My personal opinion on Gensokyo

The Lady Lord suddenly rebuked the young man softly.

"...What's wrong? Miss Lord God, why do you say that?"

The young man asked in confusion.

[…Forget it, Shang Yang, this time we are 'accomplices', so I won't say anything.]

Miss Lord God sighed and suddenly gave a serious command.

[But! When you get home, Shang Yang, you must apologize to Ai, otherwise I will never forgive you!]

Yoshinoyama, at the foot of the mountain.

After reaching the foot of the mountain, Shang Yang stopped and manipulated the already restless power of yin and yang.

In an instant, the world changed.

The originally vast and varied world turned into two indescribable "colors".

"Yin" and "Yang".

All things belong to yin and yang, to the two principles.

Shang Yang is looking for the two opposites between the human world and the other world. The young man has already chosen the place where he will leap to the level of a great monster.

That is the other side, the old hell of the future.

Because of one person...

No, the word "human" is not correct. To be precise, it is a mind-reading monster that lives in the underworld on the other side.

A girl that even evil spirits fear.

Ancient and bright awareness.

Volume 2: The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter: Chapter 57: Hell and the Awakening of Monsters

The power of the two yin and yang rotated rapidly under Shang Yang's manipulation. Not only the scenery seen before his eyes, but also the nature of all things that maintain the existence of the world showed their two yin and yang characteristics under the influence of the power of the two yin and yang.

Shang Yang's spirit guided the power of the two yin and yang, exploring deeper into the entire world, through appearances, through nature, and then, Shang Yang grasped the realm of the other side.

"The two poles of the human world and the other side."

The ground of the human world and the underground of the other shore, or the old hell, are the two most distinct opposites. The ground of the human world is the terrestrial world where all living beings live and work in peace and contentment, while the old hell of the other shore, its original meaning was not the destination of life after death, but a place where the naturally formed netherworld energy gathers, which is opposite to "life".

After a human life ends, no matter how the living treat their bodies to prevent decay, they will eventually turn to dust and return to the earth. The souls of the deceased are filtered through the realm of death and become undead. Undead souls are naturally drawn to the afterlife, but the human world, which permeates the realm of life, rejects the undead. Therefore, no matter how reluctant the undead are to leave this world, they will eventually end up in Hell.

However, just like Shang Yang's ability, the two yin and yang in the world are not only clearly distinguished, but can also naturally transform into each other.

Not only does there exist a transition from life to death, there must also be a transition from death to life.

Before the content about hell and reincarnation is formed in human mythology, all the memories of the dead who fall into the other side will be slowly forgotten on the other side. Eventually, even the soul structure will be "forgotten", turning into countless soul factors, returning to the human world on earth, and randomly joining the new life that is being conceived, becoming the nutrients and seeds of a new life and a new soul.

This is the reincarnation in the other side under the operation of the heavenly way billions of years before humans developed self-awareness. The dead souls forgot themselves in the other side and turned into nutrients and seeds to nourish the new souls of the human world on earth. Every life is a complete rebirth, rather than the return of the old phantom of the previous life.

This is the dust to dust, earth to earth, the bones turn into soil, and the soul returns to Hou Tu.

But since humans awakened to self-awareness, all this has changed. One of the earliest fears born of humans is the fear of death. Humans fear the disappearance of their own consciousness. At this time, the saying "there is a destination after death" is accepted by almost all humans who hope to "live" after death. Coincidentally, the other side, the destination of the dead, corresponds to the myths and legends woven by humans, and has obtained the "position" of concepts such as "hell" and "hades" in human mythology.

Thus, the other shore became a myth and legend, was believed in (feared) by humans, and began to slowly change. When the souls of humans entered the other shore that was changed by human mythology, they could still maintain their consciousness and keep their soul structure from being "forgotten".

The earliest group of human dead who retain consciousness will retain the integrity of their souls and some memory remnants as their memories gradually fade away in the afterlife. After these blank souls are reinjected into the bodies of new lives, as the new lives gradually grow up, the remnants of past life memories will slowly emerge in the dreams of the present life.

Therefore, these humans who recalled the remnants of their past life memories recalled the vague scenes in "hell" and incorporated these contents into the myths and legends of the other side. Therefore, the other side influenced by myths and beliefs would become more "perfect".

Later, with the development of human society, the distinction between the noble and the humble gradually emerged in human society, and human beings became more complicated. Frame-ups, conspiracies, and abuse of power became more and more common. As a result, most people had new hopes for hell. People hoped that all good deeds and sins would be settled after death. Along with this hope, judges began to appear in the "hell" of myths and legends, and torture to punish sins began to appear. Influenced by myths and legends, new "positions" were added to the underworld on the other side. Some native races on the other side who could assume these "positions" felt this belief and spontaneously cooperated with human myths and legends. They gained "positions" and beliefs, and correspondingly, they also assumed the responsibility of the judge of the undead in the other side.

In Japan, these judges are the Yama clan. Of course, it is not only the Yama clan that has obtained the "position" of "judge of the dead" in mythology and legends, but other "positions" such as "God of Death" also have their holders.

