Chapter 180

"Speaking of which, how did you get here?" Li Pu asked knowingly.

If he remembered correctly, Kallen came here because of the Honkai. She wanted the Shenzhou tablet to help seal the Honkai.

"Because of many things," Kallen said, not directly answering Li Pu's question. She seemed to have truly weathered many storms.

I don't really want to talk about these issues anymore.

"Where is Mr. Li Pu?" Kallen countered. "He didn't really end up sleeping here, did he?"

"Yes..." Li Pu shrugged.

This is true, no matter how impossible it sounds. But that's just how it is.

"But thank you for your help." This time, Li Pu was genuinely grateful. "Otherwise, I probably wouldn't be standing here talking to you right now."

"It's nothing. I don't think Mr. Li Pu is a bad person. Besides, shouldn't we help each other, since we're both from out of town?"

Kallen said nonchalantly, "There's absolutely no need to worry about this."

"Although it's just a few words to you," Li Pu flattered, "It saved my life. Without your words, I might have been killed by that soulless Miko."

"Only? Without a soul?" Kallen found it somewhat amusing and asked, "Why do you say that, Mr. Li Pu?"

"Although the Yae Shrine Miko seems a bit aloof, she is actually a very nice person."

'Because it doesn't have donkey ears!' Li Pu thought to himself.

But you can't say that out loud, in Yae Sakura comes rushing over with her sword.

"I feel that Miko should be holy, beautiful, and kind," Li Pu said insincerely. "In any case, how could she be so violent, ready to draw a knife and kill someone at the slightest disagreement?"

"There's nothing we can do about it," Kallen sighed. "It's probably because the Yae Miko has been under a lot of pressure lately."

"Hmm? What happened?" Li Pu asked, curious when he saw Kallen sigh.

What's causing this Miko so much stress? Could it be that it's time for Hi-Fyūmaru to appear?

"I asked the Yae Shrine Miko for help in finding my box," Kallen said. "Although the Yae Shrine Miko tried her best, she still couldn't find my box."

"Furthermore, recently, unidentified Honkai Beast have been attacking villagers, and several villagers have already been killed."

"As the Miko who protects Yae Village, she must be under a lot of pressure."

"Oh~" Li Pu thought for a moment and said, "Maybe I can help with this."

Having read the setting, I know that the unknown Honkai Beast, Li Pu's Way of Nature, is actually Hi-Fyūmaru, the fox Honkai Beast! As for the box, the one that holds Hi-Fyūmaru, it's definitely in Yae Sakura's hands.

But Li Pu remembered that if things went according to the original plan, shouldn't Yae Sakura have returned the box to Kallen?

But why wasn't it returned here?

This looks really interesting.

"Mr. Li Pu, please don't concern yourself with such matters," Kallen politely declined. "Honkai Beast are not something ordinary people can handle."

"Thank you for your kind offer, Mr. Li Pu, Kallen will not involve ordinary people in this matter."

"But I'm already involved, aren't I?" Li Pu shrugged and said, "As long as I'm in Yae Village, there's no way I can stay out of it."

"Unless I leave here, which is of course impossible, as this is an era where poverty and hardship cannot be swayed."

Poverty and lowliness cannot sway one's mind. Li Pu was neither joking nor implying anything profound.

It means, on the surface, that in this day and age, people who don't have money still want to travel far away.

You're overthinking it!

This isn't the era where you can just grab a plane or train ticket, pack some instant noodles, and head to the next city. This is the Warring States period! It's not that safe or convenient.

"Besides, I'm not the kind of person who likes to hide in the back and wait for someone to protect me."

Li Pu said firmly, "Rather than hiding in the back and praying for someone to protect you, I think people should learn to save themselves."

"Besides, I'm not someone who's completely without fighting ability."

"I'm actually quite smart."

Li Pu pointed to his head and said, "If you don't trust my strength, you can at least choose to trust my intelligence. Although I haven't tested it, it shouldn't be low."

There is no problem that MEI cannot solve; if there is, then add another one: the Soul of the Underworld.

If MEI and the Soul of the Underworld can't solve it.

Let's have another draw then!

Seeing Li Pu's confident demeanor, Kallen considered it for a moment and decided to trust him. Although the box was indeed quite important, it was lost now, and saying anything wouldn't help until it was found.

The girl is narrating...

The girl finished her story.

"Oh~" Li Pu said after hearing Kallen's words, "In that case..."

"I think I've got a lead."

"What?" Kallen exclaimed in surprise, "You knew where it was so quickly?"

"This... this is something that the Yae Shrine Miko has been searching for for a long time but hasn't been found."

"This joke is not funny at all."

"Of course." Li Pu spread his hands and said, "Based on what I've deduced from your words, this box was most likely hidden by Yae Sakura."

"This is impossible!" Kallen said, her mouth twitching. "Although I know that Mr. Li Pu was almost killed by the Yae Shrine Miko."

"But using public office to settle personal scores is not a good thing."

"No, you may have misunderstood," Li Pu said. "I'm not taking revenge for personal reasons."

"This is determined by the special nature of the social system."

"What do you mean?" Kallen didn't understand Li Pu was saying.

"Simply put," Li Pu said, "Due to the special nature of the system, most people are bound to the land. Their mobility is very low, and even habitual thieves cannot travel around committing crimes."

