In an instant, the originally desolate mansion became lively. On the one hand, Yamabuki Otome wanted to see Nura Ibiban, but on the other hand, she felt inexplicably embarrassed.
--you do not say.
She left without saying a word, and then she was injured and was taken back to the shrine by Qiao Xi to recuperate. Calculating the time, it was almost decades since she had seen everyone in the Nura group. She wanted to go back so suddenly.
It really feels a bit like "I feel more timid when I'm close to my hometown".
Not to mention Yamabuki Otome, the young man Saburo who was looking for his brother by the sea suddenly said goodbye after experiencing the life of a rich man who didn't have to do anything by himself.
"I originally wanted to find my brother Taro..."
The young man scratched his hair and smiled shyly.
"You can't live in an adult's house forever."
Qiao Xi raised her hand and poured him a glass of juice. She tilted her head and didn't stop her. She just asked, "Then is there somewhere you can go?"
Sanlang nodded and said seriously: "Yes."
Without waiting for Qiao Xi to ask further questions, she simply continued: "I've been walking around here for the past two days, and occasionally I saw someone recruiting workers on the dock, so I went to take a look. I don't have any other abilities, but I have a lot of strength.
It’s quite big in our village.”
"Oh, like this……"
Qiao Xi was a little surprised, but also thought this was good.
——He could see that the color of Saburo's soul was pure, and he felt somewhat unsurprisingly that he had made such a choice now.
This is not a character who is willing to live in other people's homes for free.
After thinking for a while, he asked again: "Is it physical work?"
"Yeah, I just move things around, I don't know how to do anything else."
Qiao Xi nodded, thinking that it was not good for him to go out to do manual labor at his age, but also remembered that it is quite common nowadays for teenagers to earn money to support their families.
In the end, he could only smile: "That's the case, that's good. If you need any help in the future, just come to me in this house - if I'm not here, you can also find Jiugu-san."
——Jiugumulberry is the big banyan tree that has taken root in this house. Although it cannot be transformed into a physical body, it can still fool ordinary humans.
It is more difficult for plant-based monsters to create physical entities than animals or monsters that rely on human beings' resentment and evil thoughts. Therefore, this big banyan tree does not even have an entity, but it is actually quite old.
When Sanlang heard what he said, he laughed happily: "Thank you very much, Master Onmyoji! If I encounter any problems, I will definitely remember to come to you."
Seeing that he had no intention of being polite at all, Qiao Xi couldn't help but laugh too.
"Of course, you can do it at any time. Then... I hope that when we meet again next time, you will have achieved what you want."
——Although I will never see a human named "Taro" again, I hope you can always smile so purely.
——This is a blessing from the gods.
———————————————
Knowing that Saburo had left here, Yamabuki Otome quietly sat in the yard in a daze for a while, but finally couldn't help but leave for Edo immediately.
When the two of them first set out on the road, in order to give Yamabuki Otome enough time to adjust her emotions, they chose to walk in the most basic way of walking.
But at this moment, Yamabuki Otome no longer had any knots in her heart, and her desire to see Nura Liban was more urgent than ever.
Qiao Xi had always been considerate, but seeing that Yamabuki Otome was worried, she stopped strolling slowly. The two non-human beings gathered themselves together and headed directly towards Edo.
——Using demon power to travel is much faster than walking. We arrived at Kinki on the same day we set out, and then we were caught off guard and were blocked by two creatures from the underworld.
The young man in black feathered clothing was carrying a huge black sickle and stood carelessly in front of Qiao Xi. The young man in white feathered clothing behind him held a fat white bun in one hand and helplessly pulled the front of Qiao Xi with his other hand.
The young man's sleeves were muttering something about not scaring others by appearing so suddenly.
Qiao Xi: "..."
——This smell... is a bit familiar.
While he was thinking, he moved very naturally to protect Yamabuki Otome behind him.
——It seems that he has seen a young man in black clothes.
Qiao Xi silently searched for the memory of meeting Gui Jihei in her memories.
Two young men, one black and one white, looked at each other. The young man in white looked at him, stretched out his hand to pull the man back, bent slightly, and said in a very respectful manner: "Excuse me, Lord Fengyue God.
.”
