Chapter 310

Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW

Chapter 310: Grave Guilt! the Unforgiving World!

Kokonohana Nori found a clinic by herself and borrowed its facilities to have Yoshine Ise undergo the surgery.

She herself is a surgeon, and that is the reason why she came here all alone without any backup.

Even after the surgery, Ise couldn’t fall asleep right away. She took a few pain relievers and had to force herself to stay awake.

The funeral attendant was cleaning the blood stains on her fingers and says, "So you were discovered midway, but you have no idea about the specific location, right?"

Shimizu said, "When a large number of evil demons gather, it is a dangerous sign. We should report it to the shrine."

Kokonohana Nori sighed, "Currently, the shrine doesn’t possess the power for a decisive battle. Surely, they are also aware of this fact, which is why they specifically chose the time in December."

"The Metropolitan Police Department and Onmyoryou, although Onmyoji are not usually of much use, they should at least play a role at times like this. We can’t be worse than even emergency toilet paper," Igarashi Shimizu exclaimed in discontent.

"What about reporting to the shogunate?" Ise added, "If we send a skilled swordsman, there should be a way to handle it."

Kokonohana Nori sighed, "I’m afraid we won’t be able to contact the outside world. Once the other party knows you’ve escaped, they will surely do everything they can to obstruct us. Our situation is not safe. If they have already made thorough preparations, it is unlikely they will allow us to escape easily."

"If the transportation routes are really cut off, it would be impossible to leave the mountain area. There is another hidden dimension in Shikoku Town, like a pocket that once you enter, you can’t get out. You need to be mentally prepared to endure and stay here."

"Fortunately, there are many empty houses in Shikoku Town, making it not too difficult to find a place to hide. They might try to block us, but it is unlikely that they will openly enter here to search for people."

Ise worriedly expressed, "I’m not sure. The person we tracked before, they might have been one of them. Perhaps they have been replaced, or maybe many of the residents in Shikoku Town have been bribed?"

Shimizu asked cautiously, "Do we need to change our location next?"

The funeral attendant said, "I don’t think my true identity has been revealed, so I can temporarily go out. The clinic here only has some basic doctors who are not capable of performing surgeries, so there’s no need to worry about being exposed. I have set up a barrier to sense any supernatural presence, and so far, nothing has happened. At least tonight is safe. Tomorrow morning, I will find a way to send you back first, and if necessary, we will find a safer location."

She paused and said, "Before, Bai Wei also mentioned a family named Shimura. Tomorrow, I plan to go and ask them. If they are willing to help and provide a safe place for us, it shouldn’t be difficult."

Ise, mustering up her courage, said, "I’m not worried about whether we can leave or the issue of safety, Lord Funeral. We can’t just sit idly by and don’thing."

The funeral attendant, quietly said, "Of course, I won’t just sit around and wait for the worst. You all should concentrate on recovering, don’t worry about these things."

She surveyed the expressions of the two sword witches and thought it would be best to conclude this heavy topic and engage in some lighthearted conversation to lift their spirits.

The funeral attendant’s thoughts were drifting when suddenly he coughed, then with narrowed eyes, asked, "Should I have just said – isn’t he still here – so that you would feel relaxed and at ease when listening?"

Shimizu was drinking water and suddenly choked, "Cough, cough, cough, I didn’t… didn’t mean that, Lord Zangyi, please don’t misunderstand."

She said cautiously, "That person, Bai… Bai Wei is Jingūji’s lover, but I don’t have that kind of intention."

"I never said you had that idea, but you brought it upon yourself?" Nori Kokonohana gently tapped Shimizu’s head.

"It was obviously you, Lord Kokonohana, deliberately…" Shimizu sat on the nearby sofa, hugging her knees. "I am very grateful for him saving my life, it’s true."

Ise added, "The heart was also moved."

"Don’t speak nonsense," Shimizu quickly denied.

"I was talking about myself," Ise continued.

Qingshui’s face turned red, then she looked at Ise with disbelief. "Are you serious? You dare to say such a thing, aren’t you afraid of Jingūji challenging you to a duel?"

"He is not Jingūji’s lover," Kokonohana Nori added, "It’s not true. He denied it himself."

"Is that so?" Shimizu exclaimed in astonishment. "Then why did he go to rescue Jingūji? What was the reason?"

"Why did he save you?" Kokonohana Nori asked in return. "Did he say why?"

"I didn’t have time to ask," Igarashi Shimizu said regretfully.

"The people of the Ming Country are like this. The spirit of chivalry is a kind of romance to them. Maybe they just do it because they have the ability to do so, without needing to worry about reasons," Kokonohana Nori intentionally blurred the close friendship between Saki Jingūji and Yagyū Simozi.

"So, that’s how it is," Igarashi Shimizu said, becoming lost in thought.

"Did you just heave a sigh of relief?" Yoshine Ise mercilessly dismantled her friend’s argument.

"I’m not, I didn’t!"

"That’s great! I was worried that our close friendship would be ruined because of a man."

"Ise, can you be a bit more reserved?" Shimizu exclaimed, pounding the sofa. "He’s good-looking and can fight, but you’re just… so outrageous."

