I transformed into a demonic spider lily.

perhaps.

The soldiers felt their SAN value had dropped to zero, making it impossible for them to think. So they simply let them pass, as long as the spider lily didn't stay on their side.

After successfully entering the city, Higanbana said, "Let me make it clear from the beginning that I am not anyone's shikigami, so I hope you will not have any unnecessary misunderstandings about me."

"I'm very sorry, Lycoris radiata, this was the only excuse I could think of just now. If you're not satisfied..."

Yukiji first clasped her hands together apologetically, then cried out to Kikyo, "Master, save me!"

"……Well."

Higanbana was taken aback by Xuelu's sudden reaction. She wasn't really angry to begin with, and now she even felt like laughing. Perhaps there was something wrong with her sense of humor.

After that, Yukiji went to the lord's mansion alone. Kikyo did not go to pay her respects to the lord, mainly because Higanbana did not want to go there.

The root of the problem still lies in class. The other shore flower once said that she would not show respect to any human noble family because she was the leader of the demons. However, most human noble families are arrogant. Arrogance against arrogance, who knows what kind of trouble will be caused.

Since the spider lily wouldn't leave, Kikyo dared not let a demon like her wander around the city. In the end, they sat in a pavilion and looked at each other.

Why are you staring at me like that?

With a slight frown, the other shore flower asked.

"Because you're pretty."

"Thank you for the compliment... my foot! Don't try to fool me with those childish words."

"Because I'm afraid you'll cause trouble."

"I knew it."

Having said that, the red spider lily smiled with satisfaction.

Do you think she'll be angry?

The spider lily was overjoyed, because this meant that Kikyo treated her as a real yokai.

This is the only dignity she has left.

The scene fell silent again. Higanbana was immersed in her inner joy, while Kikyo didn't understand why the other was happy. She had already prepared herself to apologize immediately if the other got angry.

When the soldiers in the city pass by the pavilion, they can naturally see them. Some can recognize the priestess Kikyo, but not the demon Higanbana, because those who truly recognize the latter are all guarding the gate outside.

Therefore, the soldiers, seeing the luxurious attire of the spider lily, assumed it was a nobleman from somewhere, so they glanced at it from afar and then lowered their heads and left.

However, just after turning the corner, they began whispering among themselves, "Hey, don't you think the woman in the pavilion is very pretty?"

"What does it matter to you whether she's pretty or not? Maybe she's an acquaintance of the city lord, no, she must be an acquaintance, otherwise why would she be in the city?"

"Speaking of which, the shrine maiden next to me must be Kikyo. I was guarding the north gate when she came last time, and I didn't see her at all. She really does resemble a saint, just like the rumors say."

The group of soldiers, young and old, discussed different topics. One soldier, who had no interest in women, even changed the subject, saying, "Speaking of shrine maidens, do you know that rumor that's been circulating lately?"

"Are there any rumors about the shrine maiden?"

"It's a wicked monk from the temple."

"Oh, that one."

"The story goes that a villager was gathering firewood in the mountains at night when he suddenly heard a mournful wail coming from a temple in the mountains, and then a ghostly face rose into the sky. He was so frightened that he rushed home and told the other villagers about it, but no one believed him. So he decided to go to the temple the next day to ask about the situation, but he never came back."

"It's definitely fake. The temple in the rumor is Senso-ji Temple, which is full of masters. How could it be a sorcerer monk? Who told you this?"

"Xiao Fang's second uncle's younger brother is from that village."

The soldiers chatted idly behind the corner for a while, and when it got dark and it was time for their shift to change, they all left.

Did you hear that?

"I'm sitting in the pavilion," Kikyo asked.

"Hmm, they complimented me on my looks, they have great taste. But you look like a saint? Pfft, hahaha..."

The red spider lily couldn't help but laugh.

"No, it's the matter after that."

Kikyo said somewhat seriously.

"You mean the rumors about that evil monk? That's just something the neighbor's uncle said. It's completely unconvincing. You didn't actually believe those baseless rumors, did you?" Biyanhua teased.

"I think I should go and take a look."

"……Why?"

"The reason is simple: I happened to overhear what they were saying."

"Hey, people say you resemble a saint, but you're not some holy woman from some country. Why don't you say you can hear the voice of God? That would be a 'revelation,' giving Kikyo an epic power-up."

The red spider lily began to "talk nonsense".

"It's my gut feeling."

Kikyo corrected him.

"Then your intuition is flawed."

“My intuition tells me that if you come with me to Senso-ji Temple, I will cook for you for three days.”

"..."

"..."

"Your intuition is really accurate."

