Trafford's Trading Club

704: Chapter 117: Frog 704: Chapter 117: Frog The sudden strange feeling made Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto frown, but then he thought about his status as one of the Three Nobles, and possessing part of the world authority of the Yan Wuyue World.

To feel uneasy because of Shuten Doji, who is accustomed to being idle, seemed quite ridiculous.

The unease in between must be coming from the demonic invasion pointed out by the Father God and Mother God…

The gateway to the Land of Night opened, and now that he has descended to the present world, he could sense this more clearly; it was only natural.

Thinking this through, Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto felt relieved.

He straightened his body and then, with a wave of his hand, patted the shoulder of a concubine snuggling against him, signaling her to move obediently to sit behind him.

Even though he didn’t care about that huge monster, Shuten Doji, as one of the Three Nobles, he needed to display his majesty.

A decent monster’s aura approached the palanquin, and Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto nodded.

It’s no wonder Shuten Doji refused to submit to any one of the Three Nobles; he indeed had some ability.

But…

that’s all there was to it.

This level of monster might be able to stir up trouble in the present world, but in front of the Three Nobles, it could only bow and submit.

Not every huge powerful monster could reach the level of the legendary disaster-bringing serpent—the Yamata no Orochi.

Besides, even that calamity was taken down by Susanoo-no-Mikoto and sealed in the Divine Weapon Totsuka-no-Tsurugi, wasn’t it?

At this moment, a solemn voice emanated from the palanquin, “Are you Shuten?

What business do you have with this deity?”

Outside the palanquin, Shuten Doji lowered his head respectfully and said, “I’ve met with the divine Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto!

Shuten has been residing in the nearby region.

Today, upon seeing the gateway to the Land of Night open, to where does the deity plan to embark?”

This line of questioning didn’t really have any issue, given that Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto seemed to have gathered about seventy percent of the military strength of the Land of Night—after all, the rest was needed to guard the Land of Night so that the home front wouldn’t be in chaos while battle waged elsewhere, which would be improper.

While the question might not be improper, whether it was appropriate was another matter.

Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto said coldly, “Shuten Doji, does this deity need your approval for my actions?

On the other hand, you, without permission, block this deity’s palanquin, and what is your offense?!”

Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto did not intend to spend time wrangling with Shuten Doji and wanted to find a reason to capture this guy.

If it submitted, it would become a member of his ranks.

If not, he would just destroy it with a gesture—this guy, standing before his large army, couldn’t possibly cause upheaval, could it?

“Divine Deity, please curb your anger.” Shuten Doji raised his head, “Shuten has come to pledge allegiance to the deity and bears no ill will!”

“Oh?” Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto now felt puzzled—this guy had always been undisciplined, yet he suddenly claimed he wanted to pledge allegiance now.

It was too abnormal.

Shuten Doji sighed at this time and said, “Shuten fell to a disadvantage in a struggle with a monster…

Of course, the other side didn’t benefit much either.

But those damned human Samurai and Onmyoji attacked when I was injured, and after several battles, Shuten couldn’t recover from the injuries.

If this continues…

What’s more, my rival in the dark keeps peeping.

Shuten truly has no way out, and today, by chance, I encountered the divine deity, only then did I realize the majesty of the Three Nobles!

If Shuten could be under the deity’s protection, how dare my nemesis provoke me!”

“You flatter well.” Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto smiled faintly and wasn’t suspicious of such words.

After all, a monster like Shuten, not belonging to any faction, is like a solitary person, relying solely on its strength.

Perhaps Shuten’s strength is notable, but dual fists hardly defeat four hands.

It’s either perish in battle or abandon pride to seek protection; there’s a choice between the two—evidently, Shuten now chose the latter.

“Please take me in, divine deity!” Shuten Doji bowed with his head lowered.

Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto said calmly, “Hand me your true name, then belong to this deity.

This deity will appoint you as a fighter!”

“This…”

This time, Shuten’s voice appeared somewhat unnatural.

Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto didn’t mind since if a monster’s true name was mastered by someone, its life and death were controlled by them, meaning it could never betray.

Shuten’s hesitation was naturally reasonable.

But having decided to pledge allegiance, if not prepared for this, there was no need to come.

