I have an unlimited number of shikigami

The hand that held the water glass poured juice into the cup, the hand holding the cup exuding a subtle harmony. An invisible bond seemed to connect their hands, displaying an almost playful rhythm. My aunt was definitely a woman who disrupted the rules, a fact evident in her radiant enthusiasm and cunning demeanor—just like Mrs. Kasahara!

Thinking of Mrs. Kasahara, who was far away in Tokyo, Fujiwara Rin couldn't help but feel a sense of relief.

If that woman were there, the wedding would be turned upside down, and he himself might be completely bewildered.

※※※※※

In a room far from the restaurant, Kasahara Fukari's handbag suddenly moved.

A wisp of green smoke drifted out and instantly transformed into a human form.

"what--"

"I'm exhausted—"

Mrs. Kasahara stretched and looked around with a sly gaze.

This was a temporary room prepared for her eldest daughter. The room was simple and elegant, with hanging chrysanthemum pots by the window. A checkered cotton quilt was drying on the wooden railing. The quilt had absorbed plenty of sunlight, making it very fluffy and giving off a pleasant smell.

The clothes hanging on the rack piqued the lady's interest.

It was a pure white women's kimono; the jacket, undergarment, obi, socks, and even the small accessories were all white. This style of kimono has a beautiful name, "Shiromuku," and is the traditional Japanese wedding dress worn by the bride.

Gazing at the pure white wedding dress, Mrs. Kasahara subconsciously touched her delicate face. Feeling her still vibrant skin, she seemed to have an idea, and a mischievous smile curled her lips.

Chapter 157. Mountain God Festival: Miss Yukino, So Shy She Melted

Dusk falls.

As they entered the town, large boats with colorful ribbons fluttered in the river, forming a long line as they approached the dock. Floats, surrounded by a procession of spirits, moved forward, and as torches and lanterns converged in a grand procession, the festive atmosphere began to spread.

On the welcoming dock, there is a clean, flat open space. The four sides are fenced off with straw rope, and strips of paper are hung on the rope.

The white paper strips fluttered and shimmered in the wind, like fleeting, wandering ghosts.

In the magnificent sunset, there are monsters singing and chanting.

"The majestic Yamato God,"

"May all beings be blessed with eternal life."

"From this day forward,"

"via the Nine Heavens Floating Bridge,"

"Head to the Temple of the Gods."

The beautiful yokai, kneeling in a black and red kimono adorned with small chrysanthemums, had her forehead heavily made up in the Kyoto style, resembling a red plum blossom in the snow. Her meticulously applied pinkish-white neck and her neatly combed hair exuded an indescribable solemn atmosphere.

As dusk settles, the city lights begin to twinkle and glow.

More and more monsters dressed in festive attire disembarked from the ship and entered the town.

The people wearing straw hats and carrying loads are tsukumogami (spirits or spirits) transformed from the straw hats and loads. There are also some yokai that act in their true forms, so there are many bowls, abacuses, brooms, and other items floating in the air talking to each other.

As darkness fell, bonfires were lit on all the hilltops.

The sounds of drums and music were already rising, with melodious flute music and deafening taiko drums, and parades passing by on the streets from time to time.

Looking out from above, countless red lanterns have been hung along the eaves of every building, and the sight of tens of thousands of lights swaying in the wind is truly spectacular.

The river flowing through the town is even more enchanting. Under the lights, the river water resembles a colorful ribbon.

Amidst this bustling and noisy scene, probably no one would imagine that the Mountain God is squatting in the grass by the river, biting into sugarcane.

As the host of this place, Fujiwara Izaya was originally supposed to be in charge of the palace and receive some important guests.

However, he felt that it was too tedious and tiring, so he handed over the matters outside the palace to Totoro Butler and the matters inside the palace to Aunt Qing, and secretly shook off the other three women and ran away.

Squatting aimlessly in the grass, Fujiwara Izaya munched on sugarcane, glancing at the dock every now and then.

Sugarcane is sweet and juicy; it would be even better if you didn't have to spit out the pulp.

Eh?

Why not just drink sugarcane juice directly?

Just as the Mountain God was pondering this question, a luxurious ship docked at the shore.

A group of monsters wearing demon masks and red hunting robes disembarked in an orderly line.

At the end of the line was a tall, round radish. He had fair skin and wore only a loincloth, with his cheeks drooping down to his chest like radishes.

This giant radish is the god of agriculture, named Oshiro-no-Kami.

As the first deity to descend from Takamagahara to attend the Mountain God Festival, the appearance of the giant radish brought the atmosphere to a small climax.

"Welcome to Lord Goshirakami——"

Amidst respectful and enthusiastic cheers, a karako (a type of deity) carrying a palanquin soon flew over.

To welcome the White God, Totoro's butler arranged for Yamawaro to perform a brief fire festival ceremony.

A brazier with a high flame was placed in the middle of the dock, and female officials dressed in white kimono dresses, uniformly dressed as ancient palace maids, chanted incantations around the brazier.

"Burn, burn, my God! We need oranges, rice..."

While chanting, they threw various crops into the brazier.

This is an ancient ritual to worship the god of agriculture, in which crops are burned on the plains of Takamagahara to pray for a bountiful harvest in the coming year.

The giant radish stepped over the brazier and onto the palanquin.

"Squeak-"

The palanquin creaked and groaned under the weight.

