A day's time quickly flew by, and the date soon arrived at the seventeenth of Satsuki, a day jointly chosen by the two swordsmiths, Totosai and Fujiwara no Kanehira.
The sunlight in the sky had already vanished among the mountains. In the small building within the Inari Mountain Secret Realm, Miketsu had now finished all preparations, dressed in Owl's attire.
The time agreed upon with Toga was now very close.
“Alright, Tsuruha, let us depart.”
“Yes, Lady Uka.”
Having dressed completely, Miketsu turned to look at her divine messenger. After a slight nod, the two prepared to leave the small building. However, at that very moment, a clear sound suddenly reached Miketsu's ears.
Miketsu turned her head and found that the sound came from the cabinet where she kept her mask. At this very moment, the strange mask, capable of changing at any time, had fallen to the ground, and the sound she heard was its fall.
Seeing this, Miketsu's heart skipped a beat. Ever since she sensed the mask had sentience, she had always handled it gently, placing it securely wherever it was, with no reason for it to accidentally fall. What had happened this time?
With doubt, Miketsu walked to the mask that had fallen on the tatami, gently picked it up, and then discovered that at this very moment, the mask had changed once again. Now, it was a fox mask.
A fox mask? That shouldn't be right. If it accidentally fell to the ground, shouldn't it turn into a crimson Hannya mask to show anger? Why would it become a fox mask?
Miketsu thought with confusion. With Tsuruha's help, she had initially learned the specific names of various masks and was slowly understanding the emotions represented by the few masks it frequently transformed into.
The red demon mask is called a Hannya mask, representing anger or rage. The sorrowful old woman's mask is called an Uba mask, likely representing sorrow or grief. The slightly plump, fair-skinned smiling woman's mask is called a Ko-omote mask; this appears frequently, perhaps indicating a generally good mood. The one wearing a headscarf with a twisted mouth, looking comical, is called a Hyottoko mask; it appears when comfortable, likely meaning a good mood or happiness. Occasionally, a monkey-like mask with an open mouth, looking bewildered, appears, called a Saru mask; it seems to mean embarrassment or shame. There's also one with wide eyes and an open mouth called an O-tobide mask; one glance tells you it means shock or surprise... Besides these, the mask has many other forms, but they often flash by and are not common.
So what does this fox mask mean now? Under normal circumstances, if it fell to the ground, wouldn't it turn into a Hannya mask? Yet, this fox mask is one it almost never shows, except for the first time they met, when it was with Matara Okina.
This proves that the emotion represented by the fox mask rarely appears in everyday life.
“Lady Uka, if a Tsukumogami suddenly acts this way, it means she wants to convey some message intensely,” Tsuruha slowly said, looking at the mask in Miketsu's hand.
Wants to convey something intensely? After hearing Tsuruha's explanation, Miketsu pondered what the mask wanted to express. It fell just as she was about to leave, so it was highly likely targeting what she was about to do.
These past two days, she had often discussed tonight's plan in this room, and the mask placed inside could have heard everything. This meant the mask knew the purpose of her trip and that she might face battle.
“So... do you want to come with me?” Miketsu tentatively asked the mask. Immediately, she saw the mask in her hand transform into a Hyottoko mask, which meant a good mood. In other words, she had guessed correctly.
“Alright, since you want to go, then let's go together.”
...
Miketsu rode Tsuruha down the mountain. After half an an hour of swift travel, she arrived at the agreed-upon location, Toga's hiding place. After retracting Tsuruha into her sleeve, Miketsu walked to the destination. There, two ox-carts bearing the Fujiwara family crest were parked. Unlike other ox-carts, the oxen pulling these were not only much stronger but also had two heads.
“Your Excellency...” Toga stood before an ox-cart and spoke solemnly upon seeing Miketsu.
“Thank you for coming. Please get in.”
Get in? Such a small cart?
Hearing Toga's words, Miketsu slowly walked to the cart. She lifted the curtain and then saw an unexpectedly spacious interior.
Inside the ox-cart was a moderately sized elegant room, complete with a tea table, potted plants, and calligraphy. Fujiwara no Kanehira, Totosai, and Yura were already seated, making it hard to believe this was within a carriage no more than three meters long and wide.
Suppressing her curiosity, Miketsu entered the cart and took a seat. Toga then followed, getting in. Seeing everyone present, Fujiwara no Kanehira nodded, tapped the wall beside him, and then Miketsu felt the space shift. Accompanied by a sensation of acceleration, the scenery outside the window rapidly flew backward.
The two-headed docile oxen let out a cry, flames burst from beneath their hooves, and then they pulled the two ox-carts straight into the sky, their altitude continuously rising.
“How amazing! Is this a treasure of the Fujiwara clan?”
Looking at the continuously rising scenery outside the window, Yura, experiencing flight for the first time, couldn't help but exclaim.
“Heh heh, this is merely an ordinary method, young lady. In the Fujiwara clan, there are even more convenient ways...” Fujiwara no Kanehira said with a light chuckle, observing Yura's reaction.
The Fujiwara ox-carts moved through the air at high speed. Miketsu, seated inside, observed the scenery outside. From the position of the moon, she could tell they were flying south.
About ten minutes later, the trees on the ground quickly receded from Miketsu's sight, replaced by a vast expanse of water, reflecting starlight and the moon, like a clear mirror.
“Are we over water?” Yura, also noticing the change on the ground, asked directly.
“Indeed, we have arrived at the location of the Vermilion Bird Seal, Ogura Pond,” Fujiwara no Kanehira explained unhurriedly. Miketsu immediately recalled information about Ogura Pond.
It was a massive freshwater lake located south of Heian-kyo. Looking south from Inari Mountain, one could easily spot this enormous lake. On the map the foxes had given her earlier, this lake was clearly marked. If the foxes hadn't drawn it incorrectly, based on the size on the map, the lake was at least ten li long and wide.
“Ogura Pond? The Vermilion Bird Seal is actually in Ogura Pond?” Yura's voice held doubt. How could an array be set up in this lake?
“To be precise, it is located within a massive natural cave beneath Ogura Pond. It is connected by an island in the middle of the lake, and our destination is that island. There, we can enter the passage leading to the cave.”
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