Miss Hebe is Slaying Her Way Out of the Lostbelt!

"Thank you, I like it very much." Hebe reached out, picked up the berries from her palm, and chewed them carefully.

The berries had been sitting for a while, and there wasn't much juice left. They were almost tasteless, bland and flavorless.

But the green-eyed girl ate them meticulously, swallowing them down.

Miss A-Long couldn't help but smile again as she watched her.

Hebe thought Miss A-Long was as easy to understand as ever.

The moonlight quietly illuminated the courtyard. Miss A-Long had returned to her original form, with a one-inch horn sprouting from the top of her head. In time, these two short horns would grow into coral-like, magnificent antlers.

But now, she was just lying quietly on the ground, sleeping with even breaths.

A graceful fox leaned against her. One of its fluffy tails was wrapped around itself, and the other was draped over A-Long, just as they were in Mount Takachiho.

The moonlight also quietly spilled onto the stone platform. Shuten-dōji raised her sake cup to the moon.

"Fate, how cruel, yet how unfathomable... To all grand and beautiful deaths!"

Shuten-dōji laughed heartily and poured all the sake from her cup onto the ground.

73 My Teacher

Miss A-Long left, returning to the mountains of Takachiho.

There, she would protect the mountain folk, gradually growing until she became a true dragon.

Hebe, amidst the ecstatic cheers of almost all the Oni Host, left Mount Ōe.

She was alone again.

Her geta clacked over grass and pebbles, Hebe's body swaying slightly.

She saw a somewhat familiar figure sitting under a tree in the distance.

As if sensing her gaze, the figure raised the cup in its hand and beckoned to her.

Hebe walked over. A low table was set up under the tree, with two bowls on it.

Shuten-dōji poured sake from her gourd, filling both bowls.

"As the master of Mount Ōe, I must see off a distinguished guest," Shuten-dōji said, picking up the bowl in front of her.

"Perhaps an unwelcome guest?" Hebe also picked up her bowl and gently clinked it against his.

"Oh my, this ritual is quite novel and indeed interesting." Shuten-dōji showed a slightly shocked expression, then chuckled, "Miss Tamamo is also a delightful person who enjoys her drinks."

Hebe did not reply, merely draining the wine from her bowl.

The sake bowl was placed on the table with a thud.

Her figure completely disappeared at the edge of the dense forest, leaving only Shuten-dōji still drinking alone under the tree.

Between Mount Ōe and Heian-kyō lay a narrow buffer zone, which was the territory of the Seiwa Genji.

Whenever the Oni Host of Mount Ōe rioted, the Seiwa Genji were always the first to bear the brunt, suffering immense losses.

Especially after Ibaraki-dōji built fortifications and drove out the yokai, the pressure on the Seiwa Genji became even heavier.

This caused the head of the Seiwa Genji, Minamoto no Mitsunaka, to have many gray hairs.

He worried about dying in battle against the Oni Host, and he worried about no one being able to uphold the banner of the Seiwa Genji after his death. More importantly, if the Seiwa Genji's defenses were breached, Heian-kyō would be directly exposed to the fangs of the Oni Host.

Minamoto no Mitsunaka desperately wished for a child with supreme power, so that there would be hope on the path to subjugating the Oni Host.

The gods heard his prayers.

This child did indeed descend.

Her eyes were cold. When Minamoto no Mitsunaka tried to embrace her, those emotionless eyes made him fearfully withdraw his hand.

"Those are not the eyes of a living person. If they are not divine, they belong to the dead." Minamoto no Mitsunaka would be so terrified by those chilling eyes in his midnight dreams that he would lose the ability to speak.

He once thought of abandoning her, just as they would abandon the families of criminals, casting her aside by the sea.

But Minamoto no Mitsunaka knew he was terribly wrong. When he brought the child to the seaside under immense pressure, and as soon as he let go, hungry seagulls flew over.

But these white birds were not trying to eat the child. One by one, they spread their wings and covered the child like a blanket.

Minamoto no Mitsunaka was extremely frightened. He quickly brought the child back home.

From then on, the once wise and valiant General of the Defense Bureau became a man who lived in constant dread.

In Minamoto no Mitsunaka's view, the child's indifferent gaze was precisely proof that she remembered his actions.

Reckoning would come sooner or later.

The more others congratulated him, the more uneasy Minamoto no Mitsunaka became. Only he knew that his daughter, named Minamoto no Yorimitsu, was an out-and-out monster. Her place should have been on the battlefield, preferably perishing along with those Demon Kings.

