Chapter 167: Rebirth

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Half of the setting sun had already sunk into the sea, just like the scene of the other shore leaving the world of dust.

The demon-hunting ship was plated with a layer of light red, as if the entire ship had been repainted, giving it a strange beauty, like a medieval oil painting.

The people standing on the deck all surrounded the pale and handsome young man, which added a sense of religious sanctity to the painting.

“He’s hopeless,” the Hokkaido Miko put away her ice crystal.

The ice crystal had absorbed too much cold air and was cracked.

Even a divine artifact that could restrain cold air had become like this, let alone a human body.

Itomi Yuki’s body swayed. Before Itomi Sayaka could support her, she stood firm again.

She was dizzy. Although her eyes were open, she couldn’t see anything, just like when she was anemic. There was a buzzing in her ears, like the sea breeze passing through a screen window.

The Izumo Miko and Hanyu Chika were in disbelief. Minamoto Kiyomi covered her mouth and her eyes widened.

The Suitengu Miko pulled the Hokkaido Miko away. The life spell that had been passed down through the generations of Suitengu Shrine fell like a spring rain.

The Hokkaido Miko tilted her head slightly and looked at her with confusion.

‘Does she think she’s stronger than me in dealing with cold air?’ Rikka was thinking this when she suddenly discovered that not only the Suitengu Miko, but besides her, none of those who were usually on good terms with Minamoto Kiyomoto had given up.

Kamibayashi Miko was not too sad, just looking at Minamoto Kiyomoto.

If Minamoto Kiyomoto died just like that, she would not go back to Tokyo. She would die at the hands of the “Coral Demon Moth” or some other yokai and go to accompany him.

In fact, as early as the first day Minamoto Kiyomoto came to Hakusan Shrine, she had already decided—the two of them were strangers, but they would live and die together.

Himegami Izayoi’s face was pale. Seeing that Minamoto Kiyomoto’s capacity was getting weaker and weaker, she finally made up her mind.

She reached out and grabbed Minamoto Kiyomoto’s shoulder, turned into a ball of fire, and rushed into the ship’s tower.

“What are you doing?” Kamibayashi Miko chased after her.

“Shut up!” Himegami Izayoi couldn’t suppress her anger, and her voice was indescribably majestic.

Everyone’s body swayed, and they wanted to submit to her from the bottom of their hearts. A trace of surprise flashed across the Kyushu Shinto Lord’s face. He felt that he had seen this temperament somewhere before.

Kamibayashi Miko didn’t care if she was angry or majestic. She questioned, “Put him down. He’s going to—”

“If you say another word, he’s really going to die!”

Himegami Izayoi flicked her sleeve, closed the cabin door, and disappeared into the bedroom with Minamoto Kiyomoto.

The Suitengu Miko, who was left on the deck, trembled all over. Her hair and eyebrows were dyed with a layer of white frost, and white mist came out of her mouth.

She had never seen such a strange and powerful divine energy.

The laurel crown, which was hovering in the air, with a green light flowing, and an ethereal and profound aura, rolled on the ground like an empty beer bottle.

Everyone looked at this supreme divine artifact with complicated expressions, either sighing, sympathizing, or greedy.

The Hokkaido Miko looked at the ship’s tower. Kamibayashi Miko, Itomi Sayaka, Itomi Yuki, Hanyu Chika, the Izumo Miko, and Minamoto Kiyomi were all waiting outside Himegami Izayoi’s door.

In her opinion, Minamoto Kiyomoto was already hopeless. Their actions were like using snow as a blanket, trying to get warm.

While feeling puzzled and that everything was futile, a feeling she had never had before arose in her heart.

She stretched out her slender and fair fingers and picked up the laurel crown.

For some reason, she remembered the expression on Minamoto Kiyomoto’s face when he was twirling it with his fingertips and talking with a smile. She also saw him putting it on his head while talking, with that unrestrained and unrestrained manner.

A little reluctant, and a little sad.

‘I should have persisted a little longer just now,’ she thought.

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Himegami Izayoi placed Minamoto Kiyomoto on the couch. At this time, he looked no different from a sculpture.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

The air buzzed, and a mirror carved with a map of Kansai appeared behind her head.

