vncnus Page 196
Page 196
"Wow, what an unexpected spirit..."
Looking at the energetic and chattering Enmusubi who had disrupted his plan to sleep in early in the morning, Xia Yan scratched his head helplessly.
He was also worried that she might not be able to get out of bed, and was thinking about whether he should give her some treatment.
I didn't expect him to be even more energetic than me.
Chapter 293 The more something is lacking, the more it is called that.
It must be admitted that Xia Yan underestimated the God of Fate.
Although this weak goddess gets out of breath after running just a few steps and doesn't seem much stronger than an ordinary person, there is still a difference between humans and gods.
At least their resilience and recovery ability far exceed those of ordinary people.
Despite enduring a fierce storm on her first visit, she was not only fine the next morning, but seemed to have been nourished.
Of course, it may also be related to the fact that she is no longer the little deity who relied entirely on faith and was almost gone yesterday.
Yesterday, after being baptized by wind and rain, the Enmusubi, who was originally a pure deity, already had a faint feeling that it was about to transform into a monster.
After fulfilling the oath of the Demon Inscription Wine with Xia Yan, he completely transformed from a god into a demon, becoming a demon with the power of faith, similar to Xia Yan.
Even after losing her faith, she was still able to live well as a monster.
There is absolutely no need to worry about disappearing if you lose believers.
Moreover, with Xia Yan's "Reverse Ghost Entanglement" buff, although he is not yet at the level of a great demon, he is the closest to that level. After being fully activated and entering the "Reverse Ghost Entanglement: Clear Mirror Still Water" state, he can even briefly contend with a great demon.
For an island nation, it can be considered one of the strongest.
As long as they are not targeted and besieged by powerful Onmyoji families such as the Genji, Fujiwara, or Kamo, there is basically no need to worry about safety.
Even if we are surrounded and attacked, it's not a big problem. If we can't fight back, we can just drop "Reverse Ghost Entanglement" and run away.
Anyway, it's just a black phantom, something that can regenerate. No matter how many die, Xia Yan won't feel sorry for it.
Under the repeated urging of the Goddess of Fate and her pleading and whining, Xia Yan gave up his idea of giving her a morning self-study session to review the core values he had taught her yesterday.
After breakfast, the two strolled leisurely toward Heian-kyo.
Although the demonic wind stirred up by Lingyue Fairy's claw was more of a prank and had no offensive power, it was precisely because of this that Xia Yan and the other person were blown even further away.
Furthermore, with the blessing of Xia Yan's "Reverse Ghost Entanglement", his demonic power became even stronger.
This almost made them disappear off the map.
At this time, Natsuhiko and Enmusubi were located roughly north of northern Honshu Island, near Hokkaido. Because this area was not yet unified and was inhabited by many indigenous people, this land was also known as "Ezo".
"However... this land is truly desolate... and it seems almost uninhabited..."
Having reverted to its goofy form, Enmusubi gazed at the visibly desolate land and couldn't help but sigh.
"After all, there's frequent fighting here, so it's normal for things to be a bit chaotic. It has nothing to do with us," Xia Yan said nonchalantly.
He had no time or inclination to concern himself with such matters, since he was a demon himself and had no intention of helping humans.
Although this era is called 'Heian-kyo', it was not actually very peaceful.
Although the Emperor's centralized power had reached its peak, in an era of underdeveloped transportation, local areas always had their own agendas, especially those further away from the central government.
Not to mention that this is a border area that is not yet unified, so it is naturally even more chaotic.
In some areas, village-level armed conflicts would even occur every few days, which was considered a serious war for the island nation at that time.
Therefore, the environment here cannot be described as thriving; rather, it can be described as a state of misery and hardship.
This can be seen from the faint miasma that appears from time to time in the wilderness.
In fact, apart from Heian-kyo, other places were more or less permeated with miasma, and even cities were no exception.
This miasma is not entirely produced by the environment, but rather it is a kind of passive ability that naturally emanates from demons and monsters, which can be considered unique to these creatures.
Miasma breeds monsters, and where monsters gather, miasma is generated.
The more powerful a monster is, the more powerful the miasma it will naturally carry. The miasma produced by ordinary monsters has a small range and at most makes people feel that the air is not fresh. Long-term inhalation will cause dizziness and physical discomfort.
If a powerful demon wanted to, the miasma it released could cover an entire city or a mountain, and its power would increase exponentially. Some demons who were skilled at using miasma could even poison it.
However, the miasma generated by an individual monster is basically only adaptable to that monster itself; other monsters would be affected if they entered it.
Therefore, apart from those spirits who are almost devoid of intelligence and cannot control the miasma, almost no monsters release miasma indiscriminately.
Just like people with strong body odor will try to cover it up when they go out.
Although the environment here was so-so, Xia Yan didn't have the idea of hurrying away and leaving. Instead, he continued to stroll leisurely, taking in the scenery along the way.
As the saying goes, "bad people come from poor and remote places," and the more chaotic the environment, the more fun it is to create.
For example, something interesting was happening right next to a ditch not far away.
