[Sekiro]: You could try researching Hide's Yokai Force and Soul Cores. Hide's Yokai Force is practically universal; once she has the corresponding Soul Core, she can use the innate skills of any Yokai.
[resident evil]: Well, I'd need to actually have Soul Cores first.
[resident evil]@[Nioh 2]: Send over some Soul Cores and Spirit Stones. Speaking of which, Spirit Stones are practically a universal energy source in the Nioh world. They can turn ordinary soldiers into Yokai, resurrect the dead, and enhance the power of Yokai or Guardian Spirits. By the way, do you have a Guardian Spirit?
[Nioh 2]: I already had Hide check. I don't. Maybe it's because I'm an outsider; Hide couldn't even perform a Spirit Division for me.
[Nioh 2]: No rush on the Soul Cores and Spirit Stones. Word has already started spreading from Saito Dosan's side. I expect his son, Saito Yoshitatsu, will rebel against his old man before long.
[Nioh 2]: I'll wait until the situation gets critical before Hide and I go to save him. He is my father-in-law, after all; I can't really let him be sacrificed like that, even though he separated from Miyoshino right after Hide was born.
In the story of Nioh 2, Saito Dosan was originally the leader of the Sohaya, an organization of Yokai hunters, but as their leader, he fell in love with a Yokai named Miyoshino.
Consequently, he destroyed the Sohaya-maru, the demon-slaying sword passed down through generations of Sohaya leaders, to prove his resolve and love for Miyoshino. All that remained of the Sohaya-maru were the tsuba and a broken blade.
After that, Saito Dosan took the broken blade, left the tsuba to the Sohaya, and went into seclusion with Miyoshino.
While it was a rather dishonorable move, he was their strongest leader, so who could stop him?
After leaving the Sohaya, Saito Dosan and Miyoshino united and gave birth to twins. However, in that era, twins were seen as an ill omen. Thus, Miyoshino took one of the children and left Saito Dosan.
Just as Miyoshino was preparing to leave, Saito Dosan gave her the broken blade of the Sohaya-maru, having carved the character 'Hide' onto it. This was the origin of Hide's name.
After the two separated, Saito Dosan kept the other child, naming him Saito Yoshitatsu, and eventually became the Daimyo of Mino Province.
It's hard to say if it was a problem with Saito Dosan's parenting, but Saito Yoshitatsu was very dissatisfied with his father, which gave rise to thoughts of rebellion.
It was at this time that Kashin Koji took the opportunity to possess Saito Yoshitatsu, amplifying the greed, anger, and ignorance in his heart.
This is why, in the game, Saito Yoshitatsu is so desperate to do battle with his own father.
So, helping Saito Dosan wasn't just about saving his father-in-law, but also about catching Kashin Koji. However, Xia Yu didn't know exactly when Kashin Koji had possessed Saito Yoshitatsu.
Therefore, he chose to wait until the situation reached a crisis point before helping. By then, Saito Yoshitatsu would definitely be possessed by Kashin Koji.
This was the Nioh Xia Yu's next plan. But at this moment, Saito Yoshitatsu hadn't completely rebelled yet, so Xia Yu wasn't in a hurry... [Sekiro]: A son? In the game, isn't Saito Yoshitatsu identical to Hide, same gender and everything? Why is it a man in your world?
[Nioh 2]: Not sure. Maybe this world follows history; after all, in the history of the Sengoku period, Saito Yoshitatsu was a man. Though it's also possible Miyoshino was carrying fraternal twins.
[Nioh 2]: But that's not important. If you're in a hurry, I can find some Spirit Stones and Soul Cores to send over now.
[resident evil]: Let's pass on that. Take it slow. Why rush when you have an endless life?
[Nioh 2]: True. An endless life should be enjoyed every day.
[Sekiro]:...Starting your retirement already?
[Sekiro]: Whatever, I've received the Yokai Force. I'll see if the Great Serpent on my side can absorb it. Humanoid transformation for Yokai seems pretty fast.
[Nioh 2]: Why are you in such a hurry to have your Great Serpent transform?
[Sekiro]: Take a guess.
