(140 Power Stone Bonus)
Chapter 40: The Bald Guy
Hearing that voice, Kejōrō's shoulders tensed. She immediately spun around and answered, "Supreme Commander! There is a human child outside along with a Youkai of unknown origins. They claim they are here to see you."
"To see me?"
"A Youkai of unknown origins?"
Nyanko-sensei had lived for centuries and had never endured such a blatant insult. He clamped his jaws down hard on Natsume's hand. Capitalizing on the exact moment Natsume shrieked in pain and loosened his grip, the cat lunged directly at Kejōrō.
Today, he was absolutely going to teach this Kejōrō a lesson. A mere newcomer dared to act so insolently in his presence and call him a Youkai of unknown origins? She had thoroughly enraged him.
Take this! Continuous cat scratches!
"Ouch!"
Because Kejōrō was focused on answering the Supreme Commander, her guard was down, allowing Nyanko-sensei to successfully map a flurry of scratches across her face.
Beads of blood welled up along her cheek.
"How's that? Have you tasted my wrath now?" Nyanko-sensei huffed proudly.
Kejōrō fell dead silent. She raised her slender fingers to touch the blood on her cheek. Thick strands of Demon Essence began to radiate from her body as her long hair began to dance wildly in the air.
Women cared deeply about their faces, and even a woman who had become a Youkai was no exception to this rule.
Her face had just been mangled by a bizarre-looking cat. At this moment, Kejōrō was utterly livid. Her mind held only a single, burning desire: to shred this creature into microscopic pieces.
"Calm yourself, Kejōrō."
Just as Kejōrō was about to unleash her full power, a wrinkled hand caught her arm.
Kejōrō's fury vanished instantly. "Supreme Commander."
"Supreme Commander? Who are you supposed to be, old man?"
Nyanko-sensei stared in utter bewilderment as Kejōrō addressed a short man with an elongated, completely bald head as the Supreme Commander.
Wasn't the Supreme Commander of the Nura Clan supposed to be Nurarihyon? Who was this tiny old man puffing on a tobacco pipe in front of him?
Nurarihyon took a slow drag from his pipe, blowing out a neat ring of smoke before fixing his gaze directly onto Nyanko-sensei.
"Didn't you come all this way specifically looking for this old man? Why is it that you don't recognize me now?"
"Huh? I came here looking for Nurarihyon! Who on earth are you?"
"This old man is indeed Nurarihyon." Nurarihyon looked down at Nyanko-sensei, asking dryly, "And who might you be?"
Natsume listened to the exchange and realized things were going south. He rushed forward, scooping up Nyanko-sensei who was crouching on the ground, and whispered urgently, "Nyanko-sensei, didn't you say you were close friends with the Supreme Commander of the Nura Clan? But looking at the two of you, it seems you don't know each other at all."
Nyanko-sensei instantly panicked upon being doubted by Natsume. He couldn't let his reputation slide like this.
"Who says I don't know him?! I am someone who has shared sake with Nurarihyon himself! How could I possibly not know him?!"
"Hey, old man! I'm looking for Nurarihyon! Hurry up and tell Nurarihyon to get out here!"
"This old man already told you, I am Nurarihyon." Nurarihyon gave Nyanko-sensei a highly suspicious look. "You claim to have shared sake with me... just what kind of creature are you?"
Natsume felt utterly helpless. "So you really don't know each other, do you?"
He had already braced himself for Nyanko-sensei being unreliable, but he never anticipated it would be this disastrous.
"Quiet down, Natsume!"
Nyanko-sensei delivered a swift scratch right across Natsume's face, making the boy wince in agony.
Once Natsume quieted down, the cat turned his attention back to Nurarihyon, who was also widening his eyes to stare right back at him.
The two Youkai tried to unearth any shred of familiarity from one another.
"Old man, are you seriously Nurarihyon?"
"Indeed, without a doubt." As he spoke, Nurarihyon intentionally released a faint wisp of his Demon Essence.
Sensing this specific energy, Nyanko-sensei was finally convinced that the bald, long-headed old man in front of him was indeed the Nurarihyon he knew. An outward appearance could be fabricated, but Demon Essence never lied.
"It really is you! Hahaha! Nurarihyon, oh Nurarihyon! You've actually gone completely bald! This is absolutely hilarious!"
Nyanko-sensei genuinely couldn't contain himself. "We haven't crossed paths for a few hundred years, and you've turned into a bald old man! Hahaha! Hahaha! Bald Nurarihyon! Bald Nurarihyon! Damn it, my stomach hurts, this is too funny! You cue ball!"
Hearing the creature repeatedly call him bald, a thick vein throbbed violently on Nurarihyon's forehead.
"Just who are you? This old man doesn't recall knowing you, nor do I ever remember sharing sake with a pig."
This time, it was Nyanko-sensei's turn to feel deeply insulted. "You old freeloader who mooches food and drinks everywhere, who are you calling a pig?!"
"I am talking about you." Seeing Nyanko-sensei blow his top, Nurarihyon felt a sense of petty satisfaction. "Are you supposed to be a pig, a cat, or some new species that crawled out from the wilderness?"
"Who are you calling a new species, you bald old man!" Enraged, Nyanko-sensei reverted to his true form amidst a massive cloud of white smoke.
What emerged was an enormous Youkai covered in pristine white fur, possessing a head resembling a majestic fox, vertical slit pupils of a yellowish-green hue, a red crest shaped like a staff on his forehead, and two distinct red markings beneath each eye.
He looked incredibly fierce, yet strikingly beautiful.
"Do you recognize me now, you bald old man?"
