"OK."
The maid gently closed the door.
"Great Tengu! How are you going to compensate me for my hair? I've become bald!"
The Great Tengu suppressed a laugh, "You look very good, very unique, very... pfft!"
Stop laughing!
Quan smashed the mirror.
"I'll think of a way."
Seeing that she was really anxious, the Great Tengu resumed his reliable demeanor and said reliably:
"Bring me some cloth."
...
Fifteen minutes later, a woman with a white headscarf covering her head left the inn, followed by a man and a woman.
As they walked down the street, passersby cast strange glances at them, especially at Quan, who was wearing a headscarf in the middle.
In this heat, aren't you afraid of getting heat rash from wearing such a thick headscarf?
Quan kept his head down, avoiding eye contact with anyone, until he entered the mountains, at which point he dared to loosen the tightly wrapped headscarf and wipe away the sweat.
After all that trouble, by the time they reached the second mountain, the sky was already shrouded in mist and darkness, and the sun had set behind the mountains, offering no more light.
Walking in the darkness, Izumi felt exceptionally comfortable, because no one would be watching her. However, visibility was poor in the dark, making it easy to slip and fall, so the Snow Woman stayed by her side the whole time.
As you venture into the deep mountains, all is quiet.
Who's coming up ahead?
"It tastes like three people."
"Are there three people?"
"No, there's only one person."
"one person?"
"Yes, alone."
Who is it?
"A bald man."
The sudden conversation came from the bushes, and when he heard the last sentence, Quan finally couldn't help but walk into the bushes, which were as tall as a person.
"May I ask who you are?" Quan asked.
"She's here."
"who?"
"The bald guy, that bald guy."
"That's terrifying!"
"Let's see her clearly."
Before the sound faded, a series of red dots appeared before our eyes, like a string of colored lights lit up in the grass, like the eyes of a ferocious beast.
"Ah, so it's foxfire."
The Great Tengu saw the flame clearly.
"Foxfire?"
Upon approaching, both Izumi and Yuki-onna were surprised by the scene before them.
Hundreds and thousands of foxes gathered in the grass, each holding a ball of red flame in its mouth, creating a forest of foxfire.
Behind the foxfire, the red "Tengu's Ladder to Heaven" is very eye-catching, and behind the ladder is a magnificent shrine.
"So there was an Inari Shrine here."
Looking at the magnificent scene, Quan exclaimed in admiration.
"Inari God has two attendants, both white foxes. By the way, Yuki-onna, you should have met her before, she's the one who sealed you away."
"Um?"
The snow woman tilted her head and gave her a puzzled look.
“Alright,” Izumi sighed, “I misremembered. Let’s go around them.”
After navigating around the foxes and passing the majestic shrine, the Snow Woman suddenly stopped. Izumi looked at her and asked, "What's wrong?"
"We cannot move forward."
"What's the reason?" Quan asked.
"There is a Jorogumo ahead."
The snow woman's face turned pale.
"Jaragumo?! Okay, do you remember the story that old man told?"
Quan's gaze fell on the ground, where a group of little monsters ran past her feet.
A few days ago, when she passed through a village, she went to exchange for food. Little Snow Woman sat there waiting for her, but she encountered a ragged homeless man who told her the story of Jorogumo.
"Have you heard of Jorogumo? She is a kind of monster that looks like a woman. She often lures men on their journeys and then takes their heads and eats them!"
To be honest, I encountered this ferocious monster on my journey, but she didn't eat me! Because there was a campfire where I was lying, and Jorogumo isn't afraid of anything, except fire, so I escaped! Hahahaha!
As he spoke, the homeless man handed her a picture book from his pocket. The book depicted a story of Jorogumo turning into a monster, and the black spider on it terrified her.
"what to do?"
The Snow Woman was filled with fear and unease.
The Great Tengu patted his chest and said, "With me here, I will protect you."
"What use are you?" The snow woman glanced at him disdainfully. "You can't beat me, so how can you defeat her?"
"I was actually letting you win that day, otherwise you wouldn't have been able to fight me to a draw," the Great Tengu said helplessly.
"Alright, alright, actually I'm the one in the most danger, right?" Izumi took over the conversation, gesturing for Ōtengu to clear the way.
"You guys protect me, let's hurry over there. By the way, Snow Woman, if you hadn't told me, I probably wouldn't have been afraid."
"Really? She's actually there."
The Great Tengu pointed to a tree, and Izumi subconsciously looked over and saw a charming woman sitting under the tree, her lower body a terrifying spider!
"Ahhhhhh..."
When Jorogumo saw Izumi and the two shikigami beside her, she closed her eyes without hesitation.
"She doesn't seem to be planning to attack."
The snow woman looked at her and said.
"Monsters generally do not choose to attack Onmyoji, because Onmyoji not only have spells that are difficult to deal with, but also have to deal with a group of Shikigami before they can defeat the Onmyoji. If there are powerful monsters among them, it will be even more difficult."
"Then why did you attack us?"
The Snow Woman thought of what had happened before.
“Because you were taking my people with you, that’s why I… Oh, right, Izumi.”
The Great Tengu suddenly looked at her.
"How did you end up here? This is a famous demon mountain; Onmyoji usually don't choose to go through here."
Quan said, "There are monsters everywhere, so does it matter where you go?"
"As far as I know, the monsters in other places are more docile, which is suitable for a young Onmyoji like you, and also for you to collect shikigami. There are too many monsters here. If you hadn't taken me in before, the two of you wouldn't have been able to get out of here on your own."
Izumi thought about it again and realized that the previous Yanyanluo, Yamaba, and the fox spirit, as well as the current Jorogumo, were all difficult to deal with.
She'll encounter countless more monsters later on, and if she runs into someone like Shuten-dōji or Ibaraki-dōji, she'll probably be instantly killed.
"Thank you, Great Tengu. Please send us, the weak ones, back to Kyoto," Izumi said with a smile.
"I am your shikigami, do I have the right to say no?" Ootengu sneered.
They continued onward, walking along the edge of the cliff, when they encountered another wheel! In the middle of the wheel was a burning human head, its eyes shining brightly in the fiery flames.
Yorei Fire?!
"It will push us down!"
Quan screamed.
"Don't be afraid, we can fly."
Of all times, the Great Tengu chimed in with a comment.
What should I do?
As she spoke, the wooden wheels were rolling over her! A raging fire was closing in, and a fierce gaze swept over her.
"What do we do?! It's coming!"
Quan said fearfully.
The Great Tengu's mind raced, searching for a solution. If he tried to block the wheel directly, the flames would scorch his hands. If he let Izumi fly, the wheel would also fly and would surely rush up and breathe fire on him.
So……
"Hiccup, hiccup, what's burning up there? It's making my skin dry!"
A figure appeared, the wheels gradually came to a stop, and Izumi breathed a sigh of relief. The Great Tengu looked at the shrinking flames on Yorei's body and smelled a strong, fishy odor.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
