Chapter 16: Heaven and Man as One

April 8th, Thursday.

Minamoto Kiyomoto followed Kamibayashi Miko and Himemiya Izayoi. The three of them went to the Onmyo Bureau to register, officially becoming “Purgers,” and then chose a mission with a suitable time.

A group of anti-human cultivators would meet at the foot of Mount Hakuba in Nagano Prefecture on April 10th.

The mission of the three of them was to eliminate them.

There were two ways to eliminate them. One was to purge them on the spot, which meant to kill them; the other was to make them lose their ability to resist and hand them over to logistics.

“Killing people,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said softly.

“First time?” Himemiya Izayoi ate a piece of fried potato with a knife and fork, her eyes looking at him.

“If it wasn’t my first time, would I still be here?” he replied in annoyance.

The three of them came out of Shinjuku Gyoen and found a sandwich restaurant nearby.

On the plate, besides a thick-looking sandwich with a complete mix of meat and vegetables, there were also fried potatoes.

They sat by the window. Across the street was a pink cherry blossom tree, its petals almost all gone.

“Are you mentally prepared?” Kamibayashi Miko ate the vegetables in her sandwich with a knife and fork.

Compared to her mouth, the sandwiches in this shop were indeed too big. Even Minamoto Kiyomoto couldn’t take a complete bite from top to bottom.

“Don’t worry about me,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said. “In a life-or-death situation, I won’t hesitate.”

Kamibayashi Miko nodded.

A person with a profound capacity would be kind, but not pedantically kind.

“How are we going to get there?” Minamoto Kiyomoto asked again.

“Shinkansen,” Kamibayashi Miko replied.

She and Himemiya Izayoi could use the Wind Control Curse to fly there, but Minamoto Kiyomoto’s divine power was not enough, and his Wind Control Curse was not profound.

“I’ve never been on one,” Himemiya Izayoi’s eyes lit up.

“I have a proposal,” Minamoto Kiyomoto looked back and forth between the two of them. “How about we pool our money and buy an RV?”

“An RV? I’ve heard of it. That’s not a bad idea,” Himemiya Izayoi put down her knife and fork, crossed her arms, and nodded frequently.

Minamoto Kiyomoto ignored her and said to Kamibayashi Miko:
“Of course, the Shinkansen is fast, but the round trip to Nagano Prefecture takes eight hours. The carriage is full of people, and we can’t do anything.”

After a short pause, he continued:
“If we drive an RV, the round trip on the highway also only takes eight hours, but besides the driver, the remaining two can cultivate. This time it’s eight hours, what about next time? Over a long period of time, it’s a very long time.”

“We can buy an RV,” Kamibayashi Miko pondered for a moment. “With a car, we can also go to some remote places by ourselves in the future.”

“That’s right!” Minamoto Kiyomoto nodded.

When Kakarot went to Planet Namek, if he hadn’t used the time on the spaceship to cultivate hard, Frieza might not have died.

Even from manga, one can learn a lot.

“But I heard that you need something called a driver’s license to drive?” Himemiya Izayoi said. “Do you guys have one?”

“…”

Minamoto Kiyomoto looked at Kamibayashi Miko, “Lady Divine Miko, you must have a way.”

“I’ll take care of the driver’s license. You pay for the car?” Kamibayashi Miko looked at him, her eyes very clear.

Minamoto Kiyomoto turned his gaze to Himemiya Izayoi again, “Izayoi, what about the money?”

“I can pay. The question is, what are you going to contribute?”

“Cultivation!” he said as if it were a matter of course. “Isn’t the original intention of buying an RV to save time for cultivation? I promise that as soon as I get in the car, I won’t open my eyes and will never waste your efforts!”

“Thick-skinned,” Himemiya Izayoi took a bite of the bread from her sandwich.

“Please praise me for being diligent.”

The two miko did not haggle over this matter. Minamoto Kiyomoto was indeed the one who needed the most time.

After finishing their sandwiches, the three of them began to take action.

As cultivators, they had privileges in many things.

