The afterlife blew up Gensokyo

Modara Okina rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"But I absolutely cannot lose to that guy, Shinki, so I have to win this time... at least once!!"

"So you've never won before..."

"...You were sent by Shinki to deliberately annoy me, right?"

"Ah ha ha……"

"To put it simply, I originally planned to disguise myself as a human and go into the human world to spread my own beliefs, and I was determined to become famous throughout history like Shinki. This kind of thing is not difficult, but it is very troublesome."

With a fierce glare at the guy in front of her who was smiling insincerely, Modara Okina reluctantly began to speak.

"If you want me to help you, then you must also help me with this. It's a very fair principle of equivalent exchange."

"Kamiki is remembered throughout history as Amaterasu Omikami, so you stubbornly insist on being remembered throughout history as a human being... Isn't that your truest thought?"

Shi Bai rolled his eyes, speechless.

"Is it really necessary to go through all this trouble just to save face?"

"So what? Just tell me if you'll help or not!!"

Modara Okina appeared quite decisive.

"Let me make it clear beforehand that in this world, only I can perfectly solve your problem and minimize the aftereffects. If anyone else were to do it, she might end up as a vegetable for who knows how many years before she wakes up!"

"Hmm...no problem."

After thinking for a moment, Shi Bai nodded.

"It's easy to become famous throughout history. I can just copy a few hundred books, like Harry Potter and Sherlock Holmes, Columbia and the Goblin..."

"Don't even think about it. I have a detailed plan."

Without any hesitation, she interrupted the other person and solemnly held up a finger in front of her. Matarara Okina spoke seriously.

"This time, you will be playing the role of Qin Hesheng, the introducer of Shinto and Kagura, the founder of Noh master Zeami, and the incarnation of me as the god of song and dance, Matara!"

"Qin Hesheng? That name sounds somewhat familiar..."

Shi Bai reached out and touched his chin, looking thoughtful.

"Does it sound familiar? Oh well, it's all the same anyway."

After a slight pause, Modara Okina waved her hand dismissively.

“I’ve never lived among humans, so I don’t know much about their customs. Your words should be very suitable. From now on, you are me.”

"Uh... I can understand each word you said individually, but when they are put together, I can't understand them."

Shi Bai spread his hands, his face showing complete innocence.

"By the way, is it really okay for your avatar Qin Hesheng to be male? Also, how can I become Qin Hesheng?"

"Don't worry, the process doesn't matter. As long as the final result is what I expected, who will care about it hundreds or even thousands of years from now?"

With a nonchalant wave of her hand, Modara Okina replied.

"However, there is one thing you need to be careful about: you can't let other people recognize you, otherwise all of this will be completely pointless for me."

"So you're using multiple accounts, right? Don't worry, I'm good at this kind of thing."

Shi Bai nodded knowingly.

"Then it's settled. You help me solve Xiaohong Meiling's problem, and I'll help you complete this task. It's a fair and just deal. But before that, I'd like to ask a question... um, for example, what does 'Shinto Kagura' refer to?"

"A dance used for worshipping and praying to the gods."

As if she had breathed a sigh of relief, Matara Okina stood up from the table, a kind smile on her face.

"It's just dancing, don't worry, I'll teach you, it's very simple."

"???"

"Wait, wait a minute, I don't think I have any talent for Shinto or Kagura. In that respect, I would recommend my students..."

Realizing what was happening, Shi Bai hurriedly waved his hand, attempting a desperate struggle.

"No, the deal is done, and it's you I've decided on."

With her arms crossed, Matara Okina gave a cold smile.

"Anyway, there's still some time before my planned birth of Qin Hesheng. In the meantime, I'll teach you properly... Go ahead and laugh if you dare, keep laughing at me!!"

Shi Bai: "..."

……………………………………………………………

"Ugh, I have this feeling like I've been subtly tricked..."

In the spacious and quiet courtyard, standing by the pond and looking at the reflection on the water, someone's lips twitched slightly.

Although he had seen this face countless times over the past decade or so, every time he saw it, he felt an overwhelming sense of utter disbelief.

Long, pale pink hair, pink eyes, and exceptionally delicate features that, while slightly feminine, possess an undeniable air of boldness. If you ignored certain details, she was a spitting image of Qin Xin…

No wonder Motara Okina said that it didn't matter whether Taiga Masaru was male or female. After all, judging from his current appearance, anyone would probably mistake him for a cold and indifferent girl at first glance... Of course, his current appearance is just a little effeminate, but he is not sissy.

