I'm a thankful fox in Tokyo

Chapter 159 God’s Death
Dong Yeyu and others were the last to get off the bus. After everyone got off, the driver took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket with a heavy breath, put it between his lips, and leaned his head out of the cab and shouted vaguely: "Then I'll leave first and come back at the appointed time. Take care, everyone."

After saying that, he didn't even look at the sea of ​​peach blossoms ahead, turned the car around on the not-so-wide road, stepped on the accelerator to the bottom, and the clumsy bus roared like a war roar, driving with the momentum of a racing car.

But when I think about the fact that a donkey cart can drift, it doesn't seem so hard to accept that a bus can be used as a racing car.

In the eyes of the locals, this area is probably a disaster-stricken place that they want to avoid, so it is normal that they don't want to stay there for long.

"Wow! Take a picture!"

As soon as Kaori got off the car and saw the scenery in the distance, she quickly took out a small camera from her travel bag. It was a Nikon camera with some cute little stickers on it, but the specific model was not very clear.

Shiori looked disdainfully at her sister who was looking for a suitable angle to take the photo: "Vulgar, I will record it with my eyes, and when I recall it later--"

“It will become blurry.”

Dong Ye Yu stretched and added with a smile.

“Memory is an old-fashioned painter who paints on clear and bright memories. When you think about them, all that’s left is a blur, with only the mood but no details.”

“If it’s something you particularly like, I suggest you take a photo of it, otherwise you’ll regret it later.”

Dong Yeyu stood beside the guardrail of the road and looked into the distance, taking in the entire peach forest.

The peach blossom forest that covers the entire mountain and the end of the sight is truly magnificent and even more breathtaking than the Shunan Bamboo Sea that he had visited in his previous life.

The breath of gods is settled in it, and the entrance to the fairyland should be here.

The water god probably opened up the fairyland here because he was attracted by the scenery.

Dong Yeyu sighed and searched his trouser pockets, but found nothing.

So she began to touch her whole body anxiously until everyone around her looked surprised, and Shiori also asked curiously.

"What did Dongye Nissan lose?"

Dong Yeyu pondered for a second, then he remembered that he didn't bring his phone. He put his hands in his pockets awkwardly and smiled: "No, I was just about to take a photo with my phone, but suddenly forgot that I didn't bring my phone."

Just like when you are looking for your phone while holding it, even after practicing, humans are bound to make such low-level mistakes occasionally.

Kaori was looking at the photos with her camera, a little confused: "Why didn't Tono Nissan bring his cell phone? Exorcists must bring communication equipment when they are exorcising demons, otherwise they won't be able to call for help if something unexpected happens."

"Sister, do you know?"

Jinguji Hiiragi Shizuka was observing the peach forest at this time. Upon hearing this, her eyes fell on Higashino Yu with a complicated expression.

"He was afraid of losing his phone."

"If you lose it, just buy a new one." Kaori felt a little strange, it was just a cell phone.

Buy? It's easy to say. Of course, a rich lady can throw away her phone at will, but a peasant like me can't.

It’s more than 100,000 yen, which is almost equal to my weekly salary. How can you just throw it away?

Damn little rich boy, is the life that we common people strive for something that is just within your reach in your eyes?
If you say this in China, you will be laughed at for thousands of years, and if you say this in France, you will be beheaded!

Dong Yeyu gritted his teeth in his heart and explained seriously: "That is something with special meaning."

Special meaning?
Jinguji Hiiragi Kagami took a look at the cheap old clothes that Higashino Yu had changed into, and thought of his background. As a leading young demon hunter, he had to rely on part-time jobs to make a living. He fell silent for a moment.

Is it because it was a gift from Asumi, or is it simply because you have no money?
Maybe it's both.

The group rested for a few minutes and walked forward for about ten minutes. They found a vacant area on the highway guardrail and a sign saying that this was the entrance to the scenic area. A bluestone paved road extended inside.

There are a lot of fallen leaves on the road, and there are some houses of different styles built on both sides, some of which are even Japanese-style bungalows.

There is a sign hanging on it, saying xx souvenir shop. Some of them have unique names, but most of them are similar souvenir shops.

The doors are all closed and covered with dust. At first glance, they look like buildings abandoned by locals after a natural disaster. Walking in them gives one an inexplicable feeling of desolation and silence.

The demon disaster should be considered a kind of natural disaster for humans.

The demon hunters, who were originally in a somewhat relaxed atmosphere, became serious after they walked into the abandoned souvenir shop street leading to the peach forest.

The demon hunters who were followed by shikigami whispered to the accompanying shikigami to go and explore the way.

Most of these shikigami look like humans, but a piece of white paper is pasted on their faces with some abstract symbols drawn on it, some of which look like birds and others like dogs.

