Becoming a god in a low-key way in the supernatural world

Chapter 189 The Return Journey (Part 1)

Inside the stone house, Kotegawa sat on a wooden stool, listening attentively as Natsuki Shujin recounted his experiences over the years: from being exiled to how he escaped into the underground kingdom, and how he found this stone house.

He was on his way to exile. As the seventh messenger of Inari, he knew some things about the divine order. So as soon as he arrived in the Dark Land, he immediately put on that fox clan treasure and fled.

His colleagues were actually happy for him to escape, not because they had a deep bond, but because the Underdark was a place where they felt no sense of security and no one wanted to venture deep inside.

Although Xia Mushuren escaped, he became more and more desperate as he fled. He had committed two sins. If he dared to show himself in the human world again, the Inari God would not forgive him. He had thought about ending it all, but he always thought of his wife and daughter and did not have the courage to die.

Foxes have a natural talent for seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune. As one of the best among the foxes in his time, Xia Mushuren was particularly outstanding in this regard. He was the kind of guy who could find money while walking and win big prizes in the lottery. His luck was so good that it made people envious and jealous.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to steal the lotus seeds of Inari God and the oracle of a certain chief god.

The Corpse King Liuli, equally engrossed in the story, couldn't help but ask, "How long have you been staying here? Haven't you thought about going somewhere else?"

Xia Mushuren, his throat dry from talking, said bitterly, "The surrounding area is too dangerous. Only here can I feel a little safe. But, alas..."

He was speechless. His talent, which usually worked every time, had finally failed him. He hadn't been warned at all today, otherwise he wouldn't have been caught red-handed in the house.

Kotegawa was more concerned about another question: "All these years... what have you been eating?"

Xia Mushu pointed outside: "There are fruits and wild grasses in the forest, which can be made into vegetable dumplings. Sometimes, if you're lucky, you might even encounter a few wild animals. In short, we've managed to get by with all sorts of odds and ends."

Kotegawa glanced in the direction he was pointing and nodded slightly.

The stone house fell silent.

Xia Mushu was sitting on pins and needles. He looked uneasily at Kotekawa and Corpse King Ruri, and said with a forced smile, "My lords, I have told you everything you want to know without reservation. My treasure is yours now. Can you spare my life?"

Kotekawa, who was still deep in thought, snapped out of it, reached out and took the silver cloak that the Corpse King Ruri was still holding, and handed it back to Natsuki Shuren under the latter's glare.

He organized his thoughts and said, "Actually, I came here specifically to find you. I won't mention who commissioned me, but I've come to take you back to the human world."

Xia Mushuren, who had just received the family heirloom, was somewhat at a loss, but upon hearing this, his eyes immediately widened in terror: "Did Inari send you to take me back?"

Kotegawa said calmly, "She's just a pitiful woman abandoned by her husband."

Xia Mushu was stunned for a moment, and then a wave of grief washed over him. He covered his face with his hands and burst into tears.

Kotegawa listened and watched silently.

The Corpse King Liuli, who was standing next to her, was startled and became somewhat impatient, but she managed to hold back.

After most of the day had passed, Natsuki Shuto took the tissue that Kotekawa had given him, blew his nose hard, threw it on the ground, and tore off another tissue.

Kotegawa took out pots and pans, stewed a large pot of potato and meat soup, and cooked a large pot of rice. He said to Natsuki Shuto, who was staring at the pot, "After you've eaten, I'll take you somewhere to get a good night's sleep."

Xia Mushu swallowed hard, making a loud gulp.

Kotegawa didn't care whether he agreed or not; it was a decision already made. He turned off the fire, blew off some frost to cool the broth and rice, and then said, "Please."

Xia Mushu hadn't eaten such a sumptuous meal in over a decade. He scooped up the food with both hands, devouring it with gusto.

Delicious! Delicious! Even if I died right after eating this, it would be a happy experience!

谷鷜

Kotegawa picked up his bowl, and just as he was about to start eating, he suddenly noticed that the Corpse King Ruri was daydreaming.