Minamoto no Mitsunaka secretly confined Minamoto no Yorimitsu to a courtyard, hoping she would die early due to various unforeseen circumstances. Unfortunately, she did not. Instead, Minamoto no Mitsunaka himself suffered from an almost incurable hysteria due to the heavy mental pressure.

Minamoto no Yorimitsu's existence was not known to anyone. After Minamoto no Mitsunaka became incapacitated, everyone forgot that there was still a person living in the residence of the Seiwa Genji.

Until today.

A fox broke into the courtyard.

The young Minamoto no Yorimitsu had seen this scene many times in her dreams. She would stare at the giant fox, which sometimes flicked its tail or let out a human-like chuckle.

She had dreamed of this fox many times, Minamoto no Yorimitsu thought. The onmyōji said dreaming of a fox was a bad omen, but she didn't care at all.

After all, she herself was seen as a disaster by her own family, so she felt a sense of kinship with the fox instead.

When the great fox from her dreams finally appeared before her, Minamoto no Yorimitsu laughed.

"Are you Yorimitsu?" she heard the fox ask.

"I am Yorimitsu," the young Minamoto no Yorimitsu replied at the time.

Her body was thin and gaunt, with dark circles hanging under her eyes. Her voice was hoarse and cold, like a rusted sword.

"It seems I haven't come too late," the fox lowered its head and, to Minamoto no Yorimitsu's surprise, transformed into a girl with flaxen hair. "As you can see, I've come to help you become the master of the Seiwa Genji."

Minamoto no Yorimitsu was the key to this era, the decisive factor that could truly tilt the power struggle in the Scarred Father's favor.

Compared to the equally famous Abe no Seimei and Ashiya Dōman, the Scarred Father would favor Minamoto no Yorimitsu, who dealt with yokai and oni with her sword.

Hebe watched the girl before her. Her eyes held almost no light. Even after Hebe explained her purpose, Minamoto no Yorimitsu merely nodded slightly and mechanically.

The long period of confinement was more than enough to cause terrifying changes in a person's personality.

Hebe stood in the middle of the courtyard, thinking that Minamoto no Yorimitsu and Miss A-Long were two completely opposite extremes.

After a brief silence, Hebe beckoned to Minamoto no Yorimitsu. "Come, I will teach you swordsmanship and the way of the sword."

She explained the different levels of swordsmanship to Minamoto no Yorimitsu in detail, using the swordsmanship of the Mount Kurama Tengu as an example to break it down for the young Minamoto no Yorimitsu.

Thus, the door to swordsmanship slowly opened before Minamoto no Yorimitsu.

Seven days later, all of Hebe's knowledge of the Mount Kurama Tengu swordsmanship had been absorbed by Minamoto no Yorimitsu.

Minamoto no Yorimitsu asked Hebe, "Teacher, why don't you teach me how to govern a territory or manage subordinates?"

Even as she said these words, her eyes still lacked any discernible spark. She was like a machine, mechanically fulfilling the duties she deemed necessary.

"Such knowledge is superfluous for you," Hebe replied. "Your destiny is to fight for the soil of human survival. You only need to explore, to keep exploring. Kill demons if they stand in your way, kill monsters if they stand in your way—you don't need to do anything redundant."

"Is that so..."

For the first time, a light appeared in Minamoto no Yorimitsu's eyes.

If this is the meaning of my birth, then it is quite good, she thought.

As Minamoto no Yorimitsu made up her mind, the patterns of the grass leaves before Hebe twisted into text.

74 Hehehe, I want to live

"Within the threads of destiny, at the juncture of ruling powers, at the nodes of history, the Fox Spirit discovered a decisive move capable of turning the tide of the battle."

"The legitimate heir of the Seiwa Genji is destined to end this chaotic era of turmoil. Deep within her body lies a will 'exiled from a higher place'."

"As the Fox Spirit sees, Minamoto no Yorimitsu is sufficient to become the sword that purifies the mysterious. And with the power struggle between the two rulers reaching a stalemate, no one can wield this sword anymore."

[Before you lies the key to this Lostbelt. Influence her, control her, change her, shape her, and make her serve you. Thus, the gate to history will open for you.]

[Current Lostbelt Progress: 50%!]

Hebe silently plucked the grass leaves from before her, and the text scattered back into meaningless patterns.