The mirror light enveloped him, and the cold air on Minamoto Kiyomoto’s body was slowly sucked away like silk threads, or like wisps of mist.

The kimono he was wearing, with fragments of a town-level yokai’s remains added, fell to the ground like weathered scraps of paper.

Minamoto Kiyomoto woke up from the chaos. He felt so cold.

“You idiot!” he heard Himegami Izayoi’s coquettish scolding in his ear.

He wanted to smile and reply to her, but he couldn’t move at all. His whole body seemed to have lost consciousness and was not under his control.

The cold became deeper and deeper. He couldn’t help but shiver. He heard Himegami Izayoi’s sigh of relief in his ear again.

After an unknown amount of time, his body stopped trembling, and he could finally open his eyes.

There were still blue ice crystals on his eyelashes. Through the ice crystals, Himegami Izayoi’s bright and beautiful face was a little pale and distant.

“Koyako, are you… alright?” His voice was hollow and hoarse, like the whimpering sound of the wind blowing through a desolate city in the Gobi Desert.

In the time she was saving him, Himegami Izayoi had thought of many words to scold him. At this time, hearing his voice, her throat was blocked, and her eyes were so sore that she was about to cry.

“…Shut up,” she wanted to be angry, but her tone couldn’t hide her heartache, fear, and grievance.

Minamoto Kiyomoto smiled slightly and raised his hand to caress her face.

“It’s so warm,” he murmured softly, and his voice began to sound better, gradually returning to its original tone.

“You fool,” Himegami Izayoi suppressed her emotions. “You don’t even look at what it is and just charge forward. Don’t you want your life?”

“If you don’t make a decisive decision, cough, cough, you’ll be in trouble,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said with a weak smile.

Himegami Izayoi glared at him, and he continued, “I thought it was fine. I didn’t expect that yokai to be so powerful, cough.”

“That’s a yokai of the same level as Konohanasakuya-hime. If you can survive this time, you’ll have to kowtow to me for ten years!”

“Not to mention ten years, a lifetime is fine,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said with a smile. His smile was powerful, and he no longer coughed.

Himegami Izayoi snorted coldly.

“What about them?” Minamoto Kiyomoto asked again.

“They’re dead.”

“You’re so cute.”

“No, I’m very fierce.”

“The cutest Koyako, what does it mean to be of the same level as Konohanasakuya-hime?”

“Above the county level,” Himegami Izayoi was stingy with her words and was still angry.

“I thought it was county level. I didn’t expect it to be so powerful.”

Minamoto Kiyomoto was lost in thought, remembering the “Konohanasakuya-hime” that had occupied the entire sky of Tokyo in Chidorigafuchi in April.

In the iceberg, the small person lying and sleeping was only the size of a palm, about the same as Little Butterfly.

His body was getting warmer and warmer. Minamoto Kiyomoto slowly lay down and leaned against Himegami Izayoi.

“This world is bigger than I imagined,” he said.

“You can see the stars when you look up. Why do you think the world is small?” Himegami Izayoi was still irritated.

“What is this?” Minamoto Kiyomoto looked at the mirror above her head.

“A mirror.”

“Alright.”

Minamoto Kiyomoto closed his eyes comfortably, his head resting on Himegami Izayoi’s soft body, smelling her fragrance.

“You’re not asking?” Himegami Izayoi’s hand gently caressed his face, as if to warm him, and also as if to confirm that he had really returned to her side through touch.

“I’ll wait for you to tell me,” Minamoto Kiyomoto didn’t open his eyes, and a smug smile appeared on his lips.

Himegami Izayoi squeezed his face angrily, and when his lips pouted, she kissed him.

“The three divine artifacts. Kansai, Kanto, and Hokkaido, each have one. They are also the foundation of their rule.”

“Is there a difference from ordinary divine artifacts?”

“It uses the qi of the living, not the qi of the gods.”

“The qi of the living?”

“Your Miss Kamibayashi, to be precise, the Divine Medium’s spell, uses this power.”