Ordinary people needed to attend training classes to get a driver’s license. They only needed to confirm that they could drive to get the license directly.

Driving was not difficult in the first place, and for the three of them, it was a matter of a few minutes.

Not to mention buying an RV. With money and privileges, the only thing that took time was choosing.

Kamibayashi Miko’s requirement was that it could run. Minamoto Kiyomoto’s requirement was that it had a bed. Himemiya Izayoi wanted the best of everything, from pots and pans to ventilation and a shower.

“I really want to try staying for a night,” looking at the brand new RV, which was as spacious as a small suite, Himemiya Izayoi said happily.

“There will be plenty of opportunities in the future,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said. “What about the masks and clothes?”

“I will prepare them for you,” Kamibayashi Miko said.

“Does it cost money?” Minamoto Kiyomoto asked immediately.

“Of course.”

“How much?”

“The entire reward for this mission.”

For a moment, Minamoto Kiyomoto actually felt that it was very cheap. Kamibayashi Miko still had some conscience.

The next day, which was Friday, as soon as Kamibayashi Miko finished her French exam, the three of them got into the RV, left Tokyo, and headed straight for Nagano Prefecture.

In the car, Minamoto Kiyomoto saw the things Kamibayashi Miko had prepared for him.

A long juban, a long kimono, and a pair of horse-riding hakama, all black.

After putting them on, Minamoto Kiyomoto transformed from a handsome and lazy modern university student into a handsome and upright wandering samurai.

The mask was a classic fox mask.

“Are you done?” he asked from the toilet.

The two miko were changing clothes outside.

“Come out,” Kamibayashi Miko said.

Minamoto Kiyomoto walked out of the toilet and sized up the two of them.

Kamibayashi Miko wore a white komon kimono with a black haori over it.

Her weapon had changed from the Divine Miko’s Damask to a black umbrella. She also wore a fox mask, but it looked softer than Minamoto Kiyomoto’s.

“Like a kimono-clad young woman walking towards you on a stone-paved road in Kyoto on a rainy day.”

“Thank you.”

Kamibayashi Miko sat on the bed, closed her eyes, and began to cultivate.

The last one to change clothes was Himemiya Izayoi. She wore a bright red, gorgeous kimono, and her weapon was a folding fan.

“An oiran?” Minamoto Kiyomoto asked.

“Am I beautiful?” Himemiya Izayoi’s tone rose slightly, and her smile became charming.

She suddenly raised her hand and, with her folding fan, slightly lifted the hem of her kimono. A touch of snow-white entered Minamoto Kiyomoto’s eyes.

Minamoto Kiyomoto’s heart thumped.

Girls in skirts and denim shorts were everywhere on the street, but in a kimono, combined with her bewitching posture, even if only her calves were exposed, it still made one’s heart race.

“Are you moved?” Himemiya Izayoi leaned in and whispered with a smile.

“I’m not interested in women.”

“Oh?” Himemiya Izayoi looked at his face, her fingers reaching into his “Y”-shaped collar, her fingertips gently stroking his chest.

“Do you want to—” she whispered this half-sentence in Minamoto Kiyomoto’s ear.

The warm, fragrant breath exhaled from her rosy, soft lips entered Minamoto Kiyomoto’s ear, as if it wanted to flow all the way to the bottom of his heart.

“I have no money,” Minamoto Kiyomoto grabbed her slender wrist and took it out of his collar.

“You’re so handsome, I won’t charge you,” Himemiya Izayoi pressed her shoulder tightly against him, her movements very intimate.

“Let me tell you a story.”

“Okay,” Himemiya Izayoi’s eyes seemed to be dripping with water.

“The protagonist of ‘Don Quixote,’ Don Quixote, imagined himself as a knight and treated Aldonza, a prostitute in a cheap tavern, as a noble princess named Dulcinea, respectfully calling her Dulcinea.”

“Later, after treatment, Don Quixote no longer fantasized and also lost his motivation to live. When he was on his deathbed, it was Aldonza who came to see him, and she said that she was ‘Dulcinea’.”

“And then?” Himemiya Izayoi used her fan to gently lift the collar of Minamoto Kiyomoto’s kimono.

