I, Wang Ha, the Three Red Unparalleled Assassin

Fujiwara no Hitoshi stopped in his tracks, feeling the chilling killing intent and fierce demonic aura emanating from the great demon. He held his breath, his face turned pale, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

"Let me warn you again, although there aren't any monsters in this bamboo forest, it's not easy to enter. If you wander around and lose your life, don't blame me for not putting up a sign to warn you beforehand."

After speaking, Himari snorted coldly, dissipating the aura that had been emanating from her. She leaped forward in a few steps, and her slender figure disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Fujiwara no Hibi stood frozen in place, only gradually recovering after Himari left.

He looked down at the boundary between the bamboo forest and the mountain forest, hesitated for a moment, and did not dare to take his last step.

After his first attempt to gain an audience failed, Fujiwara no Fuhito left with a souvenir.

Although he felt somewhat dejected, he became even more determined to meet the old man.

Even within a nation, there are very few people who can summon and command great demons like servants. Not even the most skilled Onmyoji can do it; they can only consult with their own shikigami.

Not to mention, the conversation just now also revealed that with the strength of the old man, he wouldn't even bother to let a great demon become his shikigami. What kind of heaven-defying cultivation must that be?

Even calling him a legendary immortal wouldn't be an exaggeration!

"No guests are coming to visit me on their own initiative..."

Fujiwara no Hitoshi pondered his conversation with the catgirl, and suddenly seemed to realize something.

"If I don't take the initiative, I can only be passive. Waiting for the old man to come to me? Impossible."

"Or perhaps it was just a chance encounter? That fits the idea of ​​not taking the initiative. According to Tian Tang, it's what they call 'fate'."

Fujiwara no Fuhito felt he understood the hidden meaning in the words, but as a high-ranking official in the court, he didn't have time to stay here and wait for that elusive 'fate'.

Sitting and waiting for opportunities to come to him is not in line with Fujiwara no Hiden's style of doing things.

If there's no destiny, then find a way to create one. Taking the initiative will yield results; sitting idly and waiting will only waste time.

"Since it won't work during the day, let's try again at night. Let's figure out the terrain inside the bamboo forest, and then find a few paths to keep watch. We're bound to run into them eventually."

Having made up his mind, Fujiwara no Hitoshi nodded to himself.

He ate a few pieces of pastry from the souvenirs to fill his stomach, and then went down the mountain along the path he had come from.

In their excitement, Fujiwara no Fuhito had completely forgotten Himari's warning about the danger in the bamboo forest.

Chapter 100: The Sage of Yokai, Yukari Yakumo

"My lord, the person who came has left, but it seems they haven't given up yet."

After returning to the bamboo house, Himari reported to the old man of the mountain, and then stood quietly to the side, waiting for his decision.

"That's enough. Whether they give up or not is none of my business. What is destined to be yours will be yours, and what is not, you cannot force."

"Himari, take good care of Takeshi. It's almost lunchtime. I'll go find some ingredients."

As he spoke, the old man of the mountain got up and left the bamboo house. It was time to check which fish bell had rung each day.

But he was getting tired of eating fish every day, so today he decided to try something different. He had heard that there was an animal called a bamboo rat in the bamboo forest that tasted quite good.

Meanwhile, dozens of miles away from the bamboo forest.

A few days ago, at the place where the Demon King Mountain Spider and his entire army were wiped out, a crack appeared in the air filled with countless eyes.

A woman with long, golden hair, dressed in a strange Taoist robe and holding a parasol, gracefully emerged from the gap, her boots touching the ground.

Her crimson eyes swept around a few times, and she flicked her fan with her left hand to cover half of her delicate face.

"Oh dear, I was wondering why that mountain spider guy had been so quiet lately. Turns out, his entire nest was wiped out sometime ago."

Yukari Yakumo wandered around the forest a few times, carefully sensing the faint, almost dissipated demonic aura remaining in the air, trying to determine the situation at the time.

"Hmm? There are actually two powerful demons. But it doesn't seem like they just had a fight between two demon kings after a dispute."

"Wait, there's still human presence over there. Did they attempt to invade a human village but were wiped out?"

