Chapter 22 The Curse of the Rain and Mist

Chapter 22 The Curse of the Rain and Mist

A month has passed since Fudo Yukimitsu pledged his allegiance. Many swords have arrived during this month, and the tsukumogami who know Hanshu's identity will inform the newcomer.

They all unanimously chose to conceal the fact that Han Zhou was a god. Because the government was not trustworthy, the swords who had been there since the very beginning of the citadel all understood this.

Beep beep beep—

While processing documents in his office, Hanshu heard a message from the terminal: his attendant, Shokudaikiri Mitsutada, had brought the terminal over that day.

Han Zhou rarely uses this; he usually keeps it with the spacetime detector. Why not?

Terminals are generally used for communication between Saniwa, but Han Zhou hasn't added any Saniwa's terminal ID yet.

With no one to contact, this thing was shelved. Generally, only Tsurumaru uses this thing to browse the forums among Saniwa (masters/soulmates).

Han Zhou didn't know how the other party knew his terminal ID, but he guessed who had the authority to know this information.

[I apologize for sending this message, but you're the only person I can turn to for help right now. Yu Yuwu has been in a coma for two days now, and the government can't do anything about it. Could you please come and take a look? — Qingye]

Han Zhou thought for a moment after seeing the message and gave a reply.

"Yes, I will come with my attendant in half an hour."

【Thank you for your help. I'll send you the core coordinates of the Miyugiri Honmaru.】

Shokudaikiri also saw the message. He was happy to accompany Kanshu to the other citadels, but he was also a little worried.

There's a high probability that the enemy's citadel will contain swords that Hanzuru once used; encountering them could cause unnecessary trouble.

Although Han Zhou could use illusion magic to conceal his true appearance, Qing Ye and Yu Yu Wu had both seen it. Visiting with a false face would be extremely impolite.

"Don't worry about Shokudaikiri," she reassured her attendant, noticing his concern.

Sitting to the side, Kitsunenosuke spoke up, "Then I will go and inform the lords of the citadel that once our lord is ready, he can use the time converter to go directly to Lord Miyazaki's citadel."

This matter seems quite troublesome; otherwise, given Qingye's personality, he wouldn't have asked her for help. After all, to them, she was merely a Saniwa they had met once and hadn't actually interacted with.

It's easy to imagine that Yu Yuwu's condition wasn't good.

Han Zhou changed into a light blue yukata, still carrying a small dagger concealed in his bosom. Visiting someone else's citadel with a sword at your waist would only make you look like you're looking for trouble.

A flash of golden light

She and Shokudaikiri appeared in the courtyard of the Miyugiri Honmaru.

In the eyes of the swordsmen of the Miyugiri Honmaru, a powerful force swept over them the moment the unfamiliar Saniwa appeared, only to recede just as quickly.

Qingye was already waiting for her with the attendants of Yuyuwu Honmaru.

What a coincidence! When the Rain Mist ran into trouble, it was Mikazuki Munechika who stepped forward to take charge.

Although Han Zhou was not surprised by this.

Miyugiri possesses immense spiritual power, and having served for five years, her citadel is now fully populated by swordsmiths, meaning... a considerable number of swords recognize her.

I recognized all the swords of the Shinsengumi, Sakamoto Ryoma's sword, Genji's two swords, as well as Mikazuki and Tsurumaru Kuninaga.

"That's it!" Kiyomitsu couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. As Okita Souji's beloved sword, he could never forget the person who taught Okita-kun swordsmanship.

Han Zhou raised his index finger to his lips, the meaning of which was self-evident.

Qingye didn't care about this little incident; he was now very worried about Yuyuwu's condition.

"I'm sorry, I might have to trouble you this time."

Let me see what's going on.

Mikazuki stepped forward at the opportune moment, bowed slightly, and extended his hand to lead the way.

Please come with me.

Miyuki is currently lying in the castle tower, with Kitsunenosuke and a government official by her side.

Upon seeing the man and the fox, Han Zhou immediately ordered them to leave.

"Get out; you're just causing trouble here."

