I became Hokage in Tokyo

Chapters 273 & 274: The Chocolate Hungry Ghost and the Witch

"Gah, gah gah—"

A few startled crows circled in the air, still eyeing the pieces of flesh below. Yu Huo picked up a leaf; the bloodstains on it had dried. She rubbed her fingers together.

"The mountain dog was probably killed this morning. Maybe I'm overthinking it, but things might be changing."

"Miss Yuhuo, is something wrong?" Hirota Tulio asked, puzzled.

"The fox demon and the mountain dog are both monsters from the outer edge of the Tree Sea, and they have been entrenched there for more than ten years, yet they both died tragically in a single day," Yu Huo said bluntly. "And that five-colored giant snake that I've never seen before, I suspect that besides the previous intruder, someone else has also landed on the island."

"Could it be that the monsters are fighting each other for territory?" the long-haired woman said, trying to sound wise.

"Maybe so, but the outer territories aren't of much value to monsters."

Yu Huo remained noncommittal, then asked Hirota Tulio:

"When you arrived, how many people were on that strange little boat?"

"These four of us, Antonio who fell behind, and Dr. Kabuto Yakushi who was shot, that's all there are on the lifeboat. There's no one else." Hirota Turi counted the heads on his fingers.

Reaching out, Yu Huo touched the Penglai Jade Branch wrapped in animal hide and thatch on its back and nodded slightly.

"That's true. If you don't carry a token that signifies your connection to Penglai, you'll be turned away. It's unlikely to be such a coincidence."

Yu Huo looked up at the sky; the sun was shining brightly. Then he turned to look at the sacred peak in the center of Penglai Island, and finally gave a few words of advice to everyone:

"Next, we'll be entering the interior of the Forest of Trees, where the monsters are incredibly strong. Even I might not be a match for them, so you must be extremely careful."

"Yes."

The fishing lights led the group onward, and the interior of the forest became even more serene, with dappled sunlight filtering through the tree canopy and fireflies dancing in the air.

Although the atmosphere was somewhat tense and oppressive, Hirota Tulio and the others were involuntarily captivated by the idyllic scenery, marveling at it.

While on a passenger ship at sea, one can only see a small part of Penglai Island shrouded in clouds and mist. Only when one actually goes inside can one discover that Penglai Island is much larger than imagined.

"In the cave ahead lives a horse-footed monster with unparalleled strength; its strength can easily uproot a large tree."

After traveling for another ten miles through the forest, Yu Huo stretched out his hand to signal them to stop.

"I'll go ahead and scout ahead. You all stay here, don't make a sound, and don't move."

Before he finished speaking, Yu Huo nimbly climbed a large tree and disappeared into the dense canopy.

Hirota Tulio and his companions looked uneasy, carefully crouching in the bushes, even suppressing their breathing to a minimum.

Not long after, Yu Huo reappeared before them with an unusual expression.

"No problem, the Horse-Foot Monster doesn't seem to be here, let's continue."

Yu Huo knew this hidden forest path like the back of his hand. He could foresee the dangers along the way and led them to avoid them in advance. They passed through several monster territories without any major incidents.

With the journey going so smoothly, the people who were initially on tenterhooks finally relaxed and even began to unwind.

"I've been walking for two hours now, my legs are so sore and I'm so hungry."

The long-haired woman leaned against her boyfriend and began to complain.

"Let's be patient a little longer. As the village chief said, we've already covered most of the distance; only the last stretch remains."

Hirota Tulio wiped the sweat from his brow, flicked it onto the ground, and said with a wry smile.

Trekking through the forest was indeed exhausting, and the salted fish and dried rice he had eaten that morning was almost completely used up; now even his stomach was rumbling.

If they had known this would happen, they should have asked the village chief to cook a second pot of rice, so they could have taken a few rice balls to eat on the road.

Fortunately, there were several pools of water in the forest, and they replenished their water supply along the way; otherwise, it would have been even more difficult.

"I know of some edible wild peaches about fifteen minutes from here. Shall I go pick some for you?"

Yu Huo's physique was clearly far superior to theirs, and he showed no signs of fatigue even now.

Hirota Tulio's throat bobbed slightly, but before anyone else could answer, he spoke:

"No need, Miss Yuhuo, let's not cause any more trouble. Let's get to the shrine as soon as possible."

Miss Yu Huo's round trip might take half an hour. Now we're not strolling in a park, but in a terrifying forest haunted by monsters. And every second counts, there's no time for a leisurely picnic.

"Wait, wait! Chocolate!"

The foreign woman seemed to remember something, rummaged through her shoulder bag, and took out a few chocolates wrapped in candy wrappers.

"You actually brought chocolate?!" The others were both surprised and delighted.

