I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

A shrine is a building for worshipping and enshrining various deities in Shintoism, much like a Buddhist temple.

Before long, Qing Deng saw the vermilion torii gate with the shimenawa (sacred rope) hanging on it.

The so-called torii is a type of structure that every shrine must have—a gate shaped like the number "π" (pi).

Torii gates represent the entrance to the sacred realm, used to distinguish the divine realm where gods reside from the secular world inhabited by humans.

The torii gate exists to remind visitors that stepping through it means entering a sacred realm, and that all subsequent actions and behaviors should be carefully considered.

Shimenawa is a thick rope made of straw with a white zigzag paper strip tied to it. It represents a sacred boundary and is often hung on various objects with spiritual power, such as torii gates, shrines, sacred trees, and sacred stones.

As the most famous tourist attraction in Fujisawa-juku, Eshima Shrine naturally attracts a large number of visitors.

As a result, a large number of peddlers and laborers seized this business opportunity and set up stalls outside Eshima Shrine to sell various small commodities.

Vendors selling water, snacks like glutinous rice balls, masks, and specialties from Northeast China...

Since they cannot sell these goods inside the shrine grounds, the vendors have all set up their stalls outside the torii gate.

Aoto led Saito around the stalls outside the torii gate. After not finding anything particularly interesting, they prepared to pass through the torii gate and officially enter Eshima Shrine to take a look.

Just as Aoto took a step toward the torii gate—

Click.

Qingdeng suddenly felt as if he had kicked something.

Looking down and moving his feet aside, Qingdeng's eyebrows immediately lifted slightly.

"Hmm...this hairpin is quite pretty."

What Qingdeng just kicked was a rather nice hairpin.

This hairpin is beautiful, but it has broken in the middle and is no longer usable.

A broken hairpin... completely useless. Qing Deng glanced at the hairpin and then looked away, continuing to lead Saito into the shrine.

Because there are many stalls and vendors outside the shrine, the area outside the shrine is actually more lively than the area inside.

With his hands tucked into the sleeves of his haori, Qing Deng aimlessly surveyed the surrounding scenery and buildings when he suddenly felt as if he had kicked something again.

Stepping away from the ground reveals a rather plain-looking inro that can be bought anywhere on the street.

The inro that Qingdeng had just kicked had a large hole in its bottom, which was understandable, since it was an intact inro that had already been picked up and used by someone else.

"Why do I keep bumping into strange pieces of trash on the ground since just now?"

Aoto smiled at Saito behind him and continued in a joking tone.

"Can't I just encounter something more powerful? Like money or something, I'm currently short on cash."

Saito, as always, did not respond verbally, but simply nodded slightly to show that he was listening to Aoto.

Qing Deng had already gotten used to Saito's slow-witted nature, so he didn't expect Saito to give him any response.

After cracking a little joke with Saito, Aoto put his hands back into the sleeves of his haori and continued striding deeper into the Eshima Shrine...

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Chapter 63: Encountering a Wild Beauty

There's not much to see inside the shrine; you can only look at the architecture and the shrine maidens.

The so-called shrine maiden is one of the priests in a shrine, responsible for managing the shrine and serving the gods. She usually wears a white robe and scarlet hakama, with white socks and red-buttoned straw sandals.

Between the torii gate and the main hall, several women dressed as shrine maidens could be seen sweeping with brooms or making gestures in the air that Qing Deng couldn't understand, holding unidentified objects.

Shrines usually only become lively and fun on certain special holidays, such as New Year's Day and Obon.

On these special festivals, there are many performances to watch, such as shrine maidens performing dances to ward off evil and pray for blessings, using instruments like Kagura bells and taiko drums.

Normally, when you come to the shrine, you can only look at the buildings, watch the shrine maidens sweeping and wiping the floors, and go to the shrine to offer incense, pray for blessings, and make wishes.

Qingdeng had absolutely no interest in the so-called "making a wish before the gods".

After having seen most of the buildings and scenery within the shrine, Qing Deng turned his gaze behind him—

"Saito, would you like to wander around the shrine a little longer?"

Saito's response was exactly what Aoto expected: he shook his head without hesitation.

Seeing Saito shake his head, and realizing he was also tired of the place, Aoto planned to leave the shrine and explore other places in Fujisawa-juku.

There's still a little time before dark, so Aoto can continue sightseeing in Fujisawa-juku for a while longer.

Just as Aoto was about to turn and leave Eshima Shrine—

Bang!

"what!"

A dull thud of flesh colliding and a sharp scream erupted simultaneously in front of Qingdeng.

