Chapter 137: White Jade Red Bean Paste

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The crowd was almost suffocating, staring dumbfounded at the coliseum.

On the pitted stage, Minamoto Kiyomoto stood amidst the pile of ice, like a god walking out of the ice and snow.

“The warm-up ends here,” Minamoto Kiyomoto raised his right leg and decisively stepped on a block of ice, looking at the leaders of the Shinto sect from afar.

The wind blew his long hair.

“Choose. Keep your promise, or continue to fight.”

The official practitioners, whose numbers had already overwhelmed the place, suddenly released their divine power. The entire sky of Izumo appeared with a brilliant aurora.

“Gulp.” On the Shinto sect’s stand, the sound of swallowing saliva was one after another.

They looked nervously at their group leaders.

The nine group leaders’ faces were ugly. They had thought they had an eighty percent chance of success, but they had actually lost.

The coliseum seemed to have become a floating ice floe in the Antarctic. An Antarctic-like silence was playing out.

In this deathly silence, Minamoto Kiyomoto suddenly let out a light laugh.

“Do you know ‘Hick’s Law’?” he said as if chatting.

“‘The more choices a person faces, the longer it takes to make a decision.’ It seems I’ve given you too many choices—”

Minamoto Kiyomoto’s voice turned cold.

“Hand it over,” he said.

“…” It was a silence even more terrifying than before.

Everyone in the Shinto sect, without exception, felt as if their bodies were about to dissipate like smoke, and also as if they were numb like stone.

The leader of Group Two took a deep breath, raised his hand, and under the wrapping of the blue-iron divine power, a box made of bone, with the eyes of the crowd, slowly floated towards Minamoto Kiyomoto.

Minamoto Kiyomoto caught it and casually tossed it to the official practitioner who forged divine artifacts.

About three minutes later, they reported:
“Lord Tsukushi-no-Kimi, that nail can indeed control yokai to a certain extent, but one is far from enough, unless there is a corresponding special spell.”

“The spell is not part of the bet,” the leader of Group Two said in a deep voice.

Minamoto Kiyomoto glanced at them, “Scram.”

The leader of Group Two’s blue-iron divine power suddenly burst forth. His entire face was twisted and terrifying, very ferocious, making one’s blood run cold.

“Go!” Sara Sanae stood up and said sharply.

The leader of Group Three followed and stood up, his hand on the leader of Group Two’s shoulder, and said to him in a low voice, “Now is not the time. Sooner or later, we’ll let this kid know the price of arrogance.”

The blue-iron divine power slowly subsided.

The other six group leaders also stood up.

The Shinto sect began to retreat.

“Wait,” Minamoto Kiyomoto spoke again.

“Minamoto… Kiyomoto!” the leader of Group Five looked over angrily. “Don’t think you’ve got us! Don’t forget, we still have eight pieces of the Yellow Springs Demonic Dragon’s remains. At worst, we’ll have a big fight and see if we can destroy Izumo, and see who suffers the greater loss!”

“Calm down, I’m sorry, I let you misunderstand,” Minamoto Kiyomoto laughed. He raised his right index finger, “One year.”

The crowd looked at him, puzzled.

“Within one year, I will make the Shinto sect disappear and become history.”

Before they could react, Minamoto Kiyomoto continued, “Don’t misunderstand again.”

His feet left the ground, and he slowly rose into the sky.

“I’m not interested in great achievements, nor do I hope to end any bloodshed.”

“I just want to see how much pressure the Shinto sect, which has been passed down for thousands of years, can give me, how far it can push me, and to what extent it can make me grow within a year.”

“My reason for destroying you is just that.”

He was suspended in mid-air, the sunlight shining on him. Behind him were the official practitioners, led by the Divine Medium and the Ise Miko.

The leader of Group Eight, Drunkard, gulped down a mouthful of saliva, finally feeling a trace of fear for this young man.

The leader of Group Seven, Spider, had beads of sweat on his sideburns.

Everyone’s face was grim.

“Go!”

The nine group leaders turned into streams of light and disappeared over the sea. The members of the Shinto sect fled in panic.

“My lord,” Takekuma Kasen and the others flew over. “Shall we?”

“No need,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said. “One must be true to one’s word.”

Some people disapproved, while others admired him even more, deeply impressed by his charm.

Minamoto Kiyomoto didn’t care about their thoughts at all. He turned and flew back to the two shrine maidens.