"Was it a powerful human who made the move?"

Yukari Yakumo shook her head in denial at the result she had subconsciously deduced. In all her years in this island nation, she had never seen a human being so powerful.

If it were that unfathomable country across the sea, Yukari Yakumo thought it might actually make sense.

After all, when Yukari Yakumo was young and naive, she once went there to play for a while during a break.

If it weren't for our family's strange abilities, with our escape and survival skills maxed out, we would have almost been captured and made into a guardian beast of the mountain.

Longhu Mountain was such a terrifying place; even now, thinking about it still sends shivers down my spine.

"Such a strong sense of death. This feeling is purer than the underworld messengers, soul-reaping gods, and ferrymen of the River Styx I've encountered before. Hey? Haven't we heard something similar recently?"

Yukari Yakumo, who is still relatively young, has a good memory. After going through her memories of the last ten years or so, she quickly found what she was looking for.

"That's right! It's with Youxiang!"

"I once sensed a similar death force in the fragrant flower field. At the time, I was very puzzled and asked Yuuka for a long time, but I couldn't find out who she had fought."

"And now the main character has actually appeared here again."

Yukari Yakumo kicked a boulder on the ground. This was originally a stone monster that had finally gained sentience, but now it had turned back into an ordinary stone.

"A guy who can fight Yuuka, a top-tier great yokai, will definitely be able to defeat a half-baked great yokai like Ueyamagumo."

"What about the other monsters? Were they also killed by this mysterious guy?"

Yukari Yakumo murmured to herself, raised her hand to open a gap and stepped inside. Her pretty face was filled with curiosity and excitement. After being idle for hundreds of years, she had finally encountered something that seemed quite interesting.

"Although this matter has nothing to do with us, we should still investigate it a little. After all, so many monsters dying at once is no small matter."

After the girl disappeared, the forest returned to silence once more. Affected by the deathly aura, even insects and birds dared not inhabit this place for the time being.

Meanwhile, the old man of the mountain, who had been strolling around the bamboo forest for a while, had a good harvest. He carried two plump white bamboo rats in one hand back to the bamboo house and handed them over to the only person who knew how to cook, Himari.

"Is this a bamboo rat? This is the first time I've ever seen one. It looks delicious."

After taking the bamboo rat, Himari examined it for a while. Her cat ears twitched twice, and her long white tail swayed from side to side, as if she were very excited.

"Lord Suzuki, how about roasting or stewing bamboo rat? Other methods lack the necessary seasonings and cooking utensils."

The old man of the mountain, who was never picky about food, agreed without a second thought. Kaguya Houraisan, lying in the cradle, found the two white bamboo rats quite adorable, but could only watch helplessly as Himari carried the bamboo rats and a kitchen knife to the riverbank.

At midnight, the bright moon hangs high in the sky.

After resting for an afternoon, Fujiwara no Fuhito returned to the bamboo forest, accompanied by a large group of samurai and onmyoji.

Just as they stopped at the edge of the bamboo grove, several samurai carrying bucket-like objects walked straight into the grove, followed by several people carrying torches. Fujiwara no Hitoshi was completely taken aback.

"Come back! You lot, what are you trying to do?"

The few people who had been called back by Fujiwara no Fuhito's stern shout in a low voice stood in front of their master, their faces filled with confusion and doubt.

"Sir, that so-called old man from the mountain hasn't been able to see you, has he? We're thinking of setting fire to this bamboo forest, and that old fellow will surely come out on his own."

"Yes, sir. You see, we've prepared the ignition oil; all that's left is to pour it on and light it..."

Before the samurai could finish their chatter, Fujiwara no Fuhito, his chest heaving with rage, jumped up and slapped each of the presumptuous men twice across the face.

"Get out of here! You're all useless and good-for-nothings. If you want to die, go find a secluded place and commit seppuku. Don't drag your master into this!"

After being slapped hard by Fujiwara no Fuhito, the samurai realized they had misunderstood their master's meaning. It turned out they hadn't been sneaking out at night to do anything bad.

