Chapter 126: On the Road

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On October 22nd, perhaps the typhoon from that night had carried away the rain clouds, for today was another clear day.

On the sparkling Kamo River, Minamoto Kiyomoto and Kamibayashi Miko stood on the Kamo Ohashi Bridge, listening to the rushing sound of the water.

They were waiting for Himegami Izayoi.

“Miss Kamibayashi, look,” Minamoto Kiyomoto pointed at the waterweeds in the river. “Most people in this world are like wild grass—when the wind blows, they follow the wind; when the water flows, they go with the current.”

Kamibayashi Miko looked in the direction he was pointing. The wild grass on the riverbank flowed like water.

“What we need to do is become the strongest wind, the most irresistible current, and forcibly guide people towards a bright future.”

“What if you are the darkness?” Kamibayashi Miko asked.

“Then there’s nothing to be done. I can only say sorry to everyone and ask them to endure it until my wind stops and my water runs dry.”

“You don’t seem to care whether you are darkness or light?”

“You’re the one who called me darkness, what can I do? If it were someone else, I would have turned them into a ‘Mexican tetra’.”

“A Mexican tetra?”

“A blind animal,” Minamoto Kiyomoto replied. “It only has darkness in its eyes.”

After speaking, they both turned to the left at the same time.

A stylish beauty in a camel-colored trench coat and casual, loose-fitting white trousers walked towards them.

Her long, straight legs stopped two meters away from them.

She pressed her index finger on her sunglasses, and a pair of amorous eyes peeked out from the top edge, winking at Minamoto Kiyomoto with a mix of pride and provocation.

Minamoto Kiyomoto clapped his hands and laughed. He turned to Kamibayashi Miko and said:

“I like her.”

“Do you like her more, or me more?” Kamibayashi Miko asked.

“I’m curious too,” Himegami Izayoi, transformed into a city beauty, chimed in.

Minamoto Kiyomoto’s smile vanished.

“Don’t say things that affect internal unity,” he said with a stern face, full of authority.

Kamibayashi Miko smiled and glanced at him.

Himegami Izayoi let out a cool and delicate huff, pushed up her sunglasses with her index finger, and hid her beautiful eyes again.

Minamoto Kiyomoto studied her face, which was made to look even smaller by the sunglasses, and let his gaze linger on her seductive red lips before asking:
“Is everything settled?”

“Things are never completely settled,” Himegami Izayoi replied.

“Philosophy,” Minamoto Kiyomoto agreed, ending the topic and starting to talk about his own affairs. “Before I go find the Kyushu Shinto Lord, I want to go back to Shodoshima first. To cause trouble for others, one must first be wary of others causing trouble for me.”

“That matter is settled,” Himegami Izayoi said coolly, tilting up her beautiful, sunglasses-clad face.

“Settled?”

“Your mother has been placed in a secret realm by the Shikoku Shinto Lord. She is absolutely safe,” she even snapped her fingers crisply.

It was hard to connect the frivolous, stylish, and cool woman before him with the majestic and noble “Lord of Kyoto.”

Minamoto Kiyomoto really wanted to wrap his arms around her slender waist, take off her sunglasses, and force her to tell him which side was the real her.

If she didn’t say, he would let her taste the feeling of being unable to speak.

Speaking of which, Himegami Izayoi had a habit of keeping her eyes open when she kissed.

At those times, her eyes were even more watery than usual, like a lake in the rain and mist, crystal clear and moving, making Minamoto Kiyomoto’s mouth dry.

“What, are you moved by me?” Himegami Izayoi asked with a grin, looking at Minamoto Kiyomoto who was staring at her.

“Hmm? Oh, you mean what you just said,” Minamoto Kiyomoto came back from his reverie. “I don’t feel anything. It’s what you should have done in the first place.”

Himegami Izayoi pouted, then a smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

“You’ve been having a lot of fun lately, haven’t you,” she looked at Kamibayashi Miko.

“Walking along the banks of the Kamo River, sometimes on foot, sometimes by bike, listening to the flowing water, watching the birds fly, and seeing the clouds drift over the eastern mountains. When I get tired, I duck into a small shop and read a book while drinking coffee,” Kamibayashi Miko replied with a smile.

“Is it okay to be so leisurely? Everyone is counting on the Divine Medium to save them.”

“Life can’t be a straight line. Taking a little detour is inevitable.”

“Master Kiyo,” Himegami Izayoi turned to Minamoto Kiyomoto, who was studying his palm, “do you think it’s okay?”

“According to my palm, I can live to be one hundred and eighty, marry two wives, and have five or six children. Hmm? I’ll die from domestic violence?”

