Chapter 7

As night fell, the already quiet streets of Ritou were completely deserted.

Inside his temporary residence, Bai Luo sat by the window, sipping tea and gazing in the direction of Inazuma City, his eyes slightly narrowed.

"Instructor, are you really not going to meet with the heads of the Hiiragi and Kujou families?"

As Bai Luo's most trusted Pyro Agent, A-Qi naturally stood by his side.

"Even if I went, it would just be a bunch of flattery. I don't feel like going."

Before becoming a Harbinger, he had often encountered such situations.

Back then, he had neither the authority nor the reason to refuse.

But now, as a Harbinger, he stood second only to the Tsaritsa.

In Inazuma, his status among the Fatui was the highest.

Being a little willful wasn't a problem.

"That's true. You are the Tsaritsa's personally appointed envoy to Inazuma. Even if someone were to receive you, it wouldn't be the representatives of the Tri-Commission, but the lofty Raiden Shogun herself."

"Pfft—"

Before A-Qi could finish speaking, Bai Luo spat out his tea.

"A-Qi."

"Yes!"

"Good point. Next time, don't say it."

"???"

Even though Bai Luo's mission was to obtain the Raiden Shogun's Gnosis, he still didn't want to face her.

First, the Gnosis wasn't even with the Raiden Shogun.

Second, he didn't want to be obliterated by her.

Sigh, Liyue was so much better.

"Huh?"

Just as A-Qi was about to report the upcoming arrangements to Bai Luo, the latter raised his hand slightly, stopping him.

Having trained together for so long, even a small gesture carried a different meaning between them.

"The journey from Snezhnaya has been exhausting. I'm tired. Let's discuss things tomorrow. I'm going to sleep now."

"Understood."

A-Qi left the room naturally, closing the door behind him.

Bai Luo yawned and casually placed the teacup on the table beside him.

As he walked toward the bed, he began unbuttoning the luxurious Snezhnayan-style clothing he wore.

With the last button undone, Bai Luo grabbed his coat and flung it aside.

"Whoosh—"

The specially crafted dagger hidden within the coat flew out, embedding itself firmly into the ceiling beam.

"Click-clack—"

The mechanism at his waist activated, and with the help of the wire, he flipped onto the beam.

What he found on the beam was somewhat unexpected.

It was a very Inazuman-style... Daruma doll.

It was well-hidden. If Bai Luo weren't an expert in stealth himself, he would have been completely fooled by this little thing.

After a second of staring at each other, the doll moved first.

"Yoohoo Style: Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

The Daruma doll suddenly lit up with a turquoise glow.

In the next moment, a strong gust of wind swept through the room, and a small figure leaped out of the doll, rolled on the ground, and then jumped out of the open window.

This move left A-Qi, who was guarding the door, utterly confused.

Did these so-called ninjas not use doors?

"A-Qi, check for any traces. I'll chase after them."

"Understood!"

After receiving A-Qi's response, Bai Luo leaped out of the window with practiced ease, chasing the small figure under the moonlight.

"Yoohoo Style: Wind Dash!"

The small figure, noticing Bai Luo in pursuit, was so frightened that her tail nearly stood on end.

She was well aware of Bai Luo's danger, so she didn't hesitate to use her ultimate escape technique.

She leaped high into the air, forming a hand seal.

Then, she curled up into a ball.

Upon landing, she rolled across the ground like a wheel, propelled by the wind.

In no time, she had put a considerable distance between herself and Bai Luo.

As long as... as long as she reached the forest ahead, in that familiar terrain, Bai Luo would never catch her.

In Bai Luo's eyes, however, her method of escape didn't quite fit the image of a ninja.

While this elemental skill allowed for fast movement, it also left behind very clear traces.

Especially the flattened grass in her wake—even someone with no tracking experience could easily follow her.

Not to mention Bai Luo, who was an expert in this field.

Even in areas where the environment made it hard to leave traces, the visible elemental energy in the air gave her away.

So, even though he could no longer see her, he continued to follow the trail she left, eventually arriving at the edge of a forest.

During the day, the forest hadn't seemed particularly remarkable, but at night, it was downright eerie.

The night wind rustled through the leaves, creating a soft, whispering sound.

If you listened closely, the wind seemed to carry faint murmurs, as if people were whispering.

With a flick of his wrist, Bai Luo retrieved the dagger he had stashed away earlier, gripping it tightly as he cautiously entered the forest.

"Rustle—"

The moment he stepped into the forest, countless birds took flight.

Their cawing filled the air, a grating sound that quickly faded into the night.

Crows—truly unpleasant creatures.

Remaining vigilant, Bai Luo continued to examine the ground for traces, hoping to find the little intruder's hiding spot.

It had to be said, once inside the forest, the little ninja's stealth skills were pushed to their limit.

Especially after the crows' disturbance, there were no useful traces left on the ground.

However, in the surrounding bushes, shadowy figures occasionally flickered, creating the illusion that the forest was teeming with people, yet no one could be seen.

The moon above was completely blocked by the dense canopy, allowing no light to penetrate.

But this didn't hinder Bai Luo's vision.

Because throughout the forest, a certain type of blue flower bloomed.

The petals of these flowers emitted a faint, ghostly blue glow in the darkness.

Yet, under this eerie light, everything around looked strange and sinister.

Coupled with the peculiar, moss-covered statues scattered about, even a native of Inazuma would likely hesitate to linger here.

But it was precisely in such a place that Bai Luo encountered someone.

He wasn't even entirely sure if the person he met was human.

"Who are you?"

The woman, holding a bamboo basket, frowned slightly as she addressed Bai Luo.

Unlike most women, she had short, practical hair and wore the uniform of the Shogunate soldiers, though her attire was far more elaborate than that of the average soldier.

The most striking feature was the red tengu mask perched on her head.

If Bai Luo hadn't been certain that the Fatui didn't have masks of this style, he would have thought she was one of them.

"There was a thief in my home. I chased them here."

Calmly, Bai Luo tucked the dagger back into his sleeve and explained.

He had already realized who this woman, who had suddenly appeared in the forest, was.

No... she wasn't human. She was a youkai.

A tengu, to be precise.

And also the general of the Shogunate's army—Kujou Sara.