Dragon Clan: Lu Mingfei Returns from Japan

Chapter 680 Extra: Autumn Homecoming Trip (1)

(This is roughly the timeline where the Wine Virtue Sisters have already been won over)
After passing through the long tunnel in the mountains, they arrived at their destination.

The long tramway was almost entirely covered with red leaves, and sunlight streamed through the gaps in the trees, creating a magnificent spectacle that seemed to fall from the sky, somewhere between a sunset and a fiery rain.

It's October, the golden autumn season. There's an old Japanese saying: "Autumn is Nara with its red leaves." If winter in Japan belongs to Sapporo, Hakodate, and Otaru, then autumn is probably the season that belongs exclusively to Kyoto and Nara.

The red leaves covering the tram tracks were scattered by the wind whipped up by the tram. Lu Mingfei leaned back in his tram seat and looked out the window. He never expected that Nara, a famous tourist city, would hide such a pristine place that had hardly been touched by tourists.

Of course, this is probably also because the place is too remote.

Nominally, the village they are heading to is still part of Nara, but in reality, it is far from the city center of Nara, and quite a distance from Kasuga Taisha Shrine, which is home to many deer, and Toshodai-ji Temple, which was built and presided over by the Tang Dynasty monk Jianzhen.

According to Aki, the village is actually closer to the city center of Mie Prefecture, which borders Nara. If it weren't for Lu Ming insisting on going to Kyoto to buy souvenirs for Liu Miaomiao and the others, Aki would usually take the train directly from Mie Prefecture back to the village during the school's winter and summer breaks.

"Would it be closer to take the tram from Mie Prefecture?" Lu Mingfei asked Aki.

“It’s much closer. When we were little, if people in our town wanted to buy something, they would drive to Mie Prefecture next door. My sister and I would often hitch a ride with our neighbor’s uncle to Mie Prefecture. My sister really liked the takoyaki from a wagashi shop next to the station.”

As soon as Aki finished speaking, the girl with the long ponytail next to her muttered, "Really? I don't remember it at all?"

Aki turned her head and smiled at Mai sitting next to her, her eyes narrowed: "That's because you haven't been back to your hometown for a long time, right, sister?"

There were only the three of them in the entire tram, making it seem quite empty, so there was no need to worry about speaking too loudly.

Unlike Aki, who had been cheerful and lively throughout the journey, Mai, sitting next to Aki, showed little emotional fluctuation. Her pretty face was cold, and while she wasn't exactly listless, she was certainly not happy either. It was as if they were returning to Aki's hometown, not Mai's.

However, Lu Mingfei didn't think that Mai's cold expression stemmed from dissatisfaction with this sudden arrival. Everyone said that the Little Heavenly Maiden was arrogant, but he actually thought that Mai's arrogance was not much less than the Little Heavenly Maiden's.

Sometimes she's secretly happy, but she always puts on a haughty expression and deliberately keeps a straight face for a while. Is it because she wants to maintain the image of a "reliable older sister" in front of Aki?

We're almost there!

As soon as Aki's surprised voice rang out, the tram began to slow down in anticipation of the approaching station, as if in time for the occasion.

Aki, who was sitting by the window, straightened up and pushed open the glass window next to her. Just then, a few red leaves were blown in by the wind. The three of them stood up and got off the train on the platform where the red leaves were scattered.

The platform is a stereotypical old-fashioned rural station, lacking even a waiting room, with only two aged wooden benches. Old posters covered in Japanese characters adorn the worn but spotless glass windows. A small blackboard hanging in the platform window simply lists the passing trains and their departure times.

Lu Mingfei, carrying a travel bag, looked around on the platform: "Is this where Aki and you grew up?"

"We need to go a little further."

Aki looked at the road covered with maple leaves ahead and said, "We are now on the mountainside, and the town is at the foot of the mountain ahead."

Aki led the way, while Mai followed at the back of the group with her hands in her pockets, her high ponytail swaying as she looked around. She probably didn't remember much about this place either.

