Chapter 12

Seemingly not expecting Yae to persist to this extent, the Kitsune Saigu was momentarily stunned. Just then, Raiden Shogun's voice came from behind.

"Why?"

"I don't want to see people getting hurt anymore." Yae replied, "If I can be of help in this matter, it would be the most joyful gift for me."

"Alright, since you're so insistent."

"If you don't believe it, you can listen to my heart. The heart doesn't lie... Huh?"

Yae's crimson eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at Raiden Shogun.

"I've told you, the initial purpose of this function was not to verify the truth or falsehood of your words, it was just a means of communication. Now that you can communicate with us, and the curse has completely dissipated, this function is no longer necessary."

Yae felt a faint purple light flash before her eyes, and in less than a breath's time, Raiden Shogun had already let go of her hand. "Alright, it's no longer effective. In the future, don't build trust on lifeless objects, understand?"

When Yae finally reacted, she had already obediently nodded.

"To take on such responsibility at such a young age, not bad, Yae." Raiden Shogun smiled, "Since you've decided to do it, remember to give it your all. I have to say, you and Kage have very similar personalities."

"Both of you are the kind of people who are stubborn once you've made up your minds." The Kitsune Saigu sighed, helplessly saying, "If Kage were here, she would definitely agree to your request right away and pat your shoulder, saying 'My daughter is amazing.'"

"Ah, it seems like something Kage would do. Saigu, you described it so vividly!"

The atmosphere suddenly became more lively, and Yae felt a bit dazed.

She had already prepared herself for a complete rejection, but suddenly, it was as if the two had already discussed and agreed upon it.

"But the root of this matter doesn't lie with the Kamisato Clan, and what needs to be investigated is not just the corruption of the Yaksha God. So, before we go, I need to give you some crash course knowledge." The Kitsune Saigu said, "But the situation is urgent, there have been some strange occurrences on Narukami Island recently, and we can't afford to delay for too long, so we will probably set off tomorrow."

"Okay! No problem. However..." Yae felt that she didn't really need to prepare anything, the only thing she needed was...

"Can you give me a sword?" Yae asked, "I still don't have a suitable weapon."

"Weapons?" Raiden was awakened by the mention of weapons, her eyebrows slightly raised. "If we consider this mission as a gift from me and the Kamisato Clan, then Yanfei hasn't contributed anything. So, tell me what you want, and when we come back, I'll talk to her and have her forge it for you."

"Anything is fine?" Yanfei asked.

"Of course, why not? Don't be shy," Raiden smiled. "Yanfei would be happier if you have more requests. As long as it's within reason."

Upon hearing Raiden's words, Yae put her mind at ease.

"Then, I want a sword made from the ore that is closest to the sun... If that's not available, any ore that can be exposed to the sun all day would be fine."

"Only material requirements?" Yanfei asked.

"Yes!" Yae nodded. "I think sunlight is the brightest thing. A sword made from ore that has been in contact with the sun for a long time would definitely be amazing!"

"If it's that kind of ore... I think Houshiguma should know where to find it," Yanfei patted her chest. "Leave it to me~"

"Why do you always exploit Houshiguma?" Raiden asked.

"It's his duty~ Oh, right," Yanfei thought of something and looked at Yae. "When you leave, just go directly to the head of the Shizuka family and the Chief Accountant, Houshiguma Shizuka. I've also made a request to the Adventurers' Guild for this matter, and other people are also figuring out a solution. Don't put too much pressure on yourself and just do your best."

"I understand."

"Oh, right, there's one more thing." Raiden suddenly remembered something and looked at Yanfei. "Yae told me before that she's proficient in all weapons except for catalysts. That's why when she created the power system for Azuma, she leaned towards using catalysts. Now that Yae has fully recovered, how about you, Yanfei, who is proficient in catalysts, train him for a while?"

"Azuma? The puppet created by Yae? I don't think I've seen him, but it's no problem," Yanfei readily agreed. "Why did you suddenly think of helping him improve his martial skills?"

"Someone told me recently that a stranger came to the training ground. Seeing that he was not dressed like a commoner, they reported to me," Raiden raised an eyebrow. "Anyway, it's been a month and nothing unexpected has happened. Since the child has something he wants to do, the adults should do their best to satisfy him."

"Alright, I promise to complete the task. But these days, besides preparing for the festival, I have some other troubles to deal with. Let me think... how about three days later, I'll wait for him at the shrine."

"Thanks." Raiden placed her hand on Yae's shoulder and smiled. "Since you're busy during this time, let's work hard together."

"Yes! Thank you, Auntie Raiden and Auntie Yanfei!"

Ever since Raiden suddenly mentioned the energy system of the puppet, Yae had some guesses in her heart. It wasn't until it was confirmed that Yae's excitement was unrestrained.

It's amazing how things work out. If the puppet knew about this, he would be extremely happy.

"From the way you're so happy, anyone would think that you got a great deal," Yanfei teased. "The forging of the new sword won't be quick. Houshiguma owes me a favor, so when the time comes, you can go straight to his treasure vault to choose. Remember to pick the best one! Don't let that guy save money. Well, for now, let's go back and prepare."

"Yes!"

After Yae closed the door and left, making sure that she had indeed left, Yanfei turned around and looked at Raiden. In each other's eyes, they saw a hint of uneasiness.

