The afterlife blew up Gensokyo

The dragon veins that Shi Bai laid down before have undoubtedly had a huge impact on this world, and the same is true for the Monster Mountain. To date, countless monsters have gathered around Monster Mountain, and this number continues to increase over time.

Despite its seemingly superior status among monsters, the Monster Mountain is built upon the immense power of the Tengu clan, who rule the mountain.

If the Monster Mountain doesn't have enough power to deter these monsters, it won't be long before the monsters completely take over the mountain.

It's realistic, but also very real.

Therefore, the Demon Mountain needs a deterrent force like a nuclear weapon, and the Heavenly Demon is that nuclear weapon.

Under these circumstances, no matter how much Hiragin Ban longed for the outside world, she could never leave the Youkai Mountain.

"Alright, that's enough. Remember to be more careful next time and don't be so reckless."

After looking up at the sky with his eyes slightly narrowed, Shi Bai turned around and spoke to the white wolf tengu behind him.

"If you discover any monsters invading Monster Mountain during your patrols, don't rush in alone. Get a group of people to gang up on them and beat them up, understand?"

"...Can I ask you a question?"

As if he had made up his mind, Inuzoki Kaba mustered up his courage and raised his head.

"You, what is your relationship with your senior?"

"They're definitely friends, what's wrong?"

Shi Bai looked completely bewildered.

"Then... this is for you!!"

After stammering for a long time without finishing his sentence, Inuzoki Kaba simply shoved the contents of his pocket into his hand and then turned and fled.

"Uh……"

Looking down at the rice ball in his hand, Shi Bai's lips twitched slightly.

So why would someone give you food...? Are they worried you'll get hungry on the way?

Shaking his head, Shi Bai casually tossed the rice ball into his mouth, turned around, and walked out of the Monster Mountain.

(Hmm...this rice ball looks pretty good...I'll ask her for more next time...)

—It wasn't until evening that the white wolf tengu realized he had delivered the wrong thing because he was too nervous.

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

Lake of Mist gets its name from the mist that perpetually shrouds its surface, and the ruler of this area is the Snow Woman, Lady Horvantlock.

Shi Bai originally came here intending to say goodbye to Aunt 9, but after searching around the Misty Lake, he couldn't find her anywhere, so he had to give up on that idea.

...Unfortunately, we only found ⑨'s mother here, but not ⑨ himself.

Besides that, he also took the time to check on the Hakurei Shrine. The situation there seemed to be on the right track. When he arrived, a shrine maiden dressed in black and white was calmly sitting in the shrine where she was the only one, drinking tea.

Hmm... she really is all alone.

The Forsaken Goddess, Hakurei Mystic Dream—Hakurei was added later.

The reason for this nickname is quite simple. Before coming here, she was a shrine maiden in another shrine, and her own strength was extremely powerful. However, for some unknown reason, she betrayed the god enshrined in that shrine. After decisively burning the shrine down, she chose to flee to the place where the god's influence was weakest.

—This is the origin of Mingmeng's title as the Forsaken God Priestess.

Because of the existence of the Mountain of Yokai, almost no gods choose to come here. After Meimu came to this place, she was chosen by the Tengu and invited to serve as a shrine maiden at the Hakurei Shrine, which she readily agreed to.

Although he had heard about her from Hirain Hana before, Shi Bai's lips still twitched involuntarily after seeing this legendary abandoned goddess priestess in person.

In some respects, this abandoned goddess was extremely beautiful, but her appearance could not conceal certain aspects of her character.

...because he immediately spotted the Yin-Yang Jewel, the greatest secret treasure passed down within the Hakurei Shrine, which was being used as a stepping stone for a table.

How could you use something like the Yin-Yang Jewel to prop up a table?! You're a shrine maiden of the Hakurei now, aren't you? Don't you understand the principle of making the best use of resources?!

The Yin-Yang Jade is clearly for cracking walnuts! You're using it to prop up a table; how am I supposed to use it to crack walnuts after this?!

Shi Bai looked indignant.

He was quite certain that since the other party had chosen to stay here as the shrine maiden of Hakurei, she must understand the function of the Yin-Yang Jewel. But to use it as a table prop... this shrine maiden certainly had potential.

In addition, inside the Hakurei Shrine, he also saw several yokai that were clearly captured by the other party and were busy cleaning the shrine. There were also several yokai in the courtyard who were busy pulling weeds.

Including the abandoned goddess priestess who was calmly drinking tea at the table, there was indeed only one person in the entire Hakurei Shrine... But what kind of shrine is full of yokai?!

