After her appearance, Luo Shu naturally observed the woman—or rather, the girl—who had stepped out of the temple gates.
She stood no taller than 120 cm, with ink-black hair cascading down her back. Her dark fox-like eyes resembled deep pools, seemingly concealing boundless malice.
Dressed in a black strapless dress, she looked like an innocent little girl separated from her parents.
Yet the nine massive pale-orange fox tails behind her betrayed her true identity.
Hagoromo Gitsune.
And seemingly, a rare juvenile version at that.
Having successfully provoked Hagoromo Gitsune with his words, Luo Shu smiled:
"It seems my guess wasn't wrong. You really were planning to deal with Rihan Nura this way, Lady Hagoromo Gitsune."
Hearing this, Hagoromo Gitsune fixed her malevolent gaze on his face and frowned:
"The Nura Clan shouldn't have someone like you among them."
"Answer my question, human. Who are you?"
"SDS Hidden Management Department, Luo Shu."
As he spoke, Luo Shu pulled a business card from his pocket, pinched it between his index and middle fingers, and flicked it sharply.
The card spun through the air like a razor-sharp blade, shooting straight toward Hagoromo Gitsune.
At that moment, a crisp click sounded.
One of Hagoromo Gitsune's tails suddenly extended, its tip splitting open mid-air and transforming into an enormous iron fan.
The fan snapped open with a metallic clang, shielding most of her body.
The business card struck the fan, leaving a faint white mark on its surface before losing momentum and fluttering to the ground.
Whoosh!
Another tail lashed out.
The card was swiftly scooped up and presented before Hagoromo Gitsune.
She glanced at the card dangling from her tail, scanning Luo Shu's name and affiliation, then lifted her gaze to glare coldly at him.
"Do the SDS intend to meddle in my grudge with the Nura Clan?"
"No need to be so tense."
Luo Shu couldn't help but smile at Hagoromo Gitsune's obvious wariness:
"If I were to interfere, there should be more than just my people standing here right now."
Hagoromo Gitsune didn't refute this.
After all, as Luo Shu said, if he truly intended to intervene, the Great Yokai of the Nura Clan's main family would have already surrounded Kiyomizu-dera by now.
Yet in Hagoromo Gitsune's perception, not a single trace of the Nura Clan's Fear could be detected nearby.
This undoubtedly proved the truth in Luo Shu's words, but it also made the situation even more bizarre.
According to intelligence from her network, while the SDS and Nura Clan weren't allies, they had collaborated multiple times. Under such circumstances, Luo Shu was meeting her behind the Nura Clan's back.
This in itself was a strange signal.
What was more bizarre was that her infiltration near the Nura Clan's headquarters, intended to assassinate Rihan Nura—the enemy who had repeatedly foiled Nue's resurrection plans—was known only to Minagoroshi Jizō within the Hagoromo Group.
Yet this man before her had seen through her scheme at their first meeting.
This caught Hagoromo Gitsune completely off guard, leaving her in a highly precarious position.
Were it not for her uncertainty about the surrounding situation, she would have retreated immediately.
Given this, Hagoromo Gitsune decided to fish for information from Luo Shu:
"You deliberately provoked me to appear. What do you intend?"
"Just to deliver a notice."
Luo Shu maintained his smile as he addressed Hagoromo Gitsune:
"I plan to intervene in Nue's resurrection."
The moment these words fell, a thunderous boom erupted.
Pure black Fear surged from Hagoromo Gitsune's body, coiling around her like a violent gale, causing the atmosphere to vibrate intensely.
"Recklessly releasing your Fear might alert the Nura Clan."
At that moment, Luo Shu raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
Snap!
The crisp sound echoed.
Hagoromo Gitsune's vision blurred as the scene before her abruptly changed.
She looked up in shock at Luo Shu, who was now inexplicably standing right before her, and stammered:
"Illusion? Since when?"
When had she fallen under an illusion, failing to notice Luo Shu's approach?
As she reeled from this realisation, a large hand suddenly wrapped around her waist, pulling her into Luo Shu's embrace.
Feeling the unyielding strength of his hold, shock and fury overlapped on Hagoromo Gitsune's face and in her heart.
Simultaneously, the fox tails behind her began writhing, poised to strangle the man before her.
But before they could act, Luo Shu whispered softly in her ear:
"Madam, you wouldn't want Nue to keep suffering in hell, would you?"
At these words, Hagoromo Gitsune's restless tails immediately went limp like withered eggplants.
Her voice now laced with anger, she demanded: "Who exactly are you? What do you intend with Nue? How much do you actually know?"
"Claiming to know everything would be presumptuous, but I'm aware of most matters concerning you."
Luo Shu gently patted Hagoromo Gitsune's back while saying meaningfully:
"I came here today simply to tell you one thing."
"Without my permission, Nue cannot be resurrected... nor will he ever be."
"What did you say?" Hagoromo Gitsune's pupils contracted as she stared at Luo Shu with a mix of shock and fury.
At that moment, Luo Shu released Hagoromo Gitsune and slowly stood up, gazing at her with profound meaning in his eyes:
"You can test whether my words hold any weight."
Hagoromo Gitsune glared at Luo Shu angrily. Though she inwardly scoffed at his claims, she couldn't help but feel wary of this version of him.
The SDS organisation was something Hagoromo Gitsune had only heard snippets about since her recent resurrection - just that it was a major overseas power originating from America.
She knew nothing of the SDS's structure, members, history, or even their capabilities.
Yet from Luo Shu's ability to ensnare her in an illusion without her noticing, Hagoromo Gitsune understood he was no weakling.
Was even this organisation trying to stop her from giving rebirth to her beloved child?
Why?!
As fury and dread warred within Hagoromo Gitsune, Luo Shu suddenly turned away, speaking calmly:
"I'll give you time to investigate."
"Let's hope our next meeting is more pleasant."
As his words faded, Hagoromo Gitsune snapped her head up, only to see Luo Shu's retreating back disappearing into the distance.
"This man..."
Gritting her teeth, Hagoromo Gitsune's form shimmered before dissolving into inky mist, vanishing from Kiyomizu Temple.
She needed to urgently verify what exactly the SDS was and who Luo Shu truly was.
Only with sufficient intelligence could she assess the threat Luo Shu posed to her... and to Nue.
At this thought, the mist-like Hagoromo Gitsune couldn't help glancing toward where Luo Shu had departed.
Her plans were inexplicably exposed, inexplicably threatened, by that inexplicable man.
"Luo Shu, was it? I'll remember you."