"Fool…" Ise sighed. "Is it necessary to be reserved? He saved my life; if it weren’t for him, I would have died today. Can’t I have feelings for my own life-saving hero?"

Shimizu opened her mouth and said, "Ise, this is not love, you’re mistaken."

"Of course not, it’s dependence or the bridge effect," she analyzed rationally, then said emotionally, "But is it really a bad thing? Since it has already happened, why not choose to embrace this feeling?"

Shimizu said earnestly, "Your thinking is wrong. We owe him our lives, a debt that I will remember for the rest of my life. Even if he makes unreasonable demands, I won’t even bat an eyelash, but liking him because of it is a completely different matter. You have only just found out who he is, where he lives, what he likes to eat, how he dresses, his familiar gestures, catchphrases, hobbies – you know nothing about him. Suddenly saying you want to surrender to the feeling of liking him… Isn’t that playing the wrong tune?"

Yoshine exclaimed in surprise, "You can actually be so rational?"

"Of course, I have always been very rational."

"But when you read romance novels, you never really think about these things. It’s all about a wealthy gentleman, who never shows any signs, suddenly falling in love with a laundry worker’s daughter who slapped him, or a domineering CEO casually giving away billions of cash. You enjoy these kinds of scenes."

"Novels and reality are two different things, I understand that very well, I truly do!" Shimizu was caught off guard and vehemently denied, "Funeral attendant, please, tell them about her. My best friend was terrified, her mind is not normal anymore."

Kokonohana Nori smiled and said, "Isn’t it fine this way? Being reserved won’t put food on the table. It would be better to get married early, after all, a sword witch doesn’t hold much value."

Igarashi Shimizu knew she couldn’t continue the conversation, so she went to prepare something to eat and ran off to the small kitchen in the clinic.

There were only two people left in the room. Kokonohana Nori asked, "So, what are your true thoughts?"

After a moment of silence, Yoshine Ise let out a gentle sigh and said, "I envy Jingūji."

"Just jealous?"

"Right now, it’s still just…"

"That’s not it anymore," Kokonohana Nori hesitated to say, "I know it’s impolite to say this, but Ise, you don’t seem like such a sentimental girl."

"Kokonohana, if you can control it, sensitivity wouldn’t be called sensitivity anymore," the sword witch lay flat on the bed and looked at the ceiling. "There are very, very few sword witches who have experienced what I have… I went through life and death once, and then I was saved. Many sword witches simply don’t have the chance to survive."

"Just a little bit more, and I would have died. My heart would have been devoured by an evil spirit, my flesh would have been served on a dining table. I would have died in a terribly tragic way, with the dignity of being human trampled upon. My life, soul, and beliefs would have all vanished into nothingness… Actually, I’m really scared, scared to death."

The girl’s voice was deep and muffled, "So at that moment, I made a vow. Whoever could appear and save me would be my savior."

Kokonohana listened quietly, then she reached out her hand and gently touched Ise’s slightly warm forehead. "I understand how you feel… I really understand."

Ise whispered, "But he is not my god, Lord Funeral Director."

Her tone was filled with bitterness, and her expression grew even more bitter. "He didn’t come to save me, it was just a coincidence. I know I shouldn’t have deluded myself… but I still can’t help but wonder, if he stayed, what would I say to him? Could I ask him more about other things, get to know him better…"

Bai Wei was not here. Upon learning the location of the shrine, he hurriedly made his way there under the starry sky.

He left decisively and quickly, without thinking about staying to wait for her surgery to finish or to exchange a few more caring words.

Yoshine Ise understood once again that if the person here was Saki Jingūji, he would definitely stay.

"I admire Jingūji very much, really… admire it, almost to the point of jealousy."

She bit her lip, trying hard to make blood seep out from between her teeth.

Even though Kokonohana was a funeral attendant, she couldn’t answer such complicated emotions. She could only sigh and say, "Just go to sleep. When you wake up, you will forget about the current feelings. You’re just scared, but you will feel better."

"Will it really get better?" Yoshine Ise mumbled wearily, "What if I have a nightmare? What if I find myself back in that place in my dream? I don’t want to dream about it, nor do I want to dream about him…"

As she spoke, she was still too exhausted in both mind and body. Eventually, she fell into a deep sleep.

After Kokonohana Nori watched her fall asleep, she got up and walked towards the kitchen to prepare some easy-to-digest food to help out.

Just as she walked down the hallway, Igarashi Shimizu spotted Shimizu at the kitchen counter, kneading dough. She had a downcast expression, with salty tears streaming down her cheeks.

People who have experienced death are not just Ise; Shimizu has also been under the butcher’s sword. She knows best the fear of feeling the Death’s blade brush against her spine.

Their current moods are the same.

The difference was that one person silently faced away from the others, shedding tears, while the other person was immersed in a shallow dream, filled with fear.

Kokonohana wondered, if Bai Wei were here, would their inner suffering and unease decrease by even a fraction? Even just a few words of comfort could turn Shimizu’s tears into laughter; even just holding Ise’s hand could alleviate her fear of nightmares.

But he wasn’t there.

The funeral attendant exclaimed, "Truly, he is a man burdened with grave sins…"