People in Xumi: I am really not the Dragon King

Chapter 494 Divine Child: I've cared for the Divine Cherry Tree for hundreds of years... Wait? What do you mean the Divine Cherry Tree is also a "tree"?

The next day, the shadows were cast upon the mountaintop, at Narukami Taisha Shrine.

The government implemented a massive conscription policy, leading to increasingly fierce fighting between the rebel army and the shogunate forces.
Out of concern and anxiety for those going to the battlefield, the number of people coming here to pray for the safety of their families is also increasing.

"."

Before the sacred cherry tree, the dignified and solemn fox spirit stood silently beside the visitors.

Cherry blossoms drifted down, brushing against the pink fox ears and hair, but the figure beside the tree remained completely unmoved, like a lifelike wooden fox sculpture.

They only happened to witness this solemn scene during their worship, and many worshippers couldn't help but stop what they were doing. They all sighed that the renowned Yae no Kami (Priest) truly lived up to his reputation, and his respect for the gods far surpassed that of them.

Meanwhile, in the side hall where a barrier had been placed.

He waved his hand, dispelling the fumes that filled the air.
After checking the surroundings, she discreetly destroyed the traces of the corpse by removing a few pink fox furs from the corner.

After checking several times to make sure everything was correct, and having never expected the timing to be so coincidental, Lord Miyaji, who had just finished making a batch of fried tofu, finally breathed a sigh of relief, put on a professional smile, and turned around to greet a customer who had just arrived at the door.

Lin Feng: "."

Is it that complicated? Can I say I saw it all?

And let's not even talk about making fried tofu in the area where books are stored; you're shedding a lot of fur, your tail might be bald.
On the way here, I saw many shrine maidens looking at their priest with such adoration. It seemed that the pink-haired figure under the sacred cherry tree was the perfect image in their minds of a servant of the gods.

However, being unaffected by sorcery has both advantages and disadvantages. After exposing the sorcery and substitute of a certain pink-haired fox, Lin Feng felt that this guy might be even more abstract than Wendy.

"Long time no see, isn't your appearance a bit too different?"

"If the worshippers who come to pay their respects and the priestesses in your community were to see this scene..."

"Huh, how could this happen?"

"Not to mention that even if they did see it, they would most likely think they were possessed by some strange evil spirit."

"Besides, considering how delicious this fried tofu is, you wouldn't want to tell anyone about this poor little fox like me, would you?"

He twitched his ears and looked at the young man in front of him with the expression of a victim.

The pink fox paused slightly, then adopted a weak and pitiful appearance.

"Actually, if someone sees your work attitude, they'll probably really teach you a lesson, and no amount of explanation will help."

"But I do have something important to ask you today, so please eat quickly, Lord Miyaji, so you can help me look up some information."

He had no idea whether the original Fox Palace would take the pink-haired fox back for re-education if he saw this, but now was not the time to worry about such things; he had more important things to deal with.

"You wish to inquire about Chiyo's life and her last whereabouts? That's quite something."

Beside the cleaned table, I, as the host, poured two cups of tea.
Completely surprised to hear such a question, Yae no Miko paused, a look of slight confusion on her face.

"Actually, I didn't know the details very well at the time, after all, there were just too many sad things that happened then."

"But so much time has passed since Chiyo disappeared. May I ask what you desire?"

"Heh, I'll keep it a secret for now. Just pretend I was just asking a simple question."

"If Yae no Kōji is interested, he can go and take a look for himself once everything has settled down."

The person has been missing for five hundred years; it's not necessarily that easy to find them again. It's not impossible that they'll come up empty-handed.

Moreover, this pink fox usually keeps a lot of secrets, and considering some information that Fox Palace had previously revealed, Lin Feng also planned to return the favor.

"."

"Sigh, I think if you were to become a fox, you would definitely become a great demon. This kind of suspenseful thing is probably what we foxes like to do the most."

I stared at it for a long time, but couldn't figure it out.

Having failed to read people's minds, Yae no Miko, who rarely allowed herself to be kept in suspense, sighed slightly and ultimately decided to test the waters again at a later time.

"To be honest, Chiyo has been gone for a very long time. At that time, my training was far from sufficient. The only person I was most familiar with was a senior who was also a fox. I don't have a deep impression of the others."

"If I had to put it into words, he's someone who's sometimes very gentle, but sometimes overly serious, and doesn't quite get along with foxes."

