Tomo-sama's Rescue Plan - Hell Chapter

"Someone is here." Xie Huamei said suddenly.

It was already bright outside, and I saw Zaoyun walking from the path carrying a cloth bag.

Is this person so idle every day?

"Why is it him again?" Xiaomei went crazy, "Can I ask him not to come?"

Before she finished speaking, there was a knock on the door.

"Miss Ran, Miss Xiaobai, I brought some snacks for tea." The 400-year-old young man stood outside the door and said cheerfully.

Am I making a mistake about the day and night, or are they used to eating snacks and drinking tea early in the morning?

I had no choice but to open the door, Zaoyun looked at my wet hair in surprise: "Miss Ran...you are...?"

"Sorry, I'm taking a bath." I smiled a little ugly, "Mr. Zaoyun is going to come in and watch me wash, or go out and wait a while before coming back?"

He blushed and retreated obediently.

Seeing that he was really gone, I called Xiaomei over.

"I'll invite him to learn how to use swords in a while. You should watch carefully and write down his moves."

Xiaomei's eyes widened: "But you said before that you didn't intend to make him an enemy."

"Just in case." I said, "Think about it, there are currently three pillars with stripes here. If we each share one, Zao Yun is likely to be your opponent and your brother. Prepare early and treat you There are benefits."

"But I think he's not bad..." Xiaomei actually hesitated, "Maybe we can try to persuade him to side with us?"

"It's very difficult. They can keep the door here for 400 years, which shows that their obsession is extraordinary. Besides, all of them have family members who died at the hands of ghosts. People who bear blood and deep hatred will not have the slightest mercy for their enemies."

Xie Huamei unexpectedly hesitated.

"My lord, I can't figure it out, which side is the problem between humans and ghosts?"

She looked outside the door, and for the first time, confusion flashed in her beautiful blue eyes, "In Yoshiwara, the weak, ugly, and useless people are not qualified to live. My brother and I really worked hard to live." Even if you become a ghost, it’s just to survive. In the final analysis, we eat people, just like people eat chicken and fish, and it’s not their relatives, why do they hate us so much?”

"Probably because you were once human beings, but you have become aliens in their eyes."

Xiaomei looked at me blankly.

"Because you were once human, they tacitly accepted that you should abide by human morals and rules, but you broke away from these rules and became creatures stronger than them and preyed on them, which frightened them first, and then lost control Because of your existence, all the rules they have established for thousands of years have been challenged."

I stroked her soft silver-white hair: "But it's not anyone's fault, everyone is fighting for their own survival. If these people can teach us anything, I hope it is, don't be attached to yourself hatred, otherwise it would be voluntarily giving up future happiness.”

"I don't understand..." Xiaomei sighed.

"Then let me put it another way." I smiled at her, "We can be friends when we are not on the battlefield, but once we confront each other on the battlefield, hesitation will kill us. Can you understand me this time, Little Fallen Princess?"

Xiaomei looked at me with a little horror.I guess she probably got it.

What Zao Yun brought was red bean yokan.I haven't eaten this thing for hundreds of years, and I almost forgot what it tastes like.But I still can't understand, what method did they use to project the dim sum into hell so realistically, can this thing really be eaten?

Uh, it won't be an offering for the Obon Festival, right?

After I expressed such doubts, Zaoyun explained: "This is actually not a projection, but a real snack. Qianyue has a way to send things from the world through this 'gate'."

It seems that gatekeepers have privileges.I silently sighed.

I took a spoonful and put it in my mouth, and I tasted the long-lost sweetness.

"It tastes really good, and it would be even better if it had golden osmanthus sprinkled on top."

"Miss Ran said...?"

"It's sweet-scented osmanthus." I smiled. "In Edo, red bean yokan with sweet-scented osmanthus is a seasonal dessert in autumn."

"Miss Ran is very particular about how to eat." Zaoyun scratched his head embarrassingly, "I haven't actually eaten this food very much, I just remember that one year my father earned some extra money and bought it for me and my sister. My sister likes it." Very soon, I didn’t take a few bites before she snatched it all away.”

"Do you have a younger sister?" I asked in surprise, "It's the first time I've heard you mention it."

"Yes, I have a younger sister." Zaoyun had a look of nostalgia on his face, "Her name is Hezi."

I suddenly had an ominous feeling.

"She wouldn't be... eaten by a ghost, would she?"

As expected, Zao Yun's gaze dimmed.

"In the fifth year I joined the Ghost Killing Squad, she came to visit me from her hometown. She was almost there, and was attacked by a ghost... When we rushed over, we found that she had been turned into a ghost... In the end, I could only use it with my own hands. The sun wheel knife cut off her head."

"Why do you have to die when you become a ghost?!"

I don't know why I suddenly lost my composure, and Zao Yun was obviously taken aback by me.

"Miss Ran...don't you know? Ghosts want to eat people..."

