vncnus Chapter 2241-2239 Lord of the Killing Stone
Chapter 2241-2239 Lord of the Killing Stone
Chapter 2241-2.239 Lord of the Killing Stone
"Sister Xing, let me do it." Before Consort Xing Xiaolu could even unleash "The Snow Queen's Ice Crystal Waltz" to cleanse the chaotic West Nomaru Palace, the head courtesan Yuko from the fifth district made her grand entrance.
"Yes, Captain." Consort Xing Xiaolu made a swift exit with a dragon tail swing.
As a cloud of smoke, reminiscent of ukiyo-e prints, rose up, Captain Yuko, the courtesan of Gobancho, transformed into a 12-foot-tall samurai in Nanban armor and strode confidently into the arena.
"I smell the scent of 'Killing Stone' on you," said Rankichi, the Tatsumi Geisha, who was known as the best in Fukagawa, his voice tinged with suspicion.
As previously known, "様" is an honorific title, equivalent to "Your Highness". "様" of "Sesshoseki no sama" is "Sesshoseki no sama" - Tamamo-no-Mae.
"Tamamo-no-Mae" is a legendary yokai from the late Heian period (1129-1156) in Japan. It is also known as the golden-haired, white-faced, nine-tailed fox and is considered one of the "Three Great Evil Yokai" along with Shuten-dōji and Ōtengu.
Legend has it that her prototype was a white-faced, golden-haired nine-tailed fox who disguised herself as a young girl and traveled to Japan on the ship of the envoy Kibi no Makibi. She was later adopted by the samurai Sakabe and his wife, and named Tamamo-no-Mae. Due to her exceptional intelligence and unparalleled beauty, she was hailed as "Japan's First Talented Woman" and entered the palace as a favored concubine of Emperor Toba. She attempted to usurp the throne by absorbing the emperor's essence, but her true identity was ultimately exposed by the Onmyoji Abe no Yasuchika. After fleeing to Nasuno, the Japanese court dispatched troops to suppress her. Abe no Yasuchika used a divine mirror to shoot her down, and she was eventually defeated. Her body transformed into the poisonous "Killing Stone," which remained untouched until it was destroyed by the monk Gen'ō during the Nanboku-chō period.
This poisonous stone emitted a potent toxic gas, instantly withering surrounding vegetation and killing any birds or beasts that approached it. The nearby villagers suffered greatly, living in constant fear. To eliminate the harm caused by the Killing Stone, the imperial court repeatedly sent officials to deal with it, but all attempts failed. It wasn't until the Nanboku-chō period that the first abbot of Aizu Gengen-ji Temple, the monk Gen'ō, appeared. Using his profound Buddhist teachings, he successfully shattered the Killing Stone, scattering fragments throughout Japan, finally bringing an end to this long-standing calamity.
That's right. As the ancestor of fox demons, the nine-tailed demon queen Su Daji must share the same origin as her fox children and grandchildren.
However, this statement carries a deeper meaning. Clearly, among the night-walking demons of Tokei-ji Temple, there is a high probability that Tamamo-no-Mae, one of the "Three Great Evil Demons," is among them. Otherwise, Jorogumo, who transformed into Somekichi, the Tatsumi Geisha known as the greatest in Fukagawa, wouldn't have claimed to smell the "Sessho-seki" (Killing Stone).
"You have seen my people." Another puff of smoke, full of ukiyo-e style. The 12-foot Nanban-style armored warrior split in two, becoming two identical 7-foot Nanban-style warriors.
"Who are you?" The female demon Jorogumo stared intently at the seven-foot-tall Nanban warrior on her left, as if facing a formidable enemy.
"Su Daji." The Nine-Tailed Demon Queen Su Daji lifted the Nanman Helmet, revealing a stunningly beautiful woman who could bring ruin to a nation: "The leader of the Nine-Tailed Clan."
“Ah…” the female demon Jorogumo sighed, “I have heard your legend, madam.”
"Where is Tamamo-no-Mae?" Su Daji, the Nine-Tailed Demon Queen, pressed for details.
"The 'Killing Stone' was shattered by the monk Gen'on and scattered in various places..." The female demon Jorogumo did not hide this fact.
"Though the physical body is destroyed, the primordial spirit remains." The Nine-Tailed Demon Queen Su Daji would not easily give up: "If I am like this, where is Tamamo-no-Mae's primordial spirit?"