Four tengu (crows) carried the palanquin into the air and flew towards the central courtyard of the palace.

"Pah~" Fujiwara Izaya spat out a mouthful of sugarcane residue, wondering if, given his relationship with the God of the White Mountain, he could cut some radishes to make soup... He had heard that the God of the White Mountain's flesh was very delicious, and eating it could increase one's divinity.

It's estimated that among the tens of thousands of monsters and gods present, he was the only one with such thoughts.

"Croak~"

The cawing of crows came from the horizon.

Fujiwara Izaya looked up.

A flock of crows flew in from the distant sky, and as they cawed in unison as they approached overhead, he raised his hand and flicked the lead, fat, black crow.

"Bang~"

A ripple spread through the space.

The fat crow spun like a whirlwind and fell into the grass. Before it could even screech, it caught sight of the mountain god munching on sugarcane and immediately scurried over on its knees, saying, "Young Master!"

There are two factions in the hidden town.

One faction was the mountain god's power, belonging to Fujiwara Izaya's father, who called him Mountain God; the other was the Great Tengu's power, belonging to his mother's side, who called him Young Master.

"Has Yukino-san arrived?" Fujiwara Izaya asked.

“We’re almost there.” Raven was tense, kneeling with his buttocks slightly raised. “Their ship has entered the town’s territory and is queuing to dock.”

"What about that guy named Takenaka something?"

"They came along too."

Fujiwara Rin also asked seriously, "Could we make him disappear halfway through?"

This absurd question troubled Dark Raven for a long time before he cautiously said, "Killing him is not a problem, after all, this is the young master's territory... But he is, after all, representing the Oni Clan and has formally presented his visiting card. If something happens to him at the festival, not to mention offending Shuten-dōji, it will also damage the young master's reputation."

Then I'll chop him up on his way back... Fujiwara Rin thought calmly, patting the seat next to him, "I was just joking, don't be so nervous, come sit over here."

I don't believe you for a second...

Young Master, what kind of person are you? I, your dog... no, do you think I, Dark Raven, don't know you? Dark Raven straightened up and sat down next to the young master.

The lawn still retained some of the daytime heat in the evening.

Fujiwara Izaya propped himself up on one arm, legs outstretched, his expression casual and lazy. Beside him, the dog's head was raised to the same height, shoulders hunched, and body tilted at the same angle as its young master; the two looked like a pair of poodles. Although the dog's lowered head and the smile on its lips couldn't be seen, it considered it the greatest honor to be able to strike the same pose as its young master.

“Iizuna Saburo is coming,” Fujiwara Izaya suddenly said.

Dark Raven immediately tensed up: "You want him to disappear halfway?"

“Okay, go do it.” Fujiwara Izaya broke off half of the sugarcane in his hand and gave it to him. “This is your reward.”

"..." Dark Crow took the sugarcane, sullenly munched on it a few times, then looked up and asked, "Why don't we let Lord Totoro or Lord Kiyoshi take action? Let's take down Iizuna Saburo first, then we can march on Mount Hidehiko. That way, two of the Seven Great Tengu will be gone. The Great Tengu Hōkibō on Shiramine's side was originally there to guard Shikoku in place of his old master. Once the young master goes there, he will definitely submit. As for the remaining four..."

Fujiwara Izaya simply spat out a mouthful of sugarcane residue in response to the dog's suggestion.

"The Fox Clan delegation has arrived—"

Suddenly, a commotion arose from the dock.

The master and servant both looked in that direction at the same time.

A group of enchantresses dressed in gorgeous and colorful geisha attire slowly disembarked from the large ship that docked at the shore.

The guests on the riverbank and the embankment all stood up in a commotion, and many monsters also ran around, eager to witness the splendor of the fox clan's procession.

Clad in colorful robes and flowing silk, fox-women descended from the ship's railing. Each carried a flower basket as they swept across the dock, their slender, delicate hands flicking out vibrant, fragrant petals that flew from their long, rounded fingers, transforming into a gentle, showering rain of blossoms.

Under the shimmering light of the tide, the decorated sedan chair appeared amidst the rain of flowers.

The fox clan's envoy sat upright in the sedan chair.

With her white hair and red hair, she looked down upon the world like a goddess descending to earth, her beauty too stunning to behold.

She wore a colorful Tang-style robe, with a red gauze shawl draped over her shoulders, and her long white hair flowed freely like a silver river descending to earth. Heart-shaped ornaments adorned her hair, and she held a cypress folding fan in her hand. This was a typical dynastic style, with Tang-style clothing and classical makeup, giving one a sense of being transported to the Heian period.

All eyes were drawn to her, for she was a nine-tailed fox of the fox clan, the most beautiful and enchanting demon in the world.

She was so beautiful she seemed otherworldly.

Because she is fireworks.

Every eye was fixed on her face, except for Fujiwara Rin, who thought that his aunt should devour her. His aunt's beauty was already second to none, and with the added bonus of white hair and a red-haired boy, just thinking about it was exhilarating!

“It’s that fox spirit.” Dark Raven pointed to the enchantress on the palanquin and said, “I met her and Miss Yukino last time, and she even used a barrier to stop me from eavesdropping.”

"Don't worry, I'll help you get revenge," Fujiwara Izaya comforted him. "From now on, she'll be your young mistress."

"Huh? Huh—"