Chapter 150: A Clear Sky, Almost No Snow, Yet Bone-Chillingly Cold

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I don’t know if it was because the bed was more comfortable on a snowy day, but Minamoto Kiyomoto slept very soundly last night.

In his sleep, he would occasionally realize that Himegami Izayoi and Kamibayashi Miko were right beside him, and every cell in his body felt lazy.

When he opened his eyes, Himegami Izayoi was sleeping peacefully on his right, but Kamibayashi Miko on the other side was gone.

He propped himself up. Through Kamibayashi Miko’s bedding, Rikka was lying on her back on the bed.

Her yukata was messy, and her arms and legs were exposed.

If one were so inclined, with just a slight adjustment of the angle, one could peek into her world from under the hem of her yukata.

Whether she was asleep or awake, she was the type of person who would say whatever she wanted and do whatever she wanted.

Rikka was a very strange person.

When you thought of her being born in the snow and felt sad for her, she herself felt nothing. Instead, she thought you were a monkey and handed you a banana.

Minamoto Kiyomoto got out of the quilt, walked out of the bedroom, and came to the living room.

Kamibayashi Miko was not in the living room either.

He pushed open the door and went out of the wooden house.

At around 4:15 in the morning, the cold air was biting. Even he couldn’t help but release his divine power.

The moonlight shone on the snowfield, a stretch of silver-white, a place as desolate as the end of the world.

At the end of this vast expanse of silver snow, on the tip of a snow mountain, a cluster of golden flames was burning.

The flames were sacred and majestic. Everything around her bowed down to her, yet it also seemed as if they were attacking her, wanting to blow her out and swallow her whole.

“Worried about the Coral Demon Moth?” A black light landed beside Kamibayashi Miko.

Kamibayashi Miko’s usual wake-up time was 4:30.

“I’ll allow you to go with me. To protect your safety, we must hurry,” Kamibayashi Miko opened her eyes.

“I’m worried about you too, so I’m going with you. I’ve also asked various people for help,” Minamoto Kiyomoto sat cross-legged opposite her.

The black light and the golden light would occasionally merge in the air.

“How strong is a prefecture-level yokai? Even Izayoi and you are so nervous,” Minamoto Kiyomoto asked curiously.

“I’m not sure. I’ve been training at Hakusan Shrine since I became the Divine Medium at the age of four. I only started to actively learn about the world of practitioners in April, and I met you not long after.”

“Forget it,” Minamoto Kiyomoto’s tone was light. “No matter how strong it is, we’ll just do our best.”

“Have the Izumo Miko and the others replied to you?”

“The Izumo Miko has agreed, and so has Amatsumara. The Kyushu Shinto Lord and Koyasan haven’t replied yet.”

The reply was sent to Hakusan Shrine, and the blond princess would inform him.

Minamoto Kiyomoto added, “The strength of the Kyushu Shinto Lord and the ‘卍’ light wheel of Koyasan are far beyond ordinary Kasen. I hope they can agree.”

Kamibayashi Miko nodded.

“Of course,” Minamoto Kiyomoto laughed. “The Hokkaido Miko is the most important. After all, she’s a shrine maiden who can be compared to you, Miko.”

Kamibayashi Miko glanced at him.

When they were alone, he would call her ‘Miko’.

“The small talk ends here. We haven’t practiced together in a long time. Shall we try today?” Minamoto Kiyomoto said, and a five-colored qi sword flew out of the black light and floated between the two of them.

“What spell is this?” Kamibayashi Miko asked.

“I forgot. I don’t even look at the names of the spells I learn now. The names can deepen my understanding of the spells, but they are far from being a restraint on me. Let’s just call it the Five Elements Qi Sword. The five elements generate each other, and its power is as endless as the waves of the sea, each layer stronger than the last; the five elements restrain each other, like a volcanic eruption, explosive and fierce.”