Minamoto Kiyomoto held Himegami Izayoi’s soft hand and gently kneaded it, his expression thoughtful.

“Then it should be very powerful. Why didn’t the previous Ogosho make a move to deal with the Coral Demon Moth and watch his daughter-in-law go to her death?”

“Besides saving you, have you ever seen me use it?” Himegami Izayoi asked back.

Minamoto Kiyomoto thought for a moment and looked at her eyes, “Like the Divine Medium’s spell, it needs time?”

“Killing a county-level yokai is not a problem, but you’ve consumed your power, and the other two haven’t.”

“They’re restraining each other, so they have to consume the practitioners under them?”

“The three divine artifacts were born to protect the living. In the hands of the rulers, they have become tools of rule,” a sarcastic smile appeared on Himegami Izayoi’s lips.

“There’s nothing we can do about it,” Minamoto Kiyomoto sighed.

The successive “Lords of Kyoto,” “Ogosho,” and “Taiko,” even if they wanted to use the divine artifacts to protect their subordinates, had to give up and watch from the sidelines due to the other two.

“I came to Tokyo to break this stalemate.”

“Oh?” Minamoto Kiyomoto became interested. “I thought you were tired of the Seiryo-den not being cool enough and ran out to play.”

Himegami Izayoi pinched his face and said, “I came to find Miko. I wanted to build a good relationship with her. When she becomes the Ogosho, we can eliminate Hokkaido together.”

“The Divine Medium is indifferent to fame and fortune. After eliminating Hokkaido, you will be the rightful lord of the world?”

“It should have been like this,” Himegami Izayoi sighed. “As a result, fate arranged for you, this philanderer, to torture me.”

She pinched Minamoto Kiyomoto’s nose again.

“The three divine artifacts are so powerful. Can they deal with Konohanasakuya-hime?” Minamoto Kiyomoto’s voice was muffled as his nose was pinched.

“One is not enough. Two is a draw. Three is the most stable,” Himegami Izayoi said.

“Interesting,” Minamoto Kiyomoto laughed.

Himegami Izayoi looked at him with amusement, knowing that his belligerent nature was coming out again.

“You fool,” she said with a straight face. “In the future, if something happens, don’t foolishly charge to the front. Stay by my side, do you hear me?”

“I’ll be by your side for the rest of my life,” Minamoto Kiyomoto took her hand and kissed it.

Himegami Izayoi pulled her hand back with a嗔怪, then took the initiative to hold his hand.

“Besides Konohanasakuya-hime, are there any other yokai above the county level?”

“From ancient times to the present, three have appeared. These three have lived until now without dying.”

“Which three?”

“You know the first one. It’s the Konohanasakuya-hime who is unrestrained in Japan and is even considered a symbol; the second is the Eternal Life Jade Fan, which lives on Mount Fuji, which is regarded as a sacred place; the last is the floating ice that treats Hokkaido as its back garden—Akan.”

“I’ve never heard of the latter two,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said strangely.

“Ordinary people don’t know about yokai either.”

“Because there’s no way, you don’t want them to live in despair?”

“It’s also to prevent some people with ulterior motives from provoking them. Any one of those three can sink Japan. If they attack at the same time, even if we gather the three divine artifacts, we won’t be their match.”

“By the way,” Minamoto Kiyomoto remembered something. “You used this mirror to save me. Will it give the Ogosho and the Taiko an opportunity?”

“Now you know how much I’ve paid to save you?” Himegami Izayoi was irritated and a little aggrieved.

Minamoto Kiyomoto smiled embarrassedly.

“You only have Miko in your heart. You’re willing to die for her, but you don’t know that for you, I’ve even given up Kansai,” Himegami Izayoi continued to say pitifully.

“I remember your kindness. I will definitely help you become the lord of the world.”

“Bullshit! In the future, you will become the lord of the world. Don’t think I don’t remember what happened on Yomijima Island!”

“That’s definitely because you let me!”

“But—” Himegami Izayoi suddenly smiled ambiguously. “If you really become the lord of the world, it’s acceptable to marry a few women.”

“You agree?” Minamoto Kiyomoto sat up excitedly.