"What if the child gets hurt?"

"You're asking me? Wasn't it you who agreed first?" Raiden replied.

They fell into silence once again.

"Little Yae is already so anxious... Ah, I'll go and ask Chiyu later. Although I trust Yae, I still want to make sure."

"I'll also talk to Houshiguma later and have him prepare some life-saving items as gifts for Yae..."

*

"Puppet!"

From afar, Yae heard the voice of Yae, and the boy stopped his sword movements and looked at the cheerful girl walking towards him.

"Do you have something happy to share with me?"

"You should already know... Oh, the communication function is gone." Yae touched her hair accessory, then narrowed her eyes mysteriously as she approached Raiden. "Hey, I have two good news now. Which one do you want to hear first?"

"Gone, huh..."

"Dolls?"

"Ah, go ahead and tell me first."

"My good news is that - with the confirmation from Madame Saiguu, I am completely healed now~ And I have also earned the opportunity to help out through my own efforts. I will be leaving tomorrow to go outside and do some tasks," Yingjian sighed sweetly, "Ah, not being active for a month feels like I'm falling apart. Finally, I can go out and do something interesting."

"Congratulations, Yingjian," the youth said, his eyes bending, "You haven't been out yet, although I don't know much about it, I should be able to be a good guide."

"No, no, no," Yingjian extended his finger, shaking it mysteriously, "You don't have to come with me..."

"Why?" The youth instinctively asked, then realized he had interrupted the other person's words and felt a little embarrassed, "Ah, what I meant was... I should be able to help you, right?"

Yingjian didn't notice the other person's abnormality at all, and just patted the young man's shoulder, "This brings us to your good news!"

"Huh?"

Yingjian recounted the meaning of the Kogojou and Raiden Shogun's confirmation to Raiden Sango, and as she had imagined, his eyes lit up after hearing it.

"That's great, no wonder I felt somewhat inadequate when using swords... It turns out I'm more suited for practicing magical instruments." The knot in his heart these past few days also unraveled, Raiden Sango smiled, "Thank you for telling me this news, Your Highness Yingjian."

"Don't be polite with me, it's not thanks to me," Yingjian shrugged, "Madame Saiguu said for you to report to the shrine three days later, so you can thank her properly then."

"Three days later... When are you leaving?"

"As for me, I'll prepare a little today and probably head to the Bureau of Civil Affairs tomorrow morning."

"Then I'll go with you tomorrow," Raiden Sango said, "I'll go prepare."

"No, it's not!" Seeing Raiden Sango turning around to leave, Yingjian quickly grabbed him, "I can handle this myself. It's quite dangerous... although I'm sure I'll be fine."

"If it's dangerous, all the more reason for me to go with you, right?" Raiden Sango lowered his gaze to the hand holding his wrist and said, "It's my responsibility to accompany you, and if you're worried that I'll be a burden, this Golden Feather that Lord Ball bestowed upon me is enough to protect myself. It won't trouble you."

"That's not what I meant..."

"Then why?"

The youth quickly picked up her words, which made Yingjian feel something was off.

In her impression, Raiden Sango was always in a calm state no matter the time. Aside from becoming curious like a child when encountering something interesting, the youth's emotions seemed to rarely fluctuate.

Raiden Sango was very curious, and Yingjian had encountered situations where the other person relentlessly pursued questions more than once. But for some reason, Yingjian felt that when the youth asked again just now, his mood didn't seem as calm.

"Do you have something on your mind?"

After staring at each other for a long time, Yingjian finally temporarily broke the deadlock with a question.

"On my mind?"

The youth seemed unfamiliar with this term and became somewhat troubled.

"It's... if you have any thoughts, just tell me directly. There's no need to hide it," Yingjian thought aloud, "Just like before - all my thoughts were naturally known to you. Even if it's as an equal exchange, I can also know what you're thinking, right?"

Yingjian spoke slowly, with her brain spinning quickly. But even after the last syllable fell, she still couldn't figure out why the youth was in a bad mood. It couldn't possibly be because she didn't agree to this straightforward fool's reason, she had already explained that this mission was dangerous, and according to Raiden Sango's personality, he would definitely understand.

Yingjian felt that she should change her thinking and consider the problem from Raiden Sango's perspective.

He was clearly very happy just now... Could it be because the words she just said made him realize the urgency of training? But true martial training could only begin three days later, so he couldn't wait?

That's also possible...

Unable to think of any other answer, and with Raiden Sango remaining silent, Yingjian had to try, "The reason Madame Saiguu asked for you to go three days later is because she's busy preparing for a celebration these days and can't spare the time. Matters like martial training can't be rushed."

"Now that I don't know your thoughts anymore, do I?"

Yingjian was taken aback before realizing that the boy was referring to her previous topic. But before she could say anything else, the boy spoke again.

"I have something to do outside, I'll be back soon."

"Li..."

"You don't need to follow me, I can handle it myself. I'll be back to cook lunch, don't worry. Well, I'm off now."

By the time Yingjian snapped out of it, the boy was already gone. So she stood in the cold wind and muttered, "?"

Who is she, where is she, and what is she doing again?

Oh, she came back to share good news.

"..."

...So, something is definitely off!