“How was it?” he said smugly.

“Destroy the Shinto sect in one year. Who told you to say that?” Kamibayashi Miko’s expression was cold, as if she were asking casually.

Minamoto Kiyomoto knew he was in trouble. She was angry again.

In other matters, Kamibayashi Miko was easy to talk to, but she was very particular about him making decisions on his own without her consent.

“Miss Kamibayashi,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said quickly, “iron will rust if not used, and water will stink if it doesn’t flow. Although I have a little talent, without pressure, I can’t improve quickly.”

“Alright, alright, don’t be angry. Isn’t it a good thing to destroy the Shinto sect early?” Himegami Izayoi said with a smile, trying to persuade Kamibayashi Miko. She took off her kimono jacket and draped it over Minamoto Kiyomoto.

She was wearing a red kimono and a black jacket. Minamoto Kiyomoto didn’t look effeminate with it on. Instead, he had a free and unrestrained air, the潇洒of a son-in-law eating with his clothes open.

“Little brother, are you okay? Let big sister take a look,” the Suiten-gu Miko’s voice was soft and full of affection, her hands reaching for his waist.

Minamoto Kiyomoto waved her away and said to Kamibayashi Miko and Himegami Izayoi, “Let’s go back first.”

◇

Returning to Izumo-taisha, it was exactly noon. A banquet was unavoidable.

“Let’s toast to Lord Tsukushi-no-Kimi’s victory!”

“It’s everyone’s victory! Cheers!”

Minamoto Kiyomoto drank heavily, accepting all toasts; he also accepted all hints of allegiance.

The crowd also discovered that Minamoto Kiyomoto was different from the fierce and arrogant person he was in battle. At this time, he was very approachable, and from time to time, he would give guidance on spell cultivation. He also didn’t get drunk no matter how much he drank.

Regardless of their cultivation level or position, he could talk and laugh with them, not being condescending.

In the end, when the crowd sang waka, his literary talent was unmatched.

Needless to say, the female practitioners were charmed by Minamoto Kiyomoto’s strong charisma. Even the men were convinced and willing to follow him and serve him.

The banquet lasted all afternoon, until dusk. Because they couldn’t leave their posts for a long time, the practitioners all dispersed.

In the evening breeze, Minamoto Kiyomoto stood under the eaves of the shrine, looking at the sky dyed red by the setting sun.

The Izumo Miko walked slowly from behind.

“Lord Tsukushi-no-Kimi, please give me one day. I will arrange the affairs of the shrine and will follow you back to Kyoto,” she said softly.

“Follow me back to Kyoto?” Minamoto Kiyomoto turned around. “What for?”

“I am a traitor, the leader of a Shinto sect group. I should be punished.”

“I have no objection to you atoning for your mistakes,” Minamoto Kiyomoto looked at her, “but without a shrine maiden who is willing to believe in me, even if I become the Honshu Shinto Lord, I won’t have enough power to implement reforms.”

Before he was strong enough to subvert everything, in order to make the reforms go smoothly, key figures like the Izumo Miko, who held important positions and had outstanding cultivation, had to be brought to his side.

The same was true for the people at the banquet just now.

“Your meaning is…” the Izumo Miko looked up, looking at him in disbelief.

“Just call me Kiyomoto-kun,” as the sun set, Minamoto Kiyomoto smiled slightly, his spirits high.

The Izumo Miko didn’t know what to say.

She suddenly discovered that even the setting sun didn’t need to be lamented. The setting sun also had its beauty.

The reluctance she felt for Izumo-taisha, the melancholy that filled her heart, disappeared without a trace.

“Kiyomoto-kun, is there anything I need to do?”

“Support my reforms. Didn’t I say so?”

“I mean, besides that,” the Izumo Miko’s gaze was firm.

She had made up her mind. If Minamoto Kiyomoto’s reforms failed, and he wanted to overthrow the “Lord of Kyoto,” or learn from the Shinto sect and occupy Kyushu or Shikoku, she would follow him without hesitation.

“What I need you to do… let me think. By the way, didn’t you say you’d treat us to white jade red bean paste? Are you free now?”

“…What did you say?”

◇

The Izumo Miko took Minamoto Kiyomoto, as well as Kamibayashi Miko and Himegami Izayoi, who had not attended the banquet, and left Izumo-taisha, heading to a dessert shop.

