Chapter 110: [Easy Targets] at the Guest House
"Hehe~ What a naughty boy." The little Nekomata reached out its paw to ruffle the hair stubbornly sticking up on Ling's head. "For the sake of this getting more interesting, I'll forgive your deception for now."
Ling was slightly startled but quickly understood what the little Nekomata was talking about. He shook his head with a faint smile. "Miss Nekomata, I never deceived you... I really can't detect you with sensory ninjutsu."
After pressing down the strand of hair that was blocking the view, the little Nekomata resumed the hands - tucked - in - sleeves posture with satisfaction. "Humph~ It's really hard to believe... Hey, boy, it's time to turn left."
"Turn left? Got it." Ling still had a smile on his lips. "But Miss Nekomata is really friendly to humans.
Back at that fisherman's house, Miss Nekomata should have had the chance and ability to kill those two, right?"
"They didn't have any Malice. Why would I do that?"
"Oh? Sensing Malice... Could it be that Miss Nekomata is a special summoned beast?"
"Of course not. This is a use of Yin-Yang chakra... Could it be that humans nowadays can't even do such a simple thing?" The little Nekomata yawned. "How decadent."
[Thoughts: Yin-Yang Release... It's the first time I've heard of it.] Ling reached up to rub the back of his neck that was tickled by the Nekomata's fluffy tail. [It seems that Miss Nekomata is a summoned beast that has lived for a long time... But a summoned beast that has lived so long can still be restricted by the sealing techniques. Is the sealing techniques really the most alarming jutsu?
Moreover, compared to the Senju, the chakra of the Uzumaki clan is indeed more aggressive, and their tempers are more fiery—if the hostile target isn't an Uchiha of our clan.]
Seeing Ling lost in thought, the little Nekomata patted his forehead with its paw. "What are you spacing out about?"
"No, I was just thinking that Miss Nekomata seems to like humans a lot."
"Yeah, I like humans. After all, humans always have all sorts of strange ideas and create a lot of interesting things. It'd be really lonely not to find any fun in such a long life.
But since I can clearly sense Malice, it's always difficult to get close to humans. But you're special..." Saying this, the little Nekomata reached out its paw again and patted Ling's forehead with its paw pad. "You don't have any Malice towards anything around you at all. Normally, even if you're just on guard against the outside world, you'd show some hostility, right?"
"Then, won't Miss Nekomata consider becoming my summoned beast?"
"Humph~ Are you dodging the problem? You're so sly."
But Ling just smiled and didn't answer directly. "Judging by the distance, we should be almost there, right?"
"It's twenty meters to your front - right," the little Nekomata tucked its paws on Ling's head and didn't dwell on Ling's avoidance of the problem. "Although I like interesting things, the Malice over there is practically overflowing. Do you really want to go there?
"
"Don't say that, Miss Nekomata," Ling laughed softly while whispering, "For people who often live on the edge like us, it's a real good place indeed. Provided that you have enough strength, no one can reject a black market that takes the initiative to target you. No one."
"Hehehe~ I like this way of putting it."
The place recommended by Nakano Sanzo was just an unassuming Guest House. The moment Ling pushed the door open, he could feel several inquisitive gazes fall on him, but his expression remained unchanged. He took a couple of steps forward to avoid the doorway and asked, "Excuse me, who is the boss?"
"I'm the boss, Tokishigawa Kyo," a lazy male voice sounded, "Did you come here specifically?"
"Yes, I'm looking for a place to drink and stay," Ling turned towards the direction of the voice. "On the way, while inquiring, I met a kind - hearted man named Nakano Sanzo. He recommended this place to me, saying that you have some rare fine wines here."
"Oh? A person recommended by Nakano..." Tokishigawa Kyo's voice trailed off slightly. "Well, sir, come here to register. I'll bring out some good wine to treat you."
After recording Ling's name and the duration of his stay, Tokishigawa Kyo spoke again. "Do you have any food taboos, sir?"
"I have no dietary restrictions. I just prefer a light taste."
"A light taste?" Tokishigawa Kyo let out a rather ambiguous snort. "That's a good habit. Find a seat anywhere."
"Thank you for your trouble."
As he walked, Ling felt the little Nekomata that had been lying on his head jump onto his shoulder. Soon, the soft, low - pitched female voice came, "Not only that Tokishigawa guy, but after you mentioned Nakano Sanzo's name, everyone here is showing their Malice without any disguise."
"That's normal," Ling laughed softly, his lips barely moving and his voice extremely low. "That Nakano Sanzo is a guy who specializes in finding [easy targets] for the black market. As for who gets the [easy targets] and what they'll do with them, it depends on who is the quickest."
"Humph~ It sounds like you've done this kind of thing more than once."
"Hehe... It's the first time since I went blind."
Not long after he sat down, the people around started to get restless. Finally, several of them quickly left and then came back soon after, occupying the empty tables around Ling, making the otherwise quiet Guest House seem lively - at least it sounded lively.
When the boss, Tokishigawa Kyo, brought the food, those who had their eyes on the [easy targets] finally couldn't hold back. Ling felt the corner of his table being gently tapped. A deep yet gentle male voice came from a slightly higher position. "Hello. May I sit here? I really can't find an empty seat for myself."
Ling looked up with a faint smile. "Sure, please do."
"Wow—this is really a great help. My name's Toukumo. I'm a traveling merchant," the man who claimed to be Toukumo sat next to Ling. "Judging by your outfit, you must be traveling across countries like me, right?"
"I wouldn't really say I'm traveling across countries. I just wanted to take a break after some bad luck," Ling groped for the wine and poured himself a glass. After taking a small sip, the smile on his lips became more genuine. "It's mellow and smooth, yet still packs a punch. Truly a fine wine."
"Hey, kid, the Land of Lightning is famous for its strong spirits. You can't drink like that when you're out by yourself."
Toukumo's voice was full of warning, and his expression was extremely sincere. However, the Malice radiating from him only made the little Nekomata, who was extremely sensitive to Malice, climb back onto Ling's head in disgust—humans are so fake.