Retsu followed the sound and saw a yokai wearing a black haori cautiously emerging from the cave.
Upon seeing him, it immediately trotted over and fell prostrate before him with a thud, its head buried extremely low.
"I do not know what business you have, My Lord? Please, I beg you, do not kill our tribe!"
Only then did Retsu get a clear look at the true appearance of this tribe's yokai; they were like upright-walking beasts with no human features.
Covered in short gray fur with distinct black circles around their eyes, they looked like a cross between a dog and a raccoon.
Retsu guessed they were a type of mujina, known in Japan as tanuki.
What was strange was that, just like what he had seen before, the yokai prostrate in front of him had a bulging, bundle-like object on its back.
"What kind of yokai are you?" Retsu asked curiously.
"My Lord, we are the Mamedanuki tribe. We have lived in this valley for generations and have never actively provoked humans."
The kneeling yokai answered respectfully, its voice still trembling.
"Mamedanuki..." Hearing the name of this yokai race, records from his scrolls instantly flashed through his mind.
His expression stiffened involuntarily, and he quietly took two steps back, distancing himself from the Mamedanuki.
The book's description of the Mamedanuki had left an extremely deep, even shocking, impression on him.
This type of yokai wasn't particularly large—only slightly bigger than an average dog—but they possessed a body part that could be described as bizarre.
This part could grow incredibly large, expanding to the size of eight tatami mats. Not only could it be used to increase their intimidation, but it could also serve as a weapon.
It could even transform into a realistic room to lure and trap people inside.
When he first read that record, Retsu had complained about how grotesque the yokai was.
He hadn't expected to see a living Mamedanuki with his own eyes today.
And that "bundle" on its back was clearly that specific part in its retracted state.
He silently decided in his heart that if this Mamedanuki dared to use that bizarre part to attack him, he would absolutely not hesitate to launch a Fire Release.
He would burn the entire valley to scorched earth and let these yokai know the meaning of despair.
Retsu suppressed the sense of oddity in his heart and nodded, his gaze never leaving the bundle on the other's back. "What is your name?"
"This lowly one is named Kōzō, the chief of this tribe," Kōzō answered honestly, still not daring to lift his head.
"I have a question for you," Retsu said, cutting to the chase while remaining alert for any bizarre attacks.
"The villagers of the human settlement outside commissioned me to investigate a food thief. Has your tribe been frequently stealing grain from the Village lately?"
"This..." Kōzō hesitated for a moment but eventually admitted honestly.
"Replying to My Lord, the juniors of the tribe have indeed gone to the human Village recently and stolen some grain..."
"Why?" Retsu raised an eyebrow. "Seeing as you've lived here for so long, you should have adapted to the environment. You shouldn't be so short on food that you'd need to steal from humans, right?"
Hearing this question, Kōzō's voice turned bitter.
He lifted his head slightly, revealing a face full of sorrow.
"My Lord may not know, but a while ago, a powerful cat yokai broke into our territory.
We were no match for her at all. She not only snatched away the food we had stored for an entire year but also took away the strongest members of our tribe."
"A cat yokai?" Retsu became interested.
"She stole your food and took your tribesmen? What does she want? Is she planning to use them as food?"
"No!" Kōzō shook his head quickly. "That cat yokai said she took the tribesmen to have them help search for something called the shikon jewel."
"The shikon jewel?" Retsu understood. As expected, it was for the shikon jewel again. In this world, the number of yokai causing trouble to fight for shards of the shikon jewel was simply countless.
"Where is that cat yokai now?" he pressed.
"I don't know." Kōzō shook his head and added, "When she left with the tribesmen, she took all the stolen grain with her and left word that she would return after some time.
She told us to continue collecting food during this period and to hand it over when she returns.
The tribe truly has no surplus food left, and we didn't dare disobey the cat yokai's orders, so we were forced to steal some from the human Village... but we swear, we only took grain and absolutely did not harm any humans!"
"She's coming back?" A smile curled at the corner of Retsu's mouth. "Perfect, I'm quite interested in this cat yokai as well."
He speculated that the cat yokai most likely treated the Mamedanuki as free labor, using them to help scout for news of shards of the shikon jewel.
And the stolen grain was likely intended as rations for those captured Mamedanuki.
"Listen," Retsu said to Kōzō.
"Return the stolen grain to the villagers of the human settlement right now, and stop following that cat yokai's orders.
I will wait outside the valley for her return and help you resolve this trouble."
"This..." Kōzō was a bit hesitant. He was afraid Retsu would leave halfway through, and when the cat yokai returned, the tribe would only suffer even more terrible retaliation.
But looking at Retsu's cold gaze, he finally gritted his teeth and agreed: "Al-Alright! Thank you for your help, My Lord!"
"I will go inform the tribesmen and return the grain immediately!" Kōzō said, stealing a cautious glance at him.
"Go then." Retsu waved his hand and turned to walk out of the valley.
"My Lord!" Kōzō called out hurriedly. "Should we arrange a place for you to stay? We have clean caves here, and we can prepare some wild fruits and fresh water for you!"
"No need." Retsu didn't stop, speaking without turning his head. "I'll be waiting not far outside the valley; you don't need to worry about me."
He naturally knew Kōzō's concerns, but he truly was interested in this cat yokai. He wouldn't be so bored as to play tricks on this group of yokai.
Retsu quickly found an open space outside the valley. Surveying the flat terrain, he nodded. "This is the place."
As the words fell, his hands quickly formed seals, and he gave a low shout: "Wood Release: Four-Pillar House Technique!"
In an instant, a large number of thick trees burst violently from the ground, their branches and trunks growing and intertwining with the "crack-crack" sound of wood pressing together.
Within just a few minutes, an exquisite two-story wooden building rose from the ground, standing firmly on the open space.
"Perfect." Retsu clapped his hands in satisfaction and pushed the door open to enter.
The first floor was an empty living room with nothing but a wooden table in the center. In the corner of the room, there was a staircase leading to the second floor.
Retsu went straight up the stairs and pushed open the door to the second floor. A spacious bedroom came into view, with a solid wood bed in the middle, accompanied by a wooden table, chairs, and a storage cabinet. The furnishings were simple but complete.
He walked to the other side of the bedroom, pushed open the wooden door to the balcony, and leaned against the railing, looking at the distant mountain forest. He murmured, "I'll stay here for a while. Hopefully, that cat yokai returns soon and doesn't keep me waiting too long."
With that, he lay down on the wooden lounge chair on the balcony, pulled out that yokai encyclopedia from the Kamui Dimension, and began to flip through it leisurely.