The warm sunshine shone on the somewhat muddy trail, but it did not make the bumpy road look any drier.

The occasional stone road proves that this place once was glorious, but no matter what it was like in the past, now it is just a small place that few people care about.

And the fence wrapped with hemp rope on the roadside is probably its last sign of stubbornness.

At the end of the road, a young man covered in black was walking slowly.

He was holding a red oil-paper umbrella in his hand, as if he were on an outing, and the speed of his feet was neither fast nor slow.

In the other free hand, there was a cluster of small blue flowers.

Occasionally, when I see a statue of Earth Fox or Sky Fox on the roadside, I will stop and hand over the little flower in my hand as if to make a sacrifice.

What's even more surprising is that although he was walking on a muddy road, he walked very smoothly, without any slippage at all, just like walking on the road.

If someone were following him, they would probably not just be surprised, but feel weird.

Because there were not even footprints on the road he walked.

"Young man, are you from an offshore island?"

After Zamen Katsumi, who was working in the farmland, noticed the young man who presented flowers to the fox statue, he wiped the sweat from his forehead with the towel around his neck and took the initiative to say hello.

In the early years... this Kontian Village was also a famous place.

But as time goes by, those honors are no longer there, and they are the only ones who guard this place.

"Well, I came to see a friend."

Looking at the Sky Fox statue that seemed to have some kind of light shining in its eyes, Bai Luo smiled slightly, stood up and said to the old man in the field.

In a sense, he and Skirmisher were really friends, so that was not a lie.

"It's really interesting that you found this place while looking for friends."

With a laugh, Zamen Katsumi picked up his hoe and waved to Bai Luo.

"Follow me, old man, we have no guests in Kontian Village for a long time."

After rolling up his mud-stained trouser legs, Zaimen Katsumi took the initiative to lead Bai Luo to a small village deep in the countryside.

Although the village is small, it has all the necessary facilities, even better than some places in Inazuma City.

However... beneath the flourishing crops, what cannot be concealed is the desolation of the ruins.

Some places that were obviously inhabited by people have either been cultivated into crop fields or are overgrown with weeds. In such a large village, only a few households in the center are struggling to support themselves.

"Our Konta Village has been the production area of ​​royal dyes used by the shogunate since ancient times. However, due to the influence of the "Lockdown Order" and the war, this place has... well, let's not mention it."

When Zamen Katsumi mentioned the former glory of this village, he could not hide his pride at all.

However, under the influence of time and various factors, the village has aged faster than people expected.

"Are you in charge of the commissioning and commissioning here?"

I looked at the lanterns hanging diagonally under the eaves. On the old and faded lanterns, there was clearly the mark of the designated administration.

This means that this place falls under the jurisdiction of Sanfengxing.

"Don't mention it. The big men in charge of taxation only think of our corner of the country when they collect taxes. If we say who is in charge here..."

Having said this, Zamen Ke paused for a moment, and a smile appeared on his face unconsciously.

"Perhaps, it's those boys from the Arataki sect."

Shiro was slightly startled when he heard Katsumi Zamon say the familiar name of the Arataki Sect.

He never expected that that boy Arataki Ito would do so well in Konta Village, and his reputation would even surpass that of the officialdom.

What Shiro didn't know was that the fate between the Arataki Sect and Konta Village actually came from him.

In the early years, Arataki Ito often ran to Konta Village, but the people in the village didn't take him seriously, they just regarded them as ordinary gangsters.

One time, Arataki Yidou and his group accidentally ate a strange sunset fruit and fell into a coma for a long time. If it weren't for the help of the people in Konta Village, they might have been snatched away by wild beasts in the White Fox Wilderness.

What a coincidence, not long after Arataki Ito woke up, a group of nobushi attacked Konta Village.

If he hadn't taken action, this historic village might have completely become history.

In short, from that day on, Konta Village officially "accepted" the protection of the Arataki Sect.

And the price they paid was just a basket of violas.

"But...is he a ghost?"

According to what Bai Luo knows, because of certain things, the Dao Wife people have always been estranged from the ghost clan.

And this gap is difficult to overcome.

"What's the matter with ghosts? In my eyes, old man, he and his gang are just a group of kids who haven't grown up. Sometimes, people are scarier than ghosts. Besides, you young people probably haven't listened at all."

Live the story of the red ghost and the green ghost."

After sighing, Zamen Katsumi said.

But this simple sentence made Bai Luo understand a lot.

This Zamen Katsumi... I'm afraid it's not as simple as it seems on the surface.

That’s right, as a dye producing area once used by the shogunate, the Katsumi Zamon family can live here for generations, and the background is certainly not simple.

"Old guy, he's telling those old stories to young people again."

Just as the two were discussing the ghost clan's affairs, another old voice sounded next to them.

An old woman who looked white-haired but walked more imposingly than Zamen Katsumi was walking through the woods next to the village, carrying a basket of violets.

"Why, you are only allowed to talk about the disappeared Fox-sama, but I am not allowed to talk about the ghosts?"

After seeing the old woman, Zamon Katsumi's kind expression suddenly disappeared, and his whole person's momentum rose.

That voice...isn't like the old man's voice before.

"Okay, I don't know which old immortal guy was there last time. He insisted on telling that girl Futaba about the crowd of ghosts. As a result, the child was so scared that she couldn't sleep well for more than a week."

"Then...can you blame me? The story of the ghost crowd is so touching, who knew she would be so scared."

"Have you ever thought that what she is afraid of is not the ghost in the story, but some old guy with a green face and fangs who tells stories?"

"you......!"

"Um?"

"Old woman, there are outsiders today. I don't want to share your experience with you. After the guests leave, I will let you see the majesty of the head of the family."

With a cold snort, Zamen Katsu turned his head away, carrying the hoe and no longer talking to the old woman.

Just like an old child.

On the contrary, the old woman who had just had a quarrel with him took the initiative to strike up a conversation with Bai Luo.

"This little brother, this old man doesn't know how to entertain guests and is neglecting you. If you don't mind, how about I make you some tea when you go back?"
Chapter completed!