Yumi didnāt express any fear or intent to resist in response to Haihimeās threat and just lifted her head up to direct a regretless gaze at her, her eyes still full of admiration and reverence as before.
āLady Haihime. If you think I have betrayed you or distrust whatever I say after this, kill me after listening to my words,ā Yumiās cheeks flushed up slightly but she still revealed a slight smile.
This smile, however, felt a bit unusual to Haihime, āSpeak, then.ā
Haihime withdrew White Tiger Muramasa that was shining with blue and black eldritch fluctuations.
āLady Haihime, why donāt you go meet Kagami Lily? I personally saw her rescue my sister, Yukiko, from the tyrannical abuse of Tokugawa. If itās her, perhaps even your misfortune that always deals you a losing streak can be changed,ā Yumi looked at Haihime without the slightest stray thought and seemed to give thought for Haihime sincerely.
āSlap!ā However, what replied her was a slap on the face.
āA bunch of nonsense! My position is second only to Amanojaku in these Endless Demon Mountains and I dominate the Hundred Demons. Why do you make it sound like I am misfortunate? Which woman in this world is able to gain as much power as me?ā Haihime seemed to lash out at Yumi righteously.
āLady Haihime. I can feel your sorrow. Itās impossible for me to turn a blind eye to the look in your eyes whenever you return from Amanojakuās place each time he returns. Itās because we are both women that I can see some things clearly which even those demons, including Amanojaku, canāt see through. You and Lily are similar, Lady Haihime. Why not ally with her? Even if you have some other ambition in sticking together with Amanojaku, working together with Lily doesnāt do you any harm at all!ā Yumi persuaded loyally.
āHmph! Meeting with Kagami Lily isnāt an impossibility. That woman is really unusual. I intended to do it even if you didnāt mention it, but since thatās the case, why didnāt you liaison a meeting between us and schemed to draw Lily into the Land of Hundred Demons instead?ā
āLady Haihime, Amanojakuās subordinates are monitoring you at all times. Iām the only one truly loyal to you in the Land of Hundred Demons, even those Itsura kunoichi canāt be trusted.ā
āHmph! Do you think Amanojaku, that fool, has the brains to think of monitoring me? Heās overconfident because of the overwhelming strength he possesses, so thereās no way he would employ such lax measures. I understand his nature better than you. He wouldāve clawed me to death if he really suspected me.ā
āEven if Amanojaku isnāt that wise, it doesnāt mean the monsters who follow him arenāt. Iāve always been investigating this secretly and acted accordingly to protect you, Lady Haihime.ā
āHmph! You are pretty good at this aspect, but why do you keep failing the missions I give you? This caused Amanojaku to scold me a little. Also, your presumptions are based on the premise that I intend to oppose him. Why would I oppose him when he is my husband?ā
āThat is true⦠But Lady Haihime, please recall since when did I begin failing my missions.ā
āIt all began after establishing contact with Kagami Lily, Lady Haihime. This woman possesses unfathomable power and I also felt an unimaginable survival instinct and an incomparably strong obsession from her. I donāt know where this obsession of hers comes from, but it has made her push through all kinds of crises without giving up and grab the sole opportunity to turn the tide. I lost to such a woman! You know I possess high self-esteem and harbor both pride and dignity as the kunoichiās overseer, but I cannot defeat that woman! Iāve admitted defeat, Lady Haihime. Iāve lost to her on each occasion, so maybe she can really change things that look undisputable if you trust her like me!ā
Haihime felt quite displeased seeing Yumi speak about Kagami Lily with trust and obedience in her eyes, āFine, then. Since you say this Kagami Lily is so amazing, I will go meet her soon. If she is really as capable as youāve mentioned, she should be able to escape from my trap easily, right? Thereās no harm in listening to her if she manages to defeat me in the Land of Hundred Demons, but if she fails to defeat me, I will sample the body flavor of the Eastās prettiest woman and hand her over to Amanojaku after that to make up for the lost trust between him and me.ā
āWhatā¦ā Yumi turned anxious, āThis is unfair, Lady Haihime. I incited Lily to enter these Endless Demon Mountains only to create a chance for the two of you to meet. Even if sheās strong, she isnāt your match, and itās even more impossible for her to deal with the trap that you lay out secretly! Lily isnāt your enemy, Lady Haihime!ā
āWhether sheās my enemy or not depends on whether sheās qualified to negotiate with me. Even I donāt think she will win, but didnāt you say sheās a woman who creates miracles? If so⦠shouldnāt she be able to turn any peril to safety?ā Haihime grinned.
āAlthough Lily is brave, she isnāt a god! Also, I wonāt have the face to live anymore if my undue actions end up landing her in dangerā¦ā
āThatās why I said that youāve turned over to her side, havenāt you, *****?! Haihime picked up a bamboo rod from the shelf to the side but ceased her actions promptly, āHmph! Hitting you is equal to rewarding you, isnāt it, b̲i̲t̲c̲h̲? How about we have a bet then? You, I, and the Mirror Girl Lily, let us three have a night-time candlelight talk with you as the matchmaker. I shall have you tied up at one side and make you watch how I train and shame the woman you deem a hero. Hahaha. Donāt you think that would be pretty fun?ā
āNo⦠Lady Haihime⦠donāt do this⦠I did all of this for youā¦ā
āCome. Bind her tightly and stuff her in the cellar! Weāll see some great fun.ā
The Itsura kunoichi ignored Yumiās screams and dragged her to the underground room forcefully.
As for Haihime, she pursed her smoked pink lips while gazing at the distant and majestic Mt. Fuji, āThe most talented samurai woman in Kanto and the prettiest female liege lord of the East, huh! Since youāre delivering yourself to my doorsteps, donāt blame this sister for not going easy on you, Kagami Lily!ā
At present, Lily had no idea that Yumi had reached Haihimeās place via a shortcut and that her location had been leaked out completely.
Although Haihime didnāt know Lilyās exact location, as Lily was following Yumiās map, it was actually easy for her to predict Lilyās route, so she just needed to lay a trap at the perfect location andā¦
However, Lily didnāt know anything about this.
She was sitting cross-legged in a hidden rockās crevice and had just finished assimilating the perfect magatama she obtained previously.
However, she still needed at least eight to nine magatama like this one to attain the Spirit Jade Stage.
āYouāre really extravagant, Master. You assimilated an attributed grade 7 magatama directly as if it were a common magatama even though its attribute is of no help to you, youāve really wasted it.ā
āItās better to turn a treasure into personal strength than guarding it in vain. Although Mt. Fuji isnāt that far now and we havenāt encountered any huge perils by following Yumiās map, I feel a bit uneasy for some reasonā¦ā Lily stated while gasping for breaths with her crimson lips as a thin layer of sweat formed over her bountiful cleavage by the time she finished assimilating the magatama.