The Snow Woman lowered her gaze. Inside the cage was a dirty plastic bucket, filled with grime, with some withered leaves and murky water.

"Dad, I want this one!"

The Snow Woman spoke earnestly, her gaze fixed on the cage, almost as if she were about to cry.

He's such a neat and tidy person, how could he stand being locked up in here...?

"Um……"

The beautiful woman hesitated.

The playboy shook his head, indicating that she shouldn't buy it.

After thinking for a moment, Qiu Shui turned to the NPC and asked, "How much does this Great Tengu cost?"

"If you want, you can buy that two-star Komatsumaru over there for just one Soul Jade, and we'll also give you a six-star Yi for free."

The NPC said enthusiastically.

"Pack it up for me."

Qiu Shui took out the Soul Jade.

"Wait! Let's say a few words first."

The playboy stopped her and pulled her to a corner to talk.

"Have you thought it through? Are you sure you want to buy it? That's not how you use a woman's sympathy. The system deliberately puts these things there because it knows you female players sympathize with them. Think about it some more."

"The Snow Woman likes him."

Qiu Shui said helplessly that she had a guess in her heart, but she just didn't want to say it.

"Soul Jade is money. One Soul Jade is worth a hundred dollars in real life. Think it through," the playboy advised her again.

"Creak...creak..."

The jarring sound of the machine whirring nearby forced them to stop talking.

What was that sound?

Playboy and Autumn Beauty turned their heads at the same time to find the source of the sound. They saw a dilapidated claw machine in the corner, which must have been abandoned for a long time. Inside were many Ibaraki-doji plush toys, each one an Ibaraki ball, which were extremely cute.

What is he doing?

The Shuten-dōji in front of the claw machine was only half their height. He had messy red hair and wore tattered, patched clothes. He was now trying hard to operate the handle and grab the Ibaraki-dōji doll inside the machine.

"Ah...it fell again."

He struggled to operate the handle, and Qiu Shuiyi seemed to hear a sigh from his heart.

"My dearest friend! Wait for me!"

An Onmyoji was passing by with Ibaraki-dōji and Shuten-dōji. Ibaraki-dōji followed closely behind Shuten-dōji, his face full of smiles, a frank and sincere smile, "My dear friend, I'll go get you some sake!"

"This is so annoying!" Shuten-dōji said impatiently. "Get lost!"

Seeing this, Little Shuten looked down at the claw machine that had retreated to its original position.

"It is said that Shuten-dōji is noble. As the oni king of Mount Ōe, he is unwilling to pay attention to the persistent Ibaraki-dōji. Now it seems that not all Shuten-dōji would think that way."

Qiu Shui sighed, walked out of the alley, and went to the stall selling giant tengu.

"I want this great tengu."

The elegantly dressed tengu standing nearby all looked over upon hearing this, their eyes filled with envy.

A bold tengu asked the snow woman through the cage, "Why did you choose him? Am I not as good as him?"

“None of you are him.” The Snow Woman’s eyes were filled with tears, and for the first time, she showed a flustered expression in front of her juniors.

"Sister Snow Woman..."

Ichimokuren opened the cage and helped the weak Ōtengu out. Because he had been huddled in a corner of the cage for a long time, Ōtengu's steps were unsteady, and the only wing on his back trembled slightly.

With a longing for the sky in his eyes, the feathers on his wings fell to the ground one by one in the wind, and were trampled under people's feet.

The Great Tengu looked up at the beautiful Yuki-onna in the sky. Her long, crystal-clear white hair was braided into two braids, and her elegant clothes were a new style that had never been seen in the entire Heian-kyo. Her white clothes were embroidered with blooming snow lotus flowers. She must be the most beautiful Yuki-onna in all of Heian-kyo.

He withdrew his gaze, and the Snow Maiden, knowing what he was thinking with just one glance, gently landed on the ground.

"I'll do it."

He took the Great Tengu's arm from Ichimokuren and rested it on his shoulder. The Great Tengu had not eaten for a long time, and his feet were dangling.

He leaned gently on her shoulder, placing half his weight on the snow woman. Ichimokuren saw her carrying such a heavy load and wanted to help, but seeing the snow woman's dazed expression, he withdrew his hand.

"Something's off with your Yuki-onna," the playboy noticed. "Does she know this Great Tengu?"

"Perhaps it's... the one I encountered in the main storyline, who knows."

Qiu Shui turned back for one last look at this place.

After sending the Great Tengu back to the Yin-Yang Bureau, she had to remove the holographic bracelet because the train had arrived at the station and passengers had to get off.

Ichimokuren took the Great Tengu to bathe in the hot spring, while Yuki-onna went into the kitchen to busy herself. Aoandon noticed a scar on the Great Tengu's back and suddenly understood why her father had brought this Great Tengu back.

When I saw that he only had one wing on his back, I felt terrible.

"Ghost, come here! What's wrong with the Snow Woman and the Lord? Can that crippled Tengu even be used?!" she roared.

"Satori, don't be like that. It's a good thing that the family has a new member, especially since it's the noble Demon King, Great Tengu. Everyone should be happy!"

The ghost remained calm and composed, and although the shikigami in the Yin-Yang Bureau had doubts, they did not complain.

After a while, Yuki-onna came out of the kitchen and, together with Hotaru, set today's dinner on the table. The shikigami sat in their respective places, and Tamamo-no-Mae, who had come to help, sat at the table, raising an eyebrow, "Today's meal is quite sumptuous."

"Where's the Great Tengu?" Yuki-onna asked Ichimokuren.

"He's already asleep. Snow Woman, he's very tired, let him rest."

Ichimokuren smiled gently.

The Snow Woman sighed, put down her chopsticks, and remained silent for a long time before standing up and saying, "I'll go check on him. You all eat first."

-

Qiu Shui took a taxi back to Ailu College and ran into Xu Yu.

"Back to the academy? Hurry up and pack your things to register," Xu Yu said.

"Mmm," Qiu Shui replied weakly, feeling utterly powerless.

"What's wrong?" Xu Yu asked curiously. "You don't look well. Did something happen on your journey?"

"No." Qiu Shui wasn't going to talk any longer, but the butler was still urging her on.

“Your words are not convincing. If you are not feeling well, go back to your dormitory and rest. Don’t worry about the report.”

"I brought some local specialties from my hometown, all homemade. I'll bring them to your dorm tonight, so don't fall asleep yet." Xu Yu smiled, still as confident and composed as ever.

"Uh... does senior know anything about online games?" Qiu Shui asked.

"Are you talking about a virtual reality game like Brave Continent? I've heard of it, why are you suddenly asking about it?"

"I'm playing a game," Qiu Shui said, raising the metal bracelet on her wrist. "I'm looking for a like-minded friend to play with."

"Is playing games useful?" Xu Yu asked seriously, a slight smile playing on her lips. "No, they're useless. By the way, want to go to a bar together tomorrow? I heard there's a new guy there who's a good cook."

"No, you go ahead." Qiu Shui felt embarrassed at the mention of the bar.