"Let's go now."
Nao Uzumaki nodded toward Shizhi Xiao, then took Ye Liang's hand and walked forward.
"Who is he? How dare he sit in the seat of a Hunter?"
A voice of confusion immediately rose from the crowd below.
Ye Liang hadn't shown himself during the last hunt. After handing his prey to Shizhi Xiao, he simply waited for it to end. Therefore, some villagers didn't recognize him.
"Hmph, who else could it be? Just someone loafing around, reaping what he didn't sow!"
"Loafing around?"
"That's right! He signed up for the hunting team but made no contribution at all. He only knows how to shirk work and piggyback on others' achievements. I've seen plenty like him!"
Shizhi Xiao's face immediately darkened.
Although these people were talking about Ye Liang, they were essentially cursing and mocking him directly!
After all, he was actually the one who had returned without any prey. He quickly jumped to Ye Liang's defense.
"Enough! This brother here is someone chosen by Lady Her Ladyship. Moreover, anyone brave enough to venture into the Wilderness deserves more respect than you lot rotting away in this village!"
"You think you're so tough? Why don't you guys try going yourselves?"
Beside him, Nao Uzumaki also joined in the defense.
She'd already been upset when Ye Liang gave the Yomi Guide to Shizhi Xiao before—now that she saw Ye Liang being mocked, it only made things worse!
"You lowlifes know nothing! Lord Ye Liang is the one who defeated the Yomi Leader himself! A mere Yomi Guide isn't even worth his attention!"
At these words, the surroundings fell into immediate silence.
The Yomi Leader?
Was this girl joking?
The atmosphere grew awkward, even Shizhi Xiao, who had stood up for Ye Liang, turned red-faced.
"Who knew before that this little girl could talk such nonsense?"
Ye Liang furrowed his brow slightly.
He found a spot near Shizhi Xiao and sat down.
It was his own path. If he wanted to show off and bite off more than he could chew, he had to take the mockery that came with it. However, this wasn't where his focus lay now.
It seemed like these people feared the Yomi Leader greatly—could it be everyone here was just so weak?
Looking around, Ye Liang noticed that everyone attending the banquet was just an ordinary villager. Even if there was a slightly unfamiliar face among them, none exuded any kind of impressive aura!
"There are no strong cultivators in the entire Yomi World?"
Just as this thought appeared, Ye Liang was interrupted by a child who had just entered through the door.
"Ifu Kamato congratulates dear Lady Her Ladyship on her birthday! I offer you an enchanted peach grown by my family—many blessings!"
As soon as this person arrived, the surrounding voices instantly cooled down.
Ye Liang looked at this child who had just entered, and felt a sudden chill within.
This kid appeared about thirteen or fourteen years old—a boy. His baby face seemed unremarkable at first glance, yet gave Ye Liang an intense feeling of pressure!
"This person is very strong—even stronger than Mikamitsu Shirabe!"
He glanced again at the child's limbs—though short and seemingly fragile, they were enveloped in a golden energy, similar to the red force Ye Liang had sensed from the village's plaque!
Extremely powerful!
"Looks like a tough one!"
Ye Liang commented.
At this moment, Mikamitsu Shirabe, the birthday celebrant of this banquet, finally emerged slowly from behind the scenes.
She rolled up her sleeves and approached the young boy with a warm smile. "Oh, it's you, Ifu! Please, come in, come in."
As she walked, she even reached out to take the enchanted peach from the boy's hand and handed it to someone beside her.
This peach shimmered with golden light—it was clearly a treasure.
"Old Man Shizhi, who exactly is this kid? Why such an extravagant welcome?" Ye Liang leaned over and asked.
Shizhi Xiao quickly covered Ye Liang's mouth and whispered, "This child is from Lord Izanagi no Mikoto's side—the rival of Her Ladyship!
It's said that every year at this time, he comes here on behalf of his master to wish Her Ladyship a happy birthday."
"Izanagi no Mikoto?" Ye Liang murmured.
That name rang a bell!
Suddenly, he recalled that man he had seen in his dream yesterday—his name seemed to be Izanagi no Mikoto too!
"Old guy, what exactly is going on? Just who is this Izanagi no Mikoto?"
"You call yourself part of Yomibitaka?!" Shizhi Xiao complained.
"Everyone knows our Yomibitaka was created by the Yomi deity, Izanami!
And Izanami has a husband—his name is Izanagi no Mikoto. Though they are married, there are some conflicts between them. They never appear together, and even when they meet in daily life, they act like strangers.
Why this is so, we don't know."
"Didn't expect something like this."
Ye Liang leaned back to his spot, lost in thought again.
The man and woman he saw in his dream were indeed Izanagi no Mikoto and Izanami no Mikoto!
Now it made sense—they must be the Yomi goddess and her mysterious husband. And judging by the old man's words about their conflict, it probably related to what he had seen: Izanagi seemed to have discovered something, and eventually killed the Yomi goddess!
"But wait—if Izanami is already dead, then who is the current Yomi goddess?" He pondered. After a while, still unable to figure it out, he could only reluctantly give up and wait for the banquet to begin.
The guests in the hall gradually began to arrive one after another.
Among the latecomers weren't just other powerful Pure experts, but even several speechless Fallen beings!
Ye Liang even finally saw a non-human creature rise to offer its congratulations. This being wore an iron shell and looked surprisingly similar to the Yomi Leader!
He glanced at Old Man Shizhi, whose face showed he was just as confused.
Peach Blossom Village only held this birthday banquet once every hundred years.
Even though Old Man Shizhi was old, this was probably his first time attending one. As a Pure, he should have been reincarnated after a hundred years—unless, of course, Old Man Shizhi wasn't really one of the Pure after all!
At this moment, Mikamitsu Shirabe suddenly stood up.
"Now that everyone has finally arrived, let us begin the banquet!" As she spoke, countless villagers from Peach Blossom Village entered the dining hall from outside.
Ye Liang had never seen any of these people before.
The chefs of Peach Blossom Village's communal dining hall had never shown themselves in the village before. They only worked inside the kitchen, seemingly living and eating there as well.
Ye Liang's eyes lit up with excitement as dish after dish was set before him.
Just as he was about to dig in, something odd caught his eye!
Looking around the hall, except for the powerful Fallen and those from Mikamitsu Shirabe's group, no one else had picked up their chopsticks—especially not that loud young boy seated nearby, whose face showed a hint of disgust.
"Hey Old Man Shizhi, why aren't these people eating?" Ye Liang asked.
Shizhi Xiao kept chewing with his mouth full, mumbling his explanation between bites: "Didn't I just tell you that? Once you eat food from the Yomi World, you're bound to this village forever."
"What do you mean? These martial artists have never eaten it before?"
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