Hearing his voice, knowing the person; to be disliked by so many simultaneously, the newcomer must be a talent.
The fire of gossip burned fiercely in Mitsuki Kōmei's eyes, and his titanium alloy vision searched for the newcomer among the large crowd of Common People.
"Make way! Let me get the good stuff first!"
True to his expectations, at the outer edge of the crowd, five people pushed and shoved their way into the throng, and into Mitsuki Kōmei's sight.
"Pfft,"
Mitsuki Kōmei generally didn't laugh, unless he couldn't help it. The five people's attire was something he had never seen in his previous life, nor heard of in this one; it was rare in both ancient and modern times.
On their dog-chewed heads, a few strands of hair were tied with cloth strips.
Hundreds of multi-colored, differently shaped pieces of fabric were stitched together to form the clothes they wore.
Their cloth shoes exposed their big and little toes, giving themselves a thumbs-up.
Mitsuki Kōmei then looked at the object they carried in their hands—the most valuable item on the five, a bento box made from six different types of wood, varying in thickness. It must have been a work of art.
Inside the bento box were various foods: half a steamed bun, various bitten meatballs, and a bowl of thin, clear wild vegetable and egg soup, half of which had already spilled out.
"The meatballs are short two grains of salt and three drops of oil, what a profiteer! Go back and ask the shop owner for a refund."
"Understood, my lord. I will definitely bring back the complimentary items according to the rules."
"Sensible." The leader patted his stomach and said, raising his voice.
"If they're not giving anything away, what are you all standing around for? Wasting time!"
Mitsuki Kōmei watched as he led his group swagger away.
"A bit interesting. Who was that?"
"The owner of Pingbu Yixing. He loves to take small advantages. He keeps all the leftover scraps from customers' clothes and makes them into his own garments."
Mitsuki Kōmei's face was full of admiration. Thanks to the cloth shop owner, a path opened up in the crowd.
He seized the opportunity, stood up, and pulled Guo Er out of the Common People's encirclement.
"He knows how to manage his household. I won't delay your business; I'll go look around elsewhere."
"Mitsuki -dono, walk slowly! If you want to eat candied haws later, come find me, it's free forever."
That evening, the two visited many places, sharing a bowl of ramen, winning a pair of pendants in a game, watching an acrobatics show together, and holding hands while setting off fireworks outside the city.
They sat side by side on the grass. The moment the fireworks soared and exploded, Mitsuki Kōmei swiftly pressed his lips to Uchiha Guo's cheek.
He turned his head, smiling, to observe Guo Er's reaction. Guo Er froze for a moment, then covered her blushing face with both hands, looking incredibly adorable.
As night deepened, the Common People gradually dispersed. Mitsuki Kōmei and Guo Er walked side by side down the quiet street, step by step, back to the Daimyo Manor.
After showering, Mitsuki Kōmei prepared to rest.
As he approached the bedchamber, he looked through the open window and saw Guo Er sitting by the bed, her elbows resting on the windowsill, her hands cupping her chin, her small face looking up at the moon, giggling foolishly.
Mitsuki Kōmei tiptoed into the bedchamber. Guo Er was still laughing, not even noticing him approach.
"Guo Er, what are you thinking about? You're smiling so happily."
His sudden appearance startled Guo Er.
"N-nothing, Young Master. Please go rest."
"Alright, good night, little Guo Er."
"Good night, Young Master. Wait… wait."
Mitsuki Kōmei turned his head, puzzled. Uchiha Guo, with unknown courage, blushed and kissed him on the cheek.
Mitsuki Kōmei's pupils dilated. He raised his hand to touch the spot Guo Er had kissed, slowly coming back to his senses.
"Guo Er, come in with me for a moment."
"I can't. Father said we can't sleep together before marriage, not even with Young Master."
Mitsuki Kōmei felt very innocent. Was he that kind of person? It seemed he was, but he had hidden it well. How did Uchiha Kawa find out?
"Guo Er, you must not tell anyone, not even your father. It's our little secret."
He pulled Uchiha Guo into the bedroom, let down the bed curtains, walked to the bed, and gently pushed her down.
Uchiha Guo's mind went blank, her limbs stiff, allowing Mitsuki Kōmei to do as he pleased.
"I'm going in soon, don't zone out. You need to move too."
Coming back to her senses, Uchiha Guo watched Mitsuki Kōmei push her under the bed. She had no choice but to crawl forward a little.
Her vision went black, and when she regained consciousness, she was in an unfamiliar environment.
"Young Master, where is this? It's so beautiful."
"This is Young Master's exclusive Cultivation ground. I usually Cultivate here. Come on, I'll show you around. You can Cultivate here too from now on."
Mitsuki Kōmei led Uchiha Guo to visit the manor in the middle of the island, and see the gravity Cultivation room.
"There are several small buildings in the manor; choose whichever one you like. The island is absolutely safe, so you don't need to waste time protecting me. You can Cultivate with peace of mind."
"Thank you, Young Master. You are truly too kind. I really like Young Master."
In the following days, Uncle He looked at him with a strange gaze: three parts understanding, three parts anger, and four parts relief.
"Guo Er, your father is looking at me strangely. You didn't tell him anything, did you?"
"No, Young Master. To keep it a secret! I insisted that Young Master and I were Cultivating in bed, absolutely insisted."
Uchiha Guo said, patting her barely budding chest.
Case solved. It was because of you.
"Let's go, we'll go outside the city to see your father."
At noon, outside the city, it was the last few days of distributing porridge.
The census of disaster victims was nearing completion. After a unified planning of areas, organizing them to build houses, allocating land, and distributing a certain amount of food, the disaster relief operation would be completely over.
From afar, they saw the disaster victims lining up to receive food, orderly and disciplined.
"Uncle He, still busy!"
"Greetings, Mitsuki -dono."
Mitsuki Kōmei's arrival at the porridge distribution site caused exclamations among the Common People. They all put down their food, bowed, and greeted him.
"Good. Everyone must take care of their health. Better days are ahead."
"Chief Yu, those people are here again. What should we do?"
A staff member rushed over, anxiously speaking to Uchiha Kawa.
Uchiha Kawa also had a headache. Every time, non-disaster victims would come to eat porridge. At first, only a few individuals came, but gradually more and more people came. They couldn't be beaten, nor could they be driven away.
"Uncle He, what's wrong?"
Mitsuki Kōmei saw Uchiha Kawa frown, thinking there was a serious problem. It turned out to be just a few people freeloading porridge. He glanced into the distance and recognized the leader, Hua Gongji.
"It's simple to solve. Mix sand into the porridge. Many people who aren't short on food definitely won't come to eat it."
"Young Master, you are so smart. Let's do that. I feel pain in my heart just giving them a bowl."
And the lord is mighty.
"Young Master, our food supply can last for three more months. Afterwards, we will need to buy grain from other countries."
Mitsuki Kōmei hadn't expected that even after seizing a large amount of supplies, the grain was still not enough. On second thought, since there was nothing to do recently, going out to play would also be good.
"I'll go to the Land of Fire to buy grain, and on the way, visit Konoha Village, established by the God of the Ninja World."
"Senju Hashirama's granddaughter, Princess Tsunade, is two or three years younger than me, has yellow hair, a bold personality, and loves gambling and drinking. I don't know much about her, but I'll take a look while I'm there."
"…"
"Uncle He, send national letters to the Land of Fire and Konoha Village. I'll go back and prepare."
Tsunade Hime, I am coming.