Malice Hearts Yin Book 1 Part 1

Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

Four days after the defeat of Hina-Sara, the morning training session of my team got interrupted by a sudden summons to the grand hall. This had been no alarm, as it was the standard procedure for when we would receive a mission. We had gone to the hall, relaxed, but that attitude changed when we saw whom was there.

Whenever Lady Kurosawa Miyako was in attendance, we knew things were serious.

Lady Miyako was in charge of our sister palace in China, the Azure Dragon. The Azure Dragon usually dealt with trainees and had few fully fledged Onmyoji. It was because of this that they often called Onmyoji from the Blue Dragon in Japan to assist with missions in China. Missives sent by Lady Miyako's retainer, Miku Hananoroi, usually requested these. For Lady Miyako to come in person... things had to be dire, or at least I had thought....

"We received an anonymous tip of an ayakashi sighting, but we cannot determine the exact nature of the creature in question." Lady Miyako croaked, tapping her dragon headed cane on the floor in thought.

The sound echoed, ringing through the austere main hall. It was an annoying habit she had, but no one would ever dare say so, even in private. Miku, who was always at the side of Lady Miyako, walked towards us. Her large dark eyes downcast to the floor as she handed me a sheet of paper, peeking up at me coquettishly as she did so.

Her pale features, small pink mouth and moist eyes gave her the delicate beauty found only in fragile women. Her long dark brown hair was glossy and smooth, and adorned with a spider lily hair ornament. It was the twin of the ornament in Lady Miyako's own hair, which went to show just how close the pair were.

Her tiny, soft hand lingered for a second longer than it ought to as she handed me the letter. She gave me the smallest of smiles, her white cheeks the shade of sakura. I gave her a brief smile and a nod, feeling shy under her scrutiny. Giving me one last lingering look, she gracefully returned to Lady Miyako's side. Her movements so dainty that her clogs did not make a sound, even on the marble floor.

I watched her, admiring her grace, then turned my attention to the letter. It was cheap paper, and the ink was of poor quality. It still carried the smell of opium on it. The handwriting was neat, however, at least where the ink didn't blot or run, which hinted that whoever wrote it was at least educated.

"A strange being is showing up around Shanghai's red-light district. It looks like a crippled and emaciated child but can make ice appear out of nowhere. It has been scaring off men who have been abusing the local prostitutes. While it has thus far been harmless, its mischief and the fear its presence has been causing has affected local businesses. We ask that this creature is removed before we suffer any further loss of income."

"It comes across as low level, but it has evaded capture thus far, so we decided to err on the side of caution and send our best." Master Yamamoto informed me in a tone that was almost pacifying.

I was going to be wasting my time on a mission fit for Earth Dragons, rather than getting one that could increase my renown. Why would Lady Miyako come all the way here for something like this....?

"An anonymous tip sounds really quite suspicious. Is there not a way to check the validity of the source? I would very much hate to be called all the way to China over a mere delusion." Kenpachiro complained. I couldn't believe his insolence. I wasn't happy about this either, but not even I would dare question Lady Miyako!

"Oh, and do you have reason to believe that the source may not be valid?" Lady Miyako raised her bushy, snow white brows, staring down at Kenpachiro from the elevated platform where she sat on Master's chair. Usually, this was where Master sat when giving a lengthy sermon or speech. It was taboo for anyone else to sit there, but Lady Miyako always took the liberty to do so. Master obediently stood beside his own chair whenever she did so, although his bad leg made standing for long periods hard on him.