Chapter 109: Coping with the Lack of Travel Expenses
"Never abandon your companions? Hmph~ That's quite a bold claim," the little Nekomata licked its paw.
Ling didn't reply to the Nekomata. Instead, he formed Hand Seals to unlock the seal on the short message, then spread out the small Scroll. "Alright, Sanshu, help me read the short message."
"Caw, let me see..." Sanshu landed on Ling's head again, craning his neck to look at the paper. "I Kai sent a shining thing. The new use of the Wraith Pearl is for you. What you sent is safe. Be wary of those using chakra to investigate."
Ling: ... Should he mean that Akihiko has developed a new use for the Wraith Pearl and sent it to me, telling me to try its effect with chakra in a safe place?
"Are you really sure this bird is useful to you?" A rather human - like look of disdain appeared in the little Nekomata's eyes. "Neither the way it phrases nor the way it pronounces is right."
"Well... Normally, this sort of thing is handled by my other ninja crow. Sanshu mostly leads the way or helps me find things," Ling's smile became even more helpless as he tilted his head slightly. "But I really should urge you to learn to read after we get back, Sanshu."
"Caw? Did I read it wrong?"
"Well, it doesn't matter. We can still guess the general meaning," Ling picked up the bag. "It seems I have to find a proper place... Sanshu?"
"Caw, a hidden and safe place, right? I know where it is!" Sanshu flapped his wings and took off. "You find a place to rest for the night first. Since I just took over this task, I need to get familiar with the terrain. After I perform the reverse summoning, wait a while before summoning me again."
"Okay, thanks."
Watching the arrogant crow fly away, the little Nekomata couldn't help but brush Ling's neck with its tail to get his attention. "So what are you going to do next?"
"Well—probably go back to the town?" Ling tilted his head slightly. "After all, I didn't bring much money when I came out. I need to find a way to earn some travel expenses to go back... Miss Nekomata, do you want to come with me?"
"No, thanks," the little Nekomata jumped off Ling's shoulder. "I don't want to give you false hopes—goodbye, interesting boy."
"Really not considering coming with me, Miss Nekomata? Miss Nekomata?" Ling turned to the direction of the voice, but waited for a long time without getting a reply. He could only sigh. "This ability to block perception is really annoying... It seems I need to train more."
Watching Ling leave with his staff sword, the Nekomata that had said goodbye stretched and followed Ling silently with light steps—it always had a feeling that something interesting was going to happen around this human.
Although Ling couldn't sense the strange little Nekomata, his intuition, honed on the battlefield over the years, told him that he was being watched.
[Well, just as I thought, curiosity is indeed a cat's nature...] Ling pretended not to notice and walked back as slowly as he had come. [Is it curious about what Akihiko sent me? Or just looking for some fun?]
But just following like this directly... Even if one has absolute confidence in their own strength, it's a bit too naive, isn't it?
However, this ability to block perception is really enviable. I wonder if it's her innate ability or simply because of the seal... Hmm—let's observe for a while. If there's a chance, I still want to try to make her my summoning partner.
After hearing people's voices again, Ling did as he promised and asked for directions to return to the town.
His saying that he was going to earn travel expenses was not an excuse—he really didn't bring much money with him.
It's not uncommon among ninjas to run short of funds when traveling. There are also many ways to solve this problem, such as stealing, robbing, gambling, selling information, or taking on private missions incognito... These are all very good means.
However, he still had enough money on him for now, so he didn't have to find a place to earn extra money immediately.
Just the mention of earning extra money made Ling feel a bit regretful—after all, for him, gambling was undoubtedly the fastest and safest way to make money. Even without using his Sharingan, he had incredibly good luck when placing bets randomly.
But in his current situation, if there were no witnesses around, the casino would probably renege on paying his winnings and cause a lot of unnecessary trouble.
Although he wasn't afraid of getting into trouble, if the commotion got too big, there was a chance that the Senju who had been chasing him before would find his trail—that would be the most troublesome thing.
The other ways were also a mixed bag and would inevitably cause some trouble.
In conclusion, Ling decided to find a place for a drink first. After all, a blind man traveling alone seemed like an easy target. He might feel uncomfortable if someone directly robbed him, but it would be different if it was a case of "black eating black"—it definitely wasn't because he simply liked to drink.
After making up his mind, Ling began to ask passers-by one by one if there was a place nearby where he could drink and stay overnight but was not a brothel.
After asking seven or eight passers-by, Ling met an enthusiastic uncle who said he had a great place to recommend. He also said that when Ling got there, he should mention his name, Nakano Sanzo, and the shopkeeper would bring out some well - kept good wine to treat him.
After getting the directions clearly, Ling thanked the uncle sincerely and walked towards the place Nakano Sanzo mentioned, asking for directions along the way.
The little Nekomata, who had witnessed the whole thing, just felt extremely uncomfortable—because of her own characteristics, she could almost see the Malice oozing from the man who claimed to be Nakano Sanzo like a tangible entity. Ling's behavior of directly believing the man without any doubt disappointed her even more.
[I thought he'd be an interesting kid for daring to propose a summoning contract with me... But is he really so naive that he can't even spot a Booby Trap like this?] The little Nekomata stood on the eaves, looking at Ling's receding back. Disappointment was hard to hide in her heterochromatic eyes. [How boring.]
Just as she was about to leave, Ling stopped and tilted his head slightly, as if waiting for something.
The little Nekomata immediately perked up with interest. It trotted over to the eaves next to Ling. Ling returned to normal and continued walking forward. However, after he and the little Nekomata were separated by a certain distance, Ling stopped and quietly waited there.
After repeating this several times, the little Nekomata was truly amazed and found it interesting again. It no longer concealed itself and leaped directly from the eaves towards Ling. It grabbed his sleeve and quickly climbed onto his shoulder. "Can you sense my presence?"
Ling bent his knuckles and rubbed the little Nekomata's chin. He chuckled and said, "If I have to say, it's intuition. The difference between human and animal gazes is quite obvious."
After the little Nekomata purred appreciatively, it unceremoniously grabbed Ling's hair and climbed onto his head. It assumed a standard 'farmer's hold' posture and said, "That person is lying to you. The Malice is so obvious. Can't you tell that?"
"Yes, I know. After all, as a ninja, it's easy to tell if someone has Malice... But didn't I say?" Ling started walking again, with an even broader smile on his face. "I'm out of travel expenses."