Lin Mo didn't see her tears.
But he could feel them—
the warmth of them, sliding down her twisted cheeks and dripping onto his body.
"Chiyo… these past centuries, you've suffered so much."
His voice was gentle as his hand lightly stroked Gozen Chiyo, hoping to ease the pain she had endured for five hundred long years.
Perhaps his comfort reached her.
The sharp fangs sunk into his throat gradually lost their strength.
At this point, it was less a bite and more like she was gently holding his neck in her mouth, unwilling to let go.
"Lady Chiyo… has she overcome the will of the darkness?"
A flash of disbelief passed through Yae Miko's eyes.
Five hundred years.
She had considered the possibility that Gozen Chiyo was still alive—but even then, she had assumed she would have long since degenerated into a mindless Abyssal monster.
Yet not only had she retained a sliver of consciousness, she was even managing—however barely—to restrain herself from seriously hurting Lin Mo.
Lin Mo smiled faintly and said, "Miko, could I trouble you to go to the Serenitea Pot?"
"Hm? What for?" Yae Miko asked curiously.
Lin Mo glanced at the hardened blood crust covering Chiyo's body and the filth tangled in her hair, then sighed.
"This blood scab… and the grime in her hair—it must be incredibly uncomfortable for her."
"I think that might be one of the reasons she keeps losing control and becoming so violent."
"There's a pool nearby. I want to wash her hair, clean off the blood, and change her into something comfortable. Maybe that'll help stabilize her condition."
"…Alright. What kind of clothes should I bring?" Yae Miko asked.
Lin Mo looked at Gozen Chiyo's small frame.
Though she had once been hailed as the strongest oni in history, in truth she was rather petite—slender and delicate.
Among the people he knew, the closest in build were Barbara and Fischl.
But in this lifetime, he hadn't had the chance to reunite with them yet, and neither of them was in the Serenitea Pot.
That left only one option.
After a moment's thought, Lin Mo said, "Go ask Yanfei, Amber, and Hu Tao. See if any of them have spare clothes. If they do, bring one set."
"…Alright."
Yae Miko nodded, activated the Serenitea Pot's portal, stepped through—and vanished from sight.
"Alright. It's just us now," Lin Mo said softly.
"Don't move. I'll clean you up properly."
Holding the now calmer Gozen Chiyo, Lin Mo carried her to the pool by the cliff.
Scooping up clear water in his hands, he gently washed over the blood crust on her body.
She seemed slightly stimulated by the sensation—the pressure of her bite on his neck increased just a little.
But she didn't struggle.
Instead, she remained obedient, allowing him to do as he pleased.
Piece by piece, as Lin Mo patiently rinsed her with water, the hardened blood flaked away, revealing the tender, pale skin beneath.
Nearly an hour passed in careful, unhurried cleansing.
At last, the blood crust that had covered Gozen Chiyo's body for countless years was completely washed away.
Taking the opportunity, Lin Mo also cleaned her long, filthy hair.
Though it was still wet, he was certain of one thing—
Once dry, it would be incredibly soft.
Before long, the portal to the Serenitea Pot opened again.
Yae Miko stepped out, holding a dark-colored night robe.
"Why did you take so long?" Lin Mo said with a trace of impatience.
After all… he had already spent over an hour cleaning Chiyo.
The sight of the two of them embracing by the pool was already awkward enough.
Even though they had once been husband and wife five hundred years ago, seeing Gozen Chiyo's spotless body again still stirred a restless unease in his heart.
"I didn't want to disturb the two of you during such a sweet moment~"
Yae Miko smiled meaningfully.
She knew full well that this tender reunion was not something she should intrude upon.
Watching Sasayuri treat another woman with such gentleness might even stir jealousy in her heart.
Rather than invite discomfort, she had stayed inside the Serenitea Pot, sipping wine and waiting for their moment to pass.
"What sweet moment? I was being completely proper," Lin Mo said solemnly.
Yae Miko clearly didn't believe him.
There was no such thing as "proper" in a situation like this.
She didn't argue, simply handing the night robe to him.
"Hm? A night robe? Whose is it?" Lin Mo asked.
