Legend Management Bureau Chapter 459

[ … words ]

Jin Jianglang shook his head and quietly walked away.

Humans and Yokai walked different paths; this was all he could do.

This Yokai had no intention of harming anyone, and he didn’t need her head anyway.

After walking for a while, Jin Jianglang arrived at a stream. He simply set down the Scissors on his back, cupped some water in his hands, and took a few sips.

He looked up and was surprised to find a figure in black fishing not far away. The person had a pair of pitch-black wings, wore half of a blood-red Mask on his face, and was currently looking at him with a smile.

“What a pain…”

Jin Jianglang let out a faint sigh, turning around to leave.

“Brother! Don’t go!” the black figure called out.

Hearing the word “Brother”, Jin Jianglang truly reached the end of his patience. He turned his head back in resignation and demanded, “Ootengu, who are you calling ‘Brother’?”

“You still can’t just call me that! I am an Onmyoji. What does it look like for a Yokai to call me brother?”

“Brother, are you hungry? Let’s roast the fish and eat, shall we?”

“I…”

The two sat on some rocks, started a fire, skewered two fish on wooden sticks, and quietly roasted them.

The campfire crackled, bringing a bit of warmth to the frigid air.

“Brother, what did you come here for?” Bankotubo asked.

“To kill Yokai.” Jin Jianglang turned his fish over. “And don’t call me Brother.”

“Killing Yokai? Do you need Shuten and me to help you?” Bankotubo offered. “How many do you need to kill, Brother? Eight hundred, or a thousand?”

“Ten.” Jin Jianglang frowned. “Don’t call me Brother.”

“Ten?” Bankotubo suddenly looked utterly disdainful. “Brother, are you playing house? Was it just a hallucination when you and Shuten slaughtered three thousand Yokai last time?”

“This time is different.” Jin Jianglang’s expression grew somewhat solemn. “This is a rule within the Shiranui family. As long as I kill ten Yokai within a month, I will officially become a Time Master.”

“A month…” Bankotubo completely lost interest in entertaining Jin Jianglang. “Brother, what kind of bastard made up that rule? Aren’t they just messing with you? Couldn’t they just give you ten minutes?”

“Stop sprouting nonsense.” Jin Jianglang noticed the fish was done and was about to take a bite, but nearly burned himself. “I need to complete this mission as soon as possible. The family is currently in need of manpower. And again, don’t call me Brother.”

“Fine, Brother. Is one fish enough for you?”

“It should be.”

“By the way, Brother, there’s a little shrimp here. Do you want to eat it?”

“You eat it. I’ve had enough.”

As the two were talking, a frail silhouette slowly appeared in the distance.

Her gait was very strange. Her eyes were slightly closed, her nose constantly sniffed the air ahead, and she held a wooden stick in her hand, tapping the ground with every step. She looked as if she were being led around by her nose.

Ootengu paused for a moment, noticing that not only was her walking posture strange, but her attire was even weirder. Underneath, she wore ragged, tattered clothes that barely covered her body, while draped over them was the magnificent outer robe of the Shiranui family.

He turned his head and realized that, despite the freezing weather, the Jin Jianglang right in front of him was only wearing a slim-fitting brocade garment. His outer robe was nowhere to be seen.

“E-excuse me, is someone there…” The woman sniffed the air and gathered her courage to ask, “May I ask if you are human or Yokai…?”

“Brother…” Bankotubo was just about to speak when he saw Jin Jianglang place a finger to his lips, making a shushing gesture.

Bankotubo looked at Jin Jianglang in confusion, then broke into a wicked grin. His lips moved slightly as he mouthed, “Is sister-in-law here?”

Jin Jianglang’s brow furrowed, and he mouthed back, “I’ll kill you.”

Bankotubo was incredibly amused. He then quietly shuffled his feet and slid a bit to the side.

The blind girl waited for a moment. Hearing no response, she raised her voice and asked again, “Is there no one there…?”

Looking both somewhat happy and a bit afraid, the blind girl carefully felt around on the ground for a moment. Sure enough, she found a roasted fish skewered on a branch.

She gently brought the roasted fish to her nose, took a sniff, and gulped.

“E-excuse me, is there really no one here…? I-I’m so hungry, can I have a bite?”

After waiting a little longer and confirming there was indeed no response, the blind girl emboldened herself, fumbled her way to sit right next to Bankotubo, and brought the fish up to her face.

Bankotubo quietly slid a little further to the side.

Just as she was about to take a bite, the blind girl burned her lips. “Ah! So hot! Phew, phew, phew!”

Bankotubo slowly covered his mouth, his eyes curving into little crescents from suppressing his laughter. After a moment, he gently pointed at the blind girl and mouthed to Jin Jianglang, “What a weak Yokai.”

“Shut up,” Jin Jianglang mouthed back.

“My luck is so good today… to think someone just left a freshly roasted fish sitting here.” The blind girl happily fanned the hot steam off the fish with her hand, muttering to herself, “I really hit the jackpot today. First I found clothes, and now a fish. It must be the ancestors of the Shiranui family watching over me. If I actually make it to the Shiranui household… I wonder what kind of massive feast will be waiting for me, hehe.”

‘What in the world is wrong with this female Yokai?’

‘How could anyone in this world just leave brand-new clothes and a freshly roasted fish lying around on the ground?’

‘It’s a miracle she has survived in this forest for so long being this incredibly naive.’

Seeing the deeply conflicted look on Jin Jianglang’s face, Ootengu suddenly came up with a wicked idea.

Smirking, he slowly raised a single finger, hovering it just inches from the blind girl’s cheek, and mouthed, “Brother, join the ‘Armed Yokai’.”

Jin Jianglang froze, frantically waving his hands and mouthing back, “W-what? Are you crazy?”

“If you don’t agree, I’m going to poke her,” Ootengu mouthed, his finger inching closer to the blind girl’s face.

This completely terrified Jin Jianglang.

Ootengu had absolutely no filter, and there was no telling what outrageous thing he might actually do.

Furthermore, he was an Onmyoji, and that woman was a Yokai.

Not only had he refrained from killing her, but some inexplicable impulse had driven him to give her clothes to wear and food to eat. No matter how he looked at it, the situation was far too bizarre.

“S-stop it!” Jin Jianglang waved his hand and mouthed, “Don’t mess around!”

Bankotubo looked like he was about to burst into laughter. He could only silently withdraw his hand and mouth, “I’ll stop teasing you.”

The hot steam rising from the roasted fish had been fanned away a bit by the blind girl, but it was still scorching. Unable to wait any longer, she eagerly took her first bite.

“Wow! It’s so delicious!”

The blind girl showed an expression of sheer delight. Immediately after, her body began to turn into mist, instantly billowing thick, white smoke.

Jin Jianglang had seen this phenomenon before, so he didn’t think much of it, but Ootengu, who was sitting right beside her, ended up suffering.

The massive cloud of smoke completely engulfed him, carrying a sweet scent that drilled straight into his nose.

“Cough! Cough! Cough!”

Ootengu choked and coughed uncontrollably.

“Who’s there?!”

Hearing the cough, the blind girl leaped in fright, dropping her roasted fish onto the ground.

Feeling an instant wave of regret for the dropped food, she hurriedly reached out to feel for the fish, only to burn her hand again.

“Ah! Hot, hot, hot!”

Jin Jianglang reflexively wanted to reach out and help her, but then he suddenly remembered something.

He could only silently pull his hand back.