Qiao Xi raised her eyebrows, and as soon as she raised her eyes, she met the burning eyes of the young man in black. He followed the young man's line of sight and glanced at Natsume Reiko in Yamabuki Otome's arms.
He was silent for a moment, then nodded and responded:
"A ghost...?"
Knowing that he had not found the wrong person, the young man in white suddenly laughed.
With such a smile, the originally expressionless facial features suddenly became vivid, and the slight gloominess in his breath also instantly faded away.
He naturally pulled the young man in black behind him and said: "As you can see, we are the messengers of Huangquan. Lord Fengyue God can call us Xiaobai and Xiaohei."
Qiao Xi: "..."
——If you wear black clothes, you'll be called Xiao Hei, if you wear white clothes, you'll be called Xiao Bai, etc... You guys chose the name too perfunctorily!
Xiaobai turned his head and glanced at Yamabuki Otome, who was carefully hiding behind Qiao Xi. His eyes swept across Natsume Reiko in her arms, and realized that the underworld aura of the two of them was very harmful to the girl who was a ghost.
It was quite oppressive, and without much nonsense, he simply stated the purpose of his visit: "We are entrusted by Lord Yama to come to you for help."
"ha……"
Qiao Xi let out an exclamation with unclear meaning.
——Lord Yama, the god who was born in the underworld and is in charge of the underworld and is responsible for judging the souls of the dead.
——I have met him several times before for one reason or another, and based on Qiao Xi's current impression, Lord Yama from Huangquan does not seem to be a serious (...) god at heart.
Qiao Xi blinked her eyes, thinking of the god's personality that was extremely inconsistent with his face and his slightly strange aesthetics, and asked dryly:
"So, what do you need my help with?"
Xiaobai and Xiaohei looked at each other, and Xiaobai said:
"Sir Yama didn't tell us the specifics. He just asked us to take him to Huangquan."
Xiaobai said, paused, looked at Qiao Xi's expression and explained: "Master Yan Mo cannot leave Huangquan easily because of his profession, so I can only ask you to go to Huangquan to see Master Yan Mo."
Qiao Xi thought about it for a moment and couldn't help complaining: "So do you have to do it in person to help? I don't think it's very good."
The two ghosts seemed a little embarrassed because of Qiao Xi's frankness, but Qiao Xi said so and agreed: "Okay... when?"
Xiaobai glanced at Qiao Xi and said cautiously: "If possible, it would be best to leave now."
"how much time is required?"
"this……"
"Okay, I understand...can I take them two with me?"
Qiao Xi pointed at Yamabuki Otome and Natsume Reiko.
Xiaobai hesitated for a moment: "This ghost lady can do it, but the half-demon lady can't."
There are still rules for the underworld, and naturally no one can go there for leisure.
"Tsk."
Qiao Xi sighed, it was not unexpected, but she still rubbed her chin in distress.
Upon seeing this, Yamabuki Otome knew that Qiao Xi was concerned about the two of them, so she softly spoke: "Sir, just go and see Lord Enma. I can take Miss Reiko to Edo."
Qiao Xi wanted to sigh even more.
——It’s not that he is unfounded.
There are quite a few enemies of the Nura clan along the way from here to Edo. With Yamabuki Otome's mediocre fighting power and a half-demon who is despised and disliked by the youkai, he would not dare to leave even if she dares to leave.
rest assured.
Qiao Xi was thinking this, and saw Xiao Hei, who had been silent, glance at Yamabuki Otome, and said very straightforwardly: "Are you going to Edo? You are too weak. If you go by yourself, you will definitely be in danger."
noob:"……"
Qiao Xi: "..."
Yamabuki Otome blushed suddenly, remembering that she was attacked by the hostile monsters of the Nura Group, and for a moment she was so confused that she didn't know what to say.
Xiao Bai raised his hand to support his forehead, then regardless of the aggrieved expression on Xiao Hei's face, he pulled him behind him again and said, "Don't talk."
Xiao Hei's innocent expression subtly grasped the key point: "It's not allowed to speak to my brother in this tone!"
noob:"……"
He decided to simply ignore this colleague who often called himself "brother".
"If you don't mind, sir, may I ask if you have any friends in this world who are worth entrusting to you? You can entrust the young lady to your friends for the time being."
