A way out

As soon as the door opened, Shiki, who was standing at the entrance, said to him as always, "Welcome back."

Bai Mo nodded. Unconsciously, he seemed to have gotten used to these things. Every day when he returned here, the entrance hall gave him a sense of tranquility.

"It seems you've made some progress. Shouldn't you hurry up and discuss it with Chiyome?"

"Unless he's out of his mind, that guy wouldn't be in such a hurry to make contact. Besides, he wouldn't have time to cook for you."

It was around noon, but the sun was obscured by the rain. Bai Mo quickly tidied up and headed to the kitchen, only to find the table already laden with food.

Shi pulled on Bai Mo's sleeve, and the two sat down. After pouring two cups of hot tea, Shi smiled and said:

"While three meals a day are indeed important, I don't want you to neglect your responsibilities because of me. Don't treat our relationship as a chore; just remember to come back."

"And I can't keep having you cook all the time. Give it a try. I recreated it based on what I found in a top-tier restaurant. While it might not be as heartfelt as what you make yourself, it should taste pretty good."

Hearing Shi's concerned words, Bai Mo breathed a sigh of relief and sat down with some ease.

"No, that's not true. Sincerity doesn't need any external proof. It looks delicious, thank you, Shiki."

"I'm glad you like it, haha. Sure enough, familiar things become extraordinary when influenced by other factors." Shi put the beautifully presented food into his mouth, seemingly quite fond of this otherwise meaningless dish.

To her, these were merely things created from information in the Root, as indistinguishable from air. But now, dining with him, these creations evoked a different feeling.

The food prepared by these Enma-tei is really good; I'll definitely add that place to my travel plans. If I remember correctly, there are also hot springs there.

As he pondered this, he asked:

"Speaking of which, shouldn't we be preparing to explain the situation to Chiyome?"

Bai Mo nodded and replied:

"I've helped her quite a bit so far. Although it's a bit opportunistic, it shouldn't make her too resistant to me now. I think she'll accept it."

Upon hearing Bai Mo's words, Shi still wore that familiar smile. She narrowed her eyes slightly, revealing no emotion.

"That's great, so should we just take her away, or..."

"The choice is hers, but if nothing unexpected happens, she will most likely leave a mark, and then I will come back to reclaim her Primordial Spirit after she dies of old age."

After all, she cares a lot about the Mochizuki Clan; she probably won't give it up so easily.

Bai Mo swallowed the last piece of grilled fish in his bowl, put down his chopsticks, and said to Shi, "Thank you for the meal."

Upon hearing Bai Mo's assessment of Chiyome, Shiki nodded in deep agreement. Then, she stretched, a malicious smile appearing on her face, and said:

"Then, I'll leave dinner to you tonight. And if the other matters are resolved but the soul is not fully mended, I'd like to go to Kyoto, where one can still enjoy Sen no Rikyu's kaiseki cuisine in this era."

Honestly, you didn't even tell me you were going to Kyoto for tourism. If you had just said so, we could have had lunch Kyoto.

Seeing that Shi immediately reverted to her somewhat innocent and carefree self, Bai Mo nodded helplessly. After preparing afternoon tea and snacks for Shi, Bai Mo returned to Kaizu Castle.

Walking on the streets of Kaizu Castle, the impact this time was not small. To some extent, the rain had a positive effect, at least preventing the indiscriminate arson by some heartless soldiers.

Seeing the mess, Bai Mo simply put up a "Free Treatment" sign at the entrance, then cooked a large pot of hot porridge and placed it inside the pharmacy.

Many people came up, and time passed quickly. Only after the last person finished drinking the hot porridge and left gratefully did Bai Mo have time to sit back down at the counter.

A soft knock came from the back door, Mochizuki Mo tiptoed in. Looking at Bai Mo in the clinic, her gaze still held a mixture of respect and curiosity.

"You've come at the right time. Take these medicinal herbs back with you. When I saw those children, many of them were clearly malnourished. Is the situation in your Mochizuki Clan that bad?"

Taking the heavy packet of medicinal herbs from Bai Mo, Mochizuki Mo lowered her head and said:

"There's no way around it. Being constantly on guard makes everything inconvenient, and there are indeed some people in the clan who are very dissatisfied. Sigh, if our leader didn't have the power, we would accept it, but now, getting those stubborn old fogies of the Mochizuki Clan to accept their fate is not so easy."

Many of them had even raised their own leaders; with these old guys around... no wonder Takeda Shingen was always wary of us."

She stole a glance at Bai Mo and asked timidly:

"Doctor, you really aren't..."

"No, I'm just a person."

Upon hearing Bai Mo's words, Mochizuki Mo pursed her lips and muttered, "How could anyone do something like that, just throwing someone away like that?"

Why can't we just admit it? Join forces with our leader, drive Takeda back, and maybe even conquer the Tianxia in the future."

Upon hearing this, Bai Mo gave her a light tap on the head and said:

"I'm helping you because you're still young, but if you're controlled by ambition and seek your own death, then it's beyond my ability to save you as a doctor."

Besides, I won't be staying here for long.

"Huh--?"

Hearing Bai Mo's words, Mochizuki Mo let out a bitter sound. She leaned closer and whispered:

"What's wrong with keeping her here, Doctor? The leader is in charge of teaching female ninjas skills. She taught almost all the Mochizuki ninjas. In terms of skill, the leader is much better than the geisha in the pleasure quarters."

Moreover, as the leader of the Mochizuki Clan, unlike us, she is still pure.

Changing the subject, she sighed softly and said, "The leader has really tried her best, but one person can't do it alone. Although this seems like another attempt to use the leader for a political marriage, you, the physician who is willing to treat us personally, are more trustworthy than Takeda."

Hearing the girl's words, Bai Mo fell silent. Mochizuki Mo, thinking she had persuaded him, looked at Bai Mo with expectant eyes. Bai Mo slowly said:

"Marriage alliances... are nothing to be proud of, it's tragic, for Chiyome, and for you too." He reached out and touched Mochizuki Mo's hair, looked at the child, and sighed deeply.

"Don't worry, I'll find you a way out before I leave."

Just then, a soft knock came from the back door, Chiyome slowly walked out, glancing at the girl next to Bai Mo with a slightly annoyed look.