"I often do wildlife photography, and carrying these high-sugar, high-calorie chocolates can be a lifesaver."

The foreign woman said in English, "Unfortunately, some of them fell into the sea. Now we only have five, which is just enough for each of us."

As she spoke, the foreign woman began handing out chocolates, even giving one to Yu Huo.

The long-haired woman took the chocolate and swallowed it in one gulp, like a cow chewing on a peony. Then she stared longingly at her boyfriend, who pretended not to see her and also downed his own in one go.

"What is this?"

Yu Huo tilted his head, a hint of doubt appearing in his eyes.

"This is chocolate, the best candy from outside the island. There should be candy on Penglai Island too," Hirota Tulio explained.

"Of course, Penglai Island also has maltose and honey." Yu Huo frowned, her tone slightly unconvinced.

Hirota Tulio smiled, slowly unwrapped the chocolate, and put it in his mouth.

Yu Huo followed suit, unwrapping the candy and looking at the dark chocolate with a hint of doubt in his eyes. But seeing everyone else enjoying it with such satisfaction, he finally broke off a small piece and put it in his mouth with some skepticism.

The next second, Yu Huo's eyes lit up, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up.

But she immediately realized her lapse in composure, covered her mouth, and glanced at Hirota Tulio with embarrassment.

Hirota Tulio asked with a hint of amusement:

"Miss Fisherman, are you satisfied with the taste of the chocolate?"

"Indeed. Although it tastes a bit bitter at first, it has a rich and unique aroma, is very sweet, and has a milky fragrance. It's a wonderful taste that I've never experienced before," Yu Huo readily admitted.

Hirota Tulio was also proud of this.

Even a small piece of chocolate is made from a variety of ingredients such as cocoa, cocoa butter, milk, sugar, and vanillin, and processed using sophisticated modern techniques. It is a crystallization of modern industrial civilization and a complete departure from the sweetness of agricultural society.

Even a legendary paradise like Penglai Island couldn't possibly have a sweeter taste than chocolate.

"I'm actually quite envious that you people from outside the island can enjoy such wonderful things."

Yu Huo carefully wrapped the remaining chocolates in candy wrappers, put them in his pocket, and smiled at the foreign woman.

The foreign woman was flattered and gave him another big hug.

A blush crept onto Yu Huo's face.

Witnessing this scene, Hirota Tulio was overwhelmed with mixed feelings, a mix of sadness and heartache. Without thinking, he blurted out:

"Miss Fisherman, have you ever considered leaving this island?"

"leave?"

"Ah, that's not what I meant... nor am I saying that Penglai Island is bad."

Hirota Tulio explained awkwardly, "This world is vast, and beyond Penglai Island, there are many things more wonderful and interesting than chocolate... I think you should go and see."

"Thank you. But..."

Yu Huo looked somber and shook his head.

"No, I won't leave Penglai. This is the only place I can stay."

"But……"

The fishing lights immediately interrupted Hirota Turio's topic:

"From here, once we get through the territory of the last monster, we'll have no more obstacles."

Everyone was invigorated, even the long-haired woman who had been complaining earlier quickly shut her mouth and revealed a glimmer of hope.

"The last monster is the Giant Centipede, one of the most powerful monsters on Penglai Island. Its carapace is impervious to blades and spears, its limbs can cut through iron like mud and penetrate metal and stone, and its poisonous gas can kill even monsters upon contact. Therefore, we must be careful and sneak past it."

Hearing Yu Huo's solemn and repeated emphasis, everyone perked up and nodded repeatedly to show that they had taken it to heart.

After eating the chocolate, the group replenished some of their energy and quickened their pace.

After walking a few more miles, before Yu Huo could even scout ahead, the sharp-eyed Hirota Tulio noticed something was wrong.

Not far away, the trees in the forest were all uprooted, and the ground was covered with shocking ravines, as if the earth had turned upside down. It was clear that a great battle had taken place!

"I'll go take a look."

Before Hirota Turi and the others could react, the fishing fire shot out.

After a long while, a voice came from ahead:

"You can come over now."

When Hirota and the others went over to take a look, they saw that Yuhuo was holding a black carapace as large as a tabletop in his hands, with flesh and blood still stuck to it.

"The giant centipede is dead."

A shadow fell over Yu Huo's face.

"Isn't this a good thing? The last obstacle is gone." The long-haired woman asked blankly.

That woman is so stupid.

Hirota Tulio couldn't help but look at her boyfriend, who shrugged helplessly and spread his hands.

"The giant centipede is a very strong monster; even I am no match for it."

Yu Huo shook his head and threw another thing on the ground.

It was a fan-shaped, bluish-green snake scale!