……
"Boss! This woman is truly stunning! Her figure and face are both incredibly rare! I've never seen such a beautiful woman back in the village. Even noble ladies wouldn't be this pretty!"
"That's right! I never expected such a beautiful woman to be out and about like this! She's a gift from heaven!"
"Big brother! After you've had your fun, let the brothers have some too! I haven't touched a woman in almost a year since I was dragged off to fight!"
Looking at the pale-faced woman surrounded in the middle, her eyes filled with fear, and the five men dressed as bandits, armed with weapons, their eyes gleaming with a wolf-like green light.
The more chaotic a place is, the more likely it is to breed crime.
Due to the continuous warfare in this area, although the scale is not large, it still produces a large number of deserters and refugees.
Unable to return to their hometowns and not engaged in production, coupled with the ease with which weapons could be obtained, these people naturally became bandits over time.
Chapter 294 The Reason Why the Boss is the Boss
As she overheard the bandits' plans and heard the constant stream of foul language, the woman looked around, trying to find an opportunity to escape.
She naturally knew what she was about to encounter.
She was already surrounded, and the bandits' five pairs of eyes were practically glued to her, leaving her no chance to lose focus. She was just a weak woman and had no power to resist.
The woman came looking for her husband who had left home and never returned.
She was originally the wife of a samurai, and she and her husband were very much in love; at least, she loved her husband very much.
However, her husband left home to go to the battlefield many years ago, and she hasn't received a single letter from him since.
If that's all there is to it, the woman may miss him, but she will only think of him as someone who died on the battlefield.
However, most of the other villagers who went to war returned, saying that they had won the battle and that their husbands had become generals because of their bravery.
He clearly said he would write to me, and he also said that if he died on the battlefield, he would turn into a white bird and fly to my window in the red sunrise to deliver his last letter home.
But he's already a general, so why hasn't he received a letter yet...?
They must have been too busy with work to remember.
With this in mind, after finding out the location of the military camp, the woman resolutely embarked on the journey to find her husband.
Despite being extremely careful, they were still discovered by bandits who happened to be there to fetch water.
Thinking of her tragic fate, the woman's eyes grew increasingly desperate and empty.
It must be admitted that these bandits had a good eye for talent.
Although even ordinary village girls in this world have a beauty level of 60 or 70, there is no doubt that the woman in front of us would be considered stunningly beautiful no matter where she is placed.
Her beautiful face, with its sickly pale skin and the despair that flashed in her eyes, evoked a feeling of pity in the viewer.
Her long, thick, jet-black hair was styled into a low, large bun at the back of her head, parted in the middle and secured with a hairpin and a wooden comb. Her lips were rosy, a stark contrast to her pale complexion.
She wore a dark purple kimono, which looked somewhat dirty and messy, perhaps because she had been away for many days, but there were no patches. She had a wide beige sash tied around her waist, and her light brown eyes were filled with tears, making her look sad and touching.
Even compared to celestial beauties like Lingyue Fairy and Yuanjie Goddess, she can only be said to be slightly inferior.
With that kind of looks, if she were in a geisha district or a kabuki actress, even without any special talents, she could easily become a top courtesan or the most popular performer just by showing off her charm.
"Hehehe—Don't worry! I, your big brother, will never hog all the fun! Let's share the joy, let's share the joy!"
The bandit leader made a very grand speech.
That just goes to show, otherwise how could they become the leader?
Of course, this is also related to the fact that he only had four subordinates.
After all, although he was a little stronger than the other four underlings, he was definitely not strong enough to take on all four at once.
Moreover, the only difference in equipment was that he had a few more pieces of tattered bamboo armor on his body.
If he dares to refuse to share and chooses to keep it all to himself in this situation, the five-man gang might turn into four bandits in two minutes, and a new bandit leader will emerge.
Therefore, agreeing without hesitation is the best option.
Even if this woman was just caught by chance, even if she were the wife of a bandit leader before he was conscripted, he would never allow himself to be taken advantage of at this time.
But this woman is still damn beautiful! *slurp*
Thinking of this, the bandit leader swallowed his saliva and, under the eager gaze of his four other brothers, pushed the woman to the ground.
Just as he was about to pounce, someone grabbed his shoulder and forcefully pushed him back.
"Hehe, what a nice woman~ Can I be included too?"
"Hehehe, no problem, you let go first. If you're in a hurry, you're next... Hey!? Who the hell are you!?"
The bandit leader, blinded by lust, replied without thinking, but only after speaking did he realize that the voice didn't sound like one of his men; it sounded somewhat unfamiliar...
Are there other people trying to get a piece of the pie?!
Thinking of this, the bandit leader's eyes flashed with a fierce light, his right hand rested on the hilt of his knife, and he suddenly looked behind him...
He wanted to see just who dared to be so ungrateful...
Oh no...!!?
At first glance, it was a truly imposing height.
In the Heian-kyo era, where the average height was no more than 1.6 meters, Xia Yan's nearly 2-meter height made him stand out like a different species. To say that he was a crane standing among chickens would be an understatement.
The man was extremely tall, with a strong and well-proportioned physique. He exuded power and did not appear clumsy at all.