[Sekiro] released a [Divine Power] Red Envelope.
[clash of clans]: Holy crap? Where did you get Divine Power?
[Sekiro]: It really is Divine Power. This is energy I discovered inside the body of the Great White Snake in Sekiro. This confirms it; that Great White Snake really is some kind of Earth Deity, like a Mountain God.
[do you want to cultivate immortality]: This Divine Power seems like a mix of spiritual power and the power of faith. Hmm... but the mixed spiritual power doesn't seem like pure spiritual energy of heaven and earth; it's more like the natural spiritual energy found in the mountains and wilds.
[Sekiro]: Is that so? It's possible. After all, Ashina is a place of beautiful mountains and clear waters, and there were many minor mountain gods before. However, this power of faith stuff doesn't feel like a good thing. Faith comes from others, not from one's own strength.
[clash of clans]: Who says? In those Western fantasy novels, they collect the power of faith to condense a godhead and become a god. Believers are the anchors for the gods.
[Tale of Immortal]: That's the difference between gods and immortals. Speaking of which, none of us are cultivating as a god yet. Natsujiro, why don't you try to become a god?
[Sekiro]: Dammit, don't call me Natsujiro! You can even call me Ashina.
[Sekiro]: But forget about becoming a god, I have no interest in that. I'll try to nurture my Great White Snake instead and see if I can get it to transform as soon as possible.
[Sekiro]: But if I do that, I'll have to root out the Divine Dragon. After all, as long as the Divine Dragon is rooted in this land, it will continuously absorb the power of the local gods. Just as the resurrection of the Dragons Heritage power absorbs the life force of people nearby, the Divine Dragon might also be absorbing the divine power of the surrounding minor mountain gods to repair itself.
[Tale of Immortal]: True. The Divine Dragon is an outsider god to begin with. Hmm... you could try feeding the Divine Dragon to your Great White Snake to see if it can evolve into a dragon. After all, both the Great White Snake and the Divine Dragon are types of Earth Deities, almost originating from the same source.
[Sekiro]: That makes sense. When the time comes, I'll just seize the Divine Dragon's divine realm and root out the Divine Dragon that has been plaguing all of Ashina. Just the immortality power of one Divine Dragon gave rise to the Rejuvenating Water, the Infested, the Dragons Heritage, and the Great Colored Carp, and even turned the Okami Clan into those monstrous forms.
[Tale of Immortal]: Indeed. But even without the Divine Dragon, Ashina would still fall to the Interior Ministry. One can only say that the arrival of the Divine Dragon added a portion of mysterious power to Ashina.
[Tale of Immortal]: Your world is probably not simple. Even the Divine Dragon, which directly affects all of Ashina, fled there from the West. I'm afraid there are even greater horrors in the West.
[Sekiro]: That's why I need to establish diplomatic relations with the Great Ming. After all, to the west of Japan is Huaxia. But it's a bit early to talk about that now.
[Sekiro] @ [Nioh 2]: By the way, send me some of AShu's demonic power. I want to see if I can integrate it into the Great White Snake. After all, AShu is the niece of the demon king Otakemaru, and the half-yokai bloodline in her body is of the most noble lineage.
[Nioh 2]: Don't be in such a hurry. AShu hasn't returned yet. She's been studying swordsmanship for the past few days with the teacher I found for her.
[Sekiro]: Good grief, you've completely replaced Fujikichirō. Are you also thinking of following Fujikichirō's path and becoming the Tenkabito?
[Nioh 2]: Forget about being the Tenkabito. I don't want to be bogged down by affairs every day with no time to rest. I quite admire Oda Nobunaga, so let him do it. I'll just provide some decisions from behind the scenes occasionally.
Nioh World, Strategist's Hermitage.
As a strategist, Nioh Xia Yu naturally didn't need to practice martial arts normally. Now that he had cheats, there was even less need to train.
