Trafford's Trading Club

726: Chapter 139: Is There Such a Life?

(3) 726: Chapter 139: Is There Such a Life?

(3) ——[The days spent in spiritual cultivation on the mountain were generally quite dull, studying the scriptures, practicing spiritual power, training in archery, learning herbal knowledge, and additionally, the Early Rice Shrine Maiden had traveled in her youth and acquired a wealth of miscellaneous knowledge, which she passed down.

Nagato Tsuruko was learning quickly.

In the blink of an eye, she had been cultivating on the mountain for over a year.

It was almost time for New Year blessings again, and the villagers of Zaodao Village began preparing to climb the mountain for blessings.

This time, the Early Rice Shrine Maiden planned to let Nagato Tsuruko preside over the event.]

——[Preparing for the New Year blessings is rather tedious, every item needs to be carefully prepared.

The Early Rice Shrine Maiden said that the blessings require sincerity, and each item should be prepared with respect, even the plaques for villagers to write their wishes on need to be nourished with spiritual power.

Naturally, the task of carving the wood into plaques fell to the Shrine Inugami.

Inuyasha couldn’t quite understand why such a powerful Demi-Demon like himself had to do these trivial tasks here.

But his new master, Nagato Tsuruko, had a really cold personality; if things weren’t to her liking, she would make him kneel down.

The Dog God’s knees would ache, after all, and over spring and autumn, Inuyasha began to understand Tsuruko’s temperament.

As long as he went along with her, there usually wasn’t much trouble.

He initially planned to teach this little dog a lesson, to show her he wasn’t easy to command, but unknowingly, it became a matter of having to watch this little dog’s face, which wasn’t exactly a pleasant situation.]

——[“Inuyasha, how many plaques have you made?”]

——[“Three hundred and fifty-nine.” Inuyasha replied listlessly, then looked at the rice ball in Nagato Tsuruko’s hand, as his stomach growled audibly.]

——[“Want some?”]

——[Inuyasha nodded, his face turning red, and he let out a cold snort, “No way I do!”]

——[Nagato Tsuruko took out a rice ball filled with plums and tossed it to the side.

The Shrine Inugami, already starved, couldn’t pay attention to his dignity anymore, as he jumped out with the support of his hands and feet, biting into the rice ball straight away, delightedly indulging while his true nature was revealed.]

——[Such incidents happened many times, and Nagato Tsuruko would always smile silently.

She placed the remaining rice balls aside, then took a plaque and nourished it with spiritual power.

Over the past year, Nagato Tsuruko hardly left the mountain.

The only time was last year on the Zaodao Village festival day.

Narukami Haru was about to give birth and couldn’t go out.

Ah Xiu did follow Nagato Shinji out, and they met; at that time, Ah Xiu was already three months pregnant.

Later, Nagato Saburo sent a letter saying Narukami Haru gave birth to a son.

Last month Nagato Shinji also sent a letter, saying Ah Xiu gave birth to a child, a daughter.

Nagato Tsuruko smiled again, then placed the nourished plaque down and picked up another.

At this time, the now satisfied Inuyasha was squatting on the ground, wagging his tail, clearly a very obedient creature.

Everyone was doing well indeed.]

The shop owner paused his pen here, then a breeze came, blowing over the yellowed paper, gradually drying the ink, fluttered by the wind from the Maid’s fan.

As for the fan, it was likely found in the Shrine.

Could this be considered a romantic night of writing by a red-sleeved beauty?

Luo Qiu lowered his head and smiled, feeling that if these pages were not bound into a book but scattered page by page, it might be more leisurely if he wrote one page while You Ye picked it up, reading aloud and gently blowing the still-wet ink with perfumed breath.

When the ink on this page had dried completely, the Maid would turn a new blank page for her master, and only then did Luo Qiu dab a bit of ink and begin writing this story again.

——[On the first day of the New Year, villagers placed copper coins into the offering box at the Shrine’s donation area, then walked up the steps to shake the bell.

The villagers of Zaodao Village lined up orderly, one after the other.

Nagato Tsuruko waited by the wooden railing for villagers coming to hang their wishing plaques.

Few villagers could write, so they needed the Shrine Maiden’s help to inscribe their blessings.

Previously, this was the Early Rice Shrine Maiden’s job, but now Nagato Tsuruko took over.