He wasn't even eager to eat, which was clearly wrong. A sense of unease rose in his heart: "Not hungry?"

"Hungry!" Corpse King Liuli said succinctly, burying her head in eating her own portion.

Although Kotegawa specially brought the biggest pot this time and put in a lot of rice, it was still not enough for the three of them.

This meal lasted from daytime until evening.

While cleaning up, Kotegawa looked at the pot, which was completely empty of rice, and silently calculated the remaining food supplies. At this rate, if they couldn't find Kitami Takematsu within ten days, they would have to resort to gnawing on tree bark.

I still didn't bring enough rice.

After he finished packing, he glanced at the Corpse King Liuli, who was getting restless, and then at Xia Mushuren, who was lying on the ground clutching his stomach and clearly feeling uncomfortable from being so full. He said, "Is there anything else you need to pack? If not, let's go."

Xia Mushu struggled to his feet, looking around with a complex expression. He took out a dagger and scraped off the name carved on the table, then hesitated before saying, "The Bone-Eating Wind will blow tonight, should we wait until tomorrow to leave?"

The Corpse King Liuli, who had been waiting impatiently for some time, jumped up and said, "We have somewhere to go! Let's go!"

Xia Mushuren shrank his neck and nodded repeatedly.

He already knew the identity of the Corpse King Liuli during their chat, which scared him half to death again.

Kotegawa glanced at her sideways, wondering what she was in such a hurry about.

The three left the cave. Kotekawa apologized, tucked Natsuki Shuren under his arm, and was about to grab Corpse King Ruri with his other hand, but the latter had already nimbly climbed onto his back.

He thought about it and decided to leave it at that. He transformed into a cloud and crossed the vast forest before him, eventually finding the tent.

Corpse King Ruri was the first to crawl inside. Kotekawa, somewhat curious, watched her retreating figure and couldn't help but remind her, "If you need to use the toilet, find a hole yourself. The tent is for sleeping!"

The latter turned around abruptly, glaring at him: "You bastard! You dare to talk back to me like that! Do you really think I wouldn't dare to beat you up?"

Kotegawa was so angry that he felt a tightness in his chest and simply ignored her.

He put down the Xia Mu Shu Ren and took out the last tent he had with him. He had bought this tent when he went to find Yang Jie and had kept it in the Impermanence Domain. He never thought he would need it one day.

But it doesn't matter if it breaks, he still has a wooden house. Although it's not very sturdy, it's not so fragile that it would break if the wind or rain hits it.

He invited Xia Mushuren in, but the latter looked at his dirty clothes and felt embarrassed. After thinking for a while, he took off his clothes, which were so dirty that their original color was no longer visible, folded them into squares, and then bent down and crawled into the tent.

Kotegawa handed him one of his own outfits: "If you don't mind, wear this."

"How dare we accept this?" Xia Mushuren asked, quite alarmed.

“It’s just a set of clothes.” Kotekawa raised his hand, and countless snowflakes danced outside the open tent, then turned into ice, covering both tents.

Xia Mushu was mesmerized by what he saw.

He had only ever seen this method before, in the form of the Inari deity.

Chapter 190 The Return Journey (Part Two)

Under the howling wind, the tent under the ice cover seemed to be in another world. Kotekawa handed a cup of freshly brewed hot tea to Natsuki Shuto, poured himself a cup, and was about to take a sip when the Corpse King Ruri, who had been hiding in another tent, ran over. She wrapped herself in her blanket, shoved her head down, and crawled in, taking the teacup from Kotekawa's hand.

Kotegawa couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't carried any poisons like arsenic for self-defense.

On the other side, Xia Mushuren, holding a teacup, looked at them anxiously.

Kotegawa didn't get angry. Instead, he took out another cup and brewed a fresh cup.

The Corpse King Liuli, who had been slurping her tea nearby, kept an eye on this side out of the corner of her eye. When she saw him pick up another cup, the curve of her eyes relaxed slightly, but she quickly widened her eyes again, staring at the Xia Mu Tree Man who was looking at her.