"Legend has it that it was sealed within the Yata no Kagami by the Onmyoji Abe no Yasachika," the sorceress Jorogumo exclaimed. However, upon closer examination, it doesn't seem entirely unreasonable. The Yata no Kagami, also known as the "Mirror of True Scripture," is one of the Three Sacred Treasures of Japan (the others being the Kusanagi Sword and the Yasakani no Magatama). Originating from the Chinese water mirror (Jian), it later evolved into a bronze mirror engraved with auspicious patterns such as pine, bamboo, plum blossoms, tortoises, and cranes. Eight powerful rays surround the mirror, resembling a tortoise and a fish. Legend says it is an incarnation of Amaterasu Omikami, representing the legitimacy of imperial power. It was forged by the gods to lure Amaterasu Omikami out of her hiding place in the Iwato Cave. The authenticity of the Yata no Kagami currently enshrined at the Ise Grand Shrine in Mie Prefecture is questionable; historical records indicate it may have been destroyed in a fire in 1005.
"It really is the Yata Mirror." The Nine-Tailed Demon Queen Su Daji changed the subject: "How do you know such a secret?"
"It's because there's a piece of pear wood here that represents killing." The female demon Jorogumo told her everything without reservation.
"Pear-shaped gravel" is an Edo slang term, literally meaning "small stones shaped like pears," but actually meaning "to throw good money after bad" or "to disappear without a trace." "Killing Pear Gravel" simply refers to the small stones scattered across the Japanese archipelago after the poisonous "Killing Stone" (Sessho-seki) formed from Tamamo-no-Mae's corpse was broken by the Buddhist monk Gen'o using Buddhist teachings.
"Where is Li Li?" Now that things have come to this, the Nine-Tailed Demon Queen Su Daji will certainly not let this go.
“It’s just ahead.” The female demon Jorogumo pointed to Sannomaru.
The "San-no-maru" (Third Maru) was historically the outer fortified area of Edo Castle during the Tokugawa shogunate period, housing the residences of lords and senior retainers, warehouses, horse farms, and auxiliary defensive facilities. Hirakawa Gate was the main gate of the San-no-maru, built in 1620 by six daimyo, including Date Masamune, the lord of the Sendai Domain. According to the *Gōfu Nai Bichō* (Notes from the Imperial Palace), it was named Hirakawa Gate because it was located near Hirakawa Village. The first gate of Hirakawa Gate was the Koryō Gate, and the second was the Watagura Gate, forming the robust masugata style used to defend Edo Castle. A wooden bridge, 29.7 meters long and 7.82 meters wide, spanned the Hirakawa moat in front of the gate. Completed in 1614, the bridge's pillars were engraved with inscriptions from the Kan'ei and Keichō periods. Additionally, because it served as the exit for transporting the dead and criminals, it was also known as the "Impure Gate." The famous "Chushingura" (Forty-Seven Loyalists of the Genroku-Ako Incident), in Japanese history, saw its lord, Asano Nai-takuto, leave the castle through Hirakawa Gate as a convicted criminal.
Because the residences of the "Gosankyō" (the Gosankyō being a collective term for the Tokugawa families of Tayasu, Hitotsubashi, and Shimizu, established by the Tokugawa shogunate during the Edo period, and ranking second only to the Gosankyō as candidates for the shogun's succession) were nearby, this was also the entrance and exit for the Gosankyō into the castle. Both the Gosankyō and the "Gosankyō" (the three branch families of the Tokugawa shogunate with succession rights outside the main shogunate family: the Owari, Kishu, and Mito Tokugawa families), established by Tokugawa Ieyasu during his lifetime, were candidates for the Tokugawa shogun's succession. As time passed, the blood ties between the Gosankyō established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and the shogunate gradually weakened, leading to the creation of the Gosankyō during the reigns of the eighth and ninth shoguns. The eleventh and fifteenth shoguns were from the Gosankyō.
In short, a small piece of petrified pear wood from Tamamo-no-Mae fell into the Sannomaru.
"Very good." Knowing the whole story, the Nine-Tailed Demon Queen Su Daji was satisfied: "I will give you a great fortune."
"What does Madam mean?" The demoness Joshinbō was about to speak when nine shadowy tails, like serpents dancing wildly or peacocks spreading their tails, stretched out behind Su Daji's seven-foot-tall southern barbarian warrior. At the end of each shadowy tail, the Three Lives Eye, resembling a peacock feather "eye spot," suddenly opened.
For a moment, her alluring gaze was like silk, obscuring the sun and sky.
The demoness Jorogumo was instantly captivated. Like a butterfly caught in its own cocoon, she was wrapped in a web of seductive charms, unable to move.
Apart from her, the entire hall filled with menacing demons instantly went berserk. They turned their weapons against each other, engaging in a frenzied exchange of blows.
Indeed, "a feather sinks in the weak water; a beautiful woman is a source of endless trouble." This is the ultimate "seductive art" that can captivate ordinary people for three lifetimes at a glance.
(End of this chapter)