A melodious tune spread throughout the dimly lit Choyo-machi. At the source of the music, on the five-story pagoda in the middle of the river, the musician held a shamisen, pressing the strings with his left hand and plucking them with his right. The plectrum danced freely on the strings, playing the music.
It was a non-human figure, wearing a Drooping Infant Crown and a plain white Belted Formal Attire. Beneath this immaculate Court Noble's appearance was a withered, crimson skeleton, from hand to head, with no flesh attached. The shamisen he played was also extraordinary; a large, fanged mouth opened and closed upon it.
Sitting by the railing of the five-story pagoda, the skeleton's performance was coming to an end. After the final, lingering pluck of the strings, the piece concluded. The skeleton slightly raised its head, its hollow eyes gazing at the night view of Choyo-machi below the pagoda, and spoke in a hoarse voice.
"The night deepens with a thousand lamps, the bright moon fills the river with frost... This scene, I never tire of seeing it, no matter how many times..." Inside the quiet pavilion, the skeleton sighed at the night view before him. Behind him, applause suddenly broke out.
"A wonderful piece, Lord Sanzu truly lives up to his reputation as a man of elegance. Even as a yokai, he is no less skilled than the masters among humans."
The applauder appeared to be a human youth of about twenty years old. He had ice-blue hair that reached his waist, long pointed ears, and narrow eyes with vertical golden pupils. He wore blue leg coverings on his chest and limbs, and a katana was tucked into his waist. The rest of his attire was a normal long robe, and several golden rings adorned his long, pointed ears.
He stood behind the sliding door of the pavilion, looking at the back of the skeleton musician in front of him, continuously applauding and offering words of praise.
"To receive such high praise from Torin, one of Oyakata-sama's Four Heavenly Kings, this old man is truly flattered." The skeleton musician, Sanzu, didn't turn his head, but continued to enjoy the night view while responding to the yokai youth named Torin behind him.
"You are too modest, Lord Sanzu. It is my honor to enjoy your music up close." Torin continued, his narrow eyes gleaming as he looked at Sanzu's back, his golden pupils vertical. His tone of voice then changed.
"Now that your piece is finished, it's time to tell me your answer, isn't it?"
"Hehe... Young man, don't be too hasty. What harm would it do to let this old man play another piece?" Hearing the change in the tone of the person behind him, Sanzu smiled slightly.
"I'm here for your answer, not to listen to your music," Torin replied coldly. He felt that waiting for one piece was already showing the other party enough respect.
He knew that old men like this were skilled at stalling, and he couldn't give the other party another chance to delay.
"Is that so... What a pity. This old man genuinely thought you were enjoying his music." Sanzu sighed, though there was no regret in his tone, as if he had expected this.
"In that case, this old man will give you an answer. Although the gifts you offered showed great sincerity, I regret to say that regarding assisting in the search for the Dog Clan... my answer is no."
Hearing Sanzu's reply, Torin's gaze sharpened, and he continued in a cold voice.
"Lord Sanzu, are you really going to offend Oyakata-sama for the sake of a stray dog?"
"Not at all... This old man has no connection to the Dog Clan. How could I offend Oyakata-sama because of them? I simply do not wish to get involved in unrelated conflicts." Facing Torin's questioning, Sanzu continued to reply unhurriedly.
"This isn't a conflict, it's a suppression of rebellion. Those stray dogs are vastly inferior to us in strength. We have already taken control of the situation and will soon eliminate all the rebels."
"You should see clearly, Sanzu, this is a one-sided war. You don't need to pick a side. You just need to offer a little help with your influence in Heian-kyo to gain Oyakata-sama's favor. Why wouldn't you?"
Torin continued coldly, his words now devoid of the initial respect.
"This old man sees very clearly, Lord Torin. You must understand, the crux of this matter is not the event itself, but its implications.
"If this old man were to agree to you here, what message would be conveyed? That the Leopard Cat Lord has successfully won over the master of Choyo-machi? That the Leopard Cat Clan has successfully expanded its influence into Heian-kyo ahead of other Yokai Lords? Not only would other Yokai Lords disagree, but the Onmyoji in Heian-kyo would also strongly object. I hope you understand the critical point here." Sanzu spoke earnestly, hoping Torin would grasp the hidden meaning.
"Hmph, whether it's other Yokai Lords or those Onmyoji, Oyakata-sama will sweep them all away one day. These are nothing to worry about." Hearing Sanzu's words, Torin couldn't help but snort coldly, then continued.
After hearing Torin's words, Sanzu was silent for a moment. Then he turned his skull to face Torin, looking at him with his empty eye sockets, and said.
"Every envoy from a Yokai Lord who comes to this old man says something similar."
Hearing Sanzu's words, Torin's expression suddenly darkened. He knew that at this point, there was no room for negotiation.
"If that's the case... then I hope Lord Sanzu will have no regrets in the future." Torin finished speaking, then coldly bowed to Sanzu and quickly descended the five-story pagoda.
Seeing Torin leave, Sanzu turned his head back and resumed admiring the night view of Choyo-machi.
"Sigh..." A long sigh emerged from the skeleton.
...
Exiting the five-story pagoda, the blue-haired, golden-eyed Torin stood on the wooden bridge connecting the pagoda to the shore. The moment he stepped out, a group of figures who had been waiting for a long time approached him. They were clearly seven or eight leopard cat yokai with cat heads, human bodies, and fur all over.
"What's the situation, Lord Torin? Did that old man Sanzu agree to our terms?" The speaker was a burly leopard cat yokai, nearly three meters tall, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, with a mouth full of sharp teeth, and two irregularly curved horns growing from the sides of its head.
"No... he refused, unwilling to change the status quo. Hmph, just as the rumors say, Elder Sanzu of Choyo-machi is content to stay put, unwilling to offend anyone. He'll regret it sooner or later." Torin snorted coldly, clearly displeased with this meeting with Sanzu.
"So what do we do now?" The burly leopard cat yokai scratched his head, asking doubtfully.
"If he won't help us search, we'll do it ourselves. That stray dog is injured and can't have gone far, at most somewhere near Heian-kyo."
"Let's start searching from Choyo-machi now."
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