However, the railing was still much taller than Nagato Tsuruko, so sometimes the Shrine Inu was required.

The villagers of Zaodao Village already knew there was a monster subdued by the Early Rice Shrine Maiden here.

Since it was subdued, naturally it became less daunting.

Besides, Inuyasha, apart from silver hair and ears and tail distinguishing him from humans, had no other differences from ordinary people.

In fact, aside from these features, he could be considered a handsome youth.]

——[“Hey!

You little dog, don’t ride on me!

Be careful, I’ll eat you!” Inuyasha fiercely glared at a stubborn kid with a runny nose who was riding on his shoulders, scaring the child into bursting out crying.]

——[“Sit down!” Nagato Tsuruko commanded sternly.]

——[Naturally, Inuyasha felt pain in his knees.

This high-speed collision of the knees directly with the ground was quite uncomfortable, even for a Dog God.

In fact, he hadn’t suffered such treatment for almost three months and thought Nagato Tsuruko had grown tired of this game.

But Nagato Tsuruko utterly ignored Inuyasha’s ‘grief-stricken’ gaze and approached the cries of the frightened child to comfort him gently.

Inuyasha, watching, scornfully thought to himself: Aren’t you just a little dog yourself?

But no matter what he thought, he dared not speak it aloud.]

——[“The bamboo has grown quite a bit.”]

——[“Mother.” Nagato Tsuruko heard a voice and looked ahead to see a serene woman holding a baby in her arms – it was indeed Narukami Haru.

As for Nagato Saburo, he accompanied her.

Not far away were Nagato Munachika, Nagato Shinji and his wife, and Ah Xiu carrying her child.

Nagato Tsuruko greeted them one by one.

She didn’t choose to immediately reconnect with the Nagato family but continued assisting the villagers with their work.

When Nagato Saburo and his wife saw this, they felt both happy and pained.

Thinking that at this age, Nagato Tsuruko should be carefree under her parents’ care.]

——[Narukami Haru then handed the child to Nagato Saburo and headed towards Inuyasha.

She once came from Zaodao Shrine, and although now she was married and no longer a Shrine Maiden, she hadn’t truly severed her ties with Zaodao Shrine, naturally recognizing Inuyasha immediately, “Lord Inuyasha!”]

——[At last, he met a human who was polite to him!

Inuyasha felt delighted inside and let out a light snort, “Is there anything?

If not, go back, I’m very busy!”]

——[Narukami Haru said earnestly, “The bamboo is still small, I hope Lord Inuyasha will take good care in the future.

This child is naturally strong-headed and has matters in her heart that she rarely shares with others.

If Tsuruko causes any offense in the future, I hope Lord Inuyasha won’t take it to heart.”]

——[Inuyasha gracefully waved his hand, looking at Narukami Haru, “Don’t worry, I wouldn’t bother with such a little dog.”]

——[Narukami Haru gave a deep bow before Inuyasha, “Then, I’ll entrust Tsuruko to Lord Inuyasha.”]

——[Inuyasha had never encountered a situation like this before and was immediately flustered, not knowing how to respond.

Seeing the caring expression on Narukami Haru’s face, Inuyasha couldn’t help but think of his own background.

As a Demi-Demon, the hardships he had always endured, naturally could not be felt by those pure-blooded monsters, nor could ordinary people.

He felt that Demi-Demons were a particularly lonely and helpless group.

Perhaps his human mother shouldn’t have given birth to him.

Or, if his human mother were still alive, there might be times when she would plead with others too, right?

If it was for himself, so Inuyasha subconsciously asked, “Is it because of my mother’s relation?”]

——[“Of course, it’s because of a mother’s relation.”]

——[Inuyasha actually had more to say to Narukami Haru, but after Narukami Haru had simply spoken those few words, he went to line up behind the villagers, waiting.

The Nagato House had no intention of using their privileges to cut in front of the villagers; the sequence of blessings didn’t matter, as long as there was sincerity.

The Nagato family’s group also hung up their wish plaques, marking the completion of the entire New Year blessing ceremony.

The Early Rice Shrine Maiden kept the Nagato family at the Shrine for a meal, and while the sky hadn’t yet darkened, the Nagato family group returned the way they came.]

Indeed, it was Arex, but it could also be said it wasn’t completely Arex.

