Fantasy Library.

Chapter 488 I Have My Reasons
Near Kenji Shrine, there is a range of mountains.

The mountain is neither very wide nor very high; it's a place where the children of Suizhi Town can wander up and play whenever they have free time.

Getting into the mountains isn't difficult; you just need to walk a little to reach the path leading up the mountain. There are rivers, springs, wild vegetables, wild rabbits and pheasants, and even wild boars in the deeper parts. So as long as you don't go too far in, even adults won't stop the children from going up the mountain to play.

When they were young, Aize had gone up the mountain with Ma Tinglu, Kurama Rentaro, Kurama Koharu, and others. They picked wild fruits and vegetables, chased pheasants and rabbits, played in the river, fished, and dug up bamboo shoots and mushrooms. So that place was one of Aize and his friends' childhood memories.

The only danger Aize encountered in the mountains was when he ventured deep into the mountains to test his strength and encountered a ferocious wild boar.

Under normal circumstances, wild boars do not come out and be encountered by people, so for the people of Suizhi, going into the mountains is not a big deal.

However, at this moment, when Aize suggested going into the mountains, Cong Yu reacted very strongly.

"No! Master, you can't go up the mountain at this time!"

Cong Yu was so frightened that her face turned pale.

That was a look of panic that Aize had never seen before.

"Why?" Aize asked Cong Yu calmly, as if he had seen through something. "When I was a child, I often went up the mountain with Rentaro and the others."

The implication is that this is nothing for Cong Yu to make a fuss about.

However, Cong Yu said anxiously, "Of course it's fine during the day, but it's very dangerous to go up the mountain after dark, absolutely not!"

This is true.

Going up the mountain after dark is strictly forbidden, even by the adults in Suizhi Town, let alone children. When Aize and his friends were young, they were often told this by the adults and were strictly forbidden from going up the mountain after dark.

That's precisely why Aize was so certain.

"Something should appear on the mountain after dark, right?" Aize calmly pointed out, "That's the secret of Suizhi that you've been hiding, isn't it?"

"...Why is Master so sure?" Cong Yu hesitated for a moment, then said, "We didn't say anything, so why do you know there's something in the mountains and insist on going up?"

The answer to this question is actually quite simple.

"Although you haven't revealed any details yet, based on your conversations so far, it's certain that Suiori's secret hides some danger, which is why you... or rather, Ms. Asatake, are so unwilling to involve me."

Aize then shared his thoughts on the matter.

"I don't know what kind of danger it is, but since you all say that I might get involved after I draw out Murasame, it means that it is a danger that needs the power of Murasame to eliminate."

"And what danger, besides a powerful enemy, could need to be eliminated with a knife?"

"Perhaps it's the curse of dog spirit possession mentioned in the rumors? Or the vengeful spirit of the monster that Murasame once slew?"

Aize looked at Cong Yu and smiled.

"No matter what it is, as long as we confirm that there is something in Suiori that needs to be killed by Murasame, then the only remaining issue is to find that thing. To this end, I ran around Suiori several times today, running in the morning and running at night, going to one place after another, combining my childhood memories, intending to confirm the places where such a dangerous enemy might exist."

Cong Yu was immediately taken aback by what Aize said.

"So, Master didn't just go out for exercise and a stroll today?"

Cong Yu hadn't expected that Aize would have such thoughts.

“There’s no way around it. I haven’t been back for several years. Suizhi has changed so much. It’s full of tourists. I need to explore it properly to find out where I’m looking for.” Aize said calmly, “But after today’s investigation, I’m certain that the dangerous entity is not in Suizhi, at least not in the town.”

Because the town is full of tourists, and Suizhi has become a well-known tourist destination, if there were any unavoidable dangers there, tourists would certainly not be allowed to go there.

After checking, Aize discovered that there was no place in Suizhi that was absolutely forbidden to others.

“In that case, my gaze naturally turned to the mountain.” Aize looked at Cong Yu and said, word by word, “Although it is not forbidden for others to enter the mountain, every household tells others not to go up the mountain at night.”

