The Heart of Covetousness

Otsutsuki Kaguya's words were not exactly direct.

But Nanchuan You still understood her meaning.

If she were alone, she might have been tempted by this Chakra Fruit and unable to resist devouring it.

Though she was from the celestial Otsutsuki Clan, her status within that clan was not high; under normal circumstances, she would never have been permitted to consume a Chakra Fruit.

Now that an opportunity had presented itself, it would be a pity to let it slip by.

With her identity and bloodline, once she swallowed the fruit and awakened her pure Otsutsuki lineage, even if pursuers from the Otsutsuki Main Family came later, she might still be able to fight them.

There was still a chance of victory.

If it truly came to it, she could leave this place and simply flee.

But she could do that—Nanchuan You could not.

So in the end, she hesitated and did not directly devour this Chakra Fruit, merely sealing it away.

After doing all this, she stroked her abdomen, and a rare trace of tenderness flickered in her usually indifferent eyes.

Within her, two new lives were being nurtured.

They were her children with Nanchuan You, the most precious treasures of her life.

"Let's go."

Before her, Nanchuan You spoke with a smile.

He took Kaguya's hand, and they slowly walked back along the path they had come.

On the road back, their figures gradually blurred, and then vanished from sight.

The days that followed continued to pass.

Just as Nanchuan You thought everything was going smoothly, a new change was unfolding in the distant Country of Pi.

Inside the palace of the Lord of the Country of Pi, the Lord held a round fan in his hand, staring at the letter before him, lost in thought.

"Goddess from Beyond the Heavens, Otsutsuki Kaguya?"

He looked at the intelligence recorded in the letter and a look of interest appeared on his face: "Is this really so?"

"A goddess from beyond the heavens..."

"According to rumor, that Goddess Kaguya has white hair and white eyes, and her appearance is very beautiful."

Below the Lord of the Country of Pi, the Minister of the Land of Them, Zhuque, spoke respectfully: "Such a goddess, This Humble One believes only Your Highness is worthy of possessing her."

"Legend has it that the Lord of the Country of Zu drove away all the women in his court for the goddess, doting only on her alone."

"What a breathtakingly beautiful woman she must be."

He spoke softly, letting out a sigh of admiration.

Hearing this, the Lord of the Country of Pi felt a stir in his heart.

In terms of status, the Lord of the Country of Zu was his son-in-law, still betrothed to his daughter.

And he had heard of this son-in-law.

It was said that in the past, he had no interest in women, devoting all his energy to governing the country, preferring to teach in a tea pavilion in his spare time rather than waste time on meaningless affairs.

Even a man like that was so captivated by this Otsutsuki Kaguya—how beautiful and moving must she be?

"If Your Highness is interested, why not have the Lord of the Country of Zu offer up the goddess?"

Zhuque spoke earnestly: "After all, she is merely a concubine; your daughter is the future wife of the Lord of the Country of Zu."

The Lord of the Country of Pi was somewhat tempted, but after thinking for a moment, he shook his head: "I'm afraid it won't be that easy."

"If Your Highness is willing, leave everything to your subject, how about it?"

Zhuque's expression was respectful: "As long as Your Highness is willing, your subject will surely bring you a satisfactory result."

"In that case, I'll leave everything to you."

The Lord of the Country of Pi finally nodded.

From that moment on, the gears of fate began to turn.

The following month, one night.

Nanchuan You sat upright inside a tent, handling affairs.

This was his habit.

Because of his chakra, his body was much stronger than an ordinary person's, so he needed very little sleep.

The free time he had, aside from spending it with Kaguya, was mostly used for work.

"Has Kaguya gone to sleep?"

He looked at the attendant beside him and asked.

"The lady has gone to sleep."

The attendant before him replied respectfully: "It has been a while now."

"Good."

Nanchuan You nodded. "Remind me once my wife wakes up."

"Yes."

The attendant before him nodded, gazing at Nanchuan You's handsome features, unable to suppress a flicker of envy in her heart.

In the eyes of the world, Nanchuan You's doting on Kaguya was beyond the norm.

As a Daimyo, he not only cared about every aspect of Kaguya's life but was also willing to stay by her side at all times, doing his utmost to fulfill every request she made.

Before this, simply because Lady Kaguya liked a certain flower, Nanchuan You ordered the previous garden cleared and the entire palace planted with those flowers.

To ensure Lady Kaguya's comfort, the Daimyo—who had once been stingy and frugal with himself—directly spent a vast fortune to build a brand-new Kaguya Palace for her residence.

Because of this, rumors raged outside, and many senior ministers strongly objected.

But all those rumors and gossip were ultimately suppressed by Nanchuan You himself.

No matter how fierce the outside rumors became, he never let them seep into the palace, lest they spoil Lady Kaguya's mood.

Even rarer was the fact that this Daimyo had never touched women before, and now he had only Lady Kaguya as his sole woman—rumor had it he didn't even have a single attendant for the night.

Such conduct was extremely rare even for an ordinary person, let alone a Daimyo.

The attendant before him felt envy in her heart, but dared not say anything more. She silently left to wait at Lady Kaguya's palace.

Time passed slowly.

After handling some affairs, Nanchuan You was about to take a rest.

"Kaguya still hasn't woken?"

He looked at the attendant beside him and asked, but then suddenly sensed something wrong.

In the distance, plumes of smoke rose into the sky, accompanied by flashes of fire.

That was...

"That direction... Kaguya Palace..."

Nanchuan You's gaze sharpened instantly.

In that moment, his instincts told him something had gone wrong outside.

Inside the vast and splendid Kaguya Palace.

When Kaguya opened her eyes, her vision was already covered by a sea of fire.

She froze for a moment, instinctively turning to search for a certain figure.

"My Lady!"

The attendant before her had a panicked expression. "There's a fire outside!"

"We need to leave quickly!"

She grabbed Kaguya, trying to pull her away.

But at that moment, shouts of battle suddenly erupted from outside.

A group of Samurai appeared in the area.

They stared at Kaguya, their eyes gleaming, and charged straight at her.

In that instant, the retainers responsible for guarding Kaguya sensed a bad omen.

"They're Samurai from the Land of Them!"

"How can this be?"

The Guards' faces were stunned, but they quickly recovered and began to resist fiercely.

Escorting Princess Kaguya, they slowly retreated, preparing to leave the area.

Throughout this process, the Samurai and Guards tasked with protecting Kaguya fought desperately, trying to ensure the lady's safety.

Unfortunately, because of the haste, their resistance was too weak, and the fighting force they mustered was far inferior to the well-prepared Samurai from the Land of Them.