A bone-chilling cold spread with the wind, swiftly crawling over Uesugi Tetsu's entire body.
Three stars!
Without a doubt, the Snow Woman's rank was at least three stars or higher!
The woman stood atop tall wooden clogs on the ice and snow, her black hair cascading down like a waterfall. Even her extraordinarily broad furisode kimono could not conceal the charm of her figure.
A thin paper lantern swayed, giving off specks of light that illuminated her impassive face, devoid of either joy or sorrow.
The Snow Woman stared at Uesugi Tetsu with an emotionless gaze for quite a while. Only after looking him over from head to toe did she speak calmly,
"What brings the shrine's priest here?"
Her voice was as clear as a mountain spring. The surrounding cold immediately vanished.
So did the feeling of being watched.
Uesugi Tetsu did his best to keep his thoughts calm and replied, "I heard there is a Mountain Inn here. I'm a wanderer with no fixed residence. Would it be possible for me to stay here?"
The Snow Woman cast a casual glance at Two-Shaku-Sama, who was hiding behind Uesugi Tetsu, then gave him a slight nod. "Of course."
"Anyone who bears no ill will is welcome."
She walked gracefully past Uesugi Tetsu and deftly flipped over the sign at the inn's entrance, changing it to [Open].
Then she extended five fingers, smoother and whiter than white jade, and pushed open the heavy wooden door. Warm, yellow light spilled out from the spacious lobby.
A small shishi-odoshi decorated the left side of the entryway. Clear water trickled from a bamboo tube into a basin, making the dark-green bamboo produce a steady knocking sound as the cycle repeated.
The lobby was spacious and deep, with a wooden staircase spiraling upward to