A foreigner's journey

On the fifth day after entering Izumo, Jiuer and Nanka arrived at the foot of Izumo Mountain.

Originally there were only scattered villages and cultivated fields at the foot of the mountain, but the peaceful and peaceful atmosphere had long been broken. There were newly built temporary houses and lifelike statues of the one-armed Susanoo god everywhere. There are so many people, even in the early morning, it seems lively.

The villagers who originally lived here were either invited to leave, or they were treated as honored guests and stayed as 'myth tellers'. Of course, the farmland and houses here have already been snapped up by wealthy businessmen and fanatics.

Jiu'er looked at the surrounding bonfires lit in imitation of the ancient style and the lifelike carved wooden statue of Susano'o holding a ten-fist sword, feeling a little weird in his heart.

Why do I always feel like I've seen this one-armed Susano'o somewhere before?

Continuing to walk forward, we were still a hundred meters away from the torii stairs at the foot of Izumo Mountain, and we were already surrounded by a dense crowd.

Since Jiu'er was petite and weak, Qihua had no choice but to hold her and push her way through the crowd. Even those who were squeezed away turned their heads in annoyance and couldn't help but swallow their curse words when they saw Qihua's tall body of nearly two meters.

After finally squeezing to the front, I found that there was an open space at the beginning of the stairs at the foot of the mountain. It was surrounded by ropes with imperial coins hanging on it. Although the people around were squeezing around, no one dared to step aside. One step at a time.

The zhulian rope represents the boundaries of sacred objects. The inside of the zhulian rope is the ‘boundary’, which is the residence of the gods.

No one dares to trespass within the Santu Shrine where the true god descends and bestows blessings.

As soon as Shichika pushed her way to the front, she noticed the two black miko standing inside the rope.

They all had short shoulder-length hair, wore black witch costumes, and had knives hanging from their waists. Their pretty faces were full of indifference.

One of the black shrine maidens looked at the dark crowd outside the shrine and said, "Everyone, please go back. Santu Shrine is not a public shrine open to the public. Please leave some purity to the residence of the gods."

A chubby wealthy businessman standing very close to the front rubbed his hands and said with a humbly smile:

"Well, dear black miko, we don't mean to disturb you. We just want to go up to pay homage to the 'miracle' and then donate money to the shrine."

Others quickly echoed: "Yes, yes! That's what we mean! Please, give us a chance to donate!"

Seeing the frantic 'donation' atmosphere around her, Qihua scratched the back of her head and asked Jiu'er strangely: "What do these people mean by rushing to give money, Jiu'er?"

“Leave your name before God.”

Jiu'er, who was lying comfortably in Qihua's arms, said:

"Since there is a true god, then the world after death must also exist. If you please the gods, you will not suffer any sins even after death, and you will even have the opportunity to continue to enjoy the glory and wealth in life, and it is even possible to treat diseases and extend your life. If you can use them right To achieve it with the least valuable 'money', it's a great deal."

Shichika tilted her head: "It's so hard to understand. No one here has seen the gods with their own eyes, right? Why are everyone so sure? By the way, if this continues, we won't be able to go to Santu Shrine, Jiu'er."

"Look at me...hey!"

Jiu'er jumped down from Qihua's arms with a hey, cleared his throat, then looked at the two black mikos and said loudly:

"Two shrine maidens, I am the general supervisor of the Preparatory Office specially sent by the shogunate. I am here to pay a visit to the master of the Tsuruga Camouflage Hall. I hope to inform you."

The shogunate was the ruler of the world. The wealthy businessmen and nobles around them subconsciously took a few steps away from Jiu'er and Qihua. The entire dark crowd dispersed back like mino dominoes.

The two black witches looked at each other without any surprise or emotion.

"I've been waiting for you for a long time, Your Highness Kisakushi, Master of the Kyūto-ryu Sect. Please follow me." A black miko bowed slightly to Jiu'er and Shichika, then turned and walked towards the mist-shrouded torii stairs.

Jiu'er and Qihua looked at each other strangely, nodded and followed.

At this point, even if there is a dragon's pond and a tiger's den ahead, Jiu'er still has to muster the courage to break through. As Qihua is Jiu'er's sword, there is no reason to leave alone.

But within three minutes, the momentum of the two men was greatly reduced.

