Chapter 33: Five-tailed Fox, Ema, And Priest’s Robe
Door-opening kill again?
Shangshan Che, who had already pushed out a section of blade with his finger, was stunned to find that what was tugging at his ankle was actually a…
Snow-white little fox?
Actually, saying it was entirely snow-white wasn’t quite accurate, because in Edo Castle where it rained constantly, you couldn’t walk two steps without getting covered in mud, and the little fox was naturally the same.
It was only thirty or forty centimeters long, with its originally snow-white fluffy fur matted with black mud.
But the fox didn’t seem to mind, merely swaying its five slender snow-white tails and lifting its sapphire-like pupils to stare at Shangshan Che.
Wait, five tails?
Shangshan Che’s recently lowered vigilance rose again; legend had it that a three-tailed fox with three tails could be called a “demon.”
Then wouldn’t a five-tailed fox be a great demon?
After staring intently at the little five-tailed fox’s head for a moment, Shangshan Che was shocked to discover it was actually “zero-star.”
What’s going on?
“Squeak, squeak.”
Shangshan Che felt his trouser leg tugged again, the five-tailed fox squeaking, clearly wanting him to follow it.
So what would the destination be?
—A trap hiding killing intent? Or a treasure trove buried with old objects?
Interesting.
No matter what, Shangshan Che’s curiosity had been piqued; as an outsider unafraid of death, he had no reason to fear a mere mysterious local fox.
“Lead the way.”
Shangshan Che nodded his mouth toward the fox.
“Squeak squeak!”
The five-tailed fox seemed to understand human speech; after getting Shangshan Che’s reply, it excitedly called out and trotted ahead, leaving a series of clear plum blossom footprints on the muddy road.
Shangshan Che looked down at the ground.
This series of footprints was quite obvious, but in Edo Castle, the demons with intelligence should be countable on one hand, so overall there shouldn’t be any big problems.
Perhaps afraid Shangshan Che couldn’t keep up, after a few steps the five-tailed fox turned back and squeaked softly at him twice.
“Don’t rush, don’t rush.”
Shangshan Che stepped forward, covering all the fox’s footprints with his own steps.
After following the five-tailed fox for a while, Shangshan Che was surprised to find they had almost not encountered the large number of minibosses wandering in Edo Castle.
Even when spotting them, the five-tailed fox seemed to foresee them and easily led him to dodge.
You know, before, he would basically get hacked to death by a wandering rōnin in two or three slashes within ten minutes and sent back to the mortal realm.
After stopping at another corner, Shangshan Che crouched low and softly asked, adding a title of respect: “Fox Brother, can you sense these demons’ movements?”
“Squeak squeak.”
The five-tailed fox nodded proudly, affirming his statement.
This ability is too strong.
Shangshan Che’s eyes burned with eagerness; if he could tame this five-tailed fox, exploring the map in the future would be as easy as having wallhack cheats.
“Squeak.”
Seeming to detect Shangshan Che’s thoughts, the five-tailed fox solemnly shook its head at him, then continued walking forward.
How is this fox so smart?
Shangshan Che shook his head inwardly; if it cooperated, he could try asking the corporate slave netizens if there were ways to subdue shikigami.
But if not cooperative… Shangshan Che still respected others’ wishes, especially when the other was a friendly great demon possibly hiding its strength.
Better to follow obediently for now and see what the fox is up to.
After quietly walking a short distance, Shangshan Che saw the five-tailed fox stop before a half-buried torii gate and stand up on its hind legs.
As if saying: “This is the place.”
Shangshan Che looked inside and saw not only the vermilion paint on the torii gate completely peeled off, but the narrow approach leading to the shrine overgrown with pitch-black sticky moss, with trees on both sides growing wildly, twisted and winding, looking eerie and terrifying.
The entire shrine presented a scene of desolation and decay from the facade, as if no one had come for a long time.
Feels just like a boss room.
“Going up?”
The five-tailed fox nodded and squeaked twice before taking the lead up the steps.
Shangshan Che had no choice but to follow, hand on his hilt, vigilant of the surroundings, ready to draw his sword at any moment.
