Hmm? Are you scared? When have I ever been scared
I have usurped the throne from the God of Wind, committed crimes in the territory of the God of Ice, I have a seat in the house of the God of Rock, and I have destroyed the boudoir of the God of Thunder.
Who am I afraid of?!
This is called caution!
However... ... looking at the very familiar mark next to Sanbing and the place where the two of them were together, Bai Luo's expression gradually became subtle.
"Ying Xiangshan, I didn't expect that the person who saved the scattered soldiers was you."
But that's true, given the relationship between her and Ying, it doesn't seem strange that she would save Sanbing.
I just didn't expect that she would be so careless as to place the scattered soldiers in Yingxiang Mountain.
Ying and the general must have noticed this, but since he is still alive today, it means that they don't mean to kill all the stragglers.
This is getting interesting.
The dagger in his hand gradually unfolded, and the faint scent of plum blossoms also spread with the sea breeze. Holding an oil-paper umbrella, Bai Luo walked straight into Ganjin Island without any disguise.
The fox lying in the grass seemed to have sensed something. It raised its head high and stared at the dark figure.
There seemed to be an inexplicable gleam in its eyes.
"Ding-ling-ling..."
The cherry blossoms fluttered and fell on the torii gate.
The torii gate painted with vermilion has never faded for thousands of years.
It’s not that the powerful Lord Yae Miyaji used any magic, it’s all thanks to her connections.
Thanks to that mysterious existence, she only needs to ask her priestesses to clean the cherry blossoms above the torii gate every day, and she doesn't have to worry about fading at all.
Just like... the word "down" on her leg that she had completely ignored.
The Yae Goddess, who was lying under the eaves, stretched out her slender jade hand and lightly tapped it. The wind chimes that were originally fluttering in the wind stopped instantly.
She sat up, stretched beautifully, and let out a particularly comfortable moan.
Afterwards, she put her hands in front of her chest, pinched something with two fingers, and pulled it out, imitating her friend.
It was a bamboo stick that exuded a faint plum blossom scent, and it was a gift Bai Luo had given her before.
Although the poem above does not have any artistic conception, the pattern drawn on it is a serious "Reed Sketch".
However, the greatest value of this bamboo bookmark is not the reed sketch, but its lasting plum blossom scent.
The aroma of wine, cherry blossoms, and even the body fragrance of Yae Shinko herself could not cover up the faint scent of plum blossoms.
Even though she was used to seeing rare things, she couldn't let it go and always carried it with her.
Even the little gadget that Ying had given her before was thrown into the corner by her.
Picking up the small bowl beside him, he rolled up his sleeves and dipped it in the wine. Yae Shinto seemed to be drawing something in the air, dancing in front of his eyes.
After finishing the ritual, she picked up the bowl of sake that had not yet been finished and poured it into her mouth.
Then
"puff-"
After seeing the dark figure, Yae Shinko spat out a mouthful of wine, attracting the attention of the nuns who were working nearby.
This was the first time they saw the Palace Master like this.
Putting down the wine bowl, Yae Shinto sat upright and began to sense the location of the fox.
"Gankin Island?"
After knowing it was Ganjin Island, her expression softened a little.
If she remembered correctly, Bai Luo had used this magical long-distance teleportation ability on that island.
She placed the fox on Ganjin Island mainly to guard against Bai Luo.
The main point is the surprise.
I never thought that a random arrangement would play such an important role.
"Oh my, should we tell Ying about this news?"
Playing with the bookmark given by Bai Luo, Yae Shinko had a playful expression on his face.
After knowing that Bai Luo appeared in Inazuma, she understood that Inazuma would probably not have peace in the days to come.
It's not just because of the other party's identity as an executive of the Fatui, even the influence brought by Bai Luo himself is enough for her to take it seriously.
However... ...because of this, Yae Shenzi also saw what kind of influence Bai Luo would have on Inazuma's current condition.
If she uses it well, maybe her friend who has been shutting herself in a pure land will change her mind.
After all, so far, the only person who could lead her out of the Pure Land of Oneness, besides the young swordsman who dared to face the power of heaven, was Bai Luo.
Unfortunately... ... the young swordsman had died under the might of heaven, otherwise she would have had more choices.
I heard that on the continent across the ocean, a foreign traveler was also becoming famous.
But now Inazuma is in a state of seclusion, and it is not easy for her to come over.
"I'm sorry Ying, please let me be willful one more time."
With a slight smile, Yae Shinko, who had picked up the pen to write something, casually threw the pen aside, letting the white paper beside him drift away with the breeze.
Until it fell in front of someone.
"snort... ... ."
After a cold snort, the man grabbed the floating white paper and looked in the direction of Ying Xiangshan.
Chapter 845 Konda Village
The warm sunshine shone on the muddy and narrow path, but it did not make the bumpy road look drier.
The occasional cobblestone roads prove that this place was once glorious, but no matter what its past was like, it is now just a small place that few people visit.
The fence wrapped with hemp rope on the roadside is probably its last sign of stubbornness.
At the end of the road, a young man dressed in black was walking slowly.
He was holding a red oil-paper umbrella in his hand, and he walked at a moderate pace, as if he was on a picnic.
In the other empty hand, there was a bunch of blue flowers.
