Chapter 224: Chiyo and Asase Hibiki

"No, it’s enough to see you again!"

Mikoshi Chiyo’s previous irritability disappeared completely; she even forgot where she was, seeing only this man before her.

She didn't want to think about anything right now, only wanting to enjoy this joy of regaining what was lost.

Always daring to do and think, she didn't care that others were present, stood on tiptoe, and offered a kiss of reunion joy.

Only after a long time did she let go.

Having finally calmed down the emotionally surging Chiyo, Luo Li then looked at Asase Hibiki, who was equally excited but had always restrained herself.

"Teacher..."

Sizing up the shrine maiden with long black hair and a princess-cut for a moment, Luo Li recognized her identity almost instantly.

"Hibiki."

"Yes, Teacher, Hibiki is here."

Compared to the emotional Mikoshi Chiyo, Asase Hibiki’s emotions were slightly more restrained.

She hadn't experienced the long longing and pain of five hundred years; not even ten years had passed before she chose to seal herself away to pass the long years.

Relatively speaking, she was still quite lucky.

But that was only compared to Chiyo; in fact, her heart was equally overjoyed.

However, she didn't dare to offer a kiss of reunion like Chiyo and could only wait eagerly on the side.

"The little shrine maiden from back then has also grown up."

Luo Li looked at the long-haired shrine maiden; the little girl who didn't dare to retort and only dared to work hard diligently in secret surfaced in his mind again.

The little figure under the cherry blossoms, picking up one practice arrow after another until her hands couldn't be lifted at all before she would obediently rest.

To practice spells and magic, she would hide in her room every night to draw and write; perhaps she thought she was hiding it well, but Luo Li saw it every time.

"Teacher is okay; that’s really great."

A shallow smile spilled from Asase Hibiki’s lips, and she took the initiative to approach Luo Li’s beckoning hand.

Gently resting his hand on the long hair of Asase Hibiki, who had grown into a mature woman, Luo Li nodded slightly.

"When I unsealed your seal before, I was thinking of finding you in a few days; I didn't expect you to come to me yourself."

Asase Hibiki said, "After learning about it from Neko, I set off for Watatsumi Island and happened to run into Miss Chiyo on the way."

Luo Li looked at Mikoshi Chiyo, who had finally sorted out some of her emotions.

"How did you find me?"

"The Shogun got your jade pendant from the wanted Traveler and ordered me to come and capture the other party, but during the journey, I discovered traces of you, so the goal changed."

"..."

Luo Li never expected it to be like this; he glanced at the tool duo who had turned their heads to pretend to look at the scenery, and his heart felt a bit complicated as he asked.

"Does Ei know I’m here?"

"No, it’s probably just a guess; she is not yet certain that you are still alive."

That was true; if she were one hundred percent certain, Ei would have already come with her blade, so why wait until now without seeing her figure?

Mikoshi Chiyo looked at him infatuatedly; a simple red and white dress outlined her graceful figure.

Luo Li still remembered what she looked like when she danced in a gorgeous twelve-layered ceremonial kimono; she was lively and light, and her face always carried carefree happiness.

How did she become like this—originally cheerful, now becoming heavy, and because she had stayed at home for hundreds of years, even her original temperament had changed.

"Do you need to tell her the news?"

Uh... not for now; I’ve hidden a surprise and am not ready yet.

Luo Li coughed lightly and hurriedly stopped Chiyo’s thought.

"Oh."

Since he said so, Chiyo extinguished the thought.

It was perfect; now that she was the only one who knew Luo Li was still alive, Asase Hibiki didn't count as a threat at all—in that case, wouldn't it be a world for just the two of them?

At this thought, Chiyo’s eyes lit up.

But before that, she wanted to know about Luo Li’s experiences over these years.

At this moment, Kokomi slowly came over from the main seat and suggested in a soft voice.

"Father, since you are old acquaintances with Miss Chiyo and Miss Asase Hibiki, you must have a lot to talk about. Why not come over and sit down for a slow chat? It just so happens that your daughter can serve you from the side."

"Good."

For some reason, Luo Li noticed that Kokomi’s gaze lingered on Chiyo and his lips for an unusually long time, and there was a faint hint of jealousy.

"Father is really something, provoking so many girls; if only it were just me, how nice that would be."

Muttering in her heart, Kokomi pretended to be nonchalant on the surface, instead diligently pulling out seats for them.

Before meeting, it might have been nothing, but seeing her father so intimate with other women, Kokomi was extremely sour, only wishing that she were the only one in her father’s arms.

Then she was startled by her own strong possessiveness and hurriedly corrected it.

Seeing the group approaching, the Traveler and Paimon couldn't help but feel a bit panicked.

Seeing Luo Li’s confused look just now, it seemed that their losing the jade pendant had broken some plan.

The two lowered their heads, pretending no one noticed them; their ostrich-like behavior made Luo Li glance at them, finding it quite funny.

Little did they know, that was something he had already calculated.

To avoid being discovered and to tease the two, Luo Li acted serious, but one couldn't tell his mood from his expression.

The Traveler and Paimon were even more uneasy, fearing they would be held accountable later.

0 ...... ...

"I knew I should have left earlier; why be so gossipy? It’s all your fault!"

Paimon complained in a low voice, leaving the Traveler with a head full of question marks.

"I was the one who said to leave just now, you were the one who wouldn't let me!"

Now it was good; they couldn't even find a good excuse to leave.

The two started shifting the blame to each other, which was laughable.

Fortunately, Luo Li wasn't in the mood to tease them at this time, his attention being drawn by Mikoshi Chiyo and Asase Hibiki.

The two asked him how he had been all these years and where he had disappeared to.

The former Geo Archon and Anemo Archon only said he was buried in the Abyss, not what his specific fate was.

At that time, they naturally had no heart to pursue the question; after all, just hearing the news of Luo Li’s burial was enough to make them lose their souls.

— Author's Notes —

·· ·Seeking flowers···· ·····