Kamishiro Sora was dumbfounded. This boss had taken all the shikigami so easily!
Qing Chen looked at Shen Dai Yunluo: "What are your plans next? You should understand that after all the wars are over, I will also close down all the conglomerates in this world and bring them under public ownership. A behemoth like the Shen Dai family will not be allowed to exist."
Kamishiro Unra laughed and said, "Don't worry, when you travel through time, I will help you gather the forces in the north and find a way to defeat the few troops under Kamishiro Chika's command. When you return to the surface world, I will stay by Maki's side in peace and be her teacher, teaching her how to master shikigami."
Qing Chen asked curiously, "Don't you have any ambitions?"
Kamishiro Unra said, "We were originally retainers of the Minamoto clan, and this is merely a matter of restoring order. Do you think I'm qualified to be her teacher?"
“You’re qualified enough… but are you content with that?” Qing Chen frowned.
“There’s nothing to be resentful about,” the young nobleman said, his hands still tucked into his sleeves, as if nothing had happened. “Isn’t it good to be a carefree hermit?”
He looked at the Hakusan Shrine outside the hall: "When I was young, I came here to train, thinking that as long as I was powerful enough, I could gain the appreciation of important people. But later I realized that I was wrong. At that time, we also had a senior brother named Shindai Yunshan... Yes, the one who went to intercept and kill the old master of the Li family. He was later killed by Li Yunjing."
Qing Chen was taken aback.
Kumashiro Unra said with a smile, "When we were young, we were ignorant. A group of us brothers would play around in the shrine. Kumashiro Chika didn't stay here often, so the atmosphere was pretty good. Sometimes we would go to the temizu-shakuhachi (water fountain) and roll up our sleeves to splash water. We would also ride on the stone dogs in the yard and pretend to ride horses and fight. Occasionally we would go to the shrine and write strange blessings on the prayer plaques and hang them on the trees."
"At that time, the senior disciple, Jinshiro Yunsugi, was in charge of the Hakusan Shrine. Whenever the Discipline Office found us misbehaving and wanted to punish us, the senior disciple would stand in front of the Discipline Office like a god, dressed in a white hunting robe. He would always smile and say, 'Isn't it normal for children to fight? There's so much water in the purifier, it's okay to spill a little.'"
“The disciplinary office punished us by not letting us eat, so he would secretly bring us food in the middle of the night. The disciplinary office originally wanted to punish him, but he was a genius that the Kamishiro family had only seen once in hundreds of years, and no one could beat him. Later, he started to go to the kitchen and forcibly take food from us, and the disciplinary office couldn’t do anything about him either… But then, one night he was suddenly summoned back to City 20, and when he came back, he was no longer him.”
Suddenly, a look of sadness crossed Kamishiro Yunra's face: "From then on, my senior brother put on a black hunting robe and began to punish us. He would beat us to death if we made a mistake. It was from that time that I slowly began to learn about the secrets of Onmyoji and started my own plan."
Shen Dai Kong Yu, who was standing to the side, also looked downcast. Back then, she used to follow Shen Dai Yun Luo around and fool around with him. That senior brother was a scar in their hearts.
Kumashiro Yunra laughed and said, "Back then, when we were tired from playing, we would sit together under the sunset and sing a song called 'Island Song.' Island song, ride the wind and take away my tears... Whenever I feel lonely, I want to listen to this song. It's as if hearing this song can take me back to that sweaty summer day."
Qing Chen sighed, "Please accept my condolences."
Kamishiro Yunra laughed: "No need to comfort me, I'm very carefree! I just want to say that what I miss are those people from the past, those who are no longer here, not this filthy family. Rather than let it continue to exist, it's better to destroy it."
After saying that, Kamishiro Unra manifested as a horse-faced demon, spewing green ghost fire from its nostrils and burning down the entire Hakusan Shrine!
"Let's go, we still have a lot of important things to do!" said Kamishiro Yunluo. "By the way, boss, where are you going? Aren't you going to take us out for fun again?"
Qing Chen said, "I need to go further north first, then head to Forbidden Land No. 001. I'm off!"
With that, Qing Chen and Qing Ji walked out of the city, no longer paying attention to the commotion behind them.
...
...
Outside the city, Zheng Yuandong, leaning on his black knife, waited for an unknown amount of time.
He had been lurking in City 23, assassinating most of the Kashima executives, so it wasn't too far for him to come from there.
He glanced at his watch; the time was almost up, but the person he was waiting for hadn't arrived yet.
However, at that moment, a shadowy door opened beside him, and Qing Chen said softly, "Sorry to keep you waiting, Boss Zheng."
Zheng Yuandong laughed and said, "I thought you were too late."
No sooner had the words been spoken than the distant wailing of a steam train echoed through the distance.
But then the black train emerged from nothingness, and the moment it saw Qing Chen, it prepared to turn.
As it turned out, Qing Chen was prepared. With a swift movement, he grabbed the handrail on the side of the car and laughed loudly, saying, "Boss Zheng, Uncle Qing Ji, keep up!"
Qing Ji: "Holy crap... why do I feel like it's a little afraid of you?!"
He and Zheng Yuandong sprinted as fast as they could and finally managed to grab the handrail before the steam train turned the corner.
The steam train traveled across the plains, and Qingchen laughed wildly in the wind, which blew his hair back.
He opened the car door and said with a smile, "Now I believe that forbidden substances are actually active."
Qing Ji asked in confusion, "Aren't you going north? This steam train is heading south."
Qing Chen looked at Zheng Yuandong: "Mr. Zheng, let's begin."
At this moment, Zheng Yuandong took out a gold coin from his pocket and walked towards the last carriage.
When the gold coin was taken out, the steam train's engine spewed out a plume of black smoke, and gradually, the train's speed decreased.
