Seibei * True

Tobirama quickly slid down from the pine tree, hugged the wall, and circled around to the side of the annex. He hid in the shadows outside the main house and peered through the half-open window.

After entering the main room, Bishamonten went straight to the innermost part of the room.

He stopped by the wall and pressed a small, inconspicuous protrusion on it.

A crack silently appeared in the ground, revealing a stone staircase leading downwards.

The Underground Passage was pitch black, with only a few oil lamps embedded in the walls emitting a faint light.

Bishamonten lifted his foot and walked down.

The Underground Passage closed behind him, and the ground returned to its original state, leaving no trace.

Tobirama frowned.

We can only go down and see what's below after he leaves.

The Underground Passage descended downwards, the stone walls were damp, and the air was filled with the smell of earth and rust.

After walking about a hundred steps, a row of low Stone Chambers appeared ahead, with iron bars sealing the doors. Each chamber was empty except for the innermost one, which was occupied.

The Jurōjin sat on a pile of hay in the corner of the Stone Chamber, leaning against the wall, with one leg stretched out in front of him. His ankle was wrapped in thick gauze, and dark red blood seeped out from under the gauze, staining the fabric black.

Hearing footsteps, the old man looked up.

Upon recognizing the person, he let out a cold snort.

Bishamonten walked to the iron fence, squatted down, and looked at the old man's feet through the bars.

"I'm sorry, Jurōjin," he said calmly, "I don't have time for you right now, I can only give you a simple bandage."

The Jurōjin looked at him coldly without saying a word.

Bishamonten pulled a roll of gauze and a bottle of Wound Medicine from his sleeve and handed them over the railing. "Change your clothes."

The Jurōjin did not reach out to take it.

He stared at Bishamonten's face and spoke slowly and deliberately, "Bishamonten, you know perfectly well that this is not what you wanted at all. If everyone dies, how can it be called peace?"

Bishamonten stood up and looked down at him.

"But no matter what, I want true peace to come to the world. Even if it means relying on the power of Evil God, I will make sure that the Land of Hot Water truly becomes a paradise."

"Is turning everyone into madmen what you call a paradise?"

Bishamonten laughed.

"But aren't all people in this world crazy?" he said. "If we weren't so crazy, ignorant, and driven by desires, why hasn't peace come yet?"

"But that's human nature!" the old man's voice echoed in the Stone Chamber. "They have desires, they have folly, but they also have kindness, they have self-control! What gives you the right to make this decision for everyone!"

"But I don't want humans like this," said Bishamonten. "I will cultivate New Humans who will be more obedient and easier to satisfy than the current ones."

"Without desires, without strife, that is the true Shangri-La."

The Jurōjin's pupils suddenly contracted.

"Could it be that you..." He tried to stand up, leaning against the wall, but the injury to his ankle made him stagger and fall back down. "Seibei! You're insane! You don't even know what you're saying!"

"Please excuse me, I have other matters to attend to and must leave now."

He walked up the stone steps, his footsteps fading into the narrow Underground Passage, eventually being completely cut off by the Secret Door closing above him.

The Jurōjin sat on a pile of hay, gazing at the empty stone wall outside the iron fence, his chest heaving violently.

"Seibei!" he shouted again, his voice echoing through the empty cell before finally reaching his own ears.

Tobirama seeing Bishamonten leave the secret chamber, Tobirama waited for a while, making sure the footsteps had completely disappeared and the Secret Door above his head had closed, before stepping out of the shadows.

He walked to the wall and pressed the protrusion that Bishamonten had just pressed.

The ground cracked silently, and the stone steps extended downwards.

He walked down the stone steps and came to the very end.

When the Jurōjin saw that someone else had come, he initially thought that Bishamonten had returned and struggled a bit. But when he saw from afar that the hair was white instead of black, he was stunned and then carefully examined it by the light of the wall lamp.

"Lord Tobirama?" His voice was hoarse, tinged with uncertainty. "Is it Lord Tobirama?"

Tobirama stood outside the fence. "It's me. Who are you?"

"I am the Jurōjin, Seven Lucky Gods of the Land of Hot Water!" The old man tried to sit up straight by leaning against the wall, but his ankle twitched, and he hissed in pain. "Lord Tobirama, please, please save me!"

Tobirama looked at him, his tone indifferent. "Why should I help you?"

"Seibei... no, Bishamonten wants to destroy the Land of Hot Water!" The Jurōjin's voice became urgent, "Please, sir, save the Land of Hot Water!"

Tobirama frowned. "What does this mean?"

As he asked the question, his hands didn't stop. He took out lock-picking tools from his Ninja Tools bag and quickly opened the lock on the iron fence.

"My lord, you are unaware of this," the Jurōjin began, "We have a legend here. A legend of Evil God."

Tobirama of just listening, Tobirama took action and unwrapped the bandages to re-bandage the Jurōjin.

