Kambara Village, Two People Walking Opposite Paths
Surprisingly, Kambara Village was quite different from what Su Qing'an had imagined. He originally thought it was just a remote, backward mountain village, but in fact, it was not out of touch with the world and even had regular buses and trams running around.
There are even schools and slightly trendy cafes, and the villagers' clothes are not old-fashioned. It's more like a modern town than an ancient village.
Their reactions upon seeing Kambara Shuichi were different from what Su Qing'an had imagined. Even the seemingly most mischievous children showed respect when they saw Kambara Shuichi.
Even elderly people nearing seventy would show a polite and respectful attitude when they saw Kambara Shuichi.
Is this village really as conservative and twisted as Kambara Shuichi described?
No. If what Kambara Shuichi said is true, then this attitude actually made Su Qing'an feel a chill run down her spine.
He suddenly remembered what Kambara Shuichi had said that day.
The villagers agreed to acknowledge the clan status of the Kambara Family in exchange for the Kambara Family bearing the curse.
The more secure the clan status of the Kambara Family, the more steadfast the villagers' faith in the ritual itself.
This strange sense of disconnect sent a chill down Su Qing'an's spine for a moment, like the instinctive fear humans have of something.
"Miss, please get out of the car." While his thoughts were racing, the young man deftly and gently opened the car door, gesturing for Satou Yunona to get out. He bowed slightly, making a standard gesture of courtesy.
At this moment, Su Qing'an resembled an excellent butler trained in the British style. He wore a washed white shirt, a black tailcoat, crisp black trousers, and shiny black leather shoes—the standard attire of a British butler.
The butler originated in France, but the old-fashioned United Kingdom court placed greater emphasis on etiquette, details, and vanity, strictly regulating the butler's professional philosophy and responsibilities according to court etiquette, which became the industry standard.
Su Qing'an has perfectly replicated the actions the old butler taught him; if he wanted to, he could be a world-class butler.
Just as Su Qing'an was already one of the world's top motorcyclists when he was escaping on Kawasaki H2R, the strength of his Soul Essence and the exquisite control of his State of Still Water made his learning ability incredibly powerful.
Therefore, they were able to reach Kambara Village in a short period of time, because even the old butler felt that Su Qing'an's acting skills were no longer acting skills, but the true butler who could be cultivated from childhood through detailed education.
Satou Yunona nodded slightly and got out of the car.
Although her expression remained calm and composed, she felt a slight wavering in her heart as she looked at Su Qing'an.
Ordinary boys don't care about clothing at all. Even though the school principal allowed students to design their own uniforms, Su Qing'an only chose the most basic template, clearly finding it troublesome.
His current attire, coupled with his aloof and handsome face, makes him look like a cool and aloof butler straight out of a shoujo manga.
Actually, if he had to perform such etiquette with strangers, although he would do it diligently for the sake of the mission, Su Qing'an would still feel awkward.
But since the other person was Satou Yunona, the boy didn't think it mattered.
After all, they were sworn brothers, bound by life and death. Is there any stronger bond in this world?
Those were relationships where you could entrust your life to someone with a smile in the trenches; what's wrong with giving a salute?
For the boy, everything that remained of Changkong City was so precious, and every time he saw Satou Yunona, he would inexplicably think of the stray cats he used to feed in front of the coffee shop.
Or perhaps Satou Yunona was always meant to be a stray cat, but Su Qing'an went to great lengths to bring her back through the storm, braving wind and rain, and in doing so, severed her fate.
So, whether it's that stray cat or that person, in that instant, they can entrust their lives to each other.
After all, if you actually rescue a stray cat, why would you think it would be a bad thing to you? And the same goes for the stray cat itself.
"Lord Kambara, who is next to you?" The speaker was a pale-faced middle-aged man who looked at Satou Yunona, who was standing prettily next to Kambara Shuichi, with a puzzled expression.
"Long time no see, Daigo," Kambara Shuichi replied, then patted Satou Yunona's shoulder affectionately and smiled gently. "This is my daughter, Kambara Yuu. I brought her back to see the village this time."
The man, whom Kambara Shuichi called Daigo, took a closer look at Satou Yunona. She was a girl with elegant manners and a beautiful appearance. Her raven-black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, and her slender body, fair skin exposed to the air, and delicate features left a deep impression.
At that moment, the corners of her lips turned up slightly, revealing a faint smile as if she were embarrassed.
"Miss Yu, you've grown so much! As expected of Lord Kanbara's daughter, you have such an elegant figure."
Daigo praised without hesitation.
Since Kambara Shuichi's wife had never been to Kambara Village, the man, unable to compare their appearances, believed Kambara Shuichi's story simply because of the girl's aura.
Essentially, Satou Yunona has no elegant demeanor whatsoever. Given her ordinary family background, she couldn't have cultivated such qualities. Furthermore, she completely ignored the etiquette elective courses at the St. Freya Academy.
Daigo's feeling was simply because Satou Yunona had changed her scent. This scent contained a potent neurotoxin that, while harmless, could create a false impression.
With this ability alone, if Satou Yunona were willing to become an assassin, she would definitely be among the world's top level.
Although this is somewhat of a waste of talent for Pseudo-Herrscher.
"You made the right decision," Daigo said earnestly.
Kambara Shuichi understood what he meant. In Daigo's eyes, by bringing his daughter back to Kambara Village, he had undoubtedly made the choice to sacrifice his daughter to Living Doll.
But Daigo didn't know that the man's determination and his thoughts had long since gone completely against each other.
He spoke with a tone of relief and joy, and his previously somewhat restrained expression relaxed.
It is clear that Daigo's respect for Kambara Shuichi is genuine, and his address of Kambara Shuichi as "Sama Kanbara" is entirely heartfelt.
"Then I won't bother you any longer. I look forward to your arrival, Lord Kanbara, on the day of the festival three days from now." With that, the man gave a shy smile and turned to leave.
From beginning to end, Daigo never asked about Su Qing'an's identity, as if Su Qing'an being a butler was a matter of course presented to him, requiring no further questioning.
Kambara Shuichi watched his retreating figure, his gentle expression gradually hardened into a cold, steely hardness.
"Daigo was my childhood friend. Back then, we talked about everything under the sun. When we laughed heartily with open arms, it felt like we could encompass the entire world. Everything in those years was both very restrictive and very free," the man said softly.
"He once said that when he grew up, he wanted to be an excellent lawyer and work with me to eradicate the bad habits of Kambara Village. At that time, we made a promise that we would change everything in our own way."
"... Three days from now, you might draw your swords against each other," Su Qing'an said after a moment of silence.
"This was something I had long ago prepared for. Ten years ago, when Daigo cried and others held me down, making me watch my father enter the shrine, we were destined for this ending."
Even as he recalled the scene that nearly broke his spine, the man remained expressionless.
Daigo, you Broken Promise.
It doesn't matter. Even a man leading a thousand troops will inevitably have times when he fights alone. As long as he never lowers the flag that symbolizes his will, Kambara Shuichi has not yet been defeated!
He took the Sacred God Sword from the trunk and then handed Su Qing'an their suitcases full of equipment, saying:
"Let's go to the Kambara Ancestral Home; we still need to discuss some details."
The thought of seeing his daughter, whom he hadn't seen for a while, soon brought a sense of anticipation and joy to Kambara Shuichi's otherwise gloomy heart.
He smiled and led the two of them up the mountain.
The ancestral home of the Kambara Family and the shrine where the village worships day and night are both located on the mountain.