The primordial will of the primordial hell was suppressed by the concepts of myth and legend, and by the otherworldly races like Yama who had acquired a "position" in myth and legend, and was forced to evolve according to the evolution of human myth and legend...

This is the other side, the essence of the underworld and hell. It is the final place of judgment designed by human beings for themselves, built on the basis of reality, myths, legends and beliefs.

The other shore, by the Sanzu River.

Shang Yang stood on the bank of the Sanzu River, looking at the fast-flowing water in front of him, and then looked at the endless amount of red spider lilies growing on the opposite bank.

Crossing the Sanzu River leads to the other shore, the final resting place of the dead.

This was not the first time Shang Yang came to the other shore. The other shore a thousand years ago was far from being as dreamy as it was later. The other shore was now very desolate. Although the Yamas had begun to judge the souls of humans and the god of death had begun to paddle the ferry back and forth on the Sanzu River, it was still far from being perfect. The complete other shore underworld system would not be fully formed until the Heian period.

In the era before the myth of reincarnation, the afterlife was the true destination of the dead. Reincarnation was like the cycle of seasons, withering and flourishing. Dead plants sank into the earth, becoming nutrients. The following spring, new plants absorbed their nutrients and grew. What relationship did the newly sprouted plants have to the nutrients they absorbed? In the human world, all things interbreed and feed on each other, so there was no distinction between good and evil. The dead should have no connection with the new soul, and the phantoms of the past life should not haunt the new life.

Miss Lord God sighed softly.

However, after human myths and beliefs eroded the afterlife, the Yama demons punished the dead, interfered with reincarnation, and arranged rebirth based on their past deeds. As time shifted and laws and morals changed, did the Yama demons' standards of judgment also need to change? If there truly was a continuation of cause and effect between past and present lives, and if past actions determined future rebirths, would cause and effect also continue? If so, then a father in a past life could become a son in this life, or a husband and wife in a past life could marry someone else in this life. The entanglement of ethics, morality, and cause and effect would be endless.

"Humans cannot escape the fear of death. Even if they are bound by the phantoms of past lives and the endless entanglement of cause and effect, life still hopes for another reincarnation. This is also the truth of the human world."

"Which of the two methods is better or worse is not for you and Miss Lord God to judge."

The young man with gray and messy hair advised the somewhat serious Miss God.

Then, the young man stepped directly into the waters of the River Styx, which was said to be the place where anyone who fell into it would sink forever.

An incredible scene appeared. The young man stood steadily on the turbulent water of the Sanzu River.

It's like standing on flat ground.

"...After all, the Three Ways River, which judges whether the lives of human souls have any meaning, cannot judge us."

The young man said.

[…It’s just the isolation of the Yin and Yang forces.]

Miss Lord God complained helplessly.

[Don't act recklessly just because you have adaptable abilities.]

"Because waiting for the Grim Reaper to come is too troublesome," the young man began to complain about the Grim Reapers. "Every Grim Reaper has a look on their face as if someone owes them money. It's better for me to go by myself."

As he spoke, a green lotus flew out from Shang Yang's heart. The green lotus slowly fell down, grew against the wind, and became a green lotus platform with a diameter of one meter. It then disappeared into the Styx.

Afterwards, Shang Yang withdrew the power of Liang Yi, and two green lotus flowers instantly grew out of the turbulent San Tu River, holding up the young man's shoes.

The young man calmly walked towards the other side of the Sanzu River step by step.

The other side, the edge of hell

Although today's hell has evolved under the influence of human myths and legends, it is also based on reality. The original hell was a huge cavity underground. In addition to hell and the undead, it was also home to many underground monsters that had always lived here.

For example, the ghost tribe, for example...

feel.

The only existing monsters named Jue are the sisters Gu Mingdi Jue and Gu Mingdi Ren who live in hell. It should be said that the monster "Jue" is a monster race composed of this pair of sisters. When Shang Yang entered hell to explore, he accidentally met Gu Mingdi Jue.

Although it was considered a lucky thing to see Little Five Loli Gu Ming Di Jue a thousand years ago, Shang Yang did not show much surprise, and the God Lord did not say Little Five Loli's age, but it can be inferred that Gu Ming Di Jue has existed for a very long time. At least, Gu Ming Di Jue should have been there when the old hell was first established.

Therefore, thanks to Shang Yang who had long known about Gu Mingdi Jue's mind-reading ability, he did not feel any disgust after Jue read his mind, which made Jue have a great liking for Shang Yang.

Ever since she was able to use her abilities, the girl named Komeiji Kaku has been surrounded by loneliness. No matter whether it is humans, gods, or monsters, as long as they see her, they will subconsciously feel disgusted.

Since the other party expressed disgust, Jue naturally would not have any further interactions with them. When Jue met Shang Yang, she found that although Shang Yang was a little surprised, he did not feel any disgust at all.

...If you hate Little Five Loli, you must be stupid.

The young man with gray and messy hair complained like this.

