Trafford's Trading Club

725: Chapter 138: Is There Such a Life?

(2) 725: Chapter 138: Is There Such a Life?

(2) ——[After the season of cherry blossom viewing passed, a visitor arrived at the Nagato House.

She was referred to as the Early Rice Shrine Maiden, a woman who had been presiding over the Sanae Village Shrine for nearly forty years.

In fact, she was invited by Nagato Munachika, as recently Narukami Haru seemed to be feeling unwell.

Nagato Tsuruko was waiting in the corridor outside her mother’s bedroom, and Nagato Saburo was also pacing outside anxiously.

The examination took quite some time, during which Nagato Munachika and his wife came to visit once, and some of the household servants came by in turns.

It wasn’t until shortly after lunch that the bedroom door finally opened, and the Early Rice Shrine Maiden came out with a slight smile, saying there was nothing major, in fact, it was good news.]

——[“Pregnant?!

Really!” Upon hearing the Early Rice Shrine Maiden’s definite words, Nagato Saburo nearly burst into tears of joy.]

——[Nagato Tsuruko knew she would soon have a little brother or sister, with her small eyes widened in amazement.

She had seen her aunt when she was pregnant, with her belly growing day by day.

Such a large belly, with a small life growing inside, she felt it was an incredible thing.

After the Early Rice Shrine Maiden came out, she was the first to dash into Narukami Haru’s bedroom, pressing her small head against Narukami Haru’s chest, then lifting her head to ask, “Really?”]

——[“Tsuruko is going to be a big sister.

You can’t be so willful anymore, you’ll have to set an example.” Narukami Haru stroked Nagato Tsuruko’s head, smiling gently.]

——[Nagato Tsuruko nodded earnestly.]

——[Something else actually happened that day, concerning Nagato Tsuruko.

After the Early Rice Shrine Maiden finished examining Narukami Haru, she quickly called for Nagato Munachika and Nagato Saburo, her expression solemn, “I intend to train Tsuruko to be the next shrine maiden, what do the Nagato lords think?”]

——[Nagato Munachika and Nagato Saburo exchanged glances.

A shrine maiden is a respected person, praying for the village, guarding the shrine, warding off evil and demons.

It’s precisely because of the Early Rice Shrine Maiden’s presence that the villagers of Sanae Village can live and work in peace, experiencing favorable weather, and they haven’t heard of any problems for thousands of years.

Originally, the successor for the Early Rice Shrine Maiden should have been Narukami Haru, but she later married Nagato Saburo.]

——[“Brother, you should decide on this matter.” Nagato Saburo was silent for a long time, eventually deciding to hand the decision to the family head, Nagato Munachika.

He knew his brother could make the most correct decision.

Even when Nagato Munachika provided uncertain support so he could have the capital to go to the battlefield, despite returning disheartened and without much achievement, feeling he owed his brother for his support back then, his brother never mentioned it and treated him as usual.

Nagato Saburo felt he owed a debt of gratitude.]

——[“Tsuruko is your daughter, you should make the decision.” Nagato Munachika shook his head, telling Nagato Saburo to consider it from a father’s perspective without too much burden.]

——[“Lady Miko, is it because Tsuruko is Haru’s child?” Nagato Saburo finally asked the question he most wanted to know.

Though the Early Rice Shrine Maiden was respected, he was unsure if she still bore a grudge over the past affair—after all, he had married Narukami Haru, cutting off a successor for Lady Miko.]

——[“Because she’s Haru’s child, it’s naturally important.

But it’s not the most important thing.” The Early Rice Shrine Maiden nodded, then smiled gently at Nagato Saburo, “Does Lord Saburo know something?”]

——[“Please enlighten me, Lady Miko.”]

——[“That child has been trying to climb the shrine steps alone since last summer, never giving up.”]

——[Nagato Saburo asked curiously, “Why?”]

——[“Because of Lord Saburo.” The Early Rice Shrine Maiden said calmly, “I watch Tsuruko at the shrine every day, initially, she was just trying to prove herself, after all, Lord Saburo also climbed it this way back then.”]

——[Nagato Saburo smiled sheepishly, knowing that the Early Rice Shrine Maiden had not completely let go of the past when he married Narukami Haru.]

——[The Early Rice Shrine Maiden continued, “However, such persistence in a six-year-old child is truly rare.

Moreover, doesn’t Lord Saburo think it’s fateful that Nagato Tsuruko feels compelled to climb the shrine steps?

I think it’s not me choosing her, but rather she unconsciously chose this path herself.

