Three days ago, there were strong winds from morning to evening, and the gradually warming weather seemed to return to winter overnight.
But the atmosphere of this city that never sleeps will never be diminished by the temperature. The magnificent shrine looks small as always because it is crowded with believers.
When Li Mo noticed her in the crowd, she had probably been there for a long time.
In this way, accompanied by the last cold wave of early spring and late winter, he stayed there quietly in the noisy crowd.
It wasn't until the waiter of the Jade Fox Shrine sent away the last believer, and the grass was already buzzing with insects, that she cautiously walked into the temple from the corner as if she had received permission.
The young trainee witch in the temple was making her final pilgrimage, thanking the gods for the gift and hard work of the day.
Her uninvited arrival undoubtedly interrupted other people's important rituals. The trainee witch who discovered her was inevitably a little annoyed no matter how well-educated she was, but she still tried her best to smile at her:
"The time for worship has passed. Please come back tomorrow."
"I-I want to meet the fox witch..."
"..."
Is this this kind of person again?
He is the owner of this shrine, the Lord of the Land of Wind, and the president of Kaguya City's largest trading chamber. How can you meet him whenever you want?
For making such a rude request, she must have been prepared to be scolded. The trainee miko felt that there was no need to be polite anymore.
"Please come back."
Without the politeness she had before, the originally calm and reserved trainee witch had a straight face, and her words of farewell were straightforward.
"Please, please help me send a message to the fox witch..."
The woman was still unwilling to give up.
The apprentice witch has seen this kind of people many times, and she knows that words are no longer effective against such a messy guy, and it is necessary to teach her a lesson.
A faint phosphorescence appeared in the hands of the trainee witch, surrounding her body like a firefly. This was a sign that the trainee witch was stimulating the magic power in her body.
The trainee nun originally planned to teach her a lesson and then have someone drive him out, but before he was about to use that magic power to do anything, someone blocked her with his hand.
It was a young man wearing a deacon's tuxedo.
He was smiling apologetically and nodding to leave everything to him.
Although the trainee witch didn't know much about the young man, she was told that this was a very important guest and that no matter what happened, he must not be neglected. Therefore, the trainee witch bowed her head to the young man and then obediently stepped aside.
"...Um, should I say long time no see or first meeting?"
Li Mo turned his head and smiled weakly at the woman.
"Do you know me?"
The woman didn't understand the meaning of Li Mo's words, so she could only sheepishly pull up her scarf with her hands to slightly cover her face, which was slightly purple from the cold.
"No, I just know your father, but I have also seen you from a distance."
"I'm sorry, I have no impression."
"It happened a long time ago. At that time, I would still be called a brat, and you wouldn't be called aunt either. Although you have no memory, I have a deep impression. The man who ran to the front line and sneaked away to see his father I will never forget the young lady who entered the army camp and slapped her father, who was known as the 'Ghost General'."
Li Mo chuckled.
"ah......"
As if she had some impression of Li Mo's words, the woman hid her slightly blushing face deeper in her scarf.
"But time is really interesting. The handsome young lady who used to be fearless and didn't even care about causing trouble to the army has changed today."
"..."
"I was worried that I would delay others when there were many people, so I stayed in the cold wind and waited for the opportunity. In the end, I waited until sunset and everyone dispersed. Should I say that you are good at reading the atmosphere or that you are very perseverant? "
While sighing, Li Mo suddenly felt that what he said was a bit unpleasant.
But he has always been very straightforward and not good at flattering others, and the words have already been spoken, even if he apologizes, he won't be able to undo anything.
"..."
The woman had been silent. She might have realized that she was being lectured, but Li Mo always felt that she was lowering her stature in order to beg others.
"Can I ask you a favor?"
After a brief silence, Li Mo heard a hoarse voice from the woman, as if she was in fear.
He bit his lip gently, and even his breathing stopped for a while.
"If someone you haven't seen for a long time or it's the first time you meet asks you this, will you agree?"
Despite such a request, Li Mo chose to look away.
"I......"
The woman tightened the scarf hanging down on her chest, and there was indescribable wavering in her words.
"I'm sorry, I seem to have gone too far. It's probably because seeing you reminds me a lot of things about your father. How is your father? He retired from the army due to injury very early. After that, I never Never seen him."
"Father, he..."
"Come here for your father, like when you broke into the military camp?"
The woman nodded, and then Li Mo smiled.
Time also has its boring parts.
Some things can never be changed.
Recalling that Li Mo hated that general at that time, just like that general also hated him.
It's strange to say that I obviously hate him, but even after many years, I still clearly remember the appearance of that old guy.
The way he looks when he points his nose and curses at himself.
He is always against himself.
There is also the appearance of rushing to die because of stupid orders from a confused commander, and the appearance of being discharged after narrowly escaping a narrow escape.
And he made "reasonable" use of his "sacrifice", imagining him gritting his teeth after he successfully replaced the mushy commander.
Just thinking about it makes me feel happy physically and mentally, yes, yes, and...it hurts!
The sharp pain brought Li Mo back to his senses and he found that it was the trainee nun who was pinching his buttocks hard.
"I, I told you everything?"
"Yes."
The trainee miko replied with a blush.
"Cough, cough."
Li Mo coughed twice and straightened his posture.
"How is your father? He was discharged from the army due to injury very early, and I have never seen him again since then."
This guy selectively skipped what happened just now!
The trainee miko looked at this shameless guy in surprise.
"Father, he refuses to come back."
The woman was not shaken by Li Mo's stand-up comedy, she still stayed there honestly and answered his questions honestly.
"Before the war, my father was a ranger in the forests of the southern suburbs, and he continued this job after he was discharged from the army."
"However, considering your father's age, I'm afraid he is no longer suitable for this profession. After all, he has to travel through the mountains and forests all day long, which is a heavy load even for a man in his prime."
Li Mo had vaguely noticed what she meant.
"He hasn't been home for a long time. I've sent him many letters asking him to come back, but he never replies to me. I'm very worried about him."
"Are you really still alive? After all, you are in a forest with no human habitation. What if...it hurts!"
The trainee nun pinched her butt again.
"I went to the forest entrance and looked at the supply box given to the ranger. The letters were opened and thrown aside. The paint was opened automatically. He opened my letter, but he... .”
"It is indeed an important job for forest rangers to prevent wildfires and poachers, but even so, there is no need to be so obsessed with it."
"Father, he has been like this since before. He is so stubborn that he never listens to my words. He never knows how much I care about him."
Li Mo suddenly realized that the sister in front of him, who was not much older than him, was so haggard.
He understands how difficult it is to care for wayward people.
"Father, he has never listened to me, but if it were someone else, he might have listened. But my father has no friends, and I have no one to turn to, so I can only find the fox witch to see if she can read it. Help me because my father once contributed to the Demon King's Army. If she says so..."
indeed,
If the lord comes forward, even that stubborn "ghost general" will give him half a point.
However, stories alone cannot impress a rational person like Li Mo. The old man stayed in the mountains and forests based on his own consciousness, and he had no reason to intervene either emotionally or rationally.
"You can't see the little fox, and no one would risk going into the mountains and forests to find a safe person."
"please......"
"Let's go back."
Just three words, Li Mo thought she knew what it meant.
The simpler the words, the easier they are to convey.
The woman finally gave up her last stubbornness, bowed and apologized to Li Mo, then turned and left the temple, her back gradually disappearing into the night.
"I won't help you either emotionally or rationally."
Not sure who he was talking to, Li Mo walked to the door and looked up at the sky. It was not a beautiful night today.
"So you came?"
asked the forester.
"ah."
Li Mo replied as he ate the canned fish he opened without permission.