"In other words, the mountain at night becomes a forbidden zone that no one else has ever set foot in."

Having thought of this, Aize decided to use it as a starting point to explore Suizhi's secrets.

"Now that I see your reaction, I am even more certain that there must be something on the mountain, and it is related to what you have been hiding all along."

Aize gave a half-smile and said that.

"Then I have to make the trip up the mountain tonight no matter what."

With that, Aize walked past Cong Yu and headed out the door.

Cong Yu, who was taken aback by Aize's reasoning, finally realized what was happening and quickly grabbed Aize's clothes.

"No! Master! We really can't go up the mountain at night!"

Cong Yu tried her best to stop it.

Unfortunately, she wasn't human, just a spirit. Her whole body was so light that she couldn't stop Aize even if she wanted to. Even if she clung to Aize, she wouldn't be as heavy as a backpack.

So, Aize ignored Cong Yu's attempts to stop him and walked straight outside.

At this time, Asatake Yasuharu was cleaning up the mess at the shrine, closing the gates that were supposed to be closed. Hitachi Mako had also gone home and was not at the shrine. Only Asatake Yoshino was still at home.

As luck would have it, Aize ran into Asagi Yoshino, who was coming out of her room and seemed to be going to take a bath.

"Mr. Aize? Lord Congyu? What are you doing?"

Asagi Yoshino was stunned as she watched Murasame desperately try to stop Aize, while Aize walked out steadily with his sword in hand.

"Quick, stop him! Yoshino!" Murakumo shouted as soon as she saw Asagi Yoshino, "Master is going up the mountain!"

Upon hearing this, Yoshino Asagi's expression immediately changed.

"Please, please wait a moment! Mr. Aize!"

Forgetting the clothes she was holding, Asagi Yoshino rushed up, stretched out her arms, and blocked Aize's way, preventing him from passing.

"Going up the mountain at night is too dangerous! Please don't do it!"

Asatake Yoshino felt a sudden unease upon seeing Aize holding the Murasame, and gave him a serious warning.

Aize had to stop.

"Alright, move aside," Aize said calmly. "The Chaowu family can't possibly restrict the freedom of movement of the people they invite in, can they?"

"This...this isn't restricting your personal freedom!" Yoshino Asatake quickly said, "It's just preventing you from doing dangerous things!"

"By the way, why are we going up the mountain at this time?"

"If there's a compelling reason to go up the mountain, can't we wait until dawn?"

Asagi Yoshino remained serious, seemingly intending to scare Aize away with this demeanor.

The famous shrine maiden's serious and earnest demeanor would likely have made anyone else in Hoori feel apprehensive and submissive.

Unfortunately, although Aize is half a Hozuki, he is not afraid of the priestess.

"I have my reasons, Miss Chaowu. Could you please move aside?"

That's what Aize said.

"No way!" Asahi Yoshino didn't even hesitate, continuing to spread her arms to block the way, saying, "This kind of self-righteous talk is too selfish, I can't accept it." Hearing this, Aize couldn't help but laugh.

"If that's the case, then Miss Asatake, you're a selfish person too, aren't you?" Aize gave Asatake Yoshino a deep look and said, "Aren't you just talking to yourself and using your own reasons to refuse me and prevent me from exploring any secrets about Hoori and Murasame?"

"This..." Asahi Yoshino was speechless.

“Of course, I’m not criticizing you. After all, this is a secret you possess. You have the right to tell whoever you want, and I have no right to interfere or oppose it,” Aize said calmly. “But if I want to act in my own way, you have no right to stop me, much less interfere or oppose it.”

"We can't just allow you, Miss Asatake, to act according to your own reasons, while preventing others from doing so, can we?"

"Double standards shouldn't be like this."

Aize's words left Asatake Yoshino speechless for a moment, unable to utter a single word.

"Please step aside."

Aize stopped giving long speeches and simply made a one-sided announcement.

"no!"

Although Yoshino Asagi could not refute Aize's statement, she could not just stand by and watch Aize go up the mountain.

