Alaya's Teleportation / Shirou Reunites with the Swordmasters ...

"Yeah, like a sage who sacrifices himself to pave the way for a hero who saves the world." Alaya said, then changed his expression again, cutely opening his arms to hug Shirou and pleading, "Help me, big brother!"

"Stop! Let go! I'm really scared being held like this." Shirou reached out and placed his hand on the little girl's shoulder, trying to push her away.

However, the body transformed by Alaya possessed great strength and held onto Shirou tightly. Shirou dared not use too much force and hurt the little girl, so he had no way to deal with Alaya and could only change positions, trying to break free from the girl's grasp.

Although Shirou's intention was to push the girl away, to outsiders, this action appeared as if Shirou was changing his posture and hugging the little girl.

"... Master?" Hachi-chan, who had been watching Shirou leave, was utterly shocked by what he saw. He cried out, "You rejected me... So you really like... ki... ki...?"

Although she had been rejected before, she felt she should respect her master's choice, after all, he also had his own ideals to pursue and his own things to do. But right after they parted, he was unexpectedly attracted by a little girl by the roadside.

"No! Absolutely not! Master, wait for me! Wait for me!" Honda Heiha shouted, his footsteps pounding the ground as he sprinted towards the other side.

"Hachi-chan? Didn't I tell you to go back? Why did you come back again? Let's talk this out." Shirou turned around and asked when he heard the voice.

Hachi-chan roared angrily, "Fine, I won't chase after you! Master! You! You! How dare you lay a hand on such a small girl, Master, you pervert! I have to correct you!"

"Are you misunderstanding something? There's no little girl inside this guy," Shirou explained.

"Waaaaah... that big brother was so scary!" Alaya started to fake cry.

"How could that be! What nonsense are you spouting!" Hachi-chan grabbed Shirou by the neck, shaking him violently as he shouted angrily, "Repent now! If you truly repent and cut off the hand that committed the crime, there's still hope! Come on! I'll help you!"

"I know, I know, I promise you. Alaya, please explain quickly." Shirou, tormented by Hachi-chan's Monstrous Strength, hurriedly said to Alaya. He hadn't originally intended to refuse; after all, he couldn't bring himself to do something like knowing the people in that world were in danger and then ignoring it.

"Alright, the contract is established!" Alaya chuckled in agreement, then conjured the face of a wrinkled old man and called out to the girl, "Big sister, look this way~!"

Hachi-chan was still glaring at Shirou, but when she turned her head, she saw the little girl's face had changed. The seven or eight-year-old girl now had a face that looked older than a seventy or eighty-year-old, with a strange smile on her lips.

"Holy crap! It really is!" Hachi-chan exclaimed in fright, letting go of Shirou's hand and hugging him tightly.

"Shirou is truly a sinful man. Women's troubles are really interesting." Alaya changed to a childlike expression, opening her innocent big eyes, and said with a grin, "Hehehe, big sister, let's hug each other first. If you really can't bear to part and insist on going with Shirou, there's actually a way. Just you have to sign a contract with me..."

"Huh?" Hachi-chan was overjoyed to hear that there was a solution and was about to agree.

"Hachi-chan!" Shirou shouted, interrupting Alaya, and reached out to pinch the girl's cheeks, turning her face towards him so they were face to face.

"Ugh? What's with the Lion Cultivation Mud Medicine...?" Hachi-chan mumbled incoherently. Being so close to him like this, his heart pounded. He thought, 'Why is Master suddenly being so proactive? Is he going to kiss me? No way! That kind of thing can only be done after we're married!'

Shirou stared intently at the girl without blinking, and said very seriously, "Hachi-chan! Go back! Your parents are there, that's where your life should be. Didn't you want to prove yourself, that all your previous efforts weren't in vain? Also, absolutely do not make any contracts with her, not even verbal agreements!"

"Hmm... I'll listen to you," Hachi-chan Ba replied softly, looking somewhat dazed.

"Tsk... How stingy." Alaya pouted unhappily, crossed her arms, and urged, "Shirou! Since you agreed, let's set off quickly! I'll teleport you there!"