“I’ve always agreed,” Himegami Izayoi said with a laugh. “Miko, let’s see if Miko agrees.”

“What kind of agreement is that,” Minamoto Kiyomoto fell back into her arms.

Himegami Izayoi hugged him and sniffed his hair affectionately. She felt very comfortable in her heart.

“It’s okay to be a little less,” she said softly. “But if you relax because of this, a little less this time, a little less that time, when you get used to using the three divine artifacts to easily solve problems, that’s when the other two will come to you and solve you.”

Minamoto Kiyomoto nodded.

This was related to the thousand-year rule of the Himegami family, and also to Himegami Izayoi’s own safety. No matter how careful he was, it was not too much.

“I’ll be careful in the future,” he held her hand and promised.

“It’s not just for Kansai. You should also think about me. If you die, what will happen to me and the child in my belly?” Himegami Izayoi said mournfully.

“…Really?”

“Fake,” Himegami Izayoi’s smile was like a flower.

“You scared me,” Minamoto Kiyomoto caressed his chest and lay back down. He was really scared.

“What if it’s real?” Himegami Izayoi asked him with a smile.

“What else can we do? If it’s a girl, we’ll call her Himegami Jushichiya. If it’s a boy, we’ll call him Himegami… hmm—, a boy is fine with anything. Ichiro, Jiro, Saburo, Shiro, Goro.”

Himegami Izayoi laughed with amusement, “I won’t allow you to be so perfunctory with my son.”

“Yes, yes, yes.”

“By the way, let me touch it and check. Don’t let it get frozen.”

“Don’t—”

“Wow! Brother, you’re so majestic!”

“Isn’t it the same as before?”

“It was very majestic before,” Himegami Izayoi said in an innocent tone.

“Is that so? Let me try it for real and see how majestic it is,” Minamoto Kiyomoto’s hand reached into Himegami Izayoi’s kimono skirt, and through the white silk, he caressed her slender and firm thigh.

“I don’t mind, but they’re still waiting outside,” Himegami Izayoi held his face and said with a flushed smile.

“I almost forgot!” Minamoto Kiyomoto reacted.

“Since you’re here, don’t go,” Himegami Izayoi laughed happily, her long legs wrapping around Minamoto Kiyomoto’s waist.

“Sister, next time, next time,” Minamoto Kiyomoto comforted her by kissing her neck twice.

Himegami Izayoi tilted her neck in cooperation.

“No~” she bit her lip, her eyes as if they were about to drip water. “I want it now.”

Minamoto Kiyomoto’s heart jumped, his breathing hot, and he was full of excitement. It was hard to imagine that just a few minutes ago, he had almost been frozen to death.

Himegami Izayoi looked at his rolling Adam’s apple and smiled.

“Alright, alright. I’ll let you go this time,” she released the legs that were wrapped around Minamoto Kiyomoto’s waist.

“Humph, I’ll deal with you later,” Minamoto Kiyomoto held her neck and gently bit it.

Himegami Izayoi let out a fluctuating and rippling murmur.

Minamoto Kiyomoto’s heart was on fire. He fiercely buried his face in her chest, rubbed it hard, took a deep breath, and then got up with the determination of a ‘warrior leaving his hometown to go to the battlefield.’

Himegami Izayoi looked at his uncomfortable appearance and couldn’t help but laugh coquettishly.

Minamoto Kiyomoto’s clothes were gone, and Himegami Izayoi’s room was full of women’s clothes. He could only lie on the bed and ask her to call them in.

Himegami Izayoi fixed her clothes and opened the door.

“Is it done?” Kamibayashi Miko immediately asked.

“It’s done. I’m so tired,” Himegami Izayoi lightly wiped her flushed face with her sleeve.

Kamibayashi Miko didn’t give her a second look, left her, and went straight into the bedroom.

The Itomi sisters, the Izumo Miko, and the Suitengu Miko also wanted to follow, but they were stopped by Himegami Izayoi.

She looked at them with a smile, and in the depths of her eyes, there was the high and mighty air of the “Lord of Kyoto.” She was arrogant.

Everyone was smart and understood her meaning. They no longer insisted on entering her room.

