Meanwhile, in another corner of Wangshu Inn, Hu Tao, Xiangling, Keqing, Beidou, Shenhe, La Signora, and the others had also shed tears after hearing the story of the fifteenth life.
Xiangling wiped her tears and said, "Wah, I really hope that oni who was being hunted wasn't Blue!"
Keqing: "The storyteller didn't say whether it was Blue or not. But based on the situation at the time, since Red couldn't find any body, that oni being hunted probably didn't die."
Hu Tao smiled. "A moment ago, Itto was still inviting me to a beetle fight and even wanted to give me an Onikabuto. Good thing I didn't accept! Otherwise, I'd have lost a week's worth of snacks!"
Xiangling: "Hu Tao, how can you still laugh?"
Hu Tao: "Uh, ahem, is it too late for me to cry now... wah wah, so touching!"
Xiangling: "..."
Paimon: "..."
Traveler Lumine: "That was too fake."
Paimon said slowly, "Cow Herder, don't be sad. Your ancestor is the red oni in the story, not the blue oni!"
"Cow Herder—"
"Hey, where did the Cow Herder go? Why is he gone?"
Everyone turned to look at the spot against the wall, and indeed, Arataki Itto was nowhere to be seen.
They looked around.
There was no sign of any oni anywhere.
Paimon asked in confusion, "What's going on? He was just sitting here. How did he suddenly disappear?"
Xiangling also asked in confusion, "That's right. Just now, while the storyteller was telling the story, Mr. Arataki Itto was still sitting with his head lowered, listening quietly."
"Could it be like Hu Tao before?"
"He was afraid we'd see him crying, so he ran outside to cry?"
Hu Tao was unusually speechless.
Beidou said seriously, "No need to look. Since he slipped away secretly, it means he doesn't want us to see him sad."
Paimon: "That makes sense. Worthy of a ship captain!"
Beidou's gaze sharpened, a hint of killing intent appearing. "You called me a ship captain? Miss Lumine, I heard this little one is emergency food, right? I'm a little hungry."
Lumine: "..."
Paimon: "Ah, I misspoke. It's Boss Beidou!"
Lumine: "..."
Beidou: "That's better!"
Xiangling: "So do we still need to go look for Mr. Itto?"
Beidou: "No need."
With that, Beidou picked up her chopsticks and continued enjoying the dishes bought with Tartaglia's Mora.
Beside her, Paimon watched Beidou eat bite after bite and quickly hid behind Lumine.
This ship captain was not someone to mess with.
...
While the audience in the inn discussed and the gods in the corner chatted and laughed, outside Wangshu Inn, an oni with two horns was squatting on the stone steps, punching the air in front of him again and again.
He complained, "Despicable! The storyteller is truly despicable!"
"He actually made my beetle fighting and sumo wrestling sound like tricking kids! How terrible!"
"It's clearly a fair and square competition!"
"How can he call it tricking?"
"If no one dares to sumo wrestle with me in the future, if no one is willing to fight beetles with me, it's all this despicable storyteller's fault!"
The oni sitting on the steps was none other than Arataki Itto, who had secretly slipped out.
Just now, when Li Mo mentioned that Arataki Itto was the red oni's descendant and said that Arataki Itto fought beetles on the streets and sumo wrestled at crossroads, Itto had wanted to stand up and refute him immediately.
But his gradually moistening eyes forced him to suppress his anger and slip out quietly.
He was the boss of the Arataki Gang!
How could he let others see a tear fall from his eyes in front of so many people?
Absolutely not!
He, Arataki Itto, was someone who would never cry no matter what.
At least not in front of others!
As long as no one saw it, it was the same as not crying.
That was why Itto had hurriedly slipped out of the inn early while everyone was watching the stage.
He sat on the steps outside the inn, complaining about the storyteller.
To be honest, even Itto himself had been deeply shocked after hearing this life's story.
He had never expected to see his ancestor from a thousand years ago in a storytelling tale at an inn.
How amazing!
According to the storyteller's previous patterns, the blue oni would surely reincarnate again and enter the next story, and one day he would return.
But why did his ancestor, the red oni, have to die completely?
When he went back into the inn later, he would definitely question the storyteller.
Could his ancestor, the red oni, also reincarnate?
Would he have a chance to meet his true ancestor at the inn?
Just thinking about it felt amazing!
Just as Arataki Itto was fantasizing about meeting his living ancestor, the red oni, a familiar voice suddenly came from ahead.
"Hey, isn't that Arataki Itto? You really are here?"
"I heard you were listening to stories at this inn. What are you doing sitting at the entrance? Why aren't you going inside?"
"Does this inn forbid street thugs from entering?"
That voice was too familiar!
Arataki Itto immediately looked up.
He saw the current owner of Naganohara Fireworks, the girl named Yoimiya, standing right in front of him.
Not only that, behind Yoimiya stood someone even more familiar to Arataki Itto.
The second-in-command of the Arataki Gang, Kuki Shinobu!
When Shinobu saw Arataki Itto, she said in her usual calm voice, "Boss, I finally found you."
Arataki Itto laughed a little awkwardly. "Hahaha, this great one... was just traveling in Liyue. Shinobu, no need to worry about me!"
As the boss of the Arataki Gang, he had secretly run off to Liyue and been caught by his second-in-command.
It was indeed quite embarrassing.
But Itto wasn't afraid of embarrassment.
He just laughed twice, and all the embarrassment disappeared.
As Itto laughed, Yoimiya suddenly asked in confusion, "Hey, Mr. Arataki Itto, why are your eyes so red?"
Itto laughed loudly. "I'm an oni! Oni eyes are naturally red! Didn't you know that?"
Yoimiya: "But there are still tears at the corner of your eyes?"
Itto: "Ah? You mean this? This isn't tears at all. I just splashed some water in my eyes while drinking earlier!"
"Think about it. This great one is not only an oni, but also the boss of the Arataki Gang!"
"How could I cry?"
Yoimiya thought for a moment. "Uh, that kind of makes sense. Forget it, let's go inside the inn and take a look!"
Kuki Shinobu: "That's right! Let's see what kind of story could attract the boss!"
Arataki Itto: "..."