Of course, Lord Saburo gave Tsuruko life, and you have the right to decide her future.”]

——[“I wish to discuss this with Haru.”]

——[“Entrusting her to you doesn’t seem to have been a wrong decision.” The Early Rice Shrine Maiden showed a gratifying smile.]

——[Nagato Saburo agreed on a time to give his response to the Early Rice Shrine Maiden, then had the servants escort her out.

He quickly returned to his wife Narukami Haru, naturally attending to her with care and concern.

Nagato Saburo told Narukami Haru about the shrine maiden choosing Tsuruko, wanting to hear his wife’s opinion.]

——[“Last New Year’s, Lady Miko privately asked Tsuruko about this matter.” Narukami Haru thought for a moment.]

——[At that time Nagato Saburo had not returned, so he was curious and inquired further, “What did Tsuruko say?”]

——[Narukami Haru repeated what Tsuruko had said back then to Nagato Saburo.

After listening, Nagato Saburo thought for a while before making a decision.

He held Narukami Haru’s hand, smiling, “Then this time, let’s let Tsuruko decide for herself.”]

——[Nagato Saburo later called Nagato Tsuruko over to explain the situation.

It’s been over a year since last New Year’s blessing, and Nagato Tsuruko had grown quite a bit.

Over this time, she had been reading continuously, her perspective gradually broadening, and she had begun considering things herself.]

——[“Father, does becoming a shrine maiden make one respected?”]

——[“It’s not because one becomes a shrine maiden that they are respected, but because they fulfill the shrine maiden’s duties, thereby gaining respect.

If you wish to gain something from the people, you must give them equivalent value.”]

——[“Father, Tsuruko wants to learn at the shrine.”]

——[Nagato Tsuruko arranged to formally enter the shrine following the Early Rice Shrine Maiden after the autumn harvest as an apprentice shrine maiden.

This story gradually spread and quickly became the topic of conversation among the people of Sanae Village.

When they heard that Nagato Tsuruko was soon to become an apprentice shrine maiden, the children her age in the village started to gradually distance themselves.

Nagato Tsuruko also stopped going out, only occasionally taking out the bamboo sword Nagato Saburo had made for her and polishing it.]

——[Before Nagato Tsuruko officially entered the shrine, another happy event occurred at the Nagato House.

Nagato Shinji had come of age, and Nagato Munachika arranged a marriage for him.

On the last day of September, Nagato Shinji married Ah Xiu as his wife.

According to the customs of Sanae Village, elders must give gifts for blessings before a girl marries.

Ah Xiu, whose parents were absent from a young age, had always taken care of Nagato Tsuruko as she grew up, so Narukami Haru replaced Ah Xiu’s parents and gave her a sandalwood comb.

Nagato Tsuruko said she also wanted to give Ah Xiu something, but what could a child of just a few years give?

Everyone thought she was just joking, and whatever she gave wouldn’t be anything valuable.

Still, Ah Xiu was very happy, as nothing could bring more joy than tying the knot with mutual affection.]

——[Ah Xiu never expected that the gift Nagato Tsuruko would give her was the bamboo sword personally made by Nagato Saburo, and it was given the night before the wedding.]

——[“Ah Xiu, Ah Xiu!

When your child grows up, give him the bamboo sword, okay?

Tell him that I used this bamboo sword to remain undefeated throughout the village!

Tell him not to bring shame to this aunt!”]

——[Seeing Nagato Tsuruko’s childish yet mature manner, Ah Xiu, who hadn’t cried during her heart-to-heart with Narukami Haru or while arranging her dress, suddenly burst into tears.

She knew that after the marriage, Nagato Tsuruko would go to the shrine on the mountain, and it wouldn’t be easy to see her again, “Miss, Ah Xiu can’t bear to part with you!”]

——[“Ah Xiu is my sister now!”]

…

——[On a section of the road to the left, Nagato Saburo carried Nagato Tsuruko on his back, walked for about the time it takes three incense sticks to burn, and finally reached the shrine.

He handed Nagato Tsuruko to the Early Rice Shrine Maiden, nodded silently at her, and then turned to leave.]

——[“What is that?” Nagato Tsuruko suddenly asked, pointing at a statue in front of the shrine.

She remembered that during the New Year prayers last year, she didn’t see this statue.]

——[The Early Rice Shrine Maiden originally thought Nagato Tsuruko would be reluctant to part with Nagato Saburo, at least cry for a while, but unexpectedly, Nagato Tsuruko didn’t cry.

