Chapter 14

"This should be the office of the Kanjo Commission."

The building before her was imposing, heavily guarded, and exuded an atmosphere of solemnity. The Kanjo Commission was the financial center of Inazuma, responsible for the nation's finances. In theory, matters regarding public security or citizens' requests did not fall under its jurisdiction, but since the Kamisato Clan had asked her to come here, she didn't ask too many questions. And the person he was going to visit this time was the Director of the Kanjo Commission, the head of the Kamisato Clan, Kamisato Ayaka.

"Are you nervous?"

"Huh?" Yingjian turned her head and looked at the boy. "A little. I'm about to meet someone important. To be honest, this is the first time I'll be in such close contact with someone from the upper echelons."

During the era when evil spirits ran rampant, government officials rarely interacted with ordinary people. As a swordsman belonging to the Shogun's army, she had almost lost the ability to interact with the outside world.

Or rather, she didn't even have time to interact.

"No matter what their status, they are all human beings," Raiden Shogun said. "There is no difference between ordinary people, commoners, and nobles under the divine realm. Just communicate normally."

"That sounds familiar..."

"You said that to me before."

Oh, it does seem like she did.

The boy was initially worried about interacting with humans due to his otherness, and she had said that to him back then. It seems like she missed one sentence.

[And you are the most esteemed and noble creation in the world, so it's only natural that they feel unworthy.]

[But I would rather they treat me with the same attitude as they would treat an ordinary person.]

[So you have to treat them in the same way as an ordinary person - from now on, you, me, and everyone else are no different. With this mindset, you can better meet the expectations of the General, right?]

Unconsciously, compared to a month ago when he was ignorant and clueless, the boy had grown a lot.

Yingjian was extremely pleased. She patted the boy's back and said, "Let's go."

"Yeah."

When they were about to reach the gate, someone happened to come out from inside and brushed past them. Yingjian sensed something and stopped, turning around to look. All she saw was his golden hair and exotic attire, and he had already disappeared into the crowd.

"What's wrong?"

Hearing the boy's question, Yingjian withdrew her gaze and shook her head.

"I must have been mistaken."

Habits are not something that can be broken overnight. Even in her past life as a member of the Shogun's army, she used the breathing technique even when she was sleeping. Not to mention when she was awake.

Even though it was just a brief encounter, Yingjian could feel the person's breath and the pulsation of their heartbeat... Clearly, they looked like humans, but there was a strange sense of dissonance.

But this world cannot be compared to the original world. Yingjian thought to himself.

"Perhaps it's a species she has never seen before."

"May I ask who you are?"

The guard at the gate asked as a routine inquiry. Yingjian replied, "Under the orders of the Lady of the Serene Palace, I have come to pay my respects to the head of the Shigu family. We have already informed them in advance. Can you please inform them?"

The guard saw that both of them appeared to be teenagers not older than sixteen, and combined with Yingjian's wording, it didn't seem like they were VIPs who would be received by Zhong Li. Some doubt arose in his mind.

"Do you have any proof?"

"Proof?"

"Yes... Wait a moment."

The guard's gaze fell on the golden feather on the young man's chest. He was taken aback and quickly nodded, "Apologies, I didn't see the general's token just now. I will go and inform them."

"Oh, look who's here?"

Yingjian looked towards the direction where the voice came from, and a young man with a slender figure wearing a blue kimono and a smile on his face walked towards them. The person appeared to be in his early twenties, with neatly cropped short hair, giving off a sharp and tidy impression. However, his tone was somewhat casual, different from that of a serious person.

"Aren't you the two famous individuals by the general's side? The Serene Palace has already told me about you. Unfortunately, when I tried to visit you under the pretext of delivering supplies, I was stopped by that fox. Otherwise, we would have met much earlier."

"Lord of the Shigu family!"

The guard saluted the man, but he waved his hand, dismissing their formalities, and pointed towards the courtyard.

"It's freezing outside, please come inside and have a seat."

Yingjian naturally agreed, and to lighten the mood, Shigu Hongshi chatted with them about various interesting stories along the way. Although Yingjian didn't find anything particularly amusing, Shigu Hongshi seemed to be extremely happy. It was only when they entered the house and sat down, and the servants poured tea, that Yingjian got to the point.

