The court lackeys of the eight-hour workday

Chapter 586: Heaven's Palace
"Those are Tachibana's family."

"The Emperor is the family member that Tachibana asked me to find, and also the person she was supposed to deliver that letter to."

Kurama Heihachi said calmly with a smile.

"At first I couldn't believe it, so I did some confirmation... Now that the Emperor has left, the defenses in Kyoto will naturally be slightly relaxed. As soon as the Emperor leaves, I will turn around and head towards the Imperial Palace where the Emperor resides."

“I didn’t want to do anything, I just wanted to see someone, and then leave… I wasn’t greedy, so I succeeded.”

"I saw a young princess who looked about five-tenths like Tachibana. After seeing her, I turned and left, and never mentioned it to anyone again."

"What happened in the second half of my life had nothing to do with this... until a few days ago, a strange woman from the Central Plains found me and gave me a condition that I could not refuse."

“She will give me everything I need for revenge, and I will give her everything I have known, done, and all of my life—for a man who is nearing the end of his life and all alone, this is a sure-fire deal, isn’t it?”

"So I told her everything I knew, including this story from nearly seventy years ago. Coincidentally, she was very interested in it and was willing to offer me another solution—revenge."

Kurama Heihachi reached into his robes, where his clothes were already tattered beyond recognition, with only the underarm clothing remaining intact. He then pulled out a cloth bag from there.

Unfold.

Dozens of pieces of cloth were exposed inside.

Red and white striped fabric.

The scraps of cloth that belonged to a shrine maiden's outfit.

coax!
As the tattered cloths were revealed to the woman in the priest's robes, the intense true energy and killing intent could no longer be suppressed, and they exploded within inches of her, the violent wind pressure almost blowing the dying Kurama Heihachi away.

Fortunately, he managed to regain his balance.

"You recognized it."

“That’s right, these are the test subjects that woman gave me—shrine maidens abducted from some of the most important Shinto shrines, including the Ise Grand Shrine.”

"Don't worry, they're not dead. I'm not as beastly as you... I just taught them a sword move."

"A very simple sword move, without any strangeness, awakened them again. Their faces were no longer as hard as iron, but instead showed the fear, panic, and restlessness that belonged to their age."

Within arm's reach, the cold voice of the woman in priest's robes rang out.

"Are you finished?"

Kurama Heihachi said without any fear.

"Not yet. The clues have been laid out, but there's no conclusion yet... I think you'd like to hear if I'm close to the truth, or at least if you'd like to know something about that strange woman from me, right?"

Seeing that the woman in the priestess robes did not make a move, Kurama Heihachi laughed.

"Let's talk about the conclusion first."

“That strange woman from the Central Plains told me a lot. Through that knowledge, I was finally able to piece together the truth hidden under your veil and the truth that Ju wanted to tell me back then.”

“The priestesses within the three most crucial Shinto shrines—Izumo Taisha, Hachiman Shrine, and Ise Grand Shrine—are of the same lineage as the Emperor.”

"The claim that the divine painting of Amaterasu Omikami in the so-called Divine Sword Technique is impossible to visualize is also wrong—there is a bloodline in this world that can visualize the divine painting of Amaterasu Omikami and master the Divine Sword Technique that reveres Amaterasu Omikami."

“If we trace this bloodline back to its source, we can find a name, the name of a person from the Central Plains.”

"Xu Fu".

Kurama Heihachi said calmly.

"Nearly two thousand years ago, the Yuan emperor of the Central Plains sent the alchemist Xu Fu with three thousand boys and girls to sail the sea in search of the immortal islands. But he did not actually go to find the legendary immortal islands, but went straight to Fusang."

"The emperor on the throne at that time was Emperor Kōrei, who reigned for 76 years and lived to the age of 127."

“One hundred and twenty-seven years old is a lifespan that seems to exist only in legends even now. How could Emperor Kōrei, who was still wearing animal skins and eating raw meat, have lived to that age?” “The only variable is Xu Fu.”

"No one knows what deal he made with Xu Fu, but on the day Izumo Taisha was breached, that strange woman from the Central Plains heard the shrine maiden who worshipped Izumo Taisha admit that she was a descendant of the boys and girls that Xu Fu took with him when he went to sea."

Li Miao, who was some distance away, clicked his tongue and turned to look at Ji Tianrui.

"Were you there that day too?"

Ji Tianrui chuckled softly.

"Wherever Lord Li is, that's where I'll be."

"whispering sound."

Li Miao pursed his lips.

Kurama Heihachi continued his narration.

"Shintoism truly transformed from a legend into a real, organized, and well-structured religion around the time of Xu Fu's eastward voyage."

"And the foundation of the Emperor's unbroken lineage lies in his status as a descendant of Amaterasu Omikami."

"It is precisely because of this identity that they are the only ones who can visualize the divine image of Amaterasu and master the strongest divine sword technique in the world."

"As for this so-called Amaterasu Omikami... hah."

Kurama Heihachi suddenly let out a cold laugh.

"The more I learn about Shintoism, the stranger it becomes. I also have some knowledge of the religions in the Central Plains and the Western Regions. No matter which sect it is, they all place their own main god in a supreme position."

“But Shintoism is different.”

"In Shinto legends, Amaterasu is neither the creator of the world, nor the most powerful god, nor even the wisest or most divine god."

"She could be so angry with Susanoo that she would hide in a cave and refuse to come out, causing eternal night. She could also be scolded by Tsukuyomi, causing the sun and moon to never meet again."

"It's like the person who created or compiled Shinto legends wasn't creating a perfect, imaginary god."

"It's as if he doesn't want to place Amaterasu in the highest position at all. He's afraid of something, or as if he's reserving a truly supreme position for someone, waiting for someone to take it over."

"I'm completely baffled."

"At this moment, the woman from the Central Plains told me a story about a man named An Qisheng who searched for his master over a thousand years."

"Xu Fu appeared in that story. Xu Fu told him that he was going to trick the First Emperor into giving away three thousand boys and girls and sailing east to find their common master."

"The old man on the river."

Kurama Heihachi let out a long breath.

He has finally finished telling the story and can now state his conclusion.

"Amaterasu is Xu Fu."

"Of the 803 divine paintings transmitted by Amaterasu, it is said that three cannot be contemplated. But in fact, the divine paintings of Amaterasu can be contemplated by the imperial lineage; the divine paintings of Susanoo are not meant for people to practice, but are essentially a means of fighting enemies."

"So in fact, the only truly divine painting that cannot be contemplated is the true supreme god in Shinto legend, the creator god—Ame-no-Mitsubun."

"Perhaps he has another title in the Central Plains."

“River, on, zhang, person”.

(End of this chapter)