Legend Management Bureau Chapter 479

[ … words ]

“Bastard!!” Jin Jianglang punched the Fire God to the ground, his face twisted in extreme fury. “Are you saying… you had Enenra ‘seduce’ me?!”

The Fire God lay on the ground, overwhelmed by an absolute, crushing despair.

“Why is all of this happening?!” Jin Jianglang roared. “Why are you doing these things for the Patriarch?!”

The Fire God gave a bitter smile and replied, “Brother, I made a deal with the Patriarch. He promised me he would never force you and Little Xiang to become ‘Time Masters’, but I never expected… that you would voluntarily accept the Assessment Trial…”

Only then did Jin Jianglang understand why the Fire God had shown such a disappointed expression when he learned that he wanted to become a Time Master.

He also understood why, in the entire family, only Little Xiang and the Fire God seemed cheerful, while the rest were mere marionettes.

The ridiculous part was that all of these marionettes had once had their Threads cut, while Little Xiang and the Fire God still retained their complete emotions.

“Brother… you should leave…” the Fire God pleaded with a face full of sorrow. “Take Enenra and Little Xiang, cross the ocean, and go to a better place… Enenra’s Threads are incredibly clean. She was never a bad person from the start. You don’t have to give her up just for the title of Time Master… This massive, cold, tomb-like family shouldn’t be your final destination.”

A crisp crack echoed within Jin Jianglang’s heart. Everything he had clung to so firmly completely shattered.

Xu Fu?

Shiranui?

“Jin Jianglang, who killed ten Yokai.”

Right, why hadn’t he realized it sooner?

The one taking the Assessment Trial was clearly the renowned Shiranui Jinjiro, yet the requirement was still to kill ten Yokai.

The purpose of the Assessment Trial was clearly to become a Time Master responsible for managing history, yet the requirement was still to kill ten Yokai.

Why did Enenra smash the skulls of the Yokai?

Because she never wanted him to complete the mission in the first place.

She had known from the very beginning about this

conspiracy, but she had been hesitating all along.

Even though she had always been a liar, she still did everything in her power to protect him.

Now that all the suspicions surrounding Enenra had vanished into thin air, Jin Jianglang had instead become the liar.

He knew everything, yet he couldn’t tell Enenra the truth. This clumsy performance had to continue.

In this whole affair, Enenra had been nothing but a pawn from start to finish.

Threatened by the Tsuchimikado Family to kill Jin Jianglang, she was left with no choice but to agree to the Fire God’s request and approach him.

However, she could never bring herself to do it. Thus, she broke her deal with the Tsuchimikado Family, and in retaliation, they slaughtered every last villager of Hiezu Village.

The two Onmyoji families were like two gigantic hedgehogs, their fierce struggle leaving the trapped Enenra pierced and battered with wounds.

“Fire God, you are right,” Jin Jianglang declared through gritted teeth. “This family is not where I belong.”

The Fire God slowly stood up and dusted the dirt off his clothes. “Brother, let’s go.”

“I will go,” Jin Jianglang replied. “But before that, I need to settle everything once and for all.”

The Fire God suddenly realized that Jin Jianglang’s aura had changed.

His eyes were slightly red, and his entire body radiated a faint… Demonic Energy?

“Brother, calm your mind!” the Fire God cried out in alarm. “Your current state is very dangerous!”

“There’s no need. I feel perfectly fine right now.” A faint smile appeared on Jin Jianglang’s face, and his overall demeanor surprisingly calmed down.

The Fire God took a slight step back, bewildered by the situation unfolding before him.

To directly become a Yokai while in a human body… was there ever a precedent for such a thing?

He seemed to recall reading about something similar in ancient texts from Hua Xia, but he had always assumed they were just Fantasy Talk.

“I’m going to have a word with Enenra, and then I will return to the Shiranui Family to demand some clear answers from the Patriarch.”

After saying that, Jin Jianglang turned and left, carrying a commanding pressure that permitted no refusal.

Sensing that things were taking a disastrous turn, the Fire God had no choice but to sprint toward the Shiranui Family estate immediately. He knew that even if Jin Jianglang transformed into a Yokai on the spot, he wouldn’t kill his own clan members. However, the Tsuchimikado Family was a completely different story.

With the rage currently consuming Jin Jianglang, he definitely wouldn’t spare them…

…

Returning to the village, Enenra had already finished eating a grilled fish. Looking completely satisfied, she was currently staring blankly at the fish bones. She was so lost in thought that she didn’t react at all when Jin Jianglang approached her.

“Enenra,” Jin Jianglang called out softly.

Enenra froze for a moment, then asked, “Who is it?”

“Are you so full that you don’t even recognize me anymore?” Jin Jianglang chuckled.

“Jin… Senior Jin Jianglang?” Enenra’s expression showed a hint of confusion.

“Mhm. Have you had enough to eat?”

“How come you…” Enenra seemed to want to say something else, but she quickly broke into a faint smile. “I’m full, Senior. What about you? Where did you just go?”

“I just went…” Jin Jianglang paused in thought for a moment. “It’s nothing. Enenra, I want to take you away from here.”

“Away from here?”

“That’s right. Let’s go deep into the mountains and forests where no one can find us, and live a simple life of chopping wood and weaving cloth,” Jin Jianglang said earnestly. “I don’t care about the boundaries between humans and Yokai. I just want to watch the cherry blossoms fall with you every year, until we grow so old that we can no longer open our eyes. And then, holding each other’s hands, we’ll lie in bed and turn into corpses.”

Enenra’s expression looked somewhat unnatural. She

raised her pale eyes to look in Jin Jianglang’s direction, though her gaze was slightly off-center.

“But Senior, this year’s cherry blossoms haven’t even finished falling yet. How do you know we will be able to see them next year?”

“If I say we can, then we can.” Jin Jianglang took Enenra’s hands and pulled her into a warm embrace. “Did you know, Enenra? You thought I was the innocent one, that you dragged me into this mess. But in reality, you were the outsider. I was the one who dragged you in.”

Enenra opened her mouth but didn’t say a word. Her hand rested gently against Jin Jianglang’s chest, but she felt the envelope tucked inside his clothes.

“What is… this?” Enenra asked.

Jin Jianglang frowned slightly and replied, “It’s… a betrothal letter. One that I just wrote. I, Jin Jianglang, want to take you as my wife.”

“Take me… as your wife?” Enenra’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Exactly.”

A thick cloud of smoke suddenly billowed from Enenra’s body. Then, she smiled and asked, “Senior, could you read it to me?”

“Alright.”

Jin Jianglang slowly unfolded the letter from his chest and placed it in front of Enenra. Pointing to the first line, which read ‘Shiranui Jinjiro, having illicitly consorted with the Smoke King of Hell today’, he read aloud:

“Shiranui Jinjiro has fallen deeply in love with Enenra today.”

Then, pointing to the second line, which read, ‘Thus writing this letter, ordering the execution of the Smoke King of Hell to become a Time Master,’ he read aloud:

“Thus writing this letter, hoping to become Enenra’s eternal companion.”

Finally, pointing to the third line, which read, ‘All previous Assessment Trials are hereby void. Deliver her head, and Let Bygones Be Bygones. Defiance will be treated as treason,’ he read word by word:

“Through birth, old age, sickness, and death, I shall never leave your side. Holding Your Hand, Growing Old with You. Our love will remain true to the very end, and I shall never take another bride.”

Enenra smiled as brightly as a blooming flower. She stared straight ahead, listening quietly without looking at the letter, a faint glimmer of tears shining in her eyes.