Judging from his aura, he is not even as good as monsters of the same level as Jiaogui and Qingpan.

One of the shikigami, Higashino Yu, left an impression on him. She was the shikigami of the previous head of the Kusaka family. She looked like an adult woman, with short black hair that was slightly curly. She wore a gray kimono and a haori, and a white paper with a talisman painted on it hung on her face.

The aura of this shikigami is stronger, probably only slightly weaker than that of the horned demon.

However, he himself did not come. The team was led by another middle-aged demon hunter.

After receiving the order, the shikigami scattered. Suddenly, a strong wind blew up, and the leaves intertwined in the treetops were swept away, making a rustling sound. Several gusts of evil wind went towards the peach forest.

The other demon hunters either held their swords or had spiritual energy surging in their bodies, looking ready for battle at any time.

Even Shiori and Kaori's cute and lovely little faces were filled with serious expressions.

Although these demon hunters have gone astray in their training, their combat proficiency is still good.

Higashino Yu observed for a while, and then he and Jinguji Hiiragi Jing protected the two little girls on the left and right.

However, the few demon hunters from the Uda family who were walking in the front did not seem to be overly alert. Uda Hideki tucked his hands into the wide sleeves of his haori, and lagged behind Jinguji Nobuaki by one body length with a leisurely pace. When he turned around and saw the many demon hunters who were on high alert, he smiled slightly.

"This section of the road is relatively safe. You may encounter danger once you enter the depths of the peach forest. You can rest assured."

The demon hunters nodded in response, but they did not let down their guard at all.

Human practitioners have been fighting against demons for thousands of years. No matter whether they are lucky enough to walk on the right path or have less luck and have to use unconventional methods, they have all been eaten alive by demons because of one negligence or another. Countless amounts of blood and tears have been shed.

Even a young demon hunter like Maki Kusaka now understands a simple truth - danger always appears when one's mind is relaxed.

Especially in this forest with peach blossoms in full bloom, one cannot see the danger. But more than a thousand people disappeared here one after another, and no body was found.

Who dares to rest assured?

Seeing this, Ueda Hideki had no choice but to smile helplessly. The Ueda family's exorcists didn't say anything else, but just walked silently in front of them and led the way.

After walking for half an hour, we reached the depths of the forest and came across a sturdy old tree with a rope hanging from it. It was an old banyan tree, with a lush crown like a canopy, gnarled branches, and a thick scent of incense. It seemed to be worshipped as a god.

The island nation has a special attachment to ancient trees. Some very old trees will be protected, tied with ropes, and worshiped as gods. Some shrines also have such a sacred tree in the guardian forest.

However, the spirit inside had long disappeared. There were scars from knife cuts and fire in the middle of the trunk. Large pieces of bark had been torn off, revealing the moist wood-colored trunk underneath.

Hundreds of birds were standing on the tree trunks, pecking at something. Squirrels were digging at something with their claws, swinging their fluffy tails. Frogs and toads were standing under the trees, constantly sticking out their big tongues, eating several insects and ants each time.

There are also other animals that do not eat insects and ants gathered here, including foxes, deer, raccoons, lynxes, wild boars and so on.

So many animals gathered around a big banyan tree, including even predators like wolves, but they did not attack other animals, they just dug the soil frantically.

If you look closely, you will find that there are countless insects and ants gathering here all the time on the tree trunk, on the fallen leaves near the trunk, and even under your feet, as if all the insects in the entire forest have smelled the fragrance of the sacred tree.

The dead body of the sacred tree is a rare opportunity for insects and ants. Perhaps some lucky ones can use it to embark on the path of cultivation, so it is normal to attract these insects.

This must be a spiritual tree loved by mortals and monsters. Even after its death, there are still so many animals trying to protect its corpse.

After doing good deeds and practicing for hundreds of years, he finally achieved the status of a god, but was killed by a demon.
Dongye Yu looked up at the ancient tree, feeling a little angry. He stroked the hilt of the Chengming Ichimonji Nagamitsu's sword with his hand. As if he could sense the owner's surging emotions, the spirit that had not yet taken shape in the famous sword became active, and the blade trembled slightly.

Kaori and Shiori seemed to feel something as well, with sad expressions on their faces and mist in their crystal clear and intelligent eyes.

The birds standing on the tree trunk pecking at insects noticed someone coming and started calling out in unison.

"Leave quickly, leave quickly, there is a barrier in the forest, the gods want humans to go to Izumo Taisha, to tell the gods that Hishisawa is dead, Hishisawa is dead!"

The frogs and toads under the tree croaked in response, the squirrels climbed up the tree trunks and squeaked, the foxes gathered together and made fox calls, and other animals also started shouting, and the scene was extremely lively.

