My personal opinion on Gensokyo

The foot soldier climbed up from behind the pile of corpses carefully and found that the "monster" with its back to him and gasping for breath had not noticed that he was approaching. The foot soldier gritted his teeth, suppressed his inner fear, raised his spear, aimed at the back of the "monster", and stabbed it hard.

puff!

The gun tip instantly pierced the "monster's" chest, and the gun tip came out from the "monster's" chest.

The young man was stabbed in the back by a spear and couldn't help but spat out a mouthful of fishy and sweet blood. His pupils shrank as if he felt it was incredible. Then, he slowly lowered his head and took his last breath.

The young man died.

In fact, there was no way to avoid it. Shang Yang already felt that even his consciousness was a little dizzy. He knew that his consciousness and soul were about to leave the "shell" of his body and enter the realm of death.

The realm of death is also known as the realm of the living and the dead. After death, any life will not turn into the dead in an instant. The soul of the living itself needs to pass through a conceptual level, which is the realm of death. Only after passing it, the concept of "living" in the soul will change to the concept of "dead", becoming a dead soul managed by the underworld. From this time on, the living life is truly dead.

When all living things enter the realm of death after death, they will instinctively want to escape from the realm of death, but the souls of most living things cannot prevent death at the conceptual level, and cannot prevent their own souls from turning into undead spirits through the realm of death.

After becoming a ghost, even if the ghost is lucky enough to escape the attraction of the underworld and stay in the human world, it is defined as a "dead" ghost at the conceptual level. It can no longer use the body that carries the soul of life, and the ghost can only become a lonely ghost.

Shangyang is different.

According to the judgment of the Lady Lord God, the body, which is extremely important to most lives, is just a "shell" for the Shangyang race, Yuanshi Tianyao, to facilitate actions in the human world. Even if the "shell" of the body dies, Yuanshi Tianyao's soul can escape from the realm of death. At the same time, as long as the coordinates are left in the human world, the soul of the demon that escapes the realm of death can still return to the human world from the other side of the underworld, recreate the "shell" that carries the soul, that is, the body, and "come back to life" again.

This is a fact that Miss Lord God can confirm.

The Lady Lord God believed that perhaps the death process for ordinary life was not the death process for the celestial demon. If one wanted to kill Shang Yang, it might be necessary to completely destroy Shang Yang's soul.

However, although Miss Lord God saw the fact that ordinary death could not harm Shang Yang, Miss Lord God still underestimated the weirdness of the "Yuanshi Tianyao", a single-person race, a monster race that had never appeared in the history of the multiverse.

The gap between the human world and the underworld, the realm of death.

The state of death is a transitional conceptual layer that exists between life and death, and is one of the objective laws of the multiverse.

And now, Shang Yang, who has entered the realm of death, is in a strange state.

He found himself turned into a blue lotus.

That's right, when he fell into the realm of death, Shang Yang discovered that his consciousness was not wrapped by the soul, but turned into a wonderful blue lotus, slowly rotating in a clockwise direction in the realm of death.

[…Isn’t this too much?]

The incredible tone of Miss Lord God resounded in Shang Yang's consciousness.

"...Miss Lord God, are you and the Causal Ceremony still within my consciousness?"

Shang Yang was a little surprised. He thought that he would see the "soul" carrying the Lord God's daughter in the realm of death - the mystery of cause and effect.

[Well, I'm still inside the blue lotus that the captain's soul transformed into.]

The voice of Miss Lord God was filled with indescribable surprise.

"Doctor, I admit I underestimated your race... The Yuanshi Tianyao clan, to which you belong, is probably not a clan whose souls can escape the realm of death, and whose lives are extremely tenacious. Rather, it's likely that Yuanshi Tianyao are simply immortal."

"What's the meaning???"

The young man was very confused by what Miss Lord God said.

[The Master himself cannot notice it, only I can see it from my position as an observer.]

[After the Master's soul fell into the realm of death, it transformed into this blue lotus. What's even more incredible is that the blue lotus has no intention of escaping the realm of death, but rather transforming the realm of death...]

"Transformation...to the realm of death?"

Shang Yang became more confused.

[That's right, it's not about escaping the realm of death, but rather staying quietly here, transforming the nature of the realm of death, and gradually transforming this part of the realm of death into the same nature as the human world. Once this process is complete, this part of the realm of death will become the human world.]

[Even more incredible is that this transformation process is more like the Death Realm completing itself. In other words, as long as the soul of Yuanshi Tianyao exists in the Death Realm, the Death Realm will automatically distort for Yuanshi Tianyao, "sending" us and a part of the Death Realm back to the human world!]