"Amber's. The others were in a hurry when they traveled and didn't bring spare clothes."
"Well, a night robe is better than nothing," Lin Mo nodded.
He took it and carefully dressed Gozen Chiyo.
"…Eh? Lady Chiyo actually fell asleep?" Yae Miko said in surprise.
Though her face was still fierce in repose and her mouth remained pressed to Lin Mo's neck, she was already sleeping soundly in his arms.
"Yeah… probably got too comfortable while I was washing her hair," Lin Mo said wryly.
As he spoke, he gently eased her mouth away from his neck and lifted her into a bridal carry.
Looking at her sleeping face, Lin Mo recalled a line from Kitsune Saiguu's final letter—
"An oni maiden with a face as radiant as the moon."
Indeed, Gozen Chiyo's beauty, at least among young women, could be considered peerless.
But…
That was in the past.
The arm she had lost to the Raiden Shogun's blade left an irrevocable blemish upon that beauty.
Fortunately, as a practitioner of Crimson Alchemy, reconstructing a lost limb for Gozen Chiyo would be effortless for him.
But that was a matter for later.
For now, the most urgent task was to find Lumine and have her purge the Abyssal corruption that had eaten away at Gozen Chiyo for five hundred years.
After returning to the Serenitea Pot, Lin Mo gently settled her onto the bed.
He specifically instructed Cloud Retainer to watch over her and to report immediately if anything unusual happened.
Once all arrangements were complete, Lin Mo left the Serenitea Pot.
"Let's go. To Narukami Island. Lumine should be almost there by now."
Yae Miko once more took on her fox form and raced through the skies of Inazuma.
Along the way, Lin Mo considered something.
Lumine was following the main storyline.
Based on his calculations, the detour to Mt. Aocang and the trip to Tsurumi Island had wasted nearly a full day.
If nothing had gone wrong, Lumine should have already completed the Ritou arc.
Which meant she was likely heading toward Narukami Island now.
Rather than searching for her blindly, it would be better to go directly to the Grand Narukami Shrine and wait for her to come find Yae Miko.
Before long, Lin Mo arrived with Yae Miko at the summit of Mt. Yougou, descending gently beneath the sacred Sakura tree steeped in countless memories.
A thousand years had passed.
At last, she stood beneath this divine tree once more—reunited with Lin Mo.
"…So much has changed," Lin Mo murmured, gazing up at the Sacred Sakura with a complicated expression.
But the feeling passed in an instant.
Turning to Yae Miko, he smiled and said,
"Miko, after a thousand years… wouldn't you like to return to my arms once more?"
As he spoke, he slowly raised his arms, waiting for the little fox to step willingly into the tiger's embrace.
"Oh? Lord Sasayuri just held Lady Chiyo, didn't he?"
A playful glint flashed in Yae Miko's eyes, as if to say: How shameless of you.
"That's not being shameless—"
"You just want to give every girl a home?" Yae Miko cut in dryly.
Lin Mo was instantly rendered speechless.
Just as he thought she wouldn't come any closer, Yae Miko smiled and slowly walked into his arms without hesitation.
"I don't like smelling another woman's scent on you," she said softly.
"Lord Sasayuri… just this once. No next time?"
"Then I swear by the Anemo Archon, Barbatos—there will be no next time."
"You're not just shameless… you're shameless with conviction," Yae Miko muttered in a voice full of grievance.
Even so, she didn't leave his embrace.
After all—
She had waited a thousand years for this hug.
They held each other for a long, long time.
So long that cherry blossoms had settled on their shoulders.
Yet neither of them wanted to let go.
They simply savored each other's warmth, each other's presence.
And then—
A woman's voice drifted up from the mountainside below.
"I knew you were slacking off and sleeping here! Caught you again~!"
That voice instantly pulled Lin Mo's thoughts out of the warm embrace.
Huh?
He frowned.
That shrine maiden… what was her name again?
Oh, right!
The one in charge of supervising Sayu—
Kano Nana!
The moment the name surfaced in his mind—
"Sayu will never be caught~!!"
A defiant shout rang out, echoing across the entirety of Mt. Yougou.
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T/N:
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