"Besides, if he's a repeat offender, everyone here should know who he is."

"As a local Jito Yae Sakura, she has a lot of power."

"She is more than just a Miko."

"In short, there are many intricacies involved," Li Pu explained. "It would take a long time to explain in detail, so I'll just give a brief overview now. Whether we can find this box quickly depends on Yae Sakura's attitude."

"If she holds on tightly, she can be found within three days. But if she doesn't hold on tightly..."

"Then you won't be able to find this box even if you search for ten years."

"But," Kallen said, still puzzled and incredulous, "The Yae Miko seems to take this very seriously."

"There's a word that specifically describes this behavior," Li Pu said mysteriously. "It's called 'tight on the outside, relaxed on the inside.'"

"There are quite a few shrewd people here."

Chapter 207 The Sealed Box

Li Pu's guess was correct.

Of course, knowing that this setting is definitely an important reason, another important reason is the closed nature of this era due to inconvenient transportation. If there are outsiders here, then...

Especially in a village like this, it would definitely be a rare occurrence.

If someone takes something from outside, it's highly likely they won't be able to hide it.

If they can hide, they must be either high-ranking individuals, or the search efforts above them weren't truly thorough. In short, they haven't been found after searching for so long.

Anyway, this Yae Sakura is really suspicious!

Kallen was reluctant to believe that Yae Sakura had secretly hidden the box, and she felt that confronting Yae Sakura was just because of Li Pu's analysis, which wasn't really an analysis.

This is really going too far.

But this box was of such great importance that she had to take it seriously.

Even if this causes some rift, I'm willing to accept it.

Kallen eventually found Yae Sakura at the shrine.

"I did not take your box," Yae Sakura insisted, still denying it. "In fact, I have been searching for your box very diligently."

"Your Excellency's actions are truly disheartening."

Yae Sakura's expression remained unchanged from before.

Kallen had no way to say anything.

Without evidence, nothing I say will make a difference. Besides, it was indeed a bit rude of me to come here like this; the feeling of being suspected of being the thief crying "stop thief!" is not easy to accept.

"That's how it is," Li Pu said before Kallen could speak. "Perhaps Kallen didn't explain clearly when she was talking about the box."

"The Yae Shrine Miko did a lot of useless work."

"But this box is indeed very important," Li Pu said. "And I've heard about it too."

"I've recently heard that since Kallen arrived, quite a few Honkai Beast have appeared here."

"The village had always been peaceful before this."

Honkai Beast be found all over the world now, it's just a matter of how many there are. Small places like Yae Village have certainly seen them.

It just doesn't happen that frequently.

"There have been a sudden increase in Honkai Beast attacks," Li Pu said. "The key issue is that although Kallen and Yae Miko have tried their best, they still cannot completely quell the situation."

"This matter is like a knife hanging over the heads of every villager."

Everyone was living in constant fear.

"I don't know if the Yae Shrine Miko asked her," Li Pu said seriously, "Or perhaps she investigated privately. Although everyone believes that Kallen's existence is a manifestation of the gods, sent by the gods to protect everyone."

"But in reality, quite a few people believe that these disasters were brought about by Kallen."

"If Kallen is not eliminated, Yae Village will never have peace."

Kallen was shocked. This wasn't right! Weren't we told each other this before we came? How did it suddenly turn out like this? No, I didn't see you ask any of the villagers.

Kallen was about to say something about Li Pu when she noticed that Yae Sakura's expression was also changing a lot.

Suddenly, Kallen felt as if, perhaps, it was almost true.

Li Pu is absolutely right.

She deliberately remained silent, intending to appear as if she had tacitly agreed with this statement.

"Is what you're saying true?" Yae Sakura frowned and asked in return, "Yae Village has a simple and honest folk culture, and the people are kind-hearted. The villagers are also honest and hardworking farmers."

"How could they possibly be so ungrateful?"

"The people are simple and honest, and their kind hearts are certainly admirable," Li Pu said directly. "But that doesn't mean they won't be misled by people with ulterior motives."

"Ignorance, blind obedience, and a willingness to believe only what they think is true are also characteristics of the villagers."

"They are willing to believe that Kallen is a guardian, and they are also willing to believe that Kallen is a jinx."

There's a classic saying in my hometown that describes these things.

"Humans don't thank Luo Ji!"

This kind of thing happened time and time again on that Earth in my past life, repeatedly proving that this statement is absolutely not an empty phrase. This is something that will happen in the past, present, and future.

The villagers of Yae Village can be grateful for Kallen's protection, but at the same time, they can also secretly believe that Kallen is the jinx that brought about the Honkai.

Backstabbing, defaming, and even abandoning those who once protected them.

It wasn't a difficult choice for them.

Li Pu looked at Yae Sakura, watching to see how she would choose.

Li Pu guessed that Yae Sakura kept the box because she knew its importance, since in the story, Yae Sakura was bewitched by the Herrscher inside the box and released the demon sealed within.

This seduction was less of a seduction and more of a manifestation of Yae Sakura's hatred.

Li Pu felt that if her analysis was correct, she had ceased to protect the villagers the moment her sister died. She hated the villagers.

Protecting is simply her duty as Miko.

As for the fate of the villagers here?