She heard Minamoto no Yorimitsu's voice ring in her ears.

"Then, does the list of yokai to be purified include you?" Minamoto no Yorimitsu looked into Hebe's eyes. "...Teacher."

"Perhaps," Hebe replied. "But at least until you become strong enough, don't do something so pointless."

This answer surprised Minamoto no Yorimitsu. She had expected Hebe to avoid the question or become furious, but she hadn't expected such a nostalgic smile.

"Why?" Minamoto no Yorimitsu asked softly. "Won't you mind at all, Teacher?"

"Because it proves my death will have value," the Fox Spirit's smile held a resolute tone.

Hebe reached out and patted Minamoto no Yorimitsu's head, messing up her not-yet-long hair in the process.

"Continue practicing. The Kurama Tengu Eight Styles are the most complete swordsmanship currently available, meaning they are a legacy that can constantly innovate."

The essence of swordsmanship is the art of killing. It originated from the techniques passed down by the Scarred Father and inherited the berserk beast heart of the Cruel Wolf. Upon these two foundations, the "Secret Sword," which integrates spirit, energy, and mind, blossomed.

Hebe watched Minamoto no Yorimitsu repeatedly practice her swordsmanship in the courtyard, observing the lines of her arm muscles and the sweat that dripped from her damp bangs and down her cheeks.

Based on the experience with the Kurama Eight Styles swordsmanship, Minamoto no Yorimitsu was now on the verge of awakening her Secret Sword.

Further practice on this basis wouldn't yield much more improvement—Minamoto no Yorimitsu wasn't a Tengu, after all.

"Come and rest for a while, Yorimitsu," Hebe patted the space beside her. "The Kurama Eight Styles swordsmanship is a daily practice. From now on, I will no longer supervise you; you will arrange your training time yourself."

She poured Minamoto no Yorimitsu a cup of tea. The water poured from the pot had an overly strong, greenish hue.

Minamoto no Yorimitsu, without suspicion, picked up the teacup and drank it down in one gulp.

Hebe, with her hands tucked into her sleeves, said, "In the remaining half of the day, outside of swordsmanship training, I will teach you how to distinguish yokai and oni, some simple incantations, how to track targets, and methods for assassination and self-protection. There are no set rules for these things, so I will teach them as they come to mind."

"For example, this is the first lesson I'm giving you now." Hebe casually poured the water from the teacup onto the edge of the courtyard path. "Don't casually drink water given to you by others..."

As soon as she finished speaking, Minamoto no Yorimitsu's stomach began to rumble, causing the girl, who was mostly expressionless, to blush furiously.

She got up without a word and quickly headed for the outhouse.

Upon her return, Minamoto no Yorimitsu's gaze at Hebe grew sharper. "Thank you for your teachings, Teacher. Yorimitsu has learned."

Minamoto no Yorimitsu picked up the dango from the table and stuffed it into her mouth, chewing vigorously as if it were Hebe.

Only after she swallowed the dango did Hebe slowly say, "Food too."

"?"

Minamoto no Yorimitsu's expression changed again. Before she could react, she rushed back to the outhouse.

After returning this time, she no longer dared to reach out rashly. Hebe smiled slightly, picked up the dango, and took a bite, chewing it gently.

Minamoto no Yorimitsu directly reached out to Hebe, asking for the dango she had been eating.

"You don't find it dirty?" Hebe asked, surprised.

"If Teacher doesn't mind me, why should I mind Teacher?" Minamoto no Yorimitsu smiled, and as if to show off, she stuffed the rest of the dumplings into her mouth.

As soon as the words fell, Minamoto no Yorimitsu saw Hebe extend her right hand and point at herself.

"Fall! Fall!"

Minamoto no Yorimitsu fell backward in response. The last image before her vision sank into darkness was Hebe holding up her index and pinky fingers, wiggling them in front of her face with a foxy cunning.

When Minamoto no Yorimitsu woke up, it was already dusk. She coughed and got up from the ground, seeing several steaming snacks placed on the low table.

"Teacher, why are you fine?" This was the biggest question troubling Minamoto no Yorimitsu. She had clearly seen Hebe eat that dango with her own eyes.

Half of Hebe's face was submerged in the long shadow cast by the dusk. "Because I am a Fox Spirit."

This was a lie. Hebe's true reliance was her current physical fitness, which far surpassed ordinary people.

She could even drink Shuten-dōji's poisoned wine without changing her expression.