Legend has it that as long as you offer tribute to the Evil God, this land will be protected from wind and rain.

The Land of Hot Water has actually been established for less than a hundred years.

When we first arrived in this land, we thought it was just blind worship by the locals.

Although there was some reservation about the title—why not "sea god" or "island god"—it was considered feudal dross and was even banned for a period of time.

But to my surprise, it was actually true.

"Evil Gods truly exist," the Jurōjin said. "And if you don't offer tribute, disaster will truly befall you."

The first group of people to come to the Land of Hot Water settled down here, and their lives were just beginning to improve.

The Jurōjin slowly recounted, "Then one day, huge waves rose at sea, lingering for three days and three nights, completely destroying the newly built port. Next came a landslide, burying half of the newly cultivated fields. Then came a plague; villagers fell one after another, their bodies turning black, foaming at the mouth, and the doctors were helpless."

"We were at our wits' end; almost everyone who came was going to perish inside."

"Later, an elderly local man told us something: 'You don't understand the rules. This land has its owners, and since you've come, you must pay tribute.'"

What tribute should be offered?

"People."

On his way back to Tamamoya, Izuna rescued a few more people.

He discovered that even without close contact, he could destroy their spirit.

He discovered that as long as he saw that person, he could enter their Mindscape world and kill them.

The person would stand there, blink a few times, shake their head, and then continue on their way as if they had just woken up.

Mokushō followed behind him, his expression growing increasingly solemn the more he looked at him.

"What's wrong?" Izuna turned her head to look at him.

"It's nothing," Mokushō said, his tone less relaxed than usual. "It's just that I feel your learning speed is much faster than I expected."

"I'm a genius, you know?" Izuna waved his hand dismissively.

Izuna dealt with the people on the road while hurrying towards Tamamoya.

Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks.

On the Shitty Map, the green dots around Tamamoya's location suddenly turned red.

They were densely packed, surrounding the courtyard like a tightening noose.

"Something's happened." His expression changed, and he suddenly increased his speed, leaping across the rooftops.

Let's rewind a moment.

Two guests arrived at Tamamoya.

They walked through the noise of the front yard, around the corridor, and headed straight for Tamamo-no-Mae's private residence.

Hearing the knock, the maid got up to open the door and saw two strange men standing outside. One was wearing a dark gray suit, and the other was wearing a navy blue short jacket. Both had knives at their waists and did not look like ordinary tourists.

The maid was initially a little scared and shrank back.

But the two men did nothing wrong. The one in the lead bowed slightly and said politely, "Hello, is this Lady Tamamo-no-Mae's residence?"

The maid hesitated for a moment, then said, "Yes... that's correct."

"I am Tachikawa Kessei," the man said, then turned to introduce his companion, "This is Ōtsuka Renryū. We are from the Ise Family, and we wish to speak with Lady Tamamo-no-Mae."

Upon hearing the words "Ise Family," the maid immediately put on a smile and stepped aside to clear the doorway, "So you are distinguished guests from the Ise family. Our lady is very grateful for your hospitality."

Jason smiled. "No, it's us. We've relied on your great help in many things."

As he spoke, his gaze swept past the maid's shoulder, scanning the depths of the mansion.

Inside the house.

Tamamo-no-Mae -Mae and Makoto were sitting by the window talking.

Holding a plate of pastries, her cheeks bulging, she mumbled between chews, "Huh? But I think Mr. Tamaro quite handsome, he just has some freckles. You get used to it after a while, how could no one like him?"

Tamamo-no-Mae on the cushion, and couldn't help but chuckle upon hearing this, "Oh, that's because he has some strange elements about him."

How so?

"Because he was actually the one who was rescued more often."

Zhen was stunned for a moment, the pastry in her hand stopping at her mouth. "Really!"

"He used to be skin and bones, and I had to go to his door to collect debts when he couldn't. Later, he finally gained some weight, but then he was captured by his enemies. It was the Hiroyama Boss rescued him." Tamamo-no-Mae counted on her fingers, "And after that, it was all the older sisters and aunties here who went to bail him out, and that's how he managed to survive until now."

As I listened intently, my eyes widened even further.

"Now you've really gotten better at it, you've finally managed to save someone like you." Tamamo-no-Mae shrugged.

He laughed heartily, "So pathetic? I'm the first one?"

"No, you're the first one who was saved and then offered herself in return," Tamamo-no-Mae corrected her. "After the other girls were saved, he got caught up in their feelings and had no choice but to ask us women to save him. So although he saved many people, there really isn't anyone as completely grateful as you."

Holding the pastries, Zhen laughed so hard her shoulders shook, "So I still got a great deal?"

"You do not say."

The two women burst into laughter, the sunlight streaming through the window warming them. Just then, a maid led someone in.

"Here she is," a maid's voice came from down the corridor. "That girl is in this room, chatting happily with our Lady Tamamo-no-Mae."

