The court lackeys of the eight-hour workday

Chapter 557 Yuan Chaoliang

Lu Wushuang suddenly turned around.

His gaze swept past Ryota Miyoshi and Nanako Miyoshi, who were startled and turned back on guard. Passing through the dilapidated gates of Toshodai-ji Temple, he saw swarms of Gu worms swirling and dancing in the air like dark clouds, almost covering the entire sky as far as he could see.

"so much?"

Lu Wushuang's pupils suddenly contracted.

She usually hangs out in the Gansu and Shaanxi area and did not experience the witchcraft calamity in Shandong and Miao areas three years ago. However, she later inquired about the situation from the major sects she knew. Even in the two horrifying events of the siege of the twelve Miao clans and the witchcraft calamity in Tai'an City, there were never so many Gu worms!
If these Gu worms spread, it will be a tragedy far exceeding the witchcraft calamity in Tai'an City!
"grown ups!"

Lu Wushuang turned her head.

"Tōshōdai-ji Temple is a trap!"

"They knew Miyoshi Ryota's identity and deduced that we were coming to find Master Jianzhen's remains. So after testing your level of cultivation, they deliberately didn't send any more people and withdrew their personnel from Toshodai-ji Temple!"

"Leaving that madman behind was precisely to make us study his moves, delay our progress, and allow them to close the encirclement! This was a meticulously planned ambush!"

Li Miao picked at his ear.

"Okay, you don't need to shout so loudly."

"I heard them when they got within two hundred feet. And what's so strange about them preparing an ambush?"

He shrugged, put his hands in his sleeves, and walked outside.

"How many fools in this world would just sit at home, not running away or using any tricks, waiting for you to come and kill them?"

"You all stay here and come out when there's no more noise outside. I'll go see what kind of setup they've prepared and what methods they've come up with."

After saying that, Li Miao pulled his cloak tighter and stepped out of Tōshōdai-ji Temple.

The swarm of Gu worms hovering in mid-air was already prepared to attack. Upon seeing Li Miao emerge, a swarm of them broke off from the dense black clouds and pressed down on him.

Li Miao looked up.

hum!
The dark cloud suddenly froze in the air, and then inexplicably exploded, scattering countless Gu worms in all directions. Many of them fell directly to the ground, writhing and struggling, emitting piercing screams.

Pop, pop, pop.

"As expected of you."

Footsteps and applause approached from afar.

"These Gu worms, even against the so-called top masters in the Central Plains, can be gnawed into bones in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. Even swordsmen at the level of sword saints would be overwhelmed by their sheer number."

"You were able to dispel it with just the murderous intent in your eyes... It's truly chilling. Can't we just let it go and shake hands to make peace?"

In Central Plains dialect, it is a polite and courteous request.

Li Miao looked in the direction of the sound.

Outside the temple, the monks were already standing in rows, stretching as far as the eye could see. They were all dressed in lamellar armor, and their naginata blades were snow-white. Judging from their equipment alone, they were even more elite than Qi Jiguang's army.

At the front of the army formation, dozens of monks dressed in robes and with their faces covered by black veils knelt on the ground, their hands clasped in front of them, their eyes closed as they chanted incantations. Without even getting close, Li Miao could smell the stench emanating from them—they were high-ranking shamans, high-ranking shamans who practiced witchcraft.

Moreover, the scent emanating from these monks differed from that of the high shamans of the twelve branches of the Miao tribe. While the insect smell was similar, the stench of blood was ten times stronger. Clearly, compared to the Miao people who were suppressed in the Central Plains, these individuals were far more unscrupulous in their collection of blood offerings.

Further ahead, however, there were no monks.

Li Miao raised an eyebrow, puzzled.

"Shinto?"

Standing before the Great Shaman were more than a dozen powerful figures from Japan, whose strength was equivalent to that of the Celestial Realm experts from the Central Plains. However, strangely enough, monks made up only about half of these people.

The other half were of varying ages, clothing, and appearances, making it difficult to discern their origins at first glance. However, one of them was dressed in a white hunting robe with chrysanthemum patterns, wearing a tall crown, and waving a round fan in his hand. He was looking at Li Miao, and it was he who had spoken earlier.

The hunting robe is a set of clothing with separate sleeves and a split skirt-like bottom. Just from its design, you can tell that it wasn't designed for practicality, but rather as a ceremonial garment. In Li Miao's previous life, this outfit appeared many times in numerous stories and illustrations about Japan. A fictional profession often wore this outfit to signify their identity—the Onmyoji.

However, in reality, this is actually the official attire worn by male Shinto priests.

In other words, this person is a Shintoist.

Moreover, even if Li Miao didn't understand the internal rules of Shintoism, just by looking at the quality of this person's clothes and the value of his accessories, he knew that this person's status in Shintoism was definitely not low.

"Who are you? Aren't you going to introduce yourself?"

Li Miao asked.

The man lifted his folding fan and elegantly, affectedly covered his mouth, as if he were extremely surprised.

"Ah, I was so amazed by your skill that I forgot to pay my respects. I am truly sorry. — Shintoism, Chief Principal of Ise Grand Shrine, Minamoto no Asahi."

"Greetings to Lord Li Miao, a high-ranking official of the Great Shuo and Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

He bowed slightly.

Li Miao raised an eyebrow and said, twirling his fingers.

"Yuan Chaoliang, there seems to be some significance to this name, doesn't there?"

"Although I don't know much about Japan, it seems that only the noble families can have the surname Minamoto, and Asahi means that you are of royal blood—you are a relative of the Emperor?"

Yuan Chaoliang straightened up and said with a smile.

"What you say is absolutely right, sir. His Majesty the Emperor of the current dynasty is my elder. If I had not succeeded to the position of Shinto priest, been demoted to a subject, and been given a surname, I should now be called Prince Katsura no Takahito, right?"

Li Miao let out a cold laugh.

"Shintoism, right?"

"Weren't you all fighting fiercely with Enryakuji Temple on Honshu, wishing you could wipe them out? Now you're among a bunch of monks—what, can't keep up the act anymore?"

Yuan Chaoliang slowly shook his head.

"What's the point of pretending in front of you? If I don't tell you now, you'll find out when you storm Enryakuji Temple later, won't you?"

"As you expected—from the very beginning, the struggle between Shintoism and Buddhism was not a fight to the death, and there wasn't that much of a divide between us."

He slowly raised one hand and gestured an invitation to Li Miao.

“From the moment you landed at Hirado Castle and killed Matsuura Takanobu, I began gathering all information about you. After you left Izumo Taisha, I stayed there for more than half a month, just to appear before you at the right time.”

"I hope that the incompetent subordinates I've brought to greet you today won't spoil your mood."

Li Miao said with a smile.

"I thought that after all this rambling, you'd at least have a 'talk' with me in the end."

Yuan Chaoliang slowly shook his head.

"How could that be? I know everything you've been through."

"Unless we can achieve a temporary draw, our words will just be boring noise to you."

"so--"

He waved his hand sharply.

"Let's put on a show first, and once you understand our sincerity and determination, then we can settle things!"

(End of this chapter)