"The monster that killed and devoured the giant centipede had these scales, but I have no recollection of it at all. This is an unexpected danger."

Hirota Tulio's expression also looked rather grim.

But then he looked up at the center of Penglai Island. Lingfeng was practically right in front of him. The last leg of a journey is the hardest; if he gave up here, all his previous efforts would be wasted.

"We've walked for so long and nothing's happened, so we're unlikely to be unlucky enough to run into it in the last few steps, right?"

"That's right! We absolutely cannot give up here."

Without much heated discussion, everyone agreed that they should move forward.

"Looking at a mountain makes a horse run itself to death." Although Lingfeng is already close at hand, even the Great Centipede Territory, which is closest to the center, is still quite a distance away.

According to Yu Huo, the witch on the mountain is practically a goddess, and the monsters on the island avoid her at all costs.

They wandered through the forest, occasionally startling a swarm of fireflies that danced in the air.

After crossing streams and creeks and wading through mountains and rivers for nearly half an hour, the view finally opened up before us.

At the foot of the mountain, several hundred meters away, there was a red torii gate. The snow-white stone steps looked like a ladder to heaven. The mountain peaks were shrouded in mist and clouds from the middle, making it as beautiful as a fairyland.

"It's so beautiful, it's like a dream!"

The foreign woman praised it in an aria-like tone, then immediately looked dejected.

"It's a pity my digital camera fell into the sea, otherwise, a few random shots would definitely become my best works."

At this moment, Hirota Turi, who had put down his burden, also smiled.

It's not just the scenery of Penglai Island; whether it's the monsters on the island, the idyllic village, or the villagers' lifespan of up to two hundred years, each of these is a groundbreaking discovery that could shock the world.

"Now we can become big celebrities too."

The young man stroked his chin, nudged the long-haired woman leaning against him, and said smugly:

"Whether it's appearing on TV shows or publishing books, you can make a fortune! Don't you think so?"

His gaze also fell, intentionally or unintentionally, on the bundle behind Yu Huo.

But the most valuable item is one of the five treasures in "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter," the Penglai Jade Branch, which is priceless.

"Ugh... I... feel a little... unwell..."

The long-haired woman's face was deathly pale, her lips were cyanotic, and she spoke haltingly.

"Seriously? We're almost there, and now you're having problems." The young man said reluctantly, "Next, we'll be climbing stairs. Don't expect me to carry you up; it'll kill you."

"Ugh... I'm so hungry!"

The long-haired woman had her head down, her hair disheveled, and her expression was unreadable.

"You're such a glutton. Just bear with it a little longer; there should be food at the shrine."

The young man showed a disgusted expression, touched his shrunken belly, and felt his stomach start to rebel after the woman's antics, his stomach watering.

"Hungry! Hungry! Hungry!"

"Are you still not done? Do you think I can conjure something for you to eat? You're yelling so loudly because you want to eat me... Ouch! That hurts!"

The young man let out a scream as the long-haired woman, seemingly insane, bit his shoulder hard.

The young man quickly reached out to push her away, but the long-haired woman suddenly became incredibly strong, and he couldn't break free.

"Aaaaaah!"

The long-haired woman tore a large chunk of flesh from the young man's shoulder.

The young man was writhing on the ground in pain, letting out heart-wrenching screams.

"What are you doing?!"

Hirota Tulio and the foreign woman were both taken aback, and were immediately stunned by what they saw.

The long-haired woman's eyes were white, her face was twisted and ugly like a wild beast, and she was chewing in her mouth, which was full of blood, exuding a terrifying aura.

"Hungry, hungry!"

Swallowing what was in her mouth, the long-haired woman opened her gleaming white teeth, still stained with bits of meat, and drool dripped from her mouth as she pounced on Hirota Tulio like a hungry tiger.

At the critical moment, the fishing light appeared in front of Hirota Tulio and raised his arm to block it.

The long-haired woman's teeth made a clicking sound as she bit into Yu Huo's scaly arm!

A look of pain flashed across Yu Huo's face. Then, he swung his arm outward with all his might, throwing the long-haired woman away, where she crashed heavily to the ground.

"Miss Yuhuo, what happened?"

Looking at the long-haired woman who seemed to feel no pain as she got up from the ground, crawling on all fours and glaring at them with predatory eyes, Hirota Tulio asked with lingering fear.

"They are hungry ghosts."

Yu Huo said solemnly, "When she was in the Sea of ​​Trees, she was possessed by an evil spirit that was wandering around."

"Do you have a solution?"

"I can only kill her, I can't save her."

Yu Huo shook his head, then looked at the torii gate behind him.

"But the priestess can definitely purify the evil spirit from her!"

(End of this chapter)