Lily felt annoyed that the animas she had risked her life to seize couldnât even serve as a good tonic to Sakura; however as she thought about this point, she could assume that Sakura wasnât a low-level shikigami. Anyway, since Sakuraâs memory was imperfect, she didnât even know how strong she originally was.
Sakura said, âmaster, even though your anima container could be said to be exquisitely made, its level is too low. So, even if you can kill higher-level monsters, you canât seize their souls. I just remember this: it will be much faster if I assist you in collecting the animas; moreover, we can even take in high-level souls.â
âSakura, are you saying that you can capture high-level animas?â
âWith masterâs current level of skill, of course, itâs not a big deal. You should know that my former master⌠Crap, I canât remember!â
Lily was both happy and worried. âBut if I give you the animas, they will be gone foreverâŚâ
âMaster! What are you talking about? Iâm your shikigami: How could I go against my masterâs benefit? Iâm sure I wonât swallow the animas without your consent,â said Sakura.
Lily looked at the Sakura Parasol and her anima container, âHow are you going to take in the animas? I donât really understand you can store them.â
The Sakura Parasol swiftly flew up above Lilyâs head, spinning slowly. âMaster, have you never heard that a parasol can hold an entire sky?â
Meanwhile, beneath the dreamy silver light of the giant moon outlining the dense forest of swords that were the mountains embracing Kamakura city, purple smoke was rising through the dark night from the northeastern part of the city.
Deep in the forest of this mountain range was a ninjaâs dwelling.
It was the secret dwelling of the âWind Demon Clan.â
Compared to the renowned Iga-ryu and Koga-ryu, the Wind Demon Clan was just a very small branch. However, among the eight nations in Kanto where the onmyojis and ninjas were lesser than the samurai, they were somewhat famous.
In this ninjaâs dwelling, there was a house built on the mountain flank under a waterfall. To reach this place, people had to climb and cross a single-log bridge, piercing through the immense mist over a hundred-mile-deep abyss. At this moment, bonfires were set in the biggest room of the house.
Even so, the shabby, old wooden room still looked ill-lit as though light couldnât pierce through the place. Two rows of still ninjas sat under the thick and primitive wooden pillars. The air was strangely quiet except for the popping sounds of burning wood.
A ninja in black with a sturdy body sat in the front row on the wooden floor. He was wearing a heavy and simple-looking silver shoulder pad armor. His physique didnât look like it belonged to a ninja.
This Wind Demon Clan grew upon what they feasted: brutal killings and merciless murders, as they werenât good at collecting intelligence or sending messages.
The sturdy ninja opened his mouth, his rusty voice conveying a threatening tone, âthe Daidoujiâs commission this time, Shiu1, youâll take it.â
Mido Shiu was standing behind the beefy ninjas. Hearing her name called, she was shaken inwardly as if she had just received great pressure. She walked out of the group.
Mido Shiu had a body as beautiful as her name. Her crystal-like, purple hair was tied up with a hair ribbon with white and pink flowers prints. Her ponytail was held high and descending like a waterfall, reaching her waist.
Shiu wore a tank top and a short, deep-green skirt with light orange flower prints. A section of her creamy thighs was revealed at her stockingâs garter belt. She held a straight, ivory single-edged sword2 on her back.
Different from the other ninjas, Shiu didnât cover her face. She had a beautiful face with a pair of clear but cold black eyes. Her lips were dark red, which was somewhat dark but shining as if she had deliberately applied some lip gloss.
âChief, Sir, Shiu⌠received the order.â3
âShiu, although youâve just finished your apprenticeship, the Elders have high expectations for you. Even though the Daidoujiâs family has average power-level, their money is as much as water. Theyâre our main business for getting rich. Iâm not going to linger on the importance of this mission. I hope you wouldnât fail your fatherâs name,â the robust Chief Ninjaâs words sounded as if he was entrusting some important mission; however, it felt somewhat mistrustful.
âSuch an important mission. Shiu will try her best to accomplish it! Chief, sir, please donât worry.â
The burning bonfire couldnât shoo away the dim, gloomy atmosphere of Wind Demon Clanâs hall.
Right after Shiu received her mission and left, the ninjas of different ranks in the Wind Demon Clan also dispersed.
The chief was now alone in this dimly-lit room. With a stern face, he took out a small wooden box carved with a Mask of Prajna. Carefully, he opened it and took out a small, black roll of paper. His face turned more cautious when he slowly unrolled it.
The roll of paper had strange writings in red ink, which had a faint smell of blood. It read,
âDuring the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons, the Kamakuraâs Ancient Mirror will appear.â4
The Chief furrowed his brows, taking in a deep breath, his eyes turning heavy and cold.