novelraw Chapter 241: Two of the Three Pillar Gods, The Nesting Rite
Chapter 241: Two of the Three Pillar Gods, The Nesting Rite
[You passed through the Dharma-Aspect Temple’s main gate and left the barrier.]
[The armored samurai on duty at the gate had surprisingly not fallen asleep yet. You handed back the Absolute Barrier Token, gave a casual wave in farewell, and hurried away.]
[Where will you go?]
[You proceeded in the known direction, heading toward No-Illusions Shrine…]
[It was not yet deep into the night, and along the streets were still a few other passersby hurrying about like yourself.]
[You recalled the precise location told to you by the Fire-Worshipping Senior Onmyoji. Although No-Illusions Shrine lay within Thousand Orchid City, it was set in a remote area rather than in the city’s central district.]
[Ordinarily, shrines and temples were built atop high mountains, symbolizing that worshippers would be closer to the deities when they prayed.]
[However, Dharma-Aspect Temple in Thousand Orchid City had not been constructed according to this custom, which was precisely why it had escaped demolition and reconstruction into a shrine.]
[No-Illusions Shrine was built on a low hill at the city’s edge. After traveling for quite some time, you finally reached the foot of the slope.]
[To your surprise, even at this hour, many followers of the New Gods were still moving up and down the mountain path. Clearly, No-Illusions Shrine’s incense worship was far more prosperous than you had imagined.][At the base of the mountain stood a three-story inn catering to pilgrims who needed lodging and meals. A sign over the door read Kame-maru Inn.]
[Voices thronged within the inn, and the stable beside it was filled with horses, clearly many worshippers had chosen to stay here overnight.]
[Do you wish to go straight up the mountain, or enter Kame-maru Inn first?]
[You decided to enter the inn to gather information, ideally, you could find clues about the Ninja Master.]
[You stepped into the inn…]
[The first floor served as a dining hall, every table crowded, the air full of noise.]
[You looked around. Among the seated patrons were quite a few elderly people, but none resembled the Ninja Master from your memories.]
At this moment, Lin Xun was still inhabiting the Ninja Shell.
This shell was considered a local native and didn’t draw attention like the Direct Vision Association President had.
Moreover, clad in the uniform of a Heartless Ninja, he thought that if the Ninja Master were here, he would likely approach to meet his disciple.
[A serving boy quickly came over to greet you, asking whether you wanted a meal or lodging.]
[Upon hearing you wished to eat first, but finding no vacant tables, he arranged for you to share a seat with other patrons.]
[You were seated with a young married couple who looked to be friendly and easy to talk to.]
[While waiting for the food to arrive, you introduced yourself as a foreign ninja and began asking the couple about No-Illusions Shrine…]
[Their enthusiasm exceeded your expectations. They answered everything without reservation, holding nothing back…]
[No-Illusions Shrine had not yet qualified to enshrine a Main God. It worshipped two of the Three Great Pillar Gods subordinate to Ancient Heavenly Enma: Takami-Musubi-no-Mikoto and Kami-Musubi-no-Mikoto.]
[These two Pillar Gods were yin and yang counterparts and were deities governing fertility and childbirth.]
[The couple had been married for years without conceiving a child. Upon hearing that the shrine was about to hold a grand Nesting Rite, they had come to stay near the shrine so they could attend the ceremony at noon the next day, offer incense, and pray for the gods to bless them with a child.]
[The Nesting Rite would take place at noon the next day and last for three days, with a miko sacrificed each day to delight the gods and elicit divine favor.]
[At this point, the husband grew visibly excited and leaned closer to whisper to you.]
[It was said that the miko to be sacrificed on the third day was of unmatched beauty, an absolute peerless flower.]
[According to the standards of this Nesting Rite, it was sure to please the two Pillar Gods and bring down divine favor…]
“So this ‘divine favor’ is just making sure you two infertile folks get pregnant?”
Lin Xun was too exasperated to even mock them.
But judging by what the couple had revealed, the miko to be sacrificed on the third day of the Nesting Rite was very likely the senior sister.
Still, this was only speculation, he couldn’t be completely sure.
If the first day’s sacrifice turned out to be the senior sister, wouldn’t all his efforts be for nothing?