"Alright, everyone keep your mouths shut and come with me quietly into the bamboo forest. Memorize the terrain and paths inside. Don't go near any places that look like people live there. Do you all understand?"

Just as Fujiwara no Fuhito finished reprimanding his men and began arranging for teams to enter the bamboo forest, a thin gap appeared in a dark corner of the bamboo house, breaking through the space and appearing in the room.

"The villages below are all normal; we've checked every house. Now we're just missing this place. Could it be that that guy left after killing the mountain spider? It's not impossible."

Yakumo Yukari stood in the gap, peering through the small opening at the bamboo house. Meanwhile, the old man of the mountain, who had been lying on the recliner in a meditative state, seemed to sense something amiss and slowly opened his deep blue eyes.

Chapter 101 The Power of Realms? One Sword Slash

When Yakumo Yukari unleashes her power of boundary, she can suppress her aura to the lowest level, and when the gap is opened, it can often be done so without anyone noticing.

Even a powerful youkai of equal strength to Yakumo Yukari might not be able to detect her presence if they don't concentrate their senses.

So, upon careful reflection, Yukari Yakumo has never failed when using the gaps to spy, except when she deliberately let her presence be noticed.

However, Yakumo Yukari's ability to conceal her presence is far inferior to that of the Mountain Elder, who is qualified to be a Grand-rank assassin. Even the Shadow Lantern Hassan was able to sneak up behind her without her noticing.

For the old man, whose "aura concealment" was merely a remnant of something he had once cultivated, these methods of concealment and stealth were truly things he had already mastered in his early years.

If it weren't for compassion in his heart, the person beheaded by the Old Man of the Mountain would never even know who killed him, and would only run to ask the King of Hell or the God of the Underworld with a belly full of questions.

Therefore, the moment Yakumo Yukari opened the gap in the bamboo house, the old man of the mountain had already sensed the arrival of the uninvited guest.

Although Yukari Yakumo did not show any malice or hostility, the fact that she was spying on someone and trespassing on their property was enough to make the homeowner wary and alert.

"A great demon? Is it here because of what happened a few days ago? I didn't hear the bell, so it doesn't seem to be a demon seeking revenge."

The old man of the mountain muttered to himself, his dark blue eyes blazing with ghostly fire, and his figure vanished from the recliner.

Inside the gap, Yukari Yakumo constantly adjusted the size and angle of the gap, surveying the environment inside the bamboo house, and saw Himari and Kaguya Houraisan, who were already asleep.

Her gaze didn't linger on the catgirl for long, but instead fixed on Kaguya Houraisan, sensing her abundant life force and even faintly perceiving some divine power.

"This child is strange. Is he a reincarnation of a god? Or is he a child prodigy born?"

Despite being very curious about Kaguya Houraisan's origins, Yukari Yakumo did not intend to do anything, but instead began searching for a third person who should reside there.

"Huh? Could it be that they went out? Why are there only one human and one demon in the house? Where is that old mountain man?"

Just as Yakumo Yukari was muttering to herself after looking around the bamboo house, a pair of eyes blazing with eerie blue flames suddenly appeared outside the gap and met her gaze, without any warning.

"Are you looking for me? You uninvited demon!"

"A ghost—!!!"

Caught off guard, Yakumo Yukari was startled by the sudden appearance of the Mountain Elder and cried out as she leaped a few steps into the gap.

The Mountain Elder, adorned with a ghastly white skull mask and illuminated by eerie blue ghostly flames, suddenly appeared in the pitch-black darkness; no one would believe he wasn't a ghost.

Logically speaking, Yukari Yakumo, being a yokai herself, shouldn't be afraid of ghosts. To be more precise, she was probably focused on spying when she was suddenly discovered and exposed, and was instinctively startled.

After all, this was the first time she had ever experienced such an embarrassing situation as being caught peeping in the act.

"Ghost? This body is inherently a dead person. Even if the name is different, the essence is no different."

The old man of the mountain stood quietly outside the gap, and even though he could see countless strange eyes inside through that small crack, he did not waver or show any unusual expression.

While it may be quite unpleasant for people with trypophobia, the interior of the rift is pretty much the same as the Frankenstein-like creatures in the Undead Legion.