……

Finally, after being nagged by the city lord and his wife for a while, Xue Lu finally left the city lord's mansion. She was carrying a bunch of things in her arms that she didn't know what they were for, but they were definitely very valuable. There were also some jewelry that her adoptive parents had given her, but she didn't want them because they were too heavy. She only took some light trinkets.

Of course, rouge is indispensable.

Then, Yukiji called out to the two people in the pavilion, "Kikyo Shrine Maiden, Higanbana, we can go back now."

“No, Miss Yukiji, I’m sorry, we want to go to Senso-ji Temple. We were just about to let you know and leave. Please stay here, we will be back before tomorrow morning,” Kikyo explained to Yukiji.

Senso-ji Temple? What are we going there for?

Xuelu was clearly surprised.

"A rumor about a demonic monk, I don't know why she cares about it so much."

The explanation of the red spider lily is simple and clear.

"Hmm~ This rumor, well, my husband, no, my mother is also very concerned about it. She just specifically told me to be careful these days."

With her hand on her chin, Xuelu thought for a moment and then spoke.

"What? Your mother telling you to be careful has nothing to do with that rumor. It's just because you were born to be tormented by monsters." The Spider Lily couldn't understand why someone would take a mere rumor so seriously.

"Are you guys going? Take me with you!"

Xuelu said with great interest.

Could it just be curiosity?

The other shore flower sensed that these two just wanted to go on an adventure, so she didn't dwell on it and asked, "Aren't you afraid?"

"Why should I be afraid? You two are a powerful priestess and a great demon, shouldn't the one who should be afraid be the legendary demon monk?" Yukiji said matter-of-factly.

And so the matter was happily decided.

Chapter Ninety-Six: The Truth About the Multiple Burnings of Senso-ji Temple

……

Ueno Country, Sensoji Temple.

Despite its seemingly ordinary and simple name, Senso-ji Temple became a highly renowned temple in Japan in later generations. The turning point was in the early Edo period when Tokugawa Ieyasu used it as a place of worship for the Tokugawa shogunate, leading to its large-scale expansion and subsequent prosperity.

Before this, Senso-ji Temple was just an ancient temple located in the eastern part of Ueno Province, and even a little further east it was on the border between Musashi Province and Shimōsa Province, which can be described as a very delicate place.

While Senso-ji Temple enjoys a great reputation in later generations, it was already quite famous before the early Edo period, due to incidents such as being "destroyed by fire several times" and "mysteriously collapsing".

In a world without magic, this might be considered a coincidence, but in a world where monsters and spirits truly exist, the trials and tribulations this temple endured are unimaginable.

If it wasn't caused by human intervention, then it must be a demonic calamity.

Each time it was rebuilt, it was moved to another location because the original location was unknown. It was moved countless times before it reached its current location and was fixed there.

Snap, snap—

When Higanbana and the others arrived at Senso-ji Temple, it was already late at night and quiet. Kikyo knocked on the door a few times, and Yukiji, whose expression was a mix of nervousness, anticipation, and fear, ran behind Higanbana and dared not come out.

So where did your initial courage go?

After sensing the aura of Senso-ji Temple, Higanbana and Kikyo exchanged a glance. They could hear the sound of Buddhist scriptures being chanted continuously coming from inside the temple.

It is solemn yet slightly ethereal.

It doesn't look like a problematic place.

—Squeak.

After a while, the gate of Senso-ji Temple was finally opened, and a monk wearing a yellow robe came out. He glanced at the three people in front of him and realized that their cultivation was not up to par, as they could not sense the demonic aura that the spider lily had concealed.

With hands clasped together, the monk asked in a low voice, "Amitabha, esteemed benefactors, may I ask what brings you to our humble temple so late at night?"

“There is something that has been troubling me for a long time, and I have been unable to find a solution no matter how hard I try. That is why I have come to visit Master Huizhi, hoping to find an answer,” Kikyo said.

"you are?"

The monk noticed Kikyo's shrine maiden attire; she was clearly a shrine maiden. So, they were in the same profession—a Shinto shrine maiden seeking enlightenment from a Buddhist monk. This was truly…

It's a long story.

They're probably here to cause trouble.

"...Platycodon grandiflorus."

Kikyo said her name.

"So it's the Kikyo Shrine Maiden!"

Upon hearing this, the monk immediately showed a look of realization, and his guard was lowered. He even opened the door, extended a hand, and said to Kikyo and the others, "Please come in quickly..."

In this era, the name of the priestess Kikyo is the most effective passport; you may not have seen her, but you cannot have not heard of her name.