A dark swirl appeared on Aokigahara Island. As the dark swirl dissipated, Uehara appeared and next to him was a heavily injured corpse of a white-haired man that he held by the hair. Dropping the corpse of Tannin like a sack of potatoes, Uehara walked inside his house.

The interior was still relatively simple as the day he built it. It was a simple house that had the basic amenities. There was a kitchen, a bathroom with running water, a simple lounge and two rooms. One room for Uehara and the other for Chizuki which she shares with Sakura.

Entering the lounge, he took a left into the kitchen where she found Chizuki already having boiled a kettle of water. He knew she must’ve sensed him coming through the soul-link.

Uehara simply leaned against the wall and waited for her to finish preparing the tea. Sakura was still at the auction and feeling for Murasaki’s chakra, he found that she was at the volcanic region a few hundred kilometres from him.

The volcanic region was a location on the Aokigahara that he had ventured into before. He never fully entered the area since at that moment in time, he was six-years-old and was being chased by a horde of blood-titans after suffering a crushing defeat against the blood-titan overlord.

It was a gruelling combat that had left him running dry on chakra and unable to fly. It was by pure luck he managed to find a river and escaped through it otherwise, he may have died that day.

Cling…cling

With the spoon hitting the edges of the cup as Chizuki slowly stirred the tea, Uehara opened his eyes. Originally, they would be a dull black. But whenever he took in the scent of tea, his eyes would turn red as he unconsciously desired the blood-flavoured tea his attendant always made for him.

Bringing her hand to her lips, Chizuki bit her thumb and allowed a few drops of blood to enter the tea. Immediately, she could feel his overwhelming hunger and desire. Looking into his eyes, they were expressionless but she could see the eagerness behind that crimson veil.

Chizuki was happy that Uehara desired her blood like this. After all, it was HER blood. Over the years, the quality of her blood had increased as she grew stronger. Right now, she was close to unlocking the fourth path of pain and she knew the quality of her blood would increase even further.

Handing her master the cup, she absolutely adored watching him grab the cup with both hands. She had deliberately made his coat oversized just so that only the tips of his fingers could barely poke out of the sleeves of the cloak. She found him very cute when he drank her special tea, savoring every sip with his eyes closed.

It was just one of the many perks she liked about him. He could reap lives like the godly existence he is and then go back to drinking tea like the child he is. She was well aware of how her master had moments where he would slip-up and act like a child.

First of all is his obsession with sleeping with them. Despite having his own room, Uehara had never once slept alone. If he wasn’t training or meditating, he was always curled up next to her. Second is his inability to take care of himself. Chizuki swears that if she wasn’t around, Uehara would be content traveling around with unkempt hair. Third was the house itself. His minimalistic lifestyle would have monks taking notes. He had confided in her that if not for the existence of her and Sakura, he wouldn’t have bothered building the house at all. She had to bring in most of the interior decorations as well as the appliances that are only accessible to nobles as well as martial artists and shinobi.

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Honestly, she was a bit scared when she first pledged her loyalty to him. But now, getting to enjoy such little moments with him, she was satisfied.

[Just seventy-nine more years~]

Almost…

Uehara finished drinking the tea and put it on the table. With his thirst slightly satiated, his eyes returned to their normal black.

“Follow me. There’s a corpse of a cultivator I want you to see.”

“Yes master.”

Leading the way outside, Uehara showed her the corpse of Tannin lying on the ground a few metres from the door.

“This person is at the very least a century-old and holds a high position in some family. His son was at the auction Sakura and I attended in Nara city. I only know that they came from somewhere east of Nara city. Can you find out who this person is for me?”

“I can try, master.”

Chizuki manipulated the blood in the corpse to make it float like telekinesis. With a flick of her hands, the bloodied robes were torn to pieces and the corpse was cleaned.

Stepping closer to analyse it, she spoke.

“There are no birthmarks or unique marks on his body that can help identify him. Thankfully, very few people in this or the surrounding countries currently have or have had white hair so that can help narrow down our scope. I’ll try and see if there has ever been a painting or a depiction of him stored somewhere. Someone as well-dressed as this rarely hide their identity and must have been known at some point in time.”

Tannin’s corpse was then encased in a block of ice.

“I’ll go ahead and meet up some of my contacts. If you give me enough time, I can find out who he is.”

Uehara faintly smiled.

“Good.”

Over the years, Chizuki had formed a very extensive information network. Every single village or town she visits has a business that she owns from behind the scenes. Those businesses range from taverns and inns to workshops and brothels.

Taverns are one of the best places for information since most rumours have their birthplaces in taverns, where men become loose-lipped when drinking.

Inns are a useful place to get basic information about every single party that visits. Chizuki owns inns of different levels or prestige. So she can get information from your poorest mercenaries to your richest merchants.

The workshops she owns range from smithing workshops to alchemist workshops. Some of them are public while she purposefully made a few only accessable to certain unsavoury groups, especially for alchemist workshops. That way, when people ask for a weapon or poison, she’ll be able to know who they are.

Brothels are one of the more useful spots for confidential information. Men like to brag when they’re with a woman who is attentive to them. So there are a few who will brag of a fortune they made or of a secret they have.

With all these sources of information, Chizuki was confident in finding at least a rumour of the person.

With Chizuki having promised to find the information, Uehara was about to leave when Chizuki suddenly grabbed his hand.

“Hm?”

Chizuki looked to the side in mild embarrassment and nervousness. But deciding not to waste time, she decided to get it over with.

Her voice came out softly as she spoke.

“Master. I may have to be gone for quite a while since I have to personally look into this. As your attendant, I’m worried you will grow hungry when I’m gone, so…”

Her face became more flushed as she pulled back the collars of her dress. Exposing her neck, she continued.

“So…I hope master can feed to his heart’s content.”

Uehara’s eyes glowed red. Although he could survive for another couple of weeks with those few drops of blood, he was clearly not satiated.

He levitated at face-height and looked deep into her eyes.

“Are you sure? You may be weakened after this.”

Chizuki nodded shyly.

“Yes, master. I’m sure.”

Uehara hesitated no further. With his teeth turning into canines, he leaned in and gently bit her neck.

“Mmmh~”