Hmm... it seems the name "Hakurei Shrine" (a shrine for yokai, meaning monsters) is hard to shake off, especially since a former shrine maiden is supposed to be her priestess... Luckily, Matara Okina probably doesn't know about this yet, otherwise she'd probably just come and attack me... Speaking of which, why did I have to be so stupid as to blurt out "Hakurei Shrine"? I should have just called it "Ruri Shrine"... Oh well, next time I see Matara Okina, I'll just say I actually built Ruri Shrine, since the name "Hakurei Shrine" is already taken...

With no intention of going in, Shi Bai left the Hakurei Shrine with mixed feelings.

Before any human served as a shrine maiden at Hakurei Shrine, rumors about the shrine being a yokai (supernatural) shrine had been circulating on a small scale. It was thought that having a qualified shrine maiden with professional experience serve as the shrine maiden of Hakurei would make the rumors sound a little better, but this only serves to solidify the rumors...

Shi Bai just wants some peace and quiet right now. Don't ask him who Jingjing is.

In the following days, Shi Bai made a special trip back to Penglai to visit Huo Qing'e and Xiao Hong Meiling. However, he didn't know if it was because his luck suddenly turned bad, but when he arrived in Penglai, he learned that Huo Qing'e had already left Penglai with Xiao Hong Meiling a few days ago.

Faced with this situation, Shi Bai increasingly missed the era of convenient technology. Back then, if you wanted to find someone, you could just make a phone call; there was no need to run around the world like this now…

Huo Qing'e didn't know where she had taken Xiao Hong Meiling with her. Even if he wanted to find her, he couldn't find her for a while. After leaving a letter in Penglai, he simply chose to leave.

However, before setting off for Fujiwara Kyoto, he also made a trip to the Underworld. If it weren't for the fact that all ten divine artifacts were currently asleep because they were guarding the dragon vein, he would have liked to go to the Heavenly Realm to find Sayo...

Regarding the question of where Chunhu and the remaining Penglai Medicine went, he felt it was necessary to ask Xiaoye for clarification. However, without the Eastern Emperor Bell, going to the Heavenly Realm was practically impossible, so in the end he had no choice but to give up.

"So in the end, I'm destined to be a nanny..."

After finishing these miscellaneous tasks, Shi Bai shook his head speechlessly, recalling the promise he had made to Yagokoro Eirin.

Eirin Yagokoro had originally resolved all the issues in the Lunar Capital and planned to leave with Kaguya Houraisan while she was being banished to Earth to live among the locals. However, the trouble he caused in the Lunar Capital forced Eirin to stay and clean up the mess.

In other words, he unintentionally caused Eirin Yagokoro's misfortune, forcing her to stay in the Lunar Capital for a while longer...

"But if it's about the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, does this mean I'm going to have to fight with the Bamboo Cutter for custody of Kaguya Houraisan? Eirin Yagokoro said she'd contact me later, but I wonder how she'll do it..."

As Shi Bai strolled leisurely along the main road leading to Fujiwara-kyo, the capital of the country, he pondered in his heart.

Eirin Yagokoro's request was quite simple: before she finished dealing with all the tedious matters in the Lunar Capital and left, she was asked to take care of a certain runaway princess of the Lunar Capital on the ground.

However, judging from NEET's personality, Shi Bai felt that this task seemed exceptionally difficult...

As the capital, Fujiwara-kyo surpasses other cities not only in terms of architecture but also in terms of population, and it is also much more bustling.

Dozens of powerful Onmyoji and monks worked together to ensure the safety of the city, largely preventing the intrusion of foreign yokai. Although there were certainly yokai lurking in Fujiwara-kyo, the possibility of danger had been minimized.

The monsters aren't stupid. Faced with a heavily guarded city protected by many powerful humans, they would have to be out of their minds to keep coming here. Wouldn't it be better to go to other small cities or villages with fewer powerful humans and cause trouble than to keep coming here?

Although incidents of monsters harming people are frequently reported in various places, Fujiwara-kyo is relatively safer.

Because of the reliable safety of Fujiwara-kyo, the capital city, many people have also settled in the surrounding areas. After all, there are many shrines and temples around the area, making it extremely unlikely that monsters would commit crimes there... Just like how the underworld wouldn't be stupid enough to fight in front of a police station, that would be tantamount to suicide.

After taking a short stroll around Fujiwara-kyo, Shi Bai went straight out of the city and headed outside. After spending some time there, he found an elderly couple who made a living by cutting bamboo in a secluded bamboo forest outside the city.

