The afterlife blew up Gensokyo

After listening to Riluoyuan's general account of what had happened in the two months since he left, Shi Bai was slightly taken aback.

“That’s right, and she also took your prize because she said she found herself, so the prize naturally belongs to her.”

As if recalling some unpleasant memories, Hirain Hana's words were clearly tinged with resentment.

"So what exactly do you want with her?"

"It's just a small matter... but it's still early. Since she knows I'm looking for her, she'll come looking for me later."

After thinking for a moment, Shi Bai nodded.

Strictly speaking, the current time is around the mid-6th century AD. It will be about 800 years before Yukari Yakumo opened the boundary between illusion and reality, and Gensokyo officially separated the inner and outer worlds.

We are currently in the heyday of the yokai. It wasn't until the mid-13th century, when the dragon veins were severed and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was cut off, that the yokai began to decline, thus creating a sense of crisis for the yokai community.

Before that, such proposals were simply nonsense; in this era of rampant monsters, no one would think that far ahead. If he were to propose dividing the land into regions and building a monster kingdom to restrict monster activity at this time, he would probably become a laughing stock in the eyes of others.

And if those demons found out that he was the one who orchestrated the arrival of the Dharma-ending Age, he would probably be hunted down by all of them...

So far, very few people know about his plan. One is Matara Okina, the ultimate absolute secret god who has survived since the ancient mythological era. The Demon God, Kamiki, also knows a little about it. Apart from that, the only other person who knows about it is probably Sayo, who is the Dragon God... and maybe we should also add Junko.

Even if the Dharma-ending Age arrives, it won't affect these beings. However, the impact on other demons is far more complex. After all, in some ways, it truly means the extinction of the demon race.

Shi Bai was certain that if he dared to reveal his plan, he would face a collective attack from the monsters, and the previously unknown dragon vein would also encounter major problems...

Looking at the black-haired girl beside him, who was sulking because of his perfunctory answer, Shi Bai smiled and then simply told her his whole plan, even including what had happened in the Moon Capital.

In his view, there was nothing to hide about these things, and given Hirain's personality, he wouldn't spread them around.

For certain reasons, apart from when she was alone with him, Hiragin Ban used her true form. At other times, she was just Inuzoki Kaba's senior, an ordinary white wolf tengu in the Youkai Mountain.

Or rather, apart from him and the Great Tengu, no one knows the true identity of the Tengu clan's demon, making him incredibly mysterious.

After all, if the other yokai knew that Tenma was actually a loli who was still over a thousand years away from adulthood, the image of Tenma, which the Tengu clan had worked so hard to establish, would be completely ruined. In terms of real age, Hirain Hana was only slightly older than Shameimaru Aya and the others...

"Leading this world into the Dharma-ending Age...is this what you've been doing lately?"

As if seeing him for the first time, Hirain Hanako unconsciously widened her eyes, her gaze clearly filled with shock, disbelief, and a complex mix of other emotions.

To describe it specifically, it's like discovering that your deskmate, whom you've been classmates with for three years and would fight over a 50-cent pack of spicy chips, is actually the son of a super-rich family with a hundred mines.

Although the descriptions may not be entirely accurate, the general situation is basically the same.

"Yes, so I'm doing something big that could impact the whole world."

Meeting the gaze directed at him, Shi Bai nodded solemnly.

"How about it? Do you look at me in a new light now?"

"……really."

After a moment of silence, Hirain Hana lowered his head.

"I feel like my perspective is a bit too narrow. I've basically never left the Monster Mountain... The outside world must be huge, right?"

"Yes, it is indeed very big. This world is far more wonderful than you can imagine. But there are even bigger and more wonderful places than this world, which are called beyond the world. I will take you to see them in the future."

Leaning back against the tree trunk, Shi Bai looked up at the azure sky above and laughed.

"Since you want to go out and see the world, then go ahead and take a look. I can be your tour guide. I'm actually planning to go to Penglai anyway, would you like to come along?"

"...The Monster Mountain can't do without me."