Tamamo-no-Mae and Shin simultaneously stopped laughing and looked up at the doorway.

Jason stood outside the threshold, his gaze sweeping across the room before landing on the real person. He paused for a moment before turning to Tamamo-no-Mae.

"You must be Lady Tamamo-no-Mae." He bowed slightly, a smile playing on his lips. "You truly are as beautiful as your name suggests."

Tamamo-no-Mae didn't respond to his polite words, her gaze shifting between Jason and Renryu: "Who are you?"

"We are from the Ise Family Clan," Jason said. "We just met Tamaro, and he sent us to take Lord Shin to a safer place."

Tamamo-no-Mae squinted.

"When did the people of Ise become so close to my brother?"

Jason remained unfazed. "Because our patriarch is now Lord Haruto. He hopes that Miss Zhen and Tamaro's marriage will go through. This time, he heard that Miss Zhen's clansmen were plotting against her, so he specially sent us to take Miss Zhen to a safe place."

Tamamo-no-Mae stared at him for two seconds.

"Is that so?" she said, her tone indifferent. "But... are you really from Ise?"

"Yes," Jason answered frankly, "Although we are not members of the clan, we have been subordinates of Lord Haruto for many years. If Lady Tamamo-no-Mae- no-Mae is worried, she can come with us."

Tamamo-no-Mae did not respond immediately.

She looked at Jason, and something felt off.

This person speaks in a frivolous tone and moves in a light, airy manner. Although what he says and does seems perfectly normal, something just feels off.

Moreover, she was the one who negotiated the cooperation with Ise, and she was also the one who communicated about the real marriage. To avoid suspicion, Tamaro always avoided Shinzo, and even if he needed help, he would go to the Hiroyama Boss first instead of Ise, who was an outsider.

How did they get in touch with Tamaro?

Zhen also secretly became wary.

She put down the plate of pastries in her hand and touched her cuff with her fingers.

Jason took a step forward and stood inside the threshold.

"Please, Miss Zhen, leave with us."

Tamamo-no-Mae raised her hand, blocking the real body, her tone turning cold. "We must wait for Tamaro to return before making a decision."

"We were sent on the orders of Lord Tamaro," Jiesheng said, his smile undiminished. "There's no time; please come with us."

Tamamo-no-Mae frowned.

Just then, she noticed another person's footsteps.

Lianlong left the room at some point, his footsteps still slowly moving through the courtyard, going from the corridor to the side courtyard, and then towards the backyard.

Tamamo-no-Mae's heart sank.

"Please leave," she said, her tone already sharp.

Jason took another step forward. "Miss Zhen, please leave with us."

"Trespassing." Tamamo-no-Mae's voice turned cold. "Is this how things are done in Ise?"

Jason's expression finally changed slightly. He seemed about to explode, but not wanting to escalate the situation, he smiled again, "Please, Lady Tamamo-no-Mae, don't make us..."

Just then, the door was suddenly kicked open.

Tamaro burst through the door, covered in sweat, his clothes dusty, clutching a knife, his eyes bloodshot.

"Tamamo-no-Mae!" he roared, "Take Shin and get out of here!"

Tamamo-no-Mae suddenly turned her head. "Brother!"

Without explanation, Tamaro immediately swung his sword at Jie Sheng.

Jason raised his hand, and a steel rod appeared in his hand without him noticing, which blocked Tamaro's knife.

The metal struck each other, producing a sharp, crisp sound.

"What's going on?!" Tamamo-no-Mae exclaimed.

"Go first!" Tamaro didn't turn around, pressed the knife down, forced Jiesheng back half a step, and kicked him in the chest.

Jason was kicked back two steps, and the smile on his face vanished completely.

At the same time, Lianlong returned from the side courtyard and touched Tamaro's back.

Tamaro ducked down, and the blade sliced across his head, severing several strands of hair.

Seeing this, Jason stopped pretending. He used his steel bar to force Tamaro aside, bypassed him, and pounced directly on Zhen.

He made a decisive move and wrote a single character in mid-air.

"Hold!"

The word appeared in mid-air, glowing with black light, and slapped onto Jason's body.

Jason paused, but the spell was broken in less than a second, and he continued to grab forward.

But this one second is enough.

Tamamo-no-Mae grabbed Shin's arm, took two steps back, and slammed her shoulder against the wall behind her.

With a loud crash, a large hole appeared in the wooden wall.

The two rolled out through the hole.

There was a side courtyard outside.

The moment their feet touched the ground, before they could even regain their footing, a circle of dark shadows appeared all around them.

Dressed in black.

A dozen or so people appeared simultaneously from the shadows of the corridor, from the corner of the courtyard wall, and from behind the flowerbeds, surrounding them.

Everyone carried a knife, the blade gleaming with a cold, bluish light in the sunlight.

Tamamo-no-Mae her, glanced around, and spoke in a voice as cold as ice.

Who are you people?! Do you even know who my Big Brother is?!