Himegami Izayoi, who had been questioning him with a stern face, couldn’t help but laugh when she heard ‘domestic violence’.

“Answer me!” she lightly punched his chest.

“Is—is there anything wrong with it?” Unable to escape, Minamoto Kiyomoto could only lower his hand and answer in a questioning tone.

“Is… it… really… okay?”

“…Let’s not talk about whether it’s okay or not here. Everyone is counting on us to save them. Takamagahara, let’s go!” Minamoto Kiyomoto turned and walked away.

“Wait, finish what you were saying first. Stop!” Himegami Izayoi chased after him.

“Can’t you see?” Kamibayashi Miko followed at a leisurely pace. “He’s biased towards me. His heart is with me.”

Himegami Izayoi didn’t answer. She just reached out, linked her arm with Minamoto Kiyomoto’s like a couple, and turned back to make a triumphant, funny face at Kamibayashi Miko.

Minamoto Kiyomoto felt a chill run down his back. It was the end of October; winter was coming soon.

◇

Mie Prefecture, Owase City.

A place where 90% of the area is covered by forest and it rains all year round.

“I have failed Your Majesty,” the Kyushu Shinto Lord said to the three of them with a look of shame after the handover.

“Lord Mifune, don’t be discouraged,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said with a laugh. “The Shinto sect has existed for thousands of years. So many Shinto Lords and Kasen have been unable to deal with them. Her Majesty will understand your difficulties.”

The Kyushu Shinto Lord shook his head bitterly.

How could he not know what had happened in the Shishin-den?

Understand his difficulties?
If the “Lord of Kyoto” hadn’t suddenly changed her mind and wanted to make Minamoto Kiyomoto the long-vacant ‘Honshu Shinto Lord’, he would have been dismissed from his post by now.

Looking at the heroic and vigorous Minamoto Kiyomoto sitting in the seat of honor, the Kyushu Shinto Lord couldn’t help but feel emotional.

When they met in Shikoku in July, he was just an unknown kid famous for the ‘Divine Medium’ and the ‘Dainichi Nyorai Spell’.

By August, he was a Kasen who had defeated Ashiya Doman.

And now, in October, with November just a few days away, he could already sit on equal footing with a Shinto Lord.

He focused his senses to gauge his strength. Although Minamoto Kiyomoto was using a concealing spell, with his strength as a Shinto Lord, he could still feel some of it.

That powerful divine energy…
The Kyushu Shinto Lord could only sigh. As expected of a genius favored by the Divine Medium and valued by the World-Honored One.

Minamoto Kiyomoto’s gaze shifted from the Kyushu Shinto Lord to everyone in the hall: six Kasen, and twenty practitioners with over thirty battles under their belts.

Practitioners with fewer than thirty battles were not qualified to attend the meeting.

“Everyone, I like to keep things simple. There are some things I want to say first.”

His gaze swept over everyone one by one.

“I know my qualifications are shallow, and I became a Kasen by relying on the ‘Demon Body Spell’. There are definitely people who are not convinced by me, or are jealous of me, and don’t want me to complete the mission and become the Honshu Shinto Lord.”

“Whoever dares to disobey orders, I will be the first to not spare them!” the Kyushu Shinto Lord’s gaze was like lightning.

“It’s not just the Kyushu Shinto Lord who won’t spare you,” Minamoto Kiyomoto sneered. “I won’t spare you either. If I don’t spare you, then the Divine Medium and Her Majesty won’t spare you.”

“…” The crowd was silent, having nothing to say to this kid.

“Hey? What about me?” Himegami Izayoi pouted coquettishly. “Master Kiyo, Master Kiyo, I won’t spare them either.”

“I almost forgot,” Minamoto Kiyomoto laughed. “At that time, please perform again how you killed a Kasen with one move in Hakone. I didn’t see it clearly last time.”

“Leave it to me!” Himegami Izayoi clenched her small, white, slender, and tender fists, which looked very lickable.

“Lord Tsukushi-no-Kimi, you worry too much. How could we do such a thing!”

“That’s right. We are all here to eliminate the Shinto sect. We should work together.”

“Even if the opponent wasn’t the Shinto sect, since Lord Tsukushi-no-Kimi is acting on Her Majesty’s orders, we will naturally follow your lead.”

Those who spoke were all Kasen. As expected of people with profound capacity who could cultivate to the Kasen level.

Minamoto Kiyomoto laughed and said loudly:

“In that case, everyone, let’s work together to resolve this matter as soon as possible, so that you don’t have to be my subordinates and listen to my orders all the time.”

“Once the matter is resolved, Lord Tsukushi-no-Kimi will be the ‘Honshu Shinto Lord’. We will still have to listen to your orders, my lord,” someone said with a laugh.