"Yes, Hachi-chan! I'm leaving now. Take care, we'll meet again if fate allows!" Shirou nodded and looked at the girl again.

"Waaah, it doesn't matter if I forget! Even if you're in another world, Master Shirou, I will definitely! I will definitely! Find you!" Hachi-chan covered his face, wiping away his tears, and shouted loudly.

Chapter 352 The Teleportation of Alaya

Under Alaya's manipulation, a vortex of light was opened. Unlike the square white light gate of the white deity, Alaya's passage was a diamond-shaped light pillar, with a rotating blue-white vortex of light inside. It was surrounded by seven-colored light, and lines and particles of various colors of light shuttled and floated back and forth, appearing both supernatural and sacred.

Shirou was sucked into the ball of light and teleported to another place, a desolate land, where a hole suddenly opened up.

It seems that Alaya played a prank by setting the passage three or four meters in the air.

However, none of this had any effect. Shirou realized something was wrong. He decisively adjusted his posture, straightened his waist, did a somersault in the air, and landed steadily on the ground with one hand supporting him.

Shirou shook his head in annoyance. Had Alaya, who possessed the little girl's body, become childish and mischievous as well? Or was the personality she had transformed into inherently so wicked?

Shirou stood up and looked around at the surroundings. It seemed to be a desolate hilltop, a wilderness with nothing but weeds and trees.

Alaya only intended to teleport him over, but didn't tell him anything. Shirou decided to go down the mountain first; the matter that the Counter Force needed to resolve couldn't possibly happen in a place where no one could be seen.

On the other side, beneath a vortex of light.

"What a touching farewell between master and disciple," Alaya sighed casually, looking at Hachi-chan, whose face was streaked with tears.

"Waaaaah, Shirou ~! How could you be so heartless, just leaving like that! Waaaaah~!" Hachi-chan lay on the ground wailing, looking utterly miserable. It was a heartbreaking sight that would move anyone who heard it to tears.

However, none of this had any effect on Alaya, who was oblivious to human nature. She waved her little hand at the woman and prepared to leave. "Then I'll take my leave too. Goodbye, Sister Hachi-chan ~!"

"Wait! What is the way to meet Master? You haven't told me yet!" Hachi-chan suddenly raised his head and shouted hurriedly.

"No, I still prefer to order Shirou around. If I drag you in, he might get angry, so let's forget it~!" After Alaya finished speaking, without waiting for Hachi-chan's reply, she turned into a beam of light, floated out of the little girl's body, and was sucked into the vortex.

The swirling vortex of light in the sky closed and disappeared. Only then did Hachi-chan realize that the surroundings had suddenly darkened, the sky was already dusky, and the setting sun was painting the clouds with a final layer of orange-gold. Crows cawed as they flew over the countryside, and everything that had happened before seemed as if it had never occurred at all.

"Huh? Why am I here? Big sister, who are you? Ah... could you be Heihachi-neechan?" The little girl with the watermelon-shaped haircut completely changed her demeanor at this moment. (Monthly fee group 694936135) She stretched out her little hands to rub her eyes, as if she had just woken up, looked around, and exclaimed in confusion.

At this moment, Alaya had left the girl's body, and she returned to her original true form. When she put down her hand that had been rubbing her eyes, Hachi-chan immediately recognized the girl's identity and cried out in surprise.

"Hey! Kamehime! What are you doing here?!"

The girl in the magnificent red kimono was none other than the eldest daughter of Matsudaira family Ieyasu, the young lord of the Matsudaira family, and the granddaughter of the Matsudaira family head! Because of the attack by the demon Toyotomi with his army of monsters, the lady of the house, along with other families of the castle lords, escorted her outside to seek refuge. Unexpectedly, they encountered demons along the way and were separated from each other.

Actually, it was Alaya that sensed the situation here, so it possessed the girl's body and controlled her to stay away from danger and come here. Under the big tree, she waited for Shirou's arrival.