Drawn by the strange noise, Qingdeng subconsciously looked up ahead—and saw a young witch, around 20 years old, holding a broom, sitting on the ground at the source of the two noises, while a person wearing a brown cloak stood in front of her.

The person wearing the brown cloak was wearing a cloak with a very wide hood.

The person was wearing a hood, the large hood covering her entire face, while an equally large cloak concealed her figure.

Their face and body were covered, making it impossible to recognize their appearance, gender, or age.

The only thing that could be identified was his height—according to Qingdeng's estimation, this person's height should be around 1.65 meters.

It's the dead of winter now, so this kind of cloaked and hooded outfit isn't unusual for this time of year.

"Ah...it hurts so much...!" The shrine maiden, who had fallen to the ground, clutched her right shoulder, her mouth contorted in pain.

"...I'm sorry, I was walking in a hurry and bumped into you. Please forgive me."

The cloaked figure apologized to the witch in a hoarse voice, as if phlegm was stuck in her throat, and then reached out her hand to help her up from the ground.

After helping the shrine maiden up and apologizing to her, the cloaked figure turned and ran, taking off in a hurried manner towards the outside of the shrine.

Watching the cloaked figure disappear into the distance, the witch continued rubbing her right shoulder while muttering curses:

"Seriously, are we rushing to the Sanzu River... Why are we running so fast... Ouch..."

Recalling the scene he had just witnessed and listening to the shrine maiden's curses, Qing Deng roughly guessed what had happened.

Most likely, the cloaked figure was walking too fast and accidentally knocked the witch down.

It was just a trivial matter that was common in everyday life and not worth paying too much attention to, so Qingdeng didn't care much and left after watching the excitement for a while.

After leaving the shrine and arriving at the bustling market area outside the torii gate, Qing Deng looked up at the sky.

—It's still a little over half an hour before it gets dark... That's not too long, not too short... I'll go check out the market in Fujisawa-juku...

Aside from the market in Fujisawa-juku, Aoto really couldn't think of any other place to kill time.

Although he knew that asking Saito's opinion would be pointless, out of respect for Saito, Aoto still asked Saito if there was any place he wanted to go.

Saito, as always, gave a response that had the air of a "conversation killer": it doesn't matter where you go.

—Then let's go to the market in Fujisawa-juku...

Qing Deng put his hands on his hips and looked around, searching for any passersby who seemed free and could give him directions.

But at this moment—

"Ah, Miss Wu! I want to eat that!"

"Sticky rice balls... Great! Which skewer do you want?"

"I want to eat those three skewers that are all red!"

"Do you want three skewers? Can you finish them?"

A conversation consisting of two pleasant female voices suddenly entered Qingdeng's ears from behind his side.

Upon hearing this conversation, Qing Deng was suddenly stunned.

It's not because the content of this conversation is particularly noteworthy.

It was because one of the voices in that conversation sounded very familiar to Qingdeng…

Following the sound, Qingdeng slowly turned his gaze...

A familiar figure, whom Qingdeng had seen just a few days ago, came into view.

—Ms. Kinoshita…?

The familiar figure that came into Qing Deng's view was none other than Kinoshita Mai, whom he hadn't seen for several days.

Kinoshita Mai was still wearing that bright red kimono that suited her perfectly, with white socks and red-buttoned straw sandals on her feet.

The only difference between Kinoshita Mai and a few days ago is that her hairstyle has changed.

A few days ago, when Qing Deng ran into Kinoshita Mai on the street, she was wearing the very popular Shimada bun hairstyle.

Now, she simply tied her waist-length black hair into a high ponytail.

The change in hairstyle slightly altered Kinoshita Mai's overall aura.

Kinoshita Mai, with her Shimada-style topknot, exudes a quiet and gentle aura.

Now, Kinoshita Mai, who has changed her hairstyle to a high ponytail, looks more energetic.

Aoto bumped into Mai Kinoshita in the vendor area of ​​Fujisawa-juku Eshima Shrine—although surprised, the incident didn't have a major impact on him.

Because Aoki had clearly stated that several days ago, Kinoshita Mai had told him that she was coming to Fujisawa-suke's place to pick up a friend of hers.

At this very moment, Kinoshita Mai is standing in front of a snack stand.

She was holding the hand of a rather petite little girl.

She is approximately 1.4 meters tall and wears an outfit in a color completely opposite to that of Kinoshita Mai.

Kinoshita Mai's kimono is predominantly bright red.

The main color of the kimono worn by the girl is sky blue.