Fantasy Library.

Chapter 487 It's Time for Me to Take Action

There weren't many customers at Tianxinwu, so Aize only waited a short while before his order arrived.

After delivering the items, Ma Tingluhua and Anma Xiaochun didn't stay with him; they went back to their work, leaving Aize unable to ask them any questions he wanted to ask.

Although he had spent a considerable amount of time in Suizhi, he was not a local and certainly did not know as much about Suizhi as Ma Tingluhua and Kurama Koharu, who were born and raised there.

So, Aize originally planned to consult with Ma Tinglu and Kurama Koharu about Suizhi's myths and legends, but seeing that the two were busy, he felt embarrassed to take up their work time.

"Well, it's not like we're completely clueless anyway, let's leave it at that for now."

Aize didn't insist and started enjoying the sweets and cold drinks.

"Hmm...it's pretty good."

A moment later, Aize gave his evaluation.

Getting him to say "not bad" is no easy task.

After all, he was once spotted by an internationally renowned chef because of his exceptional knife skills, and received the chef's complete instruction.

At first, Aize didn't intend to accept the invitation, but he had no choice. He was still young at the time and didn't have the right to make his own decisions. The famous chef somehow got his parents' phone number and discussed it with them directly. In the end, he moved them and made Aize have to learn from the chef for a period of time.

This period wasn't very long, about two years, and then Aize successfully graduated from their program.

"Although there are still many flaws in your cooking skills, your knife skills are simply superb. As long as the taste of your dishes is not too bad, you can attract customers with your knife skills. So, starting today, you can graduate from your apprenticeship."

That's what they said, and they presented Aize with a family recipe book and a set of specially made kitchen utensils as a graduation gift.

It was on that day that Aize finally called the other person "Master".

He learned a great deal from his master, covering almost everything from appetizers to main courses and desserts. He even learned how to cook some dishes that only appear at state banquets. The cookbook his master gave him also contained recipes for court dishes developed by imperial chefs during the Qing Dynasty, making it extremely precious.

If Aize continues his research, even if he can't become a famous chef like his master, becoming a great chef shouldn't be a problem.

Unfortunately, he wasn't as interested in cooking as he was in things like kendo. He only learned to cook to improve his knife skills and didn't plan to pursue a career in cooking. So he would only occasionally study the cookbook and then stop doing anything else.

Even so, Aize's cooking skills are still pretty good. Eating famous dishes every day has also spoiled his palate, so if it's not really delicious, it's impossible to get a "not bad" rating from him.

"The goods sold are clearly good, but there aren't many customers at Tianxinwu."

As Aize ate, he observed his surroundings, lost in thought.

"Are there some problems with the business?"

Recalling the self-deprecating look on Ma Tingluhua's face when he mentioned business, Aize thought for a moment and decided to ask him properly if he had the chance.

If Tianxinwu encounters operational problems, he is still willing to lend a hand.

"Speaking of which, could it be that Mom knew about this situation, which is why she insisted that I come back this time so that I can find a way to help Sister Luhua?"

Aize suddenly began to seriously doubt this matter.

If that's the case, he should despise his mother who sold her son.

Unfortunately, even his mother, who has always loved to play matchmaker since he was a child, probably never imagined that her decision to let her son go back to his parents' home this time would cause such a big problem.

He pulled out the sacred sword that had been enshrined in the Kenji Shrine for a long time, and he became the shrine maiden's fiancé... Aize could imagine how surprised his mother would be when she learned the whole story.

After all, her own mother was a native of Suizhi. Whether it was the matter of the sacred sword or the shrine maiden, it was something she had heard the adults tell her since she was a child and remembered it in her heart. This was completely different from what others regarded as superstition or rumors to attract tourists.

Especially Yoshino Asagi, who is practically a princess in this land, and even the older generation has to respectfully call her "Miko-sama" (priestess). One can imagine how surprised her mother would be that such a person had become her son's fiancée.

Fortunately, the engagement is only temporary and has not been fully confirmed. Neither Aize nor Asagi Yoshino believes that the two can really walk down the aisle. Otherwise, their mothers might already be trying to buy tickets to come over.

