Chapter 65 The Cold Boat of Childhood
It seems this seal is about to be broken, even if only temporarily. But anxieties have unknowingly spread throughout the citadel.
Looking at the night scene within the citadel, Hanshu noticed that it was unusually quiet tonight.
The swords, who usually had trouble falling asleep, unexpectedly had a "dream".
Tsurumaru Kuninaga was initially examining the unreal body he was in, but when he saw his companions appearing around him one by one, he realized this was no coincidence.
"Wow, that was quite a shock!"
"Huh? Tsurumaru's here too."
Mikazuki and Kogitsunemaru walked up to Tsurumaru's side.
[Sorry to bother you sword spirits. But... there are some things I still want you to know.]
A voice, weathered and tinged with ancient charm, suddenly echoed in the minds of all the swords and blades.
Is this... the will of Heaven?!
"Hahaha, this is really... So what do you want us to know?"
The Heavenly Dao did not answer; instead, a screen began to appear in the pure white space. A table and chairs, along with tea and snacks, also thoughtfully appeared.
The swords watched as a small fox with snow-white fur and golden eyes appeared on the screen. Its petite figure nimbly darted between the trees, as if in a hurry.
"This is... Aruji?!"
Yes, this is from her childhood.
(The little fox suddenly ran to the plain in the forest and pounced into the arms of two large foxes.)
The two foxes both had snow-white fur; the larger one had six tails, and the smaller one had five.
"Father! Mother!"
It was a very innocent child's voice, and a lively and agile voice that they had never seen before.
"You ran off to the other side of the mountain again?"
A clear, melodious voice echoed in the ears of the swords.
Is this the lord's mother? What a gentle voice.
"Don't get too close to humans."
The stern male voice carried a warning tone, and the large white fox tail behind him lightly tapped his child's head.
"Ugh..." The little guy who was hit pretended to cover his head with his front paws.
"Ugh, that bad father!"
The swordsmen watched with amusement as the other turned around, his backside facing his father.
My lord was quite lively when he was a child.
“Zhouzhou, you must understand. Humans are fickle, so don’t easily give up your trust.”
Han Zhou's fox ears twitched subconsciously. He looked up and nuzzled his mother, then reluctantly agreed.
"Okay—in exchange, Dad and Mom have to play with me!"
"Sure."
The demons who had taken human form still retained their fox ears and tails, and both the husband and wife possessed dazzling golden vertical pupils. The woman's hair was the same black as Han Zhou's, while the man's hair was white.
The three family members all had their long hair tied up in high ponytails, making them look remarkably similar. The man scooped up the youngest child and let her ride on his shoulders.
The little guy, not to be quiet, rubbed his father's fox ears. As an adult male fox, the man's ears were very large, easily covering the little guy's face.
"Zhouzhou, don't play tricks on your father's ears."
"Alright—, Mother is so stingy." The last half of the sentence was clearly muttered quietly, but it could still be heard.
"Charge! Let's go to the river!"
Little Hanzhou shouted happily, his legs swinging involuntarily.
"Alright, alright, I'll do whatever Zhouzhou says." The man's voice was full of doting affection, and his six fox tails swayed casually behind him.
He steadily supported his daughter, his figure moving swiftly and gracefully through the shadows of the forest. The woman followed beside them, her five fox tails trailing behind her like snow-white silk, her golden vertical pupils filled with gentle starlight.
A doting smile played on his lips.
Hurry up!
With a loud shout, the man's figure swept across the grass like the wind. The sudden movement caused Xiao Hanzhou, perched on his shoulder, to let out a series of silvery gasps and laughter. She clung tightly to her father's head, her body trembling from the thrill of the ride.
Although the wind made it hard for Xiao Hanzhou to open his eyes, he was still overjoyed.
The woman followed them at a leisurely pace, occasionally using her spiritual power to clear away branches that might scratch her daughter.
Upon reaching the riverbank, the man set his daughter down from his shoulders. The moment Xiao Hanzhou's feet touched the ground, she rolled around on the grass, covered in bits of grass. Her golden eyes watched the white clouds drifting across the sky, then she suddenly sat up.
"Father, Mother! Let's play hide-and-seek!"
The woman covered her mouth and chuckled softly, glancing around at her surroundings.
"Are you sure? On this plain?"
There's nothing to hide here, so finding the little guy is a piece of cake.
"You are not allowed to use spiritual power to investigate!"
Xiao Hanzhou put her hands on her hips, thinking that doing so would increase her chances of winning.
The couple looked at each other and saw smiles in each other's eyes.
The man squatted down and looked into Xiao Hanzhou's eyes.
"Alright, whatever you say. But... if you get found, you'll have to share half of tonight's spirit fruit with me."
"Okay, it's a deal!"
The words had barely left her lips when she transformed back into her original form, rolling like a small snowball into the knee-high grass.
The man deliberately slowed his pace and looked around.
Where is our little fox hiding?
The woman chuckled softly, watching her husband's "clumsy" performance, occasionally pointing out a wrong direction. When the man finally found his daughter, curled up like a snow-white ball, thinking she was well hidden, Xiao Hanzhou burst into joyful laughter.
The girl transformed back into human form and leaped into her father's arms. The woman laughed and gently brushed the grass clippings from her daughter's hair. The laughter of the family of three mingled with the babbling brook and the gentle evening breeze.
In this world, only the purest happiness and peace remain.
This blissful scene captivated many swordsmen. This was a lord they had never known before.
But...they had never heard their lord mention his mother, which was already a telling sign. Both of them were already dead.
Han Zhou's parents both died at the hands of humans.
That's why she distances herself from humans.
I'm telling you this story in the hope that you... will keep Hanzhou here. She's walked this world alone for too long; I fear she might find a place to rest forever at any moment.
"I see. But you must have something else you'd like to ask us to do."
Tsurumaru Kuninaga crossed his arms, a rare, unyielding worry appearing in his golden eyes.
Yes, I know she's about to be sealed away, but I can't directly interfere. So... I will help you.
The Heavenly Dao distributed its power to the swords, requiring them to travel to the core area of the three major families and shatter the evil god statues worshipped by the three families in order to quickly break the seal on Han Zhou.
Just as the swords' consciousness was discussing this matter with the Heavenly Dao, Han Zhou had already sensed that something was wrong.
Han Zhou was, after all, a high-ranking deity, and naturally she could sense the anomaly in the citadel. There was no danger, until she noticed that barely perceptible aura of the Heavenly Dao.
She was somewhat incredulous, even doubting that her perception was mistaken. Han Zhou was currently in a temporal rift, a place that could be described as a "no-man's-land."
Even the Heavenly Dao couldn't help her, trapped in the rift of time and space, but... what puzzled her was...
The will of Heaven has arrived, so why don't you see yourself?
Never mind, maybe I'm just being paranoid.
Looking at the night view of the citadel, the Manjusaka trees in the distance swayed quietly in the evening breeze. For a long time… Hanshu thought of his mother.
In her childhood, she also had a carefree period. Time has passed too long, and those two figures have easily become blurred.
After a thousand years, she seemed to hear that familiar voice again, a voice she could never have heard before.
"Zhouzhou, I'm so happy to see how wonderful you've become, and I'm so glad you've found friends."
"Haha, that's great! Keep moving forward bravely!"
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Author's Note: Sorry for the long hiatus... I've had a lot of classes this semester, plus I've been busy with my internship, so I've been a bit overwhelmed. I should be able to update more during the National Day holiday... I think. [Eyes wander]
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