...So you're saying the other party was definitely using their position for personal revenge, right?

The current season is an era in which powerful clans and religions rise together, and so far, he has lived as the eldest son of the Japanese Qin family, Qin Hesheng, for fifteen years.

Although Shinki unified the entire country, transforming it from a nation ruled by gods to one ruled by humans—a shift from divine to human rule—the arrival of people, goods, technology, religion, and many other things from across the sea in this rapidly evolving era has triggered a significant transformation.

Buddhism, which was introduced from abroad, has had the most significant impact on this country.

Currently, Japan is predominantly a country of traditional Shintoism, which involves worshipping and worshipping deities. However, the influx of Buddhism has had a significant impact on the indigenous Shinto tradition.

Because Buddhism was best suited for governing the country and was favored by those in power, it quickly gained popularity, and various temples replaced the original shrines and were newly built.

In this situation, the entire country was divided into a pro-Buddhist faction and an anti-Buddhist faction because of Buddhism, and as time went on, the contradictions between the two factions deepened.

Among them, the Mononobe clan, which revered the Shinto deity Umashima-no-Mikoto as their ancestor, was an anti-Buddhist faction, which was in stark opposition to the Soga clan, which worshipped humans as their ancestors... This was probably the first religious war to break out in history.

As for the final outcome of this religious war, although Qin Hesheng, as the founder of Shinto Kagura, is also classified as belonging to the anti-Buddhist faction, Shi Bai already knows the final outcome of this religious war in his heart.

Ultimately, this religious war between Buddhism and indigenous Shintoism ended in tragedy.

As the struggle intensified, the Mononobe clan attacked, burning down temples and discarding Buddhist statues to advocate the abolition of Buddhism. Unfortunately, the timing was unfortunate, as a plague broke out just after that day, and the emperor died.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Soga no Uchiha, the main representative of the pro-Buddhist faction, claimed that all of this was retribution for the Mononobe clan's evil deeds against Buddhism. It was through this that Soga no Uchiha gained even greater support and ultimately received permission to attack the Mononobe clan.

Finally, in this struggle, the once noble and powerful Mononobe clan perished, and the country began to operate with Buddhism at its center. This is what is known on the surface as the religious war between Mononobe and Soga.

Of course, this is only on the surface.

Behind this struggle, someone secretly orchestrated everything, and that person was Mononobe no Futsu.

Although her surname is Mononobe, she secretly worships a certain religion, namely Taoism, which was introduced to this place at the same time as Buddhism. Taoism can grant one superhuman strength and aims for immortality, making it a very attractive religion to those in power.

Of course, this fascinating religion also has its drawbacks.

That is, if the whole country practiced Taoism, everyone could become an immortal. What would be the point of politics? The country would cease to exist. For this reason, she kept the matter of Taoism deeply hidden.

Subsequently, a deity who also worshipped Taoism proposed a solution to her.

This plan is, on the surface, to govern the country by worshipping Buddhism, a religion that can bring peace and prosperity to the people. On top of that, we curse our own death and become resurrected immortals.

Thus, in secret, Mononobe no Futsu became an ally of the Soga clan and carried out underground work.

Ultimately, a religious war centered on Buddhism broke out.

On the surface, this appears to be a religious war between Taoism and Buddhism, but in reality, it is a religious war between Taoism and Buddhism.

Although the destruction of her tribe, the Mononobe clan, was not Mononobe Futsu's original intention, she could still be considered the culprit who led her tribe to its demise.

Hmm... it's this cunning guy right in front of me.

Looking at the gray-haired, gray-eyed girl who had once again ignored his countless warnings and walked carelessly into his courtyard, the man remained expressionless.

"Do I remember saying that you are not allowed to set foot here?"

"Did you say that? Sorry, I think I forgot."

With a slight pursed lip, Mononobe no Futo sat down at the stone table by the pond.

"I don't think I've done anything wrong, so why do I feel like you're targeting me?"

No, it's not targeted at you.

Looking up at the clear blue sky, someone had a deep, thoughtful expression.

"I just occasionally say something like, 'I really want to kill Futo,' that's all. How can that be considered targeting me?"

"........."

ps: Good afternoonヽ(ー_ー)ノ

Chapter Thirty-Five: Qin Xin's Sixty-Six Masks

In Shintoism, there has always been the concept of divine possession and divine reincarnation, but the method used by Matara Okina is more direct and simple.

