Chapter 795: The Beginning of the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter

In the evening, Lingyun sat beside a small stream. Around his body, lights of six colors constantly intertwined, forming a peculiar spectacle.

Suddenly, Lingyun, who had his eyes closed, seemed to perceive something and abruptly opened his eyes. The moment he opened his eyes, the six-colored light around him collapsed simultaneously, turning into specks of light that enveloped him.

"Is this it? Has the layout already begun?" Lingyun sensed that just a moment ago, the Fate within this Bamboo Forest had reached its peak, and it seemed some powerful existence had descended upon this Bamboo Forest.

"Mr. Lingyun, Mr. Lingyun." Just at this moment, a voice came from afar.

Lingyun looked up and saw an old man walking in his direction.

This old man was the same one Lingyun had encountered in the village earlier. This old man was named Sanqi Zaomalu, and because he possessed exquisite bamboo-crafting skills, he was also called Zhuweng by the people in the village. Since the old man usually made a living by crafting bamboo, this Bamboo Forest became a place he frequented. It was precisely because he frequented this Bamboo Forest that the old man came to know Lingyun, who was temporarily staying in the Bamboo Forest, and became his friend.

"Zhuweng, it is getting late, why haven't you gone home yet?" Lingyun looked at Zhuweng with a smile on his face.

Watching the specks of light dissipating around Lingyun, Zhuweng could not help but sigh with emotion; this youth living in seclusion in this place was truly no ordinary person.

"Mr. Lingyun, this old man has a matter he wishes to seek your guidance on." There was a hint of respect in Zhuweng's tone.

"Oh, what is it?" Lingyun raised an eyebrow.

Zhuweng set down the basket on his back and carefully took out a tiny baby girl wrapped in luxurious brocade.

This baby girl was naturally not the old man's child. Lingyun knew that although the old man had a wife, he had no children, so it was naturally impossible for him to have such a young granddaughter.

"This child, I found her inside a section of bamboo today while I was cutting bamboo. At that time, that section of bamboo was shining with light. I believe this child is likely not a mortal, so I came here to ask for your opinion, sir." Zhuweng held the child, his eyes full of tenderness.

"Zhuweng, Bamboo Forest, a maiden inside the bamboo..." Lingyun looked at the child held by Zhuweng and slapped his own forehead. No wonder he felt so familiar; wasn't this the living Tale of the Bamboo Cutter?

"Mr. Lingyun, is there something wrong with this child?" Seeing Lingyun's action, Zhuweng asked with some confusion.

Lingyun's gaze fell upon the child in Zhuweng's arms. Although she was only an infant, her beauty was already beginning to show. Lingyun knew that when this baby girl grew up in the future, she would be so beautiful as to topple cities and states, and so lovable; otherwise, she would not have made countless men in Heian-kyo pine for her, even leading to the five difficult marriage proposals that followed.

"No, there is nothing wrong with this child; on the contrary, she is an existence of extremely noble status." Lingyun shook his head. "Moreover, this child shares a bond of father and daughter with you; you can certainly adopt her."

To say that the child in Zhuweng's hands was of noble status was truly not wrong at all. As the Princess of the Moon Kingdom and the daughter of the three gods, Tsukuyomi, this status could indeed be counted as one of the most noble in this world.

"I share a bond with this child?" Hearing Lingyun say this, a hint of irrepressible joy appeared on Zhuweng's face.

In fact, Zhuweng was not young anymore, and he had come to terms with many things, but having no children remained a regret of his. Now that he suddenly had such a cute child, and was told by a Master that he had a bond of father and daughter with her, it naturally made him overjoyed.

However, while happy, Zhuweng could not help but feel a bit helpless. Lingyun had said that this child was a person of extremely noble status, but he was merely an old man who crafted bamboo, with nothing to his name; he could not help but feel he would be wronging the child.

"Hahaha, Zhuweng, you can rest assured. Since I have said that this child is a noble person, she will naturally bring you good fortune." Lingyun laughed.

Afterward, Lingyun stretched out his hand, and a crystal formed from Purification Light along with several heavy ingots of Golden appeared before Zhuweng.

"Mr. Lingyun, this is?" Looking at these items before him, Zhuweng could not help but hesitate.

"Since this child has met me, it is naturally a matter of fate. These things can be considered a gift for my first meeting with this child." Lingyun said indifferently. "You can take this gold back to buy some daily necessities for the child to use. As for this Crystal, just place it in the child's room."

"Sir, this..." Looking at the items before him, Zhuweng hesitated.

"Didn't I say, this child is an extraordinarily noble person who will bring you good fortune? Just consider this a part of your good fortune. Moreover, these things are merely things I can obtain at will; they are not considered precious." Lingyun waved his hand and said.

Hearing Lingyun say this, after considering it for a moment, Zhuweng finally nodded: "Then this old man will accept these things from you, sir. Just as you said, sir, these are the good fortune this child has brought me. However, this old man has one more presumptuous request; I wonder if you could grant it?"

"Oh, is there anything else you need my help with, Zhuweng?" Lingyun asked with some curiosity.

"This child's status is not ordinary, so she naturally needs a good name. But this old man is illiterate, and the matter of naming is extremely difficult for me. I wonder if you could give this child a name?" Zhuweng asked.

"Give this child a name? That is no problem!" Lingyun said with a faint smile. "Let's call her Kaguya, implying that she is radiant even in the night."

"Kaguya?" Hearing Lingyun's words, Zhuweng could not help but nod with joy. "Thank you, Master."

"Alright, it is getting late now; Zhuweng should take the child home first." Lingyun waved his hand, and rays of light condensed in his palm, turning into a floating Light Ball that looked like a tiny moon. "The hour is late, and the paths in the Bamboo Forest are not safe. I will give you this Moon Radiance to illuminate your path at night."

Looking at the small moon before him, Zhuweng thanked Lingyun repeatedly, then hurried away with the child in his arms; he could not wait to share this good news with his old woman.

After Zhuweng disappeared from his sight, Lingyun turned and walked toward the Bamboo House, brewing two cups of clear tea and placing them on the table.

"To have a friend come from afar, is it not a joy? Friend hiding in the shadows, why not come out and have a drink?" Lingyun sat on a bamboo chair and said with a leisurely expression.