Minamoto Kiyomoto pressed down on his collar with his hand and continued:
“People are like that. If someone says the same thing to them every day, they will believe it to be true. Especially when it is consistent with their subconscious desires.”

“Will you see me as your lover?”

“It’s not just me. If you continue to play with people’s hearts like this, repeating it every day, you will also slowly become unable to distinguish whether this is a test, or if you really think so.”

“I don’t care,” Himemiya Izayoi almost snuggled into Minamoto Kiyomoto’s arms.

“Hmm?”

“Isn’t it good to be my lover?” Himemiya Izayoi raised her head, slightly tilting her face up as if to kiss Minamoto Kiyomoto, and slightly closed her eyes.

Looking at that delicate face that was both charming and pure, and those delicious lips, Minamoto Kiyomoto’s heart skipped a beat.

“Hahaha!” The witch who was just immersed in lust a moment ago, in a blink of an eye, laughed mockingly without politeness.

“You’re moved?” she said with a confident and coquettish laugh.

“I am devoted to Miss Kamibayashi,” Minamoto Kiyomoto sat on another bed, looking at Kamibayashi Miko, who was cultivating with her eyes closed.

Himemiya Izayoi let out a displeased “Mmm~~” and her body pressed against him again.

“What are you doing? Go drive,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said impatiently.

“How can I drive in a kimono?” Himemiya Izayoi shook her fan, and a flame-colored light flew out from it, turning into a woman in a kimono in the aisle.

“Master,” the woman bowed slightly and bowed to Himemiya Izayoi.

“Go drive,” Himemiya Izayoi commanded softly.

“Yes,” the woman walked towards the driver’s seat, her kimono gradually turning into modern clothes.

Minamoto Kiyomoto looked at Himemiya Izayoi’s fan again. The flame pattern on it was gone.

“Let’s continue,” Himemiya Izayoi squeezed onto the bed, her hand gently stroking his knee.

Her soft body, her charming fragrance, teased Minamoto Kiyomoto like a kitten.

How could he cultivate like this?

“I’ll sit on the floor,” Minamoto Kiyomoto sat down decisively in the living area of the RV.

Leaning his back against the carriage, he closed his eyes as if escaping, and began to sense the breath of the gods.

Before the multicolored breath of the gods appeared, he vaguely heard Himemiya Izayoi’s mischievous laughter.

◇

“Rokuro, Rokuro—”

Minamoto Kiyomoto opened his eyes and saw Kamibayashi Miko standing in front of him.

“We’re almost there,” she said.

Only then did Minamoto Kiyomoto realize that “Rokuro” was him.

“Okay, Yogurt,” he stood up from the floor and said with a smile.

Kamibayashi Miko also seemed to feel that the code name “Yogurt” was a bit shameful, and her face was a little unnatural.

Minamoto Kiyomoto looked out the car window. It was dark all around.

The RV was driving through fields where crops had not yet been planted. The headlights were like sharp swords, splitting the darkness ahead.

The starry sky above was brilliant, as clear as in the countryside of Shikoku.

The distant Mount Hakuba was covered in white snow, glowing like a lake under the starry sky.

Retracting his gaze, he saw Himemiya Izayoi lying lazily and charmingly on the bed, the collar of her kimono open on both sides, revealing her collarbones and shoulders that made one want to pounce on her.

She was looking at him with a smile.

Minamoto Kiyomoto retracted his gaze and said to Kamibayashi Miko, “Those people probably haven’t all arrived yet, right?”

“Mm,” Kamibayashi Miko nodded lightly. “According to the intelligence, when there is one and only one black eagle circling in the sky, that is the signal that they have gathered.”

“We’ll wait in the car?”

“Continue cultivating. I woke you up just now because I need to set up an isolation barrier to prevent those people from sensing our divine power.”

“You’ve already set it up?” Minamoto Kiyomoto was taken aback. “When?”

“When you were looking at me,” Himemiya Izayoi said with a thousand charms.