The little girl then remembered her family and, seeing the completely unfamiliar surroundings, became very uneasy, asking, "Where am I? Where is Mother? Is Father alright?"

The little girl clutched her sleeve, looking like she was about to cry.

Hachi-chan quickly comforted the girl, laughing loudly, "Haha, it's alright, it's alright. The monsters in the city have already been defeated by my sister and her master! Madam will definitely be safe and sound."

"Really? Then I want to see Mom right now. Mom won't leave me here alone." The little girl looked up at Hachi-chan, still looking uneasy. The more she thought about it, the more worried she became, and her well-developed tear ducts were already starting to overflow.

Hachi-chan felt a sense of foreboding. She remembered that the little girl, as the city lord's eldest granddaughter, was adorable when she wasn't making a fuss, but once she threw a tantrum, she was an unruly little devil, even more terrifying than the previous demon god Toyotomi Hideyoshi. She could still fight Toyotomi Hideyoshi, but this little devil was someone she couldn't hit or scold.

Tears welled up in the little girl's eyes, and she opened her mouth as if to cry out.

Hachi-chan was extremely anxious but didn't know what to do. At that moment, she recalled how Shirou used to talk to the women in his family.

Hachi-chan crouched down, placed his hand on the girl's shoulder, and mimicked Shirou, revealing a warm and comforting smile like that of a boy next door. He said gently, "Hime, you're so cute, how could I bear to lie to you? Of course I'm telling the truth!"

The little girl stared at the smiling face, momentarily stunned, a blush rising to her cheeks. She said softly, "Um... I believe you."

Hachi-chan breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "Alright, I'll take you home now! Come on, let me carry you."

"Hmm." The little girl gazed at Hachi-chan's face, which was quite handsome and somewhat androgynous for a woman, and thought, 'It's been a while since I've seen him, and he seems to have become so much more handsome!'

"Alright, then I'll take you home now!" Hachi-chan held the gun in one hand and supported the little girl's lower body with the other, lifting her up so she sat on his arm, and strode towards Mikawa Castle.

She learned more from Master Shirou than she had imagined, and it was surprisingly practical. Hachi-chan became even more confident about the future. She was determined to prove herself and become a stronger, more beautiful, and better woman!

Suddenly, the little girl exclaimed, "Heihachi-neechan, I always feel so safe and secure by your side. I wish you were a boy!"

Hachi-chan frowned, her spirited brows furrowing. Why did she have this feeling that she was destined to die before she even got started? Even if it was just innocent childish talk, it shouldn't be like this.

Hachi-chan puffed out his chest and protested to the little girl, "What are you saying! I'm a woman! A woman! Look, judging by my figure, I'm definitely a good woman!"

"Tsk... it would be great if this excess fat were cut off," the little girl clicked her tongue.

Hachi-chan shuddered and said, "You're just a child, do you even understand what terrifying things you're saying?! You'll definitely die!"

"I don't mind, and I won't dislike you when the time comes," the little girl said affectionately, looking at Hachi-chan who was hugging her.

"I'll care, okay!" Hachi-chan shouted frantically.

And so, amidst their half-hearted bickering, the two returned to the city. As the first hero to defeat the demon god Toyotomi, and having brought back the lost Princess, he had earned the favor of the city lord's family.

Honda Tadakatsu's future is already set; she has a bright future ahead of her, and she will undoubtedly inherit the old general Honda's official position within the family.

In the days that followed, she would rely on her daily practice of the unadorned spear technique and the incredibly sharp Tonbokiri serve as the top general under the successor Tokugawa Ieyasu, establishing merit and becoming a legend who had fought in over fifty battles, winning every single one without ever being wounded.

Chapter 353 Shirou, the Swordsman, Reunited

Shirou stood on the mountaintop, looking around. All he could see were mountains. To get down, he had to go through the dense forest.

There was no path underfoot; almost everywhere was covered with dense wild grass, the shortest of which was as tall as Shirou's knees. It was truly a desolate and treacherous place, with no trace of human footsteps, not even animals, and no birdsong.