As the saying goes, a human's life is but a fleeting dream. For immortal beings like Matara and Okina, who have lived for countless years, a human's short lifespan of less than a hundred years is nothing more than a grand dream.

The technique used by Matara Okina also borrows this principle, creating a dreamlike experience that allows one to witness a real life.

A concrete example is the relationship between Murasaki and Merry. The difference between dream and reality is subtle. His current situation is similar, only the effect is a bit rudimentary. I don't know if Murasaki made any improvements later.

Take Shi Bai for example. His body is currently fast asleep in the Kingdom of Houhu. When his life as Qin Hesheng comes to an end, he will wake up from his dream in the Kingdom of Houhu.

In other words, the body he currently possesses was originally prepared for him by Matara Okina.

In fact, according to Modara Okina's plan, his memories as Shi Bai Shi would only be able to awaken when Qin Hesheng died, but it was obvious that the other party did not have the ability to seal him.

Thus, Shi Bai had to live a rather tragic life as Qin Hesheng for fifteen years. However, due to his maturity and talent that far exceeded that of his peers, he became a very famous genius in the country.

Just as Stand users are drawn to each other, so too are geniuses. When he was seven, Toyosato Miko, who was also born into the true royal family and possessed extraordinary talent from a young age, excitedly came to his door with her two "vassals" to recruit him as her vassal to serve her.

...and then he picked them up one by one and threw them out.

Toyosatomimi no Miko, an ancient sage and the legendary Prince Shotoku, possessed extraordinary talents from birth, far surpassing those of humans. He was able to understand the words of ten people at the same time and give accurate and insightful answers.

Although the goddess was said to be born into a powerful clan, she should actually have been born into the royal family. Otherwise, the two noble clans of Mononobe and Soga would not have allowed Futsu and Tojiko to live in peace.

However, some things are actually quite ironic.

Mononobebe, to which Mononobebe belongs, is an anti-Buddhist clan, while Soga no Tojiko belongs to the Buddhist clan. The two clans are locked in a fierce struggle for their respective ideologies. Logically speaking, Mononobebe and Tojiko should have been natural enemies since childhood. However, due to the existence of Toyosato Mimiko, the two have become very good friends.

To be honest, after secretly collecting the illustrations of the three girls from the Temple of the Gods, Shi Bai didn't plan to have much interaction with them. After all, it would be too embarrassing for a grown man like him to follow three little girls around since he was a child.

...especially when the three of them were unusually certain that they thought she was a girl and tried to pull him to take a bath together.

Shi Bai had hoped that he could reduce these misunderstandings as he grew up, but he never expected that as he got older, these misunderstandings would not only not disappear, but would increase.

Especially after he presided over the Shinto Kagura ceremony under the moonlight when he was twelve years old, almost every year someone would come to the Qin family to propose marriage to him. Even the Shinto princess, Futo, had never received such treatment... Is this something a human could do?!

Even now, there is still no definitive conclusion regarding the gender of Qin Hesheng, the first person to perform Shinto Kagura, especially among those who have been fortunate enough to witness his Shinto Kagura rituals, who still circulate legends about him in Shinto Kagura.

As the bright moon rises, songs, dances, and music begin.

A butterfly alights in the autumn wind, gently touching the ripples.

Candlelight illuminates the heavens and earth; a single dance can topple mountains and rivers.

Well... he just danced to a song called Gokuraku Jodo.

He did want to perform the Suwa Daimai dance, but considering that he might become the biggest cult leader in history as a result, he ultimately gave up this rather tempting idea.

...and then the situation spiraled out of control.

At its peak, six carriages arrived at his door in a single day, all of them coming to propose marriage. Even though the head of the Qin family tried to explain his gender to the nobles who came and went, it had little effect.

Because of this dark history, he was already considering whether to silence him. After all, it seemed that only Motara Yinqi knew that he was Qin Hesheng. If he killed her, no one would know about his dark history... But he was sure she wouldn't betray him.

In short, he is now extremely annoyed because of Matara Okina's fault.

Given that he usually gets followed by a large group of fans and stares whenever he goes out, Shi Bai was already considering whether he should follow Lanling Wang's example and wear a mask.

However, these things were relatively minor. What troubled him the most was Mononobe no Futo, that cunning fellow.

Because when he was five years old, he ruthlessly grabbed the other person by the collar and threw them out the door, which directly led to him suffering ten years of retaliation and... harassment from Mononobe no Futsu.

For example, they might throw caterpillars down his neck, stuff earthworms into his shoes, or gather others to try to peep at him while he's showering... and so on.