Is this punishment?
She has already been completely broken.
Su Han poked Neko with a wooden stick, wanting to check if she was still alive. As a result, the little cat's body trembled, and another stream of water spurted out.
"..."
Su Han quickly threw away the stick. Only one thought remained in his mind.
As long as she is still alive, it is fine.
Seeing this, Kitsune Saiguu could not help but laugh. "Alright, I am not as cruel as you think. If I killed her, then who would manage the shrine here?"
"Then how are you planning to change the shrine on Seirai Island?"
The betrayal from back then was still vivid.
If Inazuma regained peace, all the islands would inevitably be unified under centralized rule. There would absolutely no longer be chaos and constant warfare like now.
And the existence of shrines was an excellent organizational structure. Not only could they train shrine maidens, but they could also serve as supervision and oversight.
If managed well, Inazuma would immediately usher in prosperity.
Kitsune Saiguu dragged Neko along with spirit moths as she walked toward the shrine on Seirai Island. Along the way, she thought for a long time, yet still could not come up with a suitable answer.
"The things I know are too far removed from the present. Do you have any suitable candidates?"
"There is no need for someone especially clever, loyalty is enough."
In the future, this island would surely become prosperous.
Rather than having her recommend someone, it would be better to let Su Han choose.
"You want me to choose? What do you think about Inagi Hotomi?"
The young shrine maidens at the Grand Narukami Shrine were actually all quite decent, but in terms of ability and loyalty, this shrine maiden stood out.
Inagi Hotomi's strength was far inferior to some of the others, but she had the advantage of being Yae Miko's confidant. She was also very attentive toward him, making her easy to work with.
"Hmm, not a bad choice. Her strength can be cultivated. Then go tell Miko later, and have her pick some people to bring over tonight."
Past experiences had already revealed many problems.
To become the manager of a shrine, ability alone was not enough.
Loyalty was the most important.
If strength was lacking, it could always be trained.
Seeing that there was nothing more to do, Su Han took out the Den Den Mushi and contacted Miko.
"What is it, my lord~"
"What kind of way is that to address me..."
"Hahaha, it is just showing respect to you. After all, you are my senior's lover."
The sly fox still loved teasing people as always, but unfortunately, Su Han did not take the bait and decisively changed the topic.
"Let's talk business. Kitsune Saiguu and I are on Seirai Island. We want to renovate the shrine here and have decided to let Inagi Hotomi serve as Guuji. Pick some people for her to bring over."
"You mean the Asase Shrine?"
"Yes. This place will develop sooner or later, so we are planning to start with the shrine."
Su Han explained his and Kitsune Saiguu's thoughts.
When the topic turned to centralized governance, Yae Miko immediately dropped her playful attitude. The current chaos in Inazuma was largely due to Raiden Ei's lack of management, and another part was because she herself had been too young back then.
Even if she had wanted to manage things, others would not have listened to her commands.
Now, the timing was just right.
"Wait a moment, I will arrange it immediately."
Yae Miko walked out of the courtyard and found the shrine maidens who were chatting.
When they heard that Inagi Hotomi was being promoted to Guuji of Seirai Island, their eyes were filled with envy.
Only Inagi Hotomi herself was stunned.
"My lord, I... I cannot take on this role."
In terms of strength, she was inferior to some shrine maidens who carried out missions outside.
In terms of intelligence, many shrine maidens surpassed her.
If it came to achievements, the only thing she had was serving the two lords closely during this period.
Could it be... Lord Su Han?
Inagi Hotomi looked up at the Guuji.
She saw Yae Miko nod slightly, confirming her guess.
"Just as you think, this appointment was personally designated by Mr. Su Han."
"But what you may not know is that in the past, aside from the shrine on Narukami Island, there were many other shrines. Unfortunately, most of them perished along with disasters."
"However, a few shrines still remain."
"Yet those people, although somewhat talented, are ungrateful traitors!"
"So, Inagi Hotomi, do not disappoint me."
"Otherwise, the day you betray us, I will personally execute you and make you taste endless hell."
As Yae Miko spoke toward the end, her eyes had already turned into fierce purple slit pupils.
She would never allow past events to happen again.
Inagi Hotomi had read through ancient records and already knew of these past events. She knelt on the ground, tears streaming down her face.
"Lady Guuji, I will never betray Narukami or you! In life, I belong to Inazuma; in death, I will remain its spirit..."
The other shrine maidens exchanged glances and also knelt down.
Although the current Guuji always appeared clever and cunning in front of outsiders, in reality, the entire burden of Inazuma rested on her shoulders.
Though none had seen the celestial fox shed tears, drinking herself into intoxication was unavoidable.
From childhood to now, Inagi Hotomi had been teased by the Guuji many times, but this did not affect her admiration and respect.
Looking at the sobbing Inagi Hotomi, Yae Miko sighed. "Alright, this is not a life-and-death parting. Stop crying all the time. Otherwise, if outsiders find out that the Guuji's subordinate is a crybaby, it would not be good."
"Yes, my lord."
Inagi Hotomi quickly wiped her face.
She tried her best to show a confident side.
Yae Miko then looked at the other shrine maidens and said, "Do not be envious. If more shrines are established in the future, there will be opportunities for all of you. Train yourselves properly."
"Yes, Lady Guuji!"
Hearing that there was hope, everyone became excited.
No matter how good being a shrine maiden was, it could not compare to being a Guuji.
To govern a region.
To lead countless shrine maidens in slaying demons and suppressing evil, just imagining it felt impressive.
After everything was settled, Yae Miko said to Inagi Hotomi, "Come with me for a moment."
"Yes, my lord."
Inside the room, Inagi Hotomi was extremely nervous.
She did not know why the Guuji had called her alone.
Was it to teach her techniques, or to inform her of some secrets?