Finally, Minamoto Kiyomoto laughed, “Miko, you have to be careful!”

The young man was full of spirit.

On Kamibayashi Miko’s face, the expression Himegami Izayoi had mentioned when they were soaking in the hot spring last night appeared—a mother seeing her brave and mischievous child, a little blaming, and a little proud.

Golden light, like fireflies, gathered in front of her and took shape.

“What spell is this? You don’t seem to have taught me,” Minamoto Kiyomoto asked.

“A teaching whip.”

“Humph, take this!”

As soon as his voice fell, two swords stabbed straight out.

The golden teaching whip flicked lightly, deflecting the five-colored sword qi.

The sword qi grazed her face, and the snowflakes behind her exploded into a flurry.

With a “clang,” in the flying snow, the Five Elements Qi Sword and the golden teaching whip collided.

The two of them stood motionless, controlling their divine power with their minds.

The wind howled, and the snow mist flew wildly.

The Five Elements Qi Sword suddenly hung in the air, sensing the divine energy of the snow mountain.

The five elements changed, borrowing the power of the snow mountain, and rushed towards the golden teaching whip like an avalanche.

The golden teaching whip was knocked into the night sky and also began to evolve, from a teaching whip to a small golden sun.

The temperature at the mountain peak, which was close to minus forty-five degrees in the early morning, began to melt the ice and snow in the blink of an eye.

The power of the Five Elements Qi Sword, which sensed the power of the snow mountain, was greatly weakened, and it fled in a panic.

Occasionally, it would drill between two snow mountains, and the sword qi would detonate the snow, trying to melt the sun, but it couldn’t even break the golden halo around the sun.

The sun didn’t directly destroy the Five Elements Qi Sword either.

Whenever he was about to lose, it would hang in mid-air, waiting for him to change the five elements again.

After the Five Elements Qi Sword had no new changes, the sun directly melted it, turned back into a teaching whip, and knocked on Minamoto Kiyomoto’s head.

“I thought I was at least close to you in terms of spells,” Minamoto Kiyomoto rubbed the spot where he had been knocked.

“The moves are skillful and respond to the hand, the profound meaning is sharp and obtained from the heart. You’re still a little lacking,” Kamibayashi Miko said.

The two of them maintained the same level of divine power, relying entirely on their understanding of spells.

The casually named Five Elements Qi Sword was not Minamoto Kiyomoto’s most proficient spell, and what Kamibayashi Miko used was not even a spell, but just some of her understanding of spells.

Even though it was the same amount of divine power, she could make the sun emit such a high temperature.

Minamoto Kiyomoto’s Five Elements Qi Sword all turned into the fire element, which could be called the Li Fire Qi Sword. It was explosive and fierce, but it was still no match for her.

“How much am I lacking?” Minamoto Kiyomoto asked curiously.

“Far from it. Don’t think you can be proud just because you defeated Ashiya Doman,” Kamibayashi Miko said. “You defeated Ashiya Doman by a fluke. He had just been resurrected. The reason he could defeat the reserve Kasen of the Abe clan was because he knew enough about the Abe clan’s spells, and the other party had lost their courage, so he won easily, making everyone think he was very strong.”

“Then what about the Yellow Springs Demonic Dragon? That’s equivalent to three Kasen.”

“You don’t need three Kasen. Two Kasen can take care of you. Everyone knows your ‘Demon Body Spell’ now. They won’t give you a second chance to transform.”

“So I’m useless?”

“It’s okay,” Kamibayashi Miko laughed. “When fighting people, you’re probably about the same as Sayaka. When dealing with yokai, you’re a little stronger than her.”

“Is Sayaka very bad?”

“Not bad. If all the leaders of the Shinto sect were her, I could take care of them all by myself.”

“…I’d better learn from the monks in Kyoto. They chant sutras in the morning. I’ll shout ‘Miss Kamibayashi’ in the morning, practice the slogan for help, make it loud and clear, and also very pleasant to hear.”

