In the mountains of Mino, the population is sparse.

Nevertheless, a path has been carved out, mainly used in recent years for building residences, and by soldiers transporting various goods up the mountain. It is relatively flat, and at this moment, a group of people is descending from the mountain, moving slowly toward Lushan City.

The elite soldiers at the back keep their distance, and the two people at the forefront are walking side by side, an elder and a youth—

The younger one is handsome and elegant, dressed in a deep blue Onmyoji hunting robe, with a high crown on his head, exuding a gentle scholarly charm. He taps a folding fan in his hand, conversing pleasantly with the other person.

Though the elder shows signs of age, he remains robust, broad but not simply overweight, more appropriately described as stout. His forehead is smooth and bright, and when he speaks, his voice is vigorous, full of energy when he laughs loudly.

"The site chosen by Lord Dao San for the shrine is indeed excellent; maintaining a barrier there should fend off evil attacks. I have already inspected the mechanisms inside the mountain and left talismans to reinforce the barrier. It might improve things..."

The handsome Onmyoji spoke thus.

"Truly worthy of being the Child of the White Fox, Lord Qingming, your mastery of Yin Yang Technique, in my view, has indeed reached a state of unparalleled excellence..." Saito Dosan nodded slightly, stroking the beard on his chin with satisfaction, his words full of praise.

He was born in a village of Demon Exterminators named Chu Yeshi and was once the previous leader of the Demon Exterminators. However, as his views profoundly changed later, he realized that simply exterminating demons couldn't save people because the true source of chaos lay in human actions masquerading as demonic disturbance.

Continuous wars and unrest were the root of chaos, and addressing the symptoms instead of the root couldn't save the world.

Thus, he resolutely chose a career change, first transitioning from Demon Exterminator to merchant, then seizing the opportunity to capture Mino Country, transforming from a merchant to a daimyo... The old man has lived a legendary life, an idealist who could achieve what he imagined.

Given his background, Saito Dosan was naturally familiar with Talismanic Magic, and he was quite adept at it himself. Even the Viper Divine Domain, designed for securing and collecting Spirit Stones across the land, was his creation, as he couldn't trust it to others.

However, witnessing firsthand the abilities of this legendary Onmyoji from the Heian Era, Saito Dosan realized that indeed there is always someone better, and since his mind was no longer on this path, he felt no sense of defeat, speaking heartily with endless admiration.

"I am unworthy of Lord Dao San's praise, merely trivial skills..." Abe no Seimei smiled warmly, speaking modestly.

"Deserving, you are deserving, why wouldn't you be..." Saito Dosan waved his hand, laughing heartily, "After all, I do know your current situation..."

He understood somewhat the situation of Abe no Seimei and Minamoto no Yoshiie, as both were people of the Heian Era. Regardless of the astonishing martial skills or magic they mastered, as people, how could they live to the present? Thus, the two are merely akin to Shikigami-like clones, preserved to this day.

But this technique alone was enough to astound the world, and even clones with such abilities earn admiration.

Abe no Seimei smiled without arguing but seemed to ponder something, frowning as he reflected: "Actually, Lord Dao San, your arrangements are not an issue, but with recent frequent incidents, it doesn't seem like the work of mindless demons; this matter needs more attention..."

Saito Dosan hid a remarkable number of Spirit Stones in the mountain, naturally attracting those devils and demon ghosts, a common occurrence.

But even by Abe no Seimei's judgment, the arrangements within the mountain were sufficiently secret, with cleverly placed mechanisms and talismans to mask the Spirit Stones' presence and repel nearby potential threats from various spirits and demons.

However, incidents have been occurring frequently recently, ultimately compelling them to invite him over for a personal inspection yesterday...

This seemed somewhat strange, as although the traces appeared fine, the Onmyoji found it hard to believe low-level, mindless demon ghosts could achieve such results; something more troublesome might have its eyes set here.

"I am aware of this, and I will be watching over it..."

Saito Dosan's expression also turned somber, having considered this point, his shrewd, unfogged elderly eyes flashing with sharpness and killing intent.

"Watching over it all the time..." Abe no Seimei was slightly surprised, "Lord Dao San, aren't you returning to Rice Leaf Mountain? In that case, who will oversee Mino..."

It would've been better not to mention it, but once mentioned—

"Who else could it be..." Saito Dosan immediately seemed to grit his teeth, his eyes appearing to burn with fire.

"..."

"..."

A brief silence.

Abe no Seimei awkwardly coughed: "I have also heard a bit about this matter; however, I think it might be a misunderstanding. After all, the time was short, and it seems Gu Mo hasn't had much interaction with Lord Yoshitaka..."

After all, as friends, it's important to help smooth things over, and indeed he thought so. What could be done in such a short time? Surely the young master didn't provoke another daughter of this lord, unlikely to confess after only meeting a few times, right...

"Hmph, it better be so!"

Saito Dosan snorted coldly with a sour face; he clearly disliked that young man.

......

...

Lushan City.

Heaven-Defending Tower.

In the dimly lit Japanese room, one side was a sliding door leading to a corridor, and outside the other side, the sky was clear, offering a boundless vista that was refreshing to the heart.