After waiting for a while, Yae Miko handed her a Den Den Mushi and a Blood Bodhi fruit, then instructed, "Tonight you will bring a group of shrine maidens to take over the shrine. If there are any issues, contact me directly using the Den Den Mushi."
"Yes, my lord. This fruit..."
Inagi Hotomi recognized the Den Den Mushi, but she knew very little about the fruit in her hand.
Yae Miko smiled. "Since I brought you up, I cannot send you off without a gift. This is Blood Bodhi, a gift Su Han left for Inazuma. One can increase decades of cultivation with just a single fruit, so eat it. Otherwise, your strength is too low."
A single fruit could increase decades of cultivation.
Inagi Hotomi's eyes widened.
Was there really such a treasure in the world?
This was incredible.
"My lord, I..."
"Loyalty alone is not enough. You must also have the corresponding strength. Eat it."
Yae Miko spoke gently.
She was not someone stingy with treasures. This time, Inagi Hotomi would be leaving the Grand Narukami Shrine to manage a place on her own.
The pressure would be immense.
If she did not improve her strength, she would surely be looked down upon there.
Inagi Hotomi bit her lips tightly, trying to stop herself from crying.
But tears continued to flow.
She swore to manage the shrine well, to prevent such incidents from happening again, and to protect the island. She must not let down the expectations of the three lords.
"I will not disappoint you."
Inagi Hotomi took the fruit and swallowed it in large bites.
The scorching heat made her feel as if her body was about to melt.
It took a full hour.
Only then did she completely absorb the fruit's power.
When she opened her eyes, she found that the entire world had changed. Her perception, magical power, and physical body had all improved tremendously.
Yae Miko, who had been reading a manga, could not help but ask when she saw her wake up, "How does it feel?"
"My lord, it is amazing. So powerful. I feel like my strength has increased dozens of times!"
Inagi Hotomi had never imagined she could become this strong.
She felt like she could punch a cow to death.
Hearing this, Yae Miko closed the manga and said with a smile, "Then go select your people and set out. Let me give you one more piece of advice. Do not forget how you obtained the position of Guuji."
"Hm?"
Inagi Hotomi froze for a moment.
Then she quickly understood.
Her lord was warning her not to be ungrateful.
Her current position was due to her service to Mr. Su Han, so she must repay him in the future.
"My lord, I understand."
"It is good that you do."
Yae Miko knew that Kitsune Saiguu would not mind such things.
After all, her physical body was still weak.
As for Su Han, he was young and full of vigor. A few days ago, the medicinal bath had also been proposed by Yae Miko herself.
During that time, several pure shrine maidens had volunteered to serve.
But Su Han had only chosen three.
Inagi Hotomi left with twenty shrine maidens, bringing along many supplies and provisions.
The road ahead was long.
What came next depended entirely on their own efforts.
At dusk, Su Han returned from Seirai Island with Kitsune Saiguu.
Yae Miko, who was enjoying fried tofu, looked at Kitsune Saiguu's rosy complexion and was full of surprise.
"Wait, my lady. Why does your complexion seem much better than this morning? What happened..."
"As for that, you should ask Su Han. This immortal fox is a bit tired and needs to rest."
Kitsune Saiguu glanced at him and handed the question over to her lover.
Su Han smiled and explained.
When she heard that soul power could nourish the body, Yae Miko immediately became delighted. "Then does that mean that when purifying filth, you will not be affected?"
"That is uncertain for now, but if her soul continues to grow stronger, it is not impossible."
Su Han had studied Kitsune Saiguu's body for a long time.
Filth was an essential part of her soul, but if she could continuously obtain soul power, removing it was not impossible.
However, all of this required time.
"I see. Then it seems we still have to wait. I was originally considering whether to reclaim Yashiori Island, but now it seems unlikely."
Everything was improving.
This made Yae Miko let out a sigh of relief.
At least, her lady would not disappear for no reason.
She truly feared that one day the other party would act impulsively and secretly perform the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual, only to end up erasing herself.
"Yes. Considering how hard I worked, shouldn't I get some reward?"
"Heh, men."
Yae Miko rolled her eyes at Su Han, then silently walked behind him and began massaging his shoulders with her soft hands.
This was not her first time doing this.
There were clearly so many shrine maidens, yet he insisted on having her do it.
Even worse, her lady supported him.
Truly excessive.
But today, the sly fox was in a good mood, so she treated it as a reward. After all, Su Han had not had it easy either.
After a while, Su Han's face was full of enjoyment. He sighed, "Miko, your technique is really good."
"And then?"
"I was just thinking about whether to release a shrine maiden-themed manga."
"Really?"
Yae Miko, who had been about to complain, immediately dropped all dissatisfaction upon hearing this.
The influence and promotional power of manga were obvious to everyone.
Her shrine at Mount Yougou was severely lacking manpower. If such a manga were released, the Grand Narukami Shrine would probably be flooded with people.
Just thinking about it was exciting.
Su Han lifted his left shoulder slightly, and she immediately understood and quickly began massaging that side.
"Ah, that feels good."
"As expected, you are the best, Miko. Inagi Hotomi's skills are not good enough."
Hearing his evaluation, Yae Miko said with a flattering smile, "Then, my lord, I will massage you a bit longer. Will I be able to see the manga today?"
"What? You want to massage my feet too? That is too embarrassing."
Su Han pushed his luck.
A vein mark appeared on Yae Miko's forehead as she gritted her teeth. "Do not push your luck. Massaging your shoulders is already my limit!"
"Oh, as for the manga, I was just casually mentioning it."
Su Han pretended to be indifferent.
But Yae Miko could not hold out.
She had just transferred twenty shrine maidens away. What manpower did she even have left? She could not possibly run errands personally all the time.
That would be too pitiful.
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