An Unexpected Encounter

In Heian-kyo, at the Asakura Residence in the Upper Capital District.

At dusk, within the courtyard of the Asakura Residence, Kaguya-hime gradually stirred from a heavy slumber. Upon opening her eyes, she found herself lying in her room, with Miketsu sitting by her side.

"Mother..."

"You're awake, Kaguya. How do you feel? Is there any discomfort?"

"I feel fine, Mother. Thank you for your concern... By the way, what is the situation now?" Kaguya-hime asked as she sat up from her bedding, inquiring anxiously about what had transpired in the real world while she slept.

"Well, although we didn't let those people have their way, we weren't able to detain them either. Their origins were beyond my expectations... I failed to prevent their escape." Looking at her awakened adoptive daughter, Miketsu reached out to stroke her head and spoke with a smile. She had suspected those two immortals had some ulterior motive for participating in the Marriage Selection and had been on guard, but in the end, she had still underestimated their background.

"If they could catch even you off guard, Mother, then just who are they?" Hearing Miketsu's words, Kaguya-hime tilted her head in confusion.

"Sigh... one of them was likely once an orthodox god like myself. As for that Young Lord Yoru in men's clothing, it's still unclear for now..." Miketsu answered. Kaguya-hime's mouth hung open slightly in surprise.

"A former... orthodox god?"

"Yes. Though it's just a guess, I believe the probability is very high..."

After absorbing this new information, Kaguya-hime calmed her heart and spoke to Miketsu again.

"By the way, Mother, I actually have some information regarding that Young Lord Yoru... she possesses power similar to mine. Furthermore, she claimed in my dream to be... another me."

"Another you..." Hearing this, Miketsu's brow furrowed instantly. At that moment, she suddenly recalled what Mokou had told her about the source of the Hourai Elixir she had consumed. It had been left on earth by the Princess Taketori of the past when she returned to the moon. This meant that the Princess Taketori of legend was very likely a person of hourai as well! And that Young Lord Yoru was not only immortal but also claimed to be another Kaguya-hime...

All these signs suggested that Young Lord Yoru might actually be the original Princess Taketori. Had she failed to return to the moon a hundred years ago, and was now appearing in Heian-kyo plotting to seize Kaguya-hime?

For a moment, Miketsu felt that there was a deeply hidden reason behind this matter. The causality involved seemed to be profoundly entwined with Kaguya-hime.

"Heh... it seems the mastermind behind this is becoming less and less simple. It looks like I'll have to find a way to track those two down and question them face-to-face..." Miketsu murmured, looking at the sky outside the window.

The sun set and the moon rose as night descended.

In a forest far from Heian-kyo, within the quiet and dark woods, there was a very discreetly arranged magical array. A faint, shimmering barrier of light flickered at its edges, protecting the contents within, while the array's inherent power unconsciously repelled nearby creatures.

At the center of the array was a small crystal tube. Inside the tube was a turbid, flowing crimson liquid. Suddenly, the crimson liquid began to boil violently. The entire crystal tube then fell to the ground and burst open, scattering the liquid.

A crimson blood mist expanded rapidly in mid-air, proliferating out of nothingness. It then twisted and transformed into bone and flesh. Bones grew, organs regenerated, muscles connected, and blood vessels spread. Finally, skin covered the form and long hair flowed out. Before long, a completely naked Eirin stood in the center of the array, letting out a soft sigh as she looked at her new arms.

"The blood soul substitute... I set it up as a precaution, but I never truly expected to use it," Eirin said slowly, looking at the shattered crystal tube on the ground.

She had partitioned off a small portion of her soul and flesh beforehand, sealing it in the crystal tube with a preset time for automatic release. This was equivalent to pre-depositing an extremely incomplete, residual clone outside.

Eirin's Self-Disintegration Medicine would suppress the regenerative effects of the Hourai Elixir for a period of time after decomposing the body. During this interval, once the seal on the blood soul substitute automatically broke, it would become the largest remnant of the person of hourai in this world, serving as the anchor point for rebirth. Once the regenerative effect recovered, the person of hourai would be reborn in a different location based on the blood soul substitute. This was the "Golden Cicada Shedding its Shell" escape method that only a person of hourai could use.

Rubbing her newly formed bones, Eirin took out some thin, casual clothes she had prepared in advance and put them on. She then glanced at the rustling bushes beside her.

"Are you ready, Princess?"

"Ugh... alright, alright... this process of regenerating from scratch is truly unbearable..." Complaining as she spoke, the thinly-clad Kaguya emerged from the bushes, stretching her limbs to adapt to her new body.

"I really didn't expect it, Eirin. For your mission outside to actually fail... I was praising you in front of that little sister Kaguya in the dream the whole time, and this is the result? Ouch!" Before Kaguya could finish, she received a sharp rap on the head from Eirin, who then replied with an unchanging expression.

"This operation had too many surprises. I did not expect that Asakura Hao to be Uka-no-Mitama-no-Mikoto."

"Uka-no-Mitama-no-Mikoto? Eh! Eirin, are you saying that little sister Kaguya's Onmyoji adoptive mother is actually the Inari Okami?" Kaguya showed visible shock at Eirin's words.

"Yes... Though I don't know her purpose, that Inari Okami is indeed acting under a human identity. My current self couldn't seize the girl in front of her, so I retreated first." Eirin waved her hand, sounding somewhat helpless. After hearing this, Kaguya's shock turned into thoughtful contemplation.

"Hey, Eirin, since that little sister Kaguya's adoptive mother is the Inari Okami, she should have sufficient protection, right? She could even resist if the Lunar Capital came. Why don't we just make peace and join forces with her?"

When Kaguya finished, Eirin nodded seriously, crossing her arms and speaking in a deep voice.

"I don't believe that even with an additional orthodox god on our side, we would have much of a chance against the Lunar Capital. The optimal solution is still to bring the Second Princess here so we can all go into hiding together. But since we have to face the Inari Okami now, we need to change our approach to taking her... or perhaps speak clearly with her and have her let go..."

In the dark, dense forest, Eirin spoke with a pensive tone before letting out a sigh. "Phew... let's not talk about this for now. Let's clean up the site and consider it after we return..." As Eirin spoke, she began to erase the magical array on the ground, preparing to leave. But the moment she stepped out of her array, her brow furrowed instantly.

"Princess... run!" Eirin suddenly shouted sternly, looking toward Kaguya, who was still adjusting her clothes. Kaguya tilted her head in confusion.

"Huh? There's no rush, is there? Wait for me—eh..." While Kaguya was speaking nonchalantly, her arm was immediately grabbed by Eirin, who prepared to drag her away.

But at that moment, a voice familiar to both of them rang out from the sky.

"Don't be in such a hurry to leave, Princess... Master..."

Above the dense forest, Watatsuki no Yorihime stood silently with her long blade in hand, looking down indifferently.

"It's been a long time. I have so much I want to say to you..."