“This deity is not here to waste time with you.” Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto snorted coldly, “If unwilling, get out of this deity’s sight immediately!”

“Shuten…

Shuten consents!” Shuten Doji sighed deeply, showing a forlorn expression, eyes filled with reluctance, but eventually spit out a small light sphere from his mouth.

The true name is a part of the Divine Soul.

The light sphere slowly floated before the palanquin, and the monsters carrying the palanquin could just reach out to take it, yet no monster dared to take it presumptuously—just like Shuten Doji; those loyal here, hadn’t their true names also been grasped by Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto?

They sighed internally upon seeing Shuten Doji’s helpless submission, a sense of shared fate.

Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto stretched out his hand, directly gripping the true name, then said calmly, “Shuten Doji, follow beside this deity’s palanquin and join this deity’s expedition.

Move!”

“Divine Deity, do you mind telling what your mission is… Could it be, a confrontation with one of the other Great Ones of the Three Nobles?” Shuten Doji asked curiously.

“When the time comes, you’ll naturally understand,” Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto said coldly.

“Just fight well for this deity, and you shall be well rewarded.”

“Yes…” Shuten Doji stopped speaking, quietly following behind the palanquin.

Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto no longer paid attention to this monster having surrendered its true name.

Inside the palanquin, Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto kneaded the monster’s true name in his hand, then chuckled lightly before opening his mouth, swallowing the spirit sphere containing Shuten Doji’s true name.

As Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto swallowed the true name spirit sphere, Shuten Doji, bowing submissively behind the palanquin, suddenly showed an eerie smile.

The mighty army from the Land of Night set out again, creating a grand spectacle, making the so-called Night Parade of One Hundred Demons seem like mere fireflies in comparison.

Stirring chaos among the human realms along the way, not knowing what these lofty gods intended to do.

…

…

The place where Nagato Tsuruko lived was also the old residence of the Nagato House, but Nagato Saburo and Nagato Shinji had moved to the new residence.

Nagato Tsuruko, still young, needed care, and Ah Xiu, who had been caring for her, was penalized by the Nagato House’s family law for her inadequate care, injuring Nagato Tsuruko’s hands, so now a Binü was temporarily assigned to supervise her.

This Binü originally served the third daughter of Nagato House, naturally receiving much better treatment, yet was now assigned here, somewhat unwillingly.

It’s not about the perquisites, but because the courtyard where Nagato Tsuruko lived used to be where Nagato Saburo’s wife resided.

Narukami Haru fell ill and passed away in this place, creating a natural aversion among Nagato House’s servants.

Besides, Tsuruko was not favored within the Nagato House, thus no servant wished to truly care for her sincerely—Nagato Saburo had a terrible attitude towards those servants who treated Tsuruko well.

She’s not the child of Saburo Laoye, but born of Lord Nagato’s affair with Lady Narukami…

It’s an open secret among the servants of Nagato House; only, no one dared to speak it openly.

“Miss Tsuruko, don’t stay outside for too long.

If you get hurt again, I can’t take responsibility!” The Binü shouted towards Nagato Tsuruko, who was squatting in a corner of the courtyard, without much respect.

But Nagato Tsuruko seemed not to hear and did not respond.

The Binü rolled her eyes…

Miss Tsuruko was the illegitimate child of Lord Nagato, who cherished her greatly.

However, Sanlang Laoye treated anyone who was kind to Miss Tsuruko poorly.

For the servants, being caught between these two powerfully influential men in the Nagato House made caring for Nagato Tsuruko naturally a burdensome task.

“Call me if you need anything.

If not, just stay put and don’t leave this courtyard!” The Binü shouted again, then rubbed her own head.

Just the other day, she had been sent by Lord Nagato to couple with a man, acquiring a month’s worth of masculine Essence Qi.

Although she could continue living for a month, she returned feeling faint, sometimes absent-minded and dispirited, and extremely drowsy—just like most of the women who returned after coupling with the men invited from outside the village.

Everyone simply assumed these were the symptoms of the cursed ailments easing.

At this moment, the Binü, bored to extreme, naturally felt weary.

Unable to keep her eyelids open, she gradually fell asleep.