Should I say that I am worthy of Jiu'er? After climbing less than a hundred steps, she was so exhausted that she could hardly move. In the end, Shichika could only be held in her arms in an embarrassing "princess hug" position and headed towards the top of the mountain.

On the contrary, it was the black miko who led the way. Her aura was never disturbed from the beginning to the end, and her forward speed did not change at all. She was always five positions faster than Shichika.

Shichika was greatly impressed by this. She was worthy of being Susano'o's black miko. She was indeed very powerful!

With the strength of Black Miko and Shichika's feet, it didn't take long to reach the top of the mountain.

Compared with when Heather visited, the current Santu Shrine has not changed much, except that the black witches who are walking back and forth have taken off the talismans that cover their faces, and all of them have delicate and even beautiful faces. Gorgeous girl.

Although they have completely different appearances, these black mikos give Nanka a very strange feeling - as if they are the same person.

The same black miko costume, the same hairstyle, the same sword, the same movements, the same indifferent face, the same fanaticism hidden deep in the eyes.

"Shichika! Look!"

Hearing Jiu'er's panicked voice, Qihua came back to his senses and looked in the direction Jiu'er pointed -

In the dense woods on the top of the mountain, there is a huge slash that was cleared by violence. It is wide enough for four carriages to pass side by side. The slash marks continue to spread westward, spread, spread! After crossing the Izumo Mountains, the slash marks did not stop, but continued to extend towards the west peak.

A total of seven majestic mountains were carved with permanent sword marks by this unparalleled slash!

Looking at the huge slash that disappeared to the end of his sight without interruption, Shichika couldn't help but swallowed: "That, that's..."

[This is definitely not a level that human beings can reach], Qihua made such a judgment instantly.

And Jiu'er was so frightened that she trembled all over. Before she saw this terrifying scene with her own eyes, she had 80% doubts about the so-called 'Susano'o's arrival', but now...she had a moment where she even I forgot all about it and just wanted to escape Santu Shrine immediately.

"Good morning."

Qihua and Jiu'er were startled by the sudden greetings from nearby.

I saw Tsuruga wearing a miko costume in camouflage, with a long sword on his waist, and a faint smile on his face:

"Qiu'er, the brilliant strategist, Qihua, the seventh generation head of Xu Dao Liu, I have been waiting for you for a long time."

"You... knew we were coming?" Jiu'er had doubts about the attitude of the two witches before, but now it was finally confirmed that someone was tipping off the Santu Shrine!

She glanced at the long sword on Tsuruga's camouflage waist. Is that the Thousand Swordsman? The style seems to be the same as other black miko.

Before Jiu'er could say anything, he realized that something was wrong with Qihua beside him.

This big boy who had never shown fear or been defeated was now nervous and sweating all over his face. He even lowered his body slightly and assumed an attacking posture towards Tsuruga camouflage. He was obviously extremely alert.

"Jiu'er, come behind me!" The voice almost came out from between his teeth. Jiu'er had never seen Qihua look like this.

"Qihua, you, what's wrong with you...!" Jiu'er just wanted to touch Qihua's forehead, but the latter grabbed her by the waist and threw her behind her.

"Oh my, as expected, he is a talented swordsman with extraordinary talents."

Tsuruga Camouflage was clearly standing in front of the two of them, but his voice sounded far and near, which was strange:

"You're so lucky that you passed."

"Pass? What pass?" Qihua didn't say anything, but Jiu'er stuck her head out from behind him and shouted.

Tsuruga Camouflage still had the same faint smile, but this time even Jiu'er noticed the horror of the other party.

It was a sense of existence that had nothing to do with murderous aura or sword aura. To put it bluntly, it was [malice].

A power that Jiuer and Shichika couldn't understand was continuously emanating from Tsuruga Camouflage, caressing their hearts like tentacles.

"He passed, but you didn't. Master Qiz, now I give you two choices, either die here, or roll down the mountain——"

Tsuruga Camouflage put his left hand on the handle of the knife at his waist and slowly pulled it out:

"You only have three seconds, choose quickly."

PS: After sorting through the plot, I actually came up with more interesting ideas. Sure enough, if there is no outline, although the writing will be erratic and insecure, you can still let yourself go and play freely.

Should we simply delete the outlines of other chapters as well...