Chapter 837: Profit Comes First
As the Yinglong Warship departed into the distance, a thin line appeared out of nowhere in the forest below. That line slowly unfolded like a peacock spreading its tail, turning into a fan-shaped form. Finally, it materialized as a vividly painted uchiwa fan adorned with gold and silver foil, held in a fair, delicate hand.
Tamamo-no-Mae and Princess Tamako revealed their figures. Tamamo-no-Mae had already retracted her tails and continued to use the folding fan to conceal the lower half of her face, revealing only her eyes.
Princess Tamako rested her hands on the Raikiri and Kiku-ichimonji Norimune at her waist. Her expression remained fairly composed, but a dazed look lingered in her eyes. After a long pause, she slowly asked, “Did we lose?”
Tamamo-no-Mae’s voice was low and rich, more resonant than the usual alluring charm of a seductive woman. “Of course, we lost. Nichinin, the Koga Ninja, Ishida Kanemasa, and Shinmen Konosuke are all dead. Only you escaped with your life by sheer luck. Meanwhile, the Daoist Order suffered virtually no losses. If this isn’t a defeat, then what is?”
Princess Tamako’s gaze dimmed completely. “It’s more than just a defeat. It’s a total rout. I should commit seppuku and atone with my life.”
For this assassination attempt, nearly the entire Sonno-joi faction of Omi Province had been mobilized. Asahi-jingu, Jinsho-ji, the Koga School, and elite local feudal lords were all involved. They even deployed one of the Three Divine Artifacts—the Yata Mirror. Yet they were utterly crushed in a frontal assault. Ishida Kanemasa risked his soul in a divine descent, only to be blocked by that terrifying Yin Being. Nichinin was smashed into pulp, and Shinmen Kinosuke and the Koga Jonin were beheaded. Had Tamamo-no-Mae not intervened at the last moment, Princess Tamako would have already been captured.
Tamamo-no-Mae said, “Now is a time when we lack people. What you should do is atone through meritorious service, not by ending your life in apology.”
Princess Tamako said nothing.
The Sonno-joi faction was already weaker than the Daoist Order to begin with. After two failed assassination attempts on Sage Qingwei and Toyotomi Hidemochi, their strength was severely diminished. If she were to commit suicide now, it would bring no benefit to the cause and only worsen the situation.
Tamamo-no-Mae’s tone was steady and emotionless. “Your opponents this time were likely the elites of the Daoist Order’s younger generation. Though I haven’t left Fenglin in recent years, I’ve kept informed through other means. All three youths are what the Daoist Order defines as Banished Immortals, and all of them possess semi-immortal objects. In terms of status, none of them is inferior to you. I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if one of them became the next Grand Master.”
After a long pause, Princess Tamako asked, “Lady Tamamo-no-Mae, do we still stand a chance of winning this war?”
Tamamo-no-Mae replied, “Who knows? Perhaps you should ask His Majesty, or Sage Qingwei of the Daoist Order.”