Without wasting words, Aize nimbly bypassed Asagi Yoshino and walked outside.

"Wait! Mr. Aize! We really can't go up the mountain at this time...!"

Asahi Yoshino panicked and, disregarding her aloof demeanor, turned around and grabbed Aizawa's arm.

Aize immediately felt something very soft and elastic pressing down on his arm.

Based on the feel alone, Aize was certain that Asagi Yoshino was a hidden master.

This size is definitely beyond most of her peers, making Aize reluctant to break free from her for a moment.

Fortunately, Aize is not someone who easily changes his mind. Once he has made up his mind, he will stick to it.

"Mr. An Qing."

Aize suddenly shouted in another direction.

"Father? Come quickly—"

Asagi Yoshino thought it was her father who had come, and even Murami, who was hanging on Aize, instinctively turned in the direction Aize was calling.

However, that direction turned out to be completely empty; there was no one there at all.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Aize broke free from Asagi Yoshino and Murasame, and rushed out like a gust of wind.

"Owner!"

Cong Yu was shocked and quickly flew away.

"No! Mr. Aize!"

Asahi Yoshino hurriedly ran out, but she couldn't even see Aizawa's back anymore. She could only see Murasame's figure disappear into the night.

"How to do how to do……"

Asahi Yoshino panicked. Her previous indifference was gone, replaced by endless worry and even a hint of self-blame.

"It's all my fault. If I hadn't resisted so obviously, Mr. Aize wouldn't have done something so extreme..."

Asatake Yoshino regretted it.

If I had known earlier, I should have told him at least some basic things, at the very least explaining how dangerous it was to be on the mountain at night.

If something happens to Mr. Aize because of this, then...

Thinking of this, Asahi Yoshino felt extremely flustered.

"no!"

At that moment, Yoshino Asagi gritted her teeth, ran back, quickly changed into her shrine maiden outfit, grabbed the tools for the offering dance, and ran towards the mountain.

"Yono...?!"

Chao Wuanqing, who had just returned, witnessed this scene and exclaimed in shock.

And so, Aize, Congyu, and Asagi Yoshino entered the mountain one after the other.

This night is destined to be anything but peaceful.

…………

Suizhi Town, on a mountain.

Several years later, Aize came to the mountain near Suizhi again, followed the path he remembered and walked into the mountain, into the darkness.

Although this was not Aize's first time entering the mountains of Suizhi Town, it was his first time entering the mountains at night.

Therefore, he never expected that the mountains would look like this after nightfall.

"It's harder to walk than I expected..."

The difficulty in navigating here doesn't refer to the mountain path itself, but rather to the limited visibility caused by insufficient light.

There were no lights or illumination in the mountains, only the faint moonlight filtering through the dense trees, which briefly lit up a section of the mountain path, preventing Aize from straying off course.

Even so, Aize could only see a few meters away, and beyond that, he couldn't see anything at all, which was not much different from being unable to see his own hand in front of his face.

"So this is what the mountains look like at night. Even if there are no hidden dangers, if you accidentally get lost, you might still lose your life here, right?"

Aize had slowed down and was no longer running forward quickly. Instead, he walked carefully along the mountain path, following the faint moonlight as he went up the mountain.

"rustle--"

The sound of wind rustling through the leaves filled the air, bringing with it a cool, shady breeze that sent shivers down my spine.

To be honest, if a timid person were to hike this mountain path, they definitely wouldn't last long and would have to turn back.

As Aize walked, he also felt that the road ahead was starting to narrow. If he went any further, it would not be a place that the people of Suizhili would want to continue to walk. So, the road was not repaired or trodden, and only a narrow path that looked like it had been trodden by wild animals remained.

Aize had only ever continued forward once before, when he went deep into the mountains to hunt wild boars.

That time it was daytime, but this time it was nighttime, and the creatures they faced were no longer wild beasts, but unknown dangers.

"That sounds really exciting."

Aize didn't back down; instead, he suddenly smiled.

The next second, he resolutely stepped into it, entering the danger zone.

(End of this chapter)