Chapter 518: Takeda Chie Begging for Her Life

Akaso Kaze walked in the corridor, the smile on his face gradually fading.

The situation at the Takeda residence seemed a bit wrong; Hattori Heiji and Takeda Shinichi were both missing.

Casting a prediction spell, he found they were actually walking toward the mountain where Akaso Kaze had just been.

Going to such a remote place in the middle of the night was definitely not normal.

Akaso Kaze didn't rush to follow them, but instead went deep into the inner courtyard of the Takeda residence.

Arriving in front of an ancient house, he knocked on the door.

An aged voice came from inside the room.

"Who is it?"

Akaso Kaze said: "I am an Onmyoji from Tokyo; there are some things I would like to ask you, elder."

There was silence in the room for two seconds before the reply came: "So it is Lord Akaso, please come in."

Akaso Kaze pushed the door open.

The old woman was kneeling on a prayer mat, bowing devoutly to the shrine in front of her.

Akaso Kaze looked at the eerie statue in the shrine, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"May I ask if the idol in the shrine is the legendary Spider Immortal?"

Takeda Chie nodded.

Akaso Kaze said: "Elder, could you tell me the legend of the Spider Immortal?"

Takeda Chie glanced at Akaso Kaze, then turned slowly and began to tell the story.

"Legend has it that in this place called Puppet Ridge, there once lived a beauty who looked as fair as a fairy."

"Whenever travelers from all directions passed by this place, she would call out to them and ask things like, 'Do you believe there is a Paradise of Ultimate Bliss in this world?' or 'Do you want to go and have a good time?'..."

"At this time, travelers with weak wills would be seduced by the woman's beauty, agree without thinking, and later disappear into the forest, never to return."

"After a puppeteer heard about this, he thought of a way."

"He placed a puppet as tall as a person on the road to attract the beauty."

"Not long after, the beauty indeed appeared and began to ask him the same question."

"However, the puppet naturally wouldn't answer her question, so the woman tore off her disguise, revealed her true spider form, and began to attack the puppet."

"Seeing this, the puppeteer shot the fire arrows he had brought at the spider, and the spider fled in a panic into the forest, its whole body burning."

"When the puppeteer followed, he discovered that the large spider and other small spiders had all been burned to death in their own nest."

"Later, the people here were afraid of being cursed by the spider, so they built a shrine and worshipped the 'Spider Immortal' for generations."

"This place has been known as 'Puppet Ridge' ever since."

Takeda Chie finished the story, feeling a bit dry in the throat, and picked up the water in the pottery cup beside her to take a few sips.

Akaso Kaze looked at her and asked: "Then where is the legendary spider nest?"

Takeda Chie pondered for a moment and said heavily: "I don't know the exact location; I heard from the elders in the family when I was a child that it seems to be on the mountain where Misa was buried."

It really was there; it was the place where Akaso Kaze and Toyama Kazuha had just been; perhaps the cave he saw with his Eye of Space was the spider nest.

However, the spiders there didn't look like they had been wiped out.

Akaso Kaze looked at the statue and asked: "I heard there used to be a shrine in the Takeda residence that worshipped the Spider Immortal?"

Takeda Chie nodded.

"The puppet warehouse was originally the shrine; that child Shinichi wouldn't listen to advice, and six years ago, he tore down the shrine and built this puppet warehouse."

"Three years after the warehouse was built, retribution came; my granddaughter Misa and my daughter-in-law Kinuyo both hanged themselves in that warehouse, and later Negishi also died there..."

Akaso Kaze frowned slightly.

"Since that is the case, why doesn't Mr. Takeda choose another place to make puppets?"

After a moment of silence, Takeda Chie said in a deep voice: "Because in the entire Takeda family, only the puppets made there have spirit."

Spirit?

Akaso Kaze's heart stirred.

Spider Immortal, puppets, spirit.

It sounds like there is a great connection.

He looked into the puppet warehouse with his Eye of Space, but there was nothing unusual even after looking through the walls.

However, when he went more than ten meters underground, a hollow space appeared, pitch-black and leading to who knows where.

Akaso Kaze's eyes narrowed, and he seemed to understand something.

He stood up to take his leave and turned to walk away.

Takeda Chie watched his back, a look of pleading flashing in her eyes.

"All this sin was caused by me; I hope to use my life to protect the Takeda family through this disaster."

The old woman's voice echoed in the dim room.

In the village, in another residence, Pous Qinglan was lying on the bed.

A door suddenly opened in the room, and Akaso Kaze walked out from inside.

There was no need to say much; the magic slave had already received the order.

Pous Qinglan got up, took off her clothes, changed into a black tight-fitting suit, and equipped her firearms and various weapons.

Then she followed Akaso Kaze into the Gate of Space.

Thanks to sky Xia Mo for the tip. ===== CHAPTER 520 =====