His face clearly showed interest, but in the end, Hirain Hana shook his head.

“Recently, the number of monsters has been increasing, and the number of monsters gathered around Monster Mountain is growing day by day. At this critical moment, I absolutely cannot leave Monster Mountain.”

At this point, Hirain Hana glared at him with some displeasure.

"I mean, why has the number of monsters been increasing day by day in recent years, and why are they getting stronger and stronger? In the end, it turns out that it was you who caused this?"

"Haha...this is an inevitable trend in the development of the world..."

Slightly guilty, Shi Bai turned his head and chuckled awkwardly.

"But seriously, aren't you really not planning to go out and take a look? Going out for a few months or even a few years shouldn't be a big deal, right? As time goes on, the number of monsters will only increase."

"...No, I have my own mission too."

Looking down at the three little girls under the tree, excitedly discussing the gift someone had brought back, Hiragin Hana let out a soft sigh.

“Some things cannot be avoided, just like your student Eirin Yagokoro. She is now making her final severance from the Lunar Capital, the place she watched grow up, in her own way. No matter what happens in the Lunar Capital in the future, she will never go back.”

"Yes, that's just how Eirin Yagokoro is."

Looking up at the sky, Shi Bai couldn't help but feel quite emotional.

"If you're going to do something, do it to the best of your ability. If you're going to cut ties, cut them off cleanly. The Lunar Capital isn't a suitable place for her. The most suitable place for her is actually Gensokyo."

"Gensokyo... So that encyclopedia you've been collecting is actually a list of beings that can enter Gensokyo, right?"

Nichirain suddenly spoke.

"Any being selected for your encyclopedia will have the right to enter Gensokyo..."

"That's not right."

Interrupting the other person, Shi Bai shook his head.

"Alright then, let me ask you, what kind of place do you think Gensokyo is?"

"A paradise where humans and demons live in harmony?"

"wrong."

"Then... the end of the road for things forgotten in this world?"

"No, not enough."

"...a mere illusion, existing only in fantasy?"

"It's probably going to be even more brutal than that."

"Is this so..."

After a moment of silence, Hirain looked at him.

"Then please tell me, what is your answer?"

"Gensokyo..."

Meeting the other person's gaze, Shi Bai smiled, a smile as pure as the unblemished azure sky above.

"Even someone like me can be accepted by Gensokyo. Gensokyo... is a place that can accept everything."

"Is there a place that accepts everything...?"

After a brief silence, Hirain Hana took the initiative to reach out and hold his hand.

"The Tengu clan of the Monster Mountain will also accept you."

"...Then I'd be very grateful."

After a moment of stunned silence, Shi Bai broke into a bright smile.

"While I may not be able to guarantee that my heart is pure and spotless, I can control my behavior and always be upright and honest."

...........................................................................

At the same moment, Inuzoki Kaba, who had finished his morning patrol and was rushing home excitedly, stepped into the yard and immediately saw the two people sitting on the maple tree by the pond.

Seeing the two people holding hands and looking at each other in the tree, Inuzoki Kaba suddenly felt terrible, and the original color instantly turned into a black and white mess.

She didn't know why, but inexplicably, this sentence flashed through her mind without her being taught.

I was the one who met him first... I was the one who arrived first...

"Xiaohua, I feel like your sister seems a little out of sorts. Is it because the gift I chose didn't suit her taste?"

Seeing the white wolf tengu nearly bump into the door frame twice as it entered and exited, Shi Bai couldn't help but speak to Inuzou Momiji with some concern.

"I don't know either, maybe I'm just too tired? I think the gift you chose is very suitable."

Biting on a lollipop offered by a certain lolicon, Inuzomi tilted her head slightly and pointed to the large... solar-powered refrigerator placed in the center of the courtyard.

"With this, it will be very cool in the summer and can also preserve a lot of food... Is my sister really too tired?"

After thinking for a moment, Inuhachi Momiji jumped off the chair.

"Brother, I'm going to help sister."

"Oh, go ahead... I was just saying, I carefully selected this for a long time, how could she not be satisfied? This is an essential household item, it's the only one of its kind on Earth right now..."