“Under the leadership of Lord Tsukushi-no-Kimi, with two shrine maidens, Lord Mifune, and all the Kasen, won’t those rats be easily captured?”

“Congratulations in advance to Lord Tsukushi-no-Kimi on becoming the ninth ‘Honshu Shinto Lord’ and leading Honshu!”

“Congratulations, Lord Tsukushi-no-Kimi!”

“Hahaha!” Minamoto Kiyomoto laughed heartily. “Good! When I become the Honshu Shinto Lord, if any of you have any problems, feel free to come to me!”

“Thank you, Lord Tsukushi-no-Kimi!”

“The first time I saw Lord Tsukushi-no-Kimi in Hakone, I knew he was no ordinary genius!”

“Isn’t that right! I personally heard Mansaku-shonin of Mount Koya say, ‘Lord Tsukushi-no-Kimi is the World-Honored One in the flesh’!”

The atmosphere in the great hall was cheerful, as if the Shinto sect was already lying on the ground and this was a celebration banquet.

Watching Minamoto Kiyomoto mingling with the crowd, enjoying the flattery like a fool, Kamibayashi Miko and Himegami Izayoi exchanged a glance and both found it amusing.

After the flattery ended, they proceeded to discuss how to find the Shinto sect.

After the August Bon Festival, the Kyushu Shinto Lord had been wandering along the southern coastline, hoping for an unexpected encounter with the Shinto sect, a world-shaking, passionate contact.

To the south of Japan is the vast and boundless Pacific Ocean. A mountain-like yokai could dive in and live in it like a fish.

Considering this, and based on the experience in Shikoku last time—which was also in the southern sea—it was natural for the Kyushu Shinto Lord to go south to find them.

But, the Shinto sect was not in the south.

They were in the north, in Shimane Prefecture, at Izumo-taisha.

The leader of the Shinto sect’s Group Four was a shrine maiden of Izumo-taisha.

After hearing them out, Minamoto Kiyomoto made a decision, “If we can’t find them in the south, then let’s go to the north coastline.”

A seemingly thoughtless sentence decided their next course of action.

But that was for the next day. Since they had come all this way, what was the point of coming if they didn’t collect some local specialties before going back?
After the meeting ended, Minamoto Kiyomoto and the two shrine maidens went for a walk outside.

Leaving the encampment, the mountains were not far away.

Owase City is most famous for its Owase cypress.

Rows of mature cypress trees, as straight as pencils, stood side by side, like a high wall.

Walking into the forest, the mountain path was paved with moss-covered stones, with a gurgling stream by the roadside.

“Owase cypress… what can I do with it if I take it back home?” Minamoto Kiyomoto gazed at the trees, pondering.

“Don’t bring everything home,” Kamibayashi Miko warned him.

“Home?” Minamoto Kiyomoto savored the word. “Although I know you don’t mean it that way, it still makes me feel warm and long for such a life even more.”

“I meant it,” Kamibayashi Miko smiled.

“You fool, do you see now?” Himegami Izayoi said. “Who is the bad woman, and who is the one who is truly good to you.”

“Whether she’s good or bad, as long as it’s the two of you, I can’t tell good from bad, and I don’t distinguish between good and bad.”

“Can’t tell good from bad. So he’s the real bad guy,” Himegami Izayoi said to Kamibayashi Miko with a laugh.

“Susu was originally a good child. Gentle, considerate, kind, humble, and eager to learn. Even if he was hit, he wouldn’t fight back even if he could. He never took a single day off from school since he was little.”

“Are you saying I corrupted him?”

“What else?”

“‘Susu’? Who’s that?” Minamoto Kiyomoto asked.

Kamibayashi Miko looked at him with a loving gaze.

“You’ve spent too much time with Shiroko and Little Butterfly and have developed too much maternal instinct. As a professional doctor, I suggest you spend the rest of your life with me and Koyako,” Minamoto Kiyomoto’s tone was sincere.

“‘Koyako’? Who’s that?” Himegami Izayoi asked.

Minamoto Kiyomoto looked at her with adoration.

“Heh,” Himegami sneered. “Did I allow it?”

“Wait a minute,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said to her, then turned to Kamibayashi Miko, “Did I allow you to call me Susu?”

“You don’t allow it?” Kamibayashi Miko tilted her beautiful neck.

“…Oh,” Minamoto Kiyomoto turned back to Himegami Izayoi, showing his most handsome and gentle smile. “You don’t allow—”

“Shut up.”

“…Oh.”

Arriving at the mountaintop platform, they saw the Pacific Ocean, capable of accommodating a hundred rivers, and also capable of destroying everything.

