Legend Management Bureau Chapter 457

[ … words ]

Edo Period.

First year of the Jokyo era.

February twenty-sixth.

Saturday.

“Kashin, does it still hurt?” Shiranui Jinjiro handed a roll of bandages to the young man beside him.

The young man’s face was completely covered in freshly inked flame tattoos. Scabs had formed over the intricate designs, and when he offered a bitter smile, they cracked. The fractured scabs glistened, looking as though fresh blood was about to seep out.

“Brother, I really don’t understand,” Shiranui Kashin said. He took the bandages and used them like a cloth, gently dabbing at his face. The sharp sting made him draw in a sharp breath. “Why did those old men insist on etching these damn tattoos onto my face? Why don’t those bastards ink their own faces?”

“Kashin, it’s because you are too powerful,” Jinjiro said, patting him on the shoulder. “You are the one who will eventually bear the title of ‘Shiranui’.”

“Bear the title of ‘Shiranui’?” Kashin frowned, a trace of disappointment flashing across his face. “Brother, you are ahead of me in line. When would it ever be my turn to carry that name?”

Hearing this, Kashin lowered his head in gloom. He looked down at his palms, which were also covered in intricate flame patterns. Right now, those markings were thickly scabbed over and intensely painful.

“Brother, I hate them,” Kashin muttered. “Just for this illusory ‘Shiranui’, they turned me into a monster on my sixteenth birthday…”

Jinjiro frowned slightly. Naturally, his heart ached for his younger brother, but there was nothing he could do.

Just yesterday, Kashin had been an incredibly cheerful youth with a bright smile. Today, his face was crusted with blood, resembling an Asura from the Underworld.

The reason for all of this was simply his sheer excellence. If it were anyone else, who could possibly accept such a fate?

Not knowing how to comfort Kashin, he thought for a moment before saying, “Kashin, ‘Shiranui’ truly exists. It isn’t some ethereal illusion. The day you finally master the ‘Divine Fire Shiranui’, I will dedicate my entire life to assisting you.”

Kashin offered a deep, bitter smile. ‘Did the original Shiranui from back then also have these bizarre tattoos?’ he thought to himself. ‘Did he suffer as much pain as I do right now?’

“If I can master this damn fire… does that mean I can finally leave this wretched place?” A hint of despair flickered in Kashin’s eyes. “Brother, I want to take you and Little Xiang away from this cursed family. We should never come back.”

“Don’t speak nonsense.” Shiranui Jinjiro slowly stood up and brushed the dust from his clothes. “You are a Time Master, and you will be a Time Master for the rest of your life. Your body is covered in the ‘Shiranui’ markings. Where else could you possibly go?”

“But brother…” Kashin’s gaze turned sorrowful. “I never passed the Assessment Trial, so why am I forced to be a Time Master? I want to be an Onmyoji, just like you.”

“Sigh…” Shiranui Jinjiro shook his head. “Your generation really gives me a headache. You are a once-in-a-century genius Time Master, yet you have your heart set on becoming an Onmyoji. Meanwhile, Little Xiang possesses a one-in-a-million constitution for an Onmyoji, yet she insists on becoming a Time Master.”

“It doesn’t matter what Little Xiang wants to be! We can protect her!” Shiranui Kashin also stood up, though he nearly lost his footing. “So what if she wants to be a musician? We can find a quiet place… and live our own lives in peace. What ‘Shiranui’, what ‘Xu Fu’, what ‘eternal life’—what does any of that have to do with us?!”

Shiranui Jinjiro paused, looking out toward the distant forest, and asked, “Kashin, why do you think I came to these woods today?”

“You…” Kashin froze, as if realizing something.

“We share the same birthday, but I am four years older than you.” Jinjiro slowly retrieved a sealed scroll from his robes. It was stamped with the crest of the Shiranui family.

“Brother, you… you accepted the Time Master’s Assessment Trial?!”

“That’s right. According to clan rules, at the age of twenty, if I bring back the heads of ten Yokai within a month, I will officially become a Time Master.” Jinjiro slowly tucked the scroll back into his robes. “My Assessment Trial has now begun.”