The sun is about to set, and once night falls, if it's cloudy in the woods and the stars are obscured, then it will truly be impossible to discern directions.

However, since there was no destination to begin with, choosing the path down the mountain became easier. At this point, all that was needed was to find a water source. As long as you followed the water downstream, even if it was a roundabout route, you would eventually find an exit.

Shirou found many edible mountain products in the forest, and many of them were delicious varieties. Searching under the pine trees, he could find matsutake mushrooms, which were precious fungi connected to the tree roots, with brown caps and snow-white stems.

Wood ear mushrooms grow on damp, shady branches; pale yellow lion's mane mushrooms hang from tree stumps; and fragrant shiitake mushrooms grow on fallen, withered tree trunks. Round, grayish-white puffball mushrooms grow on the grass. There are also large, pillar-like black boletes.

Various wild mushrooms are rich in vitamins, amino acids, and minerals, among which the Hericium erinaceus is known as the "meat of the vegetarian world."

The high-quality food ignited his culinary passion. He wanted to take it home immediately, clean it, and cook a proper meal.

He thought about it carefully. He had nothing on him right now—no money, no food. If he had these things, things would be much better. Even if he couldn't sell them for much money, he could exchange them for some staple food from people passing by.

So Projection a bamboo basket, carried it on his back, and walked down the mountain, picking as he went. He didn't deliberately take detours; whenever he saw something delicious, he would pick the best-looking and largest ones.

After all, this is ancient times, not the primitive society of 100,000 years ago. People here don't rely on gathering food for survival, so their ability to identify plants naturally deteriorates. Even ancient people, having moved away from the mountains and rivers and established cities and villages, relied on farming for a living. Where would they have the time to go up the mountains to gather food?

Apart from a few mountain dwellers, hunters, and professional herbalists living deep in the mountains, few people know the benefits of these mountain delicacies. Without the spirit of Shennong tasting hundreds of herbs, and with the interruption of the inheritance of knowledge about mountain plants, people have gradually forgotten everything in the mountains.

Just like the large-scale urban development in later generations, the villagers living in the mountains also gave up their old houses in the mountains because transportation, water and electricity were inconvenient and the signal was not good.

If they choose to move down the mountain to the city and buy a 100-square-meter apartment to live in a high-rise building, their next generation will become city dwellers, and they will no longer know anything about farming.

Thus, those ghost villages came into being. Because they were left unmanaged, dozens of houses were covered with ivy and moss, and the walls were covered with various green plants, completely blending into nature.

It certainly takes courage to be the first to try something new. In China, spicy crayfish, a popular food that is now ubiquitous, was readily available twenty years ago, but few people ate it.

I don't know if it's because this place is so remote, or if no one really recognizes its value.

In short, Shirou was having a great time picking mushrooms. When he followed the sound of the flowing water down the mountain, he had already filled a bamboo basket with wild mushrooms, mountain vegetables, matsutake mushrooms, ginseng, and yams.

When he reached the fork in the road at the foot of the mountain, he encountered an elegant swordsman with long blue hair, carrying an exceptionally Ōdachi on his shoulder. When Shirou saw the man clearly, his eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh my, what a wonderful encounter! Isn't this Shirou? You must have had a tough time helping the villagers fight off the bandits. Are you here for a picnic?" the blue-haired swordsman said with a light laugh.

"Sasaki Kojiro! You're already..." Shirou exclaimed in surprise. The man before him possessed a physical body and showed no signs of magical reaction; he was undoubtedly human.

"Yes, that was really dangerous. The crazed, murderous demon swordsman and the female ninja who turned into a giant snake—I thought I was going to die in battle. But I never expected them to appear in this world at the last moment."

"Anyway, you're alright! That's great!" Shirou stepped forward and punched Kojiro in the chest, laughing as he spoke.

They were comrades-in-arms who had fought side by side, risking their lives to battle ruthless bandits without the aid of Magecraft or mystery, entrusting each other with their backs. It was a bond forged with their lives. Shirou was naturally happy to see Kojiro unharmed.

Guh...

Just then, Kojiro's stomach rumbled.