The Dream-Eating Tapir existed within every dream and could traverse countless layered dreams, being the only real existence within the dream.

Whatever the Dream-Eating Tapir obtained in one dream, it would naturally get in the others.

Conversely, if it got hurt in one dream, it would be hurt in the others too.

Miki didn’t know that, while being protected within the inner border, holding the unconscious, injured Arex in her arms, somewhere else, he had already discussed something with a certain shop owner.

She just felt sorry for this injured man.

The young Mrs.

Witch had no intention of breaking through Miki’s layers of inner borders, but furrowing her brows at the scene, she wished to know the exact answer from Miki’s mouth…

she could no longer view certain things from her past self’s perspective—not that she couldn’t understand or thought her past self too naive, just that her past self seemed more and more unfamiliar.

“Lord Arex is willing to accompany me,” Miki said with tears, gently caressing Arex’s face, kissing his forehead, then glanced at the young Mrs.

Witch, “He wishes for this Yan Wuyue World, and I will do everything to help him fulfill this dream.

That Demi-Demon also wishes to become a real monster, and didn’t you purify his whole body’s monster bloodline for him!

What right do you have to speak to me like this?”

Unexpectedly, the young Mrs.

Witch nodded at this moment.

——[“Not seeing them off?” Inuyasha looked at Nagato Tsuruko who was gazing from the steps and suddenly asked.

As he asked, he suddenly felt a bit anxious and feared that the little brat might come at him suddenly, causing pain in his knee again.

He was even prepared for it.]

——[Nagato Tsuruko looked up; she had grown a bit taller over the past year, but still had to look up at the Shrine Inugami.]

——[“Wha…

what are you doing?” Inuyasha couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous, dreading that silent gaze of Nagato Tsuruko.]

——[Nagato Tsuruko shook her head silently and went back inside the Shrine.

Inuyasha breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself that he had avoided a disaster this time.

Soon after, Nagato Tsuruko came out again, holding a lunchbox, and sat down on the first step of the stairs leading down the mountain.

Inuyasha then remembered, although the Early Rice Shrine Maiden had kept the Nagato family for a meal, due to the busy blessing ceremony, Nagato Tsuruko had been busy all along and hadn’t had a proper meal with her family, so she must have been starving by now.]

——[“Sit.” Nagato Tsuruko looked up again.]

——[“Me?” Inuyasha pointed at himself and asked.]

——[Nagato Tsuruko nodded, “My mother made these rice balls for me this morning, have some.”]

——[“Since you say so!

I won’t be polite!” Inuyasha immediately reached out and grabbed a rice ball to eat.]

——[Only then did Nagato Tsuruko have a faint smile, and Inuyasha, seeing this, squatted beside her, looking into the distance.

He simply felt Nagato Tsuruko leaning against him, and was about to sneer over this little brat seeming vulnerable too, but on a closer look, Nagato Tsuruko had actually fallen asleep.

Having gotten up early and been busy until now was far more exhausting than the Shrine Maiden’s cultivation; it wasn’t particularly surprising that she’d fallen asleep.

Inuyasha simply remained still, letting Nagato Tsuruko lean against him, his tail flicking behind, occasionally brushing against Tsuruko’s back, sometimes reaching into the lunchbox for another rice ball, careful not to move too much, slowly eating.

As the sun set, the shadows before the Shrine stretched long and thin.]

“You…” Miki hadn’t expected the young Mrs.

Witch to admit it so straightforwardly.

Wasn’t she the one who hadn’t admitted to being the root of the sin, choosing to sever everything and ignore it all, then retreating into the Shrine…

Nagato Tsuruko?

“Because I truly no longer have that right,” the young Mrs.

Witch calmly said, step by step approaching the inner border, “Without the right to control you, there’s naturally no burden to make you vanish.”

Layers of inner borders shattered, and the young Mrs.

Witch summoned a bolt of lightning, shooting straight towards Arex’s body.

Miki’s eyes surged with immense killing intent, and as she blocked the lightning with one hand, her arm was blown into a bloody mess, but at the same time, she quickly darted out, leaving a massive wound on the young Mrs.

Witch’s body.

That was a straight enormous wound from shoulder to waist, causing the young Mrs.

Witch to stagger back over ten meters.

Miki bitterly said, “Did you really think I wouldn’t dare kill you!”