This couple has always been peaceful and content with their lot. Although they have no children, they live a carefree life and are extremely kind, which is rare in this era.

Upon seeing that he was traveling alone and weary, the elderly couple warmly invited him to their bamboo house in the bamboo forest for a meal, showing their exceptional hospitality.

Shi Bai spent enough gold to buy their dilapidated house, then helped them buy a house in the best location in Fujiwara-kyo, and also helped them adopt two orphans with good character... After a lifetime of hard work, the couple will now live out their old age in peace.

This kind of life is actually what they most desire and what suits them best.

P.S.: Good morning! ヽ(ー_ー)ノ

Chapter 18 Fujiwara no Mokou

Bright sunlight streamed through the smooth bamboo and wood window frames into a room. The walls were covered with bright photinia wallpaper, the bright yellow color blending with the sunlight, making the whole room appear well-lit and spotless.

The room was furnished in an unusually simple way. A green bamboo bed was placed by the window, and the clean, bright floor was enough to reflect a person's figure. It wasn't until the sun was high in the sky that the figure lying on the bed opened his eyes, looking slightly dazed.

"Ha... not having internet is always a big problem, playing games alone is just too boring... when will that NEET princess finally arrive?"

Shi Bai yawned, slowly got out of bed, and then rubbed his slightly sore eyes.

It has been about a week since he moved in. At first, he was quite happy to live here alone, but after less than a week, he was already starting to feel a little uncomfortable.

After all, few people come here, and it is located in a bamboo forest. Apart from a few people who make a living by cutting bamboo and making charcoal, there are basically no outsiders coming here.

Shi Bai felt that he was definitely not suited for cultivating immortality. After all, meditating and cultivating for hundreds of years was too frightening. If he still had the same mindset as before, it would be fine, but with the help of Ri Luo Yuan, he has now regained his desires.

Having desires means being unable to calm one's mind, so these days he's basically been staying here playing games and reading comics, even ordering takeout for meals... no, there's no takeout available right now.

Although he could do many things after the system was unblocked, he couldn't summon the network out of thin air. However, during the days he stayed here, he did manage to summon some good things.

—For example, there's a "food tablecloth" from the Doraemon world that can provide an unlimited supply of food.

What is the most terrifying world? It's not a world with extremely high danger, but rather a comedy like SpongeBob SquarePants or Tom and Jerry. The rules of these worlds are quite peculiar, and once you accidentally get trapped, it's almost impossible to escape. You might end up trapped for ten to several decades.

For example, he was once trapped in a world called Peppa Pig for about a year. The horror of that world still haunts him to this day.

If he had to choose between a world corrupted by an evil god and the world of Peppa Pig, he would absolutely choose the former without hesitation, without even a moment's hesitation.

If we exclude all the modified versions of Doraemon's world he's visited, then the normal version of Doraemon's world is quite peaceful. After all, the causal gadgets in Doraemon are no joke.

The "Food Tablecloth" can actually be considered one of the more famous magical gadgets in Doraemon. After all, as long as you say the name of the food you want to eat, the tablecloth will conjure up completely realistic food, which is completely free and unlimited, making it a true blessing for foodies.

He had tried it, and even for dark-themed dishes like Stargazing, the food tablecloth could perfectly replicate them. Unfortunately, it was only limited to ordinary human food. Things like Tang Sanzang's flesh and Cthulhu's tentacles were still missing. Although it could be called delicious, it was more like a mass-produced assembly line product from a factory, lacking some kind of soul. Compared to the food he made himself, the taste was still quite different.

If you were to throw this food tablecloth into the SCP universe, it would definitely be a safe-class containment item.

...He plans to rent this "food tablecloth" to a foodie in the future.

After having a rather modern breakfast of fried dough sticks and soy milk using the [Food Tablecloth], he leisurely carried a picture frame on his back and walked along the path through the bamboo forest towards Fujiwara Kyo.

As the capital of a nation, it is quite peaceful. The most famous powerful family in Fujiwara-kyo is the Fujiwara family, and the current head of the Fujiwara family is named Fujiwara Fuhito.

By supporting Emperor Monmu to the pinnacle of power and by marrying his daughter Fujiwara no Miyako to Emperor Monmu, the Fujiwara clan, led by Fujiwara no Fuhito, reached the pinnacle of political power. This is probably what it means to be a minister who has reached the highest position in the court.