"So what? Even if I become a ghost, I'm still the same person I used to be! Is it possible to kill the other party without any nostalgia? Why can't you think of a way? Why do you just give up so easily?!"

Zaoyun seemed to be completely stunned, and I saw in his pupils the anger on my face that I hadn't seen in hundreds of years.

Xiaomei ran over and tugged at my sleeve, and said sweetly, "Sister, what's the matter with you? Did this guy make you angry? Let's drive him out, shall we?"

I took a deep breath, trying to cool down my hot head.

"Sorry, I just can't understand...the ghost thing."

"Sorry…"

Zaoyun said with a little guilt.

"Did you make Miss Ran sad? My sister's matter...I'm so sorry..."

He lowered his eyes, "You're right, even if she becomes a ghost, she's still my sister, she's my relative...but I had no other choice at the time. That's the rule of the Ghost Killing Squad. Even if the ogre ghosts are found, they must be beheaded... After that, it was a long time before I heard that Lord Zhu Shi had developed a medicine to turn ghosts back into humans, but my sister didn't have such good luck..."

A bitter smile floated on the young man's face, "In the final analysis, human beings are weak...People I know well become monsters that cannibalize people...Although my heart hurts and I want to die, I still feel...scared..."

are you afraid?

It would be a lie to say that I am not afraid at all.All creatures are afraid of beings that can devour themselves, this is instinct.

But...something exists beyond fear.

For example, a precious memory, engraved with the original appearance of the world, the world where the sun shines, the cherry blossoms bloom, and there are longings and hopes.And the beautiful aura of ice and snow on the top of the mountain has not been polluted by the century-old sea of ​​blood.

It is precisely because everything is too late that it is even more impossible to let go of the hand in memory.

"Understandable." I sighed, "I'm too subjective. Everyone has their own difficulties and choices, as long as you don't regret it."

"If there were no ghosts in the world, there wouldn't be a girl as miserable as my sister." Zao Yun said in a low voice, "From that day on, I vowed to kill evil ghosts until the last moment of my life."

"You're wrong, Zaoyun." I looked at him sadly, "Even if there were no ghosts in the world, there would still be wars and famines, there would be daimyos who sacrificed girls, and there would be daimyos who were raped by samurai and burned alive until only one ghost remained. A miserable girl with a tone of voice. And human beings are just used to blaming all their sins on aliens."

Xiaomei grabbed my sleeve tightly.

I understand that I lost my mind for a while and caused the atmosphere to be too tense, which is really unnecessary.

"In order to thank you for the snacks, why don't we do something lighter?" I smiled, "Don't you usually have any entertainment?"

"Entertainment?" Zaoyun thought about it seriously, "Zongzheng and I sometimes play double six, does that count?"

"How old are you?" I couldn't help laughing at him, "That's something for children, right? How about we compare sword skills?"

"I don't fight with girls." He actually said quite seriously, "Besides, for a beautiful girl like Miss Ran, wouldn't it be a waste of money if she gets hurt?"

"I can't see that you have a samurai spirit, isn't it because you are afraid of losing face?" I took out the usual aggressive method, "Why don't we make a bet, if you win, when I return to the human world, I will be in the shrine I will set up a god card for you, and strive to pull you out of hell as soon as possible?"

"What do I want that thing for!" Zao Yun laughed, "Comparison is just a comparison, but let's talk about it first, I only compare sword skills, and my breathing technique is only used to kill ghosts, not people."

I chose an open place in the forest, and slowly drew out the long knife. Zaoyun looked at my knife and was slightly taken aback.

"What's wrong?" I asked, "Is there a problem?"

"Miss Ran's knife is so strange... I don't know why, it doesn't look like a knife that can kill people." He smiled, "Are all priests' knives like this? No, Miss Ran should be called a witch, right? "

"...You talk a lot, should you compare or not?"

When Zaoyun held the handle of the knife, he suddenly seemed to be a different person, and the warm and loose feeling before was gone.

It was only now that I saw clearly the knife on his waist for the first time. The black scabbard was as wide as the palm of your hand, and the oval band was engraved with cloud patterns. The kekrik with electric blue arc appeared in front of my eyes.

What a great knife.Judging from the width and thickness of the blade, the force when swung should be very strong.

"Is this a ghost-slaying knife or a cow-killing knife? It doesn't look like ordinary steel." I said in surprise.

"The sun wheel knife is made of orangutan iron sand, which can absorb sunlight. Only this can cut off the neck of a ghost." Zao Yun chuckled, "Miss Ran, be careful, my knife is very sharp."

After finishing speaking, he leaned forward slightly, and the next moment he was already in front of my eyes.

So fast!

I blocked him horizontally, and although he didn't use breathing techniques, the force of the blades hitting each other still made my arms go numb.So I turned the blade slightly, deftly removed the force from his blade, turned my wrist, and stabbed straight at his neck.

A trace of astonishment flashed across Zao Yun's eyes, he immediately dodged my blade and took a few steps back.

