I'm a thankful fox in Tokyo

Chapter 178 Tanuki Festival

The raccoon cat monsters led the way in front, holding lanterns and walking through the forest. They looked back at Dong Ye Yu from time to time, fearing that they would lose him.

Dongye Yu, who had transformed back into his original form, walked very quickly. He caught up with the hurried pace of the raccoon cat monsters with just a few easy steps, and even had time to observe the surrounding woods.

After Yuanjun regained control of the fairyland, many more fireflies appeared in the peach forest, and the hazy moonlight in the sky, as if through frosted glass, seemed brighter.

If the sky of the fairyland before was like the result of a severely myopic person trying to observe without glasses, then now he has found a pair of suitable lenses.

The star-like twinkling fireflies and the cool moonlight dispel the somewhat gloomy atmosphere of the forest, bringing a sense of fairy tale fantasy.

After an unknown amount of time, a large fire appeared ahead, and the raccoon cat monsters leading the way were all saying, "We're here!"

Walking out of the woods, the view suddenly opened up. The fertile fields destroyed by the flood had not yet recovered, and some destroyed wooden structures that belonged to houses were randomly placed in the fields.

The raccoons simply cleaned up the debris in the fields and collected the bodies of the raccoon monsters they could find. As for the bodies of the monsters.
Dong Ye Yu jumped onto a peach tree with thick branches, stood at the crown of the tree and looked around, but did not find the corpses of the demons that looked very valuable.

Perhaps it was washed into this vast peach forest by the flood, and will eventually become fertilizer for the peach trees.

Thinking of this, my heart, which was used to being frugal, couldn't help but ached, as if I had just thrown away 10,000 yen on the street for nothing.

But then I thought again, most of these monsters were not killed by me, and it seemed that I was not the one who suffered the loss, and I suddenly felt relieved.

The fire came from not far ahead, where a grand festival was being held. Monsters wearing masks or with their faces covered with white talismans kept walking towards the festival.

A newly built vermilion torii gate serves as the entrance, and a simple wooden bridge and plank road are built as passages. Since the soil in the fields is still moist, the ground at the festival site is also paved with wood.

In the center of the festival site, there is a three-story corner tower like a watchtower. On each corner, there is a Taiko drum. Next to the drum, there is a strong raccoon monster with bare upper body beating the drum hard, and the rhythmic drum sound continues to be heard.

The four square eaves of the corner tower are connected to the four corners of the festival with ropes, and the ropes are connected to each other like a spider web, and are hung with colorful lights. From a distance, it looks like a roof made of lanterns with bright lights covering the festival.

Simple small shops with colorful flags are scattered around the corner tower, just like the mobile snack bars selling hot dogs in the mortal world.

There are signs on the ceiling of every shop, basically saying things like Taiyaki, Teppanyaki Squid, etc., which are no different from ordinary people’s festivals.

But it seems that quite a few monsters like this, and mortals' snacks are probably quite popular in the monster world.

"Master Higashino, please follow us. Master Shuzou and his men are at the reception over at the festival."

Why is there both a festival and a cocktail party?
Higashino Yu followed the raccoon cat monsters into the venue with some curiosity, passed through the newly built torii gate standing in the field, and went to the festival with the group of monsters.

Most of these monsters are not native to the fairyland, but monsters from outside.

They are basically all small monsters - since such a big thing happened in the fairyland before, probably no big monsters would be willing to come.

Higashino Yu speculated that there were three reasons for holding this festival.

First, it is to celebrate. No matter what, expelling the demons and killing the evil god is a common victory for everyone, and it is time to celebrate.

The second is to hold a memorial ceremony. More than half of the civet cats in Li Village have died, and most of those left are old, weak, sick and disabled. There are not many young and strong civet cats left who were lucky enough to survive, so a ceremony must be held to boost morale.

The third one probably also informed other monsters, "The water god of Hishizawa is about to return, so please be more respectful to the raccoon cats in the raccoon village." This is meant to protect the raccoon cat monsters.

The person who came up with this idea was very thoughtful and had the demeanor of a leader.

Dong Ye Yu secretly admired in his heart, his eyes fell on the torii behind him.

Was it Yuanjun's instruction?

After thinking about it, he shook his head.

The dragon was used to being naughty, so she was probably too lazy to think of a solution, and she probably wouldn't bother with the raccoon cat monster in the raccoon village - after all, it was considered a follower of the previous Hishizawa Water God.

Although he had rescued the group of civet cats before, it was probably because he didn't want to stand by and watch them die.

Wine storage?

This Tengu has a chivalrous heart, but is quite arrogant, taciturn, and poor at socializing. He only interacts with monsters that he likes and does not meddle in other people's affairs.

Shu looks fierce, but he likes to study various skills and dislikes mundane tasks. Heihachi is kind and likes to eat and enjoy life, while Shichiro is very alert and acts more like a scout than a leader.