Kamibayashi Miko looked at him with amusement.

The snowflakes that the two of them had just stirred up, fluttering, had stuck to the tips of his hair.

She subconsciously reached out and gently brushed the snowflakes from his forehead.

Her fingers touched the tips of his hair. Minamoto Kiyomoto’s heart was filled with warmth, and he looked at her quietly.

In the quiet and peaceful atmosphere, he took Kamibayashi Miko’s hand and held it tightly.

Kamibayashi Miko gave him an irritated look and pulled her hand back.

She stood up gracefully and flew towards the plain below the mountain.

“Miko, I like you.”

Kamibayashi Miko slowly descended in the air, thinking that if he wanted to hold her hand again, she would let him hold it for a while.

Minamoto Kiyomoto didn’t hold her hand, but with an excited and joyful smile, he rode the wind down with her.

His happy appearance was as if Kamibayashi Miko had said “I like you” to him.

The winter night in Hokkaido was not particularly long. At five or six o’clock, the sky was already getting light.

The two of them landed in front of the small wooden house. Minamoto Kiyomoto looked up again. The sky was densely covered by green leaves.

“This tree is really amazing!” he said sincerely. “How on earth did it do it?”

The two of them entered the house. Kamibayashi Miko went to boil water—she said she would.

Minamoto Kiyomoto walked into the bedroom. Himegami Izayoi was sitting on the bed, letting the fire fan comb her hair.

Rikka rubbed her face against the pillow and cozily hid in the quilt—if Minamoto Kiyomoto wasn’t mistaken, that was Kamibayashi Miko’s quilt.

“I think I understand why she has to stay in this place for more than half a year,” Minamoto Kiyomoto sighed.

With Rikka’s casual nature, if she were in the secular world, who knows when she would start training.

But to be able to come here already proved her capacity.

“What were you doing?” Himegami Izayoi asked.

Her back was to Minamoto Kiyomoto, and her black hair, draped over her back, was so gorgeous it was breathtaking.

“I was severely taught a lesson by Miss Kamibayashi,” Minamoto Kiyomoto threw himself back on his bed, his hands behind his head. “Now I’m disheartened and just want to find two of the strongest shrine maidens to protect me.”

Smack!

Hearing the sound, Himegami Izayoi turned her head and saw Rikka’s hand slapping Minamoto Kiyomoto’s face… like slapping an alarm clock.

She laughed happily.

“…This guy,” Minamoto Kiyomoto took the hand that was plastered on his face and had to sit up again.

Himegami Izayoi finished her grooming. The three of them began to train in the living room. At some point, Rikka also woke up and joined in.

“You’re so diligent,” she said, drinking hot water after they finished.

“Have you thought about it?” Kamibayashi Miko asked.

“Not yet,” Rikka took a light sip of the hot water as if she were afraid of being burned.

“What will it take for you to agree?” Minamoto Kiyomoto couldn’t help but say. “The Coral Demon Moth will appear at any time.”

“What does kissing feel like?”

“…” Minamoto Kiyomoto picked up a peanut and threw it into his mouth.

“If I tell you, will you agree?” Himegami Izayoi put down her wine and asked Rikka.

“I’ll consider it,” Rikka drank a mouthful of hot water. “Answer me, and I’ll start considering.”

“Kissing makes one feel happy and dizzy,” Himegami Izayoi said.

“Dizzy?”

“When my lips touch you, a tingling sensation will immediately cover you, and your whole body will be excited as if you’ve been electrocuted, as if it’s going to tear you apart.”

“I don’t understand. I’ve never been electrocuted,” Rikka continued to drink her hot water.

“…We’ve told you. It’s your business if you don’t understand. Can you start considering now?” Himegami Izayoi asked.

“Let me think.”

“…” Himegami Izayoi was also speechless.