"Miss Ran's movement is so strange, and it was agreed to be a competition, how come it is a killer move?"

"I'm sorry, sorry," I was very embarrassed, "I have killed too many monsters during this period, and I can't control it."

Of course, I have never learned any sword skills. My so-called knife skills are killing skills that I have practiced in the 200 years of hell with my survival instincts.

There were a few clangs of metal and iron, and Zaoyun suddenly praised: "Miss Ran's sword skills are not like girls at all, but a bit like Master Hizhu, the kind that is as agile and vigorous as Kagura Dance." What about your posture! If you were born at our time, I would definitely recommend you to the lord!"

"Haha, I'm terribly afraid of ghosts, and I'm not interested in joining your ghost killing team!" I laughed, "I did practice the sacrificial dance, so it probably has some influence. But I also feel the power of your sword." I like it very much!"

I was secretly worried.Soun's speed and the power of swinging a knife should not be underestimated. Although the prostitute Taro is also good at close combat, he is more flexible in terms of flexibility. Cheap.

Besides, the opponent hasn't used the breathing method yet.

There were dozens of confrontations between talking and laughing. I launched attacks from various tricky angles. Soyun's reaction speed was not slow. .

Neither of the two wanted to withdraw first.Zaoyun looked a little excited: "What is Miss Ran's knife made of? Normally such a thin blade would be broken by my knife after a few cuts. Your knife doesn't even have a gap!"

"You don't understand," I said mysteriously, "This is blessed by a secret technique, so it cannot be spread."

"Is the blade strengthened with a special spell?" Soyun asked in surprise, "That's why the lotus pattern is engraved on the blade?"

My eyes followed him to the outside of the blade, and found that there were actually shallow lines engraved on it, because the aura always circulates on the knife on weekdays, and there is no need for maintenance, so I didn't even notice that it was a lotus flower pattern.

Seeing the all-too-familiar pattern, my mind exploded.

——And that small knife, which is not sharpened, next time they ask you to perform some tricks, don't grab the blade stupidly...

——I have some things from the past that I want to entrust to you for safekeeping. They belong to that child...

The broken voice in the memory finally solidified into a picture:

Twilight stains the dilapidated torii gates of the shrine.That solitary figure walked out the door on the blood-stained Wan Feng, and never looked back, as if he had seen through the world long ago, and there was no longer any attachment between heaven and earth.

He has been to Arakawa Shrine, albeit 12 years late.

He has come.

At that time, I almost lost my divine power, and I, who only had a spirit body, couldn't even make a voice to call him.

— Stop, don't go any further.

——Stop, there is eternal night ahead, it is hell.

That was probably the first time in my long life that I experienced powerlessness, so weak that I could only turn into a snake shape and swallow the small knife that was left alone on the altar into my stomach.

I even remembered its smell, which was white sandalwood and frankincense, mixed with a faint scent of lotus.

The son of God of the Bliss Sect, has not been able to hear the voice of the gods throughout his life.

"Miss Ran, what's wrong with you?" Zaoyun's slightly panicked voice came from next to his ear, "Don't grab the blade, your hands are bleeding!"

I finally came back to my senses, looking at the blood-stained blade, I just felt heartbroken.

I'm sorry, but there are things that even gods can't do.

"It's nothing, I just suddenly remembered some old things. This knife was originally a gift from me to a friend, but he returned it for some reason. The man was indifferent. I always thought he didn't take it seriously, but... when I gave it to him , there is no lotus pattern engraved on it."

"It must have been engraved before it was returned." Zao Yun pondered, "This pattern looks old. It seems that Miss Ran's friend also thinks highly of Miss Ran."

"No, that's impossible!"

As I said this, I couldn't control my tears anymore.

"Eh? Don't cry! I'm most afraid of girls crying!" Zaoyun looked at a loss, "What's the big deal about such a small matter? Just ask the other party if they want to see you again? Your girls Children are such trouble!"

"But he's dead!" I cried and hugged the knife tightly, "He's dead! I couldn't save him! I couldn't do anything!"

No matter what, I never imagined that in hell, in front of a pillar of the Ghost Killing Squad, I could cry out the tears I had been holding back for a long time.

I feel like I’ve shed more tears in the past few months than I have in the past 200 years combined. If Xie Huamei hadn’t rushed over with a murderous expression on her face, picked up a branch and slammed Zaoyun, I would probably continue to cry.

It's a shame, it's a shame to throw it home.

As soon as I wiped away my tears, I heard Zhu Shi's voice not far away:

"Miss Ran? Is something wrong? Why are the surrounding trees down?"

"Long time no see, Miss Zhushi." I quickly restrained my emotions and smiled at her: "It's just me and Zaoyun who are exchanging sword skills."

"Yes, there really was no fight! Miss Bai, don't hit me anymore!" Zao Yun explained while being beaten.

Zhu Shi still had that gentle but unpredictable expression.

"Miss Ran, please come with me," she said, "My lord wants to see you."