As the saying goes, "a new emperor brings a new court," the Soga clan, which had been the ultimate winner in that era, also fell into obscurity and lost its former glory. However, because Fujiwara no Fuhito's wife was Soga Shōko from the Soga clan, the Soga clan was also a major powerful clan in Fujiwara-kyō.

The reason why Shi Bai would go to such lengths to inquire about Fujiwara no Hitoshi was quite simple. He was an honest person, and the only things that could motivate him to care about were lolis.

—That's right, his target is Fujiwara no Mokou.

If it weren't for maintaining his composure and avoiding being seen as a pervert, he almost went directly to the other party's door and begged them to hand over their daughter to him.

Look how honest I am, am I proud of it?!

However, based on the information he had gathered in the past few days, although Fujiwara no Mokou was the daughter of Fujiwara no Fuhito, a favorite retainer of Emperor Monmu, her current situation did not seem to be very good.

If Fujiwara no Hitoshi had only one daughter, Fujiwara no Mokou would naturally have been much loved. However, Fujiwara no Hitoshi had at least three wives on the surface, and countless concubines in secret. Among Fujiwara no Hitoshi's four sons and five daughters, Fujiwara no Mokou was just an unimaginative child who was not valued by him.

In this era, it was quite normal for men, especially powerful nobles, to have multiple wives and concubines. In fact, the so-called Genji Project was even popular...

The so-called Genji Plan was to raise a little girl and mold her into the woman he envisioned, so that she could become his future marriage partner—essentially raising a young wife from childhood.

Shi Bai felt this was a very reprehensible thing.

In Fujiwara Kyoto, Fujiwara no Mokou, the daughter of Fujiwara no Fuhito, is quite famous, but in a negative sense.

Perhaps because she desperately wanted to achieve something to gain her father's attention, Fujiwara no Mokou completely abandoned the needlework and embroidery that women should do, and instead went to practice swordsmanship and other things that should be learned by men. Despite being a well-bred young lady from a prestigious family, Fujiwara no Mokou became a notorious...delinquent girl in Fujiwara Kyoto?

At only eleven years old, she defeated Fujiwara Kyo, who was unmatched among his peers. Among the other young ladies from noble families, none could perform like her.

He would jump off a two-meter-high building without hesitation, climb a three-meter-high building without hesitation, and even cut his long black hair, which was originally waist-length, short to make fighting easier... He completely wore the word "rebellious" on his face.

People her age had long since been proposed to and engaged, but because of Fujiwara no Mokou's many achievements, while her half-sisters had already been engaged, she remained untouched by anyone.

Shi Bai felt that Fujiwara no Mokou had entered her rebellious phase early and wanted to attract her father's attention through a series of actions. However, it was obvious that Fujiwara no Fuhito did not pay much attention to his good-for-nothing daughter, thus creating a vicious cycle.

When Shi Bai slowly arrived at a main commercial street in Fujiwara-kyo carrying his picture frame, it was around one o'clock in the afternoon. After setting up his stall under a big tree at his usual spot, Shi Bai sat down on a small stool under the tree.

As the saying goes, "A minor hermit lives in the wilderness, while a major hermit lives in the city." These days, while gathering information in the city, he also set up a stall on the roadside to sell his paintings.

He originally intended to wear sunglasses and play the erhu on the roadside to tell fortunes, but after thinking about the possibility of being attacked with vegetables by passersby while playing the erhu, he had to give up the idea.

Although fortune telling can be done without an erhu, he felt that it just didn't feel right without it...

Sitting idly by the roadside, wielding a brush and observing the myriad aspects of life, has its own unique charm.

Although he's not good at music except for the erhu and suona, he feels he's actually quite talented at painting, which can be considered a personal hobby. During his time as Qin Hesheng, he honed his painting skills extensively.

He sleeps until he naturally wakes up every day, and then comes here on time in the afternoon to set up a stall and paint. He doesn't sell the paintings he finishes, but only gives them to people he likes. This is his entire daily routine for the past week.

His eccentric behavior quickly sparked heated discussions among Fujiwara Kyo, as his painting skills were indeed extraordinary and priceless, making his works extremely rare and sought-after.

In particular, when the paintings he casually gave away reached the eyes of those nobles, Soga-shi recognized almost immediately the similarity between these paintings and the paintings left by Qin Hesheng, which his family had treasured and kept as precious artifacts.

If it weren't for the fact that Qin Hesheng was already an ancient person from hundreds of years ago, they would almost have thought that Qin Hesheng had been reincarnated.

The fact that Soga-shi came to his door did cause Shi Bai a little trouble, but nothing serious happened.