Chapter 12: The Thousand-Gate Empty Boat! Raiden Ei Comes Knocking!

Grand Narukami Shrine!

When Mitsuyo went out to the station and bypassed the line of sight of the shrine maidens to find Asase Hibiki, she discovered the little girl was struggling to draw her bow.

"Eh, where is Master? Why are you alone?"

Asase Hibiki put down her bow and arrow, panting slightly, wiped her sweat, turned, and shook her head.

"I don't know."

The little girl was very simple and told everything that had happened before. ===== CHAPTER 21 =====

After Mitsuyo understood, she said earnestly: "I see, then I will teach you a little trick."

Thus, when Luo Li returned, what he saw was Mitsuyo correcting Asase Hibiki’s posture hand-in-hand.

Not bad, she was actually self-studying while he was away.

Luo Li, having just finished the barrier, was happy to slack off and leaned to the side to goof around.

The sharp-eyed Mitsuyo had seen him long ago, but she suppressed her little excitement and patiently taught Asase Hibiki until she finished.

Determining that her physical strength had reached its limit, she helped Hibiki rest under the cherry tree.

Then she ran to Luo Li to claim credit: "Master, I taught well, right?"

"Barely passable."

Accepting this evaluation gladly, Mitsuyo did not feel looked down upon at all.

Luo Li said: "Seeing that you enjoy it, in the future, if I am not around, you can teach Hibiki archery in my stead."

"Okay!"

Taking advantage of the rest time, Mitsuyo leaned close to him intimately without saying a word.

It seemed that simply being together was enough to satisfy her.

Listening to the breeze, Mitsuyo felt very comfortable, until she suddenly remembered something.

"Right, I almost forgot, Master, I have good news to tell you."

"What?"

"Mother bestowed a treasure of the clan upon me."

A treasure?

Speaking of the treasures of the Tengu clan, Luo Li could think of far too many; after all, having been passed down for so many years, the heirlooms were countless.

Mitsuyo did not keep him in suspense and stated the details directly.

"Does Master know of the Thousand-Gate Empty Boat?"

"The Thousand-Gate Empty Boat, the Tengu clan's villa that travels on the sea?"

"That's right, Mother bestowed it upon me."

It was actually this; Luo Li was quite surprised.

This thing was indeed a villa specifically used by the Tengu clan to drift on the sea, though most people might not be very sensitive to the name.

What was better known, perhaps, was that it fell into the sea in later generations and formed a domain.

One needed to pass through the vicinity of the Perpetual Mechanical Array to find it.

Inside, things had long since changed, having been visited countless times by Treasure Hoarders and pirates.

It could also be considered a small tragedy of Inazuma during the Abyss disaster.

"How about I take Master to enjoy the scenery overseas when I have some free time later?"

"That's a good proposal."

"Then it's a deal!"

Having gained another harvest, Mitsuyo was satisfied once again.

After the afternoon passed, she stayed honestly to the side, watching Luo Li teach Asase Hibiki knowledge about spell formations.

Seeing the young shrine maiden, she seemed to be able to see her own shadow in her.

Perhaps it was precisely because of this that she took the initiative to teach that girl.

Day after day, this regular life continued for over a month.

Luo Li had been staying near the shrine, living a comfortable retirement life of admiring flowers and walking birds, while incidentally teaching Asase Hibiki.

However, rather than retirement, after Inazuma’s affairs got on the right track, he rarely managed the Shogunate’s business.

And as time grew, the probability of the green shrine maiden missing her target in archery became lower and lower, while she simultaneously displayed top-tier talent for spell formations.

Of course, Luo Li would occasionally look at the newspapers sent from Inazuma City.

As the only best channel for the public to understand current events, it described every aspect of Inazuma.

For instance, the pirates and monsters that had been harassing the outer islands some time ago.

Because the Shogun dispatched her trusted general, Mikoshi Chiyo, the signs of chaos were quickly suppressed.

The brave and peerless Oni girl took the opportunity to thoroughly sweep through Kannazuka; most of the wandering samurai who had turned to banditry fled overseas, or, fearing nothing, headed to Yashiori Island, hiding near the remains of the Archon.

According to the information recorded in the newspaper, the victorious General Mikoshi was currently on her return journey, expected to arrive in Inazuma City within three days.

"Sigh, that girl will be noisy again when she returns."

Sighing, Luo Li felt a slight headache.

Unlike Kitsune Saiguu and the Electro Archon twins, Chiyo was relatively direct and possessed the hearty temperament unique to the Oni clan.

Fortunately, he was currently within the Grand Narukami Shrine and could still enjoy a few days of rare peace.

Unfortunately, he was clearly happy too soon.

One day, a month after staying at the shrine.

Raiden Ei, who should have been in Inazuma City, suddenly came knocking.

With her usual eye-catching attire, her cold expression paired with the alluring mole under her eye, she could be called the peak of the ascetic style.

Luo Li was surprised by Ei’s sudden arrival; she, who was introverted in her feelings, would never see him without any reason.

Sure enough, Ei, the peak of Inazuma’s martial power, stated her purpose in her first sentence.

"Makoto asked me to tell you that the gathering of the Seven Archons will be held in ten days; do you want to go together?"

In private, without a third party, her usually icy expression softened slightly.

"A gathering of the Seven Archons, huh? I was just wondering when it would be scheduled recently; I didn't expect the notification to come so soon."

Being able to see old friends he hadn't seen in a long time, Luo Li naturally had no reason to refuse.

It had been a long time, and even for that drunkard, he couldn't help but feel a few traces of nostalgia. ===== CHAPTER 22 =====