Fang Zuo patted Shiraishi Nagimitsu's cheek lightly.
Shiraishi turned rigidly, her face expressionless.
These past days, constant death had unfolded around her.
In Shiraishi Nagimitsu's heart, Fang Zuo had become her sole connection, her greatest anchor.
Even surpassing her daughter.
No, far surpassing her daughter.
Yet moments ago, she saw the protective red cord on her daughter's wrist, a gift from Fang Zuo.
While she had none.
Her spirits plummeted instantly.
If they were separated, Oda Yui would be saved, while she... would be abandoned.
A chill seized her body.
She couldn't breathe.
Her heart felt crushed in a vice.
Her mind went blank.
So this was it.
She was the one meant to die.
She was still the one discarded.
Just as she had always been, ever since childhood.
Bound by contract at fifteen, sent to the Oda family.
Became the nominal wife of Oda Nobuo.
Forced to keep her virginity untouched, her blood pure for ritual sacrifice.
Even Oda Yui... merely a child cultivated in a test tube from Nobuo's seed and her own.
No one cared for her. No one protected her.
She was always surplus.
She thought she'd finally met the one who mattered.
Yet, she remained discarded.
Knowing this... she should have died during the sacrifice.
Should have perished in the Oda household and ended it all.
A voice suddenly began whispering incessantly in her heart:
[Yes.]
[Shiraishi Nagimitsu.]
[This is your fate.]
[No one wishes to linger for you.]
[No one wishes to wait for you.]
[You will always be alone.]
[Life holds no joy. What purpose is there in living?]
[Leave.]
[Leave this world that holds nothing for you.]
[Leave now.]
Shiraishi Nagimitsu nodded to the voice:
[You speak true.]
[To leave...]
[Leaving is the only choice.]
"I... I'll prepare your breakfast," Shiraishi forced a smile at Fang Zuo, mechanically rising to her feet.
She started towards the kitchen.
Suddenly, Fang Zuo's hands shot out, grasping Shiraishi firmly.
He lifted her, flipped her over, and laid her prone across his lap.
He yanked down her standard-issue pencil skirt.
Sheer, flesh-toned stockings were revealed, underneath them a black lace thong.
Fang Zuo tore the stockings off.
He raised his hand high and brought it down fiercely onto her plump, pale buttocks.
*SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!*
Loud, crisp impacts echoed.
Strike after relentless strike.
It seemed as if he were kneading the softest dough.
Wave after undulating wave of flesh rippled.
After just a few blows, the tender mounds were swollen and red.
Shiraishi let out a sudden wail.
"Uuu, dame! Dame, Master! Stop hitting me!"
She twisted around, her arms encircling Fang Zuo's neck.
Pitifully, she buried her face against his chest, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Sumimasen! Don't abandon me!"
"Please don't! I beg you, dame dame!"
"I'll be better, more obedient than her! More obedient than anyone! Don't cast me aside!"
Fang Zuo knew the terror of recent days, the tumult of emotions, had let dark thoughts take root.
Seeing the cord on Oda Yui's wrist had sparked overwhelming jealousy and grief.
The inner demons raged unchecked, extinguishing any will to live.
Had he not intervened with those spanks, she might have taken her own life next.
Fang Zuo drew forth a lotus-root thread red cord and fastened it gently around Shiraishi's wrist.
"Your body carries my aura. Wherever you're taken, I'll find you."
"And your cord was always meant for you. Earlier than hers. I only sought the right moment to place it upon you."
"Once worn, I'll know everything you do."
"Are you certain you wish this?"
Shiraishi's little head nodded repeatedly.
Her tears still flowed, even as her sobs grew louder.
Her face streaked with tracks, she cried... then broke into a smile, radiant with joy.
The knot of despair dissolved; the inner demons vanished.
Happily gazing at the red cord, she turned and buried herself in Fang Zuo's embrace again.
Tilting her face up, she kissed him frantically.
"Jealous of your own child," Fang Zuo tapped her head playfully when their lips parted.
"Souka!" Shiraishi pouted, whispering defiantly, "I will be jealous."
"Ah, sumimasen! I must smell awful! I need to shower too."
In another bathroom within the villa.
Steam filled the air.
Shiraishi Nagimitsu stood beneath the shower spray.
Like Oda Yui, she'd collapsed under Fang Zuo's sleep spell upon returning.
Still clad in yesterday's clothes.
Unwashed for a day.
Under the water, Shiraishi kept lifting her right arm, tracing the red cord around her wrist with her fingertips.
Heartfelt contentment washed over her.
"Does Master truly know everything I do?"
"Does he know... this?"
She lifted her arm and kissed the red cord.
Her eyes smoldered as she guided the cord lower...
"How about this?"
Fang Zuo prepared a delicious meal.
Using readily available ingredients from the refrigerator.
Years spent as a temple novice cooking for his master honed his skills.
His culinary arts were beyond reproach.
Japanese adore certain Chinese dishes – stir-fried green peppers with pork shreds, and mapo tofu.
With no pork available.
Fang Zuo whipped up stir-fried green peppers with Wagyu beef shreds.
The premium beef made the dish supremely tender.
He also prepared pan-seared tuna steaks.
A few simple home-style dishes like scrambled eggs with tomatoes completed the spread.
By the time the food was ready, neither Shiraishi Nagimitsu nor Oda Yui had emerged from their baths.
Their showers had stretched over an hour.
Fang Zuo had completed a full meditation cycle within his body before they finally appeared.
Oda Yui, wrapped in a white bathrobe, emerged first: "Onii-chan!"
Her hair still dripping, drawn by the aromas, she dashed towards the table, propping her hands on its surface.
"Ehh~~ Sugoi!!"
Fang Zuo pulled her closer, casually running his fingers through her wet hair.
True fire instantly vaporized the moisture.
Her locks flowed freely, instantly dry.
"Ehh~~ Onii-chan, Sugoi!" Oda Yui touched her silky hair in awe. "Even better than a hair dryer."
"Me too!" Shiraishi Nagimitsu, also robed with a towel turban, emerged and saw Fang Zuo drying Yui's hair.
Pouting, she walked over.
Fang Zuo pulled her in and repeated the process.
[If not for this daughter I bore, I wouldn't have needed to... take care of myself secretly in the shower...]
Shiraishi tilted her head back, eyes languid, her cheeks still flushed.
Enjoying the warmth drying her hair, she gazed at her red cord and giggled silently: [I wonder if Master felt me...]
Fang Zuo knew Shiraishi's thoughts perfectly well.
He gave her earlobe a little pinch to signal his awareness.
Shiraishi grabbed his hand and bit down hard.
"Working today?" Fang Zuo inquired.
"Hmm, after eating I need to visit some communities, then head to the office to discuss votes and campaign ads," Shiraishi replied.
"Oka-san, Onii-chan... I'm scared alone," Oda Yui said plaintively. "I want to go to work with you."
"You can come with me, then. But today involves speeches at the plaza. If you fear the sun, stay in the car."
Shiraishi stood up. Her naturally wavy hair, dried instantly by Fang Zuo, sprang into full, lush curls.
"I have something today. You go with your mother," Fang Zuo nodded, pulling out a chair. "Let's eat."
Tonight was the appointed meeting with those twin catgirl sisters.
Bringing Oda Yui along would be inconvenient.
He was burning to uncover the traces of that person.
Hadn't he already ascended after achieving the Great Dao?
Why would his most cherished possessions appear... here?