With his arms crossed, Shi Bai nodded in deep agreement.

"I don't think that's the reason, and the gift you gave was obviously the wrong one."

While fiddling with a metal earphone in his hand, Hiragin Hanako, sitting to the side, muttered something under his breath.

"How did you come up with the idea of ​​giving her this?"

"Uh... because last time she said she wanted to eat ice cream and drink ice water in the summer, right? A refrigerator can be used for cooling, so it should perfectly meet her requirements."

Shi Bai had an innocent look on his face.

"Do you know how long I searched to find this large model? And it doesn't even need electricity, it's all solar-powered, it's the only one of its kind in the world."

"So what's the purpose of these earmuffs you gave me?"

Riluoyuan held up the metal earmuff in his hand in front of Shi Bai.

"This isn't called earmuffs, it's called headphones. You can wear them on your ears when you need to use them, and you can hang them around your neck when you don't need to use them."

Taking the earphones from Riluoyuan, Shi Bai corrected the other person's grammatical errors aloud.

"Didn't you say you wanted to hear the bamboo flute I played for you that night? I specially equipped these headphones with a Bluetooth speaker, which is also solar-powered. It has super long battery life and is super convenient. With these headphones, you can listen to music whenever you want."

As he listened to the story, Hirain Hana's expression became somewhat strange, but the story continued.

"Let me tell you, whether it's 'Castle in the Sky' or 'Where the Stars Are,' they're all in these headphones. I downloaded them all beforehand. Although the current music library only has about a thousand songs, it's okay. If you want to listen to any songs in the future, I'll just add them to your playlist."

Hirain Baku: "..."

"How about that? Isn't it super convenient? Now, if you want to listen to the bamboo flute again, you can just use this. I put a lot of thought into this."

With his head held high and chest out, the man looked utterly proud.

"...Thank you for your trouble."

After a moment of silence, Riluoyuan took the earphones back from Shi Bai's hand and forced a smile onto his face.

"Of course, I thought about this gift for a long time. As long as you are all satisfied, that's fine."

Shi Bai waved his hand, appearing quite modest.

"Gifts like the camera in Wenwen's hand and the cell phone in Ji Haitang's hand were all carefully selected by me. Didn't you see how happy they were to receive them?"

"Yes, I'm very happy with the gift you gave me."

While verbally agreeing, Hiragin Hana turned his head expressionlessly to look at the large solar-powered refrigerator in the middle of the courtyard.

For some reason, she suddenly felt a sense of shared suffering.

P.S.: I tripped and fell today, so here's an extra chapter! ヽ(ー_ー)ノ

Chapter Seventeen: The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter (Beginning)

The present era is truly a golden age for both immortals and demons.

As the dragon veins were built, the amount of spiritual energy in heaven and earth increased day by day. As the number of monsters increased over time, the overall strength of the monsters was also greatly enhanced.

Although many powerful individuals have emerged from the human race, they are still far inferior to the demons in this regard.

So generally speaking, humans live in groups, while remote, sparsely populated places, such as deep mountains, are basically paradises for monsters.

However, although humans are at a disadvantage, it does not mean that humans are powerless to resist monsters. Perhaps it is precisely because of the increasing number and strength of monsters that the native Shinto and Buddhism have had to put aside their grudges and unite against them.

Otherwise, if monsters were allowed to dominate and run rampant on this land, the divine and Buddhist paths would cease to exist. After all, apart from Taoism, which you may or may not believe in, both the native divine and Buddhist paths require human faith.

Currently, the most active professions in this region are probably Onmyoji, monks, and shrine maidens. At the same time, there are also some professions originating from exorcists and samurai. Together, they ensure that the living space of humans is not overrun by monsters.

Furthermore, not all monsters are united. If all monsters could unite, there would probably be no human presence on this land. However, due to the nature of monsters, they are destined not to unite.

In the world of monsters, survival of the fittest prevails, and strength is everything. The weak can only survive by attaching themselves to the strong.