As for Badger Chiyo?
That's a reckless man.

The probability is high. Although he looks like an old bald farmer, he is a man of great wisdom, sharp eyes and rich experience. It is not surprising that he can come up with such an idea.

The monsters passing by looked at Dong Yeyu sideways when they saw him approaching in deep thought.

Most of the monsters were stunned for a moment, then hurriedly dodged. Those who didn't have time to dodge knelt on the ground trembling in fear to avoid offending the big monster.

After Dong Ye Yu left, the monsters looked at the back of the white giant fox and whispered to each other.

"Is that Master Ayu, one of the Seven Righteous Warriors? What a powerful aura! He is indeed a great monster who can fight against gods!"

"Did the Seven Righteous Men really defeat the gods?"

"Of course. Didn't you see the lightning two days ago? I was far away, but I felt my tongue go numb just by looking at it. I don't believe that even a god could survive after being struck by this lightning."

"They actually have such a spell. Does anyone know the details?"

"One cent is a penny, or a bowl of spirit wine will do. Thank you very much! Boss, make a fortune, and your cultivation will soar to the sky! Let me finish this bowl of spirit wine. It will be refreshing!"

"That's what I said. On that day, dark clouds covered the sky and thunder roared. The three great demons, Master Zukan, Master Shuzang and this Master Ayu, fought against the evil god together. The battle was so intense that the sky was dark and the earth was dark, with lightning and thunder. When the battle was at its most intense, the evil god had evil intentions and wanted to flood the fairyland. At this time, Hishizawa Masami appeared."

This crow monster wore a small black hat and carried a whistle stick with a bundle hanging on it. He was telling the little monsters around him the news he had heard from others in a very emotional voice. He got so excited that he jumped onto a wooden box and started dancing. He was probably drunk.

Dong Yeyu looked back and saw a group of little monsters surrounding the crow spirit inside and outside, listening attentively.

A raccoon monster shouted, "Wrong, wrong!"

The monsters ignored him, and the raccoon was so anxious that it turned into a Daruma Tumbler on the spot, with its eyes wide open and shouting loudly, scaring the little monsters away in all directions. The crow monster staggered drunkenly on the box and subconsciously covered the bright light above his head with his hands.

Bang!
As smoke rose, the young raccoon changed back to its original form and stood there, suffocating.

It was quite lively. Dong Yeyu smiled, and soon came to the center of the festival, bearing the various looks from the many little monsters at the festival.

There is a huge Ukiyo-e screen placed in the north direction. Through the screen, a cocktail party is being held inside.

A group of monster musicians were playing, and Dong Ye Yu saw a familiar monster among them - Qing Pan.

He was still wearing his robes and Buddhist beads, sitting cross-legged with his eyes slightly closed, a look of enjoyment on his face. The plectrum in his hand flew deftly across the strings of the shamisen, and the sonorous music played neither fast nor slow.

I have to say that the island country's folk songs are still quite interesting. At first glance, they don't sound like funeral music, but the more you listen, the more interesting they become.

As if aware of Dong Ye Yu's arrival, Qing Pan opened his eyes and looked over, bowed with a smile, and then continued to concentrate on playing the music.

There were seven futons at the top of the party, and monsters such as Shu, Heihachi, and Kurochiyo were sitting on them drinking happily. Tsukano and Sakuzo were holding their wine glasses and chatting with smiles. Shichiro was holding his wine glass and staring at the festival lights in a daze. There were raccoon cat monsters accompanying them. They were all raccoon cat girls, wearing beautiful kimonos, with golden hairpins on their heads and green leaves on their heads. They looked like beautiful human girls.

There was an empty seat, probably belonging to him. A raccoon cat girl wearing a maple red kimono was kneeling beside him. Her long, shiny black hair was combed into an adult's style, and she was wearing a somewhat rustic cherry blossom glass hairpin.

What’s different from other raccoon cat girls is that this one’s face is all raccoon cat from the neck up.

Dong Yeyu found Tao Dong, this girl, a little funny.

Zukan and Shuzo had already sensed Dongye Yu's presence, and when they saw him coming over here, they turned their heads away, and Zukan stood up and toasted him.

"Sir Ayu, please take a seat quickly. We have the best monkey wine tonight, and we won't leave until we are drunk."

Shuzo also smiled and toasted from a distance.

Badger Chiyo, who was drinking with Shu and Heihachi, burped, looked at Higashino Yu in a daze, rubbed his eyes, staggered under the fox, hugged the thick legs and raised the wine cup.

"I can't beat you in a fight, but you can't drink as much as me. Do you dare to compete with me in drinking?"

Heihachi laughed and said, "Chiyo-nii is drunk."

"Not drunk!" Badger Chiyo glared unconvinced, and Shu and Shichiro also laughed, "Don't be rude." The two stood up and carried Badger Chiyo back.