In the old courtyard, home to a single Sakura Tree, Nagato Tsuruko sat beneath the tree, holding a book on her lap, her head lowered as she read.

“Can you understand what you’re reading?”

A voice as soft as falling cherry blossoms.

Nagato Tsuruko lifted her head.

On her porcelain-doll-like face, there was no sign of surprise, only curiosity as she blinked her beautiful wide eyes at the person before her.

A young man in attire she had never seen before…

perhaps older than Nagato Shinji but appearing quite young compared to her father, Saburo.

“Can’t read it?” he asked suddenly.

Nagato Tsuruko shook her head, then nodded, and finally spoke, “Do you want to read the book to me?”

Then the young man merely smiled, squatting down—Boss Luo wanted to chuckle, as it seemed he always encountered young ones who weren’t afraid of him.

Whether it was the monster children brought by Miss Black Water or the children in Russia eager to become adults…

“Alright, give it to me.” Luo Qiu nodded and reached out his hand towards Nagato Tsuruko.

Nagato Tsuruko obediently handed it over and shifted her sitting position, signaling for him to sit beside her.

Luo Boss, easygoing, naturally did not refuse.

Once he sat down, he gently asked, “Where should I start reading?”

Nagato Tsuruko blinked her eyes, then leaned over, despite the book being in Luo Boss’s hand.

She still reached over to turn to a specific page, pointing to it before lifting her head again, “Here, will this do?

Can you read it?

Ah Xiu never can when she reads here.”

Luo Boss did not inquire who Ah Xiu was; he simply nodded…

even with different characters and grammar.

In the past, it might have taken a decade or so to truly master a foreign language, but now there were no such limitations.

“An ancient pond—a frog jumps in—the sound of water.”

A phrase from an early style of haiku.

After hearing this, Nagato Tsuruko curiously glanced at the small pond not far away but saw no frog jumping into the water, seeming somewhat disappointed.

Luo Qiu, observing her action, merely smiled gently.

He glanced down, planning to continue reading, but Nagato Tsuruko shook her head, covering the page with both hands.

Though her ten fingers and palms weren’t enough to completely cover two chapters, Luo Qiu didn’t stop her but instead asked, “Is that enough?”

Nagato Tsuruko nodded, then said, “I can’t finish it.”

“Why not?”

“If I finish reading today, then there will be none left for tomorrow.” She blinked as she spoke, as though stating a self-evident truth.

Luo Qiu replied, “But even if you finish it today, won’t there be more tomorrow?

Words never disappear.

As long as there’s imagination, even the same story can offer different feelings, right?”

Nagato Tsuruko again shook her head, almost stubbornly taking the book back from Luo Qiu, cradling it against her chest, “Father doesn’t like me reading books, he says it’s useless for women.

I only have this one, so when it’s finished, that’s it.”

“Do you love reading books?” Luo Qiu smiled slightly, “Did Ah Xiu teach you to read?”

“Yeah!

But Ah Xiu doesn’t know much either,” Nagato Tsuruko whispered, “She learned by eavesdropping on Brother Shinji’s lessons and taught me.”

“What a trustworthy family member,” Luo Boss nodded.

Nagato Tsuruko shook her head, “Ah Xiu is my Binü, not a relative.”

Luo Qiu asked, “Do you believe that as well?

Just your Binü?”

“I’d like her to be my sister!” Nagato Tsuruko seemed a bit longing.

Luo Qiu tilted his head slightly and suddenly said, “There’s a frog now, look.”

“Really!” Nagato Tsuruko quickly turned her head to see a small frog by the pond’s edge, unaware of where it came from, jumping into the water, disappearing, leaving behind ripples and a leaf quivering on the water’s surface.

Nagato Tsuruko, contented, smiled happily, “Did you call the frog over?”

“Me?” Luo Boss shook his head, “I haven’t learned to chat with frogs, how could I call it?”

“Oh.” Nagato Tsuruko nodded, then, eyes shining with anticipation, looked at the pond again, soon witnessing another frog leap from the bushes into the water.

The sound of water was clearly audible.

Luo Qiu watched Nagato Tsuruko, increasingly delighted, recalling her earlier question and just smiled silently.

Indeed, it was your own heart’s wish that called the frog to you.