"The Divine Sakura Cleansing Ritual, that fox woman has already told me about it." Shigu Hongshi held the tea and took a sip, moistening his throat before continuing, "That kind of thing should be done by professionals. Besides, there is a more important task at hand."

"Such as?"

"The villagers from Gentian Village went to the Shadowward Mountains to cut wood. Two of them went together, but only one returned. The one who came back was already frightened out of his mind, constantly muttering 'demon sword, demon sword,' before passing out." Shigu Hongshi sighed and said, "The missing person's wife reported it to the authorities, and the Tianling Enforcers found him in the Shadowward Mountains. He was almost cut in half, with a cruel and tortured appearance, as if he died in great pain, his face contorted and his eyes wide open—do you know about the samurai's test cutting?"

"I know." Yingjian propped up his cheek and said, "Can you stop scaring me? Do you think I can handle it mentally... Uh."

Yingjian had just wanted to say, "You're underestimating me," when he suddenly felt a strong gaze, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

Oh no, she wasn't scared, but scared the little doll.

"Yingjian-dian..."

"I told you not to call me 'Your Highness,' just call me by my name. It's too ostentatious outside, and if I don't do well, General will lose face."

"Uh, Yingjian, I think you should..."

"You feel embarrassed, don't you? It's not a big deal, relax and behave."

Yingjian patted the boy's shoulder and didn't pay attention to his stunned expression. He continued to sit up straight and nodded to signal Shigu Hongshi to continue.

"Please, continue."

Shigu Hongshi said, "...Ah, seeing that gruesome state..."

"If you scare Asan again, I'll report you to Auntie at the Serene Palace." Yingjian's mouth twitched. "You continue."

"Hey, it's fun to tease little kids."

... There's no need to continue acting, is there!

"Don't report me, or that fox woman will extort me again!" Shigu Hongshi quickly raised his hands in surrender. "The appearance of the demon sword seems to correspond to the time when the Divine Sakura started having problems, so after discussing it with the Serene Palace, we all thought that we should find the cause from that demon sword. But so many people we sent out couldn't find any trace of it. Disappearances and deaths from test cutting happen frequently—so we put up an adventurer's commission."

"Is there any good news?"

"Guess what?"

"Shigu..."

"Last night, a fisherman in Gentian Village was killed, and judging from the technique, it should be the work of that demon sword," Shigu Hongshi immediately confessed, "But the wielder of the sword left no clues. You can go there and try your luck."

"Okay." After hesitating for a moment, Yingjian asked again, "There's one more thing. That person who just came out from the Reconnaissance Bureau... doesn't seem like a local. Can I ask about his identity?"

"Oh? Have you figured something out?" Hou Hirotsugu raised an eyebrow. "You have quite the eye. That person is someone even the General is quite interested in."

"What do you mean?"

"The Reconnaissance Bureau is responsible for the initial interactions with foreigners in Inazuma. That person is an alchemist from Khaenri'ah. However, he has the credentials of a Kannazuka resident named Kazuha." He explained, "I don't know the specifics, I only heard a bit from the fox lady. It seems to have something to do with the Kamisato clan."

"Oh..."

"You still haven't told me how you noticed him!"

"Huh?" Yingjian said, "He's good-looking, so I just asked, is that not allowed?"

"...Fine, I guess that's a reason." Hou Hirotsugu felt the reason was flawless, so he clapped his hands and stood up. "Come, I'll take you to pick a weapon."

Hou Hirotsugu didn't seem reliable, but when it came to actually getting things done, he was very thorough.

When they arrived at what he called the "treasury" and he said she could pick anything, the guard was shocked, but Yingjian didn't feel anything.

Because she had no concept of swords.

The Nichirin Blades in her previous life were made by the blacksmiths of Tandou Village, and she only had to use them. To her, the practice sword and the Nichirin Blade were not that different when swung, except that one could only kill humans and the other could kill demons. Of course, she couldn't let the blacksmith know that, otherwise she would definitely be chased after.

So when Yingjian came out with a chosen practice sword, Hou Hirotsugu trembled and questioned.

"I knew I left my sword here after my last training session, but why was it here?"

"Huh? Is this your personal sword?"

"Not really, it's just a regular practice sword. This one won't do, go pick another one." He tried to take the sword from Yingjian's hand, but she dodged by moving her hand to the side.

