209 Kimura Kumoko

Mitsue Natsume did not want to entrust his daughter to something unidentified. He would not believe it even though it was the Land Deity.

Although Kimura Kazuki wanted to kill him, he felt that Kimura Kazuki was more trustworthy. Despite only having met him twice, he understood Master Kimura's principles well.

Besides, Kimura Kazuki was already so strong even though he was still very young, he would probably achieve something great in the future. Perhaps Kumoko still has the hope to become a human if she stays by his side?

Seeing that Kimura Kazuki frowned after hearing what he said, Mitsue Natsume hurriedly said, "Don't worry, Master Kimura, I will not let Kumoko feel estranged from you... If you agree with it, I will endow you with all the Seven Emotions Spells invented by the Natsume family! I will also tell you how I'm able to control so many wraiths."

"Sorry." Kimura Kazuki answered coldly, "I don't want to bring a burden along with me."

Mitsue Natsume said promptly, "Master Kimura, Kumoko is a capable person. She is proficient at every housework, she can even cook. You can just treat her as a nanny!"

"I can assure you that Usui Spirit will treat your daughter nicely. You need not worry!"

When Mitsue Natsume saw Kimura Kazuki shook his head and refused his suggestion firmly, he tried to say something but did not know what to say anymore. He knew Kimura Kazuki was an iron-hearted person, he would never change his mind. Mitsue Natsume sighed, thinking about that and said, "Then... I may need to trouble Master Kimura. Can you show me the way later?"

"Of course," Kimura Kazuki nodded.

Mitsue Natsume felt much more relieved upon seeing that Kimura Kazuki had agreed to it. He then said softly, "Master Kimura, what you want to know is actually simple. The clue is on Little Cart."

Little Cart was the Tsukumogami of the Natsume family for three generations. He was transformed from a snack cart.

Little Cart was able to make the people who ate his snacks to release their negative emotions and absorb those negative emotions for their own use. If it was not because of the Natsume family, those negative emotions absorbed by Little Cart would be taken as food.

Of course, other than that, Little Cart could produce snacks that triggered positive and negative emotions in humans by consuming the corresponding seven emotions. As for the crystals that stored emotions, those were excreted by Little Cart.

"As for the reason why I can find so many wraiths, the success should be credited to Little Cart together with 'evil' and 'desire.' The snack produced by Little Cart when the two of the Seven Emotions are added as ingredients can attract those wraiths."

After that, Mitsue Natsume continued, "The Seven Emotions Spell of the Natsume family was inherited from my great grandfather, and every generation of the Natsume family will continue to research and innovate. I will tell Master Kimura about it as well."

Kimura Kazuki looked at Mitsue Natsume and said gradually, "I will not take care of your daughter even if you told me. I have not much feeling for others, so you need not work so hard for it."

"I can tell," Mitsue Natsume smiled. "I'm just hoping that Master Kimura can take care of my daughter when you're able to. Since I don't really know about the Land Spirit that you've mentioned, I hope that you can keep an eye on her."

"The Usui Spirit will protect Kumoko as long as she becomes the shrine maiden of Usui Shrine," said Kimura Kazuki softly. "Usui Spirit is more powerful than you as he controls the whole land of Tokyo. It will not be a problem for him to look after your daughter."

"I will be more relieved if it is true," said Mitsue Natsume respectfully. "When my daughter is still a human, she has no practitioner's talent. After she became a specter, cultivation is still hard for her because of Seven Emotions Spell. Therefore, I want to pass the Seven Emotions Spell to you, in the hope that the heritage will not be lost in my generation. I don't want the Seven Emotions Spell of the Natsume family to die with me."

"Do you want me to find you a successor?" said Kimura Kazuki abruptly.

Mitsue Natsume was stunned for a while and nodded, "Yes."

"Sure."

Seeing that Kimura Kazuki had agreed, Mitsue Natsume passed on a series of Seven Emotions Spells to Kimura Kazuki in person. There was no such thing as the Jade Slip of Inheritance in the Dharma Ending Age, everything would only be imparted orally or written down in books.

The series of Seven Emotions Spell requires the prioritizing of the Seven Emotions while practicing. The practice of the spells of this series depends on the emotions assembled by Little Cart, who was a Tsukumogami.

In fact, Kimura Kazuki was not interested in the Seven Emotions Spell series. He knew that it was better to focus only on one cultivation. As he was currently based on the Art of Sword Summoning, he would solely focus on this in the future. He did not have much energy to study the other spells.

Although he did not have extra energy to practice the new spells, he could increase his knowledge by learning them. Besides, being more knowledgeable in the cultivation of emotions enabled him to beware of others that practiced the same spells in the future.

Since he had accepted the Seven Emotions Spell, it was not a hard thing for him to help the Natsume family to find a successor regarding the benevolence he received.