Fortunately, she was the Ise Miko now, not the “Lord of Kyoto.” Otherwise, Rikka would not have had a good time.

“I’m not holding out much hope now,” Minamoto Kiyomoto threw a peanut high into the air and caught it with his mouth, his movements precise.

“It’s your fault,” Rikka said.

“Our fault?” Minamoto Kiyomoto stopped throwing peanuts.

“I said, if you sleep with me for a night, I’ll agree. You’re the ones who refused.”

“Can’t our transaction be a little purer?”

“If there’s no benefit, why should I risk my life for you?” Rikka said.

“That makes sense,” Himegami Izayoi also learned from Minamoto Kiyomoto, threw a peanut into the air, and caught it steadily with her mouth.

“You’re a shrine maiden. Shouldn’t you learn from the Divine Medium? Take protecting the world as your own responsibility,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said.

“I am the shrine maiden of Hokkaido. I only protect Hokkaido.”

“…That makes sense,” Minamoto Kiyomoto threw a peanut into the air and caught it with his mouth.

Kamibayashi Miko glanced at the two of them and had to take matters into her own hands.

“Besides knowing what kissing feels like and letting Minamoto Kiyomoto sleep with you, is there anything else you’re curious about or want?” she asked.

“Not a single one,” Rikka’s lips had just touched the teacup when she took it away again. “Why do you have to sacrifice yourself for people you don’t even know?”

“The Divine Medium’s spell,” Kamibayashi Miko replied. “This power comes from the people who are protected, and it must also be used to protect them.”

“This is the first time I’ve heard of this,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said curiously.

“I know this,” Himegami Izayoi drank a mouthful of hot wine. “But protecting the world, why can’t you be with Minamoto Kiyomoto? Like Rikka, who stays in this godforsaken place?”

“The Divine Medium…”

“Wait,” Minamoto Kiyomoto interrupted Kamibayashi Miko. He looked at Himegami Izayoi with confusion.

“You’re staring at me all of a sudden. Even if we’ve slept together, I’ll still be shy,” Himegami Izayoi said with a smile.

“You don’t know why the Divine Medium can’t be with people?” Minamoto Kiyomoto confirmed.

“How would I know?” Himegami Izayoi picked up a peanut and put it in her mouth. “I asked during class, but she ignored me.”

The “Lord of Kyoto” didn’t know why the Divine Medium couldn’t be with people.

An absurd, unbelievable, and chilling guess popped into Minamoto Kiyomoto’s mind.

“What’s wrong?” Seeing that his face was not right, Kamibayashi Miko asked.

“Izayoi,” Minamoto Kiyomoto collected his emotions and continued to ask Himegami Izayoi, “have any of the previous Divine Mediums gotten married?”

“Otherwise, where did Miko come from?” Himegami Izayoi’s tone was casual. “But this is also a secret. Very few people know that the Divine Medium’s spell is passed down from generation to generation, just like the Ogosho, who claims to be a democracy.”

No one cared about her sarcasm now.

Minamoto Kiyomoto looked at Kamibayashi Miko. Kamibayashi Miko was completely stunned.

“What’s wrong?” Himegami Izayoi looked at the two of them strangely.

“Something terrible is about to happen,” Rikka drank her hot water and stared at Kamibayashi Miko.

“The Divine Medium’s duty is to protect the world. Family affection, love, friendship, they will waste training time, but in this regard, everyone is the same,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said slowly.

Himegami Izayoi looked at Kamibayashi Miko for a couple of times, then suddenly laughed, “You haven’t been deceived by your father, have you?”

Kamibayashi Miko’s whole body went cold, and she even lost consciousness.

Minamoto Kiyomoto recalled their various experiences. They lived a life almost isolated from the outside world and had never had a deep understanding of the world of practitioners, let alone the Divine Medium—the current Divine Medium was right beside them. Who else could they ask to understand?
And the Divine Medium couldn’t have personal feelings—if this was said, no one would feel that there was anything wrong. Even Himegami Izayoi accepted it as a matter of course.

