Chapter 842: The Worries of Taketori no Okina

Seeing Lingyun return, both Fujiwara no Mokou and Kaguya had joyful smiles on their faces; Mokou even threw herself directly into Lingyun's arms.

"Teacher, what did you go to the Demon World for during this time? Why hasn't there been any news sent back?" Kaguya asked softly.

"I gained something from my exchange with Shinki earlier, so I went into seclusion for a while," Lingyun said with a smile.

"Seclusion?" There was a hint of doubt in Kaguya's tone; after all, in her understanding, seclusion was sometimes not for improving one's strength, but for healing injuries.

"Forget it, I'll ask Eirin later; she should know better than I do." Kaguya made up her mind and did not ask any further.

"Teacher, a lot of strangers have come outside the Bamboo Forest during this time!" Mokou said to Lingyun.

"Strangers? Do you know the origins of those strangers?" Lingyun asked.

"They should all be here to propose marriage to Miss Kaguya," Inaba Tewi said weakly from the side.

After all, the reason Kaguya's appearance was exposed was because of her, so during this time, aside from practicing hard, she had been constantly gathering news from the outside world.

"Teacher, I want to go see my father," Kaguya said from the side. "If these people are coming for me, they might cause some trouble for my father."

Lingyun pondered for a moment, then nodded: "Alright, I haven't seen Taketori no Okina for a while either; it's a good time to go see how the old gentleman is doing."

Small Village, Taketori no Okina's home.

Taketori no Okina looked at the mountain of gifts piled up in his small courtyard and exchanged a bitter smile with his wife.

After these people were unable to enter the Bamboo Forest, they began to inquire everywhere about Kaguya. After learning from some unknown source that Taketori no Okina was Kaguya's father, people kept coming to his door, hoping that Taketori no Okina would marry Kaguya off to them.

Facing this situation, Taketori no Okina was helpless and could only refuse: "She is not my biological daughter; I cannot make decisions for her."

The old man's words did indeed dispel the intentions of many, but there were still some who were unwilling to give up. They presented the old man with generous gifts and settled down in the village, wanting to make the old man understand their sincerity. After all, although the old man was not Kaguya's biological father, he was the one who raised her, and his words still carried some weight in front of Kaguya.

When Lingyun brought Kaguya to Taketori no Okina's house, this was the situation he saw.

Seeing Kaguya and Lingyun arrive, Taketori no Okina hurriedly stood up. He first bowed slightly to Lingyun, then showed a loving smile to Kaguya. Although Kaguya was not Taketori no Okina's biological daughter, Taketori no Okina treated her no differently than his own daughter.

"Father, have these people caused you any trouble during this time?" Kaguya took Taketori no Okina's hand, sat down in the small house, and asked him.

Compared to Tsukuyomi, her nominal mother, Kaguya actually had more affection for the elderly couple who adopted her. Taketori no Okina had no children of his own and cherished Kaguya as his own true child. As for Tsukuyomi, the leader of the Moon Capital, Kaguya felt that their relationship was more like that of a superior and subordinate. After all, in the cold Moon Capital, family affection barely existed.

"No, no." Taketori no Okina shook his head. He loved this daughter he had found to his very core, so naturally, he only reported the good news and not the bad. "But Kaguya, there are some things I must tell you after all."

"Whatever it is, Father, please speak freely."

"That would be for the best. Kaguya, you know that I have already passed the age of seventy; who knows when I might pass away. In this world, a man must take a wife, and a woman must take a husband; this is the rule of the human world. Only in this way can a household grow and the population flourish. I know your status is extraordinary, that you are a reincarnation of a god or Buddha. But, you are still a woman after all. Now, while I am still alive, we can live like this. If I die, what will you do?"

"This..." A trace of hesitation appeared in Kaguya's tone.

"Now, people come to me every day saying they want to take you as a wife. You need someone in this world who can protect you after I am gone. I see that those people are very sincere toward you; why don't you choose one from among them and set a marriage?" Taketori no Okina continued.