The old banyan tree was silent, and the green leaves on its crown swayed gently in the wind, just as they had done for countless years in the past.

Dongye Yu, who understood the cries of the foxes in the animal group, was stunned at that time. I had just seen the Hishizawa Water God not long ago. A god with the strength of a perfect golden elixir, could die just like that?

The demon hunters couldn't understand the animals' calls, and they were all stunned when they saw this scene: "What are they calling?"

They just felt a little strange why the sacred tree was damaged like this and attracted so many animals.

"Namo Amitabha."

With his eyes tightly closed, the monk Renshu silently held his Zen stick in his arms, clasped his hands together, lowered his head slightly, and began to chant the sutra for salvation in a low voice: "Thus I have heard. Once the Buddha was in the Jetavana Grove in the country of Savatthi."

Jinguji Hiiragi Kagami also discovered some clues and began to walk around the sacred tree until he reached the other side. He raised his head and his brows immediately frowned.

Seeing this, the other demon hunters also went over to take a look, and found that the core of the tree at the back seemed to have been chiseled by something, leaving a hollow space, and realized something.

Nobuaki Jinguji frowned and walked forward, touching the rough bark of the ancient tree. After closing his eyes and feeling it carefully, he sighed, "It's dead."

Maki Kusaka first covered her mouth with a look of shock. This was the first time she witnessed the fall of a god with her own eyes - even a god without an orthodox throne.

After a moment of silence, the girl clasped her hands together and bowed in worship.

"hateful."

Junpei Kusaka cursed angrily and took out a talisman from his pocket. It was a fire talisman that could probably summon fire.

The elder of the Kusaka family quickly snatched the talisman and said, "Idiot, do you want to set the forest on fire as well?"

Kusaka Junpei tightly grasped the sword at his waist: "But, are we just going to watch those bugs eat Him like this?"

"There are more than tens of millions of bugs. Even if the bugs in this forest are gone, there are still bugs in other forests. How can humans stop them? We have more important tasks to do. Keep your magic power."

The elders of the Kusaka family reprimanded him severely, and the other demon hunters had a similar attitude.

When a whale dies, all things come to life. This is the law of nature. I believe the last wish of the sacred tree was to return itself to the forest.

Therefore, the demon hunters just mourned in silence and did not try to stop the insects like the animals did.

Hideki Uda explained softly into the microphone.

"A few days ago, a villager said that when he came to a store here to pick up something in the evening, he found a hurricane sweeping through the forest, flames shooting up into the sky, strange roars, and a gentle invisible wind pushing him away from there."

"When he got home and called the fire department, they found the sacred tree turned into this."

"Later, animals began to gather here, probably wanting to protect his body. Although it was stupid and ridiculous, it was also comforting. These animals sometimes value friendship more than humans."

Ueda Hideki said as he clasped his hands together and bowed slightly towards the big banyan tree. "He protects the area and is loved by monsters and people. Compared to the current Hishizawa water god, he is an excellent god. What a pity."

Why didn't you report this? You didn't tell us when we came? Did you grow up in Akashi?

After hearing this, Dong Ye Yu wanted to draw his sword and chop off the killing coin. As a family of demon hunters, how could they not know the seriousness of this matter?

Nobuaki Jinguji was so angry that he was shaking. He took a deep breath and was about to go find Uda Hideki to argue.

Seeing this, Rinko Jinguji, who was standing beside him, put her hat on her husband's head and smiled.

It's not a good sign to have a conflict with the local boss here.

The other demon exorcists also glared at him, but the several demon exorcists from the Ueda family seemed not to see it.

After everyone paid tribute to the gods, they calmed themselves down and looked at Jinguji Nobuaki, waiting for his arrangements.

Do we need to continue going inside under the current circumstances?

Higashino Yu calmly found Jinguji Nobuaki and whispered, "Mr. Jinguji, maybe we can't go any further."

Upon hearing this, Nobuaki Jinguji remained expressionless and winked at the two clerks from the Ministry of Religion, Culture, Science and Technology beside him, who quietly sent away the several demon exorcists from the Uda family.

Then he made a seal in his hand and asked, "What? Did Dongye-kun find anything else?"

This seal seems to be able to prevent conversations from being overheard by others, which is quite useful. I must trick Jinguji-san into giving me this spell next time.

Dong Ye Yu thought to himself and said with a very serious expression.

"One of my magics allows me to understand the language of animals. I just heard those animals say that the water god Hishizawa is dead, and the last words of the banyan tree god are for us to go to Izumo Taisha to seek the help of Kunitsu god."

This chapter has 4,000 words, and there is another chapter with 2,000 words. I will write it and post it right away.

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(End of this chapter)