Chapter 59 The Conspiracy of the Three Great Families (Part 3)

Han Zhou, unaware of the three families' intentions, only felt a strange chill, and she subconsciously frowned slightly.

She hadn't felt this way in thousands of years; it was an ominous premonition.

"Aruji—"

The deliberately drawn-out, slurred call successfully pulled Hanzhou out of her thoughts.

Unbeknownst to her, her brow had just furrowed unconsciously, casting a shadow of gloom over her usually composed face, a sight that worried even the spirits at the banquet.

"Tsurumaru?" Han Zhou looked at the two white cranes that had approached her. She put down her wine cup, a hint of doubt in her eyes. "What are you trying to do?"

They exchanged a glance, then laughed simultaneously, and said in unison...

"Reach out your hand, Aruji. There's a surprise."

Although I don't know what these two are up to, I still extended my right hand.

Snap—

Two wooden hairpins fell into her hands.

One is carved with auspicious cloud patterns, and the other with cherry blossoms.

She examined the two wooden hairpins in her hand, then loosened her high ponytail, letting her long, silky black hair fall freely. Han Zhou took out half of her hair and used the hairpins they had given her to half-gather it up.

The night light cast a hazy glow on Han Zhou. Her long hair, half-tied up, greatly diminished her aloofness, giving her an indescribable gentleness.

The spirits: "..."

Seeing them standing there silently, Han Zhou found it inexplicably amusing, and a slight smile crept onto his lips as he spoke, his tone clearly teasing.

Why are you all stunned?

"No... I'm just a little shocked." Tsurumaru Kuninaga scratched his cheek somewhat awkwardly. Even he hadn't expected his lord, with his long hair half-up, to be so stunning.

"This is better than we expected," Tsurumaru Kuninaga exclaimed, looking at Kanshu in his current state.

"If everything is predictable, then there will be no frights, right?"

She really liked the gift, so Hanzhou was happy to go along with their conversation. Seeing the surprised looks on their faces, she cheerfully picked up the wine in front of her and drank it all in one gulp.

It's best to put those worries aside and quietly appreciate this rare moment of tranquility.

Everyone drank quite a bit at the dinner party. Several empty wine cans were piled up next to Han Zhou, his cheeks were slightly flushed, but he didn't seem drunk.

Looking at the slumped spirits around him, Han Zhou put down his wine glass.

A gentle evening breeze stirred, lifting Han Zhou's half-up hairstyle. Cherry blossom petals swirled and landed on her hair. Her pale golden eyes reflected the crescent moon in the night sky.

She appeared exceptionally gentle

Those tsukumogami who were not yet drunk successfully witnessed this rare scene.

“There are plenty of empty rooms in the citadel; I don’t mind if you stay here tonight.” Han Zhou tucked a strand of hair behind his ear and glanced sideways at Mikazuki Munechika beside him.

"Haha, then I'll gladly accept your offer."

Not many people were awake, and some were not good at taking care of others. Han Zhou thoughtfully used his shikigami to prepare rooms and beds for them.

After tidying everything up, Han Zhou returned to his room. Before resting, a faintly glowing butterfly flew in through the window. Han Zhou, who had been relaxed, frowned slightly upon seeing it.

Reach out your hand and let the butterfly land on it. The phosphorus powder shaken off the butterfly's wings gradually turns into words in the air.

The three major families seem to be planning to assist other ominous entities, temporarily trapping or hindering you. Please be careful.

As the message ended, the butterfly transformed into specks of starlight and vanished.

An ominous presence?

Han Zhou pondered what kind of being the three generations of families would want to seek help from, since the being's existence was ominous. Therefore, if the three families wanted it to provide assistance, they would inevitably have to pay a corresponding price.

Several entities that had been considered ominous flashed through her mind, but she dismissed them all. After all, all the ominous things she knew of had been eradicated.

In the corridor, there were still some tsukumogami (spirits) who hadn't gone to rest, most of them elderly swordsmen.

"The lights are still on. Looks like something's going to happen tonight." Higekiri leaned against a pillar with his arms crossed, gazing at the still-lit lights on the castle tower.

"Tonight's banquet came as a surprise, and then the general's absent-mindedness added to the tension. Is this truly the calm before the storm?" Yagen sighed almost imperceptibly.

"Haha, no need to worry too much. After all... that's our lord." Mikazuki laughed, exchanged a glance with Higekiri beside him, and then turned and left.

The figure of the most beautiful blade in the world was bathed in moonlight, appearing exceptionally serene.

Higekiri shrugged and left in the opposite direction. Genji's quarters and Sanjo were in opposite directions.

——

After the banquet, Ranluo had already compiled a list of A-rank Saniwa, which even included their respective personalities, demonstrating just how powerful her demon father had been by preserving her abilities.

Han Zhou stared at the few names listed and fell into a brief silence. She had guessed that there might not be many people in the government she could trust, but she hadn't expected so few. Not to mention the lower-ranking Saniwa.

Ranluo had also investigated this, and the situation was even worse for low-level Saniwa. These weak and utterly worthless humans comfortably enjoyed the respect and care of the Tsukumogami.

That's ridiculous.

Errors should be corrected.

This was Han Zhou's only thought at that moment.

She should have gone to handle the remaining three auctions, but just as she stepped out of her office, she was stopped by Tsurumaru Kuninaga, who seemed to have sensed something. His beautiful golden eyes clearly conveyed a "I knew it" expression.

"Oh, my lord. Where are you... planning to go?"

The white crane, its arms crossed, exuded an aura of "Let's see what excuse you're going to use this time." Han Zhou chuckled wryly, his tone filled with helplessness.

"Tsurumaru... I just went to take care of some trivial matters."

Tsurumaru Kuninaga raised an eyebrow and drawled, "Oh—trivial matters, huh? Well, I guess these trivial matters are related to the three major families, right?"

These sword spirits might not be able to fully see through Han Zhou's plans, but the moment Han Zhou showed any unusual behavior, they keenly sensed that something was wrong.

Tsurumaru Kuninaga certainly knew this; if their lord intended to conceal those unusual occurrences, it would be extremely difficult for them to detect anything. It was precisely because their lord no longer hid his anxieties from them...

This gave them the opportunity to share the burden.

"My lord, how about giving us a chance?"

We will never let you down.

Having grasped the unspoken meaning in Tsurumaru Kuninaga's words, what else could Hanshu do? She lifted her foot and walked past the white crane—

He raised his hand and tapped Tsurumaru Kuninaga on the head.

"Nonsense"

Despite his words, the helplessness and doting in his tone were obvious. Tsurumaru Kuninaga chuckled softly upon hearing this and quickly followed Hanshu beside him.

But my lord, isn't it you who gave us the confidence to "make trouble"?

Tsurumaru Kuninaga thought so.