At these words, the old man's merchant-like smile gradually faded as he studied Ye Xing with interest.
"It seems you're quite a special individual yourself."
"Wait a minute."
Listening to their exchange, Miko looked utterly bewildered and couldn't help interjecting.
"What do you mean, the old gentleman is a genuine psychic precisely because he sold you fakes? I can't follow the logic."
Ye Xing shrugged and explained nonchalantly.
"Generally speaking, people who claim to possess Spiritual Power and make a living from exorcism fall into two categories."
"The first are complete frauds who don't know the first thing about it."
"Given that he's running a shop on this commercial street, he's probably not one of those. Besides, you must have noticed that some items here do possess genuine Spiritual Power, right?"
Miko nodded in agreement.
From the moment she'd entered, she'd spotted it.
Though few in number, certain items on the shelves emitted faint glows.
This was undeniable proof that they could repel evil spirits.
Of course, against the evil spirits Miko usually encountered, these items were barely better than nothing.
Ye Xing paused for a moment, giving Miko Yotsuya ample time to think, then continued.
"And the second type are those with genuine ability, whose shop items can actually ward off evil."
"You mean this old gentleman is the second type?"
To Miko's surprise, Ye Xing shook his head.
"No, he's the third type."
"The third type?"
"The so-called third type..."
Ye Xing looked at the elderly man sitting behind the counter and spoke slowly.
"The third type are genuine psychics who can see whether customers coming to buy items are being haunted by evil spirits."
"If there's truth to it, they take money to solve people's problems."
"If there are no evil spirits around the customer, it's just psychological. In that case, they sell something to serve as a placebo effect."
After hearing Ye Xing's explanation, Miko nodded as if suddenly enlightened.
So that's how it was.
She'd thought Ye Xing had come here today just to get a refund, but it turned out this was his main purpose.
"Young man, you seem quite knowledgeable."
The old man smiled faintly, stubbing out his cigarette in the ashtray.
"I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Oda Noto."
Ye Xing gave a slight nod.
"Mm, I'm Ye Xing, and this is Miko Yotsuya."
Oda Noto wore a kindly smile, but before he could speak, Ye Xing's next words nearly made him lose his composure.
"Noto? Good name. From now on, I'll call you old man."
Oda Noto sighed helplessly, thinking to himself, 'Haven't you been calling me old man all along? What's the difference?'
"Now that we've laid our cards on the table."
Ye Xing's fingers tapped rhythmically on the counter surface.
"I'll ask directly - what's the most effective item you have here against evil spirits? Show us the real stuff."
"You want to see the real stuff?"
Oda Noto studied Ye Xing deeply for a moment, pondered briefly, then turned and entered the storeroom behind him.
Only after he left did Miko finally get the chance to lean closer to Ye Xing and whisper:
"Um... with your abilities, you shouldn't need to spend money on these things, right?"
"Not necessarily."
Ye Xing yawned, looking somewhat drowsy with a lazy expression.
"If I can find weapons that are more effective, I can save some energy during fights."
"Oh, right."
Miko nodded, thinking that made sense.
She'd personally witnessed how Ye Xing fought evil spirits and had seen the combat experience he'd summarised.
Ordinary weapons, regardless of their composition, couldn't deal substantial damage to evil spirits - they'd recover quickly and could only serve as a form of support.
Miko wasn't entirely clear whether Ye Xing's devouring ability could be used limitlessly.
But upon reflection, there must be restrictions, right?
There must be times when he couldn't eat any more.
Besides...
Those evil spirits looked like abstract paintings. She couldn't understand how Ye Xing could even bring himself to eat them.
If they could really find a weapon capable of destroying evil spirits, not only could Ye Xing use it, but she could also get one for herself as a precaution.
As Miko Yotsuya pondered this silently, Oda Noto emerged slowly, holding an ancient-looking longsword that clearly bore the marks of age.
"This should meet your requirements."
Oda Noto placed the sword gently on the counter. The gleaming blade, unsheathed, reflected a cold glint of light.
"This is...?"
To an ordinary person, though the sword appeared sharp, its age and the numerous nicks of varying sizes along its edge made it far from pristine, let alone worthy of being called a famed blade.
But with her Mystic Eyes, Miko could see it clearly.
Dense red mist, thick as blood, emanated from the longsword.
Just a single glance was enough for her to sense its extraordinary nature.
"How much? I'll take it."
Hearing Ye Xing's words, Oda Noto waved his hand with a smile and said meaningfully,
"It's yours. Consider it a token of my sincerity. How about exchanging contact details?"
"Sure."
Ye Xing seemed to have anticipated this. He gave Oda Noto his phone number, then added,
"Since you're giving the sword for free, how about throwing in a sheath too?"
"You're really pushing your luck here."
Despite his grumbling, Oda Noto was quick to comply, retrieving a wooden sheath and handing it over with a warning.
"By the way, the blade's sharp. You can't take it on the train—be careful."
"Got it, old man. We'll catch up later."
Ye Xing sheathed the sword without hesitation and immediately dragged a still-confused Miko away.
Oda Noto watched their retreating figures, lighting another cigarette and taking a deep drag.
As an experienced exorcist, he'd gleaned much from his brief exchange with Ye Xing.
First, the other party knew the talisman he'd given earlier was a fake, useless.
Second, from his observations, Ye Xing wasn't being haunted by any evil spirits.
And most importantly, the shock in Miko's eyes when she saw the sword.
Putting these details together, he'd deduced that these two seemingly ordinary high schoolers were, like him, psychics.
And...
They likely possessed an ability he lacked—the power to truly eradicate those "things."