Contraindicated item ACE-099 is the correct gold coin.
It was once in the hands of He Jinqiu, but later, when Boss He no longer needed it, he gave it to Zheng Yuandong before parting ways.
As Zheng Yuandong walked, he said, "The superhuman who produced the steam train was the demigod Wang Congyang. He was the most cowardly demigod in the history of superhumans in the inner world, without exception. In that chaotic world, he spent his whole life running away from disaster and lying to avoid all dangers."
According to the Bystander Organization, Wang Congyang once loved a female superhuman. The woman wanted him to settle down, but he always said he would settle down soon, that he could get married and have children soon. However, he never kept his word and would run away whenever danger arose. The woman felt that he never told the truth and eventually left in disappointment. After her death, she extracted a correct gold coin, which was used to distinguish between truth and lies. I guess that the steam train has been waiting for this gold coin for hundreds of years.
As he spoke, Zheng Yuandong tossed the correct gold coin into the last carriage. The coin tumbled in the air, making a clear, melodious sound.
The steam train gradually came to a stop.
Qingchen watched silently, thinking that perhaps some people only learn to cherish things after they've lost them.
Sometimes, long after a relationship ends, we gradually realize that we loved that person in the wrong way. Then, we suddenly want to get that person back and love them all over again.
But it can never be found again.
Zheng Yuandong calmly said, "The steam train has been taken in. Let's go, north!"
The steam train let out a high-pitched wail and rumbled as it sped off toward the northern snowfields.
Chapter 909, The Disguised Puppet Master
Countdown 18:00:00.
Steam trains traverse plains and mountains, crossing mountain winds and valley streams.
Gradually, the steam train even passed the A02 secret military base.
At this time, Base A02 had been abandoned for several months, with cobwebs everywhere and a dilapidated state.
Zheng Yuandong got out of the car and asked curiously, "Was this where you were imprisoned back then?"
Standing beside the pigsty, Qing Chen calmly said, "I was locked up here back then. The gods wanted me to submit and made me eat pig feed. So, someone sacrificed their life to prevent me from eating that pig feed."
Zheng Yuandong: "So from then on, you always ate cleanly."
“Hmm,” Qingchen patted the pillar of the pigsty, “Let’s go, let’s continue north.”
They walked dozens of kilometers to collect the remains of their comrades who had died on the road and buried them next to the graves of Wang Yuchao and Zhao Mingke.
Qing Chen remained calm, while Qing Ji assisted him from the side.
After they finished collecting the remains, Qingchen sighed, "No matter how hard we try, those vibrant lives can never be brought back."
Qing Ji opened the Shadow Gate and retrieved a stone tablet for him.
Qing Chen sat down on the ground with great care and began to carve the names of the fallen soldiers one by one on the stone tablet: Wang Yuchao, Zhao Mingke, Qing Chengcheng, Li Mingwen...
Finally, he solemnly inscribed six characters on the stone tablet: Success need not be achieved by me.
He stood up, planted the stone tablet in the ground, and said to it, "Our flags have now been planted all over the north, though only temporarily. But I believe the day you have been waiting for will eventually come. At that time, there will surely be a peaceful and prosperous era. A cemetery will be built here, and you will see children flying kites in the spring, soaring high in the sky, waving like banners..."
Qing Chen didn't give himself much time to dwell on the past. He turned to Qing Ji and said, "Uncle Qing Ji, take me to the vicinity of Forbidden Land No. 001."
Qingji: "I have never been to Forbidden Land No. 001, so I can only take you to a place 80 kilometers away from there."
"It doesn't matter."
At this moment, Zheng Yuandong looked at Qingchen: "Are you going alone?"
Qing Chen laughed and said, "I'm not going alone; I have to take Chen Yu from the Chen family with me."
Zheng Yuandong and Qing Ji were both taken aback.
...
...
City No. 7.
A young man is walking calmly down the street.
He seemed to have just arrived in the city, so he was quite curious about this coastal city.
The young man walked straight into the depths of the city until he arrived at the gate of a mansion, where the two stone lions at the entrance came to life, staring at him angrily.
The young man smiled and said, "I'm here to discuss serious matters with your master. Please don't attack me."
After saying that, he calmly walked to the door, picked up the bronze beast-shaped door knocker on the red courtyard gate, and bang, bang, bang, the door knocker slammed against the door.
The door creaked open, revealing an elderly man inside who looked at the young man expressionlessly: "Who are you looking for?"
The young man smiled and said, "Puppet Master Zong Cheng is here to see Chen Yu, the demigod of the Chen family."
The old man said, "Wait."
With a bang, the door slammed shut.
The old man limped deeper into the courtyard.
At this moment, Chen Yu stood in his courtyard, in front of a table covered with Xuan paper.
The figure on the rice paper was half-finished, and it was clearly the water god Gonggong. His hair and beard were all blue, his muscles were bulging, and water vapor swirled around him.
Majestic and lifelike.
Behind Chen Yu was a clock, as tall as a person.
The clock's pendulum swung back and forth, and when the hour came, it made a clanging sound.
Strangely, from ten meters away, the old man saw that all of Chen Yu's movements were as if they had been sped up, and his painting movements were ridiculously fast.
But when he got within ten meters, everything seemed normal.
Chen Yu laughed and said, "Uncle Xu, you should stay at least ten meters away. This clock is a forbidden object; time flows six times faster within ten meters than outside. You're already getting on in years; don't waste your precious time."
“Young Master,” Uncle Xu said, “a young man has come to the door. He claims to be Zong Cheng, the puppeteer, and wants to see you.”
Chen Yu paused for a moment while holding the paintbrush.
He pondered for a moment: "Let him in, but don't give him a chance to come into contact with you."
"clear."
The old man went to lead the young man over, and then withdrew.