Rumor has it that when Tengu fly, they create a strong Tengu Wind. When Tengu fly close to the ground, the Tengu Wind sweeps over everything below. Multiple Tengu flying together bring an even stronger and larger Tengu Wind, and even after a Tengu stops, the Tengu Wind continues to blow for a considerable distance before dissipating.
What Miketsu and her group suddenly encountered just now was the Tengu Wind, originating from the Karasu-tengu who had rapidly arrived at the scene. Towards the yokai crowd before them, these Karasu-tengu showed no signs of holding back their Tengu Wind, letting the gale assault the yokai crowd, throwing them into disarray, until Miketsu unleashed her demonic energy. After neutralizing the demonic wind, the remaining force blew back, making the Karasu-tengu in mid-air unstable, which clearly caught them by surprise.
After regaining stable postures in the air, the Karasu-tengu looked warily at Miketsu and the others on the ground. Clearly, they hadn't anticipated that among the Yokai present, there would be an entity capable of unleashing such powerful demonic energy, even suppressing their own Tengu Wind purely with demonic energy.
It seems they've encountered someone special this time...
With this thought, a female Karasu-tengu with short black hair flew out from the group, came to the front, and after scanning the recently concluded battlefield, shouted loudly at all the yokai looking up at them from below.
“Who are you? What are you doing here?”
The female Karasu-tengu named Aoi’s tone carried a formidable arrogance. The first to be displeased by her attitude was Nura Rihyon.
“We were about to return that question, Tengu...” Nura Rihyon replied with a hint of disdain. With his years of experience in the underworld, he knew that arrogance was a common trait among the Tengu clan, and showing weakness to them would only encourage them to take advantage.
Hearing Nura Rihyon’s reply, Aoi’s brow visibly furrowed. Nura Rihyon’s tone had clearly provoked the Tengu’s pride, and just as Aoi was about to instinctively retort, reason suppressed her impulse.
The terrifying burst of demonic energy just now was not something an ordinary Yokai could produce. The other side had an extremely powerful Yokai presiding over them, and easily getting into a conflict with them was definitely not a wise choice, especially since they had an important mission to fulfill, not to pick fights.
“I am Aoi, captain of the Black Crow Corps under the Great Tengu Kakuhanbo of Sugo Ungo, and also his envoy sent to Heian-kyo.”
Taking the initiative to lower her stance, Aoi introduced herself. Miketsu paused upon hearing this; she had previously heard from Yura that Sugo Ungo had sent an envoy to Heian-kyo, but she hadn't expected to encounter them here. Nura Rihyon and the others were also very surprised by the other party’s origins; many of them knew that Sugo Ungo was the main base for Tengu nationwide, and that the other party was also a special envoy of the Yokai Lord, the Great Tengu.
“We are subordinates of Lord Owl.” Seeing Aoi’s concession in demeanor, Nura Rihyon said with a smile. He had anticipated that the other party, after sensing Owl’s demonic energy, would definitely not dare to act rashly, which was why he had deliberately used a contemptuous tone to “borrow the tiger’s might.” So far, this tactic seemed to be working well.
“Owl?” Hearing Nura Rihyon’s words, Aoi quickly scanned the yokai crowd below, finally locking her gaze onto Miketsu, who stood silently there.
Seeing the somber black robe and bandages, countless pieces of information flashed through Aoi’s mind. The intelligence she had gathered in Heian-kyo over the past few days all indicated that this mysterious Yokai, rapidly rising under the very nose of the Onmyoryo, possessed extremely powerful strength. The moment she saw that rumored figure, Aoi secretly felt fortunate that she hadn’t acted rashly earlier.
“Kakuhanbo’s envoy... is there something you need here?” Miketsu spoke in a deep voice, looking at the still somewhat stunned Karasu-tengu in the sky.
“We came because we received intelligence that a team of human yokai hunters would be camping in this area, and they might have captured our kin, so we are here to rescue them...” As she spoke, Aoi glanced at the scattered battlefield below and the pile of humans captured and guarded by the Yokai.
“From the looks of it, you have already dealt with these audacious humans. So, may I ask if you’ve seen any of our kin?”
Hearing Aoi’s words, Nura Rihyon and the others were about to answer her, but at that moment, Miketsu spoke first.
“No...”
No?
Hearing Miketsu’s answer, Nura Rihyon and the others were startled, a hint of surprise flashing across their faces. For a moment, they didn’t understand why Miketsu would directly ignore the young Tengu in the box and say such a thing.
However, thoughts were thoughts. Since Miketsu, as their leader, had spoken, Nura Rihyon and the others naturally wouldn’t argue or say anything more, merely planning to ask her properly once they returned.
“No? Are you sure?” Aoi said, somewhat incredulously. Miketsu’s answer was a bit unexpected.
“I rescued many Yokai here... but there were no Tengu among them.” Miketsu continued to speak calmly, and Aoi, after scanning the scene again, still had many doubts internally, but continued to speak.
“I believe what you say. It seems the intelligence we received this time was incorrect, and we’ve made a trip in vain...”
“From now on, I will continue to search for traces of our kin around Heian-kyo. If you acquire any relevant information in the future, please be sure to inform us.”
Afterwards, after Miketsu and Aoi briefly exchanged contact information, Aoi led her group of Tengu and flew away. Miketsu, after ordering her subordinate Yokai to finish cleaning up the battlefield, left the area with the box containing the young Tengu.
On the way back, Nura Rihyon and the others, as expected, couldn’t suppress their curiosity and asked Miketsu why she had deceived the Karasu-tengu.
“You ask me why I deceived those Tengu?” On the forest path, Miketsu looked at the trio walking beside her and said with a hint of amusement.
“Yes, Lord Owl, your actions just now were quite different from usual. I believe there must be a profound meaning behind them.” Nura Rihyon said to Miketsu, as he deeply trusted Miketsu’s character.
“It’s pretty much as you said. That young Tengu cannot simply be handed over to them; it could lead to very serious consequences.”
“Very serious consequences?” Nura Rihyon murmured curiously. If Owl deemed it very serious, what could it possibly be?
“Yes, the appearance of this young Tengu here was no accident; someone deliberately arranged it. It’s a trap.” Miketsu continued, her tone calm, while Nura Rihyon became even more confused after hearing her words.
“A trap? Is someone trying to frame us?”
Hearing Nura Rihyon’s question, Miketsu stopped, looked at him intently with her crimson single eye, and continued with a serious expression.
“The target of the trap is not us, but Sugo Ungo and Heian-kyo. This is a chess game aimed at both of them simultaneously.”
“And we, are now the unintended disruptors who have stumbled into it.”
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