Just like Rikka, who came to this place every year and stayed for more than half a year. Ordinary practitioners didn’t quite understand, but they subconsciously thought that it was a matter of course for the Hokkaido Miko to do so.

What was the “Ogosho” doing this for?
To let her train with a pure heart and few desires?

The Divine Medium couldn’t live past twenty-five. If she gave up all her feelings and trained with a pure heart and few desires, she might indeed be able to live.

Minamoto Kiyomoto also thought that the “Ogosho” had forbidden Kamibayashi Miko from participating in the subjugation, the reason being to let her train well. But when he encountered something he couldn’t solve, he would let her take action again.

Something he couldn’t solve… the “Coral Demon Moth.”

At the National Diet Building, the “Ogosho” had also said in person that he would definitely tell Kamibayashi Miko about this matter.

The previous generation’s Divine Medium, that is, Kamibayashi Miko’s mother, the “Ogosho’s” wife, had died at the hands of the “Coral Demon Moth.”

To avenge his wife? But he didn’t want to easily sacrifice his daughter, or he was afraid she couldn’t do it, so he deceived her?

Kamibayashi Miko was also lost in confused thoughts. A deep fear and coldness swept over her.

She didn’t understand what she was living for.
When she was four years old, her father left her alone at Hakusan Shrine.

She chased after him for a long way, fell several times, but her father never looked back.

After dark, she, who was scared, cried as she returned to the shrine.

Shirako glared at her fiercely from a distance. She curled up in a corner and cried non-stop. That was her first night at Hakusan Shrine.

She had been curled up there, crying when she woke up, and sleeping when she was tired of crying. When her tears ran out, she fainted from hunger. Shirako put food beside her.

After eating that bowl of plum rice, she never cried again.

She convinced herself that she was the Divine Medium, and her father had no choice but to do so.

When she turned eighteen, her father sent someone again, forbidding her from participating in the subjugation. Training was enough.

She was so happy at that time.

Her father was still the father who doted on her. Not seeing her was for her own good, because she was the Divine Medium.

Although they couldn’t meet and couldn’t live together, her father still loved her. It was just because she was the Divine Medium, so there was no way.

Because she was the Divine Medium.

The Divine Medium’s spell brought great power, but it also brought an inescapable restraint.

If she didn’t protect the world, not only would her divine power not improve, but it would also decline.

And the more dangerous the yokai she eliminated, the faster her divine power would improve.

She left Hakusan Shrine, found Minamoto Kiyomoto, and got along with him with a distant attitude, but she still fell in love with him.

But her father had told her that the Divine Medium could not have feelings.

As a result, as a result…
The tears she shed when she was four, the loneliness of these years, the delay in her feelings, letting Minamoto fall in love with Himegami Izayoi… what was all this for?
“Miko,” Minamoto Kiyomoto called softly.

“Sorry,” Kamibayashi Miko looked up and said with a smile, “I’m a little dizzy. I might have a cold.”

It was quiet all around. Time stood still. The snow not only covered everything, but it also seemed to have extinguished all sounds.

The whole world was silent. There were no insects or birds, no gentle breeze rustling through the branches.

It was the first time Minamoto Kiyomoto had experienced such a quiet silence. It was as if the world had died.

“Let’s go back!” he suddenly stood up and looked at the dazed Kamibayashi Miko. “Let’s go and ask the Ogosho clearly, ask him why he did this.”

“What’s the point of asking,” Kamibayashi Miko’s voice was weak.

“What does it matter if you ask or not?” Himegami Izayoi said to Minamoto Kiyomoto with a smile. “Isn’t this good news for you?”

“No.”

“Why not? In the future, Miko won’t have to care about being a Divine Medium or not. She’ll just have to deal with me.”

“But, Miko is not happy,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said. “Then what’s the point of anything.”