"I just don't know how things will develop in the future."

Aize finished the last sip of his cold drink, then, after saying goodbye to Kurama Koharu and taking the sweets that Ma Tingluhua had packed, he left Tianxinwu.

Glancing at the sky, Aize realized it was still early before noon and decided not to wander around any longer, so he went straight back to Kenji Shrine.

As the saying goes, it's better to return at the right time than to return early. When Aize returned to the shrine, everyone had already finished their business and had gathered together.

"Welcome back, Master."

Cong Yu, who was floating above the living room, was the first to notice Aize's return and immediately flew towards him.

"Oh, welcome back, Ai Jun."

Chao Wuanqing, who was leisurely drinking tea, also greeted them.

"Welcome back, Lord Aize."

Hitachi Mako was making tea for everyone when she saw Aizawa, and a sweet smile appeared on her face.

"……Welcome back."

Asagi Yoshino was flipping through books and notes, seemingly studying. When she saw Aize enter, her delicate face immediately tightened, and she said something indifferent.

"Yes, I'm back." Aize nodded and said as he entered the room, "I brought some sweets for everyone. Please eat them before lunch."

As he spoke, Aize took out the packaged desserts, unpacked them one by one, and placed them on the table.

Upon seeing this, everyone was stunned for a moment, and then their eyes lit up.

Wow, so many sweets!

Hitachi Mako's face was full of surprise.

"I'm so sorry, it's not like I'm asking you to spend money."

Chao Wu Anqing didn't expect Aize to bring back so many sweets, and hurriedly said to Aize.

"Pudding... Buffet... and... and glutinous rice balls!"

Asagi Yoshino's serious expression crumbled involuntarily, and her eyes sparkled as she looked at the table full of sweets.

"No wonder the owner seemed to linger on the street for a long time; it turns out he lost the dessert shop."

Cong Yu also drifted over and said those words.

According to her, because Aize is the user of the Murasame and she is also the manager of the Murasame, she is able to roughly know Aize's location and even its exact location through a mysterious sense.

Therefore, Cong Yu was never afraid of losing Aize, and never worried about not being able to find Aize. This is also why she didn't always follow Aize and could still go for walks around freely.

“Sister Luhua’s family runs a dessert shop. I went to visit her and patronize her business.” Aize smiled and said, “Besides, Mr. Anqing has let me eat and stay here for free, so this little bit of return is only natural.”

“No, you don’t have to be so polite.” Asahi Ansei shook her head and said, “It was because of our willfulness that you, Ai-kun, had to stay in Sui-ori and the shrine. Since that’s the case, we will naturally take care of your daily life. You don’t need to give anything in return.”

“It’s just once in a while, consider it a greeting on the first day of your stay.” Aize shrugged and said, “The sweets at Tianxinwu aren’t expensive. If it’s just for a few people, buying some occasionally isn’t a big expense for me.”

Although his family wasn't wealthy, his father was capable of doing business abroad, so financial pressure was definitely not an issue. Otherwise, his mother wouldn't have the leisure to be a full-time housewife and would be planning a trip with his father. Aize himself had a habit of saving his New Year's money since he was a child. Although his allowance wasn't much, it wasn't small either. In addition, he received payment for cooking under his master when he was learning to cook, and he also received substantial prize money after winning two kendo competitions. All of this money was something he could decide how to use. As long as he didn't use it for anything bad, his parents generally wouldn't interfere.

In other words, despite his appearance, Aize is actually quite wealthy compared to his peers.

If it weren't for his mother's request to come to Suizhi this time, and the fact that his family's inn needed manpower, which is why they decided to send Aize to help, Aize definitely wouldn't have needed to work during the holidays, since he's not short of money.

In conclusion, treating everyone at Kenji Shrine to a sweet treat is more than enough for Aize.

"Enjoy your meal. If you can't finish it or don't want to eat it right now, remember to put it in the refrigerator."

After saying that, Aize didn't stay there any longer, but went straight back to his room.