Lu Mingfei, one of the two girls, walked in the middle. The three of them, carrying travel bags, looked like backpackers exploring remote mountain scenic spots.

Although it's called a small town at the foot of the mountain, it's not as remote as Lu Mingfei imagined. After leaving the station, they walked along a small road for a short distance before a wide road stretched out in front of them. The modern road seemed a bit out of place with the surrounding scenery.

The driveway wound its way through the mountains, and the outline of a small town could already be seen through the gaps in the maple leaves lining the road. It must be a rather old town, as many of the houses still looked like buildings from centuries ago. However, most of the houses were quite modern.

A rather imposing building sits at the entrance of the village. Its storied exterior reminds Lu Mingfei of the temple he visited during his trip to Kyoto.

He recalled the town name Aki had told him about: Kita-Bodhi Village...

The reason they came to this small town where Aki was born and raised wasn't an unplanned trip. The academy had assigned them a mission related to Japan, which wasn't very urgent, and Mai happened to be in Japan at the time. So Aki naturally made the suggestion.

Lu Mingfei is Aki's boyfriend, so of course he wouldn't mind visiting his girlfriend's hometown. And Mai, as the older sister, naturally couldn't refuse her younger sister's request.

So, during their spare time, the three of them embarked on a journey back to Aki's hometown in Nara during the autumn.

"But then again."

As if suddenly remembering something, Lu Mingfei asked, "Why is this town called North Bodhi Town? Is it related to a temple or something?"

"This one~"

Aki turned around with a smile, about to explain the origins of the villagers to her boyfriend, when Mai, who was walking at the back of the group, unexpectedly spoke up.

"It's not really related to temples, but there's a bit to it. The climate in Nara and Mie prefectures is very special, and sake koji can grow even in summer, so the sake brewing industry was very developed in ancient Japan. It is said that the birthplace of Japanese sake is Shoryaku-ji Temple in Bodaiyama-cho, Nara Prefecture, and there is a Bodai Spring in the temple that is used to brew sake."

Mai explained in a cold tone: "There is also a Bodhi Spring in the town used for brewing sake. Because the Bodhi Spring of Seireki-ji Temple is in the south of Nara and we are in the north, in order to make it easier to distinguish, the Bodhi Spring in the village is called Kita-Bodhi Spring, and the village is naturally called Kita-Bodhi Town."

Aki blinked in surprise: "Sister, you actually remember?"

"...I just Googled it on the way back." Lu Mingfei watched Mai silently avert her gaze, guessing she was probably being smug again. The reason she was hiding at the back of the group was because she couldn't resist looking around the village. He caught Aki secretly taking pictures with her phone several times out of the corner of his eye.

After all, it was a long-awaited return to his hometown, and it would be impossible not to feel some special emotions.

However, Lu Mingfei didn't say anything, as he understood Mai's mixed feelings of trepidation upon returning home. Anyone returning to their hometown for the first time after more than a decade would inevitably experience some conflicting emotions.

The outline of the scenery kept shifting around us, and we had entered the town.

"How much longer until we arrive?" Lu Mingfei asked Yaji.

Aki replied, "Soon, it's just ahead."

"Is that it just ahead?"

The words had barely left her lips when Aki, who was leading the way, stopped in her tracks.

The dark shadow looming from the side made Lu Mingfei unconsciously turn his head. The first thing that caught his eye was the grand gate... and the walls on both sides that seemed to stretch endlessly into the distance.

Mai, standing to the side, stroked her chin: "It hasn't changed much from before... but it seems a bit smaller than before? I used to feel that this door was more oppressive."

“That’s because you’ve grown up too, older sister,” Aki said.

After listening to the sisters' conversation, Lu Mingfei finally snapped out of his daze and saw a wooden sign with the words "Wine Virtue" hanging next to the main entrance.

"This is your home?"

"Yeah." Aki stuck out her tongue. "It's an old house passed down from our ancestors. It might be a bit dilapidated. I don't know if you, Mingfei, will be able to get used to living here."