After a slight pause, recalling the scene of her sneaking out during her sorcery training and being caught by Chiyo, Yae no Miko still felt a lingering fear:
Generally speaking, as an immature and adorable little fox, as long as she acts cute, even the Fox Palace and the two gods will choose to turn a blind eye and not pursue her playfulness.

In addition, other monsters, eager to watch the spectacle, would even come to help hide. With the help of many people, the sneaking-out plan went very smoothly, and the festival they sneaked out to watch was much more interesting than usual.

That's true in the vast majority of cases.

But there are always exceptions. For her at that time, Chiyo was someone she absolutely did not want to meet, without exception.

This senior demon, who was exceptionally serious about combat and training, seemed to be using her methods of raising children on her poor little fox because she had just become a mother.

After discovering that she had sneaked out, Chiyo wouldn't report it to Kitsune-sai-gu or Makoto and Kage, but she would definitely secretly take her back to the training ground.
Then he simply stood beside her, his face, more beautiful than any fox's, displaying a gentle expression as he accompanied her.
She continued training until she finished the day's sessions, then did extra practice until she was exhausted and collapsed on the floor.
"."

"Tsk, what a terrible memory. This is probably the person I get along with the least."

What I fear most is someone who is extremely serious and meticulous in themselves, and then applies the same expectations to foxes.
She tried to sneak away countless times back then, but Chiyo's demonic power was still terrifying even to her current eyes. A little fox had no way to resist except for extra training.
shook his head,

Recalling the horrific scene of Chiyo seeing herself in her current state, and with a touch of remembrance for the deceased, Yae Miko continued speaking:
"If you were to read current history books, you would only find one sentence about Chiyo: 'A demon warrior, once trapped in a dark dream, drew his sword against the Great Lord, only to have an arm and a corner severed. He fled into the mountains and forests, and his whereabouts have been unknown ever since.'"

"In reality, because the gods were absent, she, who shouldered a great responsibility, ventured deep into the dark abyss several times during the war. She was even once devoured by a beast with the body of a tiger and the tail of a snake. After emerging from the tiger's belly in front of everyone, she was praised by the samurai as 'Chiyo bitten by a tiger' or 'Tiger Chiyo.'"

"Putting aside my own slightly unpleasant memories, as the strongest of the former great yokai in terms of direct combat power, Chiyo fought countless enemies on the battlefield, greatly delaying the return of Ayane." "But contrary to her seemingly quiet and indifferent appearance, Chiyo herself is actually exceptionally persistent in battle."

"The blood of the War Demon is always as hot as fire, which suppresses its rationality and makes it more susceptible to the corruption of the abyss."

"In the very end, after A-Ying severed one of her arms and a corner of her body with a single, thoughtless strike near Shadow Mountain, the only time anyone saw her was probably near what is now Bayun Island. After that, there was absolutely no news of her."

Back then, it was just a little fox sleeping on Fox Palace's shoulder, and it didn't know much about the world.
Having explained everything he knew in as much detail as possible, Yae no Miko still didn't know what the god before him intended to do.

"Near Bayun Island, were there any distinctive features or things she particularly cared about during her lifetime?"

Having obtained a general location, Lin Feng nodded and continued to ask questions.

"Special characteristics? Does the Oni race's unique allergy to beans count?"

"Besides that, her sword dance under the moon is very beautiful, and she can drink a lot, which is a huge contrast to her appearance."

She paused briefly, recalling the scene of Chiyo drinking everyone else under the table.
Thinking of the final report from the shogunate army, Yae no Miko added:

"Before that war, Chiyo cared deeply for her two children: her adopted son, Mikoto Nagamasa, and her eldest son, Mikoto Michiki."

"After drawing his sword against the general, the world considered the surname 'Mikoto' to be disgraced. Mikoto Doki eventually changed his name to 'Iwazo Doki,' and after training in swordsmanship with Tengu, he became the founder of the Iwazo-ryu school."

"Her adopted son, Yu Yu Changzheng, cherishes his surname and strives to restore the family's reputation."
Centuries later, most of the people in Inazuma Castle who still bear the surname "Mikoto" are his descendants.

"But so much time has passed that Yu Yu Dao Qi did not leave any bloodline. The Yu Yu lineage that is now continued by Chang Zheng has almost forgotten the past. There are probably no clues to be found there."

"If I had to mention it, there's a rumor that's hard to tell if you'd like to know it."

They paused suddenly while talking.