“I’ve already informed Sayaka. She’ll be waiting for us there,” the Izumo Miko said.

“You’re going to see your ex-girlfriend. May I ask what Master Kiyo is feeling right now?” Himegami Izayoi held her fist to Minamoto Kiyomoto’s mouth, interviewing him.

Minamoto Kiyomoto, as if afraid the “microphone” wouldn’t pick up his voice, grabbed her hand and brought it closer to his mouth.

“I’m not concerned about my ex-girlfriend right now. I’m just looking forward to the white jade red bean paste,” he said.

Himegami Izayoi pulled back her small, fair hand and said righteously, “Mr. Minamoto, please don’t take the opportunity to molest the reporter.”

“I’m sorry. By the way, beautiful and lovely Miss Reporter, are you free tonight?”

“What if I’m free, and what if I’m not?”

“If you’re free, we—”

“You’re not free,” a clear and cold voice, Kamibayashi Miko looked over.

“I’m sorry,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said apologetically to Himegami Izayoi, “my manager is quite strict. I said the wrong thing during the performance today, so it seems I have to go back and be educated. Miss Reporter, let’s have a drink together next time.”

“So spineless, being controlled by a woman,” Himegami Izayoi rolled her eyes at him.

“You say I’m spineless? I went to see you once, do you remember? I was lectured by you for a full two hours!”

Himegami Izayoi laughed charmingly and innocently, but her rosy lips still retorted without showing any weakness:
“It’s because you’re spineless that I lecture you. I’m doing it for your own good.”

“Being controlled by a woman is spineless, and because I’m spineless, I have to be controlled by a woman—Miss Kamibayashi, my life mentor, what should I do in the face of such a life?”

“Miko, don’t answer him!” Himegami Izayoi said with a laugh. “This guy is trying to woo both of us at the same time.”

“I know,” Kamibayashi Miko nodded faintly.

“Hey, no matter from what aspect, you two can’t team up!”

Kamibayashi Miko ignored him and said to Himegami Izayoi, “You told me not to answer, not because he’s pursuing both of us at the same time, but to create an opportunity for yourself.”

“I’m not such a scheming person. Am I, Master Kiyo?” Himegami Izayoi asked Minamoto Kiyomoto unhappily, as if she had been wronged.

“A futile effort,” Kamibayashi Miko said faintly. “My relationship with Susu has reached a point where it doesn’t need words to deepen.”

“You say I’m scheming, but aren’t you seducing him with that sentence yourself!”

Minamoto Kiyomoto felt that compared to these two, the Yellow Springs Demonic Dragon was nothing.

It seemed he had to come up with a fourth transformation and continue to study his ‘Minamoto Clan’s Follow Your Heart Style’ in order to defeat Her Majesty and the Divine Medium.

The Izumo Miko was watching the three of them from the side.

The Divine Medium was not like a Divine Medium, but a very possessive girlfriend;
The Ise Miko was not arrogant, but a little fox flirting with her boyfriend;
Minamoto Kiyomoto, who had been arrogant and conceited during the day, was now an ordinary boy trying his best to please the girl he loved.

Perhaps it was precisely because they had each other that the three of them could not be heartless, not be indifferent, and not lose themselves in arrogance.

For Minamoto Kiyomoto, who had a soft spot in his heart, the Izumo Miko didn’t think he was weak.

Only he, who enjoyed such an ordinary daily life, would sincerely think about helping others live such a life.

The dessert shop where they tasted the white jade red bean paste was a Japanese-style shop, with screens, tatami mats, and chopsticks.

In the private room, Itomi Sayaka was waiting for them.

“Long time no see,” Minamoto Kiyomoto greeted Itomi Sayaka with a smile.

In front of the Izumo Miko, they couldn’t be too familiar.

“Can you really let me go back to my sister and family?” Itomi Sayaka asked directly.

This was both an act and her true feelings.

“I can’t, but we can,” after a slight pause, Minamoto Kiyomoto asked her, “Perhaps we can’t either, but I’m willing to try. Are you willing?”

Even if it’s an act, the words he says still touch people’s hearts. No, they play with people’s hearts, Itomi Sayaka thought.

Her feelings for Minamoto Kiyomoto were complicated.

On the one hand, she felt a strong sense of security when she was with him, and she could entrust everything to him with peace of mind;
On the other hand, she felt that she had to be on guard and could never let her guard down with him.