Only occasionally, when they saw statues of ground foxes or sky foxes on the roadside, would they stop and, as if offering a sacrifice, hand over the flowers in their hands.
What is even more surprising is that, although he was walking on a muddy road, he walked very steadily, without any feeling of slipping, as if he was walking on a highway.
If someone followed him, they would probably not only be surprised, but also feel weird.
Because there were not even any footprints on the road he walked.
"Young man, from the island?"
Katsumi Shibamon, who was working in the fields, noticed the young man who was paying tribute to the fox statue with flowers. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the towel around his neck and took the initiative to greet him.
In the early years... ... this Konda Village was also a famous place.
But as time goes by, those honors are no longer there, and only these old guys are left guarding this place.
"Well, I came to see a friend."
Looking at the statue of the celestial fox whose eyes seemed to be flashing with some light, Bai Luo smiled slightly, stood up and said to the old man in the field.
In a sense, he and Sanbing are really friends, and I'm not lying.
"You're so interesting that you came here to look for friends."
With a hearty laugh, Chaimen Katsumi picked up his hoe and waved to Bai Luo.
"Come with me, old man. We haven't had any guests in Konda Village for a long time."
After rolling up his mud-stained trouser legs, Katsumi Shibamon took the initiative to take Bai Luo to a small village deep in the countryside.
Although the village is small, it has all the necessary facilities and is even better than some places in Inazuma City.
However... ... beneath the thriving crops, what cannot be concealed is the sadness of the ruins.
Some places that were obviously inhabited have either been turned into farmland or are overgrown with weeds. In the huge village, only a few families in the center are struggling to survive.
"Our Konda Village has been the production base of dyes used by the shogunate since ancient times. However, due to the influence of the [Seclusion Order] and the war, this place has... Well, let's not talk about it."
When Katsumi Shibamon mentioned the former glory of this village, he could not hide his pride at all.
However, under the influence of time and various factors, the village has aged at a speed beyond people's expectations.
"Is the Kanjo Bugyo in charge here?"
I looked at the lanterns hanging diagonally under the eaves. On the shabby and faded lanterns, there was clearly a mark of Kanjo Bugyo printed on it.
This means that this place falls under the jurisdiction of the Three Priests.
"Don't mention it. The big guys in the Kanjo Bugyo only think of our little corner when they are collecting taxes. If you ask who is in charge here..."
Having said that, Katsumi Shibamon paused and a smile unconsciously appeared on his face.
"Maybe, it's those guys from the Aradaki faction."
When Bai Luo heard Katsumi Shibamon say the familiar name of the Arotaki School, he was slightly stunned.
He didn't expect that Aratake Ichito was doing so well in Konda Village, and his reputation even surpassed that of the official one.
What Bai Luo didn't know was that the fate between the Arotaki faction and Konda Village actually came from him.
In the early years, Aratake Ichito did often go to Konda Village, but the villagers did not take him seriously and just treated them as ordinary gangsters.
Once, Arotaki Ichito and his group accidentally ate a strange sunset fruit and fell into a coma for a long time. If it weren't for the help of the people from Konda Village, they might have been taken away by wild beasts in the White Fox Wilderness.
As luck would have it, not long after Arotaki Ichito woke up, a group of Nobushige attacked Konda Village.
If he hadn't taken action, this historic village would probably have become a thing of the past.
In short, from that day on, Konda Village officially "accepted" the protection of the Arotaki faction.
And the price they paid was just a basket of melons.
"But... he is a ghost, right?"
According to what Bai Luo knew, because of certain things, the Inazuma people have always had a barrier towards the ghost clan.
This kind of estrangement is difficult to erase.
"What ghosts? In my eyes, he and his men are just a bunch of children who never grow up. Sometimes, people are scarier than ghosts. Besides, you young people probably haven't heard the story of the red ghost and the blue ghost."
With a sigh, Katsumi Shibamoto said.
But this simple sentence made Bai Luo understand a lot.
This Shibato Katsumi... ...I'm afraid he is not as simple as he seems.
That’s right. As a dye producing area that was once used by the shogunate, the fact that Katsumi Shibamon’s family could live here for generations must mean that their background is not simple.
"Old man, telling those old stories to young people again."
Just as the two were discussing the affairs of the ghost clan, another old voice was heard beside them.
An old woman with white hair, but walking with more imposing manner than Katsumi Shibamon, was walking out of the woods beside the village carrying a basket of violets.
"Why, you are the only one allowed to talk about the disappearance of the fox master, but I am not allowed to talk about the ghosts?"
After seeing the old woman, Katsumi Shibamon's kind expression suddenly disappeared, and his whole demeanor was lifted.
That voice... ...is nothing like the old man's before.
"Okay, okay, I don't know which old guy insisted on telling Futaba about the Oni-jinchu last time. As a result, the girl was scared and couldn't sleep well for more than a week."
"Then... can you blame me? The story of the ghosts is so touching, who knew she would be so scared."
"Have you ever thought that what she's afraid of is not the ghost in the story, but some old guy with a green face and fangs who tells stories?"
"you... ... !"
"Um?"
"Old woman, we have outsiders here today, I won't argue with you. After the guests leave, I will let you see the majesty of the head of the family."