Raising her head, Yae no Miko, who had originally intended to keep everyone in suspense, looked at Lin Feng, who had seemingly produced a camera from nowhere and had already taken several photos.
His movements were stiff, then his pink hair stood on end, instantly changing his initial thought:

!!!

"—I was just joking. Please put down the camera, and I'll tell you right away!"

I don't know exactly when they started filming, nor what they actually filmed.
But she's maintained this dignified image of a palace chief for hundreds of years with great effort. If any strange or unusual things were to leak out, she'd surely be ridiculed mercilessly by that purple dream-eating beast.
"--Actually, according to some information I have received, the founder of the Iwakura-ryu school seems to have left behind a magical puppet mechanism that inherited his own swordsmanship and memories, and then it disappeared without a trace."

"Coincidentally, after Chiyo, who had been wandering the mountains, completely disappeared, the 'swordsman doll' who was once praised by the world also went out of control and is said to still be wandering in some remote places on Hachimonji Island."

"If my guess is correct, Chiyo's disappearance should be related to the puppet's loss of control. This original puppet, which has been running for hundreds of years, is not a simple autonomous mechanism. It even has some similarities to the situation of Aying."

"However, the similar mechanisms imitated by later generations are too weak in combat, and most of them only attack randomly. Their intelligence and skills are far inferior to the original."
"And the magical sword demon created by Mikoto Michiki is too difficult to find, so I have no way of verifying how he successfully integrated his own swordsmanship and memories."

Having explained as much as possible the last things he knew, Yae no Miko breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Lin Feng put the recording device away.

Although it was fairly certain that the other person's behavior was just a joke, they had previously shown interest in its ears and tail.

If they keep keeping us in suspense, it's hard to say what might happen.
"The earliest mechanism that integrates its own memories and swordsmanship? Did such a thing exist in the Inatsuma folk hundreds of years ago?"

"If I had to say, there are some prohibited technologies in the records of the Order of the Church that are relatively similar."

"—Never mind, if I have the chance, I'll take a look myself."

She has obtained far more information than she initially expected. It can only be said that this pink-haired fox has not been a high priestess for hundreds of years in vain, as she has collected a great deal of inside information.

Seeing the pink-furred fox in front of him, he seemed relieved, thinking that the fox was about to leave.

Lin Feng stood up, shook his head, and revealed his other purpose for coming here:
"—Speaking of which, if I remember correctly, Lord Miyaji said that you can roughly sense the state of the Divine Cherry and can detect the ley line problems of Narukami Island through the Divine Cherry, right?"

".That's right."

"After all, Shenying's current state is inseparable from the help of the foxes. Whether it is her current appearance or this feeling, it is perhaps a way of giving back for the care she has received over the past few hundred years."

I was slightly puzzled by this sudden question, but after all, this was one of the few things I had persisted in for hundreds of years.

Thinking of how pleasing Shenying is now, Yae no Miko finally nodded with a hint of pride.

"That's good."

Seeing Yae no Miko's appearance, Lin Feng nodded in satisfaction.

"—To be honest, I plan to traverse the ley lines of Narukami Island, searching for something while simultaneously setting up a crucial ritual."

"The roots of the Divine Cherry Blossom are connected to the entire Narukami Island. Using the Divine Cherry Blossom should be the fastest and least disruptive way. Let me explain this to you, Yae-no-miya, here first."

???

"Huh? It's like this?"

"But I have cared for the Divine Cherry for hundreds of years, and I am currently the only one who can use it to sense the earth's veins. You are new to Inazuma and should not have this level of connection."

It's obvious from her appearance that Shenying has a very close connection with her, and she is actually quite resistant to outsiders.

For hundreds of years, even she had to offer countless treasures and take meticulous care of it to achieve what it is today. This is Inazuma's sacred tree, even if it is a foreign deity.
"It's alright, I'm just informing you, Yae no Kami. I don't think I need to provide any additional assistance."

"Whether it's the World Tree or the Divine Cherry Tree, as long as it exists in the form of a tree through the element of grass, I naturally have the authority to manipulate it."

Yae Goddess: ???
Wait, what do you mean by "just informing me"? And what's with this illogical argument that the Divine Cherry Tree is also a tree?
Before they could stop him, Lin Feng had already left and headed towards Shenying.
Completely bewildered, Yae no Miko felt conflicted and ultimately decided to use facts to show the other party that such a thing was impossible.

(End of this chapter)