"Wait! Master!"

Cong Yu quickly followed.

Only Yoshino Asagi, Yasuharu Asagi, and Mako Hitachi remained. They looked at each other, then at the sweets on the table, each with a different expression.

“What a wonderful child.” Asahi Yasuharu smiled gently, half with emotion, half with a joke, and half with seriousness, and said, “Why don’t you really consider it, Yoshino?”

As for what they were considering, everyone present knew perfectly well.

"...Don't talk nonsense, Father."

Yoshino Asagi no longer maintained her indifferent demeanor, sighed, and spoke with a complicated expression.

“This is not fair to Mr. Aize.”

At least, that's what Asahi Yoshino thought.

The two only met yesterday, yet they are inexplicably forced to get married because of something closely related to themselves, dragging each other into a quagmire. Is this fair to Aize?
That's definitely unfair.

Therefore, she deliberately put on a cold demeanor, using her attitude to refuse communication, understanding, and sympathy—in short, to refuse any behavior that might involve Aize.

Although……

“I think it’s too late, Yoshino-sama.” Hitachi Mako gave a surprisingly rational suggestion, saying, “From the moment Aizawa-sama pulled out Murasame, he could no longer be considered a marginal figure.”

Asahi Yoshino did not speak.

How could she not know that?

But she still tried her best to keep that person away from her troubles.

If it weren't for the fact that Murasame was far too important to the Asabu family and the Kenji Shrine, and that Aizawa was a user recognized by Murasame and couldn't leave, Asabu Yoshino really wouldn't want Aizawa to live here and even form a strange marriage contract with her.

These were all rude demands placed on that person.

Seeing that Asahi Yoshino remained silent, Asahi Anharu sighed.

"Pudding, would you like some?"

Chao Wuanqing asked this question with a smile.

"……want."

Asahi Yoshino remained silent for a moment, then answered in a low voice.

Mako Hitachi was not surprised at all and pushed the pudding on the table in front of Yoshino Asatake.

"Please use it, Lady Yoshino."

Asagi Yoshino blushed slightly, seemingly embarrassed, but in the end she couldn't resist the temptation of the sweets. She took out a spoon, scooped up a spoonful, and put it in her mouth.

Immediately, the priestess gave an extremely subtle evaluation.

"So sweet..."

…………

Night fell quickly.

After dinner, Aize ran a few laps around Suizhi Town, just like he had in the morning, before returning to the shrine and going to his room.

He took a quick shower to wash away the sweat, but instead of changing into his pajamas, he continued to wear clothes that were comfortable for exercising.

"Congyu Maru..."

Looking at the Muramasa that had been lying on the table in his room since last night, Aize finally reached out and picked it up from the sword rack.

"Zzz..."

With a slightly shiny scraping sound, Aize drew the Murasame sword from its sheath, pointing the blade towards himself and the window behind him.

Outside the window, moonlight streamed in, falling on the cold blade and reflecting a bright arc of light.

Aize examined the blade for a moment, then sheathed it and stood up.

"Owner?"

Seeing this, Cong Yu, who had been watching Aize the whole time, couldn't help but speak up.

"What are you planning to do, Master?"

For some reason, Cong Yu had a bad feeling.

As it turned out, her hunch was correct.

“I’ve been idle all day, it’s time for me to take action.” Aize didn’t look at Congyu, but held the Congyu Pill and said quietly, “I’m going to start searching for the secrets of this town.”

Upon hearing this, Cong Yu was immediately taken aback.

"Don't do anything reckless, Master!" Cong Yu said repeatedly, "Didn't Fang Nai tell you not to investigate?"

"Do I have to listen to what she says?" Aize glanced at Cong Yu and said indifferently, "She can exclude me without considering my opinion, so can I ignore her opinion and act on my own?"

"But what are you planning to do?" Cong Yu advised, "Even if you want to find the secrets of this town, you don't know how to do it, do you?"

wrong.

Aize certainly knew what to do.

Just go there.

"I want to go to the mountains."

(End of this chapter)