"You were simply attracted by my appearance then, you lolita... "

Just as the young man was recalling in his heart, the slightly cold voice of a girl interrupted his thoughts.

A demon girl with short lavender hair appeared in front of the young man with gray and white hair. Her beautiful eyes and the third eye on her chest looked at Shang Yang with contempt.

Komeiji Kaku, the mind-reading monster...

"You don't have to repeat my identity every time you see me," Jue spoke before Shang Yang could speak. She slowly approached Shang Yang, her pink slippers making a "tapping" sound as she walked on the ground.

"No, no, no, I think Xiaowu, you don't need to complain about what I said in my heart, really."

Shang Yang thought so in his heart.

Of course, this sentence is also for Jue to see. After knowing Jue for so long, Shang Yang has also learned some good ways to communicate with Jue, such as going over what he wants to say in his mind.

"I told you! Don't call me Xiaowu!"

Xiao Wu Luo...ah no, it was Jue who spoke angrily.

"A monster from another world, Shang Yang!"

PS1: I wrote the Hell section this way, and longtime readers should know it. I had this idea in mind when setting it up, and then last year, I read Chen Mei's Honghuang chapter and was immediately struck by its beauty, so I decided to incorporate this section into the story. (laughs)

PS2: Finally it has been changed to your Lord Jue.

Volume 2: The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter: Chapter 58: Komeijikaku

Shang Yang ruffled his hair when he heard Xiao Wu... no, it was Jue angrily shouting out Shang Yang's origins.

...Are you angry?

"No."

She snorted lightly, turned around awkwardly and answered, no longer looking at him.

Jue, who has the ability to read minds, is almost the person who knows Shang Yang best in the world. When Shang Yang first met Jue, he couldn't help but recall everything about the girl named Gu Mingdi Jue, so Jue also read these memories at the same time.

Scenes of memories.

Jue was so frightened at that time that he unconsciously showed an expression of panic and almost crying, although Shang Yang immediately confessed and told Jue his whole story.

After listening to Shang Yang's confession and knowing that Shang Yang's memory was only a possibility, Jue felt much more at ease. However, because Shang Yang saw his panic, Jue was still a little worried.

The girl is very concerned about the impression she gives to others.

By the way, maybe it’s because Miss Lord God’s causal shield is too strong, or maybe it’s because Jue’s ability is not strong enough, or for some other reason, Jue can only know about Miss Lord God’s existence through Shang Yang’s thoughts, but can’t read Miss Lord God’s "heart", and can’t even read Miss Lord God’s words, which makes Jue a little frustrated.

After knowing that Shang Yang was from another world, Jue developed a strong interest in the world where she, her sister Lianlian, and many other materials about this world existed, as well as the possible futures of the sisters. In addition, Shang Yang was the first person who could treat her with a normal heart. Jue, who had been rejected by the monsters and had been lonely for a long time, politely invited Shang Yang to visit her home and have a cup of tea or something.

Of course, the so-called normal mind is also Jue's own tsundere idea. Since Shang Yang saw Jue, all that echoed in his heart were messy thoughts like "Jue is so cute", "Ah, I'm dead", "Xiaowu Loli is so great", etc.

Although it was the first time I heard these sentences, I still felt very embarrassed, and they immediately made Jue's pretty face blush.

However, Jue suppressed his shyness and reluctantly made the invitation.

This is not forcing, this is persistence.

Jue's idea was simple. Not only did she want to chat with Shang Yang, she also wanted Shang Yang to tell her sister Lianlian about interesting things on earth and in other worlds.

Kaku's younger sister, Komeiji Ren, is a youkai Kaku who, fearing that others would dislike her, closed the Kaku clan's third eye, the Eye of Kaku, which can read minds, shortly after she was born. As a result, she gradually became unconscious.

Lianlian has become unconscious and has almost no ability to take care of herself. She often needs her sister Jue's care.

In short, after Lianlian became unconscious, she spent most of her time taking care of her sister's sleep. She was always worried about her sister's condition and often thought about how to help Lianlian make more friends.

Judging from the fact that she always prioritizes her younger sister, Jue is truly a qualified older sister.

No wonder the Jue Lian CP is so popular in Touhou fan works.

The young man with gray hair thought so.

"Think, what are you thinking about?"

After reading Shang Yang's thoughts, Jue's little face suddenly turned red, steam began to come out of his head, and he turned around and waved his hands in panic to deny it.

"I, I don't have any feelings towards Lianlian! It's just, it's just the necessary sense of responsibility as a sister!"

"Oh……"

Deliberately prolonging the tone, the young man looked carefully at Jue's shy face with a probing look.

"Woo..."

The girl, feeling uncomfortable under the gaze of the young man with gray hair, became angry and embarrassed. She walked up to the young man in two or three steps, and while he was confused, she raised her little foot in pink slippers and stepped hard on his shoes.

boom!

"..."

The young man with gray and white hair twitched his eyes and looked silently at his shoes that were embedded in the ground by Xiaojue.

Don't be fooled by her fragile appearance. She is a pure monster. When her little feet stepped on the ground, the ground sank...

"Humph!"