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"The only reason that little girl became so stubborn is a severe lack of discipline! I wonder how the Saikanji house educates their children! I will definitely spank her the next time she falls into my hands!"

The guards of the Saikanji house didn"t come after her, but even if they did come, as long as she didn"t faint again, there was no reason to fear them.

The Heian Empire was rarely sunny, yet on this cool day, the sun joyously hung high in the cloudless sky, beating down on a young girl mired in foul air.

"I actually," Lily fumed, "let that little girl…"

Even if it was an accident, being groped was no less humiliating - let alone it being her first time! She must quickly find the source of these fainting spells, or else it would be a great danger in the future! All because she still lacked training…

She had already descended Mount Ise on her way back to Takes.h.i.ta, and was traveling through a lonely field populated by only herself and some distant farmlands. The female farmhands hummed an unfamiliar folk song beneath the shade of their conical bamboo hats as they tended the patty fields. Their tanned, rough hands worked to create the healthy and stable lifestyle that brought them such a simple yet straightforward happiness despite not being terribly beautiful.

Despite her attempts, she was unable to picture herself in their position; her soft skin and tender flesh would simply yield under the pressures of heavy manual labor, and she was unsure if she would even be able to do a decent job if they asked her to lift her skirt and wade into the muddy field to tend to the paddy. Besides, with her figure and sensual b.u.t.t, working outside in broad daylight would only bring unwanted attention -being beautiful was not necessarily a good thing, so she decided to forget about it, yet still kept her deep respect for these workers.

Lily always felt that these paddy fields were full of the vitality of life itself, the rich colors similar to a poem1 from home, it was as though they were parts of heaven and earth itself, the very essence was a work of art.
"Its essence is truly ever-changing, not based on money or something out of reach, but depending on true love and genuine concern. I don"t know the essence of my swordplay, nor how it feels, after I become a female samurai, I"ll try and see."

As Lily was fancying such a thought, an ox-drawn wagon approached from the rear. Lily called out and asked the coachman if he was heading to Takes.h.i.ta. Since that was the case, she paid him two mon for a ride back.

Takes.h.i.ta, a town built along the river. There was an entrance for both the eastern and western sides.

Once they arrived at Takes.h.i.ta"s western entrance, Lily bid farewell to the coachman and made her way towards Chrysanthemum Inn. The inn was located on the west side of town after all.

It was now three o"clock in the afternoon. The day was still stifling hot just moments ago, but the black clouds suddenly rumbled and a thunderstorm had invited itself to Takes.h.i.ta in the blink of an eye.

The rain didn"t bother Lily at all, she unfurled the Sakura Parasol and walked along the river with graceful steps. Puddles formed on the paved road immediately and reflected her pure white figure.

Once she returned to the Chrysanthemum Inn and rested up a little, she could finally go to the Genji Dojo tomorrow to exchange for the certificate. Lily felt a lot better as she thought of this. Finally… she was about to become a female samurai.

The day when the weak and powerless her encountered the night parade was still so vivid in her mind.

As she walked under the heavy rain with the parasol in hands, Lily had a sense of slight satisfaction.

The sound of heavy gallops could be heard coming from the rear despite the roaring of the rainstorm. The gallops were so heavy that it caused the entire pavement to shake, and it came in pair with an overwhelming aura.

Lily instinctively spread out her Spirit Power to scout out, but just as the Spirit Power got close to the location of the aura, it shattered without any resistance as though they were ripples running into an iceberg.

"What?!" Lily was undoubtedly shocked. She felt the shaking had become stronger and stronger, so she turned around in a flash.

What she saw at the other end of the riverside road was none other than a black steed that was taller than the courtyard fence. It was running towards her location like a wild, uncontrolled beast!

Before Lily could react, the lofty black steed had already gotten so very close to the parasol girl!

What freakish speed!

How was it possible for a horse this fast to exist? That was definitely not an average horse!

The parasol in Lily"s hand was blown away by a sudden gale. But the more pressing matter was that she was about to get kicked by the black hoof that was thicker than her waist.

It was already too late for Lily to dodge it with her current speed. Adding onto that, the overwhelming aura caused her body to stun momentarily and unable to move from where she stood.

"Be careful!" Came the icy but powerful and sweet voice of a woman.

In the next instance, Lily only felt everything before her eyes turning pitch-black. She could feel a tyrannical power trying to rein in the horse. She could feel the giant hoofs that could easily trample her to death flailing right in front of her nose tip.

Then her arm was suddenly pulled with no questions asked. She was pulled up by that unquestionably powerful but gentle force. It seemed like she was pulled onto the back of that gigantic black steed.

She was soon welcomed by a powerful impact that could easily fling her off and crush her bones as she horse started thrashing around.

Lily unconsciously grabbed onto anything that could safeguard her. At the same time, she felt her waist was being held tightly by a slender yet very powerful hand.

As Lily slowly opened her eyes, they were instantly pierced by the cold as winter atmosphere surrounding the silver-haired beauty. The strange woman had her arms wrapped around Lily"s waist as they sat facing each other on horseback, her neck wrapped by the shameless arms of Lily.

"Ah! You…You are—" Lily said, struggling with the shock of seeing her again.

The woman atop the black steed known as "Nioh" had been unerringly engraved upon Lily"s memory since that night of the Demon Parade; the silver-haired Demon Sword Maiden who slayed the giant Green Demon in Kamakura City, her beauty and charisma mesmerizing to look at, especially for someone coming to terms with arriving in a new world and body.2

Lily had looked up to the woman as a Valkyrie at that time, but now she was looking up at her cold face, as an aroma that refused to be suppressed by the rain welled up from the Valkyrie"s body, granting its immunity to the ice-cold rain to Lily"s blush, which even now began to take hold of her face as the raindrops seemingly began to fizzle off her cheeks.