Legend Management Bureau Chapter 465

[ … words ]

With no lingering worries holding him back, Jin Jianglang moved through the forest with exceptional ease.

Whenever some blind fool of a demon tried to block his path, he simply raised his blade and neatly severed their head.

In about four hours, Jin Jianglang had left the forest and arrived in the town.

The early morning streets were already bustling with people, though only a few boatmen were heading toward the docks.

He navigated through the winding streets and alleys until he reached the Apothecary. Fortunately, the establishment was already preparing to open for the day.

“Ah! Lord Jin Jianglang!” The apothecary bowed respectfully. “How may I be of service to you, my lord?”

Jin Jianglang waved his hand dismissively. “The Shiranui family does not serve the Shogunate. There is no need to call me ‘Lord’.”

“You are too modest. Our town thrives only because of the Shiranui family’s protection. In our hearts, you are indeed our lord,” the apothecary insisted warmly.

Jin Jianglang did not argue further, instead shifting to business. “I need some medicine. Something for frostbite and something for a cold.”

“Mhm.” Jin Jianglang offered no explanation, merely giving a slight nod.

The apothecary quickly packed up a remedy for frostbite, but he hesitated when it came to the cold medicine.

“By the way, my lord,” the apothecary turned and said, “Could this lowly one see the patient? There are many types of colds. Prescribing medicine blindly might not treat the root cause.”

“See them…” Jin Jianglang considered it for a moment before shaking his head. “That will not be necessary. Just pack one of every type of cold medicine you have.”

“Ah, well… very well, then.” The apothecary nodded. Knowing that the estates of great families were not places someone of his lowly status could simply wander into, he proceeded to pack five or six different bundles of herbs, tied them all together, and handed them to Jin Jianglang.

Jin Jianglang reached out to take them, then retrieved a gold coin from his robes and placed it on the counter.

“Ah!” The apothecary was startled. “My lord! It does not cost nearly this much! A quarter coin would be more than enough!”

“It is fine. Keep it.”

Jin Jianglang took the medicinal herbs and left the building, though a sense of unease gnawed at his thoughts.

The apothecary made a fair point. There were many varieties of the cold, and logically, he should have let the man examine the blind maiden.

But the blind maiden’s demonic features were far too obvious. Anyone who laid eyes on her would instantly realize she was a demon…

Jin Jianglang suddenly froze.

Wait.

Something was not right.

Jin Jianglang furrowed his brow, his mind suddenly flooded with doubt.

The blind girl’s demonic appearance was completely unmistakable, yet she claimed… that she had been raised by human parents?

Were those human parents completely blind, too?

How could they not notice the bizarre smoke constantly rolling off her?

He looked down at the medicine in his hands.

‘Blind maiden, are you lying?’

Jin Jianglang continuously turned the suspicious details over in his mind.

If her parents were human, they certainly would not have dared to live out in the wild forest. After all, demons ran rampant in this era. Humans had to live together in settlements just to stay safe.

But if they lived in a settlement, did not the whole situation become even more absurd?

The blind maiden had lived in a human village, yet no one ever told her, “You are a demon”?

Was the entire village blind?

Had she really managed to fool everyone every single time by simply claiming, “My eyes are just pale”?

“If everyone knew you were a demon, then why would you go around killing demons?”

“Which part of your story is a lie?”

“Something is very wrong.” Jin Jianglang tied the bundles of medicine to his waist. Instead of immediately heading back into the forest, he rushed straight for the Shiranui family estate.

The Shiranui family estate was located right in the center of the Town of Tottori, sprawling across a couple of miles.

The gatekeepers bowed to Jin Jianglang one after another, but he had no time to acknowledge them. He hurried back to his own room and then to Asuka’s room, grabbing a long robe from each, before sprinting non-stop toward the Room of Intelligence.

The Room of Intelligence was situated directly opposite the Room of Pearls. Though the building was not large, the interior was crisscrossed with countless red threads, and a Talisman was affixed to every single one.

Two aloof young women who looked quite similar to one another sat in the center of the room. They were holding onto the red threads, in the midst of casting a spell.

“Tsukimizake!” Jin Jianglang called out.

“Elder Brother.” Shiranui Tsukimizake released the red thread and slowly stood up, while the other young woman also curtsied to Jin Jianglang.

“Hanamizuki is here too. Excellent. I need a favor from both of you.”

Both women looked at Jin Jianglang simultaneously. “What is it? Enemy activity?”

“No, I need to investigate a blind demon. She should be living in one of the nearby villages.” Jin Jianglang thought for a second before adding, “A human village.”

Tsukimizake looked slightly taken aback. “A demon living in a human village?”

“Yes, I find it highly suspicious as well.” Jin Jianglang nodded. “I need to know the exact location of that village.”

The two women nodded and immediately began tugging at the red threads suspended in the air.

“We have cast spells on the Jizo statues in all the surrounding villages. We will find her very soon.”

In merely fifteen minutes, Tsukimizake found the correct red thread.

“Elder Brother, we found it.”

“You found it?”

“Indeed.” Tsukimizake nodded. “Seven days ago, a demon emitting thick, heavy smoke departed from Hiezu Village.”

“Hiezu Village…” Jin Jianglang paused in surprise. “Is that not extremely close by?”

“About five miles away,” Tsukimizake confirmed with a nod.

“Good. I understand.” Jin Jianglang thanked the two women, but the moment he turned around, he realized an elderly man was standing just outside the door.

The old man had deep, piercing eyes and a graying beard. He wore an exceptionally magnificent robe and looked as though he had been standing there for a very long time.

“Patriarch!”

Jin Jianglang, Tsukimizake, and Hanamizuki immediately dropped to their knees and bowed the moment they saw him. The old man before them was none other than the sixth-generation head of the Shiranui family, Shiranui Kyugo.

The old man narrowed his eyes, casting a faint glance at Jin Jianglang, and finally spoke. “Jin Jianglang, what exactly are you doing?”

“Reporting to the Patriarch, I have discovered the tracks of a highly suspicious demon. I am about… about to go investigate.”

The old man’s profound eyes shifted slightly. “Do you still remember the sacred duty of the Shiranui family?”

“It is written in the Ancestral Teachings. Of course I remember!”

“And what is the very first rule of those teachings?” the old man pressed.

“It is…” Jin Jianglang gritted his teeth, forcing the words out slowly. “Those of the Shiranui family shall never succumb to emotion.”

The old man nodded, his tone laden with heavy implications. “If your own personal issues prevent you from slaying ten demons, then you will never be a Time Master. The Shiranui family has no need for useless trash.”

“Yes, sir…”

The old man slowly turned and departed.

Jin Jianglang remained kneeling on the floor for a long time, a sense of deep hesitation and anxiety gripping his heart.

“Elder Brother,” Tsukimizake suddenly spoke, her voice ice-cold. “Do you truly believe in that ancestral teaching?”

Jin Jianglang snapped back to reality and glanced at Tsukimizake.

“O-our work as Time Masters is far too delicate. If we succumb to emotion, how could we ever cut the Threads?”

A fleeting expression of utter despair flashed across both Tsukimizake and Hanamizuki’s faces.

Was being born into the Shiranui family truly a blessing?

They lived far longer than ordinary humans, yet they were infinitely more lonely.

They would marry and bear children with partners strictly chosen by the family, all to preserve the purity of their bloodline.

But was this truly the right way to live?

“Elder Brother, this is all my life and Hanamizuki’s will ever amount to,” Tsukimizake said in deep sorrow. “But if one day, Little Xiang finds someone she truly loves… will you be willing to cut her Threads?”