Instead, she curiously looked around the shrine.

The shrine maiden inwardly praised this, and feeling even more pleased, kindly introduced, “That is the Dog God, the newly accepted guardian spirit of the shrine.”]

——[“Dog God, guardian spirit?” Nagato Tsuruko walked closer to examine it.]

——[At that moment, the Early Rice Shrine Maiden patted the statue and called out, “Come out, Inuyasha!

From now on, you are the guardian spirit of Nagato Tsuruko.

For the rest of your life, you must never abandon her.”]

——[The giant statue vanished in a burst of glorious light, replaced by a young man in a fiery red robe, with matching long hair, furry ears, and tail.

Yet, he exuded an arrogant demeanor, coldly staring at Nagato Tsuruko with disdain, “You senile old woman, you think this little runt with barely any fur can command me?

Dream on!”]

——[The Early Rice Shrine Maiden had long anticipated the Dog God’s unruliness and said nothing.

She directly placed a string of prayer beads around Inuyasha’s neck, then whispered something into Nagato Tsuruko’s ear.]

——[“Old woman, what have you put on me!” Inuyasha instinctively felt the beads around his neck were dangerous, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t remove them.]

——[“Sit!” Nagato Tsuruko suddenly commanded.]

——[Inuyasha’s entire body felt as if a mountain were pressing down on him, causing him to instantly kneel and sit upright.

His expression was one of shock and peculiarity, clearly not his intention.]

——[“The Lady Witch said if you misbehave, I can make you sit!” Nagato Tsuruko grinned at Inuyasha.]

——[This little brat…

why do they seem so infuriating?

Inuyasha thought bitterly, struggling to his feet, yelling furiously, “You brat!

Do you want to die?!”]

——[“Sit!”]

——[“You brat!

I’ll let you see my might…”]

——[“Sit!”]

——[“You littl…”]

——[“Sit!”]

——[“If you have the guts, don’t rely on this…”]

——[“Sit!”]

——[Later, the Dog God Inuyasha transformed back into a statue, squatting in front of the shrine.

To be honest, the Dog God statue of Inuyasha does have a somewhat intimidating aura that scares off evil spirits, except if the knees of this Dog God statue weren’t so annoyingly swollen.]

“Damn woman…” Zhuifeng involuntarily shouted this name again.

When he met the young witch’s gaze, he knew it was a reflex from his body.

Having awakened the Greedy Wolf Star, Zhuifeng intuitively understood his possessed state.

The true Inuyasha wasn’t dead or anything; he was still inside this body, but his soul was too overpowered by Zhuifeng’s Greedy Wolf Star to the point of being completely suppressed, only occasionally showing in moments of emotional upheaval.

But right at this moment, the demon fox transformed Nagato Tsuruko…

Miki, bursting with terrifying might, bypassed the young witch and appeared in front of Zhuifeng and others, pointing with a finger, with the terrifying thunder scattering towards Zhuifeng, Mo Xiaofei, and Zi Xing!

The young witch swiftly moved, waving her hand.

Miki glimpsed in a flash, retrieving Arex from the side of Zhuifeng and Mo Xiaofei, and in an instant, formed a thick barrier around her.

The young witch frowned at this.

“You…

are you really Nagato Tsuruko?” Zhuifeng frowned, a discomfort surging in his heart.

He wasn’t sure if during the memory exchange process between himself and Mo Xiaofei, the demi-demon Inuyasha in his body had sensed anything.

The young witch nodded, her candid demeanor causing pain.

The young witch raised her hand, and a blue light shot directly into Zhuifeng.

Despite his awakening of the Greedy Wolf Star, he didn’t react.

“Didn’t I tell you, if you appear again, I’ll kill you.” The young witch stared at Inuyasha, emotionless, “You foolish dog monster, aren’t you afraid of death?”

Zhuifeng was bathed in the blue light, feeling no discomfort, and instead sensed his body undergoing a miraculous and rapid transformation…

growing stronger!

“What…

what did you do to me?”

“You will soon become a true monster, no longer a demi-demon,” the young witch casually glanced, “Don’t forget your promise to take down a hundred great demons, go now!”

The young witch raised her hand, a divine wind manifesting, blowing upon Zhuifeng and others, instantly sending Zhuifeng, Mo Xiaofei, and Zi Xing flying a hundred meters away, showing no signs of stopping.

The young witch didn’t look at the gradually disappearing figures, instead, she looked at Miki, calmly saying, “Is he the Arex you mentioned?”