Miss Lord God explained in detail to Shang Yang, her tone filled with indescribable emotions.

To put it another way, death itself is actively rejecting Yuanshi Tianyao. The objective laws of the multiverse do not allow Yuanshi Tianyao to die.

[…This is an even stronger immortality than the people of Penglai that the Admiral knows.]

“…That’s quite impressive.”

Shang Yang was also very surprised.

PS1: I've written quite a lot, and I've set it to be posted at 6 a.m. I'll try to write more these next two days, and then finish the Enma Ai arc, and then quickly upload the old volume with a few minor revisions.

PS2: According to Saigyouji Yuyuko, people from Penglai who take the Penglai medicine cannot die, and the same applies to the undead. This suggests that the souls of Penglai people have no concept of death and cannot be destroyed. Shiki Eihime, on the other hand, states that the souls of Penglai people are not accepted by the other side and are sent back. Therefore, I'm not sure whether the souls of Penglai people can be destroyed. Of course, Yuyuko could be making this up; I'd have to ask Yagi Eirin for details.

PS3: The male protagonist died. (Funny)

Volume 1 Heian Past and Present Stories: Chapter 29 The Fate of Love

Nara, Yoshinoyama Valley.

On the pile of incomplete bodies, the "monster" was stabbed in the back and chest by a spear. After spitting out a mouthful of dark red blood, its head tilted and it died.

This cautious foot soldier discovered that he had actually killed the "monster" with a spear. He was immediately excited and shouted wildly to vent his fear. He climbed up the pile of corpses in three or two steps, drew the short sword at his waist, and looked at his trophy - the dead body of the "monster" with eagerness.

Which part of the body should I cut off and take back to exchange for the reward...

The overly ecstatic foot soldier didn't know what to do. He wanted to cut off the "monster's" head, but he didn't dare. The "monster's" dying face was too brutal and terrifying.

Finally, the Ashigaru made a decision: dig out the heart of the "monster" and take it back in exchange for the reward of noble status!

Without hesitation, the foot soldier stabbed the "monster"'s body near the chest with a knife and began to cut out the heart.

The process of killing the "monster" was too quick. The other samurai foot soldiers watched in amazement as this lucky foot soldier killed the "monster", climbed up the pile of corpses in three or two steps, and began to cut out the "monster's" heart to prove his bravery in killing the "monster". Then they cheered loudly and swarmed up the pile of corpses.

Although the greatest military achievement has been taken by someone else, the other rewards are also very generous, so now is the time to fight for them.

With this in mind, the samurai foot soldiers who climbed up the pile of corpses in a few steps considered what they could cut off from the remains of the "monster" as proof of their bravery in fighting the "monster". Even several old nobles who could not hold back immediately dismounted and also climbed up the pile of corpses.

The Third Rank Councillor, Lieutenant General Left Guard, and the Fifth Rank Lower Direct Judge, Fujiwara no Fuhito, who still did not quite believe that "yue/-*沂~首//发#妖怪" would die so easily, finally let go of their worries after seeing this scene.

Witnessing the samurai foot soldiers frantically climbing up to cut off the remains of the "monster" and compete for military merit, Lieutenant General Left Guard sighed, called his deputy, and ordered the samurai leaders to record the number of casualties in the battle against the "monster".

On the mountain of corpses, there were many samurai foot soldiers who were killed by "monsters" in their attempt to kill them, and even the remains of nobles. They were trampled back and forth by the samurai foot soldiers who swarmed in later, and no one paid any attention to them.

The lucky foot soldier who killed the "monster" cut open the chest of the "monster" and, without caring about anything else, directly took out a heart that seemed to emit a faint light from the chest of the "monster".

This "monster" heart looks no different from a human heart except for its color. However, it is clear that it does not belong to a human, which fully proves that this lucky foot soldier has the military honor of killing the "monster".

The extremely excited foot soldier was about to roar towards the night sky to express his ecstasy.

At this moment, a sudden change occurred.

Boom! ! !

The remains of the "monster" exploded without any warning.

In the deafening explosion, dozens of nobles, samurai and foot soldiers who climbed onto the pile of corpses and surrounded the body of the "monster" were instantly blown into pieces.

The lucky foot soldier who killed the "monster" had his lower body instantly engulfed by the flames of the explosion, and his upper body was blown into the air by the blast wave, and happened to fall in front of the horse of Fujiwara no Fuhito, a junior fifth-rank official who was panicked by the sudden explosion.

