The Land of Reeds is a world adjacent to The Lands Between.
According to the information Xiao obtained from the Ashina samurai's soul, this world is filled with Japanese-style elements, with samurai and various supernatural beings everywhere.
Everything here reminded Xiao of that famous game with a subtle connection to Elden Ring—Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice tells a series of stories of love and hatred centered around the Divine Dragon.
Xiao walked toward the magnificent castle ahead, but before that, he decided to change back into his original male body.
The reason was simple: the people here, who had things relatively well, often possessed a twisted mentality toward women, especially beautiful women, and would do all sorts of despicable and shameless things.
Even if Xiao severely punished them, they might still consider it a reward.
They were like goblins here, mostly controlled by their lower bodies.
To avoid being disgusted by these twisted individuals, it was clearly more convenient to act in a male body.
Xiao arrived at the castle gate, only to be stopped by a guarding samurai.
The samurai scrutinized Xiao's luxurious clothes, a hint of fear and hesitation in his eyes.
After all, in this Land of Reeds, anyone who could wear such luxurious clothing had to be someone of prominent status.
Perhaps a single word from such a person could decide his life and death.
But he finally mustered his courage, straightened his back, and loudly asked,
"What business do you have in Ashina Castle, outsider?"
"Just a passing traveler looking to stay in the castle for a night!"
Xiao replied casually, his tone relaxed and natural, as if he didn't care about the current situation.
After speaking, he lifted his foot and stepped into the castle without hesitation.
A hint of hesitation flashed across the samurai's face. He clearly had doubts about Xiao's answer.
However, faced with the noble aura emanating from Xiao and his eye-catching luxurious clothes, he ultimately did not dare stop him.
So, he signaled his companion beside him to follow Xiao while he hurried off to inform the commander.
...
...
The pedestrians on the street were sparse, making the place unusually deserted. Upon closer inspection, one could find almost no young men, mostly women with worried expressions.
Instead, there were teams of samurai moving hurriedly through the streets.
Their expressions carried hints of tension and seriousness. Clearly, this castle was in a state of readiness, prepared to welcome an impending war at any moment.
Suddenly, several samurai galloped out from deeper within the castle, quickly surrounding Xiao.
The leading samurai general raised his weapon high and shouted in a booming voice,
"Who are you? How dare you trespass into Ashina Castle!"
Xiao smiled slightly, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding samurai.
Then he calmly said,
"Don't be nervous. I'm just here to look around."
"Come with me. The Young Lord wishes to see you!"
A black-clad samurai stood before Xiao and spoke.
"What if I say no?"
As soon as Xiao finished speaking, the Blasphemous Serpent emerged from his collar and quickly transformed into its original form, its crimson body engulfing the entire sky.
"The Snake God! It's the Snake God!!"
In the valley outside Ashina Castle, a giant two-headed white serpent had always been coiled there. Thus, the moment they saw the Blasphemous Serpent, the samurai immediately mistook it for the Snake God and scattered in terror.
"Cowards!"
Xiao chuckled, casually picked up a persimmon cake from a nearby stall, and began munching on it. To be honest, he had never tasted this "delicacy" that often appeared in anime, and it was clearly not as delicious as it was portrayed.
However, at that moment, an arrow flew from the side, aiming directly for Xiao's head.
The Blasphemous Serpent gently shook its head, deflecting the incoming arrow.
"Mortals, how dare you blaspheme a divine being!"
The Blasphemous Serpent roared in anger, and its crimson blasphemous power spread outward in all directions, polluting everything around it.
The general who had fired the arrow also emerged from the crowd.
He was a young man, not very old, holding a bow.
Looking at Xiao, he spoke loudly:
"I am Ashina Genichiro, the acting ruler of Ashina Castle. No matter who you are, Ashina Castle is my territory. State your purpose!"
Xiao looked at Genichiro before him.
He was around twenty years old, dressed in black armor with his hair tied up. His eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, and a long katana hung at his waist, its blade glinting with a cold light. It was clearly no ordinary weapon.
Although Genichiro appeared to approach Xiao without any precautions, he had already laid out a heavenly net around him.
Several shinobi crouched atop the surrounding rooftops, holding short blades as their cold eyes remained fixed on Xiao.
The samurai had also quietly surrounded him, waiting only for Genichiro's command to trap Xiao here.
"Why do mortals never learn?"
Xiao's expression remained calm as he looked at Genichiro, a hint of impatience flashing through his eyes.
The Blasphemous Serpent's power spread accordingly, directly igniting the surrounding land and transforming the earth into a sea of lava.
Genichiro's expression changed.
He had not expected Xiao's pet to be so powerful.
He attempted to dodge, only to discover that he was already enveloped by the blasphemous power and unable to escape.
That blasphemous power, like a ferocious beast baring its fangs and claws, lunged toward him as though it intended to devour him whole.
Faced with this terrifying divine might, even Genichiro, as the ruler of the castle, felt powerless and despairing, completely unable to summon any thought of resistance.
He could only watch helplessly as the scorching lava surged toward them like a tidal wave, sighing inwardly as he felt that his life might end here.
However, just as he sank into utter despair, the surging lava suddenly stopped advancing, as if time itself had frozen.
Immediately afterward, the lava rapidly cooled at an astonishing speed, transforming back into solid ground.
Those samurai who had been terrified and collapsed to the ground also rose one by one in a daze, all grateful to have escaped death.
Genichiro tried to maintain his dignity, but the fear inside him nearly made him lose control.
The surging lava had stopped less than an inch from him. The scorching heat had licked across his face, and he could still clearly smell the burnt odor of his singed hair.
He knew that if it were not for this mysterious person's intervention, they would all have perished.
"Your mentality is good, but unfortunately, your strength is not."
Xiao shook his head, pressing the Blasphemous Serpent's small head back into his clothes, expressing his appreciation for Genichiro.
Hearing this, Genichiro was startled and realized that the other party had no ill intentions.
Without hesitation, he bent ninety degrees and bowed deeply to Xiao.
"Noble guest from afar, please proceed to the inner castle for a discussion."
Seeing that Genichiro was being so sensible, Xiao nodded, withdrew his hand, and said:
"Then lead the way."
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