Xia Mushu quickly looked away.

Kotegawa took a sip of hot tea, feeling quite comfortable. He looked at Natsuki Juto with a questioning gaze: "After returning to the human world, will Inari God personally intervene?"

Speaking of this, Xia Mushuren was extremely nervous and quickly replied, "Inari God resides in Kyoto. The matter in Tokyo is merely a divine decree. It's unlikely that he will personally intervene, but if I am discovered, an envoy will definitely come to arrest me..."

He sighed and said, "Actually, it's a very small matter to the gods. My main enemies are the priests of two shrines, who have always hated me to the core..."

“As long as the gods don’t intervene personally, it’s fine…” Kotegawa said quietly, “Whose oracle did you steal?”

Speaking of this, Xia Mushuren hesitated again: "Back then, I originally planned to steal Amaterasu, but Amaterasu was too terrifying, so I turned back halfway."

Kotegawa and the Corpse King Ruri both stared at him blankly.

Xia Mushu felt uneasy being stared at.

Kotegawa looked away, coughed, and said, "Please continue."

Good heavens, stealing Amaterasu's divine decree? He didn't even dare to think about it.

Xia Mushuren calmed himself down, recalled the past, and sighed, "Among the many gods, the chief gods are all incredibly terrifying beings. They have numerous attendants and are forever high above..."

"Get to the point! Whose oracle did you steal?" Corpse King Liuli urged.

Xia Mushuren slowly said, "It was the divine oracle of the Great Lord. He has the best temper. When he noticed me, he was not only not angry, but also wrote a divine oracle for me himself."

Ōkuninushi-Ōkami? The incredibly ancient deity enshrined at Izumo Taisha Shrine?

The Corpse King Ruri is a celestial maiden, and her mother is the Demon Queen, who is on par with Amaterasu. Her greatest skill is calling on her mother when she can't win a fight. She is also very familiar with the affairs between gods, and naturally knows who Okuninushi is.

She stared blankly and said, "You really aren't afraid of death!"

“It was so close…” Xia Mushuren said sheepishly, “If it weren’t for the Great Lord Dakota speaking up for me, I would have been killed by Inari God.”

Kotegawa remained silent. No wonder when he was told he would be taken back, his first thought was that it was Inari who sent people to capture him, not the main god whose oracle had been stolen.

He said, "If that's the case, then you can come back with me without worry."

Xia Mushuren's eyes showed hesitation.

Kotegawa continued, "When I first came to you, I asked a fox for help, but she had a specific need: she wanted your treasure."

This was agreed upon from the beginning. If it weren't for the little fox's help, he wouldn't have been able to find the Dark Land, so it was necessary to make it clear to Xia Mushuren beforehand.

Xia Mushuren said with a complicated expression, "Is it Shuiyue? Of course, this treasure originally belonged to her."

Kotegawa paused for a moment, then nodded and said nothing more.

Glutinous rice

If that's the case, then there's no problem. As long as we find Kitamuri Kenzun again, we can go home.

He took another sip of tea, which had already cooled down a bit.

It was quite crowded with three people sitting in such a small tent.

He turned his head to look at the Corpse King Liuli, who was still refusing to leave, and looked at her with a questioning expression.

The Corpse King, Liuli, pretended not to see it.

He frowned, looking somewhat displeased.

The sapling sitting opposite him glanced at him, then at the Corpse King Ruri's clearly male attire. Suddenly, a look of realization dawned on him, and he looked back at Kotegawa with a strange yet admiring gaze. He got up and walked outside, slowly saying, "I'll sleep in the tent next door. I won't disturb your rest..."

Kotegawa suddenly grabbed him and said seriously, "Don't think nonsense, she and I are innocent!"

"I understand, I understand!" Xia Mushuren said kindly. He had also been in love, had a wife and children, and was an experienced person.

"Do you really understand?" Kotegawa's lips twitched, and he released his grip.