The horse ridden by the nobleman Shouyi was frightened and threw the judge off the horse, landing right next to the incomplete body of the foot soldier.

The lower body of the foot soldier who died on the spot after being torn apart by the huge explosion was still holding the heart of the "monster" corpse tightly in his arms. His face was covered with dark red blood and exploded flesh, and there was a mixture of ecstasy and fear. It seemed that he was still immersed in the dream of becoming a noble in the last second, but was awakened by the nightmare of death in the next second.

Shouyi Kousuke climbed up, saw this, sighed, squatted down, reached out and pulled out the "monster" heart that seemed to be emitting a faint glow from the arms of the foot soldier's mutilated body.

You are so unlucky.

After obtaining the heart of the "monster" dissected by the foot soldier who killed the "monster", Karihime stood up and looked at the surrounding area which was in a mess due to the sudden explosion of the "monster"'s body. He called the attendant who had barely calmed down, and ordered the attendant to bring a box, put the "monster" heart in it, and present it to Emperor Jitō for review after returning to Fujiwara Palace.

The body of the "monster" was destroyed in the explosion, but fortunately the heart of the "monster" was left behind to prove that the large number of troops sent this time did successfully defeat the "monster" that caused the Fujiwara-kyo riot.

Afterwards, they were safe and sound away from the pile of bodies in the valley. After a burst of exclamations from the three councilors, Lieutenant General Zuo Kunwei gathered the remaining troops and re-sent the surviving samurai leaders to count the casualties.

Statistics show that the contingent of palace gate samurai, composed of foot soldiers from the Imperial Guards, suffered over 150 foot soldiers killed or wounded, with many samurai also killed or wounded. The force, comprised primarily of nobles from the old clans, and consisting of samurai from various clans and privately-owned foot soldiers, suffered the heaviest casualties, with over 300 foot soldiers killed or wounded. The samurai from various clans suffered even more casualties. The nobles from the old clans also suffered numerous casualties in the chaotic battle to siege the "monsters," a result of the poor discipline and disorganization of the nobles' troops. The contingent of the city gate samurai and foot soldiers who arrived last, led by Fujiwara no Hanshi, suffered the fewest casualties, with fewer than 100 foot soldiers killed or wounded, with few samurai from the gates either. Another third of the foot soldiers were left behind along the 20-li route from Fujiwara-kyō to Yoshinoyama; these troops could be gathered on the way back to Fujiwara-kyō.

Generally speaking, the imperial court summoned an army of more than 1,500 soldiers to fight against the "monster" that caused the riot in Kyoto. The army was commanded by Lieutenant General Left Guard from the third councilor. In this battle, there were a total of 550 foot soldiers and hundreds of brave samurai killed or wounded, which can be said to be heavy casualties. However, the largest casualties were the private troops of the old clan nobles. The imperial court only suffered more than 250 casualties. For Emperor Jitō and the reformists in the imperial court, it was an acceptable loss.

As for the Kari noble Fujiwara no Hanji, the old nobles suffered heavy casualties. So, according to Emperor Jitō's order, Fujiwara no Hanji led the warriors at the city gate and rushed to the scene. At the right time, he forced some of the old nobles to "risk their lives to fight the monsters" and "be loyal to the court". It can be said that the task of "being loyal to the court" was also completed, and there was no need for any further trouble.

Mounting his horse, Fujiwara no Fuhito, a lower-ranking official from the Fifth Rank, looked back at the bodies and broken limbs scattered throughout the valley. At the same time, Lieutenant General Left Guard, a lower-ranking official from the Third Rank, also mounted his horse. He ordered the collection of flammable materials such as straw and oil to be brought in, and after setting fire to the bodies in the valley, he led the remaining troops from the Yoshinoyama area back to Fujiwara no Kyo, more than 20 miles to the north.

After a long night of pursuit and melee, the eastern sky was turning pale and the dawn light streaked across the blue sky.

The sun is about to rise.

Fujiwara Palace, a prison within the palace.

Crack, crack…

The iron chain locking the prison door rattled, waking up the black-haired girl who had been imprisoned in this prison for a day and a night.

Curled up in the rotten straw that smelled of stale mold, Ai, who was awakened, reluctantly opened her eyes, and her clear eyes looked at the prison guard who pushed the door open with confusion.

...Although I don't know how long I was unconscious, I have been locked up here for more than a day.