"Hahaha." Shirou laughed out loud, while his stomach growled.

Shirou patted his belly, then took down his bamboo basket and suggested to his comrades, "There's a stream up ahead; let's have a meal there."

Kojiro didn't stand on ceremony and happily nodded in agreement, "Oh, that would be wonderful. Ever since we parted, I've missed Lord Shirou's cooking all the more."

Two hours later, under the cover of night, the two sat down at the campsite they had set up by the stream.

The campfire burning in the middle crackled from time to time. Various wild mushrooms were skewered on sharpened wooden sticks. Although they didn't contain meat, they were still very nutritious. Some were smooth, some had an enticing aroma, and some were chewy. They were all very satisfying to eat.

On the other side, a wooden frame was erected over a small fire, with a bucket-shaped pot hanging on it. Inside the pot, a soup of wild mushrooms and vegetables was simmering, and bubbles were rising and falling, filling the air with a rich aroma.

"Delicious, delicious! As expected of Shirou. Picnicking by the stream at the foot of the mountain is quite an elegant pleasure," Kojiro exclaimed, holding Skewers.

"At this moment, if only I had a pot of sake to slowly savor under such a clear, full moon, that would be perfect," Kojiro said with a touch of regret, gazing at the rising full moon.

"Don't talk such extravagant things in a place like this," Shirou retorted.

"That's true." Kojiro smiled, picked up a bowl of wild mushroom soup, and drank a few mouthfuls of it, then looked at Shirou curiously and asked, "Shirou, have you come here to seek justice for the people of some place?"

"No, this time I accepted a request from a very troublesome big shot to solve her problem. She didn't even explain the details clearly, she just asked me to help someone, and I'm still completely clueless," Shirou said helplessly.

He was quite depressed to be placed here by Alaya. Fortunately, he unexpectedly encountered his former comrade-in-arms here, which could be considered a blessing in disguise. The two of them enjoyed the moonlight, felt the gentle breeze, ate mountain delicacies, drank soup instead of wine, and chatted about everything under the sun, which was a great pleasure in life.

The two chatted late into the night, laughing and recounting strange tales they had heard, marveling at the incredible power of fate that brought people from different worlds together in this desolate wilderness. Only when the full moon had moved to the other side of the sky did they each go to their makeshift shelters and fall asleep peacefully.

Chapter 354 Kojiro's Rival

The next morning, Shirou woke up under the influence of his biological clock, opening his blurry eyes. He found that it was just dawn, the campfire on the ground had burned out, the starlight had disappeared, and he could only vaguely see his five dark fingers when he stretched out his hand. Gradually, he was able to see the scenery about four or five meters away.

The stream flowed gently, occasionally punctuated by a soft murmur, as if a fish had leaped out of the water and landed. Beneath the ripples rising to the surface, small fish poked their heads out, blowing bubbles. Early birds flew overhead, searching for food.

Unlike the silent mountain, the area below was indeed much more lively. On his second day in this world, Shirou finally felt the vitality of nature and the life brimming on the earth. If it were just lush vegetation without any animals, it would feel like he had arrived in some kind of desolate place.

Shirou stretched and slowly sat up. The mountain air was very humid, and the surface of the Projection blanket was already covered with morning dew. Shirou stood up and shook it, splashing water everywhere. Without waiting for the moisture to dry, Shirou put the Projection blanket into his magical space.

Looking to the other side, Sasaki Kojiro was no longer on the bed. Looking around, I found him standing by the stream dozens of meters away, wielding his sword and doing his morning exercises.

"Still as diligent as ever," Shirou said with a light laugh. As a top-tier swordsman, daily routines like this are an integral part of his life. He would feel strange if he didn't do them for a day.

"Okay, I'll join in too!" Shirou stood up, stretched his limbs, and then grabbed the wooden stick he had found while cooking yesterday, got into a stance, and began practicing kendo. Although he couldn't compare to someone like Kojiro who stood at the pinnacle, his daily training was still making his fighting skills solid.

After exercising for half an hour and working up a sweat, Shirou started making breakfast.