His anxious reply made Beichuan Si's eyebrows twitch.

He always felt that Master Yutian seemed afraid of offending the miko before him by speaking out of turn.

"... Oh?" The miko holding the Divine Mirror flickered her gaze and, after a long while, expressed her surprise: "Someone wrapped in such a strong aura of death and yet able to repeatedly escape from the brink of death... that is really... I apologize, I have been somewhat rude."

She walked slowly to the side of the elegant room's tea table, then stepped back two paces and knelt down, introducing herself: "My name is Four Directions Huixue, and as the Beichuan Master said, the god I serve is Tsukuyomi... only slightly different from the Tsukuyomi Commanding God familiar to everyone here."

As Four Directions Huixue spoke, her tone was light, and her expression also faintly conveyed a sense of calm composure.

The so-called Tsukuyomi is one of the three major supreme gods worshipped in Japanese Shinto, a deity related to the moon and the night.

This kind of common sense was known to Master Yutian and Master Onodera as well, only they didn't react as quickly as Beichuan Si had.

Now having regained their senses, Master Yutian and Master Onodera regained their usual shrewdness, their expressions shifting slightly before they asked:

"Four Directions Huixue... wait a moment... Huiye Witch, you couldn't possibly be a member of the Four Directions Family, could you?"

"Yes. I am indeed the daughter of the current Four Directions Family Head," Four Directions Huixue replied amiably.

The daughter of the Four Directions Family Head?

Master Onodera realized the significance of the matter.

He looked at Four Directions Huixue with an uncertain tone and asked: "Could it be, Miss Huiye... you are one of the people who will accompany us to the Four Directions Family Shrine?"

"Correct," Four Directions Huixue nodded, affirming Master Onodera's guess.

This revelation set off a commotion in the minds of Master Yutian and Master Onodera.

The daughter of the Four Directions Family Head... was going to join them to restart the shrine?

This was a bit too...

"Don't worry, although it may not be quite proper to say this, my abilities as a miko are rather outstanding. I can handle common vengeful spirits and certainly won't hold you back."

Four Directions Huixue seemed to understand the reservations of Master Yutian and Master Onodera and spoke to assuage them.

While Four Directions Huixue was reassuring Master Yutian and Master Onodera, Beichuan Si was silently contemplating.

Four Directions Huixue...

This name, Huiye, also comes from the tales of Japan. Even in China, this tale is quite well-known.

It's called "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter."

And 'Huiye,' the name, belongs to the story's main character, 'Princess Huiye of the Tender Bamboo.'

The tale isn't particularly notable overall, and many people are familiar with the story.

To narrate it in full would undoubtedly seem like padding the word count, so I will point out the aspect that most intrigues Beichuan Si—

In "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter," Huiye is actually a Heavenly Maiden from the Moon Palace.

Four Directions Huixue worships the Tsukuyomi Commanding God related to the moon, and her name is also derived from that of the Heavenly Maiden Huiye...

Could there be some hidden secret in this?

Beichuan Si thought of this but didn't articulate it directly; instead, he calmly observed Four Directions Huixue, hoping to discern something from the miko.

"May I ask if the Beichuan Master has any questions?"

After settling things with Master Yutian and Master Onodera, Four Directions Huixue turned her head with a smile to look at Beichuan Si and asked.

Her complexion was fair and delicate, her gaze calm and gentle. Although her tone carried a hint of otherworldly detachment, she was overall a beautiful girl.

Combined with her wearing the quaint and elegant miko attire, she truly seemed to evoke the image of Huiyeji with the wistful demeanor of someone looking at the moon.

But—

She was not as pretty as Shen Gu Mirai.

However, Beichuan Si couldn't shake the feeling that the way Four Directions Huixue looked at him held a certain eagerness.

But when Beichuan Si looked more carefully, he noticed that Four Directions Huixue's expression had not changed much; it was still the same.

An illusion?

Beichuan Si temporarily pushed these thoughts to the back of his mind and answered, "I have no particular issues with you joining us on our journey, but regarding the Four Directions Shrine, there are some things I'd like to ask."

Indeed.

Right now, Beichuan Si and his companions didn't even know the specific location of the Four Directions Family's shrine, let alone what lay within.

Under these circumstances, the idea of 'traveling together'... was nothing more than a joke.

After listening to Beichuan Si's words, Four Directions Huixue turned her head and placed the Divine Mirror between her crossed legs, "The Beichuan Master must be inquiring about the specific details of the Four Directions Shrine?"

Her expression became more serious, and the smile on her lips silently faded away.

"These are matters I intended to share with you all. Since the Beichuan Master has asked, I shall share the intelligence with all of you," she said.

Four Directions Huixue sat up straight and began to explain with a rigid spine:

"The Four Directions Shrine consists of four distinct shrines passed down through generations within the Four Directions Family Shrine."

She held up a finger, her expression intense: "The Four Directions Shrine is mainly divided into the New Moon Altar, the Upper Moon Altar, the Wangyue Shrine, and the Waning Moon Altar, differentiated by various lunar phases that correspond to our family's name 'Four Directions'."

As she reached this point, Four Directions Huixue let out a breath and continued to explain:

"All of you here are exceptionally skilled mages, so you must be aware that ancient families have been known to employ various 'means' to cope with 'threats' lurking in the shadows, right?"

She emphasized the words 'threats' and 'means.'

But to be honest, both Master Yutian and Master Onodera had hardly ever encountered the kind of large family she was talking about. They had only glimpsed bits and pieces of information in their own temple's archives.

Being amateurs in this area, both Master Yutian and Master Onodera wisely chose not to speak.

After all, speculating about things one had not personally seen could lead to embarrassing blunders.

While they remained silent, Beichuan Si, who had been relatively quiet, raised an eyebrow and curiously said, "You mean... 'Yellow Springs'?"

Yes.

Employing ancient rituals such as live sacrifices, blood offerings, and human pillars as cruel methods to suppress threats hidden in the shadows was precisely the means to confront 'Yellow Springs.'

Shenzhu Village was located near 'Spring Abyss,' undoubtedly the place closest to the Yellow Springs. The measures taken by Shenzhu Village were to nurture the Soul Suppressing Twins and cultivate the Soul Summoning Flower to suppress 'Spring Abyss' and prevent the 'Evil Spirit.'

Ihui Island was located at the 'Gate of Yellow Springs,' where the souls of the entire island's residents had been tainted by the aura of Yellow Springs. To counteract the monsters from the Gate of Yellow Springs, they thought of using the 'Divine Tree' and 'Earth Spirit.'

These were methods employed by ancient families in specific ways to confront 'threats' hiding in the shadows.

And this time... Four Directions Huixue brought up this familiar concept, which Beichuan Si found somewhat unexpected.

Could this mission... once again be related to 'Yellow Springs'?

Four Directions Huixue had obviously not expected Beichuan Si to be able to respond correctly.

Her mention had been nothing more than a social courtesy.

After all, in modern society, those who had encountered 'Yellow Springs' and were involved with it did not end up in a pretty situation.

Being maimed was quite common.

But Beichuan Si present...

Four Directions Huixue took another look at him.

His features were delicate yet stern, his character silent, his speech cool...

And judging by his age, he should not have been more than twenty years old.

For someone like him to appear in such a setting was already extraordinarily rare, and to be able to follow her questioning made Four Directions Huixue's mind skip a beat.

He... might actually be capable?

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