The black-haired girl, with her hands tied behind her back and only able to support her upper body with the help of the prison wall, watched anxiously as the prison guard entered the prison. Then she followed the nobleman in a high hat and hunting clothes into the prison, covering his mouth and nose with his long sleeves, unwilling to smell the stench of corruption in the prison.

"...Unable to quell the Kyoto youkai riots, the imperial court, pressured by the old clans, intends to execute me immediately, buying time..."

The black-haired girl pondered the purpose of sending a high-ranking noble to the prison.

Try not to let yourself think in the direction of "something happened to Shang Yangjun".

...even if I am going to be executed, it doesn't matter.

"Perhaps the news of my public execution will alert Shang Yang who heard about it..."

Faced with a conspirator who was hiding in the dark and using magic to frame Shang Yangjun and himself, Ai was imprisoned for a day and a night, forcing himself to think calmly. He was ready to sacrifice his life to convey a warning to Shang Yang in the worst case scenario.

The high-ranking official who walked into the prison with his mouth and nose covered looked at the black-haired girl who was curled up in the rotten straw with her hands tied behind her back and a cold expression, and frowned slightly.

Then, the high-ranking noble of the Fourth Rank bowed to the black-haired girl who was staring at him coldly.

"Your Highness, His Majesty has decreed that Your Highness be brought to the Daegeokjeon Palace. His Majesty and the ministers will discuss Your Highness's crimes, and His Majesty will make the final judgment."

After bowing and informing the emperor of the contents of the decree, the high-ranking noble in a tall cap and hunting robe frowned and gave orders to the prison guards and maids standing by.

"Quickly untie His Highness. Even if he is a criminal, His Highness needs to maintain his dignity."

The maid who received the order immediately walked towards the black-haired girl curled up in the pile of rotten straw and untied her.

"My 'crimes' will be judged in the Great Hall... In other words, I will probably be executed soon."

Having made the decision to sacrifice herself, Ai remained unusually calm in the face of the impending death.

The girl quietly waited for the end of her fate.

Volume 1: Heian Past and Present Stories: Chapter 30: The Only Wish

Winter morning.

Fujiwara Palace, Daigokuden.

The Daigokuden, located in the center of the Fujiwara Palace, is the largest Tang-style building in the palace. The roof of the hall imitates the Tang style and is covered with red tiles. It is the ceremonial hall for holding various court ceremonies.

Following the Emperor Jitong's order to summon the nobles and relatives of the emperor, the nobles, wearing high hats and hunting robes, walked through the straight path in twos and threes, walked up the stone steps, and while quietly discussing state affairs with their colleagues, they entered the Daegeokjeon Hall.

On the south side of the Daji Palace gate, the black-haired girl was "escorted" to the Daji Palace by palace servants and warriors. She had an expressionless face and looked up at the magnificent Daji Palace gate located on the high platform.

do not be afraid.

Ai took a deep breath and cheered herself up.

The usually deserted Fujiwara Palace was now crowded with people because almost all the relatives and nobles in Fujiwara-kyo were summoned.

Ai vaguely remembered that several years ago, after Emperor Tenmu's death, a prince plotted a rebellion. Empress Jitō, who hadn't yet ascended the throne, summoned the nobles of Kyoto at Daigokuden to discuss how to deal with the rebellious prince. The prince himself committed suicide after the rebellion failed, and according to the results of the discussion at Daigokuden, all the convicted nobles involved in the rebellion were beheaded outside Kyoto, their heads hung at the Suzaku Gate in Fujiwara-kyo for public display.

"Relatives who commit serious crimes such as treason are generally allowed to commit suicide to maintain their dignity as relatives."

Ai, who was ready to sacrifice her life, thought with unimaginable calmness about how Emperor Jitong and the ministers would discuss how to deal with her.

"The 'crime' I committed is even more unbelievable to the nobles than treason..."

“…There’s a good chance I’ll be beheaded.”

The girl came up with the answer.

Since they were both dead, there was no difference between suicide and execution. However, if they were executed by death penalty, they would be publicly displayed. Compared to the secret burial of the body after suicide, being publicly displayed would undoubtedly be more likely to be noticed by Shang Yangjun...

Disregarding life and death, the girl, with unimaginable calmness and courage, thought about how to use her own death to convey even a little more information to the young man.

"So... Mr. Shang Yang, please calm down after seeing my body..."

After witnessing the "magic" used by the enemy hidden in the dark to frame him yesterday, Ai realized that the enemy knew everything about him and Shang Yang, and he had undoubtedly become the "bait" used by the enemy to "hook" Shang Yang to appear.

I can't escape anymore.