Chapter 40 The Past

Gokotai was taken aback by what he heard, but quickly recalled the regretful story he had told under the Manyo Cherry Blossoms when he first arrived at the citadel.

"In the beginning, I was just a little fox demon with only one tail. Each tail required a hundred years to cultivate, except for the ninth one."

As a demon, the one person she could least trust was a human. Even though Han Zhou was just a small demon at the time, she never had any good feelings towards humans.

"Legend has it that a fox demon can become a god once it cultivates to have nine tails. But back then, no matter what I did, I couldn't cultivate a ninth tail."

Upon hearing this, Higekiri tilted his head. "Master, the legend about fox demon tails granting wishes must be true, right?"

Han Zhou nodded. "To cultivate a ninth tail, one needs a sincere wish from a human. I only learned this later."

She fixed her gaze on the tombstone beside her, recalling the way Feng Qingyuan had made his wish. At that time, Feng Qingyuan was already old, his hands, as withered as withered wood, gripping the cold boat, his voice soft and gentle.

I hope you can grow a ninth tail.

"Fulfilling human desires requires expending my cultivation. I am well aware of human greed, therefore I have never made a wish to any human."

"At the time, I didn't really care about becoming a god, so I simply started traveling the human world, seeing all the beautiful scenery, until I met Feng Qingyuan."

Han Zhou looked at the attentive tsukumogami around him and a smile crept onto his lips. In the blink of an eye, they found that their surroundings had changed.

From a meadow covered in flowers, it has transformed into a secluded mountain village.

"This is my memory; it's better to proceed this way from now on."

The spirits surveyed the scenery and soon spotted [Kanshu] fishing beneath the waterfall, her long hair casually draped over her shoulders, gathering bits of grass and dust from the ground.

Upon seeing this, Horikawa Kunihiro chuckled softly, "Just like Mr. Kane."

"Kunihiro!" Izuminokami Kanesada looked at him, slightly agitated, then coughed twice awkwardly to ease his embarrassment under the teasing gazes of his companions.

The monster dwelling deep in the mountains made no attempt to conceal its inhuman features; its furry fox ears and tail were clearly visible, and no earrings were yet adorning its ears.

But this tranquil atmosphere didn't last long; a violent surge of waves erupted around [Han Zhou]. The fishing rod in his hand was thrown aside, and his golden beastly eyes stared in one direction.

"Come out yourselves, humans."

At this moment, the Tsukumogami realized the difference between the [Kanshu] from four thousand years ago and the current Kanshu. The [Kanshu] of the past was full of vigilance and sharpness, isolating itself from the outside world.

The present-day Hanzhou is like the ocean, calm and inclusive, only revealing its unyielding sharpness under the ravages of time in very rare circumstances.

Feng Qingyuan's head was still covered in leaves, her long hair was tied in a low ponytail, and she was dressed in clothes suitable for walking in the forest. She scratched her head somewhat embarrassedly.

"I didn't mean to bother you. I came here just to pick a herb to save someone." She took out a piece of paper from her bosom, on which was drawn the appearance of the herb.

Do you know where this is?

The two, one human and one demon, were not close. Feng Qingyuan was clearly not new to dealing with demons and wouldn't approach recklessly. He also knew that [Han Zhou] was very powerful, and at this distance, the other party could definitely see the contents of the paper.

"I cultivated this herb, and I only have one left. What will you offer in exchange?" [Han Zhou] wasn't exactly a philanthropist; cultivating this herb was difficult, and although she didn't need it now, she wouldn't simply give away the herb she had painstakingly grown.

"As long as I can afford it"

"Did the lord give it to you back then?" Namazuo looked at Hanzhou with some curiosity.

Based on the lord's personality, he would likely propose an exchange, which is the idea of ​​most of the younger tsukumogami.

Hanzhou looked at the memory of himself but didn't directly tell Namazuo the answer. "You'll find out as you watch."

[Han Zhou] sensed the rich spiritual energy emanating from this human, a power truly rare among humans. It seemed he had likely been able to see demons since childhood, reminding him of the human saying, "Those who are not of our kind are sure to have different hearts."

A disdainful smile appeared on her face.

"You're just a mere human, yet you dare to speak so arrogantly. You don't have what I want. Get out of this forest."

When those golden, vertical pupils stare intently at you, it instinctively makes one want to back away. [Han Zhou] thought this would make the human leave, but Feng Qingyuan hesitated for a moment.

"I will come again!"

From then on, Feng Qingyuan would appear before Han Zhou every now and then, never empty-handed, always bringing fine wine or delicious snacks. He was trying to win over this exceptionally powerful demon.

[Han Zhou] Neither refused nor accepted the things she sent. After they piled up into a small mountain, she asked...

"Is the person you're trying to save very important to you?"

"Yes, she's a very nice mother-in-law. You'll definitely like her after you meet her."

As a powerful demon who had lived for over a thousand years, she naturally wouldn't be moved by such things. Her question was simply out of curiosity.

"Go away, and don't bring anything else. I won't give you the herbs."

Feng Qingyuan scratched her head, showing no sign of disappointment. Although she wanted to save people, she actually had no blood relatives living, and the old woman had only helped her in the past.

That's why Feng Qingyuan wanted to do everything in her power to help the old woman, even though she knew the chances were slim.

"Then, can I come to see you later? Not for the herbs."

[Hanzhou] did not reply.

After Feng Qingyuan left, Han Zhou secretly followed him, wanting to see what this seemingly inexplicable human was up to. But she stumbled upon a scene that surprised her greatly.

"Pshaw, another freak has emerged from the forest."

"Look at her outfit, it's absolutely laughable."

The villagers disliked Feng Qingyuan intensely, and she was often the target of their troubles. Han Zhou held his wine cup, but hadn't taken a single sip.

"Feng Qingyuan possessed powerful spiritual energy, which allowed her to heal superficial wounds quickly. At the time, I thought she was foolish; possessing such immense power yet not daring to use it to protect herself."

Han Zhou looked at Feng Qingyuan, who was being beaten by the villagers but never fought back, and said calmly.

Han Zhou watched all this from the shadows without intervening or telling Feng Qingyuan about it.

The spirits observed that Feng Qingyuan came to the forest almost every day to find [Hanzhou], but it was almost always Feng Qingyuan who spoke, with [Hanzhou] rarely responding. This stark contrast made them realize...

How unapproachable was the original lord?

Until one day, Feng Qingyuan never came to the forest again. [Hanzhou] didn't seem to care much. After a while, when she saw the small items Feng Qingyuan had given her, she wondered what was going on.

She went to the village to look for someone.

"Why did they suddenly stop coming? That's strange. Did they encounter some danger?"

"He was probably bullied by the villagers again."

Yamato no Kami Yasusada and Kashuu Kiyomitsu speculated, but Kanshu denied their claims, saying, "No, Kaze Seigen died the day he didn't come to the forest."

"ah?"

The two were stunned, not expecting this reason, but then an even bigger problem arose.

Why did he die so suddenly?!

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Author's Note: I changed the cover, hehe, I put Mikazuki on it now. [Kiss][Kiss]