Tao Dong, who was sitting in the distance and just straightened up to look around, hesitated for a moment before getting up and running towards this side in small steps.

He walked up to Dong Yeyu and bowed slightly.

"Master Ayu, please follow me and take a seat."

"Is there a place to change clothes? It's not convenient for me to attend the cocktail party like this."

Dong Ye Yu said softly, feeling somewhat helpless. Every time he changed back to his original form, he would begin to desire the magical power of Big and Small Ruyi.

The original form is powerful, but its size is too large, which makes it inconvenient sometimes.

Tao Dong blinked when he heard this, and his eyes fell on Dong Yeyu's huge body.

Looking at the pure white, slender and extremely dense fox fur, the raccoon girl's eyes sparkled, and she murmured softly, "There's plenty of space for the cocktail party, there's nothing inconvenient about it."

She probably figured out Dong Ye Yu's temperament and knew that he was not a cruel monster like Jiashaxuan, so after getting to know him a little better, she became much bolder.

But he just said that, and then turned and walked towards the temporary residence for raccoon cats that was newly built after the festival.

"Please come with me."

Higashino Yu said hello to the six great monsters and followed Taodong to the raccoon cat settlement that was temporarily built after the festival.

The raccoon girl came to her own little house and took out her plain flowery bag from the simple tatami mat covered with wooden boards. When she opened it, she found all kinds of sundries inside.

There were jewelry, wakizashi, a slightly worn gray kimono, and a brand new black kimono.

She first looked at the gray one, hesitated for a second, and then took the black one.

The whole set of clothes includes a long gown, a haori and a hakama. It looks new and the workmanship is quite good.

The girl stared at the haori in a daze. After a moment, she looked at Higashino Yu with a smile.

"This is the clothes my father made in the demon city before he died, but he didn't have time to wear them. I can't find any better clothes for now, so please bear with it and wear this for now!"

Dong Yeyu was silent for a second, then looked at the raccoon cat girl and asked, "Is it okay? This is a precious relic left to you by your father."

"Father would be very happy if he knew it was you who wore it!" said the raccoon cat girl seriously.

Dong Ye Yu stopped being shy after hearing this, nodded, changed back into human form, and went into the house to change clothes.

The raccoon girl stood outside the house with her back to the festival, looking at the brightly lit festival below in a daze. The cool night breeze ruffled the girl's hair, and the rustling sound of people changing clothes behind her disturbed her breathing.

Hearing the crisp footsteps of wooden clogs, she turned around and her eyes lit up instantly. She put her hands behind her back, brushed the hair flowing down her temples behind her ears, and smiled brightly.

"It fits! Master Higashino is such a handsome youkai!"

When there were no other monsters around, she still liked to call him by his real name.

"Momofuyu will also become a very beautiful youkai when she grows up."

Dong Ye Yu smiled and touched the raccoon girl's head, put his hands in his sleeves, and strode towards the cocktail party.

The raccoon cat girl looked at the big monster's back, touched the green leaves above her head, and sighed a little discouraged.

"Momofuyu?"

"Come here!"

The girl answered crisply, carefully straightened the green leaves, and followed in small steps.

The two returned to the party, and Chiyoko Badger immediately pulled Higashino Yu over to play drinking games.

"Come on, come on, it's no fun playing with just three people."

Dong Yeyu glanced at Qi Lang who was sitting alone at the edge, and pulled him up as well: "Since it's a festival party, don't be sentimental, let's drink."

Seeing this, Zukan and Shuzang came over with their wine jugs and smiled, "Count us in, too."

"Okay, okay, I won't stop until I'm drunk tonight!" Heihachi laughed and poured himself a glass of wine first.

Bang bang bang!
The ceremony began with fireworks, and points of light like shooting stars slowly rose up, cutting through the quiet night sky, like flowers scattered by fairies, dazzling and brilliant.

Colorful colors exploded in the sky, brilliant lights and fire illuminated the fairyland, monsters danced around the huge bonfire in the shape of a tic-tac-toe in the center of the festival, and rhythmic taiko drums rang to the rhythm of the monsters.

There were fireworks and silver flowers all night long, and the whole night was filled with joy until late at night when the moon was bright and the stars were sparse, and the monsters participating in the ceremony gradually dispersed.

After Jiuzang, Zukan and others had their fill of food and drink and some laughter, they picked up their bags and said goodbye to each other.

The departure came so suddenly that Dong Yeyu was stunned. He looked at them and asked, "Are you leaving now?"

Zukan smiled and patted Dongye Yu on the shoulder.

"Ayu, you have been in the mortal world for too long and have acquired the sentimentality of mortals. You should know that monsters like us are different from ordinary people and have long lifespans. There will be many opportunities for us to meet in the future."

"Many years later, we will all be traveling around the world, and we will meet by chance, tell each other about our experiences, drink and laugh about the world. Isn't that wonderful? Why worry?"

(End of this chapter)