At this moment, a small porcelain pot sat before him, containing bubbling tender white tofu and savory pickled vegetables. Beside him were several side dishes and a bottle of sake.
Xia Yu lay comfortably on the tatami, using his chopsticks to pick up a piece of tofu and put it into his mouth.
"Eating tofu with pickled vegetables, even the Emperor isn't as happy as I am~"
Exhaling a breath of hot air, Xia Yu hummed the 'Nine Clans Elimination' while eating. He remembered this jingle from a certain TV series; it was a classic scene that was impossible to forget after seeing it once.
"Lord Xia Yu, Lady AShu has returned."
Just as Xia Yu was having a mouthful of fresh tofu and a mouthful of sake, an attendant suddenly called out from outside the door.
"Have her come over. Tell her I'm waiting for her here!"
"Yes."
After dismissing the attendant, Xia Yu propped himself up, moving from a reclining position to sitting cross-legged, then took out another sake cup and placed it to the side.
Not long after, AShu, who had long white hair, walked in. She casually removed the tachi from her waist and sat cross-legged in front of Xia Yu.
"Come, try some tofu with pickled vegetables. These are top-quality ingredients."
Xia Yu casually pulled out a pair of chopsticks and handed them to AShu, who was looking curiously at the porcelain pot.
AShu wasn't polite either. She took the chopsticks, fished a piece of tofu out of the pot, and put it in her mouth.
"!"
The moment the tender and smooth tofu entered her mouth, AShu's deep purple eyes widened instantly, and she looked at the unassuming porcelain pot with some surprise.
"Hehe, it's good, right?"
Xia Yu chuckled. The ingredients used for this dish were all provided by Zombie Xia Yu, whose ingredient Red Envelopes were packed with a ton of stored food.
With the culinary skills provided by Zombie Xia Yu, every one of them could be considered a top-tier chef; it was just that they weren't as interested in cooking as Zombie Xia Yu was.
Hearing Xia Yu's words, AShu nodded vigorously, then kept eating the food from the pot without stopping. A moment later, she even drank all the soup in the porcelain pot in one go before exhaling a satisfied breath.
Looking at the clean porcelain pot, AShu felt a bit embarrassed. She seemed to have accidentally eaten it all.
"It's fine, it was prepared for you anyway. Come here, let me see your throat."
Seeing that AShu was a bit embarrassed, Xia Yu shook his head and then gestured for her to come closer to him.
Seeing this, AShu didn't stand up; she simply crawled over on all fours and then opened her mouth toward Xia Yu.
"Ah~"
"Hmm..."
This scene looked a bit... to Xia Yu, but looking at AShu's innocent big eyes, he managed to suppress those thoughts with sheer willpower.
He was doing serious business; he couldn't have other thoughts.
What he wanted to check on AShu was indeed serious business, because AShu was semi-mute; she could make some sounds but couldn't speak.
In the game, for the sake of character customization gameplay, AShu was designed to be mute, but in the story, there was also a reason for her muteness.
That was Kashin Koji, the lingering resentment born after the death of AShu's uncle, the demon king Otakemaru.
He had suddenly found their family when AShu was young, killed her mother Miyoshino, and slashed AShu's throat in the process.
Although AShu survived after escaping, the injury to her throat left her unable to speak.
But there was a major problem with this, because of AShu's half-yokai constitution, she was practically immortal. Even if she truly died, she would just wander through the underworld for a bit before returning to the world of the living.
Yet, as powerful as she was, she couldn't even self-heal the injury on her throat. There was clearly a significant issue.
While thinking, Xia Yu didn't just stand there dazed. He reached out and touched AShu's fair neck, using spiritual power to investigate the injury at her throat.
How should I put it? AShu's emotions in Nioh are actually quite rich, as can be seen in the story cutscenes. It's just that because she's mute and never speaks, she seems very blank, and the custom face-sculpting can't produce many rich expressions, making AShu seem rather indifferent.