Qiao Xi thought of Sa Dou immediately. The only one who was trustworthy and could find the figure as quickly as possible was Sa Dou, so she tilted her head: "Yes, yes... but the distance is not very close. My other
The messenger of the god, Saboto-san, is at Hogetsu Shrine."
——Isn't that right? He and Yamabuki Otome then walked across mountains and rivers to leave the shrine.
If I send Reiko back again - I feel like my trip was in vain.
When Xiaobai heard this, he couldn't help but frown.
Xiao Hei, who was ignored, took a look at his brother's troubled expression, his eyes lit up, and he raised his hand proactively: "I can send the little half-demon lady to your friend, and you and Xiao Bai will go see Lord Yama."
Several monsters looked at each other and at the same time looked at Xiao Hei who proposed this idea - although this guy seemed a little unreliable, this suggestion was surprisingly reliable.
While Qiao Xi was thinking about the subtle differences in the personality of this black-clad ghost compared to what she remembered when he was alone, she agreed to Xiao Hei's proposal without much thought, while Xiao Bai hesitated.
——As a colleague who has worked with Xiao Hei for countless years, Xiao Bai knows Xiao Hei’s character very well.
He believed that Xiao Hei could successfully deliver the half-demon to the destination - Xiao Hei still had some professional ethics - but what he was worried about was whether Xiao Hei would cause any trouble during the delivery process!
However, this worry was really unspeakable. Xiaobai was silent for a while and finally agreed.
After taking care of Reiko, Qiao Xi looked at Yamabuki Otome and asked, "What about you? Do you want to go to the underworld with me?"
Yamabuki Otome looked at Qiao Xi, and then at the pretty little Reiko: "I'd better take care of Miss Reiko with this little black lady."
Qiao Xi let out a regretful "tsk": "I would be worried if you were alone. It would be safer to fight together in the shrine. In that case, I can only wait for me to come back before taking you to Edo again——
But we can be faster next time."
Yamabuki Otome smiled shyly: "It doesn't matter, I am always grateful to you, sir."
After the agreement was made, the monsters no longer wasted time and divided into two groups. One group, Qiao Xi and Xiao Bai, headed to Huangquan, while the other group, Yamabuki Otome and Xiao Hei, took Reiko back to Fengyue Shrine.
———————————————
Qiao Xi has been to Huangquan once before.
That time he saw the Higan flower monster named "Xingxiangzi" at the entrance, and the owner of the underworld - Lord Yama in the mouth of the two ghosts.
After such a long time, Qiao Xi almost forgot about the impression of Huangquan, but in fact when he set foot in Huangquan again, he found that what he saw and heard at that time was still very clear in his mind.
The two walked quietly on the road. The light in Huangquan felt a little dim compared to the real world. Qiao Xi raised her eyes and noticed a sea of bright red flowers not far away. She remembered something and turned her head and asked casually:
"Xiao Baijun, do you know Mrs. Xingxiangzi on the bank of Huangquan?"
Xiaobai opened his eyes in surprise: "Do you know Master Xingxiangzi?"
Thinking of the last time she came to Huangquan, she only saw the ghost in black. Qiao Xi was not particularly surprised by the reaction of the ghost, so she casually explained: "We had a chance encounter."
Guijibai couldn't help but glance at Qiao Xi quietly - he knew Mrs. Xingxiangzi's name after only meeting her once. Qiao Xi's figure instantly became taller in Guijibai's mind.
Qiao Xi didn't notice Gui Jibai's subtle change in mood. Of course, even if he did, he wouldn't think it was anything.
Gui Jibai had many thoughts in his mind, but his face remained as respectful as ever, and he introduced the identity of Xing Xiangzi to Qiao Xi.
Mrs. Xingxiangzi is actually a big monster named Higanbana in the underworld - her true identity is undoubtedly the Higanbana on the shore of the underworld.
Higanbana is very powerful and is considered a tyrant in hell - by the way, she seems to have some romantic relationship with the master of hell.
Well, Gui Jibai didn't say the latter point directly. After all, as a reliable and capable subordinate, it didn't sound very appropriate to gossip about his master in front of the god he met for the first time.
It's just because the ghost youth may have estimated that his mother was single and too naive. When he said this, his expression was slightly unnatural. On this basis, Qiao Xi made a series of reasonable speculations and came to the above conclusion.
The two of them gossiped (not...) and soon arrived at their destination.