If Lu Mingfei hadn't been so familiar with Aki's personality, anyone hearing this would probably have thought she was in Versailles. The building before them was less like a house and more like a temple in a tourist attraction; its sheer size made it seem like the estate of a feudal landlord, tempting one to grab a deck of cards and start a fierce game.

Lu Mingfei wasn't sure if Genji Heavy Industries could be considered Erii's home. But if Genji Heavy Industries wasn't included, this was probably one of the most magnificent mansions Lu Mingfei had ever seen. Its size was immense, with countless entrances and exits; perhaps only the estate of Erii's maternal family in Portugal was larger.

It seems he's destined to be a kept man; all his girlfriends are wealthy young women. If they graduate from university, get married, and live together, they can escape the summer heat in Portugal and see the autumn leaves in Nara. They can stay at either the Daiso Estate or the Shude Royal Palace.

Upon entering, Lu Mingfei's initial shock wasn't as overwhelming, probably because the furnishings inside the mansion matched his expectations. Because it was autumn, the greenery on either side of the pebbled path was withered and yellow, and maple leaves lined the path leading to the houses.

He had seen the mansions of Japanese princesses in Taiga dramas before, such as the Jakko-in Temple in Ohara, Rakuhoku, where Taira no Tokuko lived; they were probably about this grand.

"Is it just the two of you living here?" Lu Mingfei couldn't help but ask. "Is there no one else?"

"Aki lives alone."

Mai corrected him: "The Shude family used to be a fairly large family in the area, and it seems to be a legitimate branch of the Taira family. I don't know much about the specifics, but it seems that only Aki and I are left in our generation."

Lu Mingfei certainly knew about the Taira clan, one of the four great clans of Japan's Heian period, alongside the Minamoto, Fujiwara, and Tachibana clans. Like the Minamoto clan, it was one of the clans that separated from the imperial family.

Unexpectedly, the Shude family was actually a legitimate branch of the Taira clan. Lu Mingfei remembered that Erii's surname "Uesugi" also came from the Fujiwara clan, one of the four great families. So, Aki and Mai were actually related to Erii in some way?
Such a large mansion, yet not a single servant was hired. Considering that Aki had lived alone in such a place since she was a child, it's no wonder she's so timid. She'd even hide in his arms when watching a horror movie.

After passing through the main hall and the long corridor adorned with landscape paintings, they arrived at the rooms. Judging by the size of the rooms, which appeared to be over forty stories high, it didn't surprise Lu Mingfei. He, Aki, and Mai put their luggage down in the room.

Aki stood up from her kneeling position: "I'll go check if the hot spring water can still be released. It hasn't been cleaned in a long time, I wonder if the spring outlet is blocked by silt."

"There's a hot spring at home?" Lu Mingfei asked in surprise.

“Yes, there are many hot springs in the mountains around Nara,” Aki said. “After we finish eating, Akihiro can go soak in one first.”

Mai looked slightly displeased upon hearing this: "Why wasn't I the first to soak?"

Aki smiled and replied, "Hmm... So, will you bathe with Mingfei, sister? It's the family's hot spring anyway, and there's no one else around, so mixed bathing shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Before she could finish speaking, Mai interrupted her immediately: "Who said it's okay? I don't want to take a mixed bath..."

Although time has passed, and Mai, like Aki, has long since crossed the final line in her relationship with Lu Mingfei, the thought of going to mixed-gender baths with him still makes Mai feel somewhat uneasy…

Having already taken the final step, there's nothing to be ashamed of now. In this respect, even the more reserved and gentle Aki is much more direct, never hesitating to express her feelings for Lu Mingfei.

For some reason, Mai always had an indescribable feeling when facing Lu Mingfei... Potato Chip Girl said that feeling was tsundere, a simple lack of honesty. Even though she had long legs and wanted to act cute with Lu Mingfei, she always maintained that mature and sophisticated demeanor.

Mai scoffed at the potato chip girl's words. How could she be arrogant? She wasn't a little girl like Su Xiaoqiang; she simply wasn't interested in girlish behavior like acting cute and affectionate.

……

(End of this chapter)