Even his previously high-pitched, squeaky voice had transformed into a deep, booming baritone.
Kejōrō gasped in shock at the spectacle. Who would have guessed that a fat cat hid such a magnificent true form? That terrifying Demon Essence pulsing off him was easily on par with their Supreme Commander.
He was, without question, an immensely powerful Youkai.
Thank goodness the Supreme Commander had stopped her earlier; otherwise, things would have ended horribly for her.
Nurarihyon stared at Madara's true form. He blinked in surprise at first, then burst into a hearty laugh.
"So it was you, Madara. It has been quite some time."
"It really has been a long time, Nurarihyon. I never imagined you would end up as a bald old man." Madara's deep voice carried an uncharacteristic trace of amusement.
Nurarihyon's face darkened. Demon Essence swirled around him, and in a flash, the withered old man transformed back into a handsome young youth with a thick, luxurious mane of hair.
This was Nurarihyon's appearance from his golden youth.
"Who are you calling a bald old man, Madara?"
Kejōrō watched the transformation, her eyes wide with profound admiration. Was this truly the Supreme Commander? He looked so young and incredibly handsome.
He looked exactly like the young master of the second generation.
They really were father and son.
"Isn't this much better?" Madara rumbled softly. "This look suits you infinitely better than that bald old man from a moment ago."
However, in the very next second, Nurarihyon deflated like a punctured balloon. In the blink of an eye, the handsome youth vanished, reverting right back into the frail old man.
"Ah, I can't keep it up. Age really is something you cannot trick."
He took another puff of his pipe, speaking slowly, "Ever since I was gravely wounded by Hagoromo Gitsune all those years ago, maintaining my youthful form has become incredibly taxing."
Seeing this, Madara also shrank back down into his Nyanko-sensei form, landing squarely on top of Natsume's head.
"I see. So that's what happened. No wonder you've ended up in this state."
Nurarihyon's gaze followed Nyanko-sensei, finally landing on Natsume. "Who is this human child, Madara?"
Nyanko-sensei replied, "His name is Natsume."
Natsume quickly bowed. "Hello, my name is Takashi Natsume."
"Natsume?" Nurarihyon paused, an expression of curiosity flashing across his features. "What is your relationship to Reiko Natsume?"
Natsume answered, "She was my grandmother. Did you know my grandmother, Supreme Commander?"
Nurarihyon shook his head. "I never met her in person, but I heard plenty of rumors regarding her name. After all, your grandmother was quite famous within our Youkai circles. Countless Youkai were defeated by her, having their names stolen away."
"There were even several Youkai who came knocking on my doors, begging me to grant them justice."
"It was through them that I learned of a bizarre human who had never undergone any formal training, yet possessed the terrifying strength to completely overpower Youkai."
"Even a few Great Youkai suffered crushing defeats at her hands."
"I was incredibly intrigued back then, so I had someone deliver a message to her, expressing my desire to have a chat."
"In the end, the messenger Youkai returned and informed me that this human named Reiko Natsume actually wanted to challenge me to take the title of the Lord of Pandemonium for herself."
Natsume listened intently. This was the first time he was hearing that his grandmother—who feared absolutely nothing—had actually intended to challenge the Lord of Pandemonium. He had never heard this story before.
It seemed his grandmother was far more audacious than he had ever imagined.
"So, what happened after that?" he asked instinctively.
Nurarihyon let out a soft sigh. "After that, I waited and waited, but Reiko Natsume never showed up. Eventually, as time dragged on, I simply forgot about the matter entirely."
At this point, a flicker of regret crossed his face. Back then, his son, Rihan Nura, had yet to find a woman to love.
He had actually entertained the idea of playing matchmaker between Rihan Nura and Reiko Natsume.
Perhaps a union between the two would have yielded an even more formidable lineage.
As it turned out, Reiko Natsume simply broke her promise.
Natsume felt a wave of disappointment as well. He had hoped to learn more about his grandmother, but he didn't expect the tale to cut short so abruptly.
Realizing it was poor manners to keep guests standing at the threshold, Nurarihyon ushered Natsume and Nyanko-sensei into the parlor, instructing his servants to serve two cups of tea.
"So speak up, Madara. What is your purpose in bringing Natsume all the way here to find me?"
Nyanko-sensei stated grimly, "It's about Hagoromo Gitsune. She sent her subordinates to steal the Book of Friends. We had no choice but to seek your assistance. After all, this brat Natsume is nothing like Reiko."
"The Book of Friends... that ledger containing the true names of Youkai."
"Yes." Natsume pulled the Book of Friends from his jacket, placing it gently onto the low table. "This is the Book of Friends."
Nurarihyon cast a brief glance at the booklet, then withdrew his gaze, murmuring softly, "It seems the rumors hold weight after all."
"Rumors? What rumors?" Nyanko-sensei pressed.
Nurarihyon raised his teacup, taking a small sip before speaking in a measured tone, "Word has been circulating recently that Hagoromo Gitsune intends to march into Tokyo to launch a Night Parade of a Hundred Demons right here in the city."
A realization struck Nyanko-sensei instantly. He was a highly perceptive Youkai, and he immediately pieced together Hagoromo Gitsune's strategy.
"No wonder she's desperate to get her hands on the Book of Friends. She needs an army of pawns to clear a path for her."
"But why would she do that?"
Nyanko-sensei found himself thoroughly puzzled. Hagoromo Gitsune's primary stronghold was Kyoto, which shared virtually no connection with Tokyo.
What could Hagoromo Gitsune possibly gain by taking over Tokyo?
"Who knows."
Nurarihyon blew out another ring of smoke. This was precisely the riddle that left him deeply perplexed as well.
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