Kaguya was silent for a while, then finally shook her head: "These people are complete strangers to me; they only came here after hearing of my beauty. To betroth myself to someone without understanding their heart—if they were to change their mind later, it would lead to eternal regret. No matter how high their status or how good their appearance, I will never agree to betroth myself to someone whose heart I do not understand."

Kaguya had her reasons for saying this. On one hand, she herself did not wish to marry; the old man said she needed someone to protect her in this world, but she already had Yagokoro Eirin by her side. On the other hand, she was a Princess of the Moon Capital, and her mother would absolutely not allow her to marry someone from the surface. If she were to marry by force, it would only bring disaster to that family.

The wrath of a god was not so easy to bear. Even if the two parties were to marry, a mortal's lifespan was barely a hundred years, while her own lifespan was virtually endless; the two were inherently unequal. Most importantly, Kaguya did not want to marry; she still had plenty of time to enjoy life and naturally did not want someone appearing to restrict her.

Hearing Kaguya say this, Taketori no Okina could not help but fall silent. As an old man, he had experienced many things and naturally knew that Kaguya's words were not without reason. However, as a father, he still hoped that someone would be able to shelter his daughter after he was gone. Moreover, among those who came to propose, there were many of high status; if they were rejected and became angry and resorted to force, the elderly couple really did not have the ability to protect Kaguya.

"Is Taketori no Okina worried that those people will turn to kidnapping if their marriage proposals are rejected?" Lingyun knew what Taketori no Okina was worried about.

"Kidnapping?"

Kaguya raised an eyebrow. If those people really dared to try and kidnap her, they would truly be tired of living; Yagokoro Eirin would absolutely turn them all into dust. Now, Kaguya was instead worried about Taketori no Okina and his wife; they were just ordinary people and had no ability to resist those people.

Just as both were caught in a dilemma, Lingyun spoke again: "Taketori no Okina, do not worry. When someone comes to propose again, just push the matter onto me. After all, I am Kaguya's teacher, and I can have a say in her marriage."

"But, this..." There was a hint of worry in Taketori no Okina's tone.

"Father, don't worry. Teacher's strength has few rivals in this world. Even if the other party wants to use some means, they will definitely not be a match for Teacher," Kaguya comforted him from the side.

Hearing Kaguya's words, Taketori no Okina could not help but fall silent. He had seen the various miraculous things Lingyun had displayed, and these were things he had never even seen in those famous Great Onmyouji. Kaguya had also said that in this world, Lingyun had few rivals. Although he had never inquired about Kaguya's origins, he knew her status must be extraordinary, and being able to make Kaguya say such things was enough to prove Lingyun's strength.

Taketori no Okina was silent for a long time, then finally nodded: "Then I will leave everything to Mr. Lingyun."

"Let's do this: from now on, when someone comes to the door, tell them that given Kaguya's status, her future partner cannot possibly be a mere mortal! If they want to marry Kaguya, tests are unavoidable. The first trial is to find my Bamboo House within the Bamboo Forest! During this process, they must not cause any damage to the bamboo in the forest! After all, Kaguya was obtained from the bamboo in the forest, and the bamboo in the forest shares a kinship with her; if they damage the bamboo, then don't even mention the proposal!" Lingyun tapped his fingers lightly on the table and said. "Of course, I will also lift some of the restrictions on the Bamboo Forest so that they can enter."

"This..." Taketori no Okina hesitated. "Kaguya's status?"

"I recall that among the Onmyoji, there are some who are skilled in divination. If those who come to propose don't believe it, tell them to go find those Onmyoji to divine it. Oh, and remind them not to look for ordinary Onmyoji; they wouldn't be able to calculate the nobility of Kaguya's status." Lingyun waved his hand and said.

"Teacher, my status?" There was a hint of hesitation in Kaguya's tone; she had been exiled to the surface by the Moon Capital, and if her status were openly displayed, it might invite trouble.

"You are my student; that status is enough!" Lingyun said indifferently.