands again, it could be very dangerous … maybe Mia should take the demon sword and leave for now and let us handle this.”

Winry, the blacksmith, also thought that made sense to Abe’s proposal.

However, Han Dong didn’t see it that way.

In the old lady’s story, this demon sword and Huan seemed to be one …

Moreover, it stipulated in the “requirement” that the ‘obsession’ be ‘reconciled’ … the word ‘reconciliation’ might hold a different connotation here.

Han Dong unilaterally believed that if the demon sword wasn’t by their sides.

Even if they could kill the mistress and burn down the crooked neck tree completely, it was doubtful that they could complete the “Strange Tale”.

“Demon Sword is Huan, and Huan is Demon Sword. … Perhaps part of this mistress’s soul fused with the sword body before she died, with the rest remaining in the pagoda tree.

Currently, our demon sword is far from complete.

If we want to completely reconcile her obsession, if we want to perfect the Demon Sword, we must bring the Demon Sword into the General Mansion.

Of course … as you worry, Abe, there is indeed a risk. Once this mistress gets the demon sword, we will be up against a formidable enemy.

This is a five-star, full difficulty event, currently corresponding to an A+ level strange tale, we must bear this kind of risk.”

Abe punches Han Dong’s arm lightly: “We’ll go with your plan.”

“Let’s go…”

Going down the cold and deep corridor.

It was not just a low temperature, but a sort of coldness that seemed to penetrate the skin… It was very uncomfortable.

Slowly, the team began to move closer to Winry.

Because of Winry’s special constitution, she could withstand even this kind of cold and even exuded a warm, heated energy.

Under these circumstances, Winry was virtually a natural hot pack.

Han Dong was shivering due to his relatively poor physical constitution.

If only he and Winry were here, he might actively hold Winry for warmth.

Click…

When they stepped down the last flight of stairs.

An underground General Mansion came into the sight of everyone.

As the destiny scenario had set, all the Strange Tales were transferred to the amusement park.

The General Mansion, associated with the legend of Huan ghost, was also moved to this underground area. No wonder they could not find the crooked neck tree on the surface.

The underground area had several exits, each of which was connected to a different dormitory room on the surface.

Apparently, the mistress was trying to rebuild the General Mansion.

Currently.

Young women dressed in kimonos were lined up at the entrance of the General Mansion.

Each time a server with a strangulation mark on her neck appeared, a new one would enter the mansion.

It was quite obvious what they were doing in combination with the current known information.

They queued up to hang themselves.

Influenced by some sort of psychogenic effect, the servers had all flocked to the hidden underground General Mansion.

Originally just ordinary people, through hanging, they could obtain a touch of spiritual essence from Huan, dwelling within the crooked neck tree.

It endowed them with exquisite swordsmanship and a cold power that came from the Strange Tale.

However, they were also subject to certain restrictions.

Their power came from here, and once they left the area of General Mansion, they would immediately become harmless bodies of the dead.

Han Dong whispered, “Is this the Strange Tale corresponding to the Demon Sword… I’ll arrange the plan.

Winry, we need you to use your blacksmith hammer to destroy all the exits! We must not let the servers upstairs come down for assistance.”

“Okay!”

“Mia… you will be the main force of this sideline of Strange Tales!

You will handle the ‘Demon Sword’ and fight this mistress face to face.

Abe and I will assist from here, we will not let you be affected by other factors … Since it is a weapon that you need yourself, then you have to solve this issue yourself.”

“I get it… but! If I’m in danger, you have to save me!”

“Rest assured, we won’t let anything happen to you.”

Seeing how protective Han Dong was of her, Mia happily gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Mua

With that, the plan slowly began to take shape.

However.

Even after the planning was done, Han Dong’s brain was still operating at a high speed.

He felt like there were still some factors that he hadn’t taken into account.