[Nioh 2]:...Sekiro World, Bodhisattva Valley.
After finishing his chat in the Chat Group, Ashina Xia Yu took out the purple Yokai Force. The first Great Serpent he had tamed was currently coiled around his arm.
It was a Land God, after all. Though its health was a bit low, it could still use divine power to shrink its size. The Great Serpent had transformed from its original length of several hundred meters into a small white snake just over a meter long.
"Bring your head over here."
Xia Yu shrugged his shoulders. The Great Serpent, shaken awake, was a bit dazed at first, but upon hearing the command, it hurriedly brought its head close to Xia Yu.
Seeing this, Xia Yu used his index finger to hook the purple Yokai Force and tapped it onto the Great Serpent's head. But as soon as the Yokai Force was channeled into the serpent's body, it was bounced out by another energy.
Xia Yu, feeling a bit stubborn, tried to channel the Yokai Force in again, but in the next moment, a thought from the Great Serpent was transmitted over.
"What? You're saying this energy can't coexist with the divine power in your body?"
"Hiss~ hiss~"
"Tsk, your divine power is really stingy."
Xia Yu had no choice but to put away the Yokai Force. It seemed this Great Serpent hadn't cultivated into a Yokai before becoming a Land God, but had been a Land God from the very beginning.
However, if Yokai Force didn't work, then the Serpent Persimmons, which shared the same source, surely would.
In the game, besides the Fresh Serpent Persimmon obtained by killing a Great Serpent, there was also the Dried Serpent Persimmon enshrined in the White Serpent Shrine of Bodhisattva Valley.
The other Great Serpent was right here, so Xia Yu's goal in coming here was the Dried Serpent Persimmon and that other Great Serpent.
He had already thought of a name for the other Great Serpent: Cen Biqing, also known as Xiaoqing.
"Let's go, time to find your little sister."
Having confirmed that the Yokai Force was useless, Xia Yu jumped down from the top of the broken Buddha statue in Bodhisattva Valley and flew toward the location he perceived with his Divine Sense.
The ground of Bodhisattva Valley was all swampy poison pools; he didn't want to touch that.
As for why he was certain the other Great Serpent was also female, it was because the Great Serpent God was originally a single entity that had split into three.
One of them had died in an accident, and its heart was removed by the residents of Sunken Valley who worshipped the Great Serpent God, serving as a sacred object for rituals.
This practice wasn't wrong, as the Serpent Persimmons were the condensed essence of the Great Serpent God, housing its holy soul and divine power.
The other Great Serpent stayed near the White Serpent Shrine precisely to guard this Serpent Persimmon.
These were things he learned from Little White after taming her, which helped him understand some details not explicitly stated in the game.
A moment later, Xia Yu spotted the Great Serpent's winding body. Currently, its pure white form was sliding along the inner walls of a cave.
As for the head, it was even further away. Both Great Serpents were nearly several hundred meters long, making it difficult to see the head and tail at the same time.
But before Xia Yu even entered the cave, the Great Serpent seemed to sense something. Its body suddenly writhed and then began to shrink.
A moment later, a small white snake about a meter long crawled out of the cave and lowered its head toward Xia Yu.
Xia Yu looked at this scene with some surprise, while a thought came from Little White on his shoulder.
"So you two actually have telepathy. If I'd known, I wouldn't have bothered coming down."
"Hiss~ hiss~"
"Can't be too far apart? Hmm... this telepathy is a bit useless then."
Seeing the other party surrender without a fight, Xia Yu suddenly felt it was a bit of a pity. However, he didn't idle; he reached out to the other Great Serpent, which then crawled onto his other arm. Once it stabilized itself, the snake opened its mouth, revealing the Dried Serpent Persimmon that had been enshrined in the White Serpent Shrine.
"Quite thoughtful."
Xia Yu reached out and took the Dried Serpent Persimmon, investigating it briefly. Although the persimmon was dried, the divine power within had not dissipated much, remaining tightly bound inside.
"Hmm, well done." Xia Yu patted the Great Serpent's head and imprinted a soul mark. "From now on, you'll be called Cen Biqing. Got it?"
"Hiss~ hiss~