Chapter 813: Kaguya, the Kidnapper of Young Girls

Watching Lingyun's figure disappear from his sight, Kamo no Tadayuki finally cast his gaze upon the man lying on the ground.

"Take him back; I will speak to His Majesty about this matter personally."

Hearing Kamo no Tadayuki say this, the young man's guards ignored the filth on their master's body, hoisted him onto their backs, and headed toward their own residence.

After this group left, Kamo no Tadayuki also headed in another direction. Once he entered a deserted alley, he suddenly snapped his fan shut and tapped it three times lightly against his palm.

"Swish—"

Two masked figures, entirely wrapped in black, appeared abruptly before him; judging by their attire, they were Ninja.

"Go and investigate the background of that person," Kamo no Tadayuki said to the Ninja before him. "And remember, do not take any extreme measures; the other party's strength is not something you can contend with."

"Yes!" The two Ninja bowed their heads to Kamo no Tadayuki, then vanished into a whirlwind.

After the Ninja disappeared, Kamo no Tadayuki did not leave the alley; he was recalling the three faint rays of light that had appeared behind Lingyun earlier.

"What exactly is hidden within those three rays of light? Why do they give me a feeling of heart palpitations? Moreover, I feel as though I have sensed a similar aura somewhere before." Kamo no Tadayuki's fan tapped lightly against his palm as he continuously recalled the golden ray among the three.

Suddenly, Kamo no Tadayuki's breath hitched; he knew where he had sensed a similar aura. It was the aura of the sun he had felt from the statue of the Great Deity Amaterasu when he visited her supreme Shrine. In other words, the aura hidden within the light behind Lingyun was the aura of a god.

"Standing behind that person are three gods?" Kamo no Tadayuki felt as though he had touched upon something incredible.

Those were gods from the legends! After the Twilight of the Gods, gods could be said to have vanished from this world; even the Shrine Maidens serving at shrines said their shrines had not received any divine oracles for a long time. But now, gods had appeared in this world once again, and three of them at once—this was simply too terrifying.

"No, there are far too many mysteries hidden on this youth. I must enter the palace immediately to see His Majesty; we must absolutely not make an enemy of that youth, or the consequences will be too horrific." Kamo no Tadayuki no longer wore his previously leisurely expression; instead, he flicked his sleeves and hurried toward the Imperial Palace.

Lingyun followed behind Kaguya, watching Kaguya and Fujiwara no Mokou walking side by side on the main street. Having grown up in Heian-kyo, Fujiwara no Mokou was extremely familiar with this place, and under her guidance, Kaguya was able to find the places she liked every time.

Watching the two children shouting and calling out along the way, a faint smile appeared on Lingyun's face. Through his conversations with Eirin, Lingyun also knew that Kaguya had not been living well in the Moon Capital. Although the Moon Capital claimed to be free of desires, as long as there were people, there would be desires, and gods were no exception. As a Princess of the Moon Capital, Kaguya had existed for a long time; the endless schemes and the torture of immortality had left her physically and mentally exhausted. Although she still appeared to be a noble and elegant princess, Lingyun could feel her shattered heart. Perhaps the appearance of Fujiwara no Mokou brought a ray of light into her heart, which would eventually lead to the "thousand-year group" who loved and killed each other later on.

However, time spent together is always short; a day passed quickly, and as the sun slanted to the west, the time for parting was approaching.

Fujiwara no Mokou looked at Kaguya beside her, a trace of reluctance in her eyes. Before meeting Kaguya, her days had been extremely difficult. But today, for the first time, she enjoyed the warmth of being protected, for the first time she filled her stomach, and for the first time she could cast everything aside and play happily. To her, all of this would only appear in dreams, but now, the dream had to end.

Kaguya was meeting Fujiwara no Mokou for the first time and did not know what the surname "Fujiwara" represented. In this country, among humans, the Fujiwara Family was a very prominent clan; Fujiwara no Fuhito was the illegitimate son of Tenji, rose to the rank of Right Minister, and because he supported Monmu and had his daughter Fujiwara no Miyako marry Monmu, Fujiwara no Fuhito gradually grasped real political power.

Holding immense power, Fujiwara no Fuhito possessed a vast group of wives and concubines, and Fujiwara no Mokou's mother was just one of the most insignificant among them. Likewise, Fujiwara no Mokou was also one of his most insignificant children, not even comparable to some of the favored servants.

After giving birth to Fujiwara no Mokou, her mother's health had always been weak, and after holding on for a few years, she passed away. Having lost her mother, Fujiwara no Mokou's life in the Fujiwara Family became even more difficult, and she could only rely on her own abilities to struggle for survival in this Heian-kyo.

"Mokou, it's getting late; you should go home," Kaguya said.

"Home..." Fujiwara no Mokou fell silent.

When she had begged others in the Fujiwara Family for help because her mother was critically ill and was refused, the concept of "home" had already faded in her heart. After her mother passed away, the so-called home became a joke to her.

"Don't you have a home, Mokou?" A flash of surprise crossed Kaguya's eyes, along with a hint of secret joy she herself did not notice. "How about coming to my place to rest tonight?"

"This..." Fujiwara no Mokou seemed somewhat moved.

Kaguya's eyes rolled, and she looked toward Lingyun: "Master, Mokou-chan doesn't seem to have a home, so can I bring her back to the Bamboo Forest?"

"As for that, as long as Mokou agrees, I have no problem with it," Lingyun said with a smile.

Having received Lingyun's response, Kaguya looked toward Fujiwara no Mokou.

Under the pressure of Kaguya's gaze, Fujiwara no Mokou's attitude softened immediately: "This, won't I be bothering you?"

"Not at all, not at all!" Kaguya said excitedly. "There's only me and Teacher in the Bamboo Forest; it's far too lonely. If there could be one more person, it would be a good thing to have it be a bit livelier!"

"Then, I will be bothering you," Fujiwara no Mokou said weakly.

"Teacher, Mokou agreed! Let's go back together!" Kaguya grabbed Fujiwara no Mokou's hand and ran to Lingyun, looking excited.

"Tsk, you're kidnapping an underage girl!" Looking at Kaguya, Lingyun shook his head slightly. "Perhaps, this is the fate between the two of you!"

As Lingyun waved his hand, Fujiwara no Mokou felt a flash of silver light before her eyes, and then she appeared in front of a bamboo forest.

"Let's go, Mokou, I'll take you to see the Bamboo House Teacher built in the bamboo forest!" Kaguya pulled Fujiwara no Mokou and ran into the bamboo forest.