Shiranui Kashin gritted his teeth and asked, “Brother, do you really want to become a Time Master that badly?”

“I am a member of the Shiranui family, so I must inherit the family’s mission.” Shiranui Jinjiro hoisted his scissors onto his back from the ground, speaking slowly. “I am not as exceptional as you, so I can only become a Time Master by passing the Assessment Trial. But I will fight for the family for the rest of my life.”

Watching Jinjiro’s slowly departing figure, Kashin felt a deep sense of melancholy.

He knew it wouldn’t be long before both Jinjiro and Asuka were Time Masters. When that time came… would they still be able to escape this family?

Were they truly bound to carry the weight of these illusory burdens for the rest of their lives?

It was late February, the most deceptive time of the year according to the almanacs.

It was said that during this season, the earth should be transitioning from winter’s chill to the warmth of spring, with flowers blooming everywhere.

Yet, the reality was a piercing, howling wind that bit straight to the bone.

Jinjiro walked forward at a steady pace, eventually venturing deep into the dense forest.

Demonic Energy permeated the air here year-round, and many low-level Yokai roamed the area. Jinjiro knew that with his level of strength, he should be able to finish this so-called Assessment Trial in a matter of moments.

After about five minutes, he faintly heard the sounds of a petty squabble echoing through the trees.

‘Could there be Yokai fighting over territory?’

He concealed his presence and moved toward the sounds of the struggle.

Just a few hundred meters ahead, Jinjiro spotted the brawling Yokai.

Three Yokai had surrounded a single female Yokai, unleashing lethal moves in a ruthless attempt to take her life.

The three minor Yokai had blue skin and hideous horns jutting from their heads. The female Yokai, on the other hand, had a beautiful face, though her eyes remained firmly shut.

Despite her frail figure, the female Yokai possessed decent cultivation. Wielding a wooden staff with her eyes closed, she constantly maneuvered around the three attackers.

However, her footwork was incredibly bizarre. Even though she could easily dodge the minor Yokai’s strikes, she would invariably trip over stray rocks on the ground by accident.

Seizing a moment when one of the minor Yokai exposed a flaw in his defense, the female Yokai struck swiftly, smashing her wooden staff against his head.

It was a heavy blow, but a Yokai’s physique was naturally tougher than a mortal’s. How could he possibly be knocked out by a mere wooden stick?

“This woman is completely insane!” the Yokai shouted, momentarily stunned. “Considering she’s pretty decent looking, let’s not tear her to pieces today. Capture her alive!”

In the next second, a massive cloud of smoke erupted from her body, instantly blanketing the surrounding woods.

“Capture me? Dream on!” the female Yokai shouted, continuously releasing more smoke.

The minor Yokai split into three paths and completely encircled her. They soon realized that, aside from her nimble movements, her actual combat strength was shockingly low.

The female Yokai wildly swung her wooden staff, landing accurate blows on their heads every single time, but failing to inflict any real damage whatsoever.

Jinjiro watched the bizarre spectacle from the sidelines in confusion. Though the scene was strange, it was still a fight between Yokai. He began to calculate whether he should play the fisherman who catches both, swooping in to harvest all four of their heads.

In the blink of an eye, the wooden staff was slapped out of the female Yokai’s hands, and two of the minor Yokai grabbed her arms in a vice-like grip.

Jinjiro looked closely. The woman’s face was deathly pale and extremely delicate, though a bit dirt-smudged.

Her clothes were reduced to tattered rags. Whether from fear or the biting cold, she was currently shaking with fear.

“What are you doing?! Let me go!” the female Yokai screamed nervously. “I’ll kill you all!”

“Kill us? Hahaha!” The minor Yokai roared with laughter. “The three of us didn’t even provoke you, yet you dared to attack us right on our doorstep? Just what exactly are you trying to do?”

“Because I want to kill every last Yokai! All Yokai deserve to die!” the female Yokai shrieked.

Watching from the sidelines, Jinjiro felt the scene before him grow even more bizarre.

This woman was clearly a Yokai herself, yet she wanted to kill all Yokai?