A cheer came from the deck. Everyone learned that Minamoto Kiyomoto was fine, and Minamoto Nagatoku breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Amatsumara stroked his beard, his old god at ease. He didn’t believe that Minamoto Kiyomoto would die.

The future lord of the world, leaving the “Coral Demon Moth” to his present self, had naturally already calculated everything.

“I want to go in,” the Hokkaido Miko said to Himegami Izayoi.

“No.”

“I’ll return this to him,” Rikka held the laurel crown in her hand.

Himegami Izayoi reached out to take it, but Rikka wouldn’t give it to her.

“Give it to me,” Himegami Izayoi ordered.

“I found it.”

“Who cares if you found it or not? Hand it over.”

“No.”

The two of them started arguing like children in front of the door.

Inside the room.

“Is it done?” Kamibayashi Miko asked.

“It’s done,” Minamoto Kiyomoto replied obediently.

“Why are you still lying on her… still lying down?”

Minamoto Kiyomoto lifted the blanket, revealing his strong upper body, then covered it again, looking at her pitifully.

Kamibayashi Miko sat down on the bedside.

“Little Butterfly’s clone was frozen to death,” she said.

Minamoto Kiyomoto touched the back of his head, “It’s really dead. Will Little Butterfly be okay?”

“She’s fine.”

“Oh.”

After a moment of silence, Minamoto Kiyomoto said tentatively, “Miss Kamibayashi, if you want to scold me, then scold me. I’m really fine. My spirit is also fine. I can take it. If you look at me like this, I’m very scared.”

“What am I scolding you for?” Kamibayashi Miko smiled slightly. “I’ve thought it through. If anything happens to you, I won’t live either.”

Minamoto Kiyomoto’s heart warmed, but when he met Kamibayashi Miko’s eyes, he felt that she was mocking him.

“I didn’t think too much at that time. I thought it was just a county-level yokai and I could break out.”

“In the future, I will not only listen to you, but I will also definitely stand by your side, following you step by step, just like a little duckling following its mother duck. Have you seen that scene? It’s so fun.”

“I’m sorry.”

No matter what Minamoto Kiyomoto said, Kamibayashi Miko’s eyes were always gentle.

Minamoto Kiyomoto tried his best and said all the good words, but he still couldn’t make her become less kind—sometimes kindness was even more terrifying.

“Miss Kamibayashi, please get me a piece of clothing,” he said.

“Okay,” ten minutes had already passed.

Kamibayashi Miko stood up. Minamoto Kiyomoto suddenly remembered something and said, “By the way, give me another butterfly clone.”

Kamibayashi Miko stopped, spread her hand, and a butterfly made of golden light flapped its wings in her snow-white palm.

“You’re the one who asked for it. It’s not that I want to monitor you, not give you privacy, and be too strict.”

“I’m the one who asked for it.”

‘So the symptom is here!’ Minamoto Kiyomoto was calm, and Kamibayashi Miko was even cuter in his heart.

He took the golden butterfly and put it in his hair.

The golden butterfly fluttered twice, then dimmed and merged with the dark hair color.

“You’re reckless. Do you think you’re invincible just because you have a little talent? I don’t even dare to charge over directly,” while the butterfly was dimming, Kamibayashi Miko finally couldn’t help but scold him.

Minamoto Kiyomoto looked at her stern and beautiful face with a grin.

Kamibayashi Miko glared at him, vaguely feeling that her sulking had been seen through. She scolded him again and turned to walk outside.

When she came to the living room, she glanced at Himegami Izayoi and the Hokkaido Miko and asked with confusion, “What are you two doing?”

Himegami Izayoi held the laurel crown high, and the sleeves of her kimono slipped down, revealing two slender and white arms.

“She snatched my things!” the Hokkaido Miko also raised her hand to snatch the laurel crown.

“What do you mean your things? This is what I gave to my Master Kiyo.”

“I found it, so it’s mine.”

“Who cares if you found it or not? Hand it over.”

“No.”

“You… phew, you’re making me so angry. Miko, you be the judge!”

Kamibayashi Miko didn’t even look at the two of them and went straight out.