"I think it looks pretty plain." Yingjian's ears turned red, but her face remained serious. "It's okay, this one will do."

"You're not..."

"A sword isn't like a person where you have to distinguish between noble and common. If it can cut things, then it's a good sword." Yingjian said, "A good sword in the hands of an inexperienced warrior can't even cut through a wooden stake. But if it's held by a skilled warrior, even the most ordinary sword is enough to cut... um... that artificial mountain over there?"

Following Yingjian's gaze, Hou Hirotsugu couldn't help but laugh. The warrior in charge of guarding nearby shook his head and sighed upon hearing that.

"Don't be so cocky, kid. It's easy to get into trouble." Hou Hirotsugu said, solemnly patting Yingjian's shoulder. "Even someone with the Vision of God might not be able to do something like that... Wait, do you have a Vision of God?"

"No."

"Let's find a training platform."

Yingjian shook her head and looked at the nearby artificial mountain. "It must be expensive."

Seeing Yingjian still not giving up, Hou Hirotsugu sighed. "It's fine, go ahead and chop. If you can really cut through it, then I'll accept your claim." But he knew she wouldn't be able to cut it.

Hou Hirotsugu felt like he needed to dampen her enthusiasm, but then he remembered what Kocho Palace had told him, so he added, "But if it turns out you were bragging, then you won't be allowed to participate in this mission, okay?"

"Okay."

"Hou-san, you're underestimating Yingjian." Raiden Shogun patted Hou Hirotsugu's shoulder and said seriously, "Underestimating someone will only lead to your own disadvantage. There's still time to change that."

Hou Hirotsugu: "..." Why does he feel like he just got lectured?

Just as he was about to argue with Raiden Shogun, a dazzling white light appeared before them.

[Hydro Art: Palm Vortex]

[Surface Slash--]

Azure water surged from the tip of the sword, under the sunlight, the blade emitted a sharp, cold gleam. The girl held the sword in her right hand, her wrist twisted, her movements light, and a jet of water-like sword qi burst forth.

The blade flashed, and water splashed. In an instant, a crack appeared in the center of the artificial mountain. When the girl sheathed her sword decisively, a thunderous roar echoed in their ears. The half of the mountain suddenly slipped and fell to the ground, instantly cracking into pieces, stirring up a cloud of dust.

Hou Hirotsugu was stunned, and when his shoulder was patted again, he heard the sigh of the boy beside him.

"See, I told you underestimating her would be a mistake."

Hou Hirotsugu: "..." What should he do with this newfound anger?

"Aunt Zhaigong asked me to pick a good knife. Although I picked a knife that is not worth the value, this artificial mountain should be worth the same. In this way, I should consider myself to have completed the task Aunt Zhaigong gave me. That's all."

Yingjian Dao said, "Please tell Aunt Zhaigong not to worry about me. Those trackers should be sent by her to protect us, right? Let them go home, and thank Aunt Zhaigong for me. Then let's go, thank you for your trouble~"

Until the two of them left, the shock in Hiiragi Hiroshi's eyes did not disappear. He sighed and said, "Everyone has left, there's no need to look anymore, right?"

As he finished speaking, a tall woman with white fox ears and wearing a shrine maiden outfit walked out from the side.

"Not bad at all, those two kids actually made you give in~"

"You stinky fox, you didn't even tell me that Yingjian has the Eye of the Hydro God." Hiiragi Hiroshi grabbed his hair in frustration, "This artificial mountain is an imported product, it's so expensive!"

"No, that's not it." Kitsune Saigong walked to the side of the artificial mountain, touched the smooth cut, and smiled, "Little Yingjian doesn't have the God's Eye."

"She doesn't? How is that possible... Are you serious?!"

"The little one also has her own secrets." Kitsune Saigong turned around and leaned against the remaining half of the artificial mountain, saying with a smile, "Since she chose not to continue hiding her secrets for the sake of making me and them feel at ease, now all we need to know is that she is Yingjian— that's enough. Whether or not we pursue anything else is not important anymore~"

"You're really easygoing..."

"Yingjian saved you the money for weapons, and I'm not happy about it. Can the price of the artificial mountain be compared to that of a famous knife? Hurry up and bring out your collection of artifacts, I want to pick the best one for San~"

"Hey!"