“…I’ll trust you this once,” Itomi Sayaka replied after some thought.

“The end,” Minamoto Kiyomoto clapped his hands. “Waiter, order, five servings of white jade red bean paste.”

“Why are you helping us? Is it really for some dream?” Itomi Sayaka didn’t let this opportunity go.

She was now a “cautious newcomer” and could ask whatever she wanted to ask openly and wantonly.

The Izumo Miko held her teacup with both hands, equally curious about this question.

“There’s no special reason,” Minamoto Kiyomoto took a sip of matcha. “While pursuing my personal happiness, I’m also contributing a little to protecting this world.”

“Personal happiness?” Itomi Sayaka asked again.

“There,” Minamoto Kiyomoto pointed at the two shrine maidens with the hand holding the cup. “One wants to rule the world, the other wants to save the world. I have no choice but to rule the world, save the world, and then get them.”

“…” Itomi Sayaka and the Izumo Miko stared at him blankly.

“Guest, your five servings of white jade red bean paste are ready,” the waiter came in and placed the bowls and plates in front of the five of them one by one.

“Thank you,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said.

The waiter bowed and left the private room.

Kamibayashi Miko used her chopsticks to pick up a piece of the dessert and took a small bite.

“By the way,” seeing Itomi Sayaka reach for her chopsticks, Himegami Izayoi remembered something. “Sayaka, give me your hand.”

“My hand?” Itomi Sayaka looked at her, puzzled.

Himegami Izayoi directly took her hand and looked at her palm.

“Cough, cough, cough!” Minamoto Kiyomoto coughed.

Kamibayashi Miko, while eating the white jade red bean paste, turned her gaze to him.

“I was on the ice for too long. I think I caught a cold,” Minamoto Kiyomoto sniffed a couple of times.

Kamibayashi Miko’s eyes sparkled, and her lips, which were eating the dessert, curled into a slight smile.

“Minamoto Kiyomoto, come here!” Himegami Izayoi commanded.

“Wh-wh-what is it?”

“What’s wrong?” Itomi Sayaka looked at them back and forth with amusement. “Why are you so scared you can’t even speak properly?”

“You don’t understand,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said in a stuffy, cold-like voice.

“Come here and see if this child is yours,” Himegami Izayoi’s tone was cold.

“I told you it’s superstition. If we could predict the future, wouldn’t the world be in chaos? What would be the point of everyone working hard?”

“Are you coming or not?”

“I—”

At the critical moment, Minamoto Kiyomoto’s phone rang.

“Hold on, I have to take this call,” Minamoto Kiyomoto pressed the answer button.

It was his mother, Ayako.

“Hello, mother.”

“Mhm, mhm, I’m not injured, I’m not injured. Didn’t my arm grow back? Eating and everything is no problem. There’s no rejection.”

“I didn’t drink. Those guys tried to persuade me to drink, but I remembered your teachings and firmly refused. I didn’t drink a single drop!”

“I didn’t promise them anything. It’s ridiculous. Why would I make any promises to them? Don’t worry, it’s fine.”

“Right now, I’m having dinner. Fish, meat, tofu, and a vegetable salad and miso soup. I guarantee it’s healthy.”

“What kind of fish? It seems to be sea bream, steamed sea bream. The meat is just ordinary pork.”

“Take a picture? I don’t have my phone with me.”

“What? The one I’m holding? I don’t know what it is.”

Kamibayashi Miko put down her half-raised chopsticks, her expression one of listening, learning how to discipline Minamoto Kiyomoto.

Himegami Izayoi leaned close to the phone, eavesdropping on the mother and son’s conversation.

“Auntie Ayako,” she said, seizing the opportunity, “I’m watching Kiyomoto here. Don’t worry.”

Ayako asked Himegami Izayoi to take the phone.

Himegami Izayoi glanced at Kamibayashi Miko, then gave Minamoto Kiyomoto a silent “humph” and proudly took the phone.

Her appearance, hateful in the eyes of an enemy, was both hateful and lovely in the eyes of a lover, extremely so.

“You don’t seem to have it easy either,” Itomi Sayaka said with a slight smile. “Want to get back together with me? I’m not that controlling.”

“Wait until you have money,” Minamoto Kiyomoto picked up his chopsticks and took a bite of the white jade red bean paste.

It was indeed delicious.