“Either I find the Ninja Master first, or I go straight to No-Illusions Shrine.”
With the Nesting Rite set to begin tomorrow, the Ninja Master was most likely already lurking somewhere nearby, waiting for the right moment to strike.
According to the ninja code of succeed or die trying, if the senior sister were scheduled to be sacrificed on the third day, the Ninja Master would probably act on the night of the second day.
After two days of smooth rituals, the shrine’s guards and priests would likely relax their vigilance, that would be the perfect time for a ninja to make a move.
As for where the Ninja Master might be hiding… The only inn at the mountain’s foot was this one. The odds he was staying here were high.
Aside from the first-floor dining hall, the inn had a second and third floor. He might as well go upstairs to look around.
[The serving boy brought out the evening meal. The dishes were plain and flavorless, pickled radish, fried tofu, rice, miso soup, and the like.]
[As thanks, you took out 200 Spirit Essence to cover the couple’s dinner as well. You noticed that when you produced the Spirit Essence, the young wife’s eyes brightened, and the two became even more warm toward you.]
[After finishing dinner, you told the serving boy you wanted lodging for the night…]
[Paying 500 Spirit Essence, you were smoothly led upstairs. Both the second and third floors were lined with simple guest rooms.]
[The boy brought you to a room deep on the third floor, handed you the key, and hurried back downstairs to serve other guests.]
[Do you want to go to bed, or sneak into the other rooms to search for the Ninja Master?]
Was that even a question? Of course he’d pick the latter.
Lin Xun was just about to select the option when the game text continued to scroll.
[A knock sounded at the door. Puzzled, you opened it, and there stood the young wife from before, demurely waiting at the threshold.]
[Her face blushed with shyness as she softly asked whether she could keep company with the ninja lord for a candlelit conversation.]
[You frowned and gestured, “where’s your husband?”]
[The young wife gestured toward the next room and spat with visible annoyance, “don’t mention that useless thing…”]
[As she spoke, you gradually pieced together the story. She hadn’t come to No-Illusions Shrine for the first time.]
[After years of infertility, she had repeatedly gone up the mountain in secret to pray for divine blessings.]
[But despite the two Pillar Gods’ reputed efficacy, her prayers never yielded any results.]
[Desperate, she turned to one of the shrine’s attendants. After a thorough examination, she was bluntly told the problem wasn’t her, but her husband.]
[Two days ago, she had secretly brought a vial of her husband’s essence to the shrine. Sure enough, this confirmed the diagnosis…]
“Good grief. So you’re not here for a candlelit chat, you’re here to ‘collect new essence.’”
Lin Xun’s mouth twitched.
[Just then, you thought of something. Since she had visited the shrine so many times, maybe she had seen the Ninja Master.]
[You carefully described the Ninja Master’s appearance and asked whether she had seen anyone matching that description.]
[The young wife frowned in thought for a long while, then hesitantly said that she did recall someone who looked very much like the person you described…]
[Two days earlier, as she climbed the mountain, she had encountered such an old man in front of the shrine’s torii gate. But he hadn’t been wearing a ninja uniform, just an ordinary kimono.]
[With so many pilgrims coming and going for the upcoming Nesting Rite, she wouldn’t have remembered him at all if he hadn’t stopped her to ask a few questions.]
[Strangely, the old man never stepped past the torii. After asking what he needed to know, he went back down the mountain.]
[You were about to ask what exactly he had asked her, when you saw her body stiffen, then collapse limply to the floor.]
[Behind her, without a sound, appeared a short, hunched figure wearing a straw hat that hid his face, clad in a white kimono.]
[The old man withdrew his hand from the ninja dagger’s hilt. At the pommel, a piece of emerald jade gleamed with a faint glow.]
[From under the straw hat came a hoarse, aged voice…]
[“Yoichi. Why are you here instead of guarding the dojo on Tisi Island?”]
Hayashida Yoichi, that was the true name of the Chunin Shell.
A Chunin once stationed at the Heartless Dojo on Tisi Island, who had tracked his master’s trail all the way here to rescue the beloved senior sister.
[You have discovered the Fire-Worshipping Heartless Ninja Master!]