The political staff hadn't expected Han Zhou's attitude to be so sharp, and were just about to retort when—

Clang—

The katana that Shokudaikiri was holding at the waist was drawn by Kanzuru with such speed that none of the sword spirits present could react in time.

A sharp katana was pressed against the neck of the political worker; if Han Zhou's hand trembled even slightly, blood would be drawn.

"I, I'll leave right now!"

Kitsune-no-suke, fearing he'd be next, darted away after his opponent. Kanshu sheathed his katana, ignoring the helpless look in Kanshu's eyes.

The golden divine light rapidly formed layer upon layer of barriers, completely isolating any possibility of prying into their territory.

Aside from the unconscious Yu Yuwu, only Han Zhou, Qing Ye, and two tsukumogami remained.

"I'll be blunt: Yu Yuwu is cursed. And it's quite secretly."

Qingye stared in disbelief at Yuyuwu lying on the bed. A curse of this magnitude was indeed difficult to detect. But Hanzhou was a deity; she didn't need to investigate such things at all. Within her sight—

Yu Yuwu was enveloped in a thick black mist.

"A curse of this magnitude would have negligible effect even if blessed by a divine sword spirit."

Qingye looked at Yu Yuwu, who was lying on the bed with a complex expression, her face deathly pale. He exhaled and looked seriously at Hanzhou.

"Please, save her. I'll pay any price, as long as I can."

Seeing this, Han Zhou couldn't help but want to test Qing Ye's resolve.

"I want half of your spiritual power."

What? Spiritual power?

Qingye's spiritual power is not as great as Yuyuwu's. If he loses half of his spiritual power, he will not be able to support an S-rank Honmaru. If he wants to forcibly supply the S-rank Honmaru, he will have to sacrifice his lifespan.

"Okay," Qingye replied without hesitation.

It's only half the spiritual power. Even with only half the power, his citadel can still support the tsukumogami, though he doesn't have a full sword roster. He just needs to change to a different citadel.

He had no reason to hesitate, as this did not violate his principles or cost him his life.

After confirming that Qingye was not lying, she knew that she might have two more allies.

"Qingye, you should know that only the three major families have the ability to lay down this kind of curse."

If it's just an ordinary Saniwa without any background, even an S-rank Saniwa wouldn't dare to offer help easily, for fear of being retaliated against by the three major families.

"I guessed it... if you think so."

"Please excuse me, I'm here to save people," Han Zhou interrupted Qing Ye.

After Qingye left, Mikazuki turned his gaze to Hanzhou beside him. He never imagined they would meet again.

Han Zhou clenched his fist, and a semi-transparent shield appeared in his palm, while a continuous stream of black evil energy was drawn into his palm.

"Mikazuki, the Time Government is untrustworthy. If it weren't for Miyuki's immense spiritual power, this curse would have killed her within a day."

It's already quite remarkable that Yu Yuwu can hold on for two more days. If the curse isn't lifted by tomorrow, Yu Yuwu will also perish.

Mikazuki breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you for saving me, Lord Kanbune."

"It's a small matter, but... I won't act for nothing. I'll discuss the price for Yu Yuwu with her after she recovers. Don't reveal my identity."

"I see"

None of the thousand-year-old swords are easy to deal with, and Mikazuki Munechika is an exceptionally shrewd one. He also guessed why Kanshu was hiding his identity.

After the curse was removed by Han Zhou, Yu Yuwu's complexion began to regain its rosy hue. Looking at the curse in his hand, which was constantly trying to break through the protective barrier, Han Zhou frowned slightly.

This thing reminded her of the Time Traveler.

"My lord? Is there a problem?"

Han Zhou shook his head, and with a clench of his five fingers, the black mist vanished instantly.

"She'll probably wake up in about three hours. Her soul has been corrupted during the two days she's been unconscious." Han Zhou took a purple sachet from the space in her earring and handed it to Mikazuki.

"This contains my power; let her carry it with her at all times. It can accelerate the recovery of her corrupted soul and also prevent her from being cursed again."

Thank you.

Mikazuki took the sachet

A note from the author:

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