But this eerie road was exceptionally smooth; aside from the slippery ground underfoot, no accidents occurred.
Is it because crossing the torii gate entered the shrine’s boundary…
After climbing the long approach, Shangshan Che finally saw the shrine’s main structure, the main hall—of course, and the divine messenger stone sculptures standing on both sides of the main hall.
Shangshan Che squinted at one of the three-tailed fox stone sculptures and asked: “Fox Brother, is this you?”
Legend said three-tailed foxes could grow one tail every hundred years, so the one before him must have stayed alone in this shrine for at least two hundred years?
“Squeak!”
The five-tailed fox proudly lifted its head.
It stepped lightly into the hall and soon returned to Shangshan Che with a light red blank ema in its mouth.
“This for me?”
“Squeak.”
Shangshan Che squatted down and took the unremarkable ema: “You mean, I should take this ema and give it to someone?”
The five-tailed fox nodded emphatically.
【Shrine Ema】
【Quality: None】
【Effect: None】
【—An ordinary ema; perhaps giving it to the shrine miko will have a miraculous effect.】
This riddle-like description doesn’t specify which shrine or which miko… another headless task.
But to build some favor with the five-tailed fox, Shangshan Che didn’t mind taking it.
“Alright.” Shangshan Che put the ema into his storage bag, nodded to the fox that didn’t dare squeak: “I’ll help with this, but when it gets done is uncertain.”
“Squeak squeak!”
The five-tailed fox let out a joyful call, bit Shangshan Che’s trouser leg again, signaling him to follow it inside.
Shangshan Che complied and, after entering the main hall with the five-tailed fox, saw the cold white robe offered in the center of the main hall.
The robe was exquisitely made, adorned with deep red cherry blossoms, and most importantly, free of stains and dust, starkly contrasting the poor surroundings.
The five-tailed fox jumped onto the nearby altar and squeaked at him twice.
Shangshan Che was slightly stunned and tentatively asked in disbelief: “You mean, this robe is for me?”
“Squeak~”
The five-tailed fox nudged the robe toward him.
Unexpectedly blessed, Shangshan Che reached out to touch the robe and knew it was worth it the instant he saw its attributes.
【Priest’s Robe】
【Quality: Superb】
【Effect: Slightly boosts sorcery power and casting speed】
【—A priest’s robe from an unknown shrine; its emblem and spells have been worn smooth by time, impossible to discern its origin or era.】
Although Laughing Hannya probably couldn’t fight in this restrictive robe, this was for future support; he could wear it directly when he drew sorcerer-type demons.
This deal satisfied both human and fox.
Taking the robe, Shangshan Che walked to the torii gate of the abandoned shrine accompanied by the five-tailed fox.
He walked a few steps outward but heard no more light footsteps following behind.
So Shangshan Che understandingly turned back: “Are you going to keep guarding this shrine?”
“Squeak.” The five-tailed fox nodded.
Shangshan Che persuaded: “No one will come to this shrine anymore; why not follow me to see the world outside?”
The five-tailed fox silently shook its head and, under Shangshan Che’s gaze, turned and walked step by step into the quiet darkness.
—Having seen off the kind guest, it was time for it to return.
Shangshan Che gazed at its small back, thinking of the spotless priest’s robe.
Perhaps the five-tailed fox carefully maintained it every day, hoping the priest would return and immediately don the robe to repair the shrine and restore order.
But even now, it hadn’t waited for the priest meant to wear this enduring robe, and it knew perhaps that person would never come.
So the five-tailed fox gave this timeless robe to him.
After a brief moment of emotion, Shangshan Che left the Eternal World; if he slept much longer, Lili Zi would notice something was wrong.
—The five-tailed fox turned back and saw the Hannya who took the priest’s robe had already vanished.
So it nodded in satisfaction, jumping in three steps to the central altar in the main hall, the warmest, cleanest, and largest spot.
The little fox curled up and fell into a deep sleep.
Edo Castle’s damp wind blew as always into the empty shrine, but the five-tailed fox no longer startled awake from its dreams.
Because from now on, it no longer needed to worry about how to maintain the robe.