“Izayo… Beauty, even if we’ve left the campus, we are still students. Put on your clothes properly and be more serious.”

“I won’t,” Himemiya Izayoi stared at him from the bed.

Minamoto Kiyomoto sat back down on the floor and closed his eyes.

He did not immediately enter a state of cultivation. The starry sky he had just seen reminded him of Shikoku.

By the sea in Shikoku, as soon as it got dark, you could see the starry sky, the Seto Inland Sea under the starry sky, the distant lighthouse, and the boats bobbing with the waves under the lighthouse.

Gradually, he felt as if he had already begun to cultivate, but various scenes appeared in his mind.

The scenes were no longer limited to Shikoku, but also included the vast snowy mountains of Nagano Prefecture.

Inside the RV, the originally multicolored breath of the gods gradually turned into the white of the snowy mountains.

Minamoto Kiyomoto’s kimono sleeves and eyebrows were gradually dyed with a layer of white frost, but his expression was very peaceful.

Kamibayashi Miko looked at this scene in surprise. Noticing that the frost was beginning to spread, she set up another barrier.

Himemiya Izayoi, lying on the bed, stared at Minamoto Kiyomoto, who was sitting on the floor.

When he was woken up again, the sky was already completely bright.

“What is this?” he looked at the thin layer of ice on his body, which was like white frost, in confusion.

He touched it with his hand, and a cold feeling came. It was indeed white frost.

“Is it that cold at the foot of Mount Hakuba?” he asked with a look of surprise.

“You entered a state of heaven and man as one, attracting the divine breath of the snowy mountains. When it was converted into your divine power, it produced an anomaly,” Kamibayashi Miko explained.

“Heaven and man as one?”

“The breath of the gods is the spirit of heaven and earth. The multicolored colors that usually appear are actually various kinds of spiritual energy. In such a state, the relationship between man and heaven and earth is that of strangers.”

Minamoto Kiyomoto was lost in thought.

Kamibayashi Miko continued:
“Just now, the various divine breaths around you all turned into the divine breath of the snowy mountains, which means that you and the ‘snowy mountain,’ this god, have changed from strangers to friends.”

“Are there any benefits?” Minamoto Kiyomoto looked up and asked.

“Besides speeding up cultivation, no other benefits have been discovered so far,” Kamibayashi Miko replied.

Before Minamoto Kiyomoto could complain, Himemiya Izayoi, who was lying on the bed, said:

“According to ancient records, the demonic beasts that shake mountains and split seas may be the favored ones of a certain kind of divine breath.”

“Really?” Minamoto Kiyomoto didn’t believe her and turned to ask Kamibayashi Miko.

Himemiya Izayoi picked up the pillow on the bed and threw it over.

Minamoto Kiyomoto raised his hand to catch it and stood up from the floor.

“There is such a saying,” Kamibayashi Miko nodded. “There are also those who say that the demonic beasts themselves are gods, and the breath of the gods is their spiritual energy.”

Finally, she added, “These are all just guesses. No one knows for sure what’s going on.”

“I know,” Himemiya Izayoi said with a smile.

Minamoto Kiyomoto glanced at her, knowing that even if he asked, she wouldn’t say, and he couldn’t tell whether she really knew or was just pretending.

“Haven’t those people all arrived yet?” Just as his voice fell, he heard a strange, sharp cry.

He looked out the car window on his right.

The snow-covered mountains were a bit dazzling in the sunlight. A black eagle was circling in the sky.

Minamoto Kiyomoto glanced at Kamibayashi Miko, and Kamibayashi Miko nodded lightly.

A surge of hot blood rose in his heart. There was fear, excitement, and anticipation. He put down the fragrant pillow in his hand and tucked Polaris, which was on the table, into his waist.

“I’ll take the lead!” he said as he was about to get out of the car.

“Wait.”

Minamoto Kiyomoto turned his head in confusion. Kamibayashi Miko was holding a fox mask and handing it to him.

“I almost forgot,” he laughed, reached out to take it, and put it on his face.

The fox mask automatically fitted, and the paint became vibrant, as if it had come to life.

(End of Chapter)