Mitsue Natsume spoke while Kimura Kazuki listened. They stayed in the pavilion for a couple of hours. When the first golden ray shone from the East, Mitsue Natsume had already imparted everything about the Seven Emotions Spell series to Kimura Kazuki.

It was past five when he looked at the time. Kimura Kazuki then stood up and said gently, "Let me bring you to the Usui Spirit."

"Sure!"

They found Kumoko sleeping on the bench soundly, with Little Cart in her arms. Mitsue Natsume held Kumoko up gently and rushed to Spirit District with Kimura Kazuki.

Both of them reached Usui Shrine after half an hour.

Mitsue Natsume tensed up upon seeing the tattered shrine. He was about to say something, but then his gaze became determined.

Kimura Kazuki came in front of the statue and said, "Usui."

"Here I am." The Usui Spirit was respectful to Kimura Kazuki, "Master Kimura, what can I do for you?"

"I promised to find you a shrine maiden as you've helped me to search for the corpse of Natsuna Yamanaka last time. I found one."

What Kimura Kazuki said had caught the Usui Spirit's attention. The Usui Spirit then glanced over and saw Kumoko, who was awakened by then, standing beside Mitsue Natsume.

At the moment, Kumoko was blinking her big eyes, feeling surprised by the sudden appearance of the Usui Spirit. She was frightened and hid behind Mitsue Natsume but still popped her head out to look at the Usui Spirit curiously without saying a word.

The Usui Spirit was startled when he was about to speak.

Kimura Kazuki froze, seeing the Usui Spirit's expression and turned to look back. In the next moment, Kimura Kazuki showed a killing gaze and shouted harshly, "Mitsue Natsume, what are you doing?!"

Kumoko was unconscious by then, and Mitsue Natsume was hugging her.

On the other hand, Mitsue Natsume was thrusting one of his hands into Kumoko's head. He laughed sympathetically after listening to Kimura Kazuki, "At ease, Master Kimura! I am not crazy enough to kill my daughter, I am just accomplishing the responsibility of a father, a selfish duty."

Mitsue Natsume's body shrunk within three seconds after he said so.

He was exhausted and haggard, looking at his daughter with reluctance and determination. At last, he looked toward Kimura Kazuki and begged, "Master Kimura, I will tamper with Kumoko's memory at the cost of my life. You will appear as Kumoko's brother, replacing me in her memory! At the end of my life, I hope that you can adopt Kumoko... I wish Kumoko can travel to other places in the future. I do not want her to only be able to live in this small Usui Shrine for the rest of her life. This is no other than a canary in captivity!"

Since Mitsue Natsume started to collect the emotions of demons, he understood that God knew everything he did. What he did will eventually be exposed someday, he would be sanctioned by then. But how about Kumoko at that time? If he dies, surely Kumoko would be miserable.

To prevent Kumoko from living in despair and keep reminiscing about the deceased for the rest of her life, he secretly developed the spell of using the power of blood-related life to change Kumoko's memory. The spell was unnamed, and it did not need a name because he would die after he cast the spell. Besides, he would not pass it on to others as well.

Kimura Kazuki was upset and flustered. By then, Mitsue Natsume had already become a mature middle-aged man who was only left with skin and bones in seconds. He looked coldly at Mitsue Natsume and said with rage, "Is Kumoko still her after you interfered with her memory?!"

"Of course she is!" said Mitsue Natsume wearily. He could only speak word by word with great effort now, "All of Kumoko's memories are real! Only that in the future, she will have a brother, and her name after this will be Kimura Kumoko!"

"I will not adopt your daughter," said Kimura Kazuki with a frosty look.

"No, she is your sister," Mitsue Natsume grinned uglily. He spoke with difficulty, "Generations of the Natsume family have been researching about the Seven Emotions Spell for nearly 200 years... We're able to know the personality of a person quickly... I know you are a warm-hearted person, I'll leave Kimura Kumoko to you, Master..."

Mitsue Natsume stopped before he could finish his words. He stared at the rising sun with a smile. There was an inexpressible harmony when the golden sunlight was cast on his terrifying face.

Kumoko, who lay on the ground, was awakened by the dazzling sunlight. She rubbed her eyes and screamed when she suddenly saw the corpse beside her. She hid behind Kimura Kazuki instantly and pulled Kimura Kazuki's sleeve, "Brother, there's a dead person."

Upon hearing what Kumoko said, Kimura Kazuki stood there and looked at Mitsue Natsume's corpse. He remained speechless for a long time.

After some time, Kimura Kazuki looked away from Mitsue Natsume's dead body and looked at Kumoko, who was hiding behind him and laughed, "Mitsue Natsume, you've underestimated me."