The next day, Minamoto Kiyomoto took everyone across Honshu, from the south coastline to the north coastline.

He sent the others to find clues, and the three of them began their tour.

Speaking of Fukui Prefecture, what comes to mind? Naturally, Echizen crab.

The hot spring hotel in Mikuni Port—Bokairo—a place where one can enjoy hot springs and beautiful scenery, as well as taste the exquisite Echizen crab, was naturally not to be missed.

“This sake actually dares to be called Black Dragon,” Minamoto Kiyomoto tasted the world-famous fine wine in the hotel restaurant.

“You’re red-black and red-gold, not black,” Himegami Izayoi said with a laugh.

“That’s not the point,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said. “Next time, I need to find a yokai that can’t carry people.”

“How far are you from becoming a Kasen?” Kamibayashi Miko asked while eating sweet shrimp.

“I’m not sure. I’ll try this time. I’ll have Sayaka help me.”

“Congratulations, Master Kiyo is finally becoming an adult,” Himegami Izayoi said with a smile, raising her sake cup.

“What do you mean, becoming an adult? Are you looking down on practitioners below the Kasen level?” Minamoto Kiyomoto was very dissatisfied and didn’t clink glasses.

“Thank you,” Kamibayashi Miko raised her sake cup and clinked it with Himegami Izayoi’s.

The two took a sip.

“You really see yourself as his mother,” Himegami Izayoi teased.

“He said it himself, that I am the mother on his path of cultivation.”

“You said that?” Himegami Izayoi looked at Minamoto Kiyomoto with some surprise.

“How could that be?” Minamoto Kiyomoto picked up a piece of sea bream with his chopsticks, dipped it in special soy sauce and wasabi. The taste was delicious.

His posture was natural, his tone calm, as if he really hadn’t said it.

Himegami Izayoi turned her gaze back to Kamibayashi Miko.

“A rebellious child,” Kamibayashi Miko picked up a towel and gently wiped Minamoto Kiyomoto’s mouth.

“Kamibayashi Miko!” Minamoto Kiyomoto snatched the towel. “I’ve had enough of you!”

“I thought you liked me serving you,” Kamibayashi Miko said.

“…I like it, but you have to serve me with the mindset of serving a husband.”

“How do you know I wasn’t wiping your mouth with the mindset of serving a husband?” Kamibayashi Miko tilted her beautiful neck once more.

“…Is that so?” Minamoto Kiyomoto was a little hesitant.

“No,” she answered crisply, like a cannonball out of the barrel, without any hesitation, blowing Minamoto Kiyomoto to pieces.

“You just bully this innocent young boy!” Minamoto Kiyomoto pretended to be angry and threw the towel on the table.

“Don’t be angry, Master Kiyo. I’ll serve you,” Himegami Izayoi picked up a plump, long crab leg and took out the meat.

“Ah—” she gestured for Minamoto Kiyomoto to open his mouth.

“…What mindset are you serving me with?” Minamoto Kiyomoto ate the crab leg, his eyes fixed on her.

“A ninja.”

“A ninja?”

“Assassination,” the female ninja giggled, looking very pretty. But her delicate hands mercilessly broke the crab leg shell and then casually tossed it on the table.

Minamoto Kiyomoto broke open the huge, top-grade Echizen crab, revealing the rich and beautiful crab roe, and scooped up a spoonful.

“Ah—” he gestured for Himegami Izayoi to open her mouth.

Himegami Izayoi laughed for a good while before she could suppress it and open her small mouth.

He could see her white, neat teeth, and her pink tongue and mouth.

After taking a spoonful and taking the crab roe, she asked:
“Master Kiyo, what mindset are you serving me with?”

“Of course, it’s the mindset of a husband serving his wife. What else could it be?” As he spoke, Minamoto Kiyomoto scooped up another spoonful and brought it to Kamibayashi Miko’s lips. “Ah—”

Kamibayashi Miko leaned back slightly, away from him, and looked at the spoon with disgust.

“Don’t go,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said with a laugh. “Aren’t you the mother on my path of cultivation? The crow repays its parents. Today, I will also serve my mo-ther-in-law her meal.”

“I’m still young, not old yet. I don’t need you to serve me.”

“You have to eat today even if you don’t want to!”

Kamibayashi Miko’s eyes lifted slightly, conveying a “Hmm?”

“I’m sorry,” Minamoto Kiyomoto put the spoon in his own mouth.

“Indirect kiss, indirect kiss,” Himegami Izayoi touched her index fingers together, excited like a high school girl.

“I know. I did it on purpose.”

Himegami Izayoi burst out laughing and collapsed onto the table.