"That's basically what I had to say... Now, I'm back." Gu Mo finished his narration in one breath, smiling at the black-haired girl across from him. He casually pulled over a tray, picked up a teapot inside, poured a cup of tea, and pushed it in front of the girl—

"Any more questions, Ah Xiu?"

After his earlier tale, he recounted his story once more, omitting some sensitive and unnecessary parts, finally revealing his origins to Hidechika. Speaking it all out in one breath was quite relieving as he sipped his tea, observing the black-haired girl's expression across from him.

Gu Mo found his feelings toward Hidechika rather complex and carried a bit of conscience unease. Although the girl realized early that he was lying and didn't hold a grudge, he ultimately offered no explanation either.

Initially, he wasn't confident and had limited options, appearing calm while actually walking on thin ice, naturally being as cautious as possible...

But that was then, and now the situation was vastly different.

"..."

"..."

The room was enveloped in silence.

The black-haired girl, dressed in the training attire used for the dojo, seemed to furrow her brow in thought. The amount of information Gu Mo provided was still a bit too much for her to digest all at once, things like another world, things like traveling through time...

Even though the other party explained it in great detail, these concepts were still a bit too complex for her. It wasn't something she could accept immediately.

After all, no matter what, she was also someone raised in this era...

She didn't have the modern person's ability to immediately adjust her worldview.

"Actually, it's okay if you can't understand it all at once. Just think of me as coming from a very faraway place, that's all. I went back once before, and now I've come again..." Gu Mo smiled, put down the cup in his hand, and offered comforting words, "It's enough to understand it this way; the essence is the same."

Hidechika pondered slightly, then nodded gently, though her bright eyes still showed a hint of bewilderment.

It seems she's still a bit conflicted...

Gu Mo felt slightly amused and at the same time looked seriously at the girl across from him. She hadn't changed much from his impression; she looked cute in her dojo attire, with an added touch of gallant charm.

Of course, after all, it had only been half a month since he left...

Thoughts spun in Gu Mo's mind, his gaze fixed on the girl beside him. Although nothing was visible, he could vaguely sense the presence of a Guardian Spirit.

Two!

In such a short time, another Guardian Spirit had chosen her as its master?

Gu Mo clicked his tongue in wonder. As he was now walking as an avatar, he naturally had no Guardian Spirit. Weapons and equipment were all on his original self, at least until the method to replicate the Treasure was successful. For now, he was like a blank small account.

— It was precisely because of this, after dismissing the Illusion Technique, that he had to put in a lot of effort to make Ah Xiu believe he was indeed himself. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Although he wasn't as good as his main account, his level was quite high, still able to suppress most enemies...

Tap, tap, tap—

At this moment, light footsteps came from the corridor outside, someone was approaching. Gu Mo blinked, feeling a bit guilty, lowered his head, and took another sip of tea, recognizing whose footsteps these were, even if not very familiar or deeply impressed.

Yet in this inner city, with height and weight identical to the black-haired girl opposite him, practically another girl cast from the same mold...

There was no need for a second thought.

Soon, the footsteps arrived outside the door, and with a swoosh, the door was slid open. A girl with black hair falling like satin and wearing an exquisite kimono appeared at the entrance. She glanced at the two people inside and instantly flashed a flowery smile.

"Lord Gu Mo has finally returned. You've kept your sister waiting, indeed..."

The girl said with a smile, her gaze drifting to the quietly sitting Hidechika, who slightly froze and turned her head somewhat unnaturally.

"..."

"..."

A brief silence.

"So... it's like this."

Gu Mo slightly narrowed his eyes, examining the girl identical to Hidechika. His keen Divine Will detected the malignant thoughts entwined around Saito Yoshitaka. He then lightly exhaled, nodded thoughtfully, and suddenly felt that he understood everything in a flash.

"What?" The girl's complexion slightly tightened, but she masked it well, seemingly puzzled as she tilted her head slightly.

"Layman Guoxin..." Gu Mo leisurely stood up, dusting off his clothes.

At the mention of that name, Saito Yoshitaka's eyes flared with an ominous blood-red light, and almost instantly, terrifying Demonic Power erupted from her body!

Hidechika was startled.

And in the face of the strong energy sweeping instantly through the entire room, Gu Mo smirked; the second daughter's bizarre behavior was clearly due to falling victim to the mastermind's tricks. That troublesome Wild Soul was like a Heart Demon, easily tempting if not careful!

Had they already made a move at this time?!

......

Rumble!!

Rumbling!!

Massive noises and vibrations came from the upper levels of the Heaven-Defending Tower, naturally alerting the guards, and coincidentally allowing Saito Dosan and others who had just returned to Lushan City to notice. They rushed over at the fastest speed, not knowing what had happened, but clearly, something unexpected!

"Hurry up!"

"Faster!!"

"It's right here!!"

Rushing to the top level of the Heaven-Defending Tower as fast as possible, arriving at the scene of the incident, a group of formidable people found that the site had just quieted down. A black-haired girl stood bewildered in the corner of a room ravaged by violent force, as if hit by a typhoon.

And in the room, another black-haired girl in a kimono lay there in astonishment, while a young man held her wrist, his other hand gripping her shoulder, pinning her